Matt’s Kindness Ripples On

    Jackie Kurtz

Matt Kurtz inspires me to be a better person.  

Mom, Matt, Tyson on Boat
Me, Matt and Tyson (my grandpuppy) enjoying a day on the water in San Diego.

 

My son, Matt, was an incredibly amazing human being.  His charismatic charm, bright beaming smile, and genuine goodness drew everyone he met to him. He was contagiously happy, with a huge capacity for optimism and compassion. You can read more about him and how in his short 32 years he impacted more lives than most people do in a lifetime. He inspires me to be a better person. Maybe he will inspire you too. His kindness will ripple on forever.  –  Jackie Kurtz  

In this blog I’ll share stories that inspire, make you think, cause concern and make you laugh.  ENJOY.

I’d appreciate it if you would help me get the word out about the Matt Kurtz Kindness Award of $250 (nominate someone who inspires you) and the Matt Kurtz Kindness Grant of $250 (submit an act of kindness you would do with $250).

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Two Must See Movies

    Jackie Kurtz

Two Must See Movies

Palmer and Somewhere In Queens. If you do nothing else this year, watch these two movies. They run the gamut of emotions, the acting is phenomenal and they will melt your heart. I’d never heard of either of these movies, we just happened upon them when looking for something to watch. I’m so grateful we found them. These movies will stay with me forever. They both touch on families that are struggling,  albeit, each very, differently. They will have you rooting for them, laughing with them, afraid for them, and crying with them. Continue reading Two Must See Movies →

I Asked AI to Write About Kindness

    Jackie Kurtz

hugs of kindness

I’ve been playing around with AI (Artificial Intelligence) trying to understand how it works and seeing if it can be useful, so I asked it to write about kindness.  I was blown away by what it wrote.  Absolutely perfect in every sense.  This is what I asked it to write:  Please generate a 3-4 paragraph kindness article in the style of Matts Kindness Ripples On with the following title, “Why Kindness Matters”. Continue reading I Asked AI to Write About Kindness →

10 Videos to Inspire, Astonish, and Make you laugh

    Jackie Kurtz

Inspirational videos

I love when someone shares a video with me and it leaves me feeling inspired or motivated or has me laughing out loud. Here are a few of my favorites. A few are older but all of them are worth watching. I’ve tried to keep them short but there are two that are a bit longer. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  Continue reading 10 Videos to Inspire, Astonish, and Make you laugh →

Confused About LGBTQ Terms? Me Too

    Jackie Kurtz

 

Rainbow Flag - Love Wins

I’ve been confused as to what exactly transgender, nonbinary, queer, cisgender, etc means as I know so many of you are too. When I read about the unprecedented wave of anti-trans legislation across America (400+ anti-trans bills last year), I knew it was coming from a wave of hate and fear. The lack of understanding combined with the misinformation from people trying to turn this into a political issue is creating real damage to our communities and people everywhere.  Continue reading Confused About LGBTQ Terms? Me Too →

Cassandra Speaks

    Jackie Kurtz

Cassandra Speaks by Elizabeth Lesser

I just finished reading a wonderful book, called “Cassandra Speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes” by Elizabeth Lesser. It’s a thought-provoking book that explores the power of storytelling and the values they perpetuate and talks about how women’s voices have been silenced throughout history. This book is about what happens when women are the storytellers too, “when we become the protagonists in the tales we tell about what it means to be human.” Continue reading Cassandra Speaks →

Announcing our Kindness Award Winners for June 2023

    Jackie Kurtz

Jason and Trisha Long, Kindness Award Winners

While our goal is to highlight one person at a time, we felt we had to make an exception with this husband-and-wife team.

Jason and Trish Long, (Berlin, MD), have been volunteering their time since 2015, to make sure the homeless population in Ocean City, Md have a place to stay when the weather turns frigid. They spend hundreds of hours making sure the shelter has enough food, supplies, and volunteers to cover the overnight shift.  Continue reading Announcing our Kindness Award Winners for June 2023 →

Another Year Gone

    Jackie Kurtz

Matt and his beloved puppy, Tyson.

Six years ago today, Matt died. It’s still impossible to believe he’s gone. Even after six years, it still feels unbelievable.  My husband, Ron, said, “In some ways, it gets worse as time goes by.” He went on to explain, that in the beginning, we had pictures of Matt that weren’t too far out of date, but every year that goes by, we are missing more and more pictures and memories that should have been. I agree, plus I felt like I could tough it out for a year or two without Matt but not 5 or 10 years.  Continue reading Another Year Gone →

Announcing our Matt Kurtz Kindness Award Winner for May 2023

    Jackie Kurtz

Susan Melton Kindness Award Winner

Susan Melton, (Cheboygan, MI), spreads positivity with chalk art. Every day she leaves a positive message on sidewalks for everyone to see. What started as a summer project in 2011, has turned into 12 years of chalking and she’s still going strong. Amazingly, she hasn’t missed a day, she’s out there chalking positivity, even in wind, rain, or snow.  When asked how she dealt with the snow, she said, “I scrape off the snow and I chalk fast.” Continue reading Announcing our Matt Kurtz Kindness Award Winner for May 2023 →