Sarah's Story + Paying it Forward...

image via here

What is your Name?
Sarah

How long have you lived in Lake highlands?

I've lived here for about a year and a half.

Tell us a little about what you do during the day between 7am-7pm:

I'm a stay at home mom, but we try to stay pretty busy. I often over commit our schedule with bible studies, clubs, meetings, and play dates. I love play dates, especially ones with a purpose, like when my friend Katy will be there to cut hair or the one where I learned to knit. I have an obsession with my new Nikon camera, and it's likely that my son is developing vision problems from the constant flash. My favorite part of the day is when my husband comes home for lunch.

Do you have kids? If so how many and what are their ages?
I have one little boy (4yr) and a little girl on the way.

I heard about you through my husband and a deal you worked on together and was told by him, that not only you were one of the nicest LH residents he has ever met, but the most giving and inspiring. He said you buy people in line behind you coffee at Starbucks, meals at Wendy's, etc... I would love to hear how this all started and more about why you do this!
Several years ago, someone told me that they had their meal paid for in the drive-through. At that time I was a struggling single mom, and the idea still captivated me. Money was usually tight, but figured if I had enough to go out to eat, I had enough to pay for someone else, too. It made me feel really good to bless others, even when I was having a tough time myself. I pay for my order, than I ask the cashier to add on the order of the car behind me.
It's not just a free drink or french fries. I think about how many people can be affected by this small simple act. From the bewildered cashier to the unsuspecting driver behind me... this can affect the way they treat the rest of their day and the people around them. One time at a Starbucks, the cashier asked me why I was paying for someone I didn't know. She went on to tell me that this had happened before at her store, and the following 7 cars each paid for the car behind them. Hearing this really inspired me to keep it up. Paying for the person behind me gives me a joy I can't describe. It gets no recognition or thanks. I joke that I've never had MY meal paid for, but I truly believe that I am more excited and thankful by paying twice than by getting something free.

I am so impressed with you and how you must be instilling amazing values in your children just by your simple acts of kindness. How do your kids feel about what you do? Do they get involved at all or do you see things that they do that have come from your teachings?
I grew up watching my parents practice random acts of kindness for others. They are "behind the scenes" givers, and humble about the things they do. This impacted me in a much bigger way than if they just told me to be nice. My husband and I try to be good examples of how to love, serve, and show grace to others for our little boy. We have only recently told him about our special little secret. To him, I hope it shows a real life way to love and give to someone else, without any selfish intentions. We call it making someones heart smile.

Thank you so much for sharing this story with us today Sarah! It is so nice to know that Lake Highlands is full of inspiring stories like these. I hope we can all think about this and begin to "pay it forward" in our own works as the world would be a better place if we all did something like this. Maybe we can think small...think Lake Highlands, and start here!

*please email me any LH stories like these that may inspire others or simply make them smile.