{Update — winner is #82 — Alicia @ Scruggle’s Pages and #3 Lee}
It’s Thanksgiving Week and I can’t think of a better time to tell you about this wonderful idea! I recently found out that one of my favorite blogs — SERENDIPITY — is run by a sweet girl I was in the dorms with in college!
This is her Thanksgiving House
Small world!
They wanted to find a tangible way for people to say “thank you” for simple acts of kindness.
How often have WE been touched by someone’s kindness? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little something that we could give to someone as a token of our appreciation?
So Cristin and Lisa got together with Cathe Holden and designed these fantastic Pocket Wish Tokens and started Wishes in My Pocket!
You can purchase the tokens online, and when one is given as a thank-you,
that person can pass it on to the next person and so on.
Plus, each person that the tokens comes in contact with can go to the
Wishes In My Pocket website and share their experience with the world!!
How awesome is that?
Just think of how many people each token can affect!!
I love this idea of making the world a better place through simple acts of kindness!!
Some ideas:
You can put them at each place setting at your holiday dinner
Or place a bowl of them on your entry table to remind your kids to do something kind
{they would make AWESOME stocking stuffers too!}
Cristin and Lisa are giving away
12 Pocket Wish Tokens to TWO of you!!
Here’s how YOU can win:
Simple —
*Just tell me an experience when you could have given a Pocket Wish, or tell me how you might be able to use a Pocket Wish in the future.
If you want an extra entry:
*Share this awesome idea with your friends. Come back and tell me how you shared it.
Have a Very Wonderful Sunday!
xoxo
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I have alwqays wished that I had something like this to give to aveteran when I see them on Veteran's Day and Memorial Day . . .also on Buddy Poppy Day.
I always tell them thank you for what they have done and they all look so surprised thata anyone would say thank you to them.
paula
I would have loved to have one of these on the day after Thanksgiving. I was headed into Target and a lady stopped me and asked if I needed a Rapunzel wig. I said well my daughters would love it, but it isn't on the NEED wish list 🙂 She then said she bought 6 instead of 5 and didn't want to go back in to return it. She just gave it to me. I couldn't believe it. I felt bad because I had no cash or anything to give her. She was so generous. These would have been perfect to pass on to her 🙂
mattles22 at yahoo dot com
This is a beautiful thing! I LOVE it!
My husband and I don't go out to eat much… especially since my son was born. He doesn't behave too well in restaurants. The other day, however, we decided to go to a local diner and have some pie for dessert. The waitress was SO good to our son that it made our experience there a more pleasant one. I would give this waitress a token… just to say thank you.
and I shared with FB!
wow, just this evening my babysitter did the dishes for me because she said I looked stressed! boy was she right
I work in a public library. Periodically, someone prints something from the computer and is unable to pay for the page. Occasionally, someone behind them will step up and place money on the counter to help out that person. I'd give a Pocket Wishes token to the person who did that!
I wish I can have this tokens for my Bishop, when my husband is away and my kids need a blessing, he take the time to do it.
Hi there :o) Please pass by my blog! I left something there for you…
-Adri
http://www.macheriecreations.com
well, when i was pregnant with our third, i came out of a store to find that my van had been hit while we were shopping. luckily, a man had seen it happen, waited to tell me about it, and then waited longer to speak to the police. thanks to him, the police were able to find the man who hit my car. he definitely would have gotten one!
Pocket Wishes…what a wonderful idea! I would definitely give one to my daughter's middle school math teacher who sent an email home the first week of school asking for information about my daughter…her likes/dislikes and how she learns best. He has communicated weekly regarding her grades, how she is doing in class as well as notes indicating his appreciation of her as a learner. Thanks for the opportunity to win and have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Wow, such a great idea. I have 3 events that just jumped into my mind and are fighting to be told. The shortest is the time I was traveling alone with my two oldest sons who were 5 and 7 at the time. Our seats were separated -I was in a center seat and the boys were sitting in the center and window seat in the row in front of me. The man sitting in the aisle seat next to my boys was not willing to switch with me. Assuming he objected because I was in the center, the woman next to me offered to take my seat and give him her aisle seat, but he still insisted on keeping his assigned seat. Uncharacteristically, I began to cry thinking of my shy, sweet, little 5 year old without my presence on take-off or landing, or……etc. The wonderful women who were sitting on either side of me immediately switched seats with my boys putting that man to shame for his stubborn recalcitrance.
I will forever be thankful to those women and want them to know that whenever I have been able to help other moms or families traveling with small children, I think of their kindness to me.
everytime someone is kind enough to open a door for me while i'm carrying the baby carrier, i wish i could say thank you. everytime someone has done something nice for one of my children, i want to say thank you.
what a wonderful 'pay it forward' type idea!
I love these! I could have used one for the wonderful woman I ran into at a restaurant once. I was having the absolute worst mom moment (my son threw up on me and the whole table at a restaurant just minutes before my in-laws were arriving). Needless to say, I was in tears. This nice older woman smiled at me in the restroom and told me that things like that happen to everyone and to remember to cherish each and every moment with my son because they all pass so quickly. She said all the right things at the right moment. If I had a pocket wish to give her–I would have felt like I had at least shared some of my immense gratitude with her.
What a wonderful idea. I would love to have had some of these for the teachers at my kids school. They do not get enough recognition and sometimes a simple THANK YOU is all they need, but what a way to be able to remind them daily that they are appreciated. I also would just love to have some for my purse because random acts of kindness are the best to reward…whether young or old,everyone appreciates a THANK YOU! I also would love to get some for my kids to start teaching them about random acts of kindness.
Heather
I am a fourth and fifth grade teacher and I would love to share these with my kids. Our class theme for the year is Everyday Heroes and we're learning how each and everyone of us can be a hero to someone everyday.
I think I would turn it into a game with my children where they each had to give one away on certain days and then share who and why at dinner that night. I'd use it to teach them to start intentionally looking for the simple kindnesses offered to them each day that are taken for granted but would be missed if they disappeared.
I would love to give these to so many people. I would give them to all the wonderful ladies in my MOMS Club who continually help me with all of our various service projects to help families in our community. They are all so wonderful and make my job easier and so fulfilling.
I wish I would have had one of these to give a co-worker on Friday. I had a rather tough week in caring for and advocating for my daughter who had sensory processing disorder. I asked this particular person to pray for me. Not only did she do that, but she brought me in a book to read, and wrote down some scripture to keep in my desk to look at whenever I felt anxious. It would have been lovely to let her know just how much I appreciated it.
I could have used these tokens when my husband first joined the military. We were pregnant with our son and had absolutely no money. We were surviving on macaroni and cheese and ramon noodles. We went to fill up for gas one day and only had $5 in the account and we were way past E. We made it to the pump barely and discovered they only took cash. So we walked to the atm only to discover you can't pull anything out that small so we were stuck at the gas pump for at least 2 hours. I was bawling my eyes out, didn't know what to do when a homeless lady asked if we were okay. All I could do was cry. She gave us $5 in cash to fill up so we could make it home. This lady was HOME LESS and gave us money, maybe all she had. I wish there were something that I could have given her.
I work at a high school and it would be great to show the kids that not all the little things they do go unnoticed
What a beautiful idea! The first thing that popped into my mind were my students. This would be a great way to help them remember to give thanks to those around them! Keeping it in their pocket as a reminder and passing it along to brighten and remind others…terrific!
I think more than anything I love reading the above stories. I had so many people helping us, we are blessed.
While I was 4 months pregnant we lived 2 weeks with no electricity, no heat and no food (and when I mean no food I mean all we had was white rice and water). A co-worker paid half of our electrical bill so we could get it reconnected, bought us food and gave us a card to go to a restaurant so we could forget of our troubles. That was beyond kind, I wish I had a tangible way to tell her THANK YOU!!!
I love this so much I shared it on facebook! Oh so many pocket wishes but one that comes to mind is helping a neighbor, long story but true! lol
The other day my boss not only thought to bring me a latte back with her from Starbucks, she remembered that I love the pumpkin spice kind and so that's what she ordered me. <3
WOW! What a great idea! I can think of two instances where I could use these. I do mission work and could spread these that way and I also work at a school. We are constantly trying to help the kids become better people by doing good things. I think giving them something that reminds them of their actions could help them remember to always do good things.
-Bridgette
Love this. I would pass them out randomly when I saw someone doing something nice for someone else (not just for me). I think it reinforces a sense of community-thank you for being my brother's keeper.
Cute!!! We had something like this when I was in Brazil. It was a small blue stone shaped in a heart. We passed it around making sure that we did something kind during the week. I would use these for neighborhood gifts and it would be special to see everyone's wishes put together! 🙂
I have some pretty amazing neighbors, and it would also be nice to carry them when I am out shopping. People are always going out of their way for me since I have a 2 year old and many times my hands are full.
I have so many times that these would come in handy! Today it would have been for the checker at Walmart who was SUPER fast despite my kids spinning the bag holder and asking her million questions!
This is a great idea if I had a blog I would post there 🙂 But I am going to talk to the office manager tomorrow at work and see if she would like our office to pass these out to the nurses, other doctors, and our patients
[email protected]
This may seem like such a simple thing -but in the afternoon I go through the drive thru at Sonic to get my diet cherry lime aide -well the young lady at the window, Toni, always walks it out to the car to me so i don't have to wait in line -I think it is nice since I am always in a rush to get back to work ( My kids think this is so pitiful that i know the sonic girl 🙂 ) I would just like to give her a simple token of appreciation .
[email protected]
Last week I was at the grocery store and my ATM card was declined(my husband is unemployed). I stood at the checkstand embarrassed and I burst into tears. The cashier was kind of cold and uncaring. She gave an exasperated sigh and said "Well what would you like me to DO?" It was then that the tears started falling as I started to put some things back. A woman came up behind me in the lane and asked me what was wrong. The checker told her I didn't have enough money top pay for my groceries(which I don't think was her place to tell her). The woman opened her checkbook and said "How much is it?' and she paid for the remainder of my groceries. I would have loved to have had something like this in my purse to give her. I will be forever grateful to her for the kindness she showed me that day.
There are times in the lunch line where a student does something nice for another that I really wish I had something small to tell them that they did good! Helping a friend when they are injured or overburdened, whispering to me when someone doesn't have a lunch that day, picking up trash when they weren't asked to, or even just being patient when someone in front of them hasn't mastered the fine art of using tongs are just some of the things I recognize with a "Way to go!" every day.
Elementary school is a tough place. I like to try and make it a little happier, even if my time with them is very short.
Yesterday, as my daughter and I were loading groceries in our car, the gentleman next to us was cursing. A lot. Loudly. We quickly worked to get out of there and he noticed and apologized. I was so impressed that he was aware that what he had been saying was inappropriate. I actually got out of my car and went back to thank him for noticing how inappropriate it was. I could tell how much he appreciated that. I'd have passed one of these off to him for sure.
I took my daughter to the bus stop at 6:30 in the morning. She got on the bus and I started up the car but it wouldn't start. I knew if I called the house no one would answer because my youngest is still asleep and my husband can't hear it with his breathing device. About the time I was about to call a friend(who I knew was awake)the older gentleman crossing guard who sits in his car for about 1/2 hour before school even starts moving came over and offered to help me! He just noticed something wasn't right! I wish I had had one of the wish tokens then!
Last Thursday I noticed my debit card missing. No big deal, I thought, it will show up in the bottom of the washing machine or under a couch cushion. On Friday, after I put my kids to bed, I drove 30 miles to the nearest grocery store to buy Thanksgiving food and groceries. On Saturday morning we were expecting a plumber friend to come help us put in our 2nd bath, and electrician friend coming to help connect our furnace that went out for some reason. Anyways, I spend almost 2 hours doing my shopping. I have 2 carts full. She rang me up and my total was $332. I swiped my husbands debit card (mine still hadn't turned up, but I hadn't really looked hard for it). The card was declined. Well my husband had just gotten paid, I knew there was money there. I had her run it as credit, sometimes debit acts weird. Still declined. By this time I was frazzled. I had to push my cart out of the way so the cashier could help others, while I called the bank. Long story short, someone got my debit card and cleaned out my account. I had to leave, embarrassed, without any of the groceries.
Now we had $100 in cash at home. But who knows when/if we're we'll ever see the thousand dollars we lost. Bills are due, Thanksgiving is coming, we have no food. We live paycheck to paycheck, so there's no money to fall back on.
My husband immediately called the plumber to tell him we had no money to pay him on Saturday. You know what? He offered to do it for free! We wouldn't let him, of course. We didn't really "need" the plumbing work, we could wait. But we NEEDED our furnace running, it's snowing in Colorado. So we figured we'd pay the electrician with the $100 cash, and just pray that God take care of us for food.
Long story shorter, the electrician did the work for $50, even though it took him 6 hours. He didn't get the furnace running because there's an element broken that we'll have to have replaced by heating guys. But still, he gave us a great deal and did fix the electrical issues.
I just am amazed at the goodness in people. It far outweighs the bad– the person who used my debit card and took our money.
God will take care of us. And if we eat peanut butter sandwiches for Thanksgiving this week, I am alright with that. We have one another!
If I won the lottery tomorrow, I would do something wonderful for the electrician (who spent his Saturday trying to fix our heat, even though he has 2 children at home and he probably would have liked to spend Saturday with them). I would also do something nice for the plumber who offered to do our bathroom for free. There are good people out there.
The tokens are a wonderful way to show appreciation for the goodness in people. I love it!
Sorry this was so long winded, I just thought it was a special story and I hope it makes someone smile. 🙂
I would be giving these like crazy to my neighbors who started out by bringing us cookies (and helping us move) the day we moved in). They are awesome! My kids deserve some as well. I would love a visual to remind them that I am thankful for all they do.
I teach high school, and I am teaching a life skills class. We are going to be focusing on the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, and one aspect of it is going to be helping others. These would come in handy to remind my students!
I share on FB!
Tweeted here: http://twitter.com/#!/ReefBotanicals/status/6390815706320896
What a neat tangible way of saying Thank you! As a pastors wife, we are helped out alot by church members – whether they drop off of food or help one of my children with their meal at church – I would love to have some of these to hand out!
I'm a face painter. At one event, I needed to end the line, but really couldn't stop painting, so a girl who'd been watching me helped me number the remaining kids and organize the line for me. I promised her a really elaborate painting at the end for her troubles, but when I was finally done with everyone else and got to her, all she wanted was her name across her forehead. I'd have loved to have one of these to give her as an additional "thank you."
Just posted about it on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/laurel.lakey
What a cute idea!
I wish I had one the other day when I was at the grocery store. One of the sweet teenage boys working there saw that I was a bit overloaded with my two little boys that day and without even asking, just came up in the checkout line and starting unloading my huge shopping cart onto the conveyor belt. It seems like a small thing, but to me, that day, it was huge. I would have given him a Pocket Wish token in an instant.
I have so many instances where these would be great. My son, Keegan is 1 and was diagnosed with Meddulloblastoma at 7 1/2 months old (its a form of brain cancer). Since then we have received monetary donations ( in the thousands to help with medical bills and expenses since we have to take him to a hospital far away from home). We have also received many gifts for him and us including gift cards for food, groceries and toys. The latest "gift" came in the form of an IPAD for Keegan to use and us as well during our long hospital stays. I would LOVE to be able to win these to send them and give them to the people that are making a difference in our day to day lives.
oh, so many occassions….
eg. this morning when the volunteer team arrived at 9 am in the morning, in the rain…. UNHEARD OF in Italy…. all could have gotten one.
And then, there was the organizer of last night's festa who did not earn one coin but who strung the whole evening together into one coherent celebration of talent, …
and then there's one for my neighbor … etc. etc. you can tell, 12 will last me just 1 day…
ha ha
rose
contact at finecraftguild.com
http://www.finecraftguild.com
How great would these be to give to my high school students. I work in an inner city school and my students are desperate for any kind of positive feedback. I have little ways to show them I care and this would be another fantastic way!! I am off to her site to check these out!
What a great idea for stocking stuffers! I would love to show my children how to be appreciative and thankful. This would be a great way!
Love this idea! I would use it at home with my family OR in my classroom with my 3rd graders!
I am a Librarian at a middle school and we give out Warrior Bucks for good behavior… I have often thought that it would be great to have something like that for my brood at home… this would be perfect… I love the bowl of the tokens… as a reminder to do something kind everyday for someone…if we all did that…can you imagine…
LOVE IT! I would love to have some to give to those around me who don't realize how their small acts of kindness change the world for the better! I could have used these so many times, but especially this fall – I lost my grandma and sometimes a smile from a friend in passing brought sunshine to my day!
These are awesome!!! I work in a pediatric medical office and when these parents get devastating news regarding their newborn babies it would be incredible for them to know sometimes how much we really do care. We had a newborn this week who the parents took home what they thought was this perfect little angel only to find out on their first visit to the pediatrician that she tested positive for Cystic Fibrosis. DEVASTATING!!!!
Shared on my facebook page
WOW, I think there are many ways I could use the Pocket Wishes but when I receive GREAT customer service I really want something more tangible to give than just a thank you… like when Panera delivered food after the recent death of my father. The girl was very friendly and kind and sweetly offered her condolences.
These would be great to use with my 3 daughters when I see them going out of their way to be kind to each other and to others. Children need more ways to have their positive behavior reinforced!!
I just love this idea, what a wonderful, tangible way to say you appreciate someone. Recently I had surgery and wasn't able to lift anything for a few weeks. I had so many people offer to help and even friends did grocery shopping for me so I wouldn't need to lift bags in and out of the car. This would have been a great way to say thank you!
I wish I had a bunch of these when I was sick and in the hospital for 2 months and family and friends were helping take care of my family! I would have loved them to hand out! What a great idea.
LOVE this idea!.. Well, what I remember most recently, and off the cuff, is when I ran short at the checkout at the local Mom-n-Pop store, and I had to tell the cashier to just take one item back out of the bag… The very nice man behind me insisted on paying the difference for me! While I wonder how MEN in particular will react to these tokens, I really wish I could have given him one!!!.. I have posted this giveaway on my right side bar, Jen, and hope you're enjoying your weekend! ~tina
A time that I wish I would have had a pocket wish was when my small group went Cold Stone Creamery and while we were sitting there talking the young man who waited on us brought us extra coffee drinks from the over flow of what was ordered. He said they just throw that away anyhow and we were having fun.