As I was talking to Jessica Peppers this week about what a joy it was for her to come and paint with the residents at the Country Cottage, I started thinking about how true the statement is that it is better to give than to receive.

Jessica said she started doing the painting as a way to lift the spirits of those residents, but without fail, she always left feeling uplifted herself.

And I have to say, when I left the Cottage on Thursday, I felt the same way.

As I snapped pictures of the men and women painting, I listened to them joke and laugh and cut up with one another.

They smiled and took pride in the ornaments they were painting.

They talked to me and asked me questions and told me about themselves.

I wanted to give each one of them a big hug before I left, and I walked out the door with a smile on my face feeling happy and uplifted because of the 45 minutes I had spent there.

This time of year is typically a time when people are out doing good deeds and trying to help others, and, even though the recipients of these good deeds are always grateful, more often than not, the ones who do the giving receive the biggest blessing.

If you haven’t gotten involved with a project or done something nice for someone else recently, I encourage you to follow Jessica’s lead and use your talents or your time to be a blessing to someone else.

The act of kindness could be as simple as writing someone a note in a card, just to let them know you’re thinking of them.

It could be as easy as picking up a toy while you’re at Walmart getting dog food and dropping the toy off in one of the toy collection boxes for the Helping Santa Program.

It could be caroling at a local nursing home or adopting an angel from an Angel Tree at a local church.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to doing good for those who are around you, and I promise that the reward of knowing you’ve made another person smile will be well worth it in the end.