Stories of Kindness from Around the World

A Smile Card Farewell

I am planning to change my career, so I went to a career adviser to get some advice on what to do with my qualifications. The career adviser was lovely and we connected immediately as if we had known each other for a long time.

When I booked another appointment she told me that she was moving and that it would be the final appointment. I decided to give her a little glass heart with the words "good luck" and a Smile Card. When she saw the Smile Cards she asked me if she could have more, she was going to have a farwell dinner and she wanted to give one to each of her guests. I was over the moon and handed her all the Smile Cards I had in my bag.

I felt that I wanted to do something else so I went home got one of my books and wrote a small dedication whishing her luck for the new job, and wrapped it in a beautiful paper along with more Smile Cards. I gave it to reception to give it to her, I hope she liked the surprise, and I'm happy to have sent more Smile Cards out in to the world.

Ripples From The Smile Deck

I picked a card from the Smile Deck today - it was a spade.  The spades are in the category “For Our World”.  I picked the card (4 of spades) which says:  “send a thank you note to a person or business helping the world”. I have recently had someone come in to my life who has inspired me tremendously.  She is very kind.  She reaches out to children all over the world who are disabled or terminally ill.  She wants to bring a little bit of sunshine into their lives so she sends them lovely goodie bags for their birthdays and on other special occasions.  I feel blessed to know her and decided to use this opportunity to thank her. I went to the store and bought a lovely ‘Thank You’ card and wrote a kind note inside.  I also placed a Smile Card in the envelope so that she knows she ... Read Full Story >>

Warm Smiles on a Cold Night

Last night my husband and I went to Sonic for an ice cream treat.  It was a little chilly, especially for Texas, because we like it warm and it was too cold not to have a jacket.  The car hop brought our order and low and behold, she had no jacket. I asked her if she was cold and she said she was freezing but had no jacket. It was no wonder because we are not used to needing jackets down here.   I tried to see if I had one in my car but I did not.  On the way home after we had left, I told my husband my plan.  "When we get home I'm going to get my little jacket and bring it back to her," I said, "It is too cold to be working all night with no jacket." I did just that.  I also slipped a Smile Card in to the pocket.  When I got there I looked for the ... Read Full Story >>

Care For The Care-Giver

I work in low income housing for the elderly. All of the people who live in our buildings are so kind. 

Recently, one of our care givers needed medical attention. She was in a great deal of pain but she still came to work every day. She had no health insurance and no money. She has helped to care for people in our buildings for eleven years and has been a reliable helper for many frail elderly people.  

We tried appealing to several foundations to help pay for her medical tests but  had very little luck. Then we found out that if she could raise about $528 she could get the testing done (with the help of a large foundation grant.)

There are forty-two residents in the building she works in and they all decided to hold a fund-raiser for her, despite being on low incomes themselves. They eventually raised $550! She got her test done and now has a medical plan of action.  

How incredible people are!

A Spin Cycle of Kindness

When I moved into my new house it already had a washing machine in it but I had just bought a new one so I wondered what to do with the machine already in the house.  I remembered two girls who regularly knocked at my door for religious reasons.  They never had or kept anything they didnt need.  If one of them needed something, say a winter coat, they would work for the amount of time it took to make the money they needed for the coat and then return to their religious work. They had just got their own house so I decided to give them all the things I didn't need when I was done unpacking. Whatever they didn't need, they could give to the charity store they helped support. I asked them if they needed a washing machine and they both looked at each other and smiled. It turns out that they had called ... Read Full Story >>

A Little Girl's Kindness Lesson on Halloween

My mother lives in a retirement community, and I was visiting her on Halloween night.  There was a knock on the door, and upon opening it, we were surprised to find my sister and her 6 year old daughter, Grace - both dressed up in their halloween costumes.

My sister had brought Grace over to 'share' Halloween' with the residents.  Grace was carrying small peach roses and a boxes of mints.  The ladies that they passed in the hall each got a rose, a bow, and a "Happy Halloween!", and the men got a mint. 

Grace took such joy in doing this, even though she hadn't been trick-or-treating yet.  The joy spreading through the halls could be felt, and the gleaming faces on the residents were treats to all of us.  I thought that a lovely lesson my sister is giving her daughter, in a holiday where kids revel in receiving, she instead learns that giving is the greatest treat of all!

Listening Hard Enough To Hear

I was shopping in a grocery store that was so big that it had an elevator for you and your shopping basket to get from floor to floor.  I was about to get on the elevator with another young lady when I heard a shout from someone. The young lady looked at me shocked because we heard sounds as if someone were trying to startle us with scary yelling. Then, I looked again and saw a man in a motorized shopping cart coming our way with his hand reaching out as if to say, "wait for me!" Once he got to the elevator, we helped him "fit inside" and closed the doors. The man must have had some kind of stroke, because his speech was very unclear and hard to understand. This, however, did not stop him from communicating with us, and I totally understood everything he was trying to say. ... Read Full Story >>

Waking Up With The Kindness Urge

This morning I took the liberty of making my mom breakfast while she was getting ready for work. It was surprising to me that I was able to drag myself out of bed because I was so sleep deprived and given that I didn’t have school today, I didn’t even have to get up early. I guess the fact that I didn’t have school today was all the more reason to help out. So I groggily got downstairs and started to make fresh coffee, along with an onion and sausage omelette sandwich. In the process of cooking, I realized that once I actually got out of bed, it wasn’t so bad after all. When mum came down, she was so happy that I took the initiative to do that for her. It made me feel nice, when she said that.   After she left for work, I felt more motivated, so I wrote an ... Read Full Story >>

Decorating A Heart With Honesty And Kindness

Yesterday I was asked to deposit some cash in the bank. I went out with the money to deposit and some extra money which was to be used to pay for renovations going on at my house. The bank was busy when I arrived so I took a token and waited.  While I was waiting I noticed an old lady struggling to get a cash-in payee slip. I went over and got the slip for her and then asked her what she needed done so I could help her. I filled in her slip and got a queue token for her.  When my turn came up, I deposited the money and I then waited for the old lady's turn in case she needed help. She had intended to deposit three thousand rupees but when it was almost her turn she realised she had lost the money on the way to the bank! She was so upset she started crying. She tried to ... Read Full Story >>

The Small Things That Count

If you've ever been to Chennai in India, you can probably imagine this scene.  Three people, strangers had piled into the same rickshaw (a three wheeler taxi ) and I was one of them. On the way a woman joined us.  She sat up front next to the driver.

The fare for her was only Rs. 5 but she had a  Rs. 100 note. So at the final destination, the Permabur railway station, I paid my fare and paid for her's too. I did that so that she and the driver can move on instead of trying to find a way to change the note at the shops. It is a small thing but I was happy to do my part.

Coffee, Diners and Smile Cards

Peapod and I just returned from a trip across the pond to see her parents and some of her friends back home in America.  We had a great time, being somewhat spoiled by her folks  :-)  While we were away we kept our eyes open for opportunities and managed to leave a little kindness behind us on the way. Coffee and coffee houses seem even bigger over the water than they do in the UK, so one idea we had was to buy some $10 coffee cards and give them out to people as we wandered around the town.  We quickly earmarked two particular people to give cards to.  Earlier that afternoon we had been to a jeans store to exchange some jeans and the girl there really knew her stuff!  Before we knew it Peapod had a replacement pair and an extra pair of jeans, while I was also buying a pair.  The ... Read Full Story >>

A Little Act of Giving

A lady in our church who recently lost her brother rejoiced in letting the congregation know that she was blessed with a new grandson

My husband wanted to get the baby something and also to lift her spirits at the same time. I went to Wal-Mart not sure what the baby was in need of when I spotted some newborn Hallowe'en pyjamas! They were so cute and reasonably priced so I couldn't resist!

We presented her with a bag of the goodies and expected her to take it home to the momma but she pulled out the jammies and showed everyone in Sunday School! Everyone thought the outfits were cute and adorable.

Believe it or not the teacher was so impressed, he used them as part of the lesson that he taught that day! I guess the jammies were enjoyed by many. I would have never have guessed our little act of giving would go so far!

Learning About Pay-It-Forward In School

Today at school I just learned about "Paying It Forward" and after that I couldn't feel more happier! I sent anonymous notes to everyone saying "you're Beautiful no matter what everyone says" . The next day I got my whole class to sign a letter to my teacher saying "Thank you for all you do for us, we love you". I feel like my life has just gotten better :)

A Small Smile of Acknowledgment

I had read Aurelia's story about "acknowledging" everybody and I remembered it yesterday morning.  I was walking across a shopping center parking lot to get to class and there was a man working there sweeping up. As I passed by I smiled and called out "Have a good day!"  I could tell he was really surprised and happy to be spoken to....so that was cool.

It was totally random and spontaneous on my part but I''m glad it brought a smile to his face

Paying it Forward with Flowers and Dessert

For several weeks, I had been meaning to get my wife flowers.  Everyday I would leave for the office in the morning reminding myself to get flowers on the way home, but would always forget. Finally one day, I decided to repeat the word, “flowers” (as though it were a mantra) as I drove home to make sure I remembered.  It turned out that that day the flowers were on sale, two bouquets for the price of one.  While I was at the store, I came across two neatly folded $20 dollar bills with no one around.  I picked up the bills feeling like this was a universal sign and went home with my flowers knowing that the money had to be used for spreading kindness.  After I gave my wife the flowers, I told her I had another surprise and showed her the money.  My wife definitely felt like this was a calling since ... Read Full Story >>

More Than Just a Meal at McDonalds

I was at McDonalds the other day and I was trying to decide what snack to get to tide me over until I rode the bus home. There was a young lady looking at the menu but she just got a small soda. I decided to help and got two breakfast burritos for $1 each and two apple pies which are two for $1.

I shared a burrito and a pie with her and she was so happy that you would have thought it was the best meal of all time. I was happy too because I was able to share a meal with someone. I told her I never like to eat alone and was happy for the company.

Who knows, maybe I will see her there again some day. I found out she had lost her job and didn't have much money for food. I suggested that she go to my church and they would help her with some groceries. So I knew she will have something else to eat later on that day too. It's a blessing to help someone in need.

The Insight of Children

I took my children into the city last night to meet up with my husband to celebrate my daughter's 6th birthday.  We walked through the downtown area while we waited for him to get out of owrk.  In front of one of the subway stops was a woman sitting with a can.  As we walked by, my daughter asked what she was doing and I told her that she was probably homeless and was trying to get some money.  My daughter  looked back and asked if on the way back she could give the woman some money.  I told her that she absolutely could do that, and we continued exploring.   Later on during our walk, we  found a bed of cardboard and blankets.  My daughter knew what it was and wanted to know who it belonged to so she could give them a dollar or two.  We moved on, and she played ... Read Full Story >>

Gratitude Creates Gratitude

I just read the story of the folks who baked cookies and cupcakes to hand out to people in their community who they wanted to thank for doing the jobs they do, and how moved they were by the responses they got from folks.

I had a similar experience when I typed a short email to the Siemens Corporation to thank them for making and selling the radiation machine that treated my cancer.  I got personal emails from an exec there telling me I made her day.  They ran my email in their company newsletter (seen by some 500,000 employees) and then flew me up to Siemens Healthcare US headquarters to let me say thank you in person to their employees!  They filmed my talk and then did an interview with me and will be sharing all that with more employees in the future who couldn't be there that day.

I knew that it would matter to someone there if I said, "thanks" but had no idea the impact that act would have on the company or on me.  Just a tremendous blessing all around.

There is Always an Opportunity for Kindness

As I was leaving the grocery store yesterday, I noticed an old man hobbling along struggling with 2 sacks of food.  It was bitterly cold (10 F).  There isn't much near the store, so I guess he must have a fair walk ahead of him.  I pulled up near him, rolled the car near him and put the window down to ask if he needed a ride.  I think he was a bit skeptical since few people go out of their way to do these sorts of things, but he did accept.  After he got settled in the car, my husband and I introduced ourselves, but he was very quiet and reluctant to give his name. During the drive, we tried to make him more comfortable with some small talk.  We chatted on about the weather, this new store opening and the like. His home was more than 2 miles away on unplowed streets, it would have ... Read Full Story >>

A Little Help for a 5 Year Old

I went on to this web site that I am part of where everyone tries to help each other.  There  was a special request made for a five-year-old year old on her birthday.  The request was for a dress, a birthday card and some bows.

I made contact with the mom, got her information and mailed out a box to the little girl. I sent a dress, bows, and a birthday card with $2.00 in the card for her. Her mom was happy. I just got the email from her and it bought a smile to my face knowing that she appreciated it.  It said: "Thank you so so so much for the card and the bows and the shirt! Savana loved them! You are a blessing! I hope you have a wonderful week ahead! Thank you again!"

Her statement made me smile. And, I am glad that she got her little ones package before the birthday this month. At times our funds run a little tight and you need some help. But, I felt good knowing that I contributed to a little one's smile on her face when she received these things from me.  This alone is special to me.