Stories of Kindness from Around the World

I am a Strong Mother, Trying My Best

Yesterday, I drove my 23 year old daughter to the nearby counseling center, to attempt once again to complete the intake process- which is only done on a first come, first serve basis. I did my best to encourage and give her uplifting support as she was feeling anxious of the whole process. (As a private person, on private matters of my own, I understand- especially with regard to vulnerabilities). While we were waiting, just minutes before the center opened their door, a young gal the same age as my daughter, came in. She had a beautiful smile I remember, and spoke of a her desire to make a difference for others from all she learned through her past drug abuse. It had been two weeks since her stopping the use of heroine. She shared that she realized her life went by, in those 10 years, and wants to do more with ... Read Full Story >>

1962 Reads

Toddler Kisses

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed toddler was in her Mama's arms when her sippy cup cascaded out of her arms and her cherubic face began to sob.

My hubby saw the scene and as Mama began to search for the lidded cup, he reached under the clothing rack in the store and handed the cup back to the Mama.

The precious toddler, her face now glistening with tears, gave my hubby a wave and blew him kisses as Mama thanked him and went off in search of a sink to clean off the sippy cup before returning it to her young daughter.

Opportunities for kindness arise in moments when awareness meets action.

764 Reads

How We Met

I asked a friend how she met her husband. She said she slipped on some stairs near a subway station (almost breaking her jaw), and a kind man helped her up on her feet. He even followed up with her the next day to make sure she was alright. They are now husband and wife. This is a such a sweet story that began with a random act of kindness!

1360 Reads

Dicretions in Time of Need

Traveling between a funeral and cremation, we lost our way and stopped to ask a man standing next to his car for directions. He jumped in his car and we followed him right to the door. Such a wonderful thing to do. Made a difficult experience easier for us. 

We had a very similar experience later in the evening when were trying to find an address. My partner asked directions of a bus driver, and we ended up following a bus!

My sincere thanks go to both. 

786 Reads

I Am A Daisy (Poem by mindyjourney)

I am a daisy
Most of the time,
With a sunshine center
And petals of white defined.

Sometimes, I am budding satin rose though,
Unfurling to reveal a fragrance that I've only begun to know.

When my feelings cannot be contained,
That's when I am a wildflower
Tenacious and nodding in the wind
Bowing in prayer to a higher power.

Vases and meadows
Gardens and garlands
I am the bloom of them all.
Just as you are.
Heart-shaped and laughing
We are each a blossoming star.

Brush off the dust of doubt.
Reach towards the flowering within
To find the glorious gratitudes without.

Tied with a ribbon or allowed to run free
I embrace the gift of each unique flowering me.

For when I admire your tendrils of bloom
That is me I see
In our garden of a transformative we.

mj poem 6.26.17 and photo


2759 Reads

The Wrong Bus at the Right Time

This happened several weeks ago. That morning, I prayed to God to use me for his glory! During my commute to work, I accidentally got on the wrong bus to my office (I was reading the news on my phone) and had to get off and walk several blocks to work, a path I never take normally. I met a man sitting on a bench looking very distressed, so I asked him what was wrong. He said his car had been towed from a public lot and he had no money to get to the airport to meet his wife. I told him I could help him and to wait there for me. I went to my bank one block away and got cash. When I returned, the man was standing there, watching me approach him. When I gave him the money, he hugged me, thanked me, and started crying! I ... Read Full Story >>

2371 Reads

She Leaves Behind an Unexpected Message

I did something so random just now, but also so kind. It wasn't planned. I simply just spoke from my heart and said EXACTLY what it was I was thinking and felt. Let me share some more: My husband, Luke, and I are going away this weekend for my birthday. I'm so excited. It's our first weekend away alone without the kids in probably a decade! I, being a control freak, am searching up dinner locations. I found a great place but was unsure on opening times so I called them. There was no answer; they were closed, but there was an answering machine. The message on this machine was so clear, so precise, and very informative. It answered all my questions and it was one of the best I've ever heard. But above all this, it was spoken by a young girl who had the most beautiful, deep, and soothing voice. The message ended. ... Read Full Story >>

974 Reads

Kindness Between Neighbours

Our lovely neighbors have always had a beautiful St Francis statue by the gate on the side of their house. I've always loved to gaze at whenever I look out the kitchen window. The other day I noticed it wasn't there! I wondered where it had gone! I hoped it was just moved and not stolen! I had heard of thefts recently of plants and lawn ornaments. I told Milan about it's disappearance and he said he would ask the neighbours the next time he sees them. Yesterday he bumped into Mrs "Neighbor" and mentioned the missing statue to her. He told her how much we loved it and hoped it hadn't been pilfered! She said that she had just moved it to the backyard and would bring it back right away! "Oh no", said Milan, "We're just glad it's safe! Hahaha!" That evening we went out to sit in ... Read Full Story >>

1592 Reads

Doing Charity With Family Is A Good Way To Spend Quality Time Together

Everyday my wife and I go out and walk to look for homeless people around the block. We would always make it a point to bring a pack of bread and some meals and while we don't prepare them ourselves we just buy them from 7-11 or some other place. We've been doing this every day for the last year. Sometimes there's only a few homeless we can find.

Occasionally we go farther down where there's more homeless people and there's like 50 of them, 80 of them. For this many we can't do it everyday, but we try to do it twice a month or when we have more to share sometimes we do this once a week. After a while of doing this, whenever we approach those homeless people they would smile. Smile! Their smiles mean a lot to us. We do what we can everyday and though we are not really rich we pull from our surplus from work.

1108 Reads

Turning Tears Into Smiles


In the shopping cart, were two little girls. The youngest one was in tears, her beautiful blue eyes so sad and miserable.

I smiled, trying to cheer her. Nothing.

Let's face it, shopping for groceries isn't exactly a fun time for most children!

Got two Peace doves from my purse and asked the parents (one had a shopping cart FULL of groceries, the other had the girls) if I could give them to the children explaining a bit about the doves.

"Sure! They'd love that," replied the mom.

Glad that the two doves that "flew" from my stash were colorful and bright.

And then we were ALL smiling. 😊

979 Reads

The Stories We Learn of our Neighbors

My neighbor stopped by briefly late this afternoon to return the plate from the mini-cinnamon rolls I gave her son to give to her for Mother's Day.

We had a nice little chat under arbor and before she left,  my husband 'MisterMindy', handed her a bouquet of flowers that he picked from our St. Francis garden and wished her a happy Mother's Day.

I gave her a hug and told her what a great mother she is.

She adopted those 2 children from abusive situations, while her husband was ill and subsequently transitioned just as the children's adoptions were granted. She never had any natural children and is in her late-60's.

Quite a task she took on for the sake of those 2 dear children!

And that MisterMindy! You'd think he was as 'KindSpringer! Oh, he is.

*Look at that St. Francis garden! You can hardly see St. Francis with all the iris.


1040 Reads

Nonviolent Communication

This morning I went to a Nonviolent Communication (NVC) workshop at a local retreat center because I have been feeling so angry about the political situation in my country. Even though I know that hate leads to more hate, my angry feelings overwhelm me on some days and I can find myself thinking negative thoughts over and over, judging people, and being irritable to others because of what I read in the news. I really don't want to become like the people who are making selfish and hurtful choices, yet it's very hard to remain peaceful and kind when I see the loss of compassion, destruction of the environment, and disregard for racism that is going on. There is a part of me that just wants to go around shouting at people angrily to make them stop and think about what is being done, but that only leads to more conflict. Attending ... Read Full Story >>

1151 Reads

Ten Years In The Making

This year my husband and I started a project that has been dear to our hearts for years. We started the remodeling project on a new Free Restaurant called Drexell & Honeybee. This will be a free restaurant to all who come in. We will not have a cash register or make change. We will have a donation area for people do donate if they wish. It will be set up where when you go into the booth no one can tell if you donated or not.

This restaurant will serve fresh, home cooked meals five days a week. It will also deliver meals on wheels in the community. It will be run by volunteers only. We are so proud to be working on this project. We feel that it doesn't matter what you had to eat yesterday or what you may have to eat tomorrow, but only about what you don't have to eat today.
 

1838 Reads

The Man with his Dog at the Street Corner

We had to go into town yesterday to get a new cooking fry pan. It is windy and cold here. As we walked towards the coffee shop noticed a man and his beautiful big dog, sitting in the corner of the walkway. Of course we stopped and chatted to him about life and his dog. Sad story of dog being kept as bait for fighting dogs. He told us how he rescued him and the vet treated all his bites. Heartbreaking. This is his best friend.

So we gave him all our change and then asked him if he wanted a cup of coffee. We went inside and the staff took him out the coffee and cake. I kept thinking about what I take for granted in my life and at that moment was so grateful for what I have and that I can give to others.It dawned on me that that could have been me.

1437 Reads

Sweet Rewards For The Flight Crew

I had a whole lot of kindness supplies for my trip. Here are some of my kindness supplies. I thought of two bars of chocolates for the airport bus drivers, and a share bag of KitKat chocolates for the flight crew, but I didn't envisage cheeky pilots! I gave the first bar of chocolate to the shuttle bus driver who was very happy. I boarded my flight, and handed the KitKat chocolates to the lovely cabin crew. "Ooh, thank you, we have got a long shift, so thank you" Then up popped a smiley face from the pilot who asked if they were for him and his co-pilot. I laughed and said there could be a bonus if there was a smooth landing at the end. Well, 100 km winds with gusts was not ever going to be a smooth landing. The pilot warned us of turbulence. The plane shook, bounced, lurched, dropped and in ... Read Full Story >>

824 Reads

The Teens Cooled Down The Sign Twirler On Our Main Corner.

After a four hour shift in a semi-shaded location, the Multi-racial sign twirler stopped to wipe his brow. A group of Caucasian teenagers crossed the street and shared a box of Popsicles with him.

He beamed and they all began to dance for several moments in unison. As the teens on their skateboards and long boards were leaving he fist bumped each one and slowly the last in line of the teens produced a quart jug of pre-made Vitamin water from her knapsack, for the sign twirler to enjoy as he finished up his shift.

Keep It Cool, Dance When You Feel Like It, Be Color Blind and Share Your Bounty.

984 Reads

For The Two Little Children Who's Mother Was in the Hospital

I was getting a few stationery supplies, when I overheard a grandmother telling two children they could choose a few things to keep themselves occupied when visiting their mother in hospital. The children made very modest choices - drawing items, paper and play-doh.

I was first at the checkout, and the family were behind me. Emotions bubbled over with the little boy and he started crying. Grandma gave him a hug and said that their Mum would be okay.

I added a $20 gift card to my purchases and asked the checkout operator to give it to the family behind me. Its very hard to be discreet with the recipients standing behind me!!

I didn't stay to see their reactions. Just a gift from our family to theirs, and hope that things improve for them.

926 Reads

A KindSpring Member Helped Her With Her Fear Of Flying

Being able to create random and intentional acts of kindness for others is one of my great pleasures these days. Though I did things before, with KindSpring I have learned a new joy with it, and a sense of its being as important an activity as you believe it to be. If no one knows what we get up to, all the better! We come here anonymously to share in order to encourage each other on, and that works a treat. I am inspired by others and get a lot of new ideas too. Which brings me, as so often happens in KS, to Mindy a member of KindSpring. From a private remark Mindy was aware of the fact that I am a nervous flyer, to say the least. It's been 25 years since I've flown. Though originally from Florida, as most of you know, I have flown back there only that ... Read Full Story >>

1183 Reads

How The Sales Lady's Smile Changed My Mood

This afternoon I was cranky. REALLY cranky. So when we went to the store and the sales girl didn't do as I expected her to, it didn't help my mood. But she was cheerful. She even gave me a compliment.

When checking out, I was still cranky. And not nice. But she was cheerful and happy. And just as I was about to leave I thought to myself, I can't let this go. And so I took a breath and told her thank you. I told her that I was cranky and I appreciate her being so cheerful and happy and while it didn't make me happy, at least it made me less cranky.

And by the time we got to the next store I was more of my usual self and decorated the restrooms with inspirational post it's.
 

794 Reads

She Gave Her Cleaning Lady An Incredible Gift That Will Help For Years To Come

I hired a cleaning lady to help me a couple of days in the new house in order to set it all up. She is from Eastern Europe and speaks hardly any English.

I’ve been thinking how difficult it probably is for her to get a job and when she does not to lose it. I noticed communicating what one wants her to help with is not easy, so I decided to offer her the chance to join one of the courses I teach for beginners for 3 months. It’ll be a start and I’m sure she’ll learn some basic language to support her search for work. Let’s see what she says.

1218 Reads




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