Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Recycling With A Little Extra Kindness

Most of us live in neighborhoods with regular recycle pickups and my family is very dilligent about our household recycling.  However, there is one item we do not place in the regular pick-up bin. 

We set aside our aluminum cans in a separate box.  When the box is full, we take the cans to the parking lot of a local grocery store where there is a self-service aluminum can recycling machine that pays for aluminum cans by weight.

We leave the box of aluminum cans for someone to find when they go to recycle their own cans.  It is a small gesture, but it is free to us.  For someone who has taken the time to recycle their cans, every dime is probably precious, so I imagine that they feel a small thrill when they see an extra box of cans to add to their totals.

Sixth Graders and the Smile Deck

I teach a sixth grade religion class, and today I played the Smile Deck game with my students.  They each left with two kind acts to complete and were very enthusiastic as I handed them regular Smile Cards to go along with the Smile Deck Cards.

One student was able to complete one of her acts that day itself, when class ended.  She held the door for those leaving the building, handing out Smile Cards to those who would take them.  It was uncomfortable for her at first (12 years old is an awkward age, at best), but she got the hang of it and started to enjoy her 15 minutes as 'Door Woman'!

I am excited to hear about how the other children's acts of kindness go.

I hope that my take on the ways we can “take care of God's creation” will sink into these kids, and they will carry forward the idea of embracing kindness as a meaningful part of life.

This is just the beginning for me!!  Thanks for the forum of inspiration!

An Opportunity To Connect On The Train Home

Sitting on the train home with my wife, Julie, my attention kept being drawn to the young man sitting across the aisle from us. I knew there was something there I ought to be seeing – but what was it? I read my book and glanced over, I drank some juice and glanced over, I put my earphones in - and glanced over. What wasn’t I seeing? He must have been about seventeen or eighteen, a handsome young man, sitting there with his bags on the seat across from him. It wasn’t a particularly cold day but he had his jacket zipped up all the way to his mouth.  But my own boys would do that. Between Edinburgh and Motherwell the picture started to take shape and the spaces started to fill themselves. His face was red, as if he had been really cold. When his hands came out his pockets they were ... Read Full Story >>

An Extra Special Trip to The City

Just  a few weeks ago I was taking my six year old son into the city for the first time. It was a special trip because he was going to be taking the subway for the first time.

As we boarded the train I noticed it was nearly full and thought we'd have to most likely stand. No sooner had we boarded than a huge guy, listening to a mp3 player and wearing sports clothing, tapped me on the shoulder and got out of his seat so there would be two empty seats next to each other for us. I mouthed the words, "Thank you" as he got up and we sat down. Normally, I would be on edge around someone like that, a big guy who looks really tough and intimidating. But this encounter really forced me to change my thinking.

Getting off the train the we were delighted when the subway engineer waved to my son and I as the train departed.

A little later I dropped my subway pass as I was getting money out of my wallet and a stranger alerted me.

The kindness of people to complete strangers made our trip to the city a very special day. 

A School Lesson in Compassion and Understanding

My seven year old son Nicholas came home from school one day and in the context of our usual "How was school?" chat he told me about one of his classmates who had asked him to share his snack with him in a somewhat forceful way. After this chat, as a room mother, I had the chance to better observe the boy concerned. I saw he never had a snack and was often dirty, so I understood a bit more his situation.   From that point on I sent extra crackers, etc., everyday and Nicholas made a point of sitting next to the boy at snack time so he could share - telling the boy I always gave him too much. After this we realized he was unable to pay for field trips and the teacher was doing this for him. We secretly got involved with that also, making sure he was in our group for ... Read Full Story >>

When You Don't Need A "Thank You"

This past Saturday I was with my family at an indoor arcade/play place for a child's birthday party. My six year old son and a boy he didn't know were playing an arcade game where they shoot water at a target. At the end of the game the machine is supposed to spit out paper tickets which the kids can then redeem for prizes.

After they had finished playing, for some reason the other boy didn't get any tickets at the end of the game. Maybe the machine was out of paper? My son instinctively took his and gave half of them to the other boy.

I was a little disappointed the other boy didn't even say "thank you", but I knew my son didn't need to hear it. He was just doing what he thought was the right thing, and I am so proud of him!

The High-Five That Changed My Day

I was in the checkout line at the grocery store yesterday when a woman in a motorized cart got in line behind me. I immediately challenged myself to look past her condition and asked if I could give her a hand. As I helped her put her groceries onto the counter, one of her wheels became stuck on a nearby rack. After some doing, and with the help of her daughter, she backed up, straightened her wheels and unstuck the cart. We joked a little and I said to her, "That deserves a high-five!" With a huge smile, she leaned up and gave me a high-five. As I was gathering my groceries to leave, her daughter tapped me on the shoulder and said, "You're a generous soul for helping my mom with the groceries." I could tell she was deeply moved, and without much thought I replied, "Well, you're mom is awesome!" And the daughter agreed.

This five minute exchange changed my heart and my day, as I was feeling lonely after spending the day by myself. I felt loved and appreciated, and I think the woman and her daughter did, too.

Offering Me the Oportunity to Give

Yesterday we had a bunch of friends over to play some music and share a meal together. My husband and I had both made some special dishes and when everyone had left, there was some left over.  My husband started packing up a few containers of food to give to an older woman who lives in our neighborhood... and then he asked if I would deliver it because "I know how you like to do that!"

I left the house and walked over to the woman's house to give her the food. When I gave it to her, her eyes lit up and she was just thrilled. When I was leaving, she said that I had made her evening so much brighter-- it was how she said it that really touched my heart.

I walked home, gazing at the full moon, and thanking my husband for letting me be the "giver". He always does the right thing and never wants any credit!---I can learn from that.

An Act of Honesty

My parents were at a store recently when they found a bundle of important looking papers and some cash lying outside.

They went back in and asked around, but no one claimed them. They then looked at the papers again and found the name of a hair salon. They drove to the salon - but it was closed.

They found a phone number and called and left a message. The owner called back and said that the papers belonged to someone who works there, but she had just had a death in the family and had to go away.

My parents took the papers over to the salon and left it there for the lady, so that when she returns she will have her important papers back.

My mom imagined that the lady (whoever she is) probably dropped the bundle outside the store and never even realized it since she was probably grieving.

I'm so glad it was my parents who found it!

Sharing with Love during Easter

Realizing that it was Easter Weekend and I had time on my hands, I called the local Soup Kitchen to see if they could use some help serving lunch.  They were very happy to accept my offer. After we parked the car, my husband and I walked a few blocks to the Soup Kitchen.  That's how we spotted  Teddy as the Easter Bunny.  We have known Teddy for years, but this was a first for us to see him in a bunny outfit! His wife pushing him in his wheelchair up and down the sidewalk and he was distributing Easter Eggs.  When he arrived at the Soup Kitchen for lunch he kept on giving eggs to everyone who arrived. He even ate his food with the mask on! Teddy is in his 60s and doesn't have much money. It really humbled my heart to see him reaching out to others. His simple gesture of offering an egg with a candy inside lit ... Read Full Story >>

A Ticket To A Future Act Of Kindness

About a month ago I arrived at the train station an hour early. That's when I saw a young lady in distress.

She was trying to change a 10 Euro note into coins so she could pay buy her train ticket. There were no staffed counters at the station, only a machine that wouldn't accept her 10 Euro note.

She asked several passers by for help but none of them gave her the change she required. Catching this train must have been very important to her as she became more and more agitated as the time passed.

I didn't have any change either but I did offer to buy her ticket for her. She appreciated this but was worried she wouldn't be able to pay me back.

I gave her the ticket she needed so urgently and told her simply to pay it forward to someone else.   

She just had enough time to catch her train and was waving at me as the train left the station.

This little, inexpensive, act of kindness still makes me smile when I think of it.

A Hotel Manager Creates Some Magic

About nine years ago I worked at a large downtown hotel. Since we were connected to a mall and a public parking garage, anyone could just pretty much walk into the hotel area. We started having a big problem with homeless youth living in our stairwells at night. The stairwells went largely unused because of their hidden nature and the fact that once inside, you could only go down and exit to the street, all the doors locked behind you and you could not travel between levels and exit back into the hotel. As night manager, I ended up being the one to evict these youth, night after night after night. One night there were seven homeless young people and a puppy, in a total of three locations. I hated to do it on rainy nights, but it was my job, and some guests felt threatened when encountering tattooed and pierced youth ... Read Full Story >>

Asking For Smiles When They Were in Short Supply

When I first heard about smile cards I contacted HelpOthers.org to try and get some . You see, I worked for a company that was closing down and we were all about to be laid off. Smiles were in short supply.

When I received the cards (they also sent me kindness coins and smile dolls) I had so much fun leaving them on my co-workers desks when they weren't looking.

I also made a point of giving one to the leadership of the site we worked at. They had had an especially tough time, having to let us all go.

I know that these anonymous gifts helped because I heard the buzz from everyone trying to figure out where they came from!

From Hospital to Home with some Help

The other day I found an old man and his wife sitting by a footpath looking exhausted. On asking I learnt that he had just been discharged from hospital and was going home ( I could make out some bandages around his neck, partially covered by the shirt ).

He and his wife had to walk some distance to reach the  bus stop and the hot and humid weather was obviously taking its toll on them both.

I made up my mind to help them and I put  them in auto rickshaw (a three wheeler taxi) and paid the fare to their house.

As he got into the auto,  I saw the look of relief and gratitude on his face. It was worth million dollars! I felt very blessed and felt  sorry for those who saw his condition but did not reach out to help. For  me it is very hard to ignore people in need, especially when I am in a position to help.

Who knows ..... some day I may be old .... needing help .....

One sure way to feel good is to do good.

A Bag of Chips Changes My Son

Performing acts of kindness seems to have been a theme in my life for a long time.  I started when I was a little girl, when I wrote a poem about friendship to a neighborhood lady who always seemed to be in a sour mood and was especially unfriendly to the neighbhorhood children. When I had children of my own, I continued to do acts of kindness in their presence, so that they might learn by example.  Sometimes they participated, and sometimes they just observed.  Afterwards, each time we would talk about it and it always brightened my day immensely. One day not too long ago, my son and I were in line at the Dollar store buying an assortment of products.  In a line next to ours, a woman was waiting to make her purchases.  She had a few necessities and one bag of chips.   She stepped up to register to make ... Read Full Story >>

A Kindness Suspect

The most wonderful thing happened at work today! Here's an e mail conversation I had with a co-worker a few minutes ago. Please read it; Co-worker - Did you by any chance send me a cute pick-me-up yesterday? Me - Tell me more about this pick-me-up. What was it? Co-worker - Adorable balloons and little pigs whose wings flap when you press their foot. So cute! No name on the card and the florist who delivered them was instructed not to say who they were from. It looks suspiciously like something you would do! Me - Wow! Sounds like it was from an angel! I have tears in my eyes, and I have a suggestion. Pay it forward! Just accept the beautiful gift, then do something nice for someone else. Keep it going! That's what I do when something like that happens to me. Co-worker - Great idea, I will definitely do that!  Then I thought to ... Read Full Story >>

A Home-made Recipe Book Filled With Love

One of our newest co-workers, Tammy,  is young and vibrant, while many of our volunteer office staff are seniors. Having Tammy around has truly brightened our days at work. When Tammy announced she was engaged we were all excited for her. My friend, Cathy, and I wanted to give her a little office bridal shower. We knew that the seniors live on a limited money supply so we tried very hard to make the shower affordable and yet one to be remembered. We made a few nice food dishes to eat and had a "pampered chef" demonstrator come to show her products and make a dessert. It all added up to a festive party for Tammy. Also, instead of telling the guests how much money to contribute, we passed an envelope around a few days before the party so people could anonymously contribute any amount.  Cathy had a great idea for a home-made gift ... Read Full Story >>

A Strong Intention to Help

Imagine yourself unable to speak, unable to move anything but your eyes, unable to even take a breath on your own. Now imagine that you’ve been that way for seven years. Would you be able to think of anyone other than yourself? Marcy celebrated her birthday recently. Friends and family were kind enough to remember and sent a little money.  Almost all our money goes to pay family bills. But birthday money is different. Somehow, we give ourselves permission to spend “our” birthday money on ourselves. The kids buy whatever gizmo, CD, or piece of clothing they have wanted. I usually put my birthday money towards bills – it’s a selfish way to relieve my mind. Here’s how Marcy wanted to spend her birthday money: On her first non-emergency trip out of the house in weeks, fighting through so much pain that she is now on a morphine pump, she led me to Aldi Foods to ... Read Full Story >>

Hope, Joy and a Little Bit of Ice-Cream

Earlier this year, I submitted an idea to the Helpothers.org Kindness Contest.  I was lucky enough to be selected a winner for my idea and received a $100 to throw an ice-cream party for the children in the ART (Acute Residential Treatment Center) at the Walker Home & School in Massachusetts.  This institution serves the complex needs of a diverse group of children, from those with severe mental illnesses to those who have experienced abuse, neglect or other catastrophic challenges in their young lives. The simple joy of knowing that even children who struggle with daily living can find pleasure in an ice cream party really meant the world to the staff who support them.  It was also important to me becausse it reminded me of how The Walker Home saved my son Evan's life when no other organization could understand him. In saving our son's life, they saved our family from crumbling as well. Walker ... Read Full Story >>

A Blessing That Travels All The Way To New Zealand

I’m lucky enough to work for and with some very special people. Among them are the people at a Christian publishing company I write for. They’re in the States, I’m in the UK. Each time we complete a project they gift me with 25 author copies of whatever we have been working on. When we finished a devotional book for men, I asked the company (and one special lady in the company) if they could find a better use for those copies instead of shipping them across the Atlantic. I was delighted when she told me later that they had been given out at a shelter for men dealing with addiction problems. The thought that one of those verses I wrote about might make a difference to one of those lives was a powerful one. Well, the last project was a calender. A perpetual calendar on the joys of fatherhood mixed in with some ... Read Full Story >>