7- Jenna K: An Act of Pure Kindness

The month leading up to my sixteenth birthday will always remain one of my most treasured memories because of the immeasurable kindness and love my three best friends showed me. My birthday isn’t until December, but throughout most of the year leading up to it, my friends had been hinting that they had something big planned for when I turned sixteen. I had no idea what to expect and I will always remember the complete shock and surprise I felt when I finally discovered what they had been planning for so long. One day in late November, my mom took me out of the house for a “mother-daughter day” and I was completely oblivious to any suspicious activity. When I got home from the day with my mom, I walked upstairs to find that the entire area around the outside of my room was covered in balloons and there was a “Happy Birthday” sign hanging from my door frame (with a picture of the one and only Harry Styles hanging from the middle of it, of course). As I approached my bedroom door I saw that there was a piece of paper taped to it which explained that my friends had come over while I was gone and planted 31 gifts all around my house for me to open every day of December. In my room (which they had also decorated for Christmas while I was gone) there was a box with envelopes labeled 1-31, and each one had a note from one of my friends explaining the significance of the gift they’d gotten me and a hint as to where in my house I could find that day’s gift. Every day they requested that I take a video of myself reading the clue, searching for the gift, and eventually opening it. It was clear that each of my friends had put so much thought and care into every single gift they gave me, and it brought tears to my eyes thinking about how much time and effort they put into this surprise. To this day, over a year later, I still have the box with all the clues and notes they left for me, and the Happy Birthday sign hangs on my wall year round. Every day when I look at the sign I am reminded of Alexis, Christina, and Ashlee’s pure selflessness and kindness when they turned what should’ve been just one day into an entire month of celebration. Their incredible act of generosity made me feel so loved and appreciated and it’s a memory that I will hold onto and reflect on for many years to come. Word count: 440