Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Small Cost, Big Rewards

I wrote two postcards and sent them off to two unwell children from www.postpals.co.uk
I was sad to see that they have a memorial list, and a few of the children I'd previously sent cards to have passed away.
This is a small act of kindness, cheering a sick child up by sending them a postcard. All it costs is a little time, the postcard and the postage.

1008 Reads

Another Flying Peace Dove Episode

I joined a friend for breakfast this morning. We had a lovely time discussing books, films, and things that make us crazy. The waitress gave us enough space and coffee. When we paid our check, I included a Mindy peace dove in the receipt folder. As we still chatted, the waitress came back holding 2 Mindy doves and asked me if I had included it.

I must had given one to her at a previous time. She said that she always carried it with her and now that she had two, she would give one to her son. Thanks to Kindspring member Mindy for all the inspiration!

998 Reads

Caterpillar Crossing

Today I helped a caterpillar by carrying it to the other side of the street. There were many cars whizzing by, and I wanted to make sure it made it across.

1164 Reads

Quarters For an act of Kindness To Pay Forward

I usually use my debit card to pay for the library parking meter. This time, I was only planning to be there for a few minutes to print out a document. I only had a few coins and a $1 bill, but only coins were accepted.

I asked a nearby lady if she had change for a dollar. She looked at the machine with me, and after a while, offered me a quarter to go with the change I already had. 

I smiled, gratefully, and said I would share the kindness forward. Yesterday, while at a free library class, I placed a quarter on the machine to lend a bit of peace to the next person. I hope it helped! 

817 Reads

Horchata Down!

I was at the taco truck the other day getting an horchata, which is a Mexican rice beverage that tastes like rice pudding. The vendor handed three young girls their horchatas, and then started to make one for me. A moment later and I looked over to see them staring down at the ground where the youngest, a girl of about 5, had dropped hers. Another opportunity for kindness! The timing was perfect to show them that even perfect strangers care with nothing expected in return.

The vendor handed me the horchata, but when I turned to give it to her the girls were gone! Fortunately they were walking up the street a short distance away, so I ran after them and gave her the drink. And then went back and got one for myself because that stuff is delicious!

1171 Reads

Book Finds A New Home

Last year while on vacation to another country, I picked up two books that had been translated into English. I came home, immediately added them to the stack next to the bed and forgot about them until a few weeks ago. I finally read one of them, enjoyed it, and tried to decide where it was going to go next.

When I take my daily walk, I pass a house and  talk with the owners. It turns out that Mr. Owner was a copier repairman who was often called to my workplace during the years that he worked for the copier firm that we used. Coincidentally, his last name is the same as the author of the book that I read. Found a postcard from our ancestral homeland, wrote a note and deposited it and the book into his mail slot on my walk this morning.

1116 Reads

A Story About a Man and the Boat.

One day a man was asked to paint a boat by an owner of boat. He brought with him paint and brushes and began to paint the boat a bright red, as the owner asked him*. While painting, he realized there was a hole in the hull and decided to repair it. When finished painting, he received his money and left. The next day, the owner of the boat came to the painter and presented him with a nice check, much higher than the payment for painting. The painter was surprised: - You've already paid me for painting the boat! - he said. - But this is not for the paint job. It's for having repaired the hole in the boat. - Ah! But it was such a small service, certainly it's not worth paying me such a high amount for something so insignificant! My dear friend, you do not understand. Let me tell you what happened. When I asked you ... Read Full Story >>

30.8K Reads

A Safe Sanctuary For Baby Abrielle

The Grammy looking woman dropped off her wee one with fifteen minutes left in the church service. "Please take good care of her, bless", she implored my daughter who is the Infant Child Care lead. Knowing that in her gut something was not at all right, Kelsey accepted the child, with a single diaper, a six-ounce bottle and a can of formula. Forty-five minutes passed. All of the other babies were picked up by their care givers. Knowing the baby's name to be Abrielle, with a cell phone number scribbled down, Kelsey alerted the church nursery care coordinator. Another thirty minutes passed, with calls being made by the church staff to the given cell phone number. Kelsey maintained her place in the nursery, refusing to delegate her care of Abrielle until a 'safe sanctuary' was established. Both pastors came to pray with Kelsey and the baby, the emergency care county personnel having been ... Read Full Story >>

1550 Reads

A Stuffed Animal Matters

"A stuffed animal might not matter much to the average person, but for a child, it could mean the world. When 10-year-old Leon Ashworth’s mom couldn't afford to buy him a stuffed panda he desperately wanted, he wrote a forlorn note on the toy’s box pleading with shoppers not to buy it until his mom could. What happened next was so heartwarming, it will melt you. The boy, who lives in Liverpool, England with his mom, Debbie Ashworth, first saw his beloved ‘Pandy’ at an Asda supermarket, the British equivalent of Wal-Mart. Though he was willing to wait patiently until his mom’s paycheck came in on June 15th to take the cuddly bear home, the store’s staff decided to do something incredibly thoughtful after they noticed Leon’s scribbled letter. In search of the young author, whom they didn’t know at the time, they posted the note on Facebook – and eventually attracted ... Read Full Story >>

2726 Reads

A Relaxing Reconnection

Last summer, a girl I knew from high school suffered from a form of epilepsy where she had seizures every 10 minutes or so. She was hospitalized and was bedridden for about a year and a half. As soon as I found out her condition, I bought a gift set of lotion, shower gel and body cream of a floral scent and mailed it to her.

It had been at least six years since we lost touch but I remembered her as a very nice person and I wanted to give her a touch of happiness in this difficult time for her.

1204 Reads

Baby Love

A Lovely Serendipity Today.

Found out just yesterday that someone I know is having a baby, and soon. Knew right away I wanted to gift her one of my crocheted baby blankets, but wondered if I could have it finished in time! I don't enjoy feeling time pressure..it takes the pleasure out of doing for me.

Well, when I went to look for yarn today (usually keep a good supply on hand here) was I happy & surprised! I found one that I had crocheted this winter, that only needs a border (which takes no time at all). I was elated and thanked The Universe.

Now I have time to spare and can finish it and enjoy wrapping it up prettily, at a leisurely pace. All my blankets are mindfully crocheted with "love & light" going into every stitch.

Gratitude to my beautiful Mom for teaching me how to crochet when I was a young girl. 

595 Reads

Shelter From The Storm

Our fishing/swimming excursion with visiting family to a nearby lake turned into a sheltering experience this afternoon. It began with the day's forecast of no chance of rain in the Hills and turned into hail so heavy (thank goodness only pea-sized) that it looked like drifts of snow along the road. When it first started to rain, we invited some families nearby to share the wooden shelter with us, where we had our stuff set up on the picnic tables. By the time it REALLY started to rain, with little rivulets cascading down the hill and across the shelter floor, we were pretty crammed in together. Shivering under towels (temperature went from mid-80's to 49 quickly) we quickly became a little community, laughing and joking, finding out more about each other. One family was from the Netherlands and after a year in the Boston area, had rented an RV and were traveling across the ... Read Full Story >>

1178 Reads

Gladly Pay The Change Forward

At Dollar Tree, I mistakenly left behind my reusable bag so I bought one (choosing to reuse the biodegradable bag for recyclables). I left a couple of pennies for the next person that needs a 5 cent bag.

As I did this, I asked "Rena", the cashier, if she started this and she said she did, along with some earlier customers. She kept sharing the word with the next person that needed a bag and the thoughtfulness train continues.

689 Reads

The Guy On The Street Corner

There is a guy selling newspapers on the corner of a street I pass every day on my way to work. He cannot earn a lot of money with this job, but he is always smiling and waving at me.

You all know that feeling, I suppose – some days are more grueling than others, and some days I wonder where my life is exactly going to – we are sometimes so struck in routine and what others expect from us.

Then I have to remind myself about this guy on the street corner. He has a zest for life, no matter what. The other day I surprised him with a few oranges and tangerines when the traffic light was red for me. And his honest gratitude just warmed my heart.

1029 Reads

Contagious Fun At Zumba Class

Yesterday I went to Zumba class and this older aged man was standing outside watching. I mentioned to him he should come in and try it. I went in and noticed he was still outside watching. I waved for him to come in and he did.

He stayed for about 40 minutes and was smiling the whole time. He even waved in another man, and maybe it also was why he smiled. And I was smiling too watching him! I'm glad I reached out.

672 Reads

Literacy Activity Packets For Little Children

In my recent visits to Little Free Libraries, I have noticed that, once again, the choices for young children were really in short supply. So went to the nearest Dollar Store and really stocked up with many items to put together some more literacy activity packets. I have done this in the past and, as a retired educator, I feel that having fun literacy activities for children to do in the summer months is essential. And children love to do them! Packets will include large activity books, fun stickers to put on each page they complete, colored pencils and sharpeners, mini notebooks with there own pencils (used these little notebooks to get my 3rd graders into journaling), and some great bookmarks with drawings of animals found in this area with facts about those animals on the other side. All are sealed in a baggie and tied up with a Mindy dove. ... Read Full Story >>

1630 Reads

A Gift Of Welcome

Went to the first class of a four-week summer session of foreign language. Our classes are set up as the foreign language being taught as a second language. The teachers will take their skills back to their home country at the end of four weeks and, hopefully, we'll have learned a bit more as well.

One of the teachers was here last year; for the other, this is her first time in the U.S. I know where they are staying here and I know that they need to prepare their own meals. I brought a bag of our garden-picked veggies for them: some zucchini, tomatoes, and two different types of green beans. I also included two origami peace doves with a peace sentiment in their language tucked into the wings.

1121 Reads

The Gentleman In The Parking Lot

Today, I made the time to listen to a person new to me, which I met as I was parking my car. "Perfect", he said as he walked by me as I checked how considerately I parked. He was a clean cut gentleman sharing his feelings about his grown kids, parenting mistakes he is conscious of and striving to change, while expressing a realization to stay clear of destructive addictions. I listened patiently and kindly as I had the means this time. He seemed quite comfortable with me, in need of some therapeutic letting go of his thoughts and emotions. After talking for a while, I had to go inside, and I asked him to wait on the sidewalk and I'd be right back with some gifts for him I wanted him to have. He was so receptive all along, and I could feel the desires of his heart. I returned to him ... Read Full Story >>

1235 Reads

The Pizza Found A Home

I spoke with my "local" sister today and she relayed this story which I have been given permission to share. My brother-in-law had a taste for pizza from a near-by pizzeria. When he went in to place his order for carry-out, the clerk explained that they had one ready that had been made in error. It was his if he wanted it for dirt cheap. He purchased it and when he brought it home and he and my sister opened the box, they discovered that it was massive and that it would be a mistake on their part if they even took one bite. She knew that they would eat all of it. Her next door neighbor was celebrating the holiday with their very large family and so she told my brother-in-law to take the pizza to their house. Upon delivering it to their door, he discovered that one of neighbor's sons ... Read Full Story >>

1293 Reads

Painting Rocks--labor Of Love

Greetings Everyone, and happy Friday! <3
I am one of the very fortunate individuals to be part of the Laddership internship this summer! It has been such a wonderful and nurturing experience so far--and I feel myself growing exponentially!

As a supplement to the internship, we are invited to start a project involving radical kindness. As an artist, I decided to create painted rocks and distribute them with little messages hidden under them. I haven't had the chance to give them out yet, but I will be hiding them around the Bayview district, as well as on the seats of my bus :)
 
Attached is a picture of my first batch, along with some of the tags I have made. In Gratitude, Isabel


895 Reads




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