26 Random Acts of Kindness for Sandyhook
Ann Curry is calling on people all over the world to do 26 random acts of kindness for each of the people killed in Sandy Hook Elementary School. Here's some inspiration from people who have already begun: 1. "Let my 4-year-old pick a car to leave flowers on at Walgreens." Via: @kristen97805958 2. Via: gramfeed.com 3. "Day 2: 100% tip for a server at one of my favorite lunch spots!" Via: instagram.com 4. "Instead of asking Santa for something, they brought him a Starbucks gift card." Via: @MichelleBoudin 5. "First act of kindness: paying for the car behind us crossing over the bridge." Via: facebook.com 6. "An amazing woman just came in and did this & tipped us $20. There are beautiful people in the world." Via: instagram.com 7. "Felt awesome to leave this on a car in the parking lot today. Not life changing but kindness is contagious." Via: instagram.com 8. "Day 1: A latte for the kind security guard who stands outside our building, rain or shine, making sure we are safe." Via: instagram.com 9. "This notecard and $ was given ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by schugani
- Jan 2, 2013
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All the Little Bits
Today, I've tasted a bit of true goodness and feel content with the world!
- Posted by jacdee
- Jan 2, 2013
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The Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2012
"There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness. " -- Dalai Lama Ever year, we are amazed by every-day stories of kindness, compassion, warmth, and love that fills this space with inspiration and hope. We are grateful for having such an amazing community to grow together with and spread ripples of kindness throughout the world. Here are the top 10 stories of 2012! My Sneaky Mirror of Kindness High school is always full of girls who have little self-confidence and lots of negative thoughts relating to self-image. so, one lunch break, I did something to help! With the help of some friends I made a giant love heart on the girl's bathroom mirror! It was made out of love heart shaped sticky notes with kind messages on each of them. The school was buzzing with chatter about the "Love Heart ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by HelpOthers
- Jan 1, 2013
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Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2012 - Story #1 - My Sneaky Mirror Of Kindness
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High school is always full of girls who have little self-confidence and lots of negative thoughts relating to self-image. so, one lunch break, I did something to help!
- Posted by Mosey343
- Dec 31, 2012
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Top 10 Stories of 2012 - Story #2 - Finding A Job..when You Least Expect It!
So I haven't held a job since April of 2011 due to multiple health issues. I currently draw disability but am having trouble finding money at the end of the month so I decided I would look for a partime job. I have been applying, interviewing, etc since July with no prospects. I haVe been told mostly that I am overqualified, or they need fulltime etc. I had been getting pretty discouraged. I started my randomn act of kindness way back in February for me personally, not to get anything back but a good feeling. With no job prospects and with the winter coming meaning higher utility costs etc I had been feeling pretty down and gloomy. I was actually asking myself why cant someone be kind enough to take me on as an employee. This past Tuesday evening it was freezing cold outside and going on 9pm as I was waiting at a city ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by emackaroni83
- Dec 30, 2012
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Top 10 Stories of 2012 - Story #3 - The Gift of Acceptance
As she was waiting for her clothes to dry, an elderly woman sat silently on the bench and mumbled to herself. At first I thought that she may have a mental illness as she was shabbily dressed and simply sat mumbling. Her soft yet repetitve words seemed to have annoyed everyone and people sitting nearby moved away from her as many do homeless people. Some had even asked the woman on duty if she could be removed. I sat on the bench beside her and glanced over, prepared to smile...but she did not look my way. So we sat together waiting for clothes to dry and we said not a word to each other. Yet she continued her "mumbling" that actually seemed to lull me into a quiet and peaceful place. When her clothes stopped she simply remained seated, in no rush to get them folded before they wrinkled like so many of us do. I started to wonder who ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by msn53
- Dec 29, 2012
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Sidewalk Samaritans
For the past two years, a friend of mine has been battling cancer. Every so often, when I have a little extra in my bank account, I send her a check. The other day, she called me in tears. She had lost one of the checks I sent her, along with an insurance check. "I was having a hard day and decided to go out for a walk. I was going to stop at the bank and, when I got there, the checks were missing from my pocket!" she cried. "I looked everywhere, but I can't find them." I told her not to worry, and that I would drop off another check that same day. A couple of hours later, she called to tell me that two people had been on a walk and found the checks on the ground. They had brought them to the police station, and, shortly after, an officer ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by LindaBurhans
- Dec 29, 2012
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Walking with Warmth
Our famiiy lives in Australia, and we are fortunate to be able to travel back to Canada now and then to visit relatives. We often make this trip during the winter months. In Canada, the winter weather gets icy cold, and ever person in this country must have a warm jacket to get through the season. At the end of each visit, on the evening before our flights departs back to Australia, we've made a tradition of walking the streets with our winter coats, scarves, gloves and hats in hand, looking for someone in need of warm clothing. After all, we won't need them when we return to the warmth of Australia. During our last trip, as we combed through the wintry streets, I spotted a young man shivering in a light windcheater (or windbreaker), politely asking begging for money for food. My maternal instincts kicked in. We gave him 20 dollars. Then, ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by diane.roberts44
- Dec 29, 2012
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Top 10 Stories of 2012: Story # 4 - A Young Boy's Groceries
I stopped at a grocery store the other day because I was about to go on a long drive and I wanted to buy my favorite beverage for the trip. It wasn't the store I normally go to, just one I passed along the way. As I walked up to the entrance, I noticed a man and a boy who was about 10 or 12 years old standing at the front of the store. Customers walked past, as the man handed them half-sheets of white paper. I walked up to them with curiosity, wondering what cause they were representing. As I got closer, I saw that they had two carts starting to fill with groceries. I said hello and the man greeted me and handed me one of the pieces of paper, explaining that they were collecting donations for the local food pantry. On the paper was a simple list of food items: peanut butter, noodles, pasta sauce, canned fruits and vegetables. It also included a short story about the boy and his ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by starryskies
- Dec 28, 2012
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Top 10 Stories of 2012 - Story #5 - 3 Years Later, A Smile Card Seed Sprouts
"Three years! I've had this card in my wallet for three years!" He sounded both elated and relieved. Backtrack a few moments. *The setup* I'm flagged down while walking by a table in a restaurant where I serve. I hadn't been serving this table, but they wanted something with me anyway, so I went over. A young couple sat at the table, looking at me with intention. "Are you serving those two women in the other room?" they said, gesturing to one of my tables. I confirmed, yes. "Well, we'd like to pay for their bill, anonymously," they offered tentatively. "Can you do that for us?" Can I?! It'd be an honor. I told them so, and we worked out the details. The table to be tagged hadn't gotten to dessert yet so they even added on a slice of cake, and I offered to partner in the tag and cover anything else they ordered. The ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by greggie
- Dec 27, 2012
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Top 10 Stories of 2012 - Story # 6 Learning Kindness From My Father
When I was 12 years old, I went with my dad to his work - a car showroom. I was wondering around and I saw a poor woman with a child in her lap standing outside the showroom. I saw that she was crying a lot and went inside and told my father. My father went out and asked the woman to come in to the showroom. He offered her some water and then asked her what was wrong? The woman said that her husband had died some months ago and that she doesn’t have anyone else in her family who can help her. She does some manual labor to earn some money to take care of her daughter but she was sick for the last three days and was unable to go to work. Now she doesn’t have a grain of food to eat. While she was relating this ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by prasiddhi
- Dec 26, 2012
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Top 10 Stories of 2012 - Story #7 - Where is Jeremy's Egg?
Jeremy was born with a twisted body, slow mind, and chronic terminal illness that had been slowly killing him throughout his young life. Still, his parents had tried their best to give him as normal of a life as posible and sent him to St. Theresa's Elementary school. At the age of 12, Jeremy was only in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris often became exasperated with him. He would often disturb the class by squirming in his seat. drooling, and making grunting noises. Sometimes, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, he just irritated his teacher. One day, Dorris called his parents and asked them to come to St. Theresa's for a consultation. Jeremy's parents sat quietly in the empty classroom in front of Ms. Doris, and she exclaimed to them, "Jeremy really ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by helpfulguy
- Dec 25, 2012
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Top 10 Stories of 2012 - Story #8- Turning Grief Into Giving
Twenty years ago I lost my son. My friends decided that I needed to get out at least once a week and so we started going for coffee. Those friends helped me get through that terrible first year and still continue to help me. We decided that we would try and help people when we could. So, we take a collection each week and then decide what to do with it. We have paid for breakfasts, helped an elderly man fill his oil tank, bought Christmas gifts for needy families , helped fire victims, and sometimes just sent flowers to someone who was feeling blue. We usually do this in a way that no one knows and that makes it even better. We also have a yearly tea at my house the first Saturday in December to start the Christmas season. We have been Secret Santa to three people and each ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by gmatorie
- Dec 24, 2012
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Top 10 Stories of 2012 Countdown - Story #9 - A Spontaneous Opportunity to Truly Teach My Children About Generosity
My kids and I were heading into the superstore over the weekend. On the way, we spotted a man wrapped in a blanket and holding a sign that said, "Lost my job. Family to Feed". At this store, a sight like this is not a normal occurrence. It was obvious the man was embarrassed, but desperate. My 10-year-old noticed him commented on how bad it must be to have to stand outside in the cold wind. While we were in the store, I asked each of the kids (I have seven :) to pick something they thought our 'friend' outside would appreciate. They picked a couple apples, a package of shrimp cocktail, a sandwich, some cheese and a bottle of juice. Then my 17-year-old asked, "Can we get him a gift card?" I thought about it. We were low on cash ourselves, but... well, sometimes giving from our 'need' instead of our 'abundance' is ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by Earthymom33
- Dec 23, 2012
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Top 10 Stories of 2012 Countdown - Story #10 - 177 Messages of Kindness
Out of all the afterschool programs offered in their school, three energetic 11-13 year old girls chose to join this one. The “Random Acts of Kindness Class”, the first of its kind, was an innovative experiment, offering children the opportunity to use their creativity and artwork to inspire their school and community by doing random acts of kindness. A few weeks ago, I spent an unforgettable afternoon with these girls and their inspiring teacher, learning about their semester long adventure… Why did you sign up for the Random Acts of Kindness Class? “I wanted to learn different ways of spreading kindness. There are people sitting at home who might not have a great life. Some people need kindness just to make their day.” – age 11 “If you see someone upset, you just want to make them feel happy. When you do something nice, the only thing you expect in return is ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by arathi
- Dec 22, 2012
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Envelopes and Smiles
A couple of months ago, I made a promise with myself. I had put some money in an envelope in my wallet and set an intention to give this envelope away to the first eligible person I came across. Months passed by, and as I got busy with my daily life, I was unable to keep own promise. Whenever I opened my wallet and saw the envelope, I was reminded of my intention for it, and I would feel a little disappointed for having not acted upon it. The voice within pulled me to do something. Today, while walking to work on a busy street, I passed by a blind elderly lady with her hands outstretched on the sidewalk. Seeing her weathered face and sightless eyes, I stopped dead immediately. Waves of compassion washed over me, and I remembered the envelope of money that had been lying dormant in my wallet all these months. I ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by sethi
- Dec 22, 2012
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Common Sense of a 9-Year-Old
My son is only 9 years old and is a pretty small guy for his age. But he has a heart of gold. Today, he went swimming with some friends and my husband at a local pool. My husband didn't swim, he was just watching from the side. At one point, one of the boys cried out to our son, "Help me, my legs and arms are tired and I can't swim!" Upon hear this, my husband set off to jump into the pool with his clothes on. Before he could do that, our little hero had grabbed his friend around the waist and swam him to safety. We think his friend's legs were probably cramping from being tired. When I returned home, my son told me the story and acted as if it was just the common sense thing to do. When I asked him about it, he responded, "I'm not ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by smilingdaisy
- Dec 21, 2012
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Mangoes Filled With Love
I had just read a story on this site in which there was the encouragement "to extend your generosity a little further today." But, nothing struck me immediately as to how I could do that. Then I heard the trash truck outside our house. I could hardly hear the usual loud sound of the truck collecting the trash in front of every house because it was just thundering rain so loud it felt like the rain would come through the roof at any moment. Then it hit me - I could give them something other than trash! So I gathered up an armful of really delicious mangoes and ran through the rain to catch up with them. We made it a game of throwing the mangoes up to the trash man through the rain.He was catching them and sharing them with the other trash collectors. The smiles on their faces seem to wipe away ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by Arthur
- Dec 20, 2012
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Extra Joy In Kinder Eggs
I was in a supermarket in Lithuania, where I live, when I saw a lady looking confused. she was looking for something to buy for her grandchildren.
I was buying Kinder Joy eggs (plastic eggs with a toy in one half and a treat in the other) for my little brother. She asked me what they were. I explained and offered to help her choose some toys. She told me she had three grandchildren. Then she bought five of the eggs! One each for her grandchildren and one each for my brother and me!
- Posted by nedutux88
- Dec 19, 2012
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The Gift Of New Shoes For A Wedding
I was at a wedding recently and we stayed with friends, who were also parents of the bride!
- Posted by trueblue
- Dec 19, 2012
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