Stories of Kindness from Around the World

The Simple Joy of Blowing Bubbles

Earlier,  Aurelia posted a wonderful little piece entitled "Bubbles" and since I myself LOVE,  bubbles I had to read it. She gave the most wonderful suggestion of giving bubbles to children.  I loved the idea.  I went to the store on my lunch break and bought an eight pack.  I gave one to the cashier there to give to any child she chose, as suggested in Aurelia's post, which made her smile.  I also have been giving them out to small children who come in the bank.  They are thrilled to receive them.   It gives me joy to see how happy it makes them to receive such a small gift.  One little boy did a dance right there.  I asked him if that was his happy dance.  He told me it was.  I told him I would dance too if someone gave me bubbles.  It was a wonderful exchange. Children have ... Read Full Story >>

An Old Way To Bring About New Smiles

I recently got a new version of an old camera that I used to adore... Polaroid instant film! This one is a Fuji, which takes credit card sized instant photos. I named my camera "J5", (after Johnny #5 the Robot, from the '80's films "Short Circuit", mainly because it looks like him :)  In J5's short career (this past month), he has blasted off about 80 photographs, and 60+ have been given away to complete strangers. Each photograph is unique, simple, imperfect and beautiful, as those captured within the photos had a story to tell. So far, one story stands out above them all. Last Wednesday, I was in the play area of the Harrisburg Mall. I sat next to a woman who was there with her son. She was very classy, seemed to have it all together. I would have assumed that she had a sweet, upper-middle class life. As it turned ... Read Full Story >>

Setting The Tone With My New Boss, My Way

I work with people across the world via e mail. Recently I was getting to know a new editor in Illinois when he retired (not because of me :D)

When I got in touch with the new guy I got a polite but short reply. Okay. Then I sent in some work and he told me briefly he would get to it some time. Later I sent in some more work and got an even shorter reply.

Okay, I wondered, this is verging on rude. Should I just forget about this guy? Was I going to let this set the tone of our working relationship?

No. I e mailed back again. I said I understood the pressures he must be under. He was filling some big shoes and it would take time to establish his own ways of doing things. I mentioned his predecessor had had huge faith in him and I was sure he would be a good man for the job.

Well! The reply I got back was his shortest yet. It was a big, shiny, smiley face!

Now, I'm quite happy to let that set the tone of our relationship!

A Ripple Effect On The Train Home

Yesterday was a long, but rewarding day. I got to volunteer in the San Francisco Pride Parade. That meant hours on my feet, under the hot sun and with very little water.

By the time I made it on the train to go home, all of the seats were taken and my feet were killing me! I must have been displaying the pain in some way because a very nice gentleman, much older & tired than myself, offered me his seat. I told him I was fine, but he insisted I sit.

While I was feeling guilty for enjoying being off my feet, a young man, who had watched all this, offered the seat he was sitting in to the older gentleman who had offered me his seat. I could not help but smile. One act of kindness led to another. The perfect closure to my day.

How Will You Fill Your Flower Vase?

Last night after reading some inspirational posts on HelpOthers I decided it was getting a little late so I decided to go to bed. As I was lying there I was thinking about the stories I had just read. For some reason my mind flashed back to my first day at College (High School). The head girl was standing up on the stage giving us a speech about your life and your life journey being a vase full of flowers. Now that may seem a strange context but that speech has stayed with me for many years. I would like to share it with you all!  It went something along the lines of… Imagine a big vase of flowers being your life. Each person has a vase of flowers but it is their opportunity to fill it in the way they decide. You could fill your vase with a few flowers ... Read Full Story >>

Carrying a Suitcase and Making a New Friend in Greece

I just spent a wonderful holiday on a little Greek island together with my family. One day, my husband and I left the kids with his parents (who were with us), rented two motorbikes for the day and went to the other side of the island to visit a very old and well-known monastery. There we happened to see a French lady who was walking by herself with a cane and obviously had difficulties with the 300 steps that led up to the monastery. When I noticed she had a French accent I started speaking French with her, and she appreciated that, saying that her English wasn't very good. While we were talking it turned out that the next day she was going to travel to the village we were staying at and I was already looking forward to seeing her again there and talking to her again, because I ... Read Full Story >>

Where Does Kindness Start? With Us...

Recently at the gas station...I was walking in to Pre-Pay before being able to pump gas into my car. As I approached the door to go in to pay, there was a woman coming out.   I was about 15 feet away and she stood there, waiting and holding the door for me to enter. Usually people are in such a hurry that they dash out and sometimes even to the point of being rude and mowing me down.  I smiled and said "Thank You, you didn't have to do that"  and her reply was "No problem, take your time." Next we are both at our vehicles filling gas and she finished first. She hopped in her van and was getting ready to leave. I noticed her gas compartment was still open and the cap was dangling down.  I quickly scooted to her van and tapped  on it as she was starting ... Read Full Story >>

The Power of 'Thank You'

 I am moving out of my university and city, which has led me to look over the last few years, wrapping up my stuff and thanking people. One such is Mr. Rob Holland. He is the graduate housing coordinator.  At any time of the week, day or night, you can expect an email from him saying that an apartment has become vacant, typically at least twice or thrice a week. I needed him to remove my name from the mailing list, but I thought it could become a fun kindness exercise. I sent him a little note, thanking him for such an efficient way of keeping us updated. I looked at his blog profile out of curiosity and got my hunch confirmed that he was just like any of us.  He loved his dog, wife, etc and likes to paint, sing, and so on. So, I decided to spice up my business-like, one-line email with ... Read Full Story >>

A Little Girl With A Big Heart

I heard a great story this morning about a young girl with a very big heart. A friend was telling me a story about her customer's daughter.   The daughter goes to an expensive private school where she has a friend, who is on a full scholarship at this school.  This friend has very limited means and her mother is an immigrant from China and her father is an alcholic.  Although the girl's mother works very hard, they can barely make ends meet.  This girl is very bright and gifted at music and that's how she got the scholarship from this school.  The stipend also includes an allowance for things like lunch, school uniform and music lessons.    The daughter became friends with this girl and would secretly talk to her at lunch (secretly, in order to avoid the other kids teasing her).  On her birthday last month, she invited her new friend to her birthday ... Read Full Story >>

Unconditional Love

Unexpectedly Helping a Neighbor to Pile Wood

Up here in Thunder Bay, Canada a lot of us heat our houses with wood. I have just finished a month of hard hard work of getting all of my wood cut, bucked, split and piled.

The owner of the country store up the road recently lost his leg, but just two days after getting back from the hospital he was cutting his lawn. I noticed a big pile of wood that needs to be cut and piled last night. Although he's a tough man, tomorrow I have arranged for a few of us to show up unexpected and unasked to tackle the wood for him and get it piled!  The last thing I want to do is handle more wood...but then I think how lucky I am that I can.

Roses for a Grieving Daughter

Last Friday I used my first smile card. I was on my way to visit a social worker who runs an NGO to help her with her website. As she was suffering from flu, I thought some flowers and a smile card would surely cheer her up. So, I picked some roses on my way. On my arrival at her place,  I offered the flowers and a smile card.  She was filled with emotions. She asked me whether there was a reason why I brought these flowers for her or it was just a coincidence. Coincidence?I felt that this act must have touched her deeply. She just lost her mum a few days back, she told me, and it was just what she needed at that moment. We never know at what moment how our act of kindness could ... Read Full Story >>

Rewarding One Good Deed With Another

We were having a mini heat wave yesterday and I was in the supermarket, stocking up on juice and ice-cream.  Now, I'm not much of a fan of the hot weather and I was enjoying the fact that it was cooler inside than outside, but the lady behind the checkout was suffering. I asked if she was looking forward to getting out in the sun after her shift was finished and she replied that she might not last that long. She was melting! She explained that she shouldn't have been working that day, but she had agreed to cover someone else's shift. Now she wished she hadn't. She felt like she might die! I paid for the shopping and headed for the exit. Half way there I remembered something I had wanted to get for Julie, so I went back in. On the way to where I wanted to go, I passed a rack of ... Read Full Story >>

Look Inside Yourself To Heal Others

Two years ago, I heard about a therapist in Hawaii who cured a complete ward of criminally insane patients--without ever seeing any of them. The psychologist would study an inmate's chart and then look within himself to see how he created that person's illness. As he improved himself, the patient improved. "When I first heard this story, I thought it was an urban legend. How could anyone heal anyone else by healing himself? How could even the best self-improvement master cure the criminally insane? It didn't make any sense. It wasn't logical, so I dismissed the story. "However, I heard it again a year later. I heard that the therapist had used a Hawaiian healing process called ho 'oponopono. I had never heard of it, yet I couldn't let it leave my mind. If the story was at all true, I had to know more. I had always understood "total responsibility" to mean that I am responsible ... Read Full Story >>

Hot Pizza Brings a Look to Last Forever

Not too long ago I made a trip to the grocery store.  It was in the evening and past dark.  As I entered the door I noticed a man off to the side with a small cardboard sign that read something to the effect:   "needing change for a hot meal."  

I also noticed several people passing him by with little more than a glance. He looked to be a traveller and seemed to be very humbled at having to ask of others. I too walked on by, but with a seed of an idea planted in my mind. I went to the far back of the grocery store where they offer the only thing I could think of that would be hot. I bought him a couple slices of pizza and immediately went back outside to offer it to him.  I told him that it wasn't much but it was the only thing they had that was hot. I smiled gently and turned to walk away and as I did he smiled back with a deep appreciation and let out a very soft "thank you." That look was worth 10 times more to me than what I had been able to offer him, and it was a look I won't forget.

Kindness Knocks on the Front Door

Two years ago an African man from Malawi, Elias, arrived at my sister’s home in the rough, bush country of South Africa with nothing but the shirt on his back. He was hoping to come to South Africa to find employment in order to support his family in Malawi. Little did he realize my sister at that time was struggling to keep her body and soul together. Nevertheless, Elias was given permission to stay on the property with the understanding that she was unable to help him financially and he would have to find “piece work” employment to support himself. As unemployment is rife, Elias was unable to find work immediately, so my sister taught him how to grow organic vegetables, sew and bake. Elias is keen to learn whatever he can to take the knowledge back to Malawi with him once he goes home. Elias finally found employment but my sister hit ... Read Full Story >>

Getting Through A Difficult Christmas By Helping Others

The Christmas of 2008 was going to be a bleak one for me and my wife and our 4 children. Business was bad and I didn't know how we were going to get through it.

I had just read an article in our local newspaper about a gentleman who would stand in the city and give out $100 notes to unsuspecting shoppers... dressed as Santa. I thought that was a great idea, only thing was I didn't have a wad of $100 bills to hand out.

So, what I decided to do was call up a local women's refuge centre and ask them if they had anyone more unfortunate than me and my family, who would like some Christmas presents to make their holiday time a little brighter. I went down to the toy store and proceeded to load up my trolley with toys and racing cars and dolls for deserving boys and girls. Once I had filled up with plenty of toys I called my wife and kids and we delivered the toys to the womens refuge centre.

It was a great way to do something nice for others less fortunate than ourselves and was great to have involved the kids.

P.S. I still want to dress up as Santa and give away $100 notes on the street to unsuspecting shoppers... :)

Changing the World One Shopping Trip at a Time

I was in the grocery store one day a while back and I went down an aisle to grab some spaghetti sauce.  There were three other shoppers in the same aisle: a woman and her husband and another woman who was in a motorized cart.  The woman in the motorized cart was trying to keep out of the way of the woman and the man, and she was also looking at the shelves and trying to grab something.  I paused as the man and woman took a look at the handicapped woman and walked on.  I smiled at the handicapped woman and was about to walk back the way I came, when she groaned, "Geez nevermind," and started to back-up to get out of the aisle.  Hearing her frustrated comment I turned back and asked her if she needed help.  She told me yes and asked me if I could please grab the jar of ... Read Full Story >>

A Bus Ride That Touched My Heart

Last night after work, I took the bus home.  Now this bus ride was different then usual. The difference was that people seemed to be helping others at every chance they could!  The bus was filled with people as usual and we took the usual route home.  There is a blind lady who always gets on the same bus as me. We were just about to leave the bus station when a lady on the bus suddenly noticed that the blind lady wasn't on the bus that day and told the driver.  When we looked out the window, we saw her sitting over in the corner all by herself. One lady passenger jumped off the bus and ran to help and guide this blind lady onto the bus.  As we were driving along each stop and picking up passengers, a girl in her 20's got on at one stop and asked the bus driver how much the bus ride ... Read Full Story >>

A Motorcycle Man's Karmic Kindness

In my country, motorcycles are commonly used to transport people to work, church and businesses.  Often, really small motorcycles carry two to three people and on top of this our roads are pretty bad and traffic is always unbearable. There is a young man who picked up a lady everyday from the same bus stop and took her to the office where she worked. One particular day, the lady did not have enough money to pay for the motorcycle man to take her to work, and so thought she would end up walking on the road and risking questioning from her boss for arriving late. But this young motorcycle man said he would willingly take her anyways and asked her to climb onto the bike.  She hasitated at first, but decided to take him up on his offer.  He took her all the way to her office, which should have cost her N500, but he refused to collect any money from her that ... Read Full Story >>