Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Spring Flowers Just When They Are Needed

Is it possible that another person can feel that your spirits need a lift? 

Well I'm sure my gorgeous friend Paula could tell!

I had been arguing with my husband for a couple of days (over very unimportant things) and was sitting on our couch feeling down when the door bell rang. 

Paula had bought me a bunch of spring flowers while buying flowers for her own house. The smell of the flowers gave me an instant lift and brought a smile to my sad face. How thoughtful to share this wonderful idea with another, brightening my day and house with the smells of spring.

Each day I look at the flowers, get an instant lift and feel very loved!

Inspired By A Moment of Trust

In my line of work we often hold conferences and workshops. The university I work for kindly provides food for all attendants (and anyone passing by at the right time) but it bothers me that they throw away all leftovers - and there's usually lots! Last week I finally made my point and was allowed to take a huge tray of very nice sandwiches away with me. They were yummy and healthy and it would have been a real shame to see them ending up in the bin. The guy from catering even allowed me to borrow a large tray to carry them on. I went looking for the homeless guy that usually sits in front of our local supermarket. He was sitting there reading and petting his dog on a blanket, and was thrilled when I showed him the food. He had nothing to carry the food in and offered to bring ... Read Full Story >>

An Act of Kindness Not Forgotten

Years ago I was working in our yard and our youngest child Mia, at the time perhaps two years old, was playing near the small creek on the side of our property. She started crying and as I went to her I realized she was being bitten by a large number of bees! I ran with her to a water hose and hosed off bees.  I was stung quite a bit in the process. I then took her inside and put her in a warm bath and called the pediatrician, whose nurse advised Benadryl and an emergency trip to the hospital!  She explained that Mia could possibly have a severe allergic reaction that could be life threatening. I did not ask what the reaction could be and at the time I did not know what it could be. I scooped up my baby, gave her medication, strapped her in her car seat, and made a mad dash to the recommended hospital on the other side of town. I kept ... Read Full Story >>

Love Is Stronger Than Fear

My Daughter and I recently encountered, as we often do, in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, a Homeless man, who was hunkered down for the night, under a few sleeping bags with his book and all of his belongings. We encountered him as we were walking home after dinner. We had been so hungry at dinner, after a day of touring colleges, that our eyes were too big for our stomachs and we ordered too much. The appetizer ended up being enormous, and ravenous as we were, we ate it hungrily. There was still some to spare. When our meals arrived, we picked at them, out of obligation, but decided to take the whole portions home, although we were staying in a hotel, and leaving early the next morning, and likely wouldn't have even eaten it.  As we were walking home from dinner, we passed the homeless man and he made some gesture to us, ... Read Full Story >>

Caring Enough to Help a Stranger

I remember an incident from when I was visiting the USA. I was in Los Angeles in a big store. Everyone was busily buzzing around like bees doing their errands and no one really paid attention to the other people around them. As I was going around this big shop, I saw a woman standing. She seemed to be in real pain. She was holding on to her belly and everyone around her passed her by without even noticing. I walked up to her and asked her what was wrong but she didn't know. I tried to spot a chair or anything she could sit on and helped her walk to it. Trying to get someone from the shop so we could call for some help was not easy thing to do as no one seemed to care. Finally, I got mad and demanded that someone called an ambulance and finally they did it. All along this woman was thanking me. ... Read Full Story >>

A Small Kindness Example For Some 5th Graders

It was raining when I walked into the school this morning and I noticed a piece of folded paper getting wet on the ground.

I just wanted to run into the building and not get any wetter, but then I thought the piece of paper might be something important. So, I ran over grabbed it, and then went into the school. 

I unfolded it and found it was homework with the name of the student at the top.

The teacher was talking with the children and I handed her the paper. She thanked me and as I walked away,  I heard her say, "Now that was a perfect example of an Act of Kindness, children. Mrs C didn't have to pick that paper up outside but she thought it might be something important - and it was. Be observant today and see what kind act you can do."

I was smiling as I walked down the hallway, knowing that I had helped the teacher with her lesson on Act of Kindness.

Honoring My Mom With Acts of Kindness

My mom passed away on September 8, 2009. Throughout my grieving process, I have found that the one thing that comforts me most is showing kindness to others. I have always considered myself to be a kind person and am so very proud to honor my mom in this way. A while back, my brother gave me some "Random Act of Kindness" cards, with a special place to write my mom's name so others know that kindness is done in her loving memory. I was at a Hallmark Store recently and found some little red glass hearts and angel pocket charms that came with a small card with a special poem written on it. Even better is that Hallmark had the perfect-sized little white boxes for these special gifts to fit into! I bought bunches of these tiny gifts and left with a HUGE smile on my face. I had a ... Read Full Story >>

Top Ten Kindness Stories of 2010

 1:  A 15 Year Blessing From A Homeless Person On the way back from work every evening, more often than not there would be a homeless man standing at the exit of the freeway...  He always waved at every car, he was always happy and smiling and sometimes almost dancing.  Every day after work I would remember to gather any spare change, and put it aside to give to him if I saw him. A feeling of joy would come over me every time I saw him, as I came off the ramp.  He had that effect... Occasionally the red light would be on for a minute and we would ask each other about our day. His answer would always be the same, “I’m blessed!”.  Then one day I was called into my boss’s office and was told that I was being laid off due to the economy... [more]”      2:  Turning ... Read Full Story >>

A Thank You To The People That Help

My son was competing in a school competition for bowling, and after watching him play a few rounds, I let him know I was going to walk around the shops for a while.  Afterward, I was on my way back to watch my son bowl some more when I noticed a man sitting on a seat holding onto the side of a trolley.  As I got closer, I began wondering if he had a disability but realized he was in distress when I noticed his knuckles had turned white.  I approached him asking if he was ok.  He looked at me and mumbled some words, so I asked if he was diabetic, but he just stared at me.  I tried to get him to sit upright to relieve his fingers, but he was a large man, and I had to call for help.  Two ladies came to his aid from the ... Read Full Story >>

A Gift To Be Paid Forward

I have been going through a significantly hard time lately and there have been some weeks recently where I honestly did not know where my next meal was coming from.

I leaned on a friend of mine for emotional support one evening, not talking much about the situation at hand just wanting to have a distraction from it all. She must have caught on to the situation though, maybe because of some of the things I said. 

A few days later my friend called and asked me to come over. When I got there she gifted me with prepared dinners her boyfriend had made for me at his deli.  I had just used my last bit of food for my daughter so I was overwhelmed and could not thank her enough! 

Then, when I returned home, I checked the mail and found a note from that same friend, saying, "Just a little something." Enclosed was a $25.00 Walmart gift card. 

I called her in tears and thanked her profusely. I told her that I would repay her as soon as I possibley could. She said, "Oh no, you will not! You will pay it forward!" 

My friend is the epitome of kindness and I just wanted to tell you all about her. 

A Small Gesture That Made My Day

My husband, my four-month old daughter and I set out on a five day driving journey from California to Washington. We had to stop frequently because oure little one needed to stretch from the car seat.  One of our stops, once we crossed the Oregon border, was at a Black Bear Diner. Walking towards the front door we noticed a gentleman standing to one side. He was seriously dishelved, without shoes and wearing tattered clothing.  We passed right by him and opened the restaurant door.   Then something told me to go back. Holding my four-month old daughter I turned around and said to the gentleman, "Sir. Are you hungry?"  He said, "Yes."  I then asked, "May we buy you a bite to eat?" He responded with, "Sure, I can order something to go." My husband opened the door and the gentleman went straight to the counter. I told him to order whatever he wanted. The manager ... Read Full Story >>

A Simple Kind Thought Is More Than Enough

As I am writing this I am thanking my lucky stars for having a best friend in my husband. Unfortunately we have been going through a rough time due to his illness and sometimes it seems the whole world is covered by a big dark cloud. Then, by looking for kindness, I found this site. It really has made me think about how to help each other as well as others. I am truly grateful for what we have been through as it has brought my husband and I, our family and his family so much closer. If we hadn't been through the last ten years dealing with the illness I would have not learned so many lessons. I belive we are never given more than we can handle. A hug when someone is low or a ear to listen to a problem can sometimes be the biggest gift we can give. We don't have lots ... Read Full Story >>

Slowing Down To "Thank You" Speed

I was in a bit of a hurry this evening as the stores were about to close.

I wanted to find a refrigerator light bulb as ours had gone out a few days ago. In the aisle where all the light bulbs were was an employee who was part of a program for 'mentally challenged' folks. Often they are doing nothing more challenging than restocking the shelves, etc.

I asked him if he knew where I could find a refrigerator bulb. Meanwhile, my eyes were rapidly scanning the display trying to find what I was looking for.

He was taking his time and looking around to find one for me. My eyes were drawn to a package that had a picture of a fridge on it but I stayed quiet and let him find it for me so that I could thank him for helping me.

I consciously was aware of trying to slow down and be still so that I could thank him for his assistance. A very small thing to be sure, but I am glad that I didn't just plow through there without this interaction.

Sometimes It Just Takes A Penny

On the street, outside a restaurant door, my wife and I are chatting with friend about some good news in her life.  Right then, a woman comes up to me and asks, "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but I'm really hungry and I'm wondering if you could spare some money?" In our city, there are many pan-handlers, so I typically would just share a kind word and move on.  But somehow I feel moved to do something this time.  Perhaps it was because we were just conversing about some good events happening in our friend's life and I had a sublte sense of paying it forward.  I don't know. "Yeah, sure.  I'll take you to eat dinner today.  Where do you want to go?" I ask the homeless woman. With a surprising smile, she says: "Oh, there a Taqueria just down that street.  I'd love to get a burrito." So the two of us ... Read Full Story >>

Two Packets of Buscuits And Two Smiles

I was at the dollar store the other day and saw an elderly lady picking out things to buy. She kept going back to the Animal Crackers and looking at them. She touched the package a few times before walking on.

I saw that she had mainly household items; paper towels, toilet paper, storage bags, juice, biscuit mix and a couple cans of vegetable soup. I was getting a few things and so I picked up the animal crackers. I usually get some for myself too since they're my favourite.

I got two packets this time.

She was behind me  in line and so I paid for my stuff and whispered to the clerk to slip the cookies in her bag in secret. She kindly put them in a bag before she rang up the ladies stuff so she didnt see what was happening.

As I was leaving I told the lady to have a nice day and she smiled. I heard her say to the clerk that she would get some cookies next time but the clerk said, "You can have them today because the lady ahead of you wanted you to have them for your afternoon tea."

She was happy, I was happy and I know it made her day - all for the price of some crackers! 

A Banana Bread Thank You

We live in a circle of giving in my neighbourhoood; neighbours sharing and looking out for each other.

So, the other day when a plate of banana bread appeared on our doorstep without a note I didn't know who to thank.

Was it Leslie? We often exchange fruits and vegetables from the garden and swap baked goods. I called her. She said it wasn't her.

Was it Carol? She loves our garden veggies! Nope.

Was it Helen? I had stopped by her house with a bag of freshly picked tomatoes and although her daughter had just given us some apple cake a few days earlier she said it wasn't her either.

I was scratching my head in confusion when Helen started talking about how nice it was that my husband and two other neighbourhood men had helped her neighbour move a big mattress into their house the other day.

Then her eyes sparkled and she said, "I know who baked a lot of banana bread! It was Ellen! She wanted to thank your husband for his help with moving the mattress!" 

Mystery solved - and more friends to bake for!

The Joy of Anonymous Giving at Christmas

For Christmas, I suggested to my 12 year old son, that instead of trying to think of gifts for family members who dont really need anything for Christmas, maybe we should spend our money on gifts for people who have very little.  He really liked the idea.

We decided to give gifts to the K-Mart wishing tree and present our family members with the cards from the tree explaining what we had bought for whom. My son was very excited about anonymously giving gifts and I think the meaning of the season came home to him as we searched K-Mart for gifts that others would appreciate. We got a couple of school bags, and some clothes from the ladies wear section, had them wrapped at the wrapping station in the mall and gave them to the wishing tree.

I believe that actions like this are the best way to teach our children the art of compassion and kindness.

I know that next Christmas we will do the same and maybe extend to other family members/friends that really do not actually need more stuff so they can share the great feeling of anonymous giving.

The Simplest Act of Kindness Can Be Priceless

I was 12 years old and sewing my graduation dress by hand.  In those days, you didn't make an appointment with the doctor -- you just sat in the waiting room (her living room) until it was your turn, and it could be a long wait.  So, I brought my dress to sew while waiting. 

I was having trouble making a knot, and a young woman with a foreign accent offered to help me.  The reason this simple act has stayed with me all these 62 years (I'm 74 years old now) is because I came from a very unhappy family situation.  Although I excelled at school, the teachers didn't like me because I talked too much!  I had no loving relatives.  Only my dog loved me, I thought. 

It may seem odd that this event impressed me and its memory has stayed with me all these years...but it exemplifies how the simplest acts of kindness can be priceless!

Even A Simple Act Can Take Your Breath Away

A little over a year ago, a good friend of my mom's passed away, and it was only when I tried to reach her to let her know of my mom's passing that I was told this sad news. My mom's friend was a big part of my childhood and I remember her fondly. I hadn't spoken with her in many years, but I knew I was still her "Sunshine." My mom's friend had a sister, whom I only met as a child, but to whom I felt an instant connection. I knew immediately that I wanted to reach out to the sister. We have corresponded a few times during this last year, and her kind words and caring thoughts have brought much comfort to me in my own time of need. On September 7, 2010, the day before the first year anniversary of my mom's death, I received a card from ... Read Full Story >>

A Bus Ride To Happiness

I have had a number of revelations about myself this year. One of which is that whenever I'm feeling sad or down, a foolproof way to cheer myself back up is to help someone else.

One day I was having a horrible time and nothing was going right. (I bet everyone knows how that feels.) So I just hopped on a random bus, wanting to just get away. Right when I got on I saw this sad dejected looking lady. I decided to sit beside her and try to start up a conversation.

When I talked to her she seemed very suprised but she chatted with me anyway. We talked about love and kindness and how there wasn't enough of either in the world. She told me about her deep struggles.

As she was walking off the bus she said that I was her angel and that God brought me to her. In that one conversation, in that one statement, I felt complete contentment and peace with life.

People can be in search of happiness all their lives and never find it. But I truly believe that loving and helping others is the perfect way to find it.