Saturday, October 12, 2013

Saturday Inspiration - Civility In an Uncivil Time

My dining room patiently awaiting the new addition
Lots of you read my post "I Love You HomeGoods" on Thursday about how I found my dream Chinoiserie chandelier for my dining room at HomeGoods, but that it was missing its ceiling canopy. My electrician is coming on Tuesday to hang it, so this weekend I needed to deal with that issue.

Yesterday morning, I received an email from a follower of Chinoiserie Chic. She had seen what she assumed was the chandelier in question at her HomeGoods, even though I didn't identify the store location or show the chandelier. She had considered it for her home, but it didn't work. She knew it had a bag with the gold leaf canopy, hardware, crystals, and instructions.

She drove to the store in the pouring rain, hunted down the missing bag and pieces, and emailed me that she was waiting there for me if I was available. I threw on a raincoat, raced up in the still pouring rain, and found her waiting patiently at the door. I alerted the manager as to what was going on, so as to not just walk out of the store with it. The manager loved the story so much about my blog and HomeGoods and human kindness, that she asked for my info and link to Chinoiserie Chic to forward the story to corporate headquarters. She hugged me and was in tears over the whole thing.

I have lived in Washington, DC the majority of my life and cannot imagine ever leaving. I think it's the greatest city in the world. But the past month, between the Navy Yard shooting, an incident at the Capitol last week that ended in violence, the government shutdown, and the pending debt ceiling crisis, these are trying and increasingly stressful and uncivil times in DC. That lovely act of kindness by Jane yesterday restored more than my chandelier, it helped restore my faith in people and my city. Much needed right now in our nation's Capital. Thank you so much Jane.

24 comments:

  1. This post made my day...what a lovely story and a very well said (and true) commentary as well.

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  2. A standing ovation for Jane.....
    I always cry at happy endings!
    Sharon
    @novaraway

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  3. Terrific story! Your blog brightens my day every morning. Love this! Will share.
    Marion

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  4. Its is so wonderful to know that human kindness may still have a chance of prevailing! What a lovely post at a time when we need reassurance about our fellow man!
    Have a great weekend!
    Karolyn

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  5. The beautiful images in your posts brighten my day every day. But Jane's act of kindness is amazing and your post well said. Jane is quite a gal and you are lucky to have her as a new friend.

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  6. What a lovely post, Beth! It is so easy to become jaded with all of the craziness going on in the world, and I needed this uplifting story of kindness as well. :)

    XOXO,
    The Glam Pad

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  7. I salute your comments being "a neighbor" in Arlington. franki

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  8. Oh. My. Goodness! This dreary Saturday morning, waking up to this wonderful story has started my day off on the perfect note! I am delirious for you, Beth, and for Jane too. Utterly amazing! How gratifying for both of you! I loved your post in it's entirety and want to tell you that you are a true blessing to the throngs of us who follow CC on a daily basis. To say that you are deserving of this kind gesture on Jane's part is an understatement. I REALLY CAN. NOT. WAIT. to see this chandelier once installed and I know you will treasure it all the more because of how it all came together. I love serendipity.

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  9. Such an inspiration to go the extra mile. Thank you Jane and Beth for sharing!

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  10. Human kindness makes the world go round, cheers to you Jane!

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  11. What a wonderful story! I love your blog, and if I were not pretty much home bound right now with a broken hand and injured knee, I would gladly hunt for your missing canopy here in Florida. But I salute Jane for doing that for you! What a sweetheart she is, and what a sweetheart you are for always sharing so many wonderful things with us. I hope you are both repaid a hundred times over for your thoughtfulness.

    xo,

    Sheila

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  12. oh... that is so sweet! kudos to you to spread the positivity in your blog. i can't wait to see the chandelier installed in your dining room.

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  13. That was wonderful!! You're right, the happenings in DC have shown some of the worst. Sharing your story is a bright spot - as you said perfectly, civility in an uncivil time.

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  14. This is a great story, and bravo to Jane for going out of her way to help your situation. Human kindness is a wonderful thing!
    (Bad things happen all over the world, but Congress has no excuse!)

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  15. OMG this story is AMAZING!!!! I love it, Homegoods should do a commercial based on it, Jane you are my decorating hero and I nominate you as "fan of the month"....that is really heart warming:)

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  16. Wow! Thank you CC followers for your kind comments. It really was my pleasure to help Beth with her chandelier. It will be fabulous in her dining room, and I'm sure we are all anxious for the reveal!

    Beth~ It was fun to meet you! I wish we could have visited longer. I am so glad we connected and all the pieces of that beautiful chandelier are now with you. I hope our paths cross again soon. Will it be at HomeGoods? Drooling over RL lighting or perhaps some other Chinoiserie finds?

    Jane
    Alexandria, VA

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  17. Beth, and Jane, Wow. What an amazing connection for you and for all of us. Who knew that acts of style could lead to acts of kindness? I think there's a bigger message here about how following your heart and doing what you love mean that you are living in alignment with your soul/purpose/calling. And when you do that, you are living with intention and integrity, whether it's scrubbing loos in Africa or scouring HomeGoods. Kindness is a natural by-product of integrity. Of course Jane contacted Beth! I'm betting it never occurred to her to do otherwise. Thanks for sharing this story and inspiring us all.

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  18. As a fellow DC area resident, that was beautifully said.

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  19. That is such a heart warming story! Love it.
    -Linda,ny

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  20. What an incredible story. I have been going from link to link of the ORC. I must confess, I had never been here before, but now I am seriously hooked. I have gone through many posts, just loving them! This story is the icing on the cake, and I'm off to subscribe and follow you on ig, as I assume you are there. Thanks for such a gorgeous blog.

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  21. I agree that kindness is its own special light. What a lovely story all around. Looking forward to the light shining in your dining room. And how wonderful that in addition to the chandelier, you'll always have a heart warming story to treasure. So agree with you that events in the last month have been hard to fathom. Some people think that in these difficult times, decorating our homes is silliness. But it's where our hearts live and today many hearts around the country are smiling.

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