Stories of Kindness from Around the World

A Gift From An Old Man With No Legs, To A Young Man Without Shoes

It had been a long time since I had been to Jacksonville, Florida. I had driven to town hoping to see the old barber shop where my hair had been cut as a child.  The orphanage would bring us kids downtown for a free haircut by the new barbers being trained. As I wondered around, I was a little disappointed when I saw the old buildings that I had known as a young boy were now gone.  Every one of them had been replaced with new high-rise buildings.   As it was very early and hardly anyone was on the street, I parked my truck and decided to try and locate a telephone to see if the Florida Barber College had moved to a new location.  Hopefully it was sill in business.  As it was rather cold, I put on my coat and began searching for a telephone.  After walking about a ... Read Full Story >>

Just Two Minutes

Today, I was helping out my mom clean since she was having family over.  The phone rang and I picked it up.  It was was a telemarketer and I was really busy so I thought, "I'll just hang up."

As I was about to, I thought of all the people who do that everyday.  It made me feel bad.  I thought "It's his job.  He's not doing it to annoy anyone."

So I stayed on the line and answered all his questions.  It only took two minutes.  He thanked me for my time and wished me a great Sunday.  He sounded really pleased and it made me happy.  Think of all the people who just hang up on them.  It only takes two minutes of their time to help out someone doing their job.

Finding An Opportunity To Help Someone Deserving

I belong to a networking group that sends out daily emails about local events and member updates.  Occasionally, resumes will be sent on behalf of members seeking employment.  I always review these in case I can create opportunities for others.  My company is struggling, so I don't have any jobs to offer.  But, as is my habit, I read a resume that was recently sent out.  I have a part-time job creating resumes and can quickly detect a strong or a weak profile. Last week, I read a resume that had a couple of errors.  It was clear that the errors were due to a language barrier.  However, I was concerned that hiring managers would skip this woman's resume due to the errors. I emailed the lady and offered to help her spruce up her resume at no cost.  I think she was surprised, but she accepted.  As I worked on her ... Read Full Story >>

Sitting, Watching, Sending Vibes of Love

It was a beautiful warm day and I was out in the sunshine, just sitting by a lake and watching the people going by.  Some people looked happy and some looked sad.  As I sat there thinking about it, I tried to send out positive vibrations of love and comfort to those who seemed to need it.

Laughter Really Is The Best Medicine

When I was in hospital five weeks ago having my decompression surgery on my brain, I had a visitor.  It was not just any visitor, but a friend I had found on Facebook.  We had gone to to school together years ago.  We were very close buddies at school, but then lost contact as we grew up and had families.  We hadnt seen each other for about twenty years! I have this other friend who I was at school with.  So I told her that I'd found this old friend on Facebook.  Well, they got together and came to the hospital to visit me.  They both had to travel long distances from different directions for a short visiting time.  Unfortunately, the visiting times are strict so they had to leave by a certain time. We had such a laugh just like the old days!  But I was in so much pain from ... Read Full Story >>

A Community "Food Fight"

My workplace, as do many others in our town, support local services and the needy.  One of the main services we support and donate to, besides the Red Cross and United Way, is our local food bank. This year, the food bank is challenged more than in the past.  We cannot let the shelves become depleted or the food run out.  Others, especially children, depend on it.  With the country's economic situation stalled and more people out of work, more people are hungry and need supplements to feed their families. This year, all the companies in our area got together and decided to sponsor a Community "Food Fight Contest".  The contest will include 3 categories or areas to win:  a) supply the most food, b) donate the most money, and c) provide the most volunteers.  A company can win in all 3 areas or 3 different companies can win in each different ... Read Full Story >>

Bringing Our Family Together For A Special 60th Birthday

Recently I decided to plan a surprise 60th birthday party for my mother.  I felt bad that my brother would not be there since he is in Texas and it would be too difficult for him to get home for a weekend.  He was fine with it though and just said he wished he could be there.

My uncle called and said that he wanted to bring my mother something for her birthday.  He said he was her brother and didn't care that the invite said no gifts.  He decided that what my mother would like most is to have her whole family togehter. So he decided to fly my brother and his girlfriend home for Easter this year.

My mother has not received this gift since the party is this weekend but I know she is going to be super excited about it as I  am. We didn't think we would see my brother and his girlfriend until  at least the is summer so now I am very excited that I will be seeing him in April.

The world needs more people like my uncle to bring families together.

Accepting a Blessing and Passing It On

Last Sunday, a woman told me that she felt led to give me twenty dollars.  She wanted me to use the money for whatever I needed.  I tried not to take it, but she insisted and so I took it and thanked her.  I didn't need the money, but I knew there must be a reason for her giving it to me. The next day, Monday, I went to work.  A different woman was walking by the store I worked at.  She was limping, and didn't look to be very well.  I knew her and called out, asking her how she was doing. She responded with her sad situation.  Her husband had died recently, she had to quit her job because of her health, and on top of that, she wasn't drawing her disability benefits as yet.  I told her the story about the $20, and asked her if she would ... Read Full Story >>

A Walk Along The Beach

I often take my dog for a walk on the beaches near our home as she enjoys running around madly chasing the wind, the waves, and attempting to catch the sea gulls.  She's never fast enough, but she so enjoys the time!

Every time we go, we pick up trash.  Often there's so much that we make a pile near the access trails we use, continuing on our walks, and then just pick up the big pile as we head for the house.  We carry some trash bags with us to contain it, so if there's a good amount from a recent storm, we can carry it all.

Many times recently we have made our trash piles, but they are not there when we head back.  There are other "beach angels" out there working to clean up our beaches and oceans, too.

It's wonderful to know that others care enough to help by picking up what we've gathered.  It's nice to know that a person isn't alone when they're trying to make our world a better place.

A Small Gesture That Gives Me Pleasure On My Commute

I work in London and I take the underground trains to commute into work every morning.  If I get a seat I first look around to check who else has boarded the train to ensure that no-one needs the seat more than I do.

Recently I called across to a pregnant lady quite a few metres away to offer my seat to her. The many people who were seated between us studiously kept their  heads in their newspapers so they were not called upon to offer their seat instead. All those selfish people in between us made me feel quite grumpy.

The same thing happened the next day, I gave my seat to an elderly person who deserved the seat more than I did.  They were both very grateful and as they thanked me I said, "my pleasure".

Then it struck me that it was 'my pleasure'! I had no need to be grumpy with all the other people who did not offer their seat as this made me the receiver of this small bit of pleasure in my journey instead of them!

Inspired by the "Idea of the Week"

I just finished reading the "Idea of the Week" story and I had to smile to myself. I have no idea who or when or where he/she wrote the story, but it definitely stuck with me. 

A few weeks ago I was so impressed with a young man who took my order at a drive through window at a fast food place, that when I got home I immediately called the restuarant & talked to the manager.  I didn't know the young man's name so I could only describe him.  I had hoped that he would be recognized for his very gracious manner.  

Of course I have no way of knowing if I'm on the "same page" as that writier but I do hope that my phone call had the same effect for "my young man" as that writer experienced. 

The moral of the story is don't hesitate to spread compliments around where they are due.  Hand them out like Smile cards!

Power Of A Trashed Pencil

She was a janitor at a school in India.   Her husband died soon after her marriage, she didn't have any family in the area.  She struggled with the responsibility of raising her kids.  For the last twenty years, she's continued to sweep classrooms at local schools. One day, though, she had a radical idea:  I want to give.  It was followed-up by a reasonable yet confusing thought:  But what can I possibly give? When she narrated her desire to a friend, he told her a story.  "Gandhi used to write many letters.  One day, Kakasaheb Kalelkar, a famous Indian author, saw him writing with a tiny pencil and immediately offered Gandhi a bigger pencil from his pocket.  Gandhi politely said that he didn't need it.  The next day, he saw Gandhi scrambling to find his pencil and Kakasaheb again offered him a pencil saying, 'Your pencil was so small anyway.'  Gandhi gently ... Read Full Story >>

A Community Comes Together To Pay Tribute

Our friend took his own life at a young age (he was only in his 40's) and we waited to hear about funeral arrangements.  He was a truck driver that we only saw twice a week but he always was so cheerful.  He didn't live close to our town but touched the lives of many.  Every week when he delievered our shipments, he drew on the papers and we always responded by drawing our own back.  If we had only known he was so troubled, we would have done anything to help him. When we found out that no one was claiming his body, three of our stores that he delivered to got together.  We did the legal work and got the papers fixed so our funeral home could have the legal rights to go care for him.  We raised the money and, by the night of the services, we had ... Read Full Story >>

Unexpected Thoughtfulness of a Stranger

A couple of years ago, when my son was just starting to toddle, I found myself at the local Sunday bootfair.  My son and I were wandering up and down the field, when we saw a table that had some toy cars on.  I said to my little boy that since he had been such a good boy, he could choose one of the 50p cars and I would buy it for him. After some deliberation, he chose a car and it was only when I went to pay that I realised that I had 46p or a £10 note.  I tried to pay with the £10 and the lady asked if I had anything smaller.  I tipped out the 46p into my hand and said that it was all the change that I had.  The lady at the stall only gave me a glance as I held it out to ... Read Full Story >>

A Stranger Stuck in Mud

On Friday, my boyfriend and I were driving on a busy road.  I saw a man crouched over on the sidewalk on the side of the road. I told him we should see if he was okay.  My boyfriend worried, because it was sort of a bad end of town, but agreed we could stop and watch him for a minute.  But honestly, he admitted he was afraid the man was just drunk. We pulled over and watch and the stranger seemed to be reaching his hand up as if wanting someone to stop.  That was enough for me and I was out of my vehicle and heading over there.  My boyfriend came too. When I got there, I saw this poor man was stuck in mud - wet, gooey mud.  I reached him and asked if he was ok, but he just looked at me and reached his arm up.  I ... Read Full Story >>

Helping A Shy Boy To Make New Friends

A few days ago, I noticed a boy standing alone in the cafeteria before school.  The cafeteria was filled with girls and boys laughing and talking to each other.  I had never seen this boy before.  I assumed that he was new.

As I looked closer at him, I noticed that he seemed to be very sad.  I then walked over to him and started up a conversation.  I found that he was a very kind boy, just a little shy.  After the bell rang, I had to go to class but I told him that I would see him tomorrow.

As I said, I did see him the next day.  But to my surprise, he was standing talking to a group of kids.  I felt warmth in my heart when I saw this.  By my talking to him yesterday, I obviously made him gain confidence in himself.  The group that he was talking to seemed to really like him.  They always sat with him at lunch, and engaged him in conversation.

At the end of that day, I saw him walking out and he gave me a heart-warming smile.  I now realize what can happen if you start a chain reaction.

Cafe of Love

In the early 80's, I was introduced by a homeless lady named Rosie to a little café in Portland, Oregon. I had taken Rosie for coffee or food many times in the months I had known her.  This day she insisted she was taking me to lunch. We walked from the hotel where I worked to a little cafe on Davis Street.  I was franctic, knowing she had no money, and I did not want to hurt her feeling by offering to pay yet again. The cafe was filled with people, all of them smiling, even the workers.  Rosie told me to sit and drink coffee while she worked for her lunch.  After about 20 minutes, she paid for one meal and we sat enjoying the best vegetarian chili and cornbread I had ever eaten.  She explained to me that the café let you work for a meal if you had no money, or would give you ... Read Full Story >>

A Lesson in Kindness That Began 50 Years Ago

My lesson in kindness began many years ago.

At age 13, I was taking a bus cross-country, from Illinois to Washington, to be with my Dad and siblings.  I had no money, not even a penny.  After the bus had made three or four meal stops, where I stayed on the bus, the lady next to me started a conversation.

She finally asked me if I had food money.  I was afraid to admit that I didn't have any.  Well, the lady's trip ended in Topeka, Kansas.  When she got ready to get off the bus, she handed me $20.  $20 was a lot of money in those days.  She told me  she had also been hungry in her life and I needed to eat.   At the next stop, I ate like there was no tomorrow.

That was 50 years ago and I have never forgotten that kind woman and have been paying it forward every since.

The Hero Who Helped Me Out of the Snow

I was driving home this evening and it had just started snowing,  it was dark and the roads were beginning to freeze.

As I turned the corner and started down the hill, the car started slipping.  I had no grip on the road at all.  Black ice was everywhere.

The brakes made no difference and the car was gaining speed.  I decided it would be best to bump up the curb and crash into a hedge.  So that is what I did.  Then, however,  I could not reverse out because the wheels just kept spinning on the snow.

I was just wondering what to do when a man, going past in his car, stopped and came over to see if I was OK.  He was so great.  He pushed my car back on to the road and got me going in the right direction again. 

He was my hero today.

Bagged by an Anonymous Act of Kindness

I was at the grocery store last Friday buying some milk, bread, and juice for my family of 3. At the check out the total came to about $25. I swiped my card but it didnt work. I tried again. No luck. I was quickly becoming embarassed as my 18 month old became fidgety and I scrambled through my purse looking for another way to pay.

I only had 6 one dollar bills in my purse. I asked the cashier to move on to the next person while I tried the ATM. That didnt work either. I finally resolved to write a check but when I came back to the checkout the cashier told me that my groceries had already been paid for!

Tears instantly came to my eyes. I have no idea who the person was that paid for my groceries.  They have no idea how much their act of kindness meant to me. Things like that give me hope and faith to carry on through the day.