Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Small Act Of Kindness at the Recycling Center

This is a small act of kindness but significant, as it’s important for me to remember that these acts don’t have to be grandiose to make a difference. My daughter and I took on the task of redeeming the soda cans and bottles for deposit money, something we avoid and I usually end up doing alone. We had 6 garbage bags full so we knew we’d be spending a bit of time at the redemption center. When we got there, a man and his kids were also spending the morning recycling and were using 2 of the 4 machines to recycle their plastic and cans. Luckily, we were able to use the 2 remaining machines to do our work. Of course, there were others that came, but when they saw the two families with multiple garbage bags full of recyclables, they quickly left. However, one woman came in with just 5 cans ... Read Full Story >>

Making My Life Worth It

One day, after I finished my classes at university and was heading towards the bus station to go home, I kept thinking about how miserable my life was and how I couldn't succeed in anything. I was really sad and I thought I'd never do anything worth it in my life.

Then, I arrived at the bus station. I was looking around and watching people passing by.  I saw this very old lady who was carrying a very heavy bag. I kept watching her for a while and noticed that she was struggling to walk while carrying this bag. So, I decided to go up to her and offer to carry the bag and walk with her to wherever she was going.  She looked at me, shocked at first, but then she gave me the bag and smiled :) I walked with her until she reached her destination and I handed her the bag. She was still smiling and kept thanking me and wishing me the best of everything.

I really can't describe how happy I felt after she left. Yes, I made her happy but I was the happiest person on earth at this moment. It feels great to help people and makes my life feel worth it!!

Valentine's Contest

I am running a Valentine's Day Contest for kids. I'll buy prizes for the winners and probably give a treat to EACH participant (although I haven't told them that yet). This contest will be multipurpose. The kids gets to do something fun and receive a prize, then the cards or drawings will be used by me to brighten Valentine's Day for residents of a local nursing home in February. The young and the elderly - nothing brings more joy to my life!

Gifting Subscriptions

I LOVE to read and am a voracious reader.  I also visit the library, swap books and order new, used books and magazines. Recently, I had two magazines that needed renewal so what I did was to renew my subscriptions to both and order additional subscriptions to pay-it-forward.  My Mom, and two different friends will be getting a monthly magazine free of charge.  They will not know that I paid and I know they will enjoy them as we have similiar interests.

When I refinanced our mortgage a few years ago, the loan officier and I became friendly.  She is a wonderful person and we clicked.  Boy was I surprised to find out she has gifted me a year's subscription to Home & Garden's.  So, even though I can't take credit for the idea, it is certainly worth repeating to share the surprise and joy!

How to be a Kick-Butt Volunteer

A volunteer, by definition, serves and improves our community. But a little birdie once told me there are some volunteers who prefer to laze around and play Candy Land instead of getting any real work done. I assume these people believe that since they are volunteering, they are automatically helping and consequently forget to put genuine sweat into their work.  Is it possible to have your peacock feathers a bit too fully displayed and misdirect your admirable intentions? I posed the following questions to a bunch of my cronies who have years of experience in the nonprofit sector: What makes a first-rate volunteer? What makes a helplessly high-maintenance volunteer? How can a person become a super-hero volunteer? Listen to the following advice of my friends. I’ll be bold enough to guarantee that my grass-roots amigos can steer you down the most direct boulevard to becoming a kick-butt volunteer. Jennifer Beahrs, a ... Read Full Story >>

Taking Off My Shoes

Today was a rainy day and I was walking down the street feeling blessed. I felt like doing something kind for someone else, almost as if I was trying to spread the abundance of love I was receiving. I suddenly saw this teenage girl dressed in tattered clothes, getting soaked and without any footwear. She was making her way through the dirty garbage and sewers, trying to pick something that would be of use. I immediately told her to wait for me there as I ran home to get her something.   Spontaneously, I took off my shoes, which I really love, wrapped them up in a plastic cover and gave it to the teenage girl on the street. The girl looked shocked as if she is so not used to this kind of kindness.  She almost couldn't believe it. A distinguished musician who lives down the street corner stopped his car to ... Read Full Story >>

Remember These Moments Often

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day.  ~Author Unknown Yesterday was a pretty good day.  After a rough few weeks at work I was driving to a shopping center in town and I wasn't feeling myself. I almost didn't go, but I wanted to buy myself a couple of inspiring and uplifting books from Barnes and Nobles so I went anyway.  On my way there I was driving down this road when all of a sudden I see a full grown Bald Eagle take off from somewhere across the road and fly almost in slow motion across the road and land in a tree on the other side.  I slowed down immediately to take in this breathtaking sight.  I was so moved I had tears in my eyes.  Maybe this was the sign I needed to help me realize that things are going to get better ... Read Full Story >>

Crossing Guard Helped by Driver

   I was driving my daughter to swim team after school on a rainy day and I was watching the crossing guard struggling with his umbrella, which had broken and turned inside out.  We pulled over and I opened the window and handed him my brand new umbrella so he could stay dry.  He was so thankful and we drove off smiling.       

The Girl Who Gave Me Apples

August 1942. Piotrkow, Poland. The sky was gloomy that morning as we waited anxiously. All the men, women and children of Piotrkow's Jewish ghetto had been herded into a square. Word had gotten around that we were being moved. My father had only recently died from typhus, which had run rampant through the crowded ghetto. My greatest fear was that our family would be separated. 'Whatever you do,' Isidore, my eldest brother, whispered to me, 'don't tell them your age. Say you're sixteen.' I was tall for a boy of 11, so I could pull it off. That way I might be deemed valuable as a worker. An SS man approached me, boots clicking against the cobblestones. He looked me up and down, then asked my age. 'Sixteen,' I said. He directed me to the left, where my three brothers and other healthy young men already stood. My mother was motioned to ... Read Full Story >>

Doing Unto Others As They Have Done Unto Me

Being disabled, I sometimes have trouble walking and standing in lines.  I have some kind of a movment disorder that makes me start shaking and sometimes causes me to fall.  There have been times that I have been in line at the grocery store and my legs are ready to give out.  I usually ask the person in front of me if its okay that I go in front of them because of my problem.  They can see that I'm not well and let me go first.  I know that I have held them up because it will take me longer to pay but they don't seem to mind.

On my good days, I like to let people go in front of me if they are elderly or disabled or only have a few items.  I feel it is the least that I can do to say thanks for all the times people have let me through to the front.  Why hold them up when I feel good and have more items than them.

It makes me feel good to give back what others have done for me. Thank you for letting me share this with you.  Just wanted to let you know that there are nice people everywhere.

The Power of a Simple Text Message

This morning I picked up mobile to find that I had a very low balance.  It was not enough to call anyone but I could still send some SMS messages.  Instead of sending forwarded messages, I always send special messages that my friends all know me for. 

Here's one of the messages I sent:

Hiii George.  You look great and smart today, WOW!  Nice shirt dear, I love it.  Now I see you smiling -- you have a great smile too!  Wear that smile whole day, have a great day ahead..love u

I know these short text messages bring a smile on my friends' faces, which brightens my day too. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

Help While Grieving a Suicide

   Some of you may remember my story of actively listening and comforting my "drama queen"  friend when other co-workers were burned out  from her continuous list of grievances.     Well, guess who was and is my sympathetic ear and comforter during a recent work tragedy?     Yep,  my drama queen friend immediately took me aside to offer her support and comfort.  She listened while I poured out my grief, anger and shock over the unexpected suicide.    Then she shared a confidence with me, a secret she has shared with no one but relatives concerning a suicide that occurred many years ago in her family.     We talked and she told me how her family dealt with the tragedy, for instance how they went to counselling and joined a support group.  She offered advise that she gleamed from the experience. The next day she brought me a great book to read  that helped her and ... Read Full Story >>

Gearing Up 1st Graders Through Craigslist

I frequently flip through Craigslist just because I find human nature to be absolutely fascinating. Well, one day I found a post from a teacher looking for help. She taught at a grade school in Oregon, and each classroom got to pick a university to learn about, as a way to encourage the kids to go to college some day. It was a rural school in a poorer area, and evidently a lot of kids didn’t stay on track, so this was an important project to the teacher. Her first graders had picked my alma mater, the University of Michigan, as their university of choice for the project, and she was asking for volunteers to send Michigan spirit wear for her students.   I wanted to send something because I thought it was a really cool idea. Education is one of the causes that I am looking to get more involved ... Read Full Story >>

Being There for My Bosses

Today when I got to work  I was met by both of my bosses in my office. I thought, oh oh, something is up.

Well  it wasn't what I thought at all. They both wanted me to know that they weren't feeling well. One had a back ache and the other was running a fever. They said they were here because they had to be, but tomorrow they would probably stay home sick.  They were both supposed to work tonight from 6:30-9pm because of religious education classes going on in the school.  I said, "Why don't you let me come back tonight and cover the office for you." They said, "You wouldn't mind?" I said, "I would love to do this for you and this way you can get to bed early and really feel better by Thursday. "

So that's where I will be tonight, covering the office for my bosses!  I feel great to be able to do this for them and hope they are feeling better soon. Smile and be there for someone in need!  They may be there for you some day.

Measuring Success with a Smile

  While traveling for my documentary project, HEAR US, I pulled up to a busy Phoenix intersection and stopped at a red light. An obviously homeless man began crossing in front of our paused vehicles. I was first in line and was completely preoccupied with the reality that I couldn't find my 1:00 appointment at the nearby (or so I thought) shelter. He turned toward me, pointing to the corners of his mouth, made a universally understood motion to indicate "SMILE" and stood and stared at me.  With a snicker of someone who had been caught being overly pensive, I flashed a smile, which he recognized as sufficient to trust I'd hold that thought, and he moved on to the vehicle next to me, repeating his motions. They needed a little help, so our Mr. Smiley pointed up to the sky, circling his finger in a "divine" gesture, then stretched out his arms ... Read Full Story >>

A Wait, A Line, A Gesture

I received a nice random act of kindness yesterday.  I went across the street to get myself a drink and some dessert for lunch.  There was an older man standing in line waiting to buy some lottery tickets and some other things.  He saw me and how I was dressed and said to the cashier, "Why don't you help this nice young lady first, she looks like she needs to go to work."  I thought it was so sweet and I gave him the biggest smile and told him how much I appreciated it.  It really is the small things in life.  And because of that I want to pass it on even more. 

Anonymous Sodas for Co-workers

 I received my first delivery of smile cards in the mail yesterday and today I used my first one. At work, there's just a refrigerator full of sodas and a cash box for people to pay 40 cents per can (we don't have a vending machine). So I taped 40 cents to the smile card and put the card on top of the cash box, so the next person to put his or her money in will find it.

A Bank That Pays-It-Forward

You think everyone would have something they dislike about their job - with the notable exception of the people at State Bank and Trust in Fargo, N.D., CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman reports. "What do you hate about this company?" Hartman asked some workers. One said: "I haven't found anything yet." Another: "No, this is a good place to work? "What do I hate about management? They're just too nice!" One worker said. Another worker said, "They care about their employees." The conclusion: Take this job and love it! Another worker's reaction to Hartman's question, what do you hate about working here, was: "I have to go home." State Bank chief operating officer Michael Solberg said, "That's our mission statement: happy employees, happy customer." What, is this McDonalds? To accomplish the company's mission, Solberg says the bank gives a year-end bonus of about 5 percent of salary. They contribute 15 percent of salary to the 401-K, and do a full ... Read Full Story >>

From a Village to Google, on a WheelChair!

Naga Naresh Karutura has just passed out of IIT Madras in Computer Science and has joined Google in Bangalore. You may ask, what’s so special about this 21-year-old when there are hundreds of students passing out from various IITs and joining big companies like Google? Naresh is special. His parents are illiterate. He has no legs and moves around in his powered wheel chair. (In fact, when I could not locate his lab, he told me over the mobile phone, ‘I will come and pick you up’. And in no time, he was there to guide me) Ever smiling, optimistic and full of spirit; that is Naresh. He says, “God has always been planning things for me. That is why I feel I am lucky.” Read why Naresh feels he is lucky. Childhood in a village I spent the first seven years of my life in Teeparru, a small village in Andhra Pradesh, on the banks ... Read Full Story >>

Save the Environment while Grocery Shopping!

I am a big conservationist and believe it is our responsibility, as stewards of this earth, to cut down on pollution, excess consumption, ravaging of natural resources, etc. I  try to do my part every day and one way is by refusing to use plastic bags at stores, especially grocery ones. I have my own recycled ones I bring and if not enough, then I ask for paper bags and use them as garbage bags.

When I was out at Whole Foods buying some organic items, I decided to buy several recycled bags and have the cashier or bagger gift them to others in line along with a smile card. At first, the cashier did not understand when I told her what I was doing, why and that I was a member of HelpOthers.  However, the bagger was very receptive, smiling and said, "How cool- sure we'll pick out some people and give them the bag and the card."

I was pleased as it will be DOUBLE RAOK's -- one for the environment and one for the recipient of the recycled bags who can re-use them every time they go shopping like me!