Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Bike In The Night

I was at a paid bicycle-parking area at the railway station when I saw a lady entering. She had come to collect the bike she parked there earlier, but she looked worried. 

It was midnight and I remembered my first time trying to understand how the parking machines worked;where to put the credit card, which buttons to press, where to place the front wheel of the bike, and so on. It was stressful for me and that hadn't been in the middle of the night.

So, I said to my daughter, "Let's wait and see if we can be of any help." And we were! We made sure she could work everything and just having other people looking out for her seemed to be a comfort for her especially at that time of night.

She thanked us warmly. I smiled all the way back. This is the kind of example I want to set for my children. 

1197 Reads

Staying Past Our Stop

My husband and I were waiting to board a buss when we noticed a woman nearby. She had several bags and a child with her, so my husband and I helped her get on the bus. We carried the bags while she held her baby.

Because she wasn't sure where to get off my husband and I stayed on past our own stop to make sure she got to her destination. We helped her off the bus again, then got a taxi back to our house.  

The journey would have been difficult for her because her baby was very restless. We were delighted to be able to help and she was so thankful!

1699 Reads

Fast-track To The Ferry

I live on an island in the Hauraki Gulf off Auckland in New Zealand.  

I was driving my husband to the 8am ferry and we were running late but we could see there were other commuters also running for the boat. So, I stopped and got as many in the car as we could fit.

My husband still made the ferry on time - and so did others who probably wouldn't have if I hadn't stopped.

1694 Reads

Oreo Smiles

I work in a busy department store. With the seasons changing right now the women's clothing department has been extra busy and our fitting rooms are loaded with clothing to be returned to the racks. 

I am like a "mom" figure to the girls and am always reminding them to stay busy and keep smiling when the going gets tough.

Today I wen out and bought chocolate covered Oreo cookies individually wrapped in bright colored foil. Towards the end of our day I went to my locker and got the cookies. I drew smiley faces on the foil and wrote Thank You on them. 

I gave each girl a cookie and  let them know that I appreciate them trying hard to keep everything neat and clean with a smile on their faces! 

I am not their manager, just a co-worker, but I know it made them feel special and appreciated. They couldn't wait for their shift to end so they could go eat their special treat.

Little things mean a lot. 

2334 Reads

Midnight Roses

I was in Thailand for a holiday with some friends and we went to a night market to have a look around. 

Walking around, well after midnight, I saw a lady, probably over seventy years old, selling roses. She looked fragile and week, like she had been working all day and then into the night.

Right there and then my heart broke. No one of this age, I thought to myself, should be out past midnight selling roses to make a couple of bucks.

So, I gave her enough money for a day's work but declined to take any of her roses. 

My friends and I left to get a drink at a place nearby. The lady followed me and insisted on giving me a rose. I tried to decline again but eventually took one of her roses and left.

There is still so much suffering in the world. It's important to look up and strive to be a better person than you currently are, but it is also important to look around and realize how fortunate we are. We all should be grateful for the life we have and try to help those who are less fortunate.

1754 Reads

Follow Me To Chaldon

Today,  when I got back to my car, an elderly lady parked very close to me. She looked so sweet and frail.  

She asked me if I knew where a place called 'Chaldon' was and I said that I did. But it was very difficult to describe how to get there as there are lots of twists and turns.  

I was in a rush, but I told the lady just follow me and I would take her there.  

Her smile was so sweet and she was so grateful. I managed to help and still get to work on time.

1424 Reads

A Long Way From Iraq

A family of Iraqis live in my neighborhood. The father of the family served as an interpreter for the American Forces for ten years.   When the Americans were withdrawing they gave my friend's family visas to come to America. They didn't give them much else. Two years before Ali, my friend, came to the USA he was able to get two of his sons out of Iraq and they got jobs at Walmart and ATT. They have good English skills and are college educated.   My friend Ali is in his 60s and has worked as an English/Arabic interpreter much of his life. He has worked for some very important international companies doing business in the Middle East. But here in America he is just an old Muslim man trying to get a job.   After more than a year of trying he has finally got a job as a security guard ... Read Full Story >>

4701 Reads

Be Benevolent

When I walk along the street near our home after work I sometimes see someone begging by the wayside. 

Putting some coins in the tray is all I can do to help the man in trouble. But I always encourage my daughter to do similar things, to cultivate a good habit, so that she will grow to be a  benevolent woman.

1412 Reads

Caring For The Kitties

My neighbor was suddenly taken to the hospital and didn't have anyone to feed or care for her two cats. 

So, I stepped up and told her I would do it for her while she was gone. 

She started crying and asked why I would give my time to help her and her cats. I said, for one, we are neighbors and, secondly, we need more love and compassion in our world. 

She is home now from the hospital and doing great but, unfortunately, has had to re-home the cats for health reasons. 

I am happy to see her home and on her way to better health and happiness.

1543 Reads

South End Sally

There was a homeless lady who lived in our area. We called her South End Sally.

I had a lot of cans in the back of my pickup and, one day, I saw her at the local grocery store. So, I asked her if she would like to get the cans from my truck and sell them. 

When I came out the store they were all gone. It made me feel good and I am sure it did her also.

Then, one Christmas, I saw her and handed her $5 and she smiled. I asked her name and she said it was Helen. Then i never saw her again. 

I asked about her in the store and it was amazing but it seemed like everyone else was also missing her.

I found out later the police found her laying out in a field and thought she had died. They took her to a care home. It turned out she had family and, I guess, a lot of money. Who knows why she chose to be homeless but I pray she is happy, wherever she is.

I am always happy I chose to be kind to her. Bless you, Helen, wherever you are.

1262 Reads
  • Posted by margepalmer62
  • Oct 6, 2013
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A Cab Filled With Kindness

While reading the New York Times today, I came across a story titled, "Free Sweets in His Cab to Delight and Heal". Mansoor Khalid, a 37 year old electrical engineer from Pakistan has been driving a yellow cab in New York City since 1996. In 2010, his son, Saad, was born with a congenital heart defect. When Mr. Khalid visited him in the hospital after his night shift, he would bring coffee for the doctors and nurses there, who called him “coffee man.” “My average was 20 bucks every night, for coffee and sweets,” he said. Last April, Saad passed away at 18 months old. When Mr. Khalid returned to work, he decided to turn his cab into a "rolling celebration". He spends $300 a month keeping the back dashboard stocked with sweets for his passengers. From his experience in the hospital with his son, Mr. Khalid learned that giving to others could at least hide, if ... Read Full Story >>

7878 Reads

The Extra Bouquet

My mother has been recovering from pneumonia and recent surgery in a nursing care facility. Her room-mate is 93 year old lady who never gets any visitors. 

I brought Mom a yellow tulip bouquet and picked up a bunch of pink roses for her room-mate as well. 

She was to grateful and just couldn't stop smiling the whole time I was there! 

Unfortunately, she ended up going to hospital that night so never really got to enjoy her flowers. Well, after five days, she is back! So, I'm going to bring her a new arrangement this weekend when I visit. 

Ohh, and Dad said Mom LOVED the flowers!

1421 Reads

Colour Coordinated

I have pansies growing in a window box in front of my kitchen window. It gives onto the street, though separated by a little front yard. The pansies are mostly white, purple and yellow.

There is also a bowl out there with something that looks as though it could become a flower soon, and a lot of weeds - I dug it up out of the garden.

Yesterday, somebody anonymously put a pot with a bright red primrose onto the bowl, as though to suggest: Here it goes. I put it in, right there - and it looks great. It adds just the right splash of colour to the gentler mix.

Thank you, kind stranger wherever you are!

1598 Reads

The Christmas Bike Conundrum

The Enzian Art House in Florida was showing movies in the park. One evening, a few weeks before Christmas, they showed The Christmas Story and had a raffle with a girl's bike as the prize.  It was painfully cute with iridescent streamers, flowers, butterflies, an adorable bell, all designed to delight a five year old. But fifty year old me won it! This led to a bit of a conundrum as I didn't have kids or grand-kids to give it to.  I wanted the bike to go to someone who didn't have the opportunity to own such a wonderful thing. I contacted the shelter (where I occasionally volunteered in the kitchen) and while there was a big need for a sweet bike there was also the potential for it creating strife.  I sought else where until I found out about a couple in our church who had been going through hard times in their ... Read Full Story >>

6078 Reads

Reconnecting a young women with her father

Decades ago I ended my relationship with my beloved fiance after another young woman made it her life's goal to have this talented man.  I left but never stopped loving him. We remained close and kept in contact by phone and rare visits until he died many years later. We always loved each other but because the shock of our ending was so traumatic for me I always refused to return to him.  When he died, his friends treated me like his widow which, in a strange way, I was.  Several years ago, I saw a note on the internet asking if anyone knew of him. I replied to it and learned it was from his daughter who had never known him. We eventually spoke on the phone several times. She is a well known singer. (Her father was a brilliant pianist and arranger.) She wanted so much to know why she had never known ... Read Full Story >>

2469 Reads

Candy bars, smile cards and still smiling

Even as I write this story, I am still smiling. The past few weeks have been rather tough, but when a huge set of Smile Cards arrived in my mailbox the other day, having traveled all the way from the United States to my home in the Netherlands, I knew things were about to turn around. I found myself plotting where to leave the cards as I went to bed that night: the train, benches at the station, at work, libraries, mailboxes, the gym - the possibilities felt endless. I woke up, went to work, and afterwards, I went straight to the shop to buy some candy bars, planning to leave them as anonymous gifts for people on the train. However, unlike my early morning commute, my train home was extremely crowded. An elderly man must have seen me searching for a place to leave a Smile Card, because he asked me ... Read Full Story >>

10.8K Reads

Saving A Black Bee

A black bee came into my room while the fan was running. Thinking the little creature might get caught up in it and hurt I switched the fan off.

Then took a towel and used it to help direct the bee outside without hurting it. I felt awesome - and thankful that the idea of switching the fan off and saving the bee had come to me!

1323 Reads

"Because You Are A Giver"

Many winters ago I was working at a community college when a homeless woman came in wearing only a slip on and a hospital bracelet. She started coughing as she laid back on a sofa in the student lounge. Clearly, she wasn't well.  Without thinking too much about it I went to the Student Affairs office where I knew I could find clothes in the "Lost and Found" bin. I gathered her up an entire outfit and made my way back. That's when a co-worker told me I should not help this person, as it would only lead to her wanting more help. I ignored her and carried on, despite the warnings. Two weeks later a lovely elderly man came to my office and asked to speak with me in private. Curious, I gave him my full attention. He proceeded to tell me that he had overheard the conversation with the co-worker ... Read Full Story >>

7962 Reads

For Alan The Organizer

A couple of years ago, my grandmother died.  She was my last remaining grandparent and we'd been close when she was alive. I'd lived with her for a while during my early teens. She probably taught me more about unconditional love than anyone before or since. So as you can imagine, although I couldn't begrudge her passing (she'd been unwell and in pain for a long time and at least that was over) of course I missed her terribly. My friend, Alan, realized that I was taking this loss harder than any loss before and that I was struggling. Unknown to me, he got in touch with several of my friends and told them I was having a hard time. For the next couple of weeks the postman delivered something to me every day; small tokens from each of my friends to let me know they cared, timed so that I would ... Read Full Story >>

1325 Reads

A Gift for a Sleeping Stranger at the Airport

I have always lived in India, and was recently traveling from Mumbai to Jaipur for work. Arriving at the airport early, I was asked to hang out in the waiting lounge where, without much else to do, I decided to check out the gift shop. As I walked around the store, I saw two American women having a nap on a recliner outside. It looked as if they had been at the airport for hours, and I felt compelled to do something to help ease their wait. I looked around the store for a few moments, and ended up purchasing a medium-sized stuffed toy which looked like the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants (though it was orange instead of the normal yellow). I asked the owner of the shop for a note and a pen and wrote, "When you get up if this makes you smile, it would mean the world to ... Read Full Story >>

7136 Reads