Real Happiness!

"To find real happiness, we must seek for it in a focus outside ourselves.  As we look heavenward, we will inevitably learn of our responsibility to reach outward."  Thomas S. Monson

51.  Related by Bruce Cunningham…From my friend Nia Avalon:

My HERO for the day. I had to go to Walmart (I'm poor) to get an umbrella, some undershirts for Joe, and especially some treats for my students as rewards for doing well. I was $9.47 short when I checked out. I had been telling the clerk what all that was for, and then the guy (young, cool!) behind me in line said. "It's okay, how much are you short?" She told him. "Cool, I'll cover the difference, it's fine!" I was astonished! I hugged him and told him he was awesome. He said, "It's cool, just pass it forward by doing someone else a favor." I promise!!! YOU ARE AWESOME! You better believe I will return that great karma ten fold!! I don't know his name or where he's from and it doesn't matter. Humans Are MAGNIFICENT So pass it on! Do something kind, just because.  (For Mom)

52.  From Dacia Weese:  Donated some of my bonus from my new job to a friend in Sweden so she didn't lose her apartment…she was out of work for 6 weeks because of a work injury, and lost her job because she was gone for those 6 weeks!

53.  Helped at a bake sale and donated $50 for a friend's sister who gave her kidney to a total stranger!  (Dacia)

54.  Gabe and Josh Weese have gathered a large box of books for Kristina Hart's library that will be shipped this weekend.  Happy Birthday Grandma Jo!

55.  From my friend Kim Dunn in Mountain Home, Idaho…(Dacia's friend who wanted to contribute)
"I have always noticed a lady in my town walking everywhere and it has been unusually hot this summer.  I stopped yesterday and asked her if she needed a ride anywhere…It turns out she walks to the store every day because she cannot carry home more than a day's groceries.  I took her on base with me to the commissary where we could stretch her dollar a little more and got her fridge and pantry completely filled.  I also got her set up with the bus from the senior center so she can get to the store and her appointments a little easier"  

56.  From Dacia's friend Karen Malone in Seaside Heights, NJ…  I sent a huge box of books for Kristina Hart's library.

57.  Karen Malone and her daughter also have a food drive every year for the local food pantry.  This year they did it in Grandma Jo's name and tried to collect 91 lbs of food.  They will deliver it soon.

58.  Grandma Jo and I were at the post office today and a lady ahead of us said to her…"Please go ahead of me.  My package is for my daughter in Belarus and it always takes a long time to get it mailed."  (See…it doesn't have to be a big thing!)

59.  From Martha Baker:
"Josephine, you are one of my heroes!  I truly look up to you as a great example of how I should live my life.  Thank-you for being you and being someone I can look up to.  I have been thinking about what service I could do on behalf of your upcoming birthday.  My in-laws have been serving a 6 month mission in Wyoming at the 6th Crossing Handcart Site.  They just returned home yesterday from their mission.  While they were gone, our family had the opportunity to look afar their home, take care of the yard work, and get their mail every few days.  It was a great opportunity for me to work so that they could spend time serving the Lord.  It was not always easy or convenient to get their large lawn mowed each week and to take care of what needed to be done for them, but it was worth it.  Our family was blessed for seeing them while they served on their mission."  Happy Birthday Jo!!   

60-63.  Yesterday John & Ann Ribera and Dave and Jo Cunningham went over and cleaned up the church.  Even though she came with us for our work, we decided to dedicate that service to Mom.

64.  Camry Johnston, a young woman in our ward came last night to deliver 2 doz. cookies to Mom.

65.  Brother Hirschi and his son, Michael also came last night with pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  It was a cookie day!

Generally Speaking

"Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others…by and large, I have come to see that if we com pain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves."  
Gordon B. Hinckley


42.  From MJ and Brad Bakove:
     I usually take a bag to pick up trash on my beach walks.  Brad and I went to Hendry's Beach Sunday morning to take in the day.  We must have been the first ones on the sand after the big party Saturday night.  I counted 4 fire pits with coals still warm.  We picked up 40 bottles and cans and filled 4 bags with assorted trash, small pieces of plastic, cigarette butts, bottle caps, & clothing.  Don't need to add more to the Great Pacific Plastic Gyre.

43.  From the Eric and Suzanne Cunningham family…
The kids prepared and took flowers to their teachers this week.  An act of kindness for Grandma!

                                                       Grandma and the Wolf!

44.  Brenda Poulsen reported that James Ribera showed up at their new house ready and willing to paint.  His unexpected help was of great benefit to Brenda and her family.  Good job!!

45.  From Alyssa Shrout:  My sister-in-law was having a rough couple of days so I ordered flowers and had them sent to her at her massage school to brighten her day.  It worked!  Happy Birthday Grandma!

46-50.    "Tonight the Mia Maids (of the Washington 9th Ward) spent their evening doing a service reject for Mrs. Mann's Story Time at the St. George Library in honor of Sister Josephine Cunningham.  Due to the recent flooding, most of Mrs. Mann's supplies and resources from over the years were ruined.  Her bean bags, that she frequently uses for a variety of activities were destroyed.  The Mia Maids took this opportunity to serve by sewing and making her new bean bags!  The night was full of smiles and good laughs as these daughters of God served in honor of Sister Cunningham.  The Mia Maids hope to be as awesome as her when they are 91!"

The Good that we Do!

"There is no end to the good that we can do, or the influence that we can have with others.  Let us not dwell on the critical or the negative.  Let us pray for strength; let s pray for capacity and desire to assist others.  Let us radiate the light of the gospel at all times and all places, that the spirit of the Redeemer may radiate from us.  Miracles can happen when there is kindness, respect, and love.  Let us reach out in friendship to everyone, it is a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ."  Gordon B. Hinckley

38.  Teresa Olcott sent in her act of service.  

Oprah and Deepak have come up with CD sets consisting of 21 days of meditations centering around different values and themes.  After each meditation, there area 4 questions associated with that day's meditation.  I am typing up the journal questions for Alyssa Shrout, so she can participate too!  

39.  Kayla Hart began school this week at BYU-I.  There were many acts of kindness to get her there.  Jonathan and Diana let us stay at their home after picking her up at the airport.  Diana then took her shopping and treated us all (including Joe's family to dinner).  Grandpa and Grandma Ribera then drove her to Rexburg, bought supplies and groceries and helped her get settled in.  It was lots of fun!

40.  Grandma Jo (not to be outdone by all of you), while putting up 30 quarts of peaches today, stopped and made a cobbler for a friend she heard hurt her back.

41.  The general public has no idea that they are helping on the 91 acts of service.  Today John was out front trying to cut down the 15 plus foot trees at the end of the driveway, that died this last winter.  The chainsaw (as usual) was not working, so he began sawing with a tree saw.  After an hours work in the hot sun and not making much progress, a truck from Classy Lawn and Yard Care stopped.  Shane, the owner and his assistant jumped out and said, "Can we help?"  Zip sang, the trees were down, limbs hauled to the pile and they happily drove away with two containers of fudge…of course.  Thanks, guys!

Random act of kindness!

The Bucket List

     In the movie "The Bucket List" 2 questions are asked of those who are passing over to the other side…dying.  Have you felt joy in your life?  Have you brought joy into the lives of others?  Josephine Cunningham is certainly one who brings joy into the lives of others each day.  Now it is your opportunity to do the same!

31.  Heather and Geoff Cunningham report that "we invited some neighbors for dinner tonight.  They mentioned they couldn't come because one of them was sick in bed.  We decided to just bring the dinner to them so they wouldn't have the worry of making dinner and could concentrate on taking care of their sweet Mother and wife."

32.  Last night a large contingent of young men from the ward (scouts) showed up to clean up Mom's yard.  After the last windstorm, the large pine trees dropped lots of dead pine needles.  They raked and moved everything back to the mulch pile.  They cleaned up trimmings and trash and this morning it looks really good outside.  It was a blessing to us all…especially the guys who spend dawn til dusk working on the house and don't have time for yard work.

33.  From Bridget Cunningham…
"One day the sister missionaries in our area were short and needed a companion.  I put off what I was doing to go with one of them to an appointment to teach two young girls.  They were baptized the following Saturday and it was a blessing to be a part of their conversion process."

34.  From Joan Morey, a friend of Mom…What I am "giving" Jo for her birthday.  I like to share the purses, aprons and pillowcases that I design and sew.  I already give them to family and friends, and give them randomly to people.  I am currently (for Jo) sewing items to be sold to raise money for the Primary Children's hospital in Salt Lake City.  Happy Birthday, Jo!  Love, Joan

  35.  Today we bought new work gloves for the young men working on our house.  Theirs were pretty torn up, and Mom donated to the Wounded Warriors Project when we were shopping at Albertsons.  It is hard to keep up with her!

36.  The Day family in the neighborhood keeps an eye out at Deseret Industries for "Christmas Tins" for Mom to use to fill with fudge for Christmas.  Yesterday two of the granddaughters brought down their latest "finds" and visited for awhile.  Very kind of them.

37.  Joe and Karen Cunningham took Mom out to dinner at Entrada.  So sweet…yes, the rest of us tagged along!

Running out of time! 1/3 of the way there!

"Your most powerful testimony is how you treat others after the church service is over"  (anonymous)

Well, it's September, family!  Send me your acts of service!  john.ann.ribera@gmail.com


25.  Nola and Wes Waters, dear friends of Mom, stopped by today to visit during their quick stop in St. George.  They brought her fresh tomatoes and peaches from their garden and stayed for a chat.  Then her neighbor, Tawnee, invited her to come over and pick as much squash as she wanted.   How sweet to remember her.

26  Isabelle and Steve, Mom's neighbors behind us offered us their air compressor to use in our construction project.  Three weeks and counting.  How kind.

27.  Grandma Jo did her own act of kindness today.  She was in charge (with one other person) of the presentation during the last hour of church on Family History.  She worked on it all week, with 2 great handouts and gave an articulate and interesting presentation.  Way to go, Mom!

28.  Dan Evans came back today and before we came over had Mom's lawn mowed and trimmed.  He said he was so grateful because Mom was one of the only ones in the ward who ever remembered his wife's birthday.

29.  The Hirshi family stopped by last evening with a plate of hot chocolate chip cookies.  It is nice that Mom is benefiting from so many of these kind acts of love and service.

30.  Jonathan and Diana Ribera loaded up their truck and brought us furniture that was sent north with theirs by mistake.  A long hot trip by them saved us one.  Now that's love!