HAVE YOU FILLED A BUCKET TODAY?

My daughter started back to school last week and they gave her this book for her room. She came in handed it to me - she said, "You'll want to blog this." And she was right - how well she knows me. If anything at all was my mission statement of life - this would be it. ENJOY!

Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids.

By Carol McCloud
Illustrated by David Messing

This book is excellent!

"All day long, everyone in the whole wide world walks around carrying an invisible bucket.

You can't see it, but it's there.

You have a bucket.

Each member of your family has a bucket.

Your grandparents, friends, and neighbors all have a bucket.

Everyone carries an invisible bucket.

Your bucket has one purpose only.

Its purpose is to hold your good thoughts and good feelings about yourself.

You feel very happy and good when your bucket if full,and you will very sad and lonely when your bucket is empty.

Other people feel the same way, too.

They're happy when their buckets are full and they're sad when their buckets are empty.

It's great to have a full bucket and this is how it works . . .

You need other people to fill your bucket and other people need you to fill theirs.

So, how do you fill a bucket?

You fill a bucket when you show love to someone, when you say or do something kind, or even when you give someone a smile.

That's being a bucket filler.

A bucket filler is a loving caring person who says or does nice things that make others feel special.

When you make someone feel special, you are filling a bucket.

But you can also dip into a bucket and take out some good feelings.

You dip into a bucket when you make fun of someone, when you say or do mean things, or even when you ignore someone.

That's being a bucket dipper.

A bucket dipper says of does mean things that make others feel bad.

Many bucket dippers have an empty bucket. They think the can fill their own bucket by dipping into someone else's...but that will never work.

You never fill your own bucket when you dip into someone else's.

But guess what...when you fill someone's bucket you fill your own bucket too!

You feel good when you help others feel good.

All day long, we are either filling up or dipping into each other's bucket by what we say and what we do.

Try to fill a bucket and see what happens.

You love your mom and dad. Why not tell them you love them? You can even tell them why.

Your caring words will fill up their buckets right up.

Watch for smiles to light up their faces. You will feel like smiling too. A smile is a good clue that you have filled a bucket.

If you practice, you'll become a great bucket filler.

Just remember that everyone carries an invisible bucket, and think of what you can say or do to fill it.

Here are some ideas for you. You could smile and say "Hi!" to the bus driver.
He has a bucket too.

You could invite the new kid at school to play with you.

You could write a thank-you note to your teacher.

You could tell y our grandpa that you like to spend time with him.

There are many ways to fill a bucket.

Bucket filling is fun and easy to do.
It doesn't matter how young or old you are.
It doesn't cost any money.
It doesn't take much time.

And remember, when you fill someone else's bucket, you fill your own bucket too.

When you you're a bucket filler, you make your home, your school, and your neighborhood better places to be.

Bucket filling makes everyone feel good.

So, why not decide to be a bucket filler today and every day? Just start each day by saying to yourself, "I'm going to do something to fill someone's bucket today."

And, at the end of each day, ask yourself, "Did I fill a bucket today?"

"Yes I did!" That's the life of a bucket filler . . .

AND THAT'S YOU!"

(Pages 4-32.) Hope it was to okay to type this book - buy it for your children (the pictures are aweome) - get a copy for your kids teachers - and buy one for your family!!!!!!!!!


Maybe we could change the world!


Okay - let's go out and fill someone's bucket today and then come back and tell me about it.

Happy birthday to Carol O'Connor - wikipedia - Did you see the movie "Return to Me"? Best movie he was ever in! You will love it.

In 1962, while he was in Rome, Italy filming Cleopatra, O'Connor and his wife adopted a six day old boy, naming him Hugh, after O'Connor's brother who died a year earlier. Later, during the production of O'Connor's television show, Archie Bunker's Place, then 17-year-old Hugh worked as a courier on the set of the show. O'Connor would eventually create the role of Officer Lonnie Jamison on In the Heat of the Night for his son.

In 1989, O'Connor's long time cigar smoking, finally caught up with him. O'Connor, was admitted to the hospital for bypass heart surgery.

In 1995, O'Connor's son Hugh committed suicide after a long battle with drug addiction. Following his son's death, O'Connor appeared in public service announcements for Partnership for a Drug Free America and spent the rest of his life working to raise awareness about drug addiction. O'Connor also successfully lobbied to get the State of California to pass legislation allowing family members of an addicted person or anyone injured by a drug dealer's actions, including employers, to sue for reimbursement for medical treatment and rehabilitation costs. The law, known as the Drug Dealer Civil Liability Act in California, went into effect in 1997. Eleven other states followed with similar legislation, which has been referred to as The Hugh O'Connor Memorial Law.

In 1998, after years of heavy cigar smoking, O'Connor underwent a second surgery to clear the blockage in a cardiac artery to reduce his risk of a stroke.

O'Connor died on June 21, 2001 in Culver City, California from a heart attack brought on by complications from diabetes. His funeral mass was celebrated at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Westwood, Los Angeles, California