Stories of Kindness from Around the World

A Ticket To A Future Act Of Kindness

About a month ago I arrived at the train station an hour early. That's when I saw a young lady in distress.

She was trying to change a 10 Euro note into coins so she could pay buy her train ticket. There were no staffed counters at the station, only a machine that wouldn't accept her 10 Euro note.

She asked several passers by for help but none of them gave her the change she required. Catching this train must have been very important to her as she became more and more agitated as the time passed.

I didn't have any change either but I did offer to buy her ticket for her. She appreciated this but was worried she wouldn't be able to pay me back.

I gave her the ticket she needed so urgently and told her simply to pay it forward to someone else.   

She just had enough time to catch her train and was waving at me as the train left the station.

This little, inexpensive, act of kindness still makes me smile when I think of it.

A Hotel Manager Creates Some Magic

About nine years ago I worked at a large downtown hotel. Since we were connected to a mall and a public parking garage, anyone could just pretty much walk into the hotel area. We started having a big problem with homeless youth living in our stairwells at night. The stairwells went largely unused because of their hidden nature and the fact that once inside, you could only go down and exit to the street, all the doors locked behind you and you could not travel between levels and exit back into the hotel. As night manager, I ended up being the one to evict these youth, night after night after night. One night there were seven homeless young people and a puppy, in a total of three locations. I hated to do it on rainy nights, but it was my job, and some guests felt threatened when encountering tattooed and pierced youth ... Read Full Story >>

Asking For Smiles When They Were in Short Supply

When I first heard about smile cards I contacted HelpOthers.org to try and get some . You see, I worked for a company that was closing down and we were all about to be laid off. Smiles were in short supply.

When I received the cards (they also sent me kindness coins and smile dolls) I had so much fun leaving them on my co-workers desks when they weren't looking.

I also made a point of giving one to the leadership of the site we worked at. They had had an especially tough time, having to let us all go.

I know that these anonymous gifts helped because I heard the buzz from everyone trying to figure out where they came from!

From Hospital to Home with some Help

The other day I found an old man and his wife sitting by a footpath looking exhausted. On asking I learnt that he had just been discharged from hospital and was going home ( I could make out some bandages around his neck, partially covered by the shirt ).

He and his wife had to walk some distance to reach the  bus stop and the hot and humid weather was obviously taking its toll on them both.

I made up my mind to help them and I put  them in auto rickshaw (a three wheeler taxi) and paid the fare to their house.

As he got into the auto,  I saw the look of relief and gratitude on his face. It was worth million dollars! I felt very blessed and felt  sorry for those who saw his condition but did not reach out to help. For  me it is very hard to ignore people in need, especially when I am in a position to help.

Who knows ..... some day I may be old .... needing help .....

One sure way to feel good is to do good.

A Bag of Chips Changes My Son

Performing acts of kindness seems to have been a theme in my life for a long time.  I started when I was a little girl, when I wrote a poem about friendship to a neighborhood lady who always seemed to be in a sour mood and was especially unfriendly to the neighbhorhood children. When I had children of my own, I continued to do acts of kindness in their presence, so that they might learn by example.  Sometimes they participated, and sometimes they just observed.  Afterwards, each time we would talk about it and it always brightened my day immensely. One day not too long ago, my son and I were in line at the Dollar store buying an assortment of products.  In a line next to ours, a woman was waiting to make her purchases.  She had a few necessities and one bag of chips.   She stepped up to register to make ... Read Full Story >>

A Kindness Suspect

The most wonderful thing happened at work today! Here's an e mail conversation I had with a co-worker a few minutes ago. Please read it; Co-worker - Did you by any chance send me a cute pick-me-up yesterday? Me - Tell me more about this pick-me-up. What was it? Co-worker - Adorable balloons and little pigs whose wings flap when you press their foot. So cute! No name on the card and the florist who delivered them was instructed not to say who they were from. It looks suspiciously like something you would do! Me - Wow! Sounds like it was from an angel! I have tears in my eyes, and I have a suggestion. Pay it forward! Just accept the beautiful gift, then do something nice for someone else. Keep it going! That's what I do when something like that happens to me. Co-worker - Great idea, I will definitely do that!  Then I thought to ... Read Full Story >>

A Home-made Recipe Book Filled With Love

One of our newest co-workers, Tammy,  is young and vibrant, while many of our volunteer office staff are seniors. Having Tammy around has truly brightened our days at work. When Tammy announced she was engaged we were all excited for her. My friend, Cathy, and I wanted to give her a little office bridal shower. We knew that the seniors live on a limited money supply so we tried very hard to make the shower affordable and yet one to be remembered. We made a few nice food dishes to eat and had a "pampered chef" demonstrator come to show her products and make a dessert. It all added up to a festive party for Tammy. Also, instead of telling the guests how much money to contribute, we passed an envelope around a few days before the party so people could anonymously contribute any amount.  Cathy had a great idea for a home-made gift ... Read Full Story >>

A Strong Intention to Help

Imagine yourself unable to speak, unable to move anything but your eyes, unable to even take a breath on your own. Now imagine that you’ve been that way for seven years. Would you be able to think of anyone other than yourself? Marcy celebrated her birthday recently. Friends and family were kind enough to remember and sent a little money.  Almost all our money goes to pay family bills. But birthday money is different. Somehow, we give ourselves permission to spend “our” birthday money on ourselves. The kids buy whatever gizmo, CD, or piece of clothing they have wanted. I usually put my birthday money towards bills – it’s a selfish way to relieve my mind. Here’s how Marcy wanted to spend her birthday money: On her first non-emergency trip out of the house in weeks, fighting through so much pain that she is now on a morphine pump, she led me to Aldi Foods to ... Read Full Story >>

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 >>