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A Snack That Turned Into Balloons

Often we do little acts of kindness and can’t really know what happens next… the people who benefit from the act return to their lives and we return to ours!  Our paths may never cross again.  But that’s not the case when a member of HelpOthers does a kind act to another member of HelOthers!  Here we can chart the ripples as we guide the kindness on its way!  Here’s one such story. You may have read Aurelia’s post about making Chex Mix for her family, or Bluebell’s post about receiving a snack from a friend in the US.  Well I sent some Karmabucks to Aurelia to find out more about her amazing snack and she offered to send some to me if I was based in the US.  Unfortunately I’m not, I live in the UK but luck would have it that I was off to America for a company event last ... Read Full Story >>

An Extra Dose of Compassion at the Hospital

Today I met an old lady when I was in hospital. I was done with my check-up and I was standing in medicine counter of the hospital to get my medicinal receipt and medicines.  I saw that the old lady was sitting in a nearby chair and waiting for something. She seemed a little distraught so I asked her if she was okay.

She told me that she was waiting for her son who was tied up with some personal work and he had told her that he could come back in a few hours. She said that she was feeling faint and tired. I rushed to the nearby hospital cafeteria and bought her some breakfast. I then got her prescription for her and paid for her medication along with mine. 

She had the breakfast and she was happy now. She also had the tablet and thanked me.

I was happier for showing kindness to her.

Minty Smiles

It's great fun showing people that they are important through random acts of kindness. In addition to Smile cards we found some smiley face butter-mints at our local Dollar Tree. We attach them to the Smile cards with a decorative paper clip.   Our youngest daughter handed a Smile card with mint attached to an elderly lady waiting at the doctor's office. It brought tears to her eyes. The lady stood up and said, "That deserves a hug!"    Our daughter passed out five more "minty" Smile cards at the doctors office that day.   Our oldest daughter made some whoopie pies and bagged them up with Smile cards attached for her aunt and her aunt's 90 year young neighbor. They both were over-flowing with excitement!   We gave a Smile card to a lady we saw at Wal-Mart and she said that she really needed the Smile card after a rough day at work.   Our family went to Pizza ... Read Full Story >>

A Note in my Lunch Box

At the beginning of this week I was touched to tears, when I opened my lunch box at work. Somehow I was feeling not so good that day, it was hard for me to get up in the morning, and so on.

When I opened my lunch box at work, I saw a little piece of paper. The piece of paper was a note from my mom saying that she loves me and wished me a blessed day!

My heart was so touched, I am so thankful that God gave me a mother that notices when I am a little down. The next day I had another note! My mom made a difference in my day and I will never forget this special touch of kindness!

A cold night, a warm coat, and two hearts breaking open

My youngest son lives in New York City. My husband, my eldest son and I visited him there. We did the usual things; we went to see the Christmas lights in Rockefeller Center, ate good food, went to a show, visited the Guggenheim, and so on. As we were walking down a street my oldest son, who is very shy about doing the "right" thing, said he wanted to go in a store to see if they had a jacket he wanted.   It was very cold and windy but my husband and I waited outside while the boys went in. I went over to another store to buy some chocolate and when I came out my husband was talking to a homeless man.   I saw my husband take off his gloves and hat and give it to Frank, the homeless man. Frank had been living in Bellevue for a while until the ... Read Full Story >>

Finding That Positive Note

My step-son is going through an extremely difficult time in his life and is battling many personal issues.   He calls his father several times a day, often consumed by sadness and negativity, sometimes near his breaking point. Trying to be supportive and non-critical takes it's toll on us all, but we keep trying.    This morning on our drive to work I asked my husband to try ending the telephone conversation with his son by simply saying, "Now, tell me something good about today".     Some days that might be an easy thing to do, other days it may be nearly impossible. But even if the only thing he could can up with to say is, "You were there for me again today, Dad," that would at least give him something positive to focus on.    Tonight, I heard my husband say to his son, "Okay, now let's end on a positive note. Tell me ... Read Full Story >>

The Ripple Effect From One Little Trip To The Store

I wrote a story yesterday about, my 11-year-old daughter, her friend, and I stopping to help a man yesterday.  Well, after stopping and talking with him for a minute, the girls were buzzing with ideas of how to help this man, and possibly other needy people as well.  We came home and they shared their ideas with my 6-year-old son.   The three of them started getting out craft supplies and making things to raise money to help this man and his family.  Well, I talked with a friend and she shared a wonderful idea with the kids.  She told us about an angel we can make and  sell for $1.00 to  our family, friends, and church family.  The kids were so excited that they couldn't wait.  In the meantime they made some clothespin butterflies. Today, they came into the adult's Sunday school and told them their idea.  They were very pleased ... Read Full Story >>

Just A Simple Thank You

Perfect Dresses For Prom Princesses

Like Sandpaper

At my workplace there is not much opportunity to be different. We administer care to others and, in the process, sometimes we forget to care for ourselves and each other.  So, I print inspirational messages, happy pictures, quotes, etc, and post them on a blank space I've found in one of our utility rooms. I also print stories from this site, and some others I subscribe to, and leave them in the staff room. I believe it adds to our "emotional education."  One person asked me, "Why do you do this? Why do you try to help these people, they are not very nice?"  My response was, "If it affects one person then it's a good thing."  Often that one person is me, because I know I have done a kind thing, a good thing. It doesn't matter if it doesn't affect anyone else. What matters is that I'm the best person I can ... Read Full Story >>

Returning a Lost Phone Found in Taxi

On Tuesday evening I boarded a taxi and sat in the extreme corner. Arriving at the destination, I was the last to get out of the taxi and I realised someone had left their phone on the seat next to me.

I picked it up and waited for the owner to call, which he did later on. I told him I had gone with the phone to my home but would deliver it to him the following day.

So on my way to work the following day I delivered the phone to him. He was so delighted, wanted to give me a reward, but I refused and told him it was okay. He was so excited. I thank God I was able to deliver his phone at no cost.

$100 For A $1000 Massage

As I lay on the table enjoying my monthly massage, my soul was nourished and renewed. While I felt the caring touch of the massage therapist, I listened to recordings of music reserved only a few centuries ago for royalty and the very rich. Flutes in gentle harmony complemented by delicate piano scales; in my imagination, these gifted artists were performing just for me. I pay $80 for an hour-long massage. How much is it really worth to me? $500? $1000? I could never afford that amount every month, but if suddenly a massage cost $500 or $1000 at minimum, I realized that I would still save up and get a massage every year or two as a special treat.  When the massage was finished, I told my massage therapist how grateful I was for her work, how much this time meant to me each month, and that her massages are worth ... Read Full Story >>

Helping A Stranger In Need

During the holidays my sisters and I were walking through town when we noticed that a lady was struggling so much to try and carry her groceries..far too much to try and carry them by herself. People were passing on by without taking a second look. All at once together my sisters and I all said to ourselves "lets go help out this lady" without giving it a second thought. We carried all her groceries to her car which was parked about 5 minutes walk down the road.

She was so happy and as she thanked us, you could see the happiness across her face.  It didn't cost anything nor did it take anything out of our day..only those few minutes but let me tell you...it was the best time during the entire day...helping a stranger in need :)

Smiles all round :)

Music To My Ears

She didn't like us. Any of us. We didn't do anything to offend her and she didn't know us but that didn't matter, she still didn't like us. As new teachers in the Emirati school, we Westerners greeted her every day. She ignored us. She came into our rooms and  bypassed us as she shook hands with all the non Westerners in our staff room. Whenever we saw her, she avoided eye contact with us.Eventually, we stopped trying to befriend her. I won't say her nationality but her friends had been fired from the school, we had been employed in their place and that was enough for her to have nothing to do with us. Well after 16 months in the school we had a secret pal gifting. I drew her name from the glass jar and that meant she was my secret pal. My role was to buy her a gift and ... Read Full Story >>

Lillies And Baby Breath For A Stranger

Yesterday, after finding this site, I enrolled in HelpOthers!   Some really great stories got my own creative juices flowing. Living near a hospital, I decided to give flowers to one of the elderly people I often see there.     I hopped on my bicycle and did not let the hesitancy I felt overcome me. I was going to do this - period!     There she was, an elderly woman in a wheel chair with a man sitting beside her on the low stone wall around side of the hospital building. I zipped on over to a flower stall in the nearby market and bought a bunch of pink lilies and some baby breath. The kind lady wrapped  them up and off I went.     The elderly couple were still there when I got back. But they looked like they might be about to leave.    I approached them. The woman, with her gray hair cut ... Read Full Story >>

Moved by a Meaningful Act of Kindness

Our extended family had spent a beautiful vacation together last summer. I had rented a beach house from a woman and before we left, we all signed the guest book thanking her.   Well, it turned out to be the last time the whole family was together.  My father in law passed away this May rather suddenly.  One of my sisters-in-law asked me some time ago if I could write to the woman whose house we stayed in and ask if she could send us a photocopy of our "guestbook" comments.  She said she had never gotten to read what her father wrote. I wrote a letter to the woman and didn't think about it afterwards. You won't believe it - today a package arrived in the mail and not only did this angel make copies of our comments for all the siblings, she framed the original page with just my father ... Read Full Story >>

Balloon On A Kindness Journey

I finally did it! I am so happy! 

I've had this idea for a while but I didn't have the guts to actually go through with it - until today.

I bought 10 helium filled balloons, drew a smiley face and wrote the date they were released on each them. I had set up another e-mail account for the project. I wrote the e-mail address on Smile Card and attached them to the balloons.

Then I took them outside and released them into the air. I hope to get some awesome stories back in return.

A Mother's Patience and Love Offered Her Daugther Many Lessons

I helped my daughter to become unstuck as she begins the 'teen years' and projects become overwhelming. Our lesson was patience, organization and understanding that it is OK to ask for help.

I can't (won't) "do" the project, but I can help to create an easier journey for her. It's a learning lesson for me as well. It's easy to be reactive when others are struggling. It is easy to celebrate when things go well.  

My hope is that I can help her to see big projects can be broken down into smaller more manageable ones. That we are all here to help each other. I truly enjoyed the smile she had when together we completed part of the project and she could see the light was truly at the end of the tunnel. The project isn't done, but she is no longer stuck in the process. 

Dessert On The House

A friend and I went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch last weekend. Since we are vegetarians we customized our order.  

3,000+ Days of Happiness

(KindSpring Writer Amritha Mandagondi had a chance to sit down and interview Elizabeth Buechele, the Founder of SmileProject. Here's her inspiring interview on how Elizabeth has found happiness every single day, for the past 3,307 days.) They say life happens to those who pause and listen. Listen intently to that voice that’s calling out the boundless possibilities from within. Our friend in New York, Elizabeth Buechele from the age of 17 has set out on a journey to find the true meaning of happiness. There was no mentor or guide reaching out to help her define what qualifies as “happiness” and what doesn’t. She may continue to be on her quest but is confident that happiness lies in things that are not small but simple. Starting as one of her many rewarding accidents, the crusade of The Smile Project began in the late fall of 2011 as Liz drove home from school. “It was unusually warm ... Read Full Story >>