Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Back After Fifteen Years, To Help A Friend

I have a friend who is really struggling at the moment. Thankfully, I turned up at the right moment, after we had been apart for fifteen years! 

The Family On The Ferry

I grew up with my mother's husband, unaware that he was not my biological father. When I see a loving family together it touches my heart.

Cooking and Feeding With Love

I love cooking and food, so it's very natural for me to share the foods I make with my friends, family and co-workers.  It's such a profound way to show someone you care about them.  When I cook, I create meals of loving kindness, which I hope will nourish the recipients in body, mind and spirit. 

It is very important to me to use mainly organic and non-GMO ingredients so that when I deliver food to my friends and see them smile and enjoy my cooking, I am reminded that I have shared my love with them. It's nourishing on multiple levels and I am grateful they relish seeing me with my cooking creations.

My Savior Angel

A year ago, I was a mess!    I was going through one of those phases that every teenager goes through in high school. I had made some new friends who were part of the popular gang of our school. Hanging out with them made me overconfident and feel like I could treat other people in whatever way I wanted.   Also, under the influence of these people, I would make up these unbelievably silly lies to cover up for all my mistakes. And, as you probably know, one lie leads to another and then another, and it keeps going on.    Among my new friends there was one girl who was very kind, compassionate and down to earth. She wouldn't judge people on their looks or their crowd. Since we had friends in common and went to the same classes we ended up hanging out a lot.    I remember being extremely surprised at her honesty. And ... Read Full Story >>

My Best Friend Saved My Life

I met my best friend when I was fourteen. We were in ninth grade - goofy, awkward teenage girls.  We stayed close for many years and then back around 2001 we drifted apart. She and I didn’t really talk at all for about six years.    Then, at thirty-three years old, I found out that I had breast cancer. She came back into my life like a force of nature. She cleaned my home, cared for my child, and took care of me. She bathed me, clothed me, gave me my medicine, and found creative ways to make food more edible when my mouth was so devastated by chemo that I could barely swallow. She saved my life and, with no thought of reward or recognition, and she did it all while having a fulltime job as well as two kids and a husband to care for!    To this day she still won’t accept ... Read Full Story >>

A Train Delayed And A Life Saved

I had been spending some time in my home town and was about to return to my workplace. Arriving at the railway station I found my train was two hours late thanks to monsoon weather. I had arrived half an hour early, which meant I now had two and a half hours to wait in the bus station. I was more than a little worried about that! I took my luggage to a bench where only one other lady was sitting.    Even sitting at the opposite end of the bench I couldn't help but notice how sad she looked. Her pretty face seemed very worried. Rather than sit in silence I asked her if she was waiting for the next train. She didn't respond. I asked her again. She replied, "Uhuh. Yes." Then she wiped her eyes.    I moved closer and said, "Hey dear, what is wrong with you? Why are you weeping? ... Read Full Story >>

When Graciousness Meets Gratitude

My friend was in a very long McDonald's drive-thru line and although she had six small children in her car she wasn't in a hurry. So, she let a woman who seemed pressed for time cut in front of her.  

Lost And Found In The Men's Department

I work in a department store and things are busy there right now because of back to school clothes shopping.    The men's clothing racks and displays are constantly being messed up! So, I was busy tidying them up when a young man asked if I'd found a wallet. Unfortunately, I had not. I told him to go to the lost and found desk in case someone had handed it in.     The disappointment in his face made me really wish I had found his wallet.   I started folding and hanging and really digging through the messy clothes. Amazingly, I found his wallet!    I quickly went to lost and found to turn it in, and arrived there the same time he did.   The smile on his face as I held up his wallet made me smile too. I walked with him back to the men's department so he could shop for school clothes. He told me ... Read Full Story >>

A Spirit Guide To Lean On

A few months ago an elderly lady from our meditation group dropped and broke her favorite cane. She was quite upset because it was her favorite cane and she could not afford to buy a new one. Being a wood carver I decided I would make her one.   This lady is from a Native American background and I asked her what her spirit animal was. Some Native Americans believe they are guided on their journey through life by the spirit of an animal. Her spirit animal was a crow.   This week I presented her with the finished cane. The top of the cane has a hand carved, highly detailed, painted and realistic  looking crow head, actual size with glass eyes.  Below that is a black suede braid around the shaft of the cane tied in a fancy knot called a Turk's Head knot, From the knot hung two black feathers with wooden ... Read Full Story >>

Can I Borrow Your Kids?

Years ago, after a rough divorce, we were invited to live with my aunt who lived in a rural area. We packed up our stuff and moved across the country to settle into our new "home".  Once there I was worried about the lack of extended family and thought I would miss the convenience of having relatives nearby. My aunt explained to my children (and myself) that there are many different kinds of family and not all of them have two parents in the home. I didn't think too much of this speech, being rather shell-shocked after the divorce, but her words stuck with me.   It wasn't too long after we settled in that friends and neighbors began to come over to meet us and extend invitations for outings. Many single ladies lived in this particular locale and were very loving and affectionate with my school-aged children.   After they got to know the ... Read Full Story >>

Cat Calls Or Hot Chocolate

I am a sales rep and I travel all over England to visit my customers. I will frequently arrange to meet a client first thing in the morning and I usually have several visits to complete in a day.   One cold February morning I was due to visit a store at 9am. I parked my car, bundled my scarf around me and headed up the street towards his shop front.    The small lane where his store was located was partially blocked by two large, ruddy faced workmen who were tearing up the concrete. I braced myself for the expected cat calls. I was up early, out in the cold, and probably about to be made a spectacle of by two men I didn't even know.   Then I stopped and remembered that my own father. Both he and my grandfather had spent much of their early careers working outside in similar jobs before ... Read Full Story >>

The Gold Wrapped Gift

Some time ago, a man punished his 5 year old daughter for wasting a roll of expensive gold wrapping paper.   Money was tight and he became more upset when the child pasted the gold paper so as to decorate a box to put under a Christmas tree.  Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift box to her father next morning and said " This is for you daddy. " The father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction , but his anger flared again when he found the box empty  . He spoke to her in a harsh manner , " Don't you know young lady , when you give someone a present there's supposed to be something inside the package ? The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said " Oh Daddy , it is not empty . I blew kisses into it until it was full."  The father ... Read Full Story >>

A Paralyzed Body But A Powerful Heart

Last weekend, I was traveling home from Bangalore. There was a distinct lack of buses, so I thought I would escape the crowd and go for a refreshment. I decided to go to a hotel near the bus stand. I met a man there who was paralyzed and I thought to offer him some food. He spoke to me in English and started explaining his past life when he was healthy.   He had worked in Dubai for five years. Then an accident left him paralyzed. Now his family was taken care of by his sister.   While listening to his past I realized that he had experienced much in his life and learnt many lessons.   Eventually I told him that he may have been physically paralyzed but his heart and spirit were wonderful and he could always depend on them.   His eyes filled in with tears, I offered him some money and then I took him ... Read Full Story >>

A Secret Handshake Puts It Right

Yesterday was my step-mom’s birthday. I haven’t been home in a long time so I wanted to stop by the house to see her on this special day.    I have been struggling financially so I was dreading the long trip. Gas is so expensive nowadays! Anyway, I filled my tank with gas and set off.    I stopped at the shopping mall and found a present. It was the perfect gift and I knew she would love it. But when I got to the cashier my card was declined! I did not have enough money in my account to pay for the gift!    So I pondered the issue for a few minutes. I could put it back and get something cheaper, but I knew there was nothing else in the store she would have liked as much. So, I got on my smart-phone and transferred some money from my savings account so I was ... Read Full Story >>

Personal Growth On The Freeway

This morning when I got in my car I said a prayer. I prayed that God would help me become a better person and I prayed He would allow me to experience personal growth.  As I pulled out and headed to work I said I was going to hold myself accountable for all the things that I know prevent me from being that better person.   As soon as I got on the freeway the madness started. People were driving crazily, not courteous at all. So I was getting mad and impatient. And then a car came out of nowhere and the driver cut in front of me so recklessly that I had to slam my foot on the brakes to avoid from crashing into him.   In that moment a string of curse words entered my mind and my arm raised in anticipation of blaring my horn! My other hand prepared to flash a ... Read Full Story >>

My Secret Sister

A young boy at church touched my heart by his kindness, his caring and always wanting to help.  So, I asked his mom if I could be his second mom. She smiled, said yes and thanked me.  

My Children Lift A Heavy Heart

My son, daughter, and I have been trying to write to people in our family and friends who are going through difficult times.  So, recently we decided to make personal note cards for this purpose.  My children sat down immediately and wrote to my brother with cancer, my sister with a sick husband, and an elderly friend living in a nursing center.   I was so proud of them for being so thoughtful! Then, my son went out of the room and I heard a lot of whispering between my daughter and him.  Well, my sister was over and had mentioned that a very close friend of hers (an elderly lady battling breast cancer) was having a birthday.  Knowing that she loves angels, he and my daughter found a beautiful picture of an angel online, they printed it out, and he made her a gorgeous birthday card to cheer her day. ... Read Full Story >>

A Saturday Well Spent

Today my heart is full of joy and gratefulness for my family and for the beautiful people I encountered today.  My husband worked all night as a police volunteer and got home at 5.30 a.m. in the morning and then left at 4 p.m. this afternoon for another shift. My daughter spent the morning with some friends and neighbors raising money  for a very famous charity in our town and also helped one of her friend's dad raise money for a sponsored climb of a mountain in Morocco. And what did I do? Well, I bought some cakes for my daughter and her friend and gave a smile card to the gentleman that was selling the cakes, plus a card that said,  "May all your days be filled with Love." I went to the library and left the cards inside the magazines and books and on the shelves so people could find them. I ... Read Full Story >>

Morning Walk

It was a beautiful morning and I decided to take advantage of the lovely weather and go out for a walk.  I was feeling grateful for the fresh air, sun shining, and birds chirping and all of a sudden came across this sign on the sidewalk!  It said "good morning, go on an adventure, make a stranger smile".  

What a wonderful and unexpected message to read!  Random acts of kindness come in so many different shapes and forms, I'm scheming of how to pay it forward this week! 

Gratitude Overflowing :)

So guess who experienced kindness? :) Me! A little while ago I got a taxi and was in a chatty mood and picked up a slight Italian accent in the taxi driver who's name I've forgotten (oops!). We had such a lovely chat, he was surprised that I picked up on his Italian accent etc, but Mandymoo grew up with Italians and can speak the tiniest amount of Italian. Anyway today, it's raining cats and dogs and I had bags to carry to the taxi and the dear man came to the house, remembered my name and helped carry my bags. It was so lovely and unexpected and truly appreciated! :))))))