Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Inspired by the "Idea of the Week"

I just finished reading the "Idea of the Week" story and I had to smile to myself. I have no idea who or when or where he/she wrote the story, but it definitely stuck with me. 

A few weeks ago I was so impressed with a young man who took my order at a drive through window at a fast food place, that when I got home I immediately called the restuarant & talked to the manager.  I didn't know the young man's name so I could only describe him.  I had hoped that he would be recognized for his very gracious manner.  

Of course I have no way of knowing if I'm on the "same page" as that writier but I do hope that my phone call had the same effect for "my young man" as that writer experienced. 

The moral of the story is don't hesitate to spread compliments around where they are due.  Hand them out like Smile cards!

Power Of A Trashed Pencil

She was a janitor at a school in India.   Her husband died soon after her marriage, she didn't have any family in the area.  She struggled with the responsibility of raising her kids.  For the last twenty years, she's continued to sweep classrooms at local schools. One day, though, she had a radical idea:  I want to give.  It was followed-up by a reasonable yet confusing thought:  But what can I possibly give? When she narrated her desire to a friend, he told her a story.  "Gandhi used to write many letters.  One day, Kakasaheb Kalelkar, a famous Indian author, saw him writing with a tiny pencil and immediately offered Gandhi a bigger pencil from his pocket.  Gandhi politely said that he didn't need it.  The next day, he saw Gandhi scrambling to find his pencil and Kakasaheb again offered him a pencil saying, 'Your pencil was so small anyway.'  Gandhi gently ... Read Full Story >>

A Community Comes Together To Pay Tribute

Our friend took his own life at a young age (he was only in his 40's) and we waited to hear about funeral arrangements.  He was a truck driver that we only saw twice a week but he always was so cheerful.  He didn't live close to our town but touched the lives of many.  Every week when he delievered our shipments, he drew on the papers and we always responded by drawing our own back.  If we had only known he was so troubled, we would have done anything to help him. When we found out that no one was claiming his body, three of our stores that he delivered to got together.  We did the legal work and got the papers fixed so our funeral home could have the legal rights to go care for him.  We raised the money and, by the night of the services, we had ... Read Full Story >>

Unexpected Thoughtfulness of a Stranger

A couple of years ago, when my son was just starting to toddle, I found myself at the local Sunday bootfair.  My son and I were wandering up and down the field, when we saw a table that had some toy cars on.  I said to my little boy that since he had been such a good boy, he could choose one of the 50p cars and I would buy it for him. After some deliberation, he chose a car and it was only when I went to pay that I realised that I had 46p or a £10 note.  I tried to pay with the £10 and the lady asked if I had anything smaller.  I tipped out the 46p into my hand and said that it was all the change that I had.  The lady at the stall only gave me a glance as I held it out to ... Read Full Story >>

A Stranger Stuck in Mud

On Friday, my boyfriend and I were driving on a busy road.  I saw a man crouched over on the sidewalk on the side of the road. I told him we should see if he was okay.  My boyfriend worried, because it was sort of a bad end of town, but agreed we could stop and watch him for a minute.  But honestly, he admitted he was afraid the man was just drunk. We pulled over and watch and the stranger seemed to be reaching his hand up as if wanting someone to stop.  That was enough for me and I was out of my vehicle and heading over there.  My boyfriend came too. When I got there, I saw this poor man was stuck in mud - wet, gooey mud.  I reached him and asked if he was ok, but he just looked at me and reached his arm up.  I ... Read Full Story >>

Helping A Shy Boy To Make New Friends

A few days ago, I noticed a boy standing alone in the cafeteria before school.  The cafeteria was filled with girls and boys laughing and talking to each other.  I had never seen this boy before.  I assumed that he was new.

As I looked closer at him, I noticed that he seemed to be very sad.  I then walked over to him and started up a conversation.  I found that he was a very kind boy, just a little shy.  After the bell rang, I had to go to class but I told him that I would see him tomorrow.

As I said, I did see him the next day.  But to my surprise, he was standing talking to a group of kids.  I felt warmth in my heart when I saw this.  By my talking to him yesterday, I obviously made him gain confidence in himself.  The group that he was talking to seemed to really like him.  They always sat with him at lunch, and engaged him in conversation.

At the end of that day, I saw him walking out and he gave me a heart-warming smile.  I now realize what can happen if you start a chain reaction.

Cafe of Love

In the early 80's, I was introduced by a homeless lady named Rosie to a little café in Portland, Oregon. I had taken Rosie for coffee or food many times in the months I had known her.  This day she insisted she was taking me to lunch. We walked from the hotel where I worked to a little cafe on Davis Street.  I was franctic, knowing she had no money, and I did not want to hurt her feeling by offering to pay yet again. The cafe was filled with people, all of them smiling, even the workers.  Rosie told me to sit and drink coffee while she worked for her lunch.  After about 20 minutes, she paid for one meal and we sat enjoying the best vegetarian chili and cornbread I had ever eaten.  She explained to me that the café let you work for a meal if you had no money, or would give you ... Read Full Story >>

A Lesson in Kindness That Began 50 Years Ago

My lesson in kindness began many years ago.

At age 13, I was taking a bus cross-country, from Illinois to Washington, to be with my Dad and siblings.  I had no money, not even a penny.  After the bus had made three or four meal stops, where I stayed on the bus, the lady next to me started a conversation.

She finally asked me if I had food money.  I was afraid to admit that I didn't have any.  Well, the lady's trip ended in Topeka, Kansas.  When she got ready to get off the bus, she handed me $20.  $20 was a lot of money in those days.  She told me  she had also been hungry in her life and I needed to eat.   At the next stop, I ate like there was no tomorrow.

That was 50 years ago and I have never forgotten that kind woman and have been paying it forward every since.

The Hero Who Helped Me Out of the Snow

I was driving home this evening and it had just started snowing,  it was dark and the roads were beginning to freeze.

As I turned the corner and started down the hill, the car started slipping.  I had no grip on the road at all.  Black ice was everywhere.

The brakes made no difference and the car was gaining speed.  I decided it would be best to bump up the curb and crash into a hedge.  So that is what I did.  Then, however,  I could not reverse out because the wheels just kept spinning on the snow.

I was just wondering what to do when a man, going past in his car, stopped and came over to see if I was OK.  He was so great.  He pushed my car back on to the road and got me going in the right direction again. 

He was my hero today.

Bagged by an Anonymous Act of Kindness

I was at the grocery store last Friday buying some milk, bread, and juice for my family of 3. At the check out the total came to about $25. I swiped my card but it didnt work. I tried again. No luck. I was quickly becoming embarassed as my 18 month old became fidgety and I scrambled through my purse looking for another way to pay.

I only had 6 one dollar bills in my purse. I asked the cashier to move on to the next person while I tried the ATM. That didnt work either. I finally resolved to write a check but when I came back to the checkout the cashier told me that my groceries had already been paid for!

Tears instantly came to my eyes. I have no idea who the person was that paid for my groceries.  They have no idea how much their act of kindness meant to me. Things like that give me hope and faith to carry on through the day.

A Lesson in Sharing Kindness with Humility

I had made up my mind a long time ago that I would not give a homeless person money, because I could never be sure what that money would be used for.  I did not want it to support any unhealthy habits.  Instead, I decided, I would buy them a sandwich, a cold drink on a hot day, a cup of coffee, whatever I could manage. I was out and about running errands recently and saw a homeless man, with his shopping cart full of his only possessions, asleep outside of a Starbucks.  My parking meter was about to expire, so I dropped another few coins in and went into the Starbucks.  I decided I would buy this man lunch.  I purchased a sandwich and soda. Just as I was leaving the store two policemen were approaching the man.  Apparently the shop owners had complained of his vagrancy and the police were ... Read Full Story >>

A Few Cups of Tea That Touched Many Souls

Last week, I witnessed a beautiful act of kindness.  Actually, I witnessed a million over the ten days spent in the Kutch region of Gujarat, India and chose to share this one with you as a testament of the powerful vibration of giving.  I traveled to Kutch with Jayesh-bhai, the founder of Manav Sadhna NGO, two Manav Sadhna staff – Jagat and Bhaskar – and some friends.  On our return to Ahmedabad, we stopped for 'chai' (Indian Tea) at a truck stop.  The chai was absolutely delicious and we reordered more two times, with regular exclamations of its quality to the servers and cashier.  When it came time to pay, the cashier would not take our money.  After some forced attempts to pay, Jagat accepted the gift of the chai, took back the money, thanked him and asked the cashier for his phone number.  Jagat promised to call the cashier ... Read Full Story >>

Thanking A Veteran

I was headed into Walmart. I grabbed a shopping cart and noticed this older man with a walking cane struggling with his cart, As I approached to help him I noticed his cap with WWII and some decorative pins on it. I was more determined to help him now. :0) 

I asked can I help you? He said his cart wheels seem to be jammed. I took his two bags out and put them in my cart and asked can I help you to your car?  He was a proud man and said "I'm ok now that you've given me your cart".  I said "My pleasure and I patted him on the back of his shoulder and blurted out the words "Thank you for all you did for our Country"... He looked at me and said "WHAT?"  I repeated myself and tapped his hat.  Then he smiled widely and was on his way.  

I grabbed another shopping cart and would have been whistling a tune if I knew how to whistle that good.  I was happy that I made him smile like that.

I used to be afraid of not saying the right thing, but "Thank You" was all I needed to say.

Surrending My Want To Another's Need

I had been feeling a bit blue and alone, so I thought I'd treat myself to something I wanted.  I went to the grocery store to pick up some items I needed to make some chili bean soup. I had a hankering for it and felt like I'd treat myself to something I wanted. I could almost taste the soup.  I had the beans the onions, the ground beef, my mouth was watering. Then out of nowhere a thought of my sister came to mind. We had spoken via email just the day before. She told me that she and my 13-month-old nephew had been battling a virus all week and feeling pretty tired. As I thought of this, I  thought that I should bring something over for dinner.  She loves my Mexican meatball soup (Albondigas), but I wanted Chili soup, and so the battle within began. I already had everything for ... Read Full Story >>

An Extra Gift for Someone Helping Others

The holidays always seem to come too quickly.  And then, just when we start to enjoy them, they are over too soon.  But one thing I can always count on to start the season are the bell ringers for the Salvation Army.   My father had told me how, when he was a Merchant Marine, he would go and listen to their service and they would feed him.  Once he was a grown man with a settled family,  he made sure to always give to that charity.

During the hustle and bustle of shopping, I was finding some great sales using coupons.  I had saved enough to pick up a few extra gifts just in case.  As I was leaving the mall, sure enough I saw a bell ringer.  The woman held the door open and smiled.  I put some money in the pot and started to walk away when I remembered the extra gifts.  I pulled out a gift basket from Bath and Body, and gave it to her.  She couldn't believe it and started to cry.  She said she really needed the pick me up since she was having a hard time.  I'm glad I had the opportunity to help someone who was doing so much for the rest of society.

The Alphabets Are Our Friends!

(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in "you"
(C)alls you just to say "HI"
(D)oesn't give up on you
(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over
(J)ust likes to "be" with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your life
(N)ever Judges
(O)ffers support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits
(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you
(W)alks beside you
(X)-plains things you don't understand
(Y)ells when you won't listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality.

An Encounter With Someone Who Wants To Be Heard

Julie and I went to visit a Teen Challenge bus last night. We were going to see if we could help set up. It was a ram-shackle old thing! A mini-kitchen had been installed in the back and the seats were arranged along the sides so folks could face each other and chat. They set up outside a hostel for homeless young people. They do tea, toast, biscuits for anyone who wants to come in. Some of their clients are simply homeless, some have alcohol, drugs or psychological problems. The theory behind it is that if anyone wants a better life, a way out of their current situation, this organisation will help them. If the person makes a committment to attend church and get their "habits" down to a certain level Teen Challenge will get them into a rehab centre. One of the workers said something that stayed with me. ... Read Full Story >>

A Lift That Gave Me Joy

Last fall, before Thanksgiving, I was making my way in my car out of the shopping center parking lot.  I was all alone in the car.  I noticed a woman laden with bags and her two boys, one carrying a pumpkin and the other another bag. I assumed that they were headed to the bus stop across the major road, since it was too far to walk with all those purchases to any of the nearby apartment communities.  On a random impulse, I rolled down my window and asked if they were indeed headed to the bus stop.  “Yes,” the mother responded.  I asked "Would you like a ride?"  "Oh yes!” was their excited reaction. I was delighted, and, after manoeuvering over to the side out of the way of other traffic, I stopped and the boys piled into the back seat.  The mother started to push in beside them.  I ... Read Full Story >>

A Sign To Be Kind

Yesterday, I went to my favourite coffee shop in town. I was sitting at a table, leisurely enjoying a fantastic cup of tea.  On my left there were two ladies having a hot chocolate and chatting away happily.

I suddenly felt like paying for their drinks, but I was in a dilemma.  We don't exactly have a lot of money to give out these days.  So I decided to look for a sign to tell me what to do.

The sign that came was very interesting.  After a few minutes of my sitting there, two other ladies came in and addressed one of the ladies drinking the hot chocolate by her first name, which was also my daughter’s first name.  Now, the interesting part is that my daughter’s name is a very old Italian name, not exactly the name one would expect to hear in England.

So I decided that it was the right decision.  To avoid questions from the waitress, I told her that the ladies were my friends and that I wanted to surprise them, paying them their drinks.

I hope they enjoyed their surprise.

Satisfaction from Selflessly Shovelling the Snow

This past weekend, it snowed a bit in my neighborhood.  At one point, just after it began snowing, I heard the familiar sound of a snowshovel blade scraping the sidewalk.  I peeked out my front window to see a man clearing the snow off his portion of the sidewalk.  He and I live in an attached house so his sidewalk and mine are really one sidewalk, but his now cleared walkway clearly defined what was his and what was mine. Several hours later, after the snow stopped falling, I grabbed my shovel to clear my sidewalk.  I was thinking of my neighbor clearing only his side of the pavement.  I thought how wonderful it would have been for my neighbor to shovel the additional few yards in front of my house.  "No big deal," I thought.  But it would have made me feel special. At that thought, I decided to ... Read Full Story >>