Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Buying Some Soggy Cops Brunch

We were out for Sunday brunch on a spring day with six other couples when we saw three very wet motorcycle cops come in.

They had been caught in a sudden, heavy, shower and had no time to get covered. 

I decided to quietly treat them, and the waitress brought me their bills. Somehow they learned who had paid for them and came to our table to express their sincere gratitude.
 
Just three weeks ago, in the same restaurant with the same friends, a group of about eight soldiers had come in.  In no time at all their bills were taken care of by some of the other couples in our group.
 
It's great to be able to help such deserving causes!
 

899 Reads
  • Posted by wallyndiana
  • Sep 23, 2013
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A Gift From Grief

On my trip to Berlin last week, the train suddenly stopped. After a couple of minutes, one of the attendants, visibly shaken, told us that somebody had committed suicide by standing in front of the train. After a couple of moments to allow space for my own sorrow, I got up and went to the attendants' cab to offer support, as a professional trained to deal with traumatized people. I was thinking of the train driver who'd basically run over the 'victim'. They told me they really appreciated my offer, but that the train company had specialists for such cases and that they were checking to see whether the driver would get relieved of duty for the remainder of the journey. But for the moment, and some two hours more, the train just stood there while paramedics, police, and train company disaster management arrived and did their job. I found that I felt bogged down ... Read Full Story >>

2525 Reads

Tagging In Liverpool

 I came across this web-site a few days ago and have spent hours just reading all the stories. I got so excited and knew I wanted to do this!   Having requested some Smile cards I found I couldn't wait to get started! I introduced my best friend/housemate and she got just as excited!   So today we decided to just write out some cards until the Smile cards arrive. We put money with some cards and chocolate with some others. Then we went walking in Liverpool and found some lovely people to give them to.   First we went into the shop. I spotted a young woman there and asked the server if she would pass the card along. She gave a big smile and said she would.   Next we found an elderly man. He was carrying a heavy bag in the snow, so he seemed the good person to tag. He just stood there, looking ... Read Full Story >>

1445 Reads

Aaron The Door Opener

We were visiting my sister in Alabama and decided to go out for dinner to a restaurant she liked.     My son Aaron was 8 years old at the time. He had finished eating his dinner and asked if he could walk around and stretch his legs. I saw no harm in it and said yes.   The next thing I knew he was standing at the door opening it up for every person coming and going out of the restaurant. The waiter's door was also by the entrance so he was multi-tasking by opening the door for the waiters coming and going in and out of the kitchen with their food trays.     All I could do was smile. I was so proud of him that he took the initiative to do something kind for others without even being told.   When we left so many of the customers and waiters told me what a ... Read Full Story >>

2045 Reads

Letters Of Appreciation

I recently wrote two letter of appreciation. One was to a vehicle rental company and the other was to a vehicle dealership. Both companies treated me with a lot of respect and made me feel like a person of value. They were very professional and caring. 

I wrote long letters of appreciation mentioning all the employees and the wonderful jobs the were doing to their bosses. I made sure I left the letters open so the employees could read them first. 
 
I feel when employees are kind and treat people the way I have been treated the deserve to be told what a good job they are doing. This will, hopefully, continue to motivate them to keep being the good people they are and encourage them to be the best they can be. 
 
A little appreciation goes a long way. I appreciate all they have done. Lets all continue to motivate each other to be kind loving people!
 

1874 Reads

Dairy Queen Worker's Good Deed Goes Viral

A Minnesota Dairy Queen manager is getting widespread kudos for an act of kindness that required giving one customer the deep freeze treatment after some questionable behavior. Joey Prusak had just finished serving one of his regular customers when the visually impaired man unknowingly dropped a $20 bill from his pocket. A woman in line behind him quickly picked up the money – and then put it in her purse. "She picked it up so quickly that I thought she was going to give it back but she just stood there and waited," Prusak told TODAY.com. "I was extremely confused when she let the man walk by. She just stood there and put it in her purse and I was like, 'Really?' Prusak, 19, said the experience left him feeling "violated." After taking a few seconds to compose himself, he politely asked the woman to give the money back. The woman refused, insisting ... Read Full Story >>

4556 Reads

Kindness Is The Medicine

One of my co-workers was recently stressed because his wife is struggling through a period of severe depression triggered by a rebounding of bodily pain from fibromyalgia.  She's also been on furlough from work for a number of years, and doesn't get much opportunity to maintain social ties and a sense of purpose which are often so essential and deeply nourishing.  After listening to him unload his burdens, I decided to do something small to support him and his wife. I don't know his wife very well at all, but wanted to express some warmth and kindness to her, since it so often feels like the universal balm to soothe every ailment. I found out that, like most people, she loves receiving handwritten mail.  So I purchased a card and wrote the following message to her: Dear Nxxxx, I want you to know that you have something very unique and beautiful to offer the ... Read Full Story >>

3100 Reads

De-stressing The School Break

  My kids had been on holiday from school for almost two weeks and it was getting a bit much for me. (If you are a parent you will understand!) I was getting a little impatient with them and I don't like being like that. So, I decided I needed a pick-me-up and the best way I've found to feel happier is to do random acts of kindness!   While I was grabbing some last minute dinner items at the store I picked up a candy bar and asked the cashier what her favorite candy bar was. She thought I just couldn't decide what to get and named one she liked. I picked up one of those and bought it with the rest of my groceries.    After I had paid and was ready to leave I gave her the one she picked out and wished her a good day.   The other candy bar I gave ... Read Full Story >>

1494 Reads

Re-gifting Can Be Great

Every year the company my husband works for gives us a twenty dollar gift card to a local grocery store for the holidays. Every year we use this card to buy a portion of our holiday meal. A couple years back I was managing a department for Home Depot where I had a man named Thom working part-time. He would drive fifty miles to work for us and he also had a full time job.   Thom was fun to watch in action as he would walk the customer though everything they needed for their project, and then take them to the cashier.   On one occasion were discussing Christmas and what we do for our main meal. Thom said that he worked two jobs because of medical debt and money was tight for his family. There would be very little extra cash available for Christmas.  He said that throughout the year they focused on saving a few dollars here and ... Read Full Story >>

1735 Reads

100 Acts Of First Grade Kindness

I teach first-grade children and the 100th day of our school year is approaching soon. This is a big math day with lots of activities centered around 100.     Last year I connected the 100th day to kindness and I have just kicked off the same project today with my current class.    We had been talking about Martin Luther King Jr and his dreams of peace and kindness. His birthday was approaching so we talked about acts of kindness we could do at home or in school, then I challenged the children to do 100 random acts of kindness from Doctor King's birthday until our 100th day of school.     The children were so excited to get started. Today was the official day to begin.   We finished the day with 10 acts of kindness recorded. Parents emailed with comments about how great the project idea was and shared how their child helped a new ... Read Full Story >>

5638 Reads

How Dirty Shoes Bloom Roses

This past Sunday, I was in a generous mood. I am not always like that, but it started when I went to the roadside shoe repairer. I asked him to polish my shoes, and he told me it would cost twenty rupees. When he finished polishing, I was moved to offer him 30 rupees. That's when he caught me off guard. Smilingly, he accepted only twenty rupees and lightly told me that he was content. He would not take anything extra. I was pleasantly surprised by his attitude, and also learned such a big lesson. In a world where most people try to grab as much as they can, his simplicity came across like a breath of fresh air. With the 10 rupees that the shoe polisher refused, I went and bought roses from the roadside flower seller. She happened to be a old lady. (If you are familiar with India, you will often ... Read Full Story >>

1923 Reads

Lost But Now Found

Saturday evening, my husband and I went to dinner at a local restaurant. As we sat there eating and sharing conversation, I watched an elderly woman stop at the opening into our area and gaze around the room. I wondered if she might be looking for the ladies room when suddenly she turned and walked in that direction.  A few moments later she walked past the same area heading to the far side of the restaurant. I thought, she must have found the restroom and now be headed back to join her party. After a couple more minutes, she appeared in the same spot… but this time, she turned and walked past our table.  I looked over at my husband and said, “She must be lost." I got up and caught up with her as she entered the bar area and touched her lightly on the shoulder.  “Ma’am, are you having trouble finding who you are dining ... Read Full Story >>

1600 Reads

Planting The Seed Of Generosity

The story is about my four year old son. I had saved some of his baby clothes because of the memories and emotions attached to them. They were still in very good condition. 

Yesterday I decided to give these precious possession away for some needy child. But, as soon as I started the task, my son objected. Even he was attached to them! 
 
It occurred to me that this was a wonderful opportunity to plant the seeds of generosity in his little mind. It took a lot of explaining but, finally, he was convinced. 
 
Normally I would simply have filled a plastic bag with clothes and dumped it in the donation box. But this time my son and I were a team! We washed all the clothes, folded them together and put them in a nice bag. It felt different - better different! 
 
The next day he asked me, "When are we going to give your clothes to a friend?" 
 
I think he really has the right idea now, and he's excited to be a part of it! 
 

1697 Reads

Knitting A Friendship

 
I belong to a knit and crochet group at my church and I'm always surprised at what people can do with a skein of yarn.      
 
Recently we have added a few new members and I had noticed that one of the ladies, who does such beautiful work, always carried her yarn projects in a small paper shopping bag.
 
When I got home, I went through my closet and found a brand new bag that would be perfect to store projects in, with lots of pockets for needles. I filled it with yarn from my stash and crochet project cards, then placed everything inside along with a Smile card.
 
I waited for her to arrive at the next meeting and, sure enough, she arrived carrying her paper shopping bag. I went over quietly and handed her the new bag saying that I found it in my closet and thought of her. She was so happy and kept saying, "But it's not my birthday!" 
 
I was glad I was able to see her reaction since normally when I tag someone I don't get to see the look on their face. It was a good moment for both of us!
 

1174 Reads

By Mom's Bedside

I've had the opportunity to serve my mother a lot recently, and I wanted to share, in hopes that others can be inspired. A couple days ago, my mom had to undergo surgery to remove a tumor. The tumor was near her parotid gland, which, unfortunately, is right on her face. With all the love I could muster, I stayed with her for the several hours of the surgery, and then continued to stay by her bedside for the next two days, as she recovered in the hospital. She seemed in good spirits, despite the occasional aches and pains from the surgery. I really tried to keep her company. I watched TV with her in her hospital room, we talked lightly about funny memories, and I did everything I could to put a smile on her face. =) After the doctor said it was okay for her to return home, I took her ... Read Full Story >>

2178 Reads

Flames of Gratitude

The other day, my husband and I found out that his co-worker's house caught on fire and suffered major damages. 

We wanted to reach out and support their family, but debated whether or not we could afford to donate to the collection. 

Then it occurred to me that, even though I don't have enough to pay our bills this week, these people don't have clothes to send their daughter to school the next day!!

With gratitude for all that we have, we donated $50 to the family, and will find a way to make due for the coming week.

2547 Reads

What Makes a Grumpy Bus Driver Laugh?

I often take the bus for my daily commutes, and one of the drivers on the route to my house isn't known to be very nice. In fact, not many people like him at all. It doesn't take much for him to turn up his nose, or to ignore members of the community who are stranded when he drives by. That didn't bother me, though.  I decided that, no matter what his mood is on a given day, I would continue to greet and smile at him. Unconditionally.  Now, after awhile of doing this, I've noticed that his overall demeanor towards me has changed.  He not only smiles at me, but he cracks jokes, too!  One time, I fell asleep on his bus, and when I woke, I said, jokingly, "Why didn't you wake me? You know where I live!" We both laughed hard, and since then it has been an on-going joke ... Read Full Story >>

4771 Reads

Stuck in Line, Stuck with a Smile

Today, I stopped at the store to return a couple of things.   Sure enough, I ended up in line behind an older woman who was questioning all the pricing on her purchases and moving rather slowly. I made up my mind to think compassionately; to be patient and wait with a smile on my face. The older woman glanced at me and acknowledged that it must be heavy to keep holding all my items while waiting for her to finish checking out. I told her I was young enough to hold them all, and that I needed the exercise anyway. She commented that she was too old for exercise, but needed it. Then she turned to me and said, "I just lost my husband on the 20th." He had died of cancer, just two weeks after the doctor had told him he had about six weeks to live. She explained that they were both diagnosed ... Read Full Story >>

1856 Reads

Parking Lot Samaritan

After running errands with my daughter one day, I walked back to the car reminiscing with her about the nice people we'd had the pleasure to interact with. As I pulled my car keys from my coat pocket, my daughter pointed out, "Something just flew under the car."  Remembering that I had placed my debit card and ID in my pocket so I could access them easily in the checkout line, I knew exactly what had flown under our car. I crouched down to see them. My debit card and ID were wedged behind my tire, almost out of sight. Another woman in the parking lot saw my struggle, walked over to me, and asked if she could help. Without even waiting for me to answer, she said, "I see them!" Then, she got down on her knees and fished my cards from behind the tire of my car. As she handed them to me ... Read Full Story >>

8676 Reads

Just Be There

Once, many years ago, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was eventually scheduled for a mastectomy.

On the morning of her surgery, I attended a college class in which the husband of a good friend was also a student. On most mornings, we would say "hello" to one another and that was about it. He would sit with his guy friends, and I usually sat alone.

When he entered class that morning, he came and sat next to me. He never mentioned my mom, never talked about the situation at all. He just sat next to me and chatted a bit.

That was the day I learned that, sometimes, the kindest act is just to be there. I always remember his gesture as one of the most touching acts of kindness I've ever received. 

983 Reads