Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Thank You, Co-conspirator In Kindness

One of my favorite parts of using smile cards is when other people agree to be my accomplice in our little kindness conspiracy. Some folks look at you weird when you ask for such an unusual favor, you know? :) Like once I asked a toll booth operator if I could pay for the car behind me, and I got a blank stare. After a brief explanation, he hesitantly agreed, but then said it was too complicated when I presented a smile card with the double payment. Okay, next time. So, it's nice when folks "get it" :) and even feel like they're receiving a favor in agreeing to do me a favor.  At a barbershop recently, after getting my haircut, I went to the counter to pay. My barber said, "That'll be twenty dollars please." I saw in my wallet I had exactly forty-two dollars. "Okay, tell me if you think this ... Read Full Story >>

6516 Reads

A Party and an Opportunity to be Generous

We usually have a Christmas get together right before the holidays for our friends, family and neighbors.  Instead of folks bringing gifts or food for us we usually ask for some item for someone in need.  Usually something like hats/gloves/scarves for senior citizens, food donations for a family in hard times, toys/stuffed animals for local charity.  It always is fun and everyone has a good time sharing.  This past Christmas, on the day of my party I was very sick and ended up in the hospital so sadly I had to cancel the party.  Since everyone was disappointed I decided to have it around Valentine's day instead.  We asked for adult socks for a non-profit which helps families in need, they said they have lots of children's socks but people forget the teenagers and adults.  I also asked for reading glasses for our local library so those who need glasses or forget ... Read Full Story >>

3803 Reads

Family Hosts 200 Homeless People for Dinner After Daughter's Wedding Gets Called Off

When an engaged couple calls off the wedding, it is usually a time of sadness and anger. But one family in Atlanta found a way to turn a terrible situation into a beautiful one. Carol and Willie Fowler's daughter Tamara was set to get married at the Villa Christina catering hall, when the wedding was called off just 40 days before the event. Initially the Fowlers were upset to hear that the lavish gathering they had planned and paid for was not going to happen. Then they had a genius and generous idea: They invited 200 of the city's homeless to feast on the four-course meal that would have been part of Tamara's wedding reception. The Fowler family called Elizabeth Omilami from the Hosea Feed the Hungry organization for her help in getting the group together. At first Omilami thought she was being pranked! Carol Fowler said that even daughter Tamara ... Read Full Story >>

14.6K Reads

Vouchers For You. Yes, You!

 
I got a voucher booklet for a fast-food place but as I'm vegan there were only a few I could actually use. 
 
I gave some of the spare ones to non-vegan friends then I put the remaining vouchers in an envelope with a Smile card. On the envelope, in large, bold, lettering I wrote, "For you! Yes, you! Pick me up!" Then I left it on a seat on the bus in the hope that the vouchers would be of use to someone (and wouldn't be found by a vegetarian!). 
 
As I was getting off the bus I noticed a young girl, who looked like a student, looking at the envelope. She kept glancing at it, unsure whether or not to pick it up. But I was pleased to see, as the bus pulled away, that she had it in her hands.
 
It was just a small thing but hopefully it cheered her day up a little bit.
 

1599 Reads

"Mom, Can We Give It All?"

Last night, my eighteen year-old son and I were leaving a store. At the end of the parking lot, there stood a man. He was older many--most likely in his sixties-- clean, but looked very sad. He was holding a sign which read: "Looking for work. Trying to get enough money to buy a bus ticket to Wyoming."  I drove by him and something in my heart said: You need to help him. I rarely have cash on me, but today I actually had cash in my wallet.  I looped around, stopped my car, and asked my son to get my wallet. I had a $5 and a $10 dollar bill. I said get the $5 and we will go drive by and hand it to the man. My son said, "Mom, I think that man is really down on his luck. Can we give it all to him?" "That's all the cash I have," I ... Read Full Story >>

2503 Reads
  • Posted by fight4kids
  • Sep 26, 2013
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Blue-Eyed Blessing

It has always been hard for me to give homeless people money, even when it tugs at my heart strings. Maybe I've heard too many times that they would use it to buy drugs or alcohol.

Yesterday, on my way home, I made a stop at a shopping center. On the way into the store, I notice a man standing with a sign. On my way out, I decided to exit from the other side.

When I got back into my car, without thinking, I went back the way I had come in. I took some money out of my purse and pulled up to the man. I looked straight into his beautiful blue eyes and handed him the money.

"Bless you," he said, and he took the money.

I said a prayer for him as I drove away, for I was deeply touched by those eyes. There was so much human grace in them.

I don't know what he will do with the money. His sign said something about being homeless and I truly hope he was placed in my path because his need was real and I was able to help in some small way.

Those eyes touched my soul and I was deeply moved.

1133 Reads

Four Kindness Cards In The Snow

It has been very cold and snowy here, so it felt like a good time to get out and spread some kindness! Me and my friend "Hennie" went out with four cards. We like to write out cards and put a Smile card inside with a little gift, so we had two with chocolate and two with lotto cards.   It was freezing cold but we thought the good feeling would outweigh the coldness!    I felt a bit shy so when we called at one local shop I asked the server to pass one of our cards to a customer. He seemed a bit confused but was happy to do so.   Next we found a lady looking very cold and walking home in the snow. I noticed she smiled at our dog so we gave her one of the cards. Then, as the streets were a bit quiet, we went to another shop and gave ... Read Full Story >>

1940 Reads

A Gift for My Aunt

My aunt was the first in our family to be diagnosed with thyroid cancer last September. When a loved one gets cancer, the whole family goes along for the ride. I am so grateful that my aunt is stable and still fighting this disease. A friend introduced me to website, where you can help alleviate hunger, simply by clicking a button. For each click, the site sponsors will donate a cup of rice on your behalf. One day while I was on this website, I discovered that you can buy Indian head scarves at a discounted price for chemo patients. They had really good reviews, so I decided to buy eight. I picked out a red one to mail to my aunt. Then I dropped the remaining seven scarves off at the local cancer center. When I got there and explained my gift, the lady at the desk was surprised. She thought that ... Read Full Story >>

3467 Reads

Shoveling Snow The Canadian Way

  So, we were in the middle of a heavy snow storm, the kind where you need to shovel every couple hours otherwise it will pile up to the point where it's really hard to remove.   For the last couple of years whenever I've been out shoveling my place I would walk over to the house of a really nice elderly couple and shovel their driveway too. They knew it was happening - but never knew it was me!   Today, since I needed the exercise anyway, I shoveled all the walkways between my house and their house. About four other walkways. This time they caught me and realized I was the one doing the shoveling.      They were very thankful but kept insisting on giving me money. I refused and ended up  walking away because they were trying to shove money into my coat pockets.    Before I left, however, I pulled out a Smile card and ... Read Full Story >>

2600 Reads

Brownies And Flowers

Recently a good friend and co-worker retired from our place of work.

Within two weeks of her retirement her husband was rushed into the hospital with serious health problems. As I write this he is still in the hospital.  So, today, I bought a bouquet of flowers, a beautiful candle and a card. Then I baked some brownies for her. 

I wanted this to be a random act of kindness so I introduced myself to their neighbor. She was more than delighted to go along with this. I asked if she would bring the gifts over to my friend when she returned from visiting her husband.

I am now plotting how I can do a kindness for that helpful neighbor! 

1159 Reads

A Warm Meal Paid Forward

I was having a lovely dinner with my hubby on a cold Friday night when I noticed a man who looked like he might be homeless. He was sitting at the table next to us with a plate of fries. 

I asked our waitress about him and she said he came in from time to time. 

So, I gave her money to cover some future meals for him and I went home with a warm feeling in my heart! 

1361 Reads

A Passing Conversation, Passing on Kindness

Today when I went to the supermarket for a cappuccino, the coffee shop was unusually quiet. A younger lady and a gentleman in his late eighties were sitting in front of me, and being rather close, I couldn't help but overhear their conversation. From the snippets that floated my way, it appeared that the lady was a social worker, and that she had accompanied the older man to the doctor's office earlier in the day. As they ate lunch together, they discussed his eating habits and health. He was slim, but I gathered that his doctor was concerned about his diet, and the impact it was having on his memory and on his blood pressure.  As I listened from my table, I found myself touched by the patience and kindness in the woman's voice and tone. No matter how many times the man asked "why can't I eat the sausages?" or declared ... Read Full Story >>

3147 Reads

The Unexpected Gift

I always share what I have and will give things away when I no longer want them, much to the chagrin of my husband. He has told me many times that if you don't get back close to what you paid for something then you've wasted your money.  Nevertheless, I keep on giving things away.    Just before Christmas I looked at the nearly-new kitchen set my daughter almost never played with, and decided it needed a new home. I contacted the school and asked them to find a needy family who could use a nice, free, Christmas gift for their child. They found a little girl who was new to the district. She had just lost her mother and was living with her grandmother.    When I told this story to my husband he asked, "Should I stop at the store and buy some other toys, too?"    I was pleasantly surprised! He brought home a ... Read Full Story >>

3608 Reads

Buying Some Soggy Cops Brunch

We were out for Sunday brunch on a spring day with six other couples when we saw three very wet motorcycle cops come in.

They had been caught in a sudden, heavy, shower and had no time to get covered. 

I decided to quietly treat them, and the waitress brought me their bills. Somehow they learned who had paid for them and came to our table to express their sincere gratitude.
 
Just three weeks ago, in the same restaurant with the same friends, a group of about eight soldiers had come in.  In no time at all their bills were taken care of by some of the other couples in our group.
 
It's great to be able to help such deserving causes!
 

1014 Reads
  • Posted by wallyndiana
  • Sep 23, 2013
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A Gift From Grief

On my trip to Berlin last week, the train suddenly stopped. After a couple of minutes, one of the attendants, visibly shaken, told us that somebody had committed suicide by standing in front of the train. After a couple of moments to allow space for my own sorrow, I got up and went to the attendants' cab to offer support, as a professional trained to deal with traumatized people. I was thinking of the train driver who'd basically run over the 'victim'. They told me they really appreciated my offer, but that the train company had specialists for such cases and that they were checking to see whether the driver would get relieved of duty for the remainder of the journey. But for the moment, and some two hours more, the train just stood there while paramedics, police, and train company disaster management arrived and did their job. I found that I felt bogged down ... Read Full Story >>

2705 Reads

Tagging In Liverpool

 I came across this web-site a few days ago and have spent hours just reading all the stories. I got so excited and knew I wanted to do this!   Having requested some Smile cards I found I couldn't wait to get started! I introduced my best friend/housemate and she got just as excited!   So today we decided to just write out some cards until the Smile cards arrive. We put money with some cards and chocolate with some others. Then we went walking in Liverpool and found some lovely people to give them to.   First we went into the shop. I spotted a young woman there and asked the server if she would pass the card along. She gave a big smile and said she would.   Next we found an elderly man. He was carrying a heavy bag in the snow, so he seemed the good person to tag. He just stood there, looking ... Read Full Story >>

1644 Reads

Aaron The Door Opener

We were visiting my sister in Alabama and decided to go out for dinner to a restaurant she liked.     My son Aaron was 8 years old at the time. He had finished eating his dinner and asked if he could walk around and stretch his legs. I saw no harm in it and said yes.   The next thing I knew he was standing at the door opening it up for every person coming and going out of the restaurant. The waiter's door was also by the entrance so he was multi-tasking by opening the door for the waiters coming and going in and out of the kitchen with their food trays.     All I could do was smile. I was so proud of him that he took the initiative to do something kind for others without even being told.   When we left so many of the customers and waiters told me what a ... Read Full Story >>

2210 Reads

Letters Of Appreciation

I recently wrote two letter of appreciation. One was to a vehicle rental company and the other was to a vehicle dealership. Both companies treated me with a lot of respect and made me feel like a person of value. They were very professional and caring. 

I wrote long letters of appreciation mentioning all the employees and the wonderful jobs the were doing to their bosses. I made sure I left the letters open so the employees could read them first. 
 
I feel when employees are kind and treat people the way I have been treated the deserve to be told what a good job they are doing. This will, hopefully, continue to motivate them to keep being the good people they are and encourage them to be the best they can be. 
 
A little appreciation goes a long way. I appreciate all they have done. Lets all continue to motivate each other to be kind loving people!
 

1996 Reads

Dairy Queen Worker's Good Deed Goes Viral

A Minnesota Dairy Queen manager is getting widespread kudos for an act of kindness that required giving one customer the deep freeze treatment after some questionable behavior. Joey Prusak had just finished serving one of his regular customers when the visually impaired man unknowingly dropped a $20 bill from his pocket. A woman in line behind him quickly picked up the money – and then put it in her purse. "She picked it up so quickly that I thought she was going to give it back but she just stood there and waited," Prusak told TODAY.com. "I was extremely confused when she let the man walk by. She just stood there and put it in her purse and I was like, 'Really?' Prusak, 19, said the experience left him feeling "violated." After taking a few seconds to compose himself, he politely asked the woman to give the money back. The woman refused, insisting ... Read Full Story >>

4834 Reads

Kindness Is The Medicine

One of my co-workers was recently stressed because his wife is struggling through a period of severe depression triggered by a rebounding of bodily pain from fibromyalgia.  She's also been on furlough from work for a number of years, and doesn't get much opportunity to maintain social ties and a sense of purpose which are often so essential and deeply nourishing.  After listening to him unload his burdens, I decided to do something small to support him and his wife. I don't know his wife very well at all, but wanted to express some warmth and kindness to her, since it so often feels like the universal balm to soothe every ailment. I found out that, like most people, she loves receiving handwritten mail.  So I purchased a card and wrote the following message to her: Dear Nxxxx, I want you to know that you have something very unique and beautiful to offer the ... Read Full Story >>

3333 Reads




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