Who wouldn't like these?
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I’m a little disappointed. You apparently didn't get the memo. Last Friday, March 8, was “International Grant Professionals Day.” I sat around all day waiting to hear from you. Crickets. It was sad.
But…somebody remembered. Oh, it may have helped that I sent an email the day before explaining the “holiday” to Sean, the COO at Liberty House. And, in that same email, I just might have mentioned that I wanted a crown.
Nonetheless, I was tickled pink when I went into the office at Liberty House last Friday. There on my desk sat a thank you card, an M&M fan (with M&Ms), and a fancy bar of (naturally) sustainable chocolate. Somebody remembered!
Truth be told, when I walked into the office, I’d totally forgotten about this made-up holiday. Thus, my surprise and delight was magnified when I saw all the gifts on my desk. I had a smile on my face for the rest of the day.
Jesus also surprised and delighted people all the time (in addition, truth be told, he also made a lot of people mad). Remember that time he turned water into wine at a wedding? The sheer joy in Jesus’ action was cause for great celebration. He could have turned his back and said, “Water’s better than nothing.” But he knew that wine was essential and made an already happy day an even better one. He surprised and delighted.
You may not be able to turn water into wine, but you can surprise and delight your staff, your congregation, or your donors in a lot of inexpensive and creative ways:
1. Find a random day to celebrate. Thanks to Holiday Insights, you can find something to celebrate every day of the year and you can even create your own holiday too. Who knew? Here are a few "holidays" that are coming up:
Sunday, March 24 – National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day (Hand ‘em out after worship!)
Wednesday, April 3 – World Party Day (Need an excuse to do something fun? Here it is.)
Sunday, May 19 – Limerick Day (It’s Mother’s Day too. Come up with a limerick to celebrate them both.)
Friday, June 7 – National Donut Day (Mmmmmm, donuts.)
2. Send a note – out of the blue – to someone you admire.
3. Bring some flowers to a person who has made a difference. Leave them on the doorstep with a note of appreciation.
4. Bake cookies and pass them around. You could even get some Girl Scout cookies and hand them out to complete strangers. Someone’s already doing it with Free Cookie Wednesday.
When you do something that surprises and delights someone else, you end up bringing joy to yourself as well. Part of the “good feels” you get is just in the planning. The execution of the surprise gives you a rush. Hearing the hearty laughter or an excited “thank you” lets you know that you have delighted someone. It’s a win/win all around.
So, thanks to Sean for remembering “my” fabulous day. Here’s to the rest of you – go out there and surprise and delight your people. Feel the rush…and the love.
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