Stories of Kindness from Around the World

My husband’s administrative assistant (who is a friend of mine) suddenly lost her grandmother this weekend.

Her department sent flowers to her on behalf of the company.   We all signed a sympathy card which was mailed to her home. That was very thoughtful,  but I wanted to do more. I wanted to do something extra since I knew she was very close to her grandmother and this was her first major family loss.

I decided to surprise her with a Living Memorial Gift. It’s a tradition in my family which was started over 15 years ago with the sudden loss of my sister. I made a donation to a foundation who agreed to plant 25 trees in memory of her Grandmother which includes a full name dedication and a certificate. These trees will be planted in a U.S. National Forest that has been devastated due to insects, diseases, and wildfires.

Excited to surprise my friend with this gift, I brainstormed on how I could communicate this excitement to her. I had several gorgeous Give-A-Tree Memorial cards and envelopes at home. I immediately addressed one of those cards to her, included a letter to her with the details of the idea, the tree type, the quantity being planted, and the location, and included the dedication certificate as well.

She came by today, giving me a hug, saying how touched she was with the gift. Born and raised in Oregon, she and her family coincidentally, had  a special love of trees. At her request, I provided her with a few of my favorite Living Legacy websites of other cherished friends who have passed on, but are still very much alive in other ways.

As a big “green” advocate, she was also pleased to know that “a single tree can generate a value of $31,250 worth of oxygen supply, provide $62,000 worth of air pollution control, can recycle $37,500 worth of water, and can control $31,500 worth of soil erosion” over the course of 50 years.

In loving and living memory of grandma.