Right Place, Right Time!
her card in the machine and paid for their groceries. They tried to get her name to repay her, the lady said not to worry about it and told them to have a nice day.. She had no look of judgment, just a smile and left the store. My friend and her family left - dumbfounded. Nothing like this had ever been done for them before. Two weeks later my friends took their little boy out for his birthday. They went to a nearby Mexican restaurant. After being seated, their waitress came up to their table.. It was the kind smiling lady who had paid for their groceries! They all had a big laugh, and for a tip? Yep - the amount of cash she paid for their groceries plus much more than her 20 percent, a new friend!
- Posted by browngirlnp
- Apr 13, 2016
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Persistence Paid Off
connection can be overpowering. The conversation turned to other parts of her life and it was so hard . This lady is keeping her family going with little financial help, husband in hospital ,most likely going to lose his leg, and she has to keep the farm and family intact. The strength of this woman astounded me. I asked her "how can I help you". She of course said I am fine and today is my birthday. So I said to her, "I want you to take this money and use it for whatever you want" She started to say no but i told her that she would be doing something lovely for me if accepted it. So she did. I think life can get hard sometimes but when you see people who are really having a tough time, you realize your life is pretty good. I am grateful everyday for the beau
- Posted by splain
- Apr 16, 2016
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Kindness Even On My Special Day
t was my birthday yesterday and instead of making myself something that I like to eat, I had something that is my husband's favorite food waiting for him after he got home from work. (It was something that I don't even eat-being vegan).
- Posted by bigredvic
- Apr 24, 2016
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Love You Always
It was totally tangled around another piece of jewelry. I thought I would never unravel it but I knew I had to, it was important to me. You see, this lovely gold heart locket was a precious gift from my then 13 year old daughter. She had thought long and hard about what she wanted to gift me for my birthday and she must have saved really hard for it too. She refused to let anyone else contribute to it, it had to be solely from her. It is a gold heart locket which is inscribed 'Love you always' on the back. The little card which goes with it says ' To my beautiful mummy. Love you with all my heart! from Lauren xx' Such a thoughtful and loving girl. Inside contains two little really badly cut photos of her and I. Life with Lauren is very challenging sin
- Posted by RoseMarie
- Jul 12, 2016
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The Peach Lady Of Marseilles
oday I was reminded again how kindness spreads her soft, lingering perfume across the globe. My husband and I are in Marseilles this week as part of our journey to Provence for my birthday. In this vibrant city which is a melting pot of hues, smells and sounds, I had a short and sweet encounter with one of the residents. At a marketplace in town, I saw an unfamiliar peach variety that is not available in my country. I decided to buy only one peach to find out what it tastes like. A Muslim woman, Feiza, who was also in the shop, then came forward and insisted on gifting me four of those strange, flat peaches! Feiza's unexpected kindness was a magical moment in our day. While police walk around in crowded tourist spots to protect people against possible harm, a local women
- Posted by petroskryf
- Feb 19, 2019
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He Was There For Her When No One Else Was
have never had a birthday party before, so at this "ripe-old" age, I decided to throw one for myself. Approximately 20 people confirmed that they were coming. I don't have a lot of money but splurged in the $1 store to buy decorations, plates. I had a tiny budget in order to feed all of them. I sat, I waited, I pondered, and, although all of my "friends" said they were coming, no one showed up! The celebration was supposed to start at 12 noon. Here it was, 4:00pm, and still, no one was here. The expensive cake was melting, the food on the BBQ was burnt beyond recognition. I tried, really hard, not to cry. I decided to sit out back, reflect on the wonderful things that I did have, and read "Chicken Soup." All of a sudden, I heard a screech and
- Posted by rnteach
- Sep 23, 2016
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No Christmas Cards
out of the car park I saw a young boy probably about 12 years of age on the other side of the road. He was alone and as he was walking he was sobbing and holding his right hand side. I thought some bigger boys had perhaps bullied him and he was in pain. I had to go to his aid and see if I could help with his distress. He told me that his big sister who was a nurse had bought him a combined birthday/Christmas present. It was a mobile phone, I would say it was his first mobile phone. He had been allowed to use it and only had it days when he dropped it and cracked the screen! That's why he was clutching his upper right hand side of his body, his mobile phone was in the upper right hand pocket of his coat. The little guy was devastated, tears rolling d
- Posted by RoseMarie
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Travis Randolph Eating Lunch With My Son!
have a child starting middle school, I have feelings of anxiety for him, and they can be overwhelming if I let them. Sometimes I'm grateful for his autism. That may sound like a terrible thing to say, but in some ways I think, I hope, it shields him. He doesn't seem to notice when people stare at him when he flaps his hands. He doesn't seem to notice that he doesn't get invited to birthday parties anymore. And he doesn't seem to mind if he eats lunch alone. It's one of my daily questions for him. Was there a time today you felt sad? Who did you eat lunch with today? Sometimes the answer is a classmate, but most days it's nobody. Those are the days I feel sad for him, but he doesn't seem to mind. He is a super sweet child, who always has a smile and hu
- Posted by moonwalk
- Sep 1, 2016
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A Mother's Surprise Response To An Act Of Kindness At
went to the dollar store to get some balloons and some wrapping paper to wrap a present for my daughter's 27th birthday. I went to stand in line and saw a lady trying to get her kids to come to the register, rushing them as they were taking their sweet time picking out whatever they were getting. I offered to let her go before me, but she politely declined. She tried again to get her 3 or 4 children to get a move on. I could hear the frustration in her voice. As I was paying for my items I asked the cashier if she could hold my balloons for a second. Then heard the sigh of the lady as I guess she thought I was taking too long. What she didn't realize is that I asked the cashier to hold the balloons for me so I could get a $20 bill out for her. I turned to her (all her
- Posted by Blessed2BKind
- Oct 23, 2016
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For My Birthday - 50 Smiles In 50 Days For 50 Years Of
I turn 50 in December, so for 50 days leading up to the day, I have recruited 50 friends (it's really up to 70) to spread smiles, share happiness and promote love by performing an act of kindness each day! I created cards for them to share, in the hopes that the recipient will pay it forward! 2500 acts (or more) to celebrate 50 years of happiness and joy. We are only on day three and I am already blown away by the joy we are spreading! #50smilesin50days https://www.facebook.com/groups/50smilesin50days/
- Posted by theresaconnelly7
- Nov 18, 2016
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As Simple As Sharing A Peace Dove
hen I realized it was the birthday of a young guy sitting at the table next to ours at the restaurant tonight , I tapped him on his arm and wished him a happy one and handed him a peace dove & shared about. Received such a beautiful smile from him and thanks . On his way out, he once again thanked me and each person at his table smiled and said said thank you as they passed me. Felt such good energy. Acknowledged and thanked wait staff throughout our 4 hours there. So simple, so easy, so needed and appreciated by service people. We are all one. We are all equal.
- Posted by Mish
- Dec 28, 2016
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Books And A Letter
my cousin gave me a book - Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. I had given it to a friend, who soon after had left the city and took my cousin's book with her. Today, probably about 5 years later, I have bought a brand new book of the same title and author, wrapped it alongside a hand-written and hand-drawn card and three other books, and will give it to my cousin tonight (it's her father's birthday.) In the letter I included light and love and safety, which I always think should be in every card, and wished that the books treat her as well as they've treated me when I used to read them. I put my two of my favorite books in there and a comic of one of the books we traded one year that we both gushed about. Hopefully she will accept my apology tonight!
- Posted by jessicbecke
- Jan 27, 2017
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Clothed In Love
knows this. So, I've been clothed in love by my very beautiful, considerate, generous and loving sister. I laughed and told her she's keeps me nice. She is a good person as is her husband Philip, I couldn't begin to list their kindnesses to me. Just when I think they can do no more, they surpass all expectations. I will be putting this post in the book I am going to make her for her birthday in February. So, to Berni, you are a beautiful, loving, kind, unassuming, generous humble , compassionate, thoughtful and Christian person. I'm so proud to call you my sister and. I'm sorry for pushing you into the water off the stepping stones when you were a child making you afraid of stepping stones thereafter. Lol I hope some day I will be able to repay you an
- Posted by RoseMarie
- Jan 21, 2017
- 7 Comments
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Sammy's Service
Center after school on Fridays. There Sammy and his mom, Rae Anne hold court while playing card games with the Golden Gang of Seniors, Sammy and the Golden Gals play Hearts, Fish, and a definitive favorite, Gin Rummy. Sammy is learning to play simple tunes on the piano accompanied by 2 of the Golden Guys, former professional musicians. Sometimes my friend, Maize, who just celebrated her 95th birthday, serenades the musicians with well remembered Broadway show tunes. Sammy serves the sweetbreads along with special napkins, and they all enjoy an afternoon "snack" before the Golden Gang heads out for their individual studio units. Sammy and his mom haven't missed but one Friday in the past nine months. Sammy is truly a "sweetheart".
- Posted by LiliAB
- Feb 8, 2017
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Nicholas, His New Car And A Gift Of A Guardian Angel
for Nicholas, I wanted to gift him something. Thinking on my feet, I thought I'd buy him a lottery ticket but something about that didn't sit right with me, it wasn't special enough. Then I got the nudge, the whisper, the beautiful whisper. I stretched into my car and removed my Guardian Angel key ring which I had attached to my front mirror. It's there to keep me safe. My birthday is on Guardian Angel's Day too, so this is pretty special to me. I gave it to Nicholas and he was happy to receive it but still asked if I was sure. Of course I was sure, the Universe told me to gift this to Nicholas! Nicholas gave me a big hug. Nicholas was not a cocky guy. He also told me his mum was only out of hospital and now he'd be able to help her ge
- Posted by RoseMarie
- Jan 26, 2017
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Paper Peace Doves Acted As 'Ambassadors Of Connection
overheard an elder sitting at table next to us was celebrating her birthday, so I whipped out a 'Mindy peace dove' (made by a KindSpring member Mindy) and walked it over to her. She and her table mates were so in awe and appreciative. Big smiles and twinkly eyes all around. A long conversation ensued with her husband who basically shared his life story with us, and what an interesting listen it was! So many times these little doves open doors to beautiful connections, and I never tire of sharing the story of Mindy's mission that puts these "ambassadors" into our world. Thank you, Mindy!
- Posted by Mish
- Apr 23, 2017
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A Group Of 30 Came Together To Be Kind To Mother Earth
pent the morning being kind to our Earth. Nearly 30 volunteers turned out to help clean up one of the beaches nearby. We collected a huge amount of litter, bagged it and took it away for collection. A good friend brought his camper van along. He made us tea, coffee, hot chocolate for the children, and even provided us with Birthday cake! Although there was a lot of litter lying on the beach - there was a lot of litter collected. That’s a lot less litter in the sea. Made new friends, made new plans for further beach cleans. Felt so good to be doing something so worthwhile. Amazing what can be achieved when we believe and work together.
- Posted by patjos
- Apr 10, 2017
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The Life Memoir Of My Father
ver Thanksgiving we had asked my dad if he would write a memoir (just for us) about his childhood in the village and his journey to the U.S. in the 1950s and his life in a new country. He has spent the last 4 months working on it, and when I went home last weekend to surprise my mom for her birthday, along with my brother. I was thrilled to find out that he had written about 100 pages already. (And it's not done yet). One of the highlights of my trip (besides just spending time together) was getting to read what he has written so far. It was so profound and moving to read and I got to tell him how much I appreciated it. The reason I'm sharing this is because I think it's a great idea to ask an elderly person to share about their life in writing---it is a gift bo
- Posted by cabbage
- Jun 7, 2017
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Sharing Our Bounty
e picked up our first csa basket of the season today: a half bushel basket of whatever the farmer grows, straight from the farm and picked fresh this morning. What a great birthday gift! A few weeks ago I overheard a chorus friend talk about what she eats as she has very little money. It made me sad to hear that she lives mostly off of frozen $1 pizzas, so I asked her if she'd eat veggies if I gave her some. She said she loves to have veggies but can't afford them often. Usually we end up freezing half of the csa basket because it's so much but this year I will bring the extra veggies to my chorus sister every week.
- Posted by alisamom
- Jul 20, 2017
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She Leaves Behind An Unexpected Message
did something so random just now, but also so kind. It wasn't planned. I simply just spoke from my heart and said EXACTLY what it was I was thinking and felt. Let me share some more: My husband, Luke, and I are going away this weekend for my birthday. I'm so excited. It's our first weekend away alone without the kids in probably a decade! I, being a control freak, am searching up dinner locations. I found a great place but was unsure on opening times so I called them. There was no answer; they were closed, but there was an answering machine. The message on this machine was so clear, so precise, and very informative. It answered all my questions and it was one of the best I've ever heard. But above all this, it was spoken by a young girl who had the most
- Posted by brindlegirl
- Jun 29, 2017
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She Thought Her Kindness Tag Went Awry, But Her
do something called homeschooling. It's like going to are regular school, but you get to study what you want to study, and you do your studying at home. But some subjects like Math, History, and English are compulsory. My home school friend's mom and dad are writers. They love everything related to reading and writing. I wanted to tag my friend's dad on his birthday by giving him a book which I thought he would love. I wanted to bring it to a learning session at their home but I forgot it. When my father came to pick me up from class, he brought the book along with him! How thoughtful my dad was! I got all excited and left the book at my friend's dad's work table. What a lucky chance that my friends dad wasn't in his study/office at the tim
- Posted by aum
- Jul 10, 2017
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Love And Cookies
had the sweetest phone call from my brother this week. I had sent him homemade cookies for his birthday. His call, a few days later, he told me he had had a bad day. He had intended to put the cookies in the freezer and take them out one or two at a time. But on this bad day he ate most of them. He had a favor to ask. Would I bake him some more cookies? My heart melted, and of course! I am baking cookies, and adding a bonus batch! His favorites: Oatmeal chocolate chip, Cowboy cookies- made with Wheaties cereal and coconut, and bonus batch of Molasses cookies. I love my brother!
- Posted by Lightbulb
- Aug 22, 2017
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Ideas For Building Community In Your Neighborhood
dinner in the middle of the street so kids can play Organize a neighborhood band to make music for a potluck Halloween party Maypole/May dance party Host an Easter egg hunt in your front yard Co-host a progressive New Year's eve dinner party where you go to different people's houses for each course Share babysitting duties Chalk up positive messages in the entrance to your community or birthday wishes on the sidewalk :-) Cook a meal for someone who is sick or has been hospitalized Leave a plant on someone's doorstep, or seeds with a flowerpot Book exchange (little free library) Dog-sitting or other pet sitting when neighbors away Set up online forum for posting neighborhood "giveaways" or needs or outings (hikes, star gazing, etc.)
- Posted by cabbage
- Nov 14, 2017
- 4 Comments
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Makng A Little Boy Happy And Saving An Ice Cream Cake
if her boy was allowed chocolates. She said yes and I gave the little boy the chocolates. Oh, he was so happy! You would have thought I'd given him the moon. He had brown eyes that became huge, he was so excited. (I think more by the golden foil.) He was so cute and if he had been my nephew I'd have wanted to tickle his tummy. I chatted to the lady and she told me she had an ice cream Birthday Cake and feared it would melt. When the taxi did arrive I wasn't sure if it was my taxi or hers. She felt it was mine, so I said you take the taxi, so her cake wouldn't melt and I arranged to be picked up after. I'm so glad I did this kindness. It has warmed my heart and comforted me and there was so much joy in making a little boy happy.
- Posted by mandymoo900
- Jan 31, 2018
- 6 Comments
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The Purple Flowers Are For You!
folks who work there--it was such a surprise to be "gifted" with flowers myself :-) I then found out that one of the people who I bought the flowers for just went into the hospital after fracturing her hip (she is almost 100 years old!)--so they are now Valentine's/Get Well flowers for her. Dropped off the flowers for the other friend and decided we'd have to put off the 100th birthday party at the senior center til further notice. Then I spent an hour on the phone helping my friend's daughter prepare for her biology exam! I love teaching--doesn't matter if I'm not on campus, ha ha! Later, I stayed up to finish something else I had volunteered for.....and signed up to volunteer for something else (tabling for a cause that's dear to my h
- Posted by cabbage
- Feb 26, 2018
- 8 Comments
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Letting Go
e got to celebrate my friend's 100th birthday with a party as she wished (but in a rehab facility rather than her senior center). There were plenty of flowers, a big balloon, her favorite fast food burgers and fries for lunch followed by cake and ice cream. An elderly gentleman friend serenaded her with songs from her past. We all sang a few songs together for her. Her formerly estranged daughter was present. She was surrounded by 12 people whose presence she requested. She was very, very happy. I was very glad to play a small role in organizing it. Well, just a few weeks later she is now in the final phase of her life's journey, and is preparing.....sleeping most of the time, and not eating or drinking much at all. It's hard to see someone who was such a f
- Posted by cabbage
- Apr 7, 2018
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Making It Work For Both Parties
recently reserved my son's birthday party at a pizza place, when all of the sudden one day, they called in a panic. They accidentally overbooked two parties at the same time and were asking me to move my time. The employee was so stressed out she could hardly speak. I felt like I coached her on how to handle a difficult situation. I asked about different times available, some details about the party that was booked at the same time as mine, and so on. In the end, the pizza place, myself, and the other party, all compromised and both parties are able to take place on the same day. If I hadn’t agreed to change my time, they would’ve had to cancel the other party, which was a baptism, because it was never written down. Although it was irritating at first, it w
- Posted by lbsilveira
- Apr 23, 2018
- 11 Comments
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Sharing Lilies And Life's Moments
e became both recipient and also giver earlier today. A beautiful bouquet of calla lilies was shared with my hubby and I as we were on a walkabout in San Francisco. The giver was a gardener who was consciously gifting his beautiful blooms today in honor of what would have been his late wife's 75th birthday. "Para ti mis nuevos amigos. Please share these humble flowers, my wife's favorites in honor of her, in celebration of you, both named Lily. Love to share" As I took the flowers he kissed my cheek, pulling my husband in for a hearty embrace, bending oh so gently over to pet our small fluffy dog. " From me to you, mi familia es muy especial" After another sweet embrace we strolled past his neighborhood and went into Golden Gate Park
- Posted by LiliAB
- May 22, 2018
- 8 Comments
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The Warm Hug Of Kindness
post office to collect a parcel. But the contents of this parcel was a warm “hug” of kindness, all the way from the U.S. Inside the box was a beautiful shawl, crocheted by my our KindSpring friend Mish. And such a lovely card as well, with Mish’s sincere words traveling across continents, explaining how she crocheted Love and Light in every stitch in honor of my daughter’s birthday; who passed away almost eight years ago. Yes, dear Mish, I can feel your Love and Light. I am so overwhelmed that I cannot find the words to express my appreciation. Just know that this warm “hug” of kindness is something that I will always cherish. When I joined KindSpring shortly after my huge loss, I could not have foreseen that Kindness would come and wrap
- Posted by petroskryf
- Jul 30, 2018
- 10 Comments
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🎈 Gifts
to pick any wildflowers on our land that he wanted, just not to pull them up by the roots 🌸. Who knew that smack dab in the middle of just about nowhere, friends would drop from the sky? :))))) Oh, and the balloonists surprised us with a bottle of champagne, from their champagne toast supply, for being such gracious hosts and an offer for a ride sometime... Saving the bubbly for my birthday celebrate in a few days!
- Posted by mindyjourney
- Aug 11, 2018
- 19 Comments
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