Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Hope, Joy and a Little Bit of Ice-Cream

Earlier this year, I submitted an idea to the Helpothers.org Kindness Contest.  I was lucky enough to be selected a winner for my idea and received a $100 to throw an ice-cream party for the children in the ART (Acute Residential Treatment Center) at the Walker Home & School in Massachusetts.  This institution serves the complex needs of a diverse group of children, from those with severe mental illnesses to those who have experienced abuse, neglect or other catastrophic challenges in their young lives. The simple joy of knowing that even children who struggle with daily living can find pleasure in an ice cream party really meant the world to the staff who support them.  It was also important to me becausse it reminded me of how The Walker Home saved my son Evan's life when no other organization could understand him. In saving our son's life, they saved our family from crumbling as well. Walker ... Read Full Story >>

A Blessing That Travels All The Way To New Zealand

I’m lucky enough to work for and with some very special people. Among them are the people at a Christian publishing company I write for. They’re in the States, I’m in the UK. Each time we complete a project they gift me with 25 author copies of whatever we have been working on. When we finished a devotional book for men, I asked the company (and one special lady in the company) if they could find a better use for those copies instead of shipping them across the Atlantic. I was delighted when she told me later that they had been given out at a shelter for men dealing with addiction problems. The thought that one of those verses I wrote about might make a difference to one of those lives was a powerful one. Well, the last project was a calender. A perpetual calendar on the joys of fatherhood mixed in with some ... Read Full Story >>

Being An Anonymous Easter Bunny

My University has finished up for the Easter break, and we have two weeks off.  I was thinking of a nice Easter kindness idea before I left. 

There are about 20 people living on my floor --  I decided to go out and buy an Easter egg for all of them.  I attachhed a nice colorful note to each egg, and placed one outside each person’s room :)

It was so much fun sneaking around and giving out Easter gifts!  What a great way to end the first five weeks of university.  It feels like I have been there for years and feels as if everyone is one big family :) This is the way the world should be! I like it.

A Volcanic Eruption of Kindness in London

I run a hotel in London. During the problems with the now infamous ash cloud, I spent the morning listening to people calling in to a radio show on London's LBC radio station to tell their stories of woe....some had missed flights for holidays, some couldn't get home following the volcanic eruption. The story that struck me the most was a call from a man named Peter who had just gotten married the previous weekend to Maz.  They were due to leave for their honeymoon to the Dominican Republic but could not due to the ash cloud. When James O'Brien, the radio presenter, asked if he was upset, Peter said:  "Not at all, I've married the loveliest girl in the world whom I adore so no I'm not unhappy at all". Both, the presenter and I were blown away by the beautiful answer.  A little later, after numerous cancellations due to people not being ... Read Full Story >>

Years of Joy from a Truck Stop Encounter

This story may be a little different from others that are posted here, but I wanted to remind everyone of just how long a little bit of kindness can stay with a person. About five years ago, our family pulled into at a truck stop to use the rest room.  When we came out we were walking around and my daughter saw a small toy kitty cat. Oh, she wanted it so badly!  I could see the longing in her eyes but I also knew we couldn't afford to spend almost ten dollars on a toy. She was still standing there watching it with her Grandmother when a truck driver walked up. He asked my mom if it he might be allowed to buy that kitty for my daughter. My mom allowed it and my daughter was so happy she started to cry.  Fast forward five years -  The kitty still sits on my daughter's ... Read Full Story >>

All It Takes Is A 10 Second Thought

I've been so inspired by everyone's thoughts and reflections that I thought I'd take the plunge and continue a recent practice of stepping out of my comfort zone and sharing this story. Last Friday, I was coming home late after spending time with friends andthought I'd go down to the $.99 cent pizza place.  On the way, I saw a man sitting on a random stoop.  I'd seen him before, panhandling on the stairs I walk up every day as I leave the subway running late to work, but this time I had no place to rush off to.  There was something about him, a quiet and serene demeanor, different from many of the other homeless people I had seen in NYC.  I walked past him, went to the pizza place, and those 10 seconds waiting in line was enough to practice stepping outside of my usual, familiar flow.  So with a few ... Read Full Story >>

Receiving Comfort in Providing Comfort

Five of us from our church visited a local hospital to pray for the healing of the patients there. It was a privilege to visit these bedridden patients, to spend time with them, and engage them in conversation. To some of these patients, we simply listened as they talked about their lives and shared their feelings of fear and uncertainty about the future. Others just wanted a quick prayer. It was a wonderful evening. By providing warmth and comfort to these patients, we ourselves felt comforted. We felt more blessed.

This visit revealed to me that everyone has a deep yearning to connect with other human beings. That evening at the hospital, I felt the powerful connection that comes from truly listening without judgement. Listening costs only time but, especially for people who are isolated because of illness, it provides a priceless connection.

Appreciating One Town Before Moving To The Next

Next week I will be moving out of my home town. So, I decided to go into town before I left and show my appreciation for the people who work there.  I bought a bouquet of ten white tulips and gave them out, along with Smile Cards, to ten people working in different locations.  The reactions I received were on the whole very positive.  A coffee shop employee joked that the flowers in my hand must have been for her. Imagine her surprise when I presented her with one of them! The man in the bagel shop was surprised and delighted. I expect most people walking into his shop want something from him but this time was different.  Two ice-cream parlor workers had ear-to-ear smiles after receiving their flowers.  The KMart cashier said a previous customer had talked about winning a prize. After receiving her flower she said that she felt like a prize-winner as ... Read Full Story >>

A Smile Card to Carry Me Through a Struggle

  In November our site of over 250 employees received the announcement that the company was closing our location and by March 31st everyone would be laid off.  While most of my coworkers were grateful for the four months of employment we had left, it was an emotional rollercoaster for all of us. I'm a leader at this site and supervise a team of incredible people.  While I am going through the same struggles as everyone else, I believe I have a responsibility as a leader to provide moral support for my employees in this difficult time.  I have made it my mission to make them laugh, remind them of all the good things still to come, and to tell each of them how valuable they are. This morning I came in to see a Smile Card on my keyboard.  Just when each day was beginning to feel like a struggle to put ... Read Full Story >>

A Small Act at the Grocery Store Starts a New Ripple

There are two men who are almost always outside my grocery store, in various states of dishevelment. One is sometimes (but not always) in a wheelchair. He holds a sign that says he is a vet and "anything will help." The other man is younger, nearly toothless, and if he were not in such a public place, would maybe frighten me a little. I have walked past them countless times, on my way to buy my family's weekly groceries.  I don't usually like to give money to panhandlers. But I see these guys so often, that I decided to make eye contact, say a deliberate "Hi" and smile at them, instead of ducking my head away and ignoring them.  In both cases, I got a startled "hello there" back. Last week, while waiting in the deli area, I noticed the pre-made, plastic-wrapped sub-style sandwiches. I grabbed two of them, two extra apples, and two ... Read Full Story >>

A Bundle of Used Clothes Put To Good Use

Today I received a large bundle of used clothes, most of them women's, from a friend who collects them from various well-to-do people in his community. Initially I did not know what I was going to with the clothes.

Suddenly I remembered my friend Devi, a  poor widow, and her teenage daughter. They live in  a slum and so I knew they could also share the clothes if the sizes did not fit them.  So I called the daughter as she was leaving her work and arranged to hand the clothes over to her.  She took them home on the bus after work.

It was satisfying to do something useful and I am sure they were happy to receive the free gifts. I hope to continue helping people this way by spending my time and using my contacts. 

It's the small things that matter.

The Joy in Receiving From My Daughter

My daughter and I are very much alike.  We are both determined, independent-minded women who are out to make a difference in this world.  As wonderful as it is to be so similar, it has also at times creates riffs in our home as we both always want to be the one in charge.  On top of that, throw in the fact that she is 18 (and anyone who has raised at least one daughter to adulthood will know what I mean- moods, drama and the like) and it has created a less than desirable relationship between us at times. This weekend, we took a trip to visit her college of choice.  The trip involved a lot of organisation, we had to take 2 airplanes, rent a car and stay at a hotel.   Traveling has never been one of my favorite things to do - especially when it involves a very short layover between flights and ... Read Full Story >>

An Extra Special Restaurant Surprise

I recently had the chance to have a meal with some close friends who don't live in my city.  The choice of restaurant was a pretty fancy one known for triple digit bills.  We had a wonderful time together at the restaurant and approaching the end of the meal, I excused myself.  I silently headed towards the waiter and asked him to charge the meal to my credit card, but to also not tell anyone that I did it.  I signed for the meal and and quickly went back to my seat, no one the wiser for my trip. When it came time for the check, the waiter came by and told me and my fellow diners that the meal had already been paid for by an unknown person!  They couldn't believe it and demanded to know who did it, but the waiter assured them he didn't know :)  The response on ... Read Full Story >>

Three Carts in Three Minutes

One way I try to make kindness part of my regular practice is when grocery shopping. I make a point to return the shopping carts left in the parking lot. Yesterday while at a Trader Joe's store in the Bay Area (I'm on vacation from Seattle this week), I returned three such carts.

This particular store had both street parking and a parking lot, and the street parking was quite a distance from the cart return. Carts had been left on the sidewalk, partially blocking the path for walkers and at risk for rolling into the street. Very quickly, I returned them to the cart return by the front door of the store. It took all of about three minutes.

Gratitude For Finding A Recipient of Our Intended Act of Kindness

My wife and I took an unscripted vacation to Carmel. On the way, we stopped at a Chinese restaurant for dinner. The food was great, but there was too much of it. We decided to get it packed and find a homeless person to give it to. After dinner, my wife went into World Market which was in the same mall, while I walked around scouting for homeless people. Walking up and down, I couldn't spot a single homeless person. Then, I prayed that a hungry person may receive the food in my hand. As my mind calmed down, it occurred to me that the folks at the check-out counter might appreciate a dinner. I went in and asked my wife to check if the person at the counter was hungry. Then, I walked away. I saw her talking but not asking me to come over to give the food. So I ... Read Full Story >>

Creating Ripples with My College Housemates

An impromptu reunion with seven of my college housemates arose, and I wanted to connect with them on a deeper level beyond conversation and smiles. 

I thought, "What could I give to them?", racked my brain, but could not come up with anything.  Then I read monkeyinpajama's "Moving Creates An Opportunity To Start Giving" entry and thought to give away possessions of mine that I acquired over the course of my life. 

I ended up giving each of my friends a smile card and a unique item, which brightened the atmosphere and brought an extra level of happiness and excitement to our dinner table.  The items I gave them included 20-year-old football playing cards, a transformer toy, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figurine of Donatello, a pocket tape reel of jokes, a magic trick, a muscular action hero, and a Samuel Adams top hat. 

I think that this was a nice way to begin new chains of kindness ripples in a short period of time.

My Experiment with Free Hug Friday

My scheduled day of kindness this week is tomorrow (yes, I’m still doing it each week, just haven’t written about them all!) but I was not sure what I would do. While catching up on some of the stories here today, I decided I will make it Free Hug Friday!  My catch phrase tomorrow any time I see someone a little down or frustrated is to say to them “Looks like someone could use a hug!” and then let them have it! I’ll certainly have to be a little careful so I don’t scare some of the people inmy office. Most of them think I am a little off anyway, so they will just add this to the list of strange things they’ve seen me do. I have noticed how much a touch or hug can mean to people, even if they don’t realize it at the time so I’m going ... Read Full Story >>

An Anonymous Lunch Gift to Show Appreciation

We go to eat at a buffet a couple times a month. Buffets (at least the ones we go to) are usually fairly inexpensive so the bill is always easy on the wallet. Whenever I go to a certain buffet, there are always soldiers from the Army base in our town.

I will search for a table of two or three, and let the cashier know I will be paying for the soldiers meal as well. But I always insist that the soldiers not know who paid for their bill.

It is an honor to buy these soldiers lunch, it is the least I can do for all they do for their country. And seeing the smiles it brings, letting them know they are apreciated, makes it more than worth the cost of thier meal...

A Real Act of Kindness from a Teenager

The majority teenagers spend their spring break hanging out by the beach, sleeping in, watching television, or just relaxing at home. I am 16 years old and I am a juniour in high school.  I spent my spring break in Acuña, Mexico, heling a family. I went with to Acuña with 7 other teenagers for 6 days to make a difference in someone else's life.  In America, in many ways we are so much luckier than the people of Mexico.   When I was down there, I helped build a house for a family. The family that we were building the house for  were just a little older than us. The husband was 20 years old, the wife was 19, and their daughter was 3 years old. Getting to provide this family, who had been living in their car and moving from one house to another, paying rent, a house, was life changing. At the end of the week, we ... Read Full Story >>

A Pay-it-Forward Breakfast Treat

We were out to breakfast one morning and when we went to pay our bill, our waitress said that the man across the isle had paid it!!  Wow!!

We talked with him and asked him why he paid our bill. He said he was feeling a little low and whenever he felt like that, he'd try to do something nice for someone else! What a great pick-me up!

Well, we have paid it forward. We go out to breakfast fairly often and when the timing is right and when we feel moved, we pay someone else's bill. People are amazed and thankful.

We usually say to them, just pay it forward.