Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Love Endures All

When one of my colleagues was diagnosed with cancer, he decided to take a leave of absence.  He decided to take leave not only because he was undergoing treatment, but also because his wife was going through treatment for a brain tumor.  Given that they were both in bad shape, he decided to take the leave so that they could enjoy each other's company while they still had the chance. Before he went on his leave, he purposely came to his office after hours to gather his personal belongings - just in case.   At the office, we all felt very bad but didn't know how to keep in touch with him and his family without bothering them.   So here is what I did: I bought cards with envelopes and distributed them to all the people in our group.  Then I sent an email to everyone encouraging my colleagues to write something, anything, for our friend.  I then ... Read Full Story >>

A Birthday Lunch With An Extra Smile

My son and I were out of town for the weekend.  Whilst we were out and about, we found a little cafe and decided to have lunch there.  After we had sat down at our table, I noticed an elderly couple having lunch at a table across the room.  I must have looked over at them a few times because my son asked me if I knew them.  I replied that I didn’t, but that they reminded me of my own grandparents.  When the waitress came over, I asked her if she knew them.  She said she did.  She said it was the elderly man’s birthday today.  I wanted to do something for them so I told the waitress that I wanted to pay for their lunch and gave her some money.  Sometime later, the elderly couple came over to thank us.  They were so excited that someone had bought ... Read Full Story >>

Power Of Acknowledging and Sharing Gratitude

Acknowledgement is a very powerful tool. I never felt the power of it until I ran into a situation where I found its importance. I realized how it feels when someone acknowledges you for the sincere service you are doing. It was last Friday when I volunteered for one of the charities to serve food at their dinning room full of homeless people. It was very tiring as this big hall was full of hundreds of individuals. While serving lunches to those people, I kept on smiling and showing my respect to them sincerely. This was the time when I felt how important the acknowledgement was. I felt magical when people said “thank you” to me and pronounced my name by reading the name tag. This was the time I realized how many people in our life serve us but we never acknowledge them. I felt how special I would have made them ... Read Full Story >>

Paying Forward a Bunch of Flowers To Make An Old Lady's Day

I was in line at the grocery store.  There was a cute little old lady in front of me.  She showed me the birthday card she was buying for a friend.  She was so thrilled with it because it could light up. 

As we moved up in the line, she saw the bouqet of flowers I had put on the counter.  She went on and on about my flowers.  She kept smiling and was so sweet.  She paid for her card and walked out of the store slowly.  I told the register lady I would be right back. 

The buckets of flowers were right by my register line.  I grabbed a bunch and paid for them.  I caught the lady before she was out of the door.  She couldn't believe it.  She was so thankful.  I finished paying and was walking out to my car and the same sweet lady was sitting in her car with her door open talking to another lady friend and she saw me and said - "There is the lady that bought me these lovely flowers.  Thank you again. I am having hip surgery tomorrow so these will cheer me up."  I told her to enjoy them. 

I walked away feeling incredible and even had tears in my eyes. 

Rescued By A Cluster Of Goodness

Yesterday was the Mother of All Bad Days for me, but I was rescued by a cluster of unrelated kind people/angels.  My head's still spinning from the experience. Our house is up for sale and my wife and I agreed to have an open house yesterday.  Before it was to start, I had to take our dog, who's been suffering from some unknown liver problem for over two months, to the vet.  The appointment was timed just right to get back home and help host the open house.  That plan soured in a heartbeat! Our dog had been making some progress with her disease, but I got the first round of bad news for the day--her blood test indicated she was getting worse.  Nearly $2,000 dollars has been spent so far trying all kinds of ways to help get her better.  Now the vet was telling me it would take another $2,000 ... Read Full Story >>

A Simple Person's Simple Ways to Become a Better Human Being

Last night in the train, I was reflecting on how I make a concious effort to improve myself every day and came up with this in my notebook: 1) When I see someone doing a good gesture/behavior or I read a good qoute, then  2) I make a mental picture of that moment then 3) I  appreciate that person by saying or by sending an email then 4) I look for the first opportunity to apply it in my actions then 5) I act on it and feel good. And of course pat myself. Sometimes, I share this whole sequence with a few dear friends. 6) For the past 12 years or so, in my daily prayers I ask GOD to give me a chance to do something good. Recently, as I have started visiting a temple frequently in Delhi, I sit in front of the statue and tell God that I am leaving my bad things there and ... Read Full Story >>

A Personal Touch That Helped My Uneasiness

Times are  hard and the money is getting harder and harder to come by. My husband becoming unemployed again has caused a real strain on everything. We've started even thinking of moving out of state! We had hoped to wait until my youngest got through High School, but are now having some doubts if we can wait that long. So I've been on the web searching areas to move to.

Yesterday I'm sitting outside enjoying the perfect weather and the phone rings...its a realtor from South Carolina. You see, I had to create an account to browse different houses for sale...so she had my home number. 

This realtor was so nice and when she realized I wasn't familiar with the town I was house shopping in, she immediately said she would email me some of her personal photos of the area so I could see how lovely it is.  And she did! 

Just that personal touch from her has made my feeling of uneasiness a little better.

One Last Visit To The Beach, On Her Doorstep

I need to share a powerful and strangely wonderful event in my life that involves death and cancer.  I am certain you are struggling with the fact that  I am using the words wonderful, cancer and death in the same sentence.  I think that after you hear this story you will agree that in this case it is an appropriate combination of words. A dear friend of mine was dying of cancer.  Shortly before she died she shared with me that she was very sad that she would never get to go to the beach again.  She grew up near the ocean and it was a special place for her.  The cancer had made her too weak to travel the 4-5 hours from her home to the ocean.  I shared this with several of her friends and we decided we had to do something about it. On a Saturday afternoon in June, while her family kept her distracted ... Read Full Story >>

What Tree Would You Be?

I was walking through the woods with our 2 dogs that are spaniels along with my daughter and we were talking about trees.  

I said that trees felt like freinds standing there quietly for us and Heather, my daughter, said they were leaning over in the breeze to give us a hug.  She said if she came back to life as a tree she would be a cherry blossom tree so she could drop pretty pink blossom everywhere to make it pretty. I don't know what tree I would like to be but I think I would be a lavender plant  so my little flowers could help people relax, ease their headaches, lift their spirits and be used around the home to make it smell lovely.

What tree would you be?

Learning From My Mother's Compassion

I was talking to my Mom yesterday about the Tibetan cause, when she told me something surprising. She works at a University where there are several students who are Tibetan refugees. Over the years, she has counselled many of them and helped them in many ways.

Recently, one girl lost her father, one of her few living relatives. He lived in a very distant part of the country, and she had no money for train fare to get there and pay her last respects or take part in the funeral rites.

My mother instantly gave this girl the entire sum she was carrying at the time, around Rs 1500, so that she could get to her father's town. Being trained in psychology, my Mom feels that a sense of closure is very important when you lose a loved one, like grieving with other members of your family.

Recently, I keep arguing with my mom and telling her that she needs to be more unselfish and more compassionate. It was humbling to hear her narrate this story yesterday. I have so much to learn from people before picking on them.

I said, for the first time in my life , "I am proud of you, Mom".

A Simple Yet Unforgettable Lesson In Helping Others

It's the middle of the night and I find writing this blog nothing short of imperative. As I've been sitting on the floor in my disheveled room, I began to recall such an important moment in my life. Some might pass it off as "dumb" or "unimportant", but for me, it has held a great magnitude of power over my mind and how I live my life. Something so simple, yet so precious has lingered inside my mind for years now.  It was a very cold winter evening when a friend of mine had attempted suicide and was rushed to Westchester Medical Center where she stayed, unconscious for quite a while. FINALLY she awoke. A friend of mine and I decided to visit her, so we picked up some picturesque flowers and were on our way. We reached the hospital and dashed madly across the freezing parking lot through the hospitals automatic doors. After signing in, up ... Read Full Story >>

A Little Reprieve In A Harsh World

My fiancee and I met just under two years ago, having met in a time of our lives when everything had fallen apart.  We are so grateful that after a year and a half, we now have a home and a meal to come home to every evening, having started with literally the clothes on our back.  We have joined a circle of friends and regularly meet at the local pub. This is where were met M and H, a lovely lady with a dodgy partner.  Having felt the hard times, we bought them a beer and one then led to another when we invited them to stay for three days on the carpet of our lounge. Afterall, they had been sleeping in their car for a week, were in a new city and were trying to find jobs etc - a place we new well.  My children and some friends were horrified.  "You will ... Read Full Story >>

Are You a Carrot, an Egg or a Coffee Bean?

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her.  She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up.  She was tired of fighting and struggling.  It seemed as if as soon as one problem was solved a new one arose.  Her mother took her to the kitchen. The mother filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots. In the second she placed eggs. And the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.  About twenty minutes later, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.  Turning to her daughter, she said, "Tell me what you ... Read Full Story >>

A Wave and a Smile Worth a Million Bucks

I was late for work, another 14 hour day.

At the stop sign on my way to work, it was unusually busy. An Indian family with a child who had disability was sitting on the wheelchair waiting for the traffic to clear in order to cross the street. The boy had a deformed face, not to mention the rest.

Finally after all the cars flew past the intersection, the family wheeled the child to the other side of the street.

The boy's sister(?), a young girl, suddenly turned around and waved at me with a big, bright smile. It seemed that she was saying, "Thanks for waiting so long."

All of a sudden, I realized that however busy it was at work, her smile was a million dollars to me. I didn't do anything but I received such precious gift of the day.

An Act of Neighborliness

I have been travelling a lot for work recently which means it gets difficult for me to keep up with my gardening (which I love) sometimes.  So I really appreciated it when my next door neighbor would cut the grass for me when he noticed it was getting too shaggy. Not only did I not have to try to jump right on it the moment I got home, it also helped my house look occupied while I was out of town. 

I really appreciated this jesture of neighborliness - it has had such a big impact on my happiness and piece of mind.

The A-Z of "Living a Masterpiece"

"Live one day at a time and make it a masterpiece" Dalai Lama Avoid negative souces, people, places and habits Believe in yourself Consider things from every angle Don't give up and don't give in Everything you're looking for lies behind the mask you wear Family and friends are hidden treasures, seek them and enjoy their riches Give more than you planned to Hang onto your dreams If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it Keep trying no matter how hard it seems Love yourself Make it happen Never lie, steal or cheat Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values Practice makes perfect Quality not quantity in anything you do Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer Stop procrastinating Take control of your own destiny Understand yourself in order to better understand others Visualise it When you lose, don't lose the lesson Xcellence in all your efforts You are unique, nothing can replace you Zero in ... Read Full Story >>

A Five Rupee Formula for Joy

On my way out the building in the morning, I search my pockets for 5 rupee coins. If I have one, I go to the shop downstairs and buy 5 packets of Gems-- an Indian version of M&Ms. There are 3 Gems per packet, giving me 14 chances to make someone smile (there would be 15 but invariably the first Gem ends up in my own mouth!). On the first day, I gave one each to the two youngs sons of my dhobi (washerman), and to the boy who lives in the makeshift shack in front of my building. Their hands were really dirty so I put them straight into their mouths. I thought for a second about giving them an impromptu lesson in hand-washing, but they are too young to understand Hindi and I haven't learned enough Kannada to explain properly. Next time I'll pick up the basics, and use ... Read Full Story >>

Flowers From a Stranger on the Street

I’m a receptionist at a law firm during my gap year before going to university and one of my duties is to take finances down to the bank. As I was walking back from doing the banking today - I was in my own little world and I had a smile on my face. A man jumped out in front of me and stopped in my path so I couldn’t go anywhere.  I was scared at first and didn’t know what to do.  I thought, “Who is this man? What’s the game?” He was a total stranger.   Then from behind his back he pulled out a beautiful bunch of orchids. I didn’t know what to say at first. I was a little in shock…  It’s usually me giving the flowers, or me helping others,  not others helping me. I have never had any stranger  do anything like this to me.  He said, “Please take ... Read Full Story >>

Taking A Moment To Show Some Care

One evening, a friend and I were returning home from college on our bikes. As we were cycling along, we saw an old man sitting on the pavement of the road holding his chest, with his scooter parked beside him. Guessing that he is probably suffering from a chest pain, we parked our bikes and went over to him to ask him if he was alright. He smiled at us through the pain and told us that he had called his son and they were on their way to pick him up. He also said that we were the first people to stop by to make sure he is ok, though that road is a very busy one.

It was just a small act of kindness from our side, but that day I learnt that sometimes a kind word is all it takes to show that you care :)

Turning Fear Into True Compassion

This is a true story that happened to my friend Rekha... Rekha maintains an exercise regime that includes a brisk walk every morning around some gardens in our neighbourhood.  One morning, she was walking earlier then usual, daybreak was only just beginning to set in and it was still relatively dark. As she was walking, a cyclist came up to her, snatched her handbag (containing her keys, phone and credit cards) and sped off with it! She ran after him shouting "thief - thief".  A man further ahead must have heard her, or seen what had happened.  He was washing a car and had a bucket of water with him.  He grabbed the bucket and threw the water on to the cyclist. The cyclist, caught off guard, drove off the pavement and his bike fell over.  The other people in the park rushed over and surrounded him.  My friend Rekha was worried that the people would ... Read Full Story >>