Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Golden Dollars at School

As a high school student, I come across lots of students and teachers everyday and so I guess I have the opportunity to influence the emotional state of hundreds of people each day.

My grandmother gave me $25 in golden coins for Christmas, and since then I've been leaving them around the school. It's cool when you don't even know who you're giving them to. It's even better when you find out later!  For example, I heard a librarian say, "There was this coin we received yesterday, and Mrs. Fritz found another one in the hallway - are they real?" Since I volunteer in the library that hour; I was nervous that they'd catch me!

Inspired by the Courage of an Intern

In August, an intern came to work at  my company. As I began to get to know her I was inspired by her story. In addition to coming from the inner city and having suffered many abuses as a child, her story was one of courage. At age 20 she went to bed with a headache and woke up paralyzed and unable to speak. She had a brain virus that caused the brain to swell. She had to relearn to talk, walk, write and lost much of her vision and balance. Despite all that she continued with her education and graduated in December with a bachelor's degree.   Her family was not supportive, her mother did not even wish to attend the graduation. The last week she was here I told her to show up early and dress up as we were taking someone else to lunch.  Instead, I had a surprise. When ... Read Full Story >>

A Calling To Help People Who Can't Help Themselves

Sunshine From A Friend

Hugs On Prescription

My wife never ceases to amaze me.

She and I went out for lunch earlier. We went to a new Italian restaurant down by the harbourside. It's set up in such a way that the upper floor is a kind of balcony where you can sit and look out over the yachts to the sea and the islands beyond.

You can also look down and see the diners on the ground floor. That's when Julie pointed an elderly lady out to me.

This woman had been a patient at a health centre Julie worked at a while back. She suffered from chronic arthritis and is almost always in pain from it. It was Julie's job at each appointment to find out just how bad the pain was and adjust the medication to suit.

Near the end of each appointment the woman would inevitable apologise for being such a moan. She hated burdening Julie like this, but her husband was doing all he could to look after her and she never felt it was fair to moan to him.

There and then Julie would prescribe a course of hugs and administer the first dose before the lady left.

Isn't that just the best medicine?

Dinner With An Unexpected Friend Changed My Life

I was walking home from work on a busy city street with lots of people. I wasn't looking forward to going home and my friends weren't able to hang out with me. That's when I walked past a homeless person that I hadn't seen before. He was moving back and forth to stay warm, and very gently asking for change. He spoke so quietly I could barely hear him. Something made me stop, turn around, and walk up to him. All the while anxious thoughts whirled around in my head like, 'What do you think you're doing?' 'You're alone, it's dark out and you're a woman,'   Before I knew what I was saying I asked him if he had had dinner yet and would he like to join me at a nearby restaurant. He said he hadn't eaten and he would like to. So, he walked with me a few yards to the restaurant and held the door ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness I Received in the UK

I recently returned home to South Africa from the U.K., and the people I met in the U.K. were so kind to me. Just before I left, one lady gave me two nice bags, and, similarly, my roommate gave me a nice jewelry bag. The experience and the kindness I received from the people in the U.K made me realize that the world we live in is not such a bad world. Despite all the sad stories we hear every day -- stories that make us want to hide and cry out loud -- there is still hope that dances around us.

Just yesterday, I went to the cafeteria and saw a guy I know sitting in a corner drinking his cola. I bought two apples for us and went to greet him. I gave him the apple before I left and could see his face glowing! The satisfaction I felt was beyond words.

Just By Making A Little Positive Effort

It's only since I've been walking everywhere that I noticed the “grot spots” and dangerous locations in and around my town.  When we are safe and snug in our cars we tend to whizz by and hardly notice what life is like for those who travel on foot!  But, deprived of a car, I saw everything from the perspective of the more vulnerable pedestrian.  Speaking to local residents I came to realise that other foot-travelling folk had the same concerns about litter, dog dirt, absence of street lighting, dangerous driving and impossibly placed road crossings too.  I decided to do something about it, so I wrote to my local council. And do you know what? They actually thanked me for bringing these issues to their attention! I was kept informed of their progress and can happily say that they have taken action on all but one issue! I believe we should do our best ... Read Full Story >>

Tagged With A Poncho

I regularly pass the same homeless man on a street corner and he is often soaked because it has been raining a lot here recently. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

So, I went into a nearby store and bought five waterproof ponchos for only $5.00 each.  I gave him one of them. Now, every time I see him out in the rain he is wearing his poncho. If he sees me he gives me a smile and a thumbs up!

I can't wait for the opportunity to give out the other four!

A Simple Gesture Really Made Our Day

I went into the Subway restaurant with my friends Stevie and Britni after a long day at the Del Mare Fair. Stevie bought her own sandwich, and I offered to share with Britni so we didn't have to pay as much. When I got to the counter, I hadn't realized how many things my friend had ordered on her side of the sandwich, and I didn't know whether I was going to have enough because I was planning on buying for both of us.

To my pleasant surprise, the guy who was working there pulled out his credit card and offered to pay for our sandwich. The simple gesture made me smile, and I didn't know how I could thank him. In the end, I found more money and paid for it myself, but right before we left, I ran back and gave him a seven dollar tip.  My friends also came back and tipped him as well.

I hope that he knows just the thought of doing something like that made my day. Thank you, and I won't ever forget it.

When A Stranger Asked For Help

“I expect to pass through life but once.  If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.”  ~ William Penn Little did I know that when I locked my car and headed for the front doors to a local store that my life perscpective would change so drastically.  I hadn’t even got a chance to enter the store before an African American woman in her mid-forties approached me and asked if I would help her return an item.  The item she had purchased was intended for her daughter as a baby shower gift, which her daughter had already received from another relative.  The lady who asked for my help simply wanted to exchange the item for something else in the store and was given ... Read Full Story >>

A Teacher's Help

A friend of mine, Paul, is training to be a teacher, and during one of his teaching practices, he came across a student who had been refused a place in the higher math course because the student had been ill and missed some of the work.  The tricky thing is that this student is profoundly deaf and 80% blind, so it's no wonder that he had difficulty getting into the higher math course.

Well, Paul, the teacher-in-training, went several times a week and gave this student private math lessons, free of charge.  Not only did this student reach the standard needed, but he is now 2nd in the whole class!

I think Paul did something beautiful, and I am writing to appreciate and tell people about his good deed.

My First 'Help Others' Day

I joined HelpOthers last night and, since then, have been trying to figure out how I could make someone smile today.

My opportunity came just before lunch when I left the office to pick up a pack of my favourite biscuits. On my way back into the building I saw the new security guard standing in a corner of the foyer.

Because he is new to the job he is still unsure of himself and not sure how to behave around the people who work there. That's when the idea came to me!

I walked over, introduced myself and offered him some of the biscuits from the packet. A smile replaced the nervousness on his face. He picked one with real care and appreciation. It was a sight to see!

So, now I know. That's how easy it is to help others. And I was left feeling blessed in return!

My Mother's Simple Lesson in Kindness

  It's easy to see how to help some people, but what about those whose needs are not so obvious? This story may have happened a while back - but it was a lesson which has stayed with me and helped me ever since.   It was Thanksgiving and I was volunteering with my parents at a shelter for the needy. We stood behind the counter dishing out hot food to whoever came in. Most of our diners looked like they had been having hard times, their clothes were threadbare, they were dirty. In short, they looked needy!   Then, a man came in, who looked anything but needy. He was well groomed, he wore an expensive suit. I wondered what he was doing there and my jaw dropped in amazement when he joined the line for food. The closer he came to my service station the more I muttered. What was this man doing, I wanted to ... Read Full Story >>

Sharing Happiness Through Singing

Had such a wonderful day today, I sang for about 3 hours today, with my sisters "The Short Sistars" bringing smiles to many people in  the community during this holiday time as the crowds of people sat and watched :)

It was so much fun to see the joy our music and our smiles brought to so many people. Also we sang quite a few original songs...one called "We're a Family" which talks about the community all joining together in harmony to create one! People working together not as many people all separately...but all together as one.

Wow! To see crowds sitting and listening, moving to the beat with such joy across there faces I love seeing so many happy people! :)

I think we made many people's day and all those people made our day too.

I hope you all have a wonderful day and amazing year 2011!

A Letter to My High School Teacher

  Jeff Rupp, beloved teacher at Fullerton High School, and his daughter Sarah Dear Mr. Rupp, The day I met you was the first day of high school. I walked into your class with a t-shirt that said, “supermodels suck,” and you were rocking a ponytail and had your Harley parked next to your desk. We liked each other immediately. You gave me a lot of advice over the next four years, like how I should get my ass to Berkeley where I belonged. I’m still there, by the way. I wish you were still around too. I remember your full-sleeve tattoos, which the school made you hide even in the blazing heat of summer. They were always there under your blue denim shirt and leather vest combo, and you were more than happy to tell us the story of each one, like constellations etched in ink instead of stars. I remember your laugh, which ... Read Full Story >>

Extra Care For A Teacher Going Through A Difficult Time

On Monday, my fiancee and I heard that our astronomy teacher's mother had died.  We were surprised that he was still teaching in school. My fiancee was telling me that as the teacher was teaching, he had felt such empathy for the man, because as he was lecturing, you can sense he was trying to be strong, in the midist of teaching. We came up with an idea. The teacher is such a passionate and warm hearted person, and we figured that, he could use a good dose of  love and cheer. That night after school, we meditated for our teacher as well as his beloved mother. We like to meditate using Metta and Tonglen, both very loving spiritual meditation practices ;) When we went back to school (yesterday), we gave him cheer up cards which we had take time to decorate with flowers, hearts and peace signs. As we had handed the cards to him, we both could see the ... Read Full Story >>

There's Magic in Even the Simplest Kind Act

The mat on the floor of the airport concourse had been folded back. People were walking around it or stepping over, it could have been a hazard for anyone in a wheelchair, a child or elderly person might have tripped over it. Surely, I thought, there was some employee in the airport whose job it was to take care of such things - but no one did! 

When Kindness Happens Just Where It's Supposed To

I wanted to use one of my Smile Cards today, so I went to the bank and withdrew $20. I went out on my lunch break, and walked around looking out for someone to give the money and the Smile Card to. I spotted a couple of people who I thought about giving it to but then I remembered that the Smile Card says to do it anonymously. So I decided to find a way to give away the $20 without the person knowing where it came from. I got in my car and drove to the mall and walked around praying for God to show me what to do. As I walked passed a dollar store I saw five pay phones by it. I took the $20 and neatly wrapped it around the Smile Card. I left if by the first pay phone and prayed that someone who really needed ... Read Full Story >>

Just A Little Smile