So the big 30? Yes, it just happened!

I thought about it for some time, it was coming – and it was coming quick! No big deal, I am not one to get worked up over age. But how in the world do you celebrate that? Being away from family makes birthdays hard for everyone.

How do I incorporate this into something that I can celebrate with everyone I know, no matter where they live? Then it clicked, a genuine light bulb moment.

30 Random Acts of Kindness. Rather then being showered with money, cards or gifts (let’s face it we probably don’t use half of them anyway), I asked everyone on my friends list on Facebook to do one random act of kindness.

It was amazing! I had so much fun reading everything they had done! I mean, c’mon, we all know that our friends and family are amazing, but they really pulled it out!

I remember thinking how we as military spouses know that we leave a little piece of ourselves everywhere we go, but this was taken to new level. With all the family and friends I have in a way I was able to leave a little piece of myself in places I have never been.

The random acts ranged from giving money to people in need, sending flowers to loved ones who are far way, to refraining from displaying road rage!

Some of them made me chuckle, while some of them made me teary-eyed.

My little niece who is only 8 joined in, also; her random act of kindness was playing with a child at her school who didn’t have any friends! Isn’t it amazing that even at a young age children can see the need to be kind to others. There is complete innocence in that, and that child will probably always remember that moment.

So I have decided that this will become a tradition. It seems as though some of my friends may have also decided to do this for their birthdays,too, which made me really excited! Of course, it doesn’t have to be your birthday to do it, but it makes it fun!

While I did still get a good shower of gifts from my loved ones, the best thing was knowing that each of these wonderful people are in my life. They made my 30th one of my favorite birthdays yet!