New Years Resolutions

So I have been thinking about New Years Resolutions lately. Most of the things I have thought about are the regular ever year type things that people do. Then another thought came to me. I need to work on serving others.

I had made a good behavior chart for my children a couple of months ago and on it I listed "Service". My kids did not even know what service was. I tried explaining what service was and giving them examples. I didn't come up with many good examples because every time we would put up our stars for the things we did, service was left out.

So my goal this next year is to teach my family how to serve. Each month we are going to pick one thing to do for others and slowly but surely my children will learn that that is just part of life.

Do you have any stories of serving others?

Here are some examples I found.

19 Easy Ways to Serve Others

Posted on 11 February 2009 by Curtis Honeycutt

Part of my job at Grace is letting people know about “official” opportunities to serve others in the Indianapolis area. Here are 19 (because that’s a nice, even number) easy and “unofficial” ways to serve others that you can do on a daily basis:

1) Write a letter to someone to tell them how much you appreciate them

2) Find stuff in your house you’re not using or wearing and donate it

3) Give blood

4) While at the grocery store, buy a few extra items (non-perishable, of course!) and donate them to a food pantry

5) Go to your local community center and tutor a child

6) Pick up trash in your neighborhood…you can do this with your kids

7) On a snowy day, shovel an elderly or disabled neighbor’s walk or scrape the windows of his car

8 ) In the grocery store parking lot, offer to help someone load their groceries into their car.

9) If you strike up a conversation with someone in public, ask them if there’s anything you can pray for them about

10) Volunteer at a nursing home and spend time with someone who might not have anyone else

11) Drop off some homemade cookies at a neighbor’s house with a nice note

12) Leave a big tip on a small check

13) Be friendly in public–say hello to people

14) If you like animals, volunteer to spend time with dogs and cats at the animal shelter

15) While driving, if you see someone walking in the rain (and you’re not comfortable giving them a lift), stop and give them your umbrella

16) While driving, wave someone in who is trying to turn…be nice on the road

17) Offer to watch a couple’s kids so they can go out for a date night

18 ) This one’s a classic…at a drive-thru, offer to pay the person’s tab who is behind you in line

19) Open doors for people…chivalry ain’t dead…yet

No doubt I left some out…what are some that you like to do?

http://justwallpaper.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/19-easy-ways-to-serve/