Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Coffee With A Professor

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite -- telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones.  While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.  The cup itself doesn't add to the quality to the coffee and in some cases even hides what we drink and yet you consciously ... Read Full Story >>

An Empty Wallet Gets A Refill

It seemed to be an ordinary crazy busy Saturday at the restaurant I work in.  Then, all of a sudden, all the staff started turning the kitchen upside down, going through the garbage, looking and looking for something.  As it turned out,a fellow server had lost her wallet full of money from the day.  It was really moving to see so many people (including the caring management team) digging through garbage and taking the time to help this girl.  She was beside herself in tears. Then, out of nowhere, the story took a turn for the worst.  They found her wallet in the staff bathroom, empty.  Long story short there is no doubt that another employee stole her money and left the empty wallet in the restroom while everyone else was busy trying to find it.  Jaws dropped to the floor, hearts sank, people were hurt and angry and everyone was ... Read Full Story >>

Making the "Big Issue" Magazine Seller's Day

In Britain we have a magazine called The Big Issue which homeless people sell. Half the money raised goes towards their next batch of magazines and the other half is theirs to keep. One day I was out walking with Julie, my wife, on a bitter cold day when I came across a Big Issue seller. Poor guy looked frozen. I bought a magazine without looking at it and gave him a little extra money.  Further down the road I realised that I had bought the same issue a few days earlier in Glasgow. When he saw me turn back and walk towards him the poor guy looked a little worried (I'm a big fellow).  I think he thought I was going to complain about something.  Instead I gave him the magazine back and said, "I've read this one. Why don't you sell it again to someone else?"  The way I saw it he ... Read Full Story >>

Gift of Motherhood, Gift of Kindness

Two days before Mother's Day, I was at a Walmart with my wife, getting some gifts, and I saw a nice gift set of lavender-scented lotions and other stuff (Hey, I'm not supposed to know exactly what all comes in those sets :-)) And so I thought what the heck, I'll get one and we'll find someone to give it to. So we're paying for everything, and the woman behind the counter is this cheery, middle-aged woman who remarks "Getting a gift for Mother's Day, huh? Nice set," or something. Somehow that set showed up for only half of the price, $5 instead of $10. Strange, I thought. We finish paying, and we move over to the side, and I'm thinking I should just give her that set! We pull out a smile card and as she's helping another customer, I tell her, this is for you, and give her the set ... Read Full Story >>

From a Child to the "People Without Houses"

About a year ago, I was packing to move myself and my son in with my fiance and his daughter.  My son was finally weaning off baby foods, so as I was packing up the kitchen things, I packed up his old baby food. My step-daughter came into the kitchen to see what I was doing. When she saw me packing up her little brother's food, she squealed!  Why was I taking away all his food???!!! I laughed and told her that her little brother was big enough now to eat big people food, just like she does. I then told her that I was going to give all his jars of baby food to the shelter up the street. I explained that some people don't have jobs, clothes, food or houses and that she and her brother were very lucky that her Daddy and I make enough money to give them ... Read Full Story >>

Gifting Yoga

Ok... so I'm suddenly addicted to this site - yippee, no more facebook!!  :)  I've been reading the smile stories one by one, mixing it up and going into some older stories.  I'm just having a blast on this very cold afternoon!!  Also, I am warmed by all the karmabuck giving, it's fabulous!! 

My mind is going a mile a minute with the same question that everyone keeps asking themselves, "What else can I do?" When suddenly, it hit me - YOGA!!  I am a yoga teacher, so why not gift my yoga classes?  And not just to anyone - people who need some extra love.  So, I immediately called a local woman's shelter and talked to someone about it and I think it's going to happen this year!!  Yippeeeeeee....

Thank you to all of the people in my smile group for motivating me to share my love with other people.  For years I have wanted to do something with women's shelters - THIS IS FABULOUS!!

Hugs and peace to all!!

Generosity of a Homeless Man

I used to work at a warehouse that was down the street from a homeless shelter. It was right next door to a little gas station where they made breakfast sandwiches daily and I would walk over before my shift started and get a sandwich and a coke every morning. There was always someone or the other standing around outside asking for money to get something to eat. As a single mother I rarely had money to spare but sometimes I would give them my change until I noticed most of them would go inside and buy a beer with the money instead of food. I stopped giving out my change and just told them I didn't have any. One day as I was walking out of the store, I noticed an old black man who was obviously homeless.  However, interestingly, he was always wearing a nice suit and tie ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness in the Now

On the afternoon of a hot summer day, everybody in my family was in the train and we were on the way to Coimbatore from New Delhi. The heat in the train made all the passengers tired, both mentally and physically.

At that time, a blind man came by selling batteries, toys, scissors, etc. and my father bought a few things for around 50 rupees. My mother looked at my father and said, "We already have all these things in our home, what is the need to buy them?" My father answered, "I thought of helping the blind man."

His reply really touched my heart. The important thing from this conversation was that if you have thought of helping others, do it immediately. Do not postpone it.  Procrastination may change your mind in a minute and you may lose a chance of showing kindness. We do not know, when the next opportunity will present itself in our life.

A Dinner and a Blessing

Driving to Wal Mart after a busy day at work, I saw a man standing in the median between Wal Mart and a strip mall holding a sign that said, "will work for food." I knew at that moment that I was going to go into the store and purchase him something from the deli to eat for dinner. As I turned into the parking lot I saw in my rear view mirror a lady come out from the hair salon and approach the man.  I thought she must be going to give him some money or something to help him out. In the store I was hurrying to get the things I needed and also the chicken dinner and a soda that I wanted to give the man outside. I hurried out to my car and felt an adrenaline rush that I was going to be able to hopefully help ... Read Full Story >>

Lost in Translation

I had just paid for my Subway sandwich and was walking out the door when I heard the cashier tell this nice Russian lady in line behind me that her credit card was declined.  She started to panic and was clearly embarrassed when everyone in the line turned and looked at her, as the cashier said, "I can't give you the sandwich if you don't have cash to pay for it."  She was alone and didn't speak English very well. 

Without hesitation, I walked back and said, "I'll pay for it" and handed the clerk my card.  Everyone was shocked at my random act of kindness.  She said, "No...no...no."  I said, "Yes, yes, yes," paid for her meal and then walked out the door. 

Yogi on the Go

I struggle with money in that I don't have a lot of it. I hate how we are so dependent on it and yet we need it in order to survive - we need to pay rent, buy food, etc. It's a daily struggle, but we all have to do it. Before I went back to school I was living in Toronto as a waitress and yoga teacher and was making some decent money. My partner and I decided to start taking 10 per cent of our tips from waiting tables and giving it to people in need. I have numerous stories of how I saw this process of giving away larger quantities of money every month make shifts in people's lives.  Although the money was a sort of "bonus" to people, it was also recognition of THEIR struggle and a reminder that someone cared - even if it was a ... Read Full Story >>

Good Samaritan's Cell Phone to the Rescue

I was riding my son's scooter home from the library while he was accompanying me on his bicycle.  I was wearing a heavy backpack loaded full of books. Suddenly the scooter hit a rock and I was thrown from it and landed flat on my face onto the pavement.  My concerned son, who is 8 years old, rushed to my side to help me and bravely stood next to me holding both his bike and the scooter as I tried to get up. I then realized that my front tooth was lying on the sidewalk beside me!  I scooped it into my pocket and then probed my mouth with my tongue to assess the damage. Not wanting to alarm my son, I tried to get up and reassure him that I was okay. As I tried to stand, my head was spinning and I felt nauseous so I bent down and put ... Read Full Story >>

Give A Lift To A New Mom!

This story happened years ago, but the kind words of a stranger still linger in the back of my mind and I try to "pay it forward" to other moms (and dads!) that I encounter.

I was in a doctor's office with my very active two-year-old waiting for my turn. We were reading story after story together, giggling and flipping the pages, and just having a great time. This went on for quite a while as I had to wait, and wait.

After some time an older woman who had also been waiting came to me and said, "Dear, you are just so patient with him and you are such a good mother." I smiled and said thanks and she left the office.  Actually, I'm sure I had tears in my eyes after she left.

I cannot tell you how much her words meant to me on that day and for days afterwards. As a "new" mother it was just such an amazing gift to feel like maybe I was doing something right! Whenever you see a young mom please help out, even if it's just a kind word. It means more than you'll ever know.

Finding a Lost Sunset

Around 5:30pm, I was on the bus one day and everybody on the bus was quiet.  People had just gotten off from work, students had just finished their last class and everybody was a little tired from a long day.  It wasn’t a particularly good day for me either as I was feeling quite tired.  I was just looking outside of the window without any specific thought in my mind. It was the same view I have seen many times before, people hurrying home. In front of me, there was a guy sitting in the seat who didn't look too clean.  As he was looking out of the window, the guy suddenly turned to me and pointed at something outside.  “Hey, look buddy, look.”  He had a big smile on his face.  I turned to the direction he was pointing in and there it was...the beautiful Catalina mountains burning with a ... Read Full Story >>

A Circle of Giving

By nature, I tend to be the l organizer in my group of friends -- coordinating parties, camping trips, etc.  A few months ago a fellow volunteer coordinator mentioned to me that they were short of meal cooks/servers for the women's shelter.  I told her I'd see what I could do. I sent out an email to 20-30 friends from different segments of my life, inviting them to be part of the group that would make and serve dinner to a group of 30 women staying in an overnight shelter.  Almost all of my friends responded with an interest in helping to serve.  When the time came I had 8 volunteers that baked desserts and helped prepare a meal.  They enjoyed the experience so much that they have now adopted the project as their own!  Even I now contribute solely as a volunteer not as the main organizer.  One friend created a listserve so people ... Read Full Story >>

Warm Welcome to the Big City

As I was getting into my car, an older woman stopped beside me and asked if I was going South . I wasn't but I asked her where she wanted to go. She told me that she had missed her bus and had to walk about 5 blocks to get another one.  I invited her to get in and said I would be happy to take her. As we started driving, I thought to myself, "I am not in a rush," so I asked the older lady what her final destination was. She was going to work and was running late. So, I offered to drive her to work! "I can't believe you are doing this" she said. "This is such a nice gift. I just moved here 3 weeks ago and you are so friendly!" As we neared the office building where she worked I noticed she seemed to ... Read Full Story >>

Unforgettable Hug at Orange County Jail

I volunteer for Orange County Jail's "Lights On" project on Saturday nights -- in a RV, from 11PM to 4AM, we provide a safe space for released prisoners until they find a ride home.  Of the many interesting stories I've heard, a particular story of 50 year old prisoner really touched me. After his last stay in jail, this 50 years old guy was homeless. He did have a family member and a friend that would let him sleep over sometimes, but on this particular night, he decided to come back and hang out with us in the RV. He told us how he has "anger issues".  He'd got into fights over "petty things", he'd been a small-time burglar, he'd been arrested for being under the influence while driving or being in public places. .  He'd been a small time burglar and had been in and out of incarceration for a lot ... Read Full Story >>

Hand in Hand on a Stormy Night

The train was not working that night as I was heading home.  I had to catch a bus and 2 hours later was dropped off in the middle of the town I was staying in.  The ice storm froze the ground and it was very difficult to walk.  I asked three people for directions, but they were too hurried to help.

Then I saw an old lady holding onto the corner post with her packages, afraid to move.  I asked her where she was going and it was at least 3  miles away.  I tried to find a cab or police car but I was told they do not stop in this neighborhood.

So, we proceeded to walk along, holding onto each other for dear life.  The roads were layered with a sheet of ice.  Then and there I decided that I could not leave this old lady alone like this.  So, I decided to walk her home, hand in hand, for a good 2 hours.  Later that evening, I finally reached my destination  wet and exhausted but filled with joy and love for life.

The Perfect Cup of Tea

It's the small things in life that count in this world - really!  Those small gestures of love that let people know we care.  I am a waitress for a semi-fine dining restaurant.  One day, I was serving a Christmas party and some of the people were fairly well-off financially and a bit "hoity-toity" (official term).  When taking the coffee and tea order BEFORE the desserts came out, one woman said to me, "I like my tea WITH my dessert - not after or before."  I told her that I would do my best!  What she didn't seem to take into consideration was that I had to walk the whole length of the restaurant, up a flight of stairs and then the distance to her from the stairs with 16 desserts.  I was getting the coffee and tea ready beforehand so that it wasn't delayed.  It was not going to ... Read Full Story >>

Looking Out for Each Other

I want to share an incident that happened to me today and want to post this story as a "Thank You" token to the gentleman who helped me. I am a mother of two small kids, working full time and on top of trying to manage our retail business. In short, I am always running around trying to keep our life organized and get everything done on time. Today my son had a luncheon program at school and I had to take beverages from home for the event. As usual, I was running late and went to the nearest Kroger to pick up some juice.  I was running around in such a hurry that I forgot my purse in the shopping basket as I was leaving the store. My purse had everything you can imagine inside including my cell phone, camera, kids' social security cards, driving license, etc and I had ... Read Full Story >>