Stories of Kindness from Around the World

An Opportunity to Connect, to Love

It's 5:15am at the local Starbucks.  I'm standing in line and the person ahead of me in line is putting together what seems to be a large order.     "Can I have some bagels, donuts, oh and some brownies too, along with this coffee order."   My curiosity is peaked, and she chimes to the counter person, "Thank you, the order is for the nurses at Sloan-Kettering Cancer society because they've been doing a great job taking care of my Dad."  I tend to believe that people share things in order to be self expressed, and to be heard, to have their expression recognized.     Standing in line, fiddling with my book bag, the possibility of her wanting to be heard flashed by.  I, stopped, and asked her how her father was doing.   "He's in a coma, he fell into a coma yesterday and my sister and I have been taking shifts being there with ... Read Full Story >>

A Little Change and a Smile Card

Today I visited Walmart during my lunch break. While I was there, I realised I still had a gift card that my husband had given me when we got married. There wasn't much left on the card but sometimes if you are a few cents short at the register then a little bit can mean a lot! 

I asked the cashier if I could leave it for just such an occasion, along with a Smile Card to give the recipient so that they could then do something nice for someone else. She agreed. 

I was happy to help even in this small way.  I know I appreciate it when I need a little change at the register and someone is kind enough to help me.

After all, a little change for the good from everyone can be a big change for the world.

A Workplace Machine That Generates Love

I was visiting a client's offices and I saw an idea they had implemented within their company. 

It's called "The Love Machine". By using this program people in the company can give "points" to each other or even just supportive messages.  Nobody can take points away or say anything negative. 

It was very powerful, and they had a display with all the "loves" posted, scrolling by every few seconds.

They were mostly little things like, "For letting me borrow a pen five seconds before the big meeting," and, "For ordering Chinese food for lunch!" But there were also messages like, "Thanks for all your work on the big project!"

A Taxi Cab Driver Goes The Extra Five Miles

One evening a few weeks ago I was driving to a city I had never been to. I got lost and pulled into a gas station. After sitting there for a minute, a man came out of the store and walked over to his taxi cab. I rolled down my window and asked if he could help me. I showed him the directions I had printed off the internet. Not saying much, he smiled, nodded, and walked off to his cab with my directions. He sat in his car and studied a map for maybe five minutes. He came back to and gave me back the directions. After stumbling with his English a minute, he motioned to wait. He got in his car, and motioned for me to follow him. A little weary about the whole thing, I decided to follow him in my car. He took me to my friends ... Read Full Story >>

Facebook Kindness Saves A Family

You join Facebook and " friend" your old classmates. You might not ever talk about anything serious with them but they are there. You read their status, laugh at their jokes, groan at the corny quotes, or wish them a happy birthday.  Until last week, that is.... A classmate from twenty years ago was one of my Facebook  friends. A few random comments he made gave me the impression that something was wrong so I prodded him to call me.  He did call and I found out that that he, his wife and eight children had just moved into a cheap motel room.  He had used the very last of their money to pay for a week's stay there. He had no job and they had lost their home. What do you do in a situation like that?  I am just me, with my own family, my own worries, not enough money ... Read Full Story >>

A Little Bit of Care From 'The Lady In The Little Red Car'

I was taking a walk one sunny day near my home in Montreal when I saw a little lady, about seventy years old, laying by the side of the street. I went over and asked if she was okay. She said she just felt weak. I asked her if she needed me to call 911. "Oh no," she replied. I saw that she had a medic-alert bracelet on and asked her if she was ill. "All I need is maybe a cracker and water," she replied.

So I took her to my apartment, something I would never normally do. As she sat with me telling me her life story she began to feel much better. Then I asked if I could take her home. She declined but asked if I could drive her to the metro station. 

I never did give it much thought after that. Then, one day, a letter was pushed under my front door addressed to, "The Lady In The Little Red Car'." She thanked me for my kindness and the time spent with her. Then she told me she was fine and that she had really enjoyed my company.

God bless her .....

Sharing My Birthday Gifts in a Special Way

I recently celebrated my birthday. It was a BIG ONE!

My husband surprised me with a delightful party. Many guests gave me money to get whatever I wanted. I had been reading on a website of Do Gooders that one mom wanted to give her little daughter a Princess Birthday party but with the tough times, she was having trouble buying all she needed. I emailed the mom and told her I wanted to help out and know that her little girl had a fun birthday party.

So I used some of my money and I went to the store and bought invitations, napkins, plates, decorations and even a cute tutu for the little one to wear. It was the most amazing feeling to know I am helping a 5-year-old celebrate her birthday in a way she'll always remember as a Special Princess Party :)

A Neighbourly Moment of Kindness

My husband and I have a neighbor who has recently started planting flowers around her place.  We've noticed that she has been using a jug to water them.

Yesterday, on an impulse,  I bought a watering can for her while I was at the store.

I hadn't decided how best to give it to her as we don't really know each other that well.  Then she brought her jug over to the water hose we share.

Well, there was my opportunity.  I said, "Hi! We picked something up for you," and I handed her the watering can.

She was really happy and thanked us with a big smile!

We went inside and my husband said "Well, that got a smile."

I said, "Exactly!  That's what it's all about."

A Double Dose of Kindness at the Grocery Store

I was at the grocery store one evening. I had finished shopping and was looking for a line to get in to. I chose a line that had one woman who just about through and ready to pay, and another woman behind her who didn’t have very much.   As I was standing there waiting for my turn, I noticed the woman directly in front of me. She looked as if she had just had some kind of medical treatment. She was wearing a bandana along with a hat. Her face looked as if she had known a lot of pain and was tired of everything. She had a back pack to carry her groceries in and she had bought everything that one would need to care for one’s self at home. She kept glancing at her groceries and kept counting the money in her hand. I kept thinking to myself, I wish I had money to pay for ... Read Full Story >>

A Woman With A Big Warm Heart

My friend Liz works as a paralegal for a small downtown law firm. She is also a trained and licenced Massage Therapist. This woman has one of the warmest and kindest hearts that I’ve ever witnessed. She effortlessly spreads smiles and joy to most everyone she meets. At her favourite Starbuck’s watering hole she leaves generous tips for the young baristas and frequently buys them pizza for supper. She gives gift cards for food to hard-lucked strangers. Once she even gifted a stranger a new bicycle so he wouldn't lose a new job and, at Christmas-time, she passed along presents and food for his family. She has sponsored soldiers overseas and schoolchildren in low-income areas and she still strives daily to be a ‘better’ person'. Liz’s giving nature was on display recently at a hospital fund-raising event sponsored by the Chicago Police Academy. She read that officers were planning to shave ... Read Full Story >>

Recycling With A Little Extra Kindness

Most of us live in neighborhoods with regular recycle pickups and my family is very dilligent about our household recycling.  However, there is one item we do not place in the regular pick-up bin. 

We set aside our aluminum cans in a separate box.  When the box is full, we take the cans to the parking lot of a local grocery store where there is a self-service aluminum can recycling machine that pays for aluminum cans by weight.

We leave the box of aluminum cans for someone to find when they go to recycle their own cans.  It is a small gesture, but it is free to us.  For someone who has taken the time to recycle their cans, every dime is probably precious, so I imagine that they feel a small thrill when they see an extra box of cans to add to their totals.

Sixth Graders and the Smile Deck

I teach a sixth grade religion class, and today I played the Smile Deck game with my students.  They each left with two kind acts to complete and were very enthusiastic as I handed them regular Smile Cards to go along with the Smile Deck Cards.

One student was able to complete one of her acts that day itself, when class ended.  She held the door for those leaving the building, handing out Smile Cards to those who would take them.  It was uncomfortable for her at first (12 years old is an awkward age, at best), but she got the hang of it and started to enjoy her 15 minutes as 'Door Woman'!

I am excited to hear about how the other children's acts of kindness go.

I hope that my take on the ways we can “take care of God's creation” will sink into these kids, and they will carry forward the idea of embracing kindness as a meaningful part of life.

This is just the beginning for me!!  Thanks for the forum of inspiration!

An Opportunity To Connect On The Train Home

Sitting on the train home with my wife, Julie, my attention kept being drawn to the young man sitting across the aisle from us. I knew there was something there I ought to be seeing – but what was it? I read my book and glanced over, I drank some juice and glanced over, I put my earphones in - and glanced over. What wasn’t I seeing? He must have been about seventeen or eighteen, a handsome young man, sitting there with his bags on the seat across from him. It wasn’t a particularly cold day but he had his jacket zipped up all the way to his mouth.  But my own boys would do that. Between Edinburgh and Motherwell the picture started to take shape and the spaces started to fill themselves. His face was red, as if he had been really cold. When his hands came out his pockets they were ... Read Full Story >>

An Extra Special Trip to The City

Just  a few weeks ago I was taking my six year old son into the city for the first time. It was a special trip because he was going to be taking the subway for the first time.

As we boarded the train I noticed it was nearly full and thought we'd have to most likely stand. No sooner had we boarded than a huge guy, listening to a mp3 player and wearing sports clothing, tapped me on the shoulder and got out of his seat so there would be two empty seats next to each other for us. I mouthed the words, "Thank you" as he got up and we sat down. Normally, I would be on edge around someone like that, a big guy who looks really tough and intimidating. But this encounter really forced me to change my thinking.

Getting off the train the we were delighted when the subway engineer waved to my son and I as the train departed.

A little later I dropped my subway pass as I was getting money out of my wallet and a stranger alerted me.

The kindness of people to complete strangers made our trip to the city a very special day. 

A School Lesson in Compassion and Understanding

My seven year old son Nicholas came home from school one day and in the context of our usual "How was school?" chat he told me about one of his classmates who had asked him to share his snack with him in a somewhat forceful way. After this chat, as a room mother, I had the chance to better observe the boy concerned. I saw he never had a snack and was often dirty, so I understood a bit more his situation.   From that point on I sent extra crackers, etc., everyday and Nicholas made a point of sitting next to the boy at snack time so he could share - telling the boy I always gave him too much. After this we realized he was unable to pay for field trips and the teacher was doing this for him. We secretly got involved with that also, making sure he was in our group for ... Read Full Story >>

When You Don't Need A "Thank You"

This past Saturday I was with my family at an indoor arcade/play place for a child's birthday party. My six year old son and a boy he didn't know were playing an arcade game where they shoot water at a target. At the end of the game the machine is supposed to spit out paper tickets which the kids can then redeem for prizes.

After they had finished playing, for some reason the other boy didn't get any tickets at the end of the game. Maybe the machine was out of paper? My son instinctively took his and gave half of them to the other boy.

I was a little disappointed the other boy didn't even say "thank you", but I knew my son didn't need to hear it. He was just doing what he thought was the right thing, and I am so proud of him!

The High-Five That Changed My Day

I was in the checkout line at the grocery store yesterday when a woman in a motorized cart got in line behind me. I immediately challenged myself to look past her condition and asked if I could give her a hand. As I helped her put her groceries onto the counter, one of her wheels became stuck on a nearby rack. After some doing, and with the help of her daughter, she backed up, straightened her wheels and unstuck the cart. We joked a little and I said to her, "That deserves a high-five!" With a huge smile, she leaned up and gave me a high-five. As I was gathering my groceries to leave, her daughter tapped me on the shoulder and said, "You're a generous soul for helping my mom with the groceries." I could tell she was deeply moved, and without much thought I replied, "Well, you're mom is awesome!" And the daughter agreed.

This five minute exchange changed my heart and my day, as I was feeling lonely after spending the day by myself. I felt loved and appreciated, and I think the woman and her daughter did, too.

Offering Me the Oportunity to Give

Yesterday we had a bunch of friends over to play some music and share a meal together. My husband and I had both made some special dishes and when everyone had left, there was some left over.  My husband started packing up a few containers of food to give to an older woman who lives in our neighborhood... and then he asked if I would deliver it because "I know how you like to do that!"

I left the house and walked over to the woman's house to give her the food. When I gave it to her, her eyes lit up and she was just thrilled. When I was leaving, she said that I had made her evening so much brighter-- it was how she said it that really touched my heart.

I walked home, gazing at the full moon, and thanking my husband for letting me be the "giver". He always does the right thing and never wants any credit!---I can learn from that.

An Act of Honesty

My parents were at a store recently when they found a bundle of important looking papers and some cash lying outside.

They went back in and asked around, but no one claimed them. They then looked at the papers again and found the name of a hair salon. They drove to the salon - but it was closed.

They found a phone number and called and left a message. The owner called back and said that the papers belonged to someone who works there, but she had just had a death in the family and had to go away.

My parents took the papers over to the salon and left it there for the lady, so that when she returns she will have her important papers back.

My mom imagined that the lady (whoever she is) probably dropped the bundle outside the store and never even realized it since she was probably grieving.

I'm so glad it was my parents who found it!

Sharing with Love during Easter

Realizing that it was Easter Weekend and I had time on my hands, I called the local Soup Kitchen to see if they could use some help serving lunch.  They were very happy to accept my offer. After we parked the car, my husband and I walked a few blocks to the Soup Kitchen.  That's how we spotted  Teddy as the Easter Bunny.  We have known Teddy for years, but this was a first for us to see him in a bunny outfit! His wife pushing him in his wheelchair up and down the sidewalk and he was distributing Easter Eggs.  When he arrived at the Soup Kitchen for lunch he kept on giving eggs to everyone who arrived. He even ate his food with the mask on! Teddy is in his 60s and doesn't have much money. It really humbled my heart to see him reaching out to others. His simple gesture of offering an egg with a candy inside lit ... Read Full Story >>