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Hello My AdlandPro Friends and Family!
Today's inspirational story has a little twist to it, but even so very inspirational and ingenious! I hope you enjoy it!
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One Cookie at a Time
By Sylvia Boaz Leighton
I began baking with my grandma, Edna Boaz, a Church of the Brethren minister's wife, at three years of age. We brought cookies to sick, elderly and lonely people. I noticed that this always made them smile.
In college I baked cookies for the dorm during finals, and I've continued ever since. I usually get up early, pray for the people I'm baking for (even though I may not know who will receive them) and watch the sunrise. People have encouraged me to go into business, but I only get up at 4:00 a.m. for love, not money. A friend pointed out that my cookie "hobby" was really a cookie "ministry." A neighbor crowned me the "Cookie Fairy," and now I have cards that say, "Spread the sweetness of God's love to everyone you meet, a caring ministry to encourage smiles on faces and joy in hearts."
My mission in life is to share love and encourage others to find out what they can do in their everyday life with their gifts and talents to achieve a better world. My husband Harold had our kitchen remodeled to accommodate two ovens. He purchases the ingredients, delivers and assists wherever needed. We call him the "Sugar Daddy."
"Hilarious" is one word to describe a fifty-six-year-old "Cookie Fairy" walking around in a pink and gold princess dress, complete with wings, crown and wand. This has led to many memorable adventures and blessings. I could fill a small book with "Cookie Fairy" stories. Amazing as this may sound, I am very serious about changing our world one cookie at a time. The experience I am about to share with you actually inspired me to create the card that I hand out with every cookie.
I love taking walks at work, and when I set out, I look rather strange. I resemble a cross between Greta Garbo, Annie Oakley and Olive Oyl. I wear a big black hat (Annie Oakley), gold and black sunglasses (Greta "Dahling"), and size 11 shoes that scream Olive Oyl (Popeye's girlfriend).
As I was walking one afternoon, I ran into a group of about twenty high-school students attending a special program at the university. As I briskly approached the group, they started to laugh and ridicule me. I work with youth a lot and I'm a mother, but my face felt hot from embarrassment as they taunted me. Shaken, I reached the sanctuary of the library where I work. For the rest of the day, I couldn't get those young people out of my mind. Suddenly, I realized it wasn't me they were ridiculing. They didn't see me as a person, but a foil for their jokes.
I thought about other people who might walk by and where this kind of hostility could take these students in adult life. Suddenly, they were everyone's children - my children.
Despite my coworkers' protests, I decided to return the next day, and in the same getup. I wanted them to accept me looking a little unusual. My hope was that they would learn to be accepting of others as they are.
As I approached their bus stop, the hoots and whistles were deafening. The girls sat in a huddle and looked a little embarrassed. I waved to the group and said, "Hi, I'm Sylvia, and you really hurt my feelings yesterday. I'm an old lady trying to keep in shape. You should be encouraging me, not putting me down, and you'd better hope that your future wife looks as good at my age." (The girls cheered.) Then I asked if they would be there tomorrow because I would have a surprise for them.
One of the boys yelled, "She's probably bringing a gun."
I replied, "I'd never hurt anyone, especially my new friends."
What kind of surprise did I bring the next day? COOKIES! Two kinds wrapped in individual bags for each person and tied with ribbons. The people at work thought I was nuts. One friend offered to go with me, but I wanted to go alone. This time at the bus stop, the students were very quiet. With a big smile I handed out the cookies and asked their names. I suggested they encourage people and make a difference in the world.
As I walked away, one of the more vocal boys called out, "What's your name again?" I answered him, and he gently said, "Thank you, Sylvia."
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I think that Sylvia came up with a very ingenious way of trying to create a diiference in the world through her cookies. It appears that it really does work for her!
Maybe we can all start making cookies and lace them with some "peace formula"!! Too bad I haven't figured out how to make the "peace formula" yet! I'll keep trying though!
Have a great day everyone! Don't forget to pass out the cookies!!
Marilyn L. Ali
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