Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Costa Rican kindness

Recently, my family went on a 1-week trip to Costa Rica during the Christmas holiday.  The trip started out great, with beautiful drives through lush green rainforests, a hike to a stunning waterfall in the middle of nowhere and really friendly local people who were very helpful along the way.  Then we got to the beach resort where we would be spending our last 4 nights and this is where things changed.  The staff at the resort were so rude, there weren't enough pool towels or deck chairs for guests to use each day and service was terrible.  By the second day we decided things just weren't going to get any better so we just accepted things as they were and tried to enjoy ourselves despite the resort.  Then one morning at breakfast, my mom noticed a lady in the corner who was making fresh corn tortilla-like bread on a large clay skillet.  ... Read Full Story >>

Making the Gardener Smile

This morning I was walking in a new park that I had just discovered near my house. When I went walking the previous day, the old gardener had asked me if I had some clothes to give him. He was wearing a tattered vest and it was obvious that although so many people frequented the park, nobody had ever spoken to him before. I gave him some nice shirts and some cake that I had at home. The next morning he told me how thankful he was for the shirts. As I walked, I noticed that the sprinkler that he was using to water the plants in the park was leaking in several places. I went home and brought some scotch tape and scissors, and, with his help, I blocked the leakages. I told him he could keep the scotch tape in case he needed it again. It was then that I got to see his ... Read Full Story >>

Ginger Ale in Line

I was at a popular local grocery store at exactly the wrong time -- just after everyone was getting off work.  This is the kind of grocery store where it sometimes takes 15 minutes just to find parking.  When I got inside, the lines for the express lane were the entire length of a grocery store aisle.  The store was jam-packed and people were regularly having to adjust their gaits and paths to navigate the crowded aisles.  Luckily, I had a fairly small shopping list requiring only a handbasket and made my way through the store much more quickly and efficiently than all of the people with large carts.  Some 30 minutes later, I had another lucky break by quickly finding a checkout aisle with only four customers in it.  As I was waiting in line, a woman in the next checkout line called someone and asked if they wanted ginger ... Read Full Story >>

A statement of kindness

I was filling out applications for grad school in America when I figured that they required financial statements from international students, even though I was planning to study on a scholarship. Since I needed to show a huge sum of money, I was in a bit of a spot, especially with the high value for the dollar in contrast to the Indian rupee.

Just then a remote relative of mine dropped by. He asked me what my plans were, and I told him I had begun applying. Spontaneously, without me even mentioning that I needed a financial statement, he volunteered to act as my sponsor .

It was a real act of trust and kindness that just shows that sometimes the universe really conspires to help you out.

Being there...

I got a call at 9pm on 30th December 06 from a friend who was stopping by a nearby store. He remembered I live nearby and wanted to wish me for the new year. He is a publisher of an ethnic magazine that he distributes personally in dozens of stores in the bay area. I knew that he had at least 2 more hours of work. I asked him whether I could join him. He asked me go to the next restaurant he was heading to in the next 10 minutes. For the next 2 hours, we went around the bay area distributing the magazine and throughout the drive, he was telling me about the ending year, his dreams for the magazine for the next year, his insights, ideas, hopes... Once the job was done, we checked into a Starbucks and he went on for another 1 hour. In the end, ... Read Full Story >>

The Yellow Ribbons

Across the street from my house live an older couple who are raising their 4 grandchildren, 2 of which are 13-year-old girls. 

I always by clothes and shoes and most still have tags on them.  I always give stuff away and this time a light  flashed in my head - the girls across the street .  So I filled up 2 hefty trash bags full of shoes, clothes, purses, shampoo, everything.  I didn't want to embarass anybody including myself.  I like to do things when nobody knows it's me. 

So at the crack of dawn, I tied big beautiful yellow ribbons on the bags, went across the street, and put them over the fence.  Later that day, the girls were going in and out of the house trying on all the clothes and shoes . It was like a fashion show and they were so excited - laughing  and jumping up and down.  Seeing those girls so happy was awesome!

Sharing and giving

This year for christmas, I decided to make a special effort to carefully select and wrap presents for my friends and family. I also sent out cards for the first time in many years.

Although I do not usually celebrate christmas, I saw it as an opportunity to show the people who are dear to me exactly how precious they really are to me.

Toys for Boys

I stopped in the drugstore to pick up a few items. As I stood in line, two young brothers were trying to buy a toy for each of them. Their items were just over $10 but they didn't have enough money and were trying to decide who had to put their toy back. Neither boy wanted the other to have to put their toy back.

I remember when I was a young boy how that felt. I told the cashier to just put them on my bill and told the boys to have a nice day. You would think they just won the lottery! The youngest tried to give me what money they did have but I told him to just keep it and have a nice day.

The smallest things make the biggest difference to people and the smiles of those boys was more than enough of a reward for me!

Act of kindness

Before I had my daughter, I used to work in a factory  and I remember that I finished the job but  before I got out of the factory, there was a pile of things for the poor. I had nothing to give, so I decided to give the jacket I was wearing.

It was my favorite jacket. Sometimes I still think about that jacket, but I hope it went to the right person. I remember thinking before I took off the jacket that I hope it will heal someone that needs comfort. 

Shopping with good karma

When I go shopping for clothes, I am grateful to find the clothes hanging on the hangers and not falling off. If I come across a top or pair of pants that are not hung, I will hang them up. 

I do this as an act of kindness for others who may not see the top because it is not fully on the hanger.   I don't say to myself, "This is an employes job" but a nice thing I can do and I enjoy doing it! 

Project Care Package

This year we set out to give back to our local homeless in Los Angeles, California. With our gift giving budget, we purchased sleeping bags, clothing, and hygiene kits. My neighbors have been collecting all of these items for 4 months. We canvased four neighborhoods and finished on skid row in Downtown Los Angeles.  This was a grassroots effort. There were 7 of us driving from stop to stop setting up tables and helping people find clothes and shoes in their size. Everyone was so thankful and so generous. People would only take what they needed. No fighting and I would say 95% of the people we came in contact with were sober. At our last stop, at a Transitional Housing Facility, we encountered all these people that had only 1 outfit - the one on their back.  Some did not even have underwear, yet they wanted to help us unload the truck and once again ... Read Full Story >>

Learning life's lessons

I believe that life is always teaching us the lessons we need to learn.  We can either live our lives with awareness and listen to what is being taught to us as it happens, or we can ignore it and let the same message return to us again and again until we have no choice but to take notice. I believe that each lesson ultimately takes us deeper within ourselves so that we can live from a place of unconditional love, more and more, until eventually it is what we become. Recently I was taught a very important lesson. It is the lesson of gratitude. Someone dear to me was taken very ill. It was a devastating scare for the whole family. The event changed my whole perspective on life and what really matters. Suddenly I have realised that there really is no time to waste. No person and no situation in life can be ... Read Full Story >>

Gift Cards

I have found Grocery Store Gift cards to be an asset to carry with me. In my volunteer work I occasionally run across a family or single mother who may share some difficulty. I reach in my purse and say, "Would this help?" It's usually not much, $20-25. But, it is often enough to get groceries to last until payday.

A Class Ring Found

I have a real life Christmas story! My friend, Don, found a class ring in his basement. We have NO clue how that ring got down there!  Well after 6 months of hearing about the ring I decided to investigate.

The initials on the ring were ADN and it said she had graduated in Chardon Ohio. How on earth did a ring get from Chardon to Columbus into my friend's basement, we'll never know.  But I went to myspace and went to the schools and alumni pages, and a girl named beck went to classmates and discovered her name was Alicia Nader! (I knew her name was Alicia, it was on the ring, but I didn't know her last name!)

So after about 2 weeks of searching, I finally got an email from her! So Don and I sent her her class ring back. I can tell the story better, but that is the jist of it! The point is, we made her day, and she in turn made ours by giving us a case to solve!

The Christmas Card

Across the street from my parents live a couple -- Ken and Marsha -- who rarely come out of the house and the husband Ken will complain about everything, like the lights from the outside porches. For the past 3  Christmas'  I have send them a card on behalf of my mom and dad.  This year I just happend to put in God Bless you!  Well, my Mom called and said  yesterday  Marsha  came over  with a card and gifts for them.  She was also questioning the God Bless you, asking if we meant it or if it was like saying a " I love you" without meaning it.  My mom told Marsha that yes it was meant and couldn't live without God being a part of our daily lives.  Marsha was asking all kinds of questions about God.  She and her husband are both very educated with PHD's and are ... Read Full Story >>

Words of encouragement

Today I walked into a shop and was served by a young boy - he must have been around 18. He was being told off by his boss for something. Even if what his boss was saying was valid, which I do not know, because I do not know the full story, I still felt that the way he was being treated was unfair. He was being put down in front of customers and all the other staff. The boss told him that he should not serve in the front of the shop anymore, where he deals with customers and should serve at the back. Then although the boy had started serving me, his boss asked him to stop and passed on the job to somebody else. The boy did not say anything but I could see that he was really upset. I could also see that he could easily have done what ... Read Full Story >>

Twenty Dollars in the Fridge

Years ago, when my husband and I were still starting out, we had a toddler and a newborn.  We had just moved to a different state where my husband was starting his job.  Until he got his first paycheck we had no money whatsoever.  Unfortunately for us there was a screw-up in the payroll division and the checks were delayed for over a month!  This on top of the one month waiting period for your first check.  Needless to say we ran out of money, then we ran out of food.  We were down to one bottle of chili powder and washing our laundry in our bathtub.  Then Easter came and a couple we had met came over.  We had a nice visit and then they left.  After they left I was doing something and noticed that our freezer door was ajar.  I went to close it and found a ... Read Full Story >>

Postal workers

I frequent a small postal outlet that is always busy at Christmas.  (Aren't they all?)  There are only 4 staff members and they work HARD at Christmas time. 

Not all the customers smile at them.  The day before Christmas, I take in small gift bags.  This year, the bag had a single serving of flavoured hot chocolate, a mug, a scratch ticket, one yummy chocolate and a really silly fridge magnet.  I sign the gift tag with my postal box number!  One of the girls actually scratched her ticket and won $3!!!  I got 4 smiles that day.  The gifts cost me a total of  $10 and was worth the time and effort to assemble. 

While I don't get any special rates on postage during the year, I do get return smiles all year long.

Giving support to a co-worker

Recently one of my co-workers children was diagnosed with Lukemia. I purchased an awareness necklace for her, and when we go back to work on the 2nd, I will give it to her with a smile card.

I will also write a note to tell her to keep her faith that her child will pull through this and be healthier than ever. Her friends at work will be there for her for whatever she needs. I have never really spoken to her, except the casual chat near the copier machines, so I thought this would be nice for her.

For the love of marines

My parents live in California by the Marine base. Next door, several marines live. When these special  men go to Iraq, my parents make it a point to go every week to rake and pull all the weeds from their garden. This is cute, my mom mentioned to Joel, one of the Marines, that it's so dark when they leave with no light.  Well Joel was headed to Iraq and guess what he did.  Joel left the outside light on for a year until he got back.