This story is from a friend of mine, and I am sharing it with her permission.  May it inspire you like it inspired me!

"Now, I know the concepts of paying it forward and performing random acts of kindness but until tonight had never really thought about what sort of impact such actions could have if more of us, myself included, actually did them.

My 5 year old son had just finished his bath and I was helping him get his pajamas on when my husband came upstairs and put a box on the floor. It had just been delivered by UPS and was addressed to me. It had labels on it from Target.com and since I hadn’t ordered anything from them recently I was very curious. My son was too, as anytime a package comes he very eagerly wants to help open it. My son learned very early in life that the “U E Pess man”, as he calls him, brings fun things sometimes.

So my son and I opened the box and inside was a toy John Deere Fishing Pole - you know, the kind with the magnetized “hook” and fish? Well, my son immediately starting throwing a very happy “fit”, asking if it was for him and if he could open it. I was only confused and told him to just wait a minute while I figured out. I recognized the item from my son’s Target.com Christmas Wish List from last Christmas and couldn’t figure out why it was just now showing up – had my mom or someone else ordered it for him and we had just not received it until now? It didn’t make sense.

I pulled out the packing slip and although it was indeed addressed to me, the person listed in the “Sold to” area was no one I know in a city I’ve never heard of. There was also this personal note written:

“I found this Christmas list on-line. I hope it’s not too late for a  Christmas gift. I hope Chad will enjoy it. If he’s outgrown it, please find someone who would like it and pass it on. Merry very-late, or pretty-early Christmas…Anon"

My first thought was, “Wow! Someone who can spell and knows the difference between ‘to’ and ‘too’.” (I’m a bit of a grammar nerd.) J

My next thought was that this person had found the wrong Target.com list and sent this gift to the wrong person. My son’s name is Chance and the name in the personal note is Chad. Our last name is Johns and the sender’s last name is Jones (of all things). The “Anon” at the end of the note got me thinking a little, but I still figured the sender had made a mistake or Target had messed up.

So I called Target to find out what to do. The Target customer service rep. looked up the order and verified that their system showed I was the correct recipient but I still wasn’t satisfied. I explained that I had never heard of the sender and didn’t know anyone at the purchaser’s address listed on the packing slip. The rep. then put me on hold to call the purchaser. When he came back on the line he had the purchaser and myself both on the line on a three-way call.

The purchaser, Mr. Jones, told me that this was just something he wanted to do. He had been browsing online, had seen the list and had decided to send out a gift hoping that the person who received it would be happy. He was just performing a random act of kindness – maybe he would set a trend. I guess he didn’t realize his information would appear on the packing slip. I was flabbergasted. I didn’t know what to say so I just thanked him several times and assured him that my son would indeed enjoy the gift.

My son spent the next hour or so happily playing with his new treasure and asking why the stranger had sent it to him. I spent the time thinking of ways to repay the kindness. Of course we will be sending a thank you note but there are other things I now plan to do – and on an ongoing basis.

I figured one of the things I could do was share this story, which is why you received it – maybe you’ll find it inspiring enough to share with others and a trend really will be started. I also started thinking that random acts of kindness need not cost any money. Simple gestures such as giving a sincere compliment to a complete stranger, or letting someone “cut” in line ahead of you could go a long way in making this world a better place to live – if more people practiced them."

I couldn't agree more!  What kind of random acts of kindess are YOU ready to do?

This Sunday my parents will be celebrating their 45^th wedding anniversary. When I asked my mom what she wanted, she answered that she wished her whole family could be together. Given that my brother and my sister's family live nearby and I'm the only one out of state (not to mention clear across the country), I'm usually the one who's missing from the equation. My mom’s wish wasn't meant to be a guilt-inducing nudge at me - it's just her wish, and I think the wish of mom's everywhere.

In many ways, I think that universal feeling among women - for our families to be safe, protected and together - is part of the important gift women bring to leadership and to the world. In my first book, If Women Ran the World, Sh*t Would Get Done, I have a list called the "12 Things Women Do For The World...Even if No One Notices."  The last item...and perhaps the most important item...is that “women realize that women around the world are mothers, sisters, friends, and daughters who share more similarities than differences.”

Isn’t it time we stopped being afraid of differences and instead celebrated our common humanity? I would love to see what the world would look like as more of us do just that! Are YOU ready, willing, and able to do so?

Like many of you, I’ve been watching the events of the last week in Iran, and I’ve been feeling a mixture of sadness, anger, and a deep wish that there was more that I could do.  Last century, more than one hundred million people died in wars and violence at the hands of another person.  I don’t know anyone who wants the same to be true when we reach the end of this century.

Here is my wish for every man, woman, and child everywhere.  It's a wish that appears in my book and I call it a Declaration of Independence, one that is truly for all people, of all ages, in all countries.  While it’s written for women, it applies to all of us:

• Live where she wants to live.
• Live how she wants to live.
• Live with whomever she wants to live with.
• Do what makes her happy.
• Not do what makes her unhappy.
• Decide what she does or does not do with her body.
• Never have to use her body for food or survival.
• Keep the money that she earns.
• Earn the same amount of money as her equally-qualified male counterparts.
• Live in a world where she is always respected, valued, cherished, loved, and safe, and is never seen by anyone as an object, possession, or servant.

Did you know that, according to statistics listed on the National Domestic Violence Hotline Web site (www.ndvh.org),

• 1 out of 3 women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused during her lifetime?
• 1 in 3 teens report knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, slapped, choked, or physically hurt by his or her partner?
• 92 percent of women say that reducing domestic violence and sexual assault should be at the top of any formal efforts taken on behalf of women today?

Statistics like these make me believe that fear really is the worst four-letter word of all. It is horrible for anyone to have to live with huge, daily, stomach-lurching, life-threatening fear. And it is heartbreaking when that fear is felt about a person who should be a source of safety, security, and love.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we lived in a world where:   

•  Women everywhere knew that the laws keeping them safe carried stiffer penalties (and were thus more important) than the laws for tax fraud?
• There were Charm Schools for Treating Women Right, with classes like "Catcalls Are Never Okay" and "Don't Even Think about Using the B Word" required for everyone?
•  The phrase "crimes against women" never needed to be used again? 

What can YOU do to help create this world today?

Watching the news isn't always the easiest thing, especially when so many stories are focused on heartbreaking things most of us wish we could change, fix, or make better some how. Yet earlier this month, CBS Evening news ran one of the most beautiful stories I've seen on the news in a long time about an elephant (Tarra) and a dog (Bella) who managed to become best friends despite their differences. The point reporter Steve Hartman makes at the end is a great one for ALL of us to consider:

"They harbor no fears, no secrets, no prejudices. Just two living creatures who somehow managed to look past their immense differences.

Take good look at this couple, America. Take a good look world. If they can do it - what's our excuse?" 

Check out the full story and the great video of Bella and Tarra here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/02/assignment_america/main4696340.shtml. 

Are YOU ready to look past differences?  Are YOU ready to befriend someone new?