Day Twenty-Seven, my final consecutive day of the Do a Good Deed a Day! Later, I ‘ll be posting more about my experience and process doing this adjustment.  I thought it only appropriate to honor and support the inspiration of this blog, HH Grandmaster Lin Yun Rinpoche and the Yun Lin Temple. I sent a donation packet of red envelopes today.

Photo courtesy of

Nancy Santo Pietro & Associates

I wanted my good deed to effect someone immediately.  I called my accountant and recommended a women to him that had worked for my family accountant as an office manager for 30 years. Always loyal, personable and attentive. Here is someone with experience that could really be an asset to his company.

There are a lot of people looking for jobs right now. She was smart too, by being pro-active. By sending a letter to let me know about her current situation I was able to call and give her a recommendation.

One of my favorite programs is the Plant Trees in Celebration program from the Arbor Day Foundtion. You can plant trees in celebration of birthdays, anniversaries, new births, or any special occasion. Easy to do,  you can give the gift of trees in honor of  friends and loved ones while caring about the environment and replanting our nation’s forests.

Here’s a new one, how about in honor of our good deed blog program!  So check it out, here is the certificate.

It’s in honor of all you good deed doer’s out there, past, present and future! My intention is to plant the seed for the US Economic Recovery.

Today we went to a large outdoor event called the Harmony Festival. I decided my good deed would be to make an effort to complement 36 different people.

It was fun and brought smiles to the faces of total strangers.

Today was my anniversary so we went to Santa Cruz, CA. It’s a lovely hip beach community, with a very relaxed atmosphere. There was a excellent band playing in Hoffman’s Bakery/Resturant on Pacific Garden Mall. The tip jar was out so I gave them a generous tip to show my gratitude. Support the local talent!

Today I was in the office on the computer for most of the day so when I went to the local grocery store I donated to the leukemia and lymphoma society and dedicated the merit to my father- in-law Max.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) relies on the support of individuals, corporations and foundations to fund LLS’s research initiatives, patient services and education programs. We are extremely grateful to our many generous donors and sponsors who made it possible for us to invest more than $600 million in research specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma since its first funding in 1954.

Today I donated to Wildlife Rescue, Inc. (WRI) has provided wildlife intake and rehabilitation services to the communities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, and Mountain View, California since 1974. For over thirty years, WRI has been a resource for citizens and local agencies by accepting injured and orphaned wildlife for the purpose of wildlife rehabilitation under the auspices of the California Department of Fish and Game, Region 3 and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.day.

I have brought several animals in to them over the years and it’s wonderful having them here in the community.

Today I made food for my friend undergoing chemo. This will help his wife out too because she has so much to do.

Today as I was on my walk I noticed some beautiful cobalt blue pottery plates on the side of a curb with a sign that read “FREE” on them. What a find! I noticed a moving van in the driveway and movers were packing things up. I knew it didn’t matter to them who got the platters and bowl but I thought it would be a good gesture to thank them anyway. So I went up to the a young man and told him “thank you.” He told me that he was just the mover and the women who was giving them away was inside. If I wanted to thank her in person, to go inside. I hesitated but then thought I should make the effort to show her my gratitude and wish her a successful move. So I went inside and thanked her personally and wished her well.

She told me she had brought them back from New Zealand and was happy they were going to a good home.New Zealand? Wow!

I realized by making an effort in showing her my gratitude, it made her happy.

Now I know the potteries origins, something I might have never known. Fantastic!

I was given a BEAUTIFUL lug of cherries by a client and friend who owns a few orchards in Linden, CA.

I went over to my 87 year old mom’s house and helped her can 7 quarts of cherries. Back in the day, she would put up 50 jars a season! It was wonderful to spend the day with her. She was thrilled with the bounty.

I also gave a bag full to Meng Lei as a thank you for all the great favors she has done for Feng Shui Shopper.  Tonight I also will bring some to my dear friend for his birthday party.

It’s great to share the wealth!

Welcome to Do a Good Deed a Day!

When HH Grandmaster Lin Yun was asked what we could do to help the USA’s economic crisis he told us to get everyone to do a good deed a day for 27 days in a row.

Because the crisis was created by compounded greed the solution is to do good deeds also known as random acts of kindness.

I will be posting my good deeds. Please join me so we can share and inspire our experiences.

I was thinking of creating a certificate of merit to anyone who completes journals the 27 days. What do you think?

So come on let’s be pro-active and turn this thing around.

Blessings & Light,

Marina Lighthouse

For my good deed today, I went into my local coffeehouse and wrote a note of praise for two of the employees to be given to their manager.  I commended them for the great job they do every day.

Today I donated to the Dialectic School of Menri Monastery in India as my good deed.

Our study group on “Sa-Che” at the Yuan Yuan Educational Center was an enlightening experience.

Ponlob Rinpoche is a kind and compassionate teacher it felt great to support his cause.

Today I sent food over to my friend’s house undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

Today I bought a “miracle coffee card”.  I went to my local Peet’s Coffeehouse and asked if they would go along with the good deed and they cheerfully agreed.

The ninth person that came in, after I left, received a free drink of their choice. The barista just said  “You are the recipient of a random act of kindness”.

This deed was inspired by a Grateful Dead show I attended years ago. To my surprise, a person that didn’t have enough money to attend the concert would yell out to the people arriving “Miracle Ticket!” Instead of scalping the ticket if someone had an extra they would just give it away to the person asking and watch the person jump up and down in glee.

I thought this was a really great charitable act that the “Dead Heads” did for each other, and it left a lasting impression on me.

Today a friend called and told me she had woken up with a horrendous back pain.  So I was inspired to buy some food and I brought it up to her.

We had a picnic lunch at her home.

Today I donated six bags full of goodies to the Good Will.

Great for them and great for me!

Today, I went to see a client’s who was having difficulty installing her
Feng Shui remedies.  I assisted her and waived my standard fees.

For my good deed today, I went to visit my neighbor who has macular degeneration.  I read her mail to her and helped her pay bills.

Today I went to my local garden nurserey and purchased a small tub of ladybugs which I will release back into wild this evening. They will be set free…out of the tub and back into nature!

Today when I went over the Dumbarton Bridge (between Newark and Palo Alto, CA) I asked the toll taker if I could buy an extra toll and treat the ninth person after me, he said “YES” so I did.

This actually happened to me once years ago,  and I thought it was great!

Today so I went to my neighborhood grocery store and donated some money to the American Cancer Societies Relay for Life program. Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back.

Dedicated to my Dad and Uncle Joe.

Today for my good deed as a member of the Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program I went out and bought a plethora of seed for the different species of wild birds here in Los Altos, CA.

I have been a member of the program since 1990 and provide food, water, cover and a place where wild birds can raise there young. I enjoy planting native plants that many species of wildlife require to survive and thrive.

This is a great program, check it out if you don’t know about it.

When Professor discussed this 27 Good Deed a Day adjustment for economic recovery at his workshop in Berkeley, a participant asked about picking up litter as a good deed. He thought it was a great idea. I thought to myself “Oh no! I’m not doing  that, it’s not my style.”

Well, today I went out and picked up litter off the sides of streets here. I didn’t realize how many cigarette butts there are!

It reminded me of going out on a scavenger hunt: I found a broken windshield wiper, plastic coat hanger and a hawk feather (nice!).

This was a good one for me because it got me out of my comfort zone.

Today for my good deed I couldn’t resist and I went back to Peet’s coffee shop to add more money on the “miracle card”. (see day four’s posting on this blog) I spoke to Doug the manager and he told me that I had money remaining. “How could this be?” I asked. The person that received the random act of kindness only ordered a medium coffee, no frills. He told them they could have whatever they liked and they stuck to there original order and didn’t get greedy…see it’s working already!

Today I donated to the City of Hope’s program Walk for Hope to Cure Breast Cancer. I dedicated it to Patti Miller a dear friend.

Today I brought the good deed closer to home. The new updated Feng Shui Shopper site had some transitional issue, especially with the digital pictures and we have had to re-do a huge number of them, (check it out –  I think they look heaps better) that along with some technical issues, well, all I can say is it’s been very challenging. We are almost done, still a few to go. So I gave a gift to Jennifer the office manager here wishing her long life and good health.

Today my word for the day is simplicity so as I was contemplating what to do today I found this list in my nightstand. It inspired me to rethink and analyze my thoughts. I  hope it does the same for you!

This list in reverse order.

SECRETS FOR SUCCESS AND INNER PEACE

The Tenth Secret:
Wisdom is avoiding all thoughts that weaken you.

The Ninth Secret:
Treasure your Divinity.

The Eighth Secret:
Treat yourself as if you already are what you’d like to be.

The Seventh Secret:
There are no justified resentments.

The Six Secret:
You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it.

The Fifth Secret:
Give up your personal history.

The Forth Secret:
Embrace silence.

The Third Secret:
You can’t give away what you don’t have.

The Second Secret:
Don’t die with your music still in you.

The First Secret:
Have a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing.

From the book: 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Today I was traveling in the car for a good part of the day (5hrs), for me that was a lot of travel! So, I was happy to be able to go into a local grocery store when I got back home and gave a donation to the Food For Families program.

This program is nationwide and 100 % of the donation goes to feed the hungry in your community.

I have found some days are easier then others.