I really haven’t needed to find joy in my life these past 4 1/2 years of planning for and traveling the country on The Kindness Bus Tour, joy seems to find its way to me. It must be karma that I am experiencing, a reaping of what one sows.
Joy is the sum of everything positive in your life. The more positive of a person you are and the more of a positive effect you have on others, the more that joy will find its way into your life.
I did have to find the “Find Joy” in today’s photo. It might be because of the manner in which I try to walk in public, that it took so long to find the “Find Joy” captured in this photo. I try to walk, looking around my environs, so I am able to reach out to as many people possible as I go about my day. I must have walked past this sidewalk etching at least fifty times as I walked to and from The Kindness Bus over a week’s time while in San Francisco. I never knew it existed. I was too busy finding joy to find “Find Joy.”

John Kralik is one of my heroes. I wrote a blog about him a little more than a month ago. John has changed his life and the lives of others over the past few years. He started a note writing campaign he has come to call 365 Thank Yous. His book, of the same name, is what inspired me to write about him. I read his book twice since it was given to me as a gift. It is a One Million Acts Of Kindness recommended read.
The day I posted the 365 Thank Yous blog, I sent a link to John’s publicist and literary agent; I heard from him the very next day. John invited me to meet him in Los Angeles and visit his courtroom. It was an honor meeting such a humble man. His book has many lessons that can be used to inspire anyone. The highlight of my time with him was hearing him talk about his relationship with his teen age daughter and his grown sons. Being a role model as a parent never ends, this is the life John leads. Today I met one of my heroes, his name is John Kralik.

My daughter, Lizzie sent me a text about the shootings on the Virginia Tech campus today. It brought back the thoughts of that day, 4 1/2 years ago,  when 32 people lost their lives. It also brought back the strong feelings which caused me to start One Million Acts Of Kindness. A belief in that kindness always prevails. A belief in creating a mindset of respecting and caring for one another through kindness. Learning and adopting core values such as these, at an early age, will avert any future tragedies.
Today a police officer lost his life in this shooting. The lack of respect for police officers is something that seems to be growing in popularity. The tide needs to be reversed from this type of thinking.
In a little over a month, The Kindness Bicycle Tour to Raise Awareness for Wounded Warriors and Safety Forces Killed  in the Line of Duty, with the hopes of helping to change this mindset. I am hoping it happens in a hurry.

Getting keys to the town of Santa Barbara would have been 2nd only to the reception I received on my visit to this ocean community. Just having an evening and a few hours the next morning made me think about a visit after the holidays when I return to the friendly west coast town. Lee, a local realtor was the first to shower me with grateful comments and gave me a couple of gift boxes of some of the most delicious cookies I have tasted. Tom, a local retiree gave me a gift card for a national coffee chain. When I bought my first cup of coffee, I was shocked at the dollar amount on the card. I hope it wasn’t a mistake. As I drove and rode down State Street, it was if I was a one man parade. The entire town seemed to wave back at me as I slowly made my way past. Sheila, one of the angels who looks after me on the road, saw to it that I had a place to park The Kindness Bus and a place to lay my head. I love towns like this. Thank you Santa Barbara!!

Traveling along the coast of California, to Santa Barbara was sensational. The memories of riding from the east coast to the west coast, with an added 1,000 miles is all but a very profound memory. On the 19th or 20th of December, I will do the west coast tire dip to complete these travels.
The Kindness Bicycle Tour to Raise Awareness About Domestic Violence and Childhood Sexual Abuse touched thousands of lives. Advocates, Case Workers, Survivors, Victims, Relatives and even Perpetrators were helped with the burden of living with the memory of abuse. I hope that with having direct contact, seeing or hearing of my efforts, life was made easier for those affected.

In the words of the late Paul Harvey, “And now the rest of the story.”
Most of us, while growing up, learned of the 3 basic needs humans must have for survival; food, clothing and shelter. Keeping one’s body nourished and protected from the elements is necessary throughout your entire life. It is even more important for children to be cared for because of their vulnerability. Caring goes well beyond just the physical needs, caring is about the inner well-being of a child. Showing a child and teaching a child to care for others and to love and help those in need is the greatest lesson of all.
Teaching a child to love all life long is the fourth basic need and might very well be the most important. It is imperative this need begins to be taught to all children. “All you need is love.”