Have you heard of Bloggers Unite? The main idea of it is to unite bloggers to do something good at the same day and blog about it.
So far it has been a Organ Donor Awareness Campaign and Bloggers Against Abuse. Now when I’m joining, the 17th of December it’s: Act of Kindness. You’re supposed to do some act of kindness of any sort you can come up with.
My contribution is a donation to “Hugs for the lonely” (Swedish: Kramas för de ensamma). It’s the Swedish Red Cross Christmas Campaign to do something for all the lonely ones in our society. They want to help more of the elderly, sick and lonely persons at hospitals and in elderly homes.
The Swedish Red Cross is trying to build up a operation to recruit, educate and tutor volunteers to make a difference for the lonely ones. This is even to get support to the relatives that is taking care of a near and dear ones all by themselves too. They need unloading sometimes to survive themselves.
They have made it easy for people to donate this time. Examples: to send a hug SMS film clip to dear ones, send a hug as a Christmas card, chain hugs and hugs from celebrities. They are selling hugs in the city. I like that thought too, people getting a lot of hugs when donating money to the Red Cross.
There are also a big hug auktion that’s going to be held. I think that they really have done it this time with this fun and positive hug concept. Let’s hope they come up with more like this!
As we all know, Christmas season can be real tough for all the lonely ones. I’ve seen too many lonely ones, especially in the elderly home when visiting my Mom.
Mr Lifecruiser is doing a real act of kindness every week, he is playing the piano for the elderly at the home. It’s really heartbreaking to see how happy they get by so little.
One of the ladies there is totally in ecstasy when he is playing - I think she is in love with him. She is very pleased with the fact that he is only 55 years old (she keeps repeating that), but she is not at all pleased with the fact that he always got his wife with him…. *giggles*
I remember another lady that liked to sing along with us last year before they splitted the elderly to two different homes. She came from the island Gotland outside Sweden’s east coast where we use to go in the summer. Her relatives were still in Gotland, so she rarely got any visits and were very sad - except when we came. She began to consider us like visitors for her too an got really cheered up, especially when Mr Lifecruiser were playing songs from Gotland.
When we went to Gotland that summer, we were looking up where she lived there. We thought that maybe we could buy something from there as a memory to her. Though it was not possible because there were only countryside with farms. We did buy a postcard from the small old town Visby and sent to her though. Later the staff at the elderly home told us that she were so happy about that postcard that she did wear it all day under her dress….
When he is playing the piano, they don’t only got something to look forward to, but also suddenly get something to talk about with each other too. For the elderly it can be a problem to talk with each other. Some of them not hearing well, others a bit demented and confused. They need some one to be the bridge between them. We - and the music - have been that and it’s fantastic to see how big difference it can make.
Somehow, they forget to socialize with each other and get more and more quiet. The staff haven’t got the time to be that bridge unfortunately and very often they are too work focused. There is clearly a need of many volunteering visitors.
What I’m wondering is: where are all the relatives? We seem to be one of the few that visit there. Surely not all of the elderly can be without relatives?!!! People seem to stop visiting the elderly nowadays.
Is our society so stressful that we can’t even dedicate a few hours of our time to visit our near and dear ones, not even once a week? Where has all the humanity gone?
There is so small efforts that can make a persons whole day!!!
And to all bloggers out there: join Bloggers Unite to make the world a better place - and don’t forget to hug each other 
Stumble It!
I have read about this initiative, Captain, and I am sorry it just slipped my mind (boooo, hissss!) which is no excuse for not doing an act of kindness today (and everyday), even if I don’t blog about it…
You are so wonderful to those elderly people, I can imagine how you two brighten their lives just by showing up and I can also imagine when Mr L plays the piano all little old ladies remember the good ol’ times…how sweet!
We get our actions back and it’s a tough life, so we’d better be kind to each other. Hugs back to you, Captain. Have a nice day
Mar’s last blog post..weekend snapshot
Nice to hear you give of your time for old persons and give them a great pleasure when Mr Lifecruiser is playing piano! I do the same each year with the pupils singing in a retreat home and i can say that the kids enjoy with old persons and old persons enjoy to see kids singing just for them. one year an old man who came back in childhood brought his little cars and enjoy to see children playing with his toys!!!They had good time together! And now in France it’s time to help for rare illness, myopathie and races, manifestations are organized everywhere. I’d like to have more time to participe you know but for exemple I begin the day at 6 o’clock and with all the contingeances I come back at home at 19h and often later…and now I ‘ve not finish my homeworks for my class tomorrow! I dream sometimes to be in retreat…but chut! It’s a secret!
claudie’s last blog post..Pierre, on trip with IDTGV
oh dear U 2:
you have some very important points here. And I do find the combination of “decance” and “love of nature” - as you do present on your blog - and in real life - wonderful. If people could realize facts. It’s a knifeedge of a ballance.
If U recall back to Farö, we talked about “eco-tourisme” etc.
*** Confidential***
In fact, all our X-Mas gifts to our family this year are bought in Humahuaca - an Indian village North West Argentina at alltitude 2800 meters- all genuine knitware made by the local Pueblo Atacamenias (Alpacha wool) - plus some precious stones (local as well).
btw. I did tag you on my last post ( a thanks to Naomi)
TorAa’s last blog post..Stop the BlogPress
I do not know where the families are. I visited my mom and my mom-in-law as often as I could when they were in the nursing home. Some people cannot be bothered.
It is a sad state of affairs, but I am glad you and Mr. Lifecruiser are making a difference to a group of people. God bless you.
What a beautiful blog you have! Thanks for participating in the important initiative. Taking care of and loving our elderly is SO important.
Lisa McGlaun’s last blog post..Bloggers Unite To Do Good - Random Acts of Kindness
This is a nice gesture. Where I come from, we have a residents committee which has a goal of achieving 20,000 acts of kindness in a year. Everyone does something good and reports back to the secretary. Even the schools are enrolled into the program. Sorta provides incentive to do good. And blogging about it is a really good idea. I hope this takes off and becomes very popular. I will talk to our secretary to try and set up a blog and update it with all the good things done by people. Maybe we can join Bloggers Unite as a group…
That’s a very nice initiative for old people especially in homes. I only know the retirement homes here in Waterloo and they are very well organized. There are a lot of activities for everybody, danse evenings, concerts, theatre even in the public home. I am alway amazed what they are organizing to keep people comfortable. (I go there once a week because our painting group is there). The private homes are real residences and there is even more done. But I know that in Brussels it is not the case especially in public once. It’s sad to say but it is like a parking lot for old people before they die. But they try to improve it at least.
This is a great thing to do. It’s amazing how much a simple thing like a postcard can brighten one’s day. There was a period when I was a young person out of my depth in Germany, and those bits of mail really cheered up my day. Thank you for doing this.
Linda R. Moore’s last blog post..Bloggers Unite: Save some cats
Seems that next to money, time is the hardest thing to give up for others — especially those we hardly even know.
Truly inspiring and REAL — thank you for sharing. If only more of the world shared their time with others the way you have…
Frizzy
Manila, Phil
frenchkys’s last blog post..Starlight: Acts Of Kindness
I’m hardly awake, but I must comment this one:
Super Duper.
btw. I’m coming stronger back; U know
TorAa’s last blog post..Argentina - Buenos Aires - Part 1
Your article breaks my heart!!
Here, I have seen elderly people spending long hours at the mall to pass their time during summer.
Life sure is a lonely business but one does crave for company at the dusk of ones life and this is something we all somehow forget…that the dusk comes for all of us!
Kudos for your effort!
Alka’s last blog post..Is lotus different from water-lily?
I’ve heard about it of course, but in this Yuletide, its hard to cope with all the things you so much wanted to do. Your post was great and a true contribution to the theme.
and I was holding down the fort, made dinner and took care of the kids.
So what have I’ve been doing good today? Well, my wife was at a shopping trip to Nordby, Sweden today, to fill up the freezer for the Holiday season (much cheaper than in Norway you know
Besides: I shared dusk and dawn in Oslo with the blogsphere
RennyBA’s last blog post..Oslo from Dusk to Dawn in December
That’s a great idea… I’d also suggest that instead of giving people physical gifts which people may not want or just adds more plastic to the world, give gifts from Oxfam Unwrapped or another charity in the name of the person you’re buying for.
Just popping in on our busy time of year around here to wish you and yours the best of holidays!!!!
{{{Captain L}}}
What a beautiful site. I got onto this site by chance whilst surfing the net looking for a way to help an elderly friend of mine who lives in Melbourne. I have not had much luck but hope to find something where my friend will have visitors come over and talk with her or share a meal.
Good luck and peace to all.
Cheers
Leslie