Stories of Kindness from Around the World

A Little Bit of Gardening Goes A Long Way

During the holidays I went to stay with one of my sister's friends and I had so much energy that I didn't know what to do with it. Being a student flat I noticed that her backyard had grown high with weeds. So while they both were watching a movie I decided to get hard onto work. I pulled weed after weed out. It was actually a lot of fun.  When they called me in for dinner I didn't want to go because I was having too much fun. It's a cool feeling seeing a backyard so full of weeds everywhere disappear one by one.  I then raked the backyard and wow a couple of hours later the yard looked completely changed. At that stage I didn't know this, but the next day the other two flatmates saw all that I had done and apparently I motivated/inspired them to get out in there back yard ... Read Full Story >>

Teaching My Daughter To Give And Receive With Grace

In the UK in recent  years there is a fashion of giving children party bags at birthday parties to thank them for coming. I always found it a waste of money for those who have to buy them and a nightmare for those who receive them because it usually is just a small bag filled with sweets and tiny toys that end up in the vacum cleaner. 

Four years ago I decided to use the money that would have been spent on party bags on something more useful. I donated teddy bears to children in need.  And this year, I donated money to a charity that provides clean water for people in Malawi.

It makes me smile to think that 15 people are going to have clean water for 1 year, that wouldn't otherwise have had access.  I also sent a package with clothes to a child I support in Mozambique so my daughter can also learn that we should receive with grace and give with grace at the same time.

Helping A Friend Dance With The Stars

I wrote an earlier story about  a friend who was put on hospice care. I would visit her on Tuesday nights and we would talk and have some "girl time". I would do her hair on those visits. I couldn't heal her but for a night she felt beautiful! We would talk and laugh.  And after her hair was done on one of my last visits I put lipstick on her lips and some color on her cheeks. When I held up the mirror for her  to see how she looked she smiled at me and told me she was going to go dancing. I told her to be home before her family got up in the morning! How nice to be at the end of your life and have a sweet dream of getting out of your wheel chair to dance!   When I went for my visit this week the ... Read Full Story >>

Trying To Help A Stranger Make A Wish Come True

Ive found another site to help also... and found a couple that wants to get married before their child goes in for surgery and well really need help with a few things such as the cash for the Justice of the Peace and a wedding dress!

I decided to take a look on ebay and found a dress that is not quite wedding but looked real nice and emailed her the link! I told her to send me her address and if I am able to win the dress (since it is an auction) I would send it to her! She couldnt believe it and thanked me over and over!

Here's hoping I win the dress for her and that she finds another Angel to help with the JP as it is $75.00 for that! At least it will be a start to her wish coming true!

Smile Cards And Music On The High Street

It has been raining a lot in my little town, and that can make you feel as if you are carrying a cloud on your head. Today I went to town to get a few bits and pieces and I was surprised by a trio of man playing beautifully trumpets. I have heard all sorst of instruments being played in the high street  but never these ones, and the music was happy and contrasting with the rain. As I walked by, I noticed that they didn't have much money in their box. Something inside of me wanted to give them something more than my change. So I decided to go to the card shop. I bought a thank you card and wrote a few lines saying "thank you for being a ray of sunshine in such a grey morning", in the envelope I also included some change and of course some Smiel ... Read Full Story >>

The Excitement of 'Pay It Forward'

I have been sending out smile cards with little gifts around my work place for about six months. Since I place the gifts in our interoffice mailbox, I never know who gets them or see their reactions. As I place gifts in the mail box I imagine people's reactions and it makes me happy to know that maybe I am making someone's day a little brighter.

Today I got to witness the reaction. Apparently, one of the little gifts I left in the mailbox this morning made it's way to a co-worker of mine. Today's gifts was a little cloth kleenex holder than you can leave in your purse and a yarn flower bag tag, so my co-worker, a guy, passed it along to another female co-worker. I heard them talking as they figured out what it was and why they had received it , and the whole concept of "paying forward." I later heard her talking and brainstorming on what she would like to do. It was exciting to hear others get excited about the "pay it forward" concept and hear their ideas.

A Small Gesture Causes A Big Smile For A Waitress

Last night my husband and I stopped by a restaurant for dinner after paying our respects to a dear friend at a nearby funeral home.  My husband went into the restroom to wash his hands and I waited at the table to place our order. 

When the waitress came to take the order, I thought I saw something drop to the floor as she pulled out her writing tablet.  She immediately asked for our order, but I waited, first saying, "I think you may have dropped something."  She and I both looked down under the table to find that she had dropped $20 from her apron pocket.  She was so grateful for me letting her know, saying that she would have had to pay the money back, at her own expense, if she came up short at the end of the evening.

She was so relieved and had such a sweet smile.  I was glad that it was at our table that it happened so she could be saved the expense.

A Warm Drink For A Homeless Man

There is an older, homeless man that stops into the local coffee shop with his cart that his pushes around, to rest for a little bit. I have seen him pull out a bag of change sometimes and have barely enough to cover a small cup of coffee. This morning the homeless man came into the coffee shop. When it was my turn in line I told the casher to put the man’s small coffee on my tab.

French Kindness on Valentine's Day

France is a very special place.  It is the favorite tourist destination for people from all over the world.  As an American who has lived here for over 20 years it's been for me "a hard nut to crack."  In New York City it was easy to just strike up a conversation with people I'd never met and would never meet again.  Many French consider this type of interaction "superficial" or "invasive." Inspired by this website I decided to find my way to create openings on Valentine's Day.  The key is "when in France do like the French,"  or learn to respect their ways and their limits.  I went to Paris and searched for hours, a woman on a mission, to find just the right chocolate hearts.  The last "maison du chocolat" or chocolate store on my list had them.  Small chocolate hearts, a beautiful deep red color, filled with dark chocolate, ... Read Full Story >>

A Truck Full of Winter Kindness

My mother always has an extra blanket, boots and other extra snow stuff in our car's trunk in cases of emergencies.  Once when we were driving in bad weather, we saw that a car had gone off of the side of the road.

We pulled over and asked if we could help them.  They were stuck in a ditch and we couldn't do much about getting them out, but the least we could do while they waited for emergency services was to give them all of the extra things in our trunk. They were very thankful.

Kindness Inspired By A Car

As I was parking last weekend in the Los Angeles area, I experienced one of those "I know I'm in the right place at the right time" moments.  I happened to find a space next to a car which had the most inspirational back window I've ever seen.

It said "The fruit of the Spirit is" and then listed all these qualities (but not as a bullet point list; it was quite artistic and fun!)

• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Patience
• Kindness
• Generosity
• Faithfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-Control

The best part of it was that they were not promoting a business or any particular religion -- it was just the message.

I just happened to have a SmileDeck on me, so I wrote a note saying how inspired I was and then put the note and the SmileDeck under their windshield wiper.

Shopping Smiles

It's amazing what a little smile will do when you walk past someone in a store.  I found myself smiling the other day while I was shopping.  Most of the people who I smiled at smiled back!  It left me with a happy feeling inside.

Just after I had that experience, I saw a lady in a wheelchair enter the store's bathroom, where I was washing my hands.  She looked at me and said, "That was really nice of that man.  He just stopped and opened the door for me."  I recognized the man's voice...it belonged to my husband.  That made me smile even more!

Sharing Smiles on Valentine's Day

My husband gave me flowers at work for Valentine's Day.  On my way home, I went to the bank and had the flowers buckled into the passenger seat of my car as I pulled into one of the drive-thru lanes.  The bank teller saw the flowers and commented on how beautiful they were and that only one person in their office had received flowers for Valentine's Day.  We continued our transaction, and throughout she commented another two times on the flowers.  Upon leaving I decided to leave one of the flowers in the bank "capsule," which I sent back to her as I was leaving.  She was nice and helpful, and I had decided that she too could use a smile!

Kindness Karma Returned

When I lived in Portland, I lived pretty much hand to mouth.  I had injured my knee and couldn't work and my tiny early retirement check paid rent only.  I was on food stamps so I could eat, and getting around on crutches made bus travel challenging.  But it was my only recourse as my car had so many repairs needed, I couldn't afford to have it fixed. Curiously, I would find money all the time, so I started a FOUND MONEY jar.  It was the biggest jar I could find (a Mason quart jar), because I was always finding coins on the street or in theaters or in seats.  When I would come home with coins I had found, in they would go.  One time I found a $5 bill in my garden by my apartment.  It was the biggest bill I ever found, and it lived in the jar ... Read Full Story >>

A Smile Card Challenge For A Girl Facing A Difficult Time

This is my first story and I'm very excited to share. As a young teen, life can be tough when it comes to exclusion, especially when it comes to someone deemed "uncool."  To tell the truth, even as a leadership student, I was unmotivated to change someone's life since it could cost me my ranking. Sadly, in that week, my life went spiraling down when someone kicked me out of my group and told everyone else to ignore me. It was then that the truth hit me, that I didn't know how much exclusion can hurt. I had always been friendly with Patricia (as I will not take her real name), but never willing to be close friends with her and lift her up. I was always nice, just not very motivated. The week that I was kicked out of my group, though, I felt this hurt and throbbing agony of ... Read Full Story >>

Trying To Help With An Open Heart

Cons happen a lot in our city and it can be hard to know who is really in need and who is trying to exploit other people's kindness.   Recently, I was finishing my work at home when the dog barked letting me know someone was at the gate. I rushed to see who it was and there I saw poor, fragile woman in her late fifties.   I said to her, "May I ask what you want?"   She replied, "Hello, ma'am, my name is Parvathy. My husband and I live in the slum nearby. We earn our living working at construction sites. A few days ago my husband tripped on the stairs while carrying a heavy load. He is badly hurt and hasn't been able to work for the past five days, and so we have no food. Now he is at home in bed with a high temperature. Please help me! I need to take ... Read Full Story >>

A Small Deed But A Big Inner Reward

Yesterday I was shopping at our local grocery store, and I found some money and a receipt.  As I was standing there, holding it in my hand, I was wondering if there was any way to figure out how to return it to the proper owner.  

Then I noticed the person had gotten the employee discount, buying a sandwich of some sort.  Earlier I had stood at the deli counter forever and I remembered seeing one of the employees buy her lunch.  I felt so bad for her that she had lost her money, so I went to the service counter and explained the situation.  The manager had worked there forever and I trusted she would return it to the proper person.

Even though it was only a small amount of money, I hadn't earned it.  It may sound weird, but, as I walked away from the counter I felt so good about that tiny thing.  It made me smile all the way home as I pictured the employee having her money returned to her!

Inspired To Kindness

I was looking through the "wanted" section of an online advertising website hoping to find someone I could help or send a Smile Card to. 

I found a single mom with five children asking if someone could drop off some firewood so she could keep her children warm through the snow storms we have been having. 

I couldn't drop off firewood but I e-mailed and asked for her mailing address.  I mailed her a gift card to a supermarket in our area and of course enclosed a Smile Card.  I hope it helps!

Helping One Mother To Another

My husband stayed home with my daughter, and I took my son in to the ER after a fall off the slide, where he landed on his head.  We were in the ER for observation for a couple of hours and when it was time to leave I realized I had no money with me to pay the toll to leave the emergency parking lot.  It was late enough (10 p.m.) that the cafeteria wasn't open, and my credit card wasn't working in the ATM machine.  The hospital volunteer told me to find a security guard who might help me with a token, but they were no where to be found. So, I called my husband trying to figure out what's the easiest way to get us home.  All the time I'm holding my 3-year-old who is very tired and stressed from the ER visit.  Unknown to me,  a mom is listening ... Read Full Story >>

Sometimes I Need A Little Help To Help

I have been doing the 29 days giving challenge and I hope to post about it from time to time.  Today I have a question too.

On Day 4 (two days ago), I gave the gift of friendship.  One of my friends from school who I've known since middle school told me that she was being bullied, so I plan on helping her starting Monday to make the best of the delicate situation.

Yesterday, Day 5, was mostly a working day for me.  Me mummy was feeling a bit tired, and as sluggish as I was this afternoon, I pitched in with the house chores.  I made French Toast in the morning, helped fold laundry, and then spent some time simply chatting with her.

Now for my question - for the fellow members out there, what inspires you to be kind?  To give?  I must have lost my motivation these past two days, so maybe you can help me.  It would be nice to always have the motivation to give, and, as I mentioned in my first post, I strive to be like you all -- the wonderful, altruistic people who are so warm.  I hope to continue to meet and be influenced by kind, positive people, and what better place to start then here?