At the core of every Mindful Littles event we do are three Cs: Children, Compassion and Community.  Earlier this week these three facets came together in an overwhelmingly positive experience, as we marched in our local hometown 4th of July parade with a community quilt made by the contributions of several families- most notably Ninon Shesgreen of Vagabond Ruth.

As I wrote about recently, the latest Mindful Littles venture was inspired by a card we made during a #WeeklyKindnessProject last fall.  Shesgreen turned that card made out of construction paper into a beautiful and meaningful work of art.   The quilt represented community and diversity, as local families donated unique heart patches that were weaved into the American flag quilt.   Like all other Mindful Littles events, our diversity initiative was also focused on inspiring our children how to be more compassionate toward one another- helping littles appreciate our differences and similarities and helping families start the diversity dialogue.

On the morning of the parade, we gathered as a group of about 30 people to get ready for the march.  The kids distributed candy into different pails excited to pass them out to the crowds.  We created “Acts of Kindness” signs and finished rolling up 300 Kindness Calendars to hand out.  We also took a moment to celebrate the completion of the diversity quilt.

As we walked by the crowd in our small hometown parade, there were moments that felt surreal- seeing familiar faces and smiles, waving to friends in the crowds, hearing the applause and watching spectators respond to our kindness signs by “hugging their friend,” “giving their parents a high five” or even “saying I love you.”  A project created BY our community was now being celebrated WITH our community.  The march was truly an example of the ripple effects of compassion and the positivity we can generate together- starting with our littles.  We can’t wait to be a part of the parade again next year!  #differentheartsunitedasone