Search Results for 'popular' (3485 matches)

A Small Act of Kindness Makes it all Worthwhile

Today I went to my daughter's school and spoke about kindness to 60 kids plus teachers and teacher assistants. After a small talk about the meaning of kindness, I gave a challenge to the children - I told them to  write a small story about an act of kindness that they had done and how that made them feel. Or if they had received of an act of kindness how did that make them feel? In what way had that act changed them? Then I and the Deputy Head and the Head Teacher will choose the best ones, the one that will stand out for their feelings of compassion and love toward others. When I was waiting for my daughter I saw some teachers that were at the assembly passing by and I was hoping that they would tell me if they liked the talk or not, but they didn't say anything. Then this little boy came to me and said: "You know, I enjoyed the ... Read Full Story >>

An Antique Coke Bottle

Some 20 years ago, I went to a huge antique show at the local fairgrounds. After perhaps an hour of shopping, I found a nice collectible Coke bottle and since it bore no price tag, I asked the older gentleman behind the table how much he wanted for it.  He told me it was $5.00, and since that was a good price, I bought it, and put it in my bag with my other purchases. This antique show was the largest in the state, boasting thousands of dealers, and 7.2 miles of tables. Perhaps 45 minutes later, I had shopped most of my way through the next exposition hall, and spotted another item which caught my interest.  I wanted to ask the seller about it, but he was talking with another customer, so I stood and waited for him to finish. He was speaking with a young lady who sounded quite upset.   "I ... Read Full Story >>

A Young Man and the Starfish

Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.  One day he was walking along the shore.  As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up.  As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.  As he got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean." "I guess I should have asked, ... Read Full Story >>

Scouts Honor on a Full Flight

My 9-year-old daughter and I were flying from our home in Charlotte, North Carolina, to spend a week with my husband in Miami, Florida. Mike had been in Florida for five months working for an internet start-up company. We were excited about the trip because we had seen him only five times in five months, and Kallie missed her Dad terribly. As usual on the Charlotte-to-Miami flight, the plane was totally full. I had noticed a troop of Boy Scouts at the gate and commented to my daughter that if anything happened, we would be OK with all those Scouts on our flight! Little did I know.... Because we did not get our boarding passes until we arrived at the gate, Kallie and I could not get seats together and were separated by the aisle. That wasn't such a big deal, except that Kallie was nervous about the trip and had counted ... Read Full Story >>

Helping A Mom Get To Her Destination.

This PM while I was waiting for the Pre-K parents to come visit the Kindergarten classes a young mother came into the school office. She took the bus but got off at the wrong stop and the school building - she needed to go to  Head Start, about two miles away. She was carrying a baby and she had a 3 year old with her too. She was asking for directions on how to get to the other place on foot, Today was a cold blustery day and I could not see her walking that far with her children. The afternoon parents were not showing up and it was already well past the time they needed to be there, so I told this mom I would give her a ride. My colleague who was helping me during the afternoon session, volunteered to take this mom herself in case parents would still show ... Read Full Story >>

A Tale of The Missing Flowers

I allowed myself to receive. These flowers were gifted to me by our local florist. I had placed an order with him for flowers to be delivered to a dear friend overseas. For reasons unknown to both my florist and myself, the flowers were never delivered and after multiple contacts with the overseas supplier, who kept saying "tomorrow" for days on end (with no explanation!) we canceled the order. My florist called to apologize and said he wanted to send me a bouquet of flowers to make up for the mishap. Even tho I assured him it wasn't his fault & that he didn't have any control over the mishandling of my order, he insisted he wanted to send me flowers. We went back and forth on this & finally I realized this was something that would make him feel better and that I should just say thank you and let him ... Read Full Story >>

Door Notes

About a month ago, one morning, I awoke to find a note on my door. It read, "Don't worry. You were born awesome, not perfect."

I was going through a bit of a transition at that time and those words meant, and still do mean, a tremendous amount to me on so many levels.

To this day, I have been unable to find out who posted that for me. So, today, I thought I'd return the favor.

Stocked with little notes reading, "Be yourself," "You belong," "You're special," and "You are loved," I drove around various neighborhoods, posting them on random doors.

I trust that the Universe had me place them exactly where they needed to be.

Kindness of a little girl

Tonight at work a little girl at dinner started chatting to me excitingly. She showed me her new shoes, dress, and her most favourite ... two big shiny sparkling dress rings.

I told her much I loved them and how beautiful she looked. Later during my shift she called me over to her table and begun pulling off one of her rings. Once she had it off she then placed it into my hand and said, "Here, this is for you. It's my favorite but I want you to have it. I know you will take very good care of it for me and will love it as much as me".

I just about cried. Is that not one of the sweetest things! Mostly so because it was her favorite, and only an hour earlier she was telling me how much she loved it and had only just received it.

Children. They really do live from their hearts and it's something to be admired and cherished. And the world is a better place because of them. Blessed we all are for the daily reminders of love that our children give us ♡

Trees DO grow in Brooklyn!

Almost forty years ago, back on 12th Street between 8th Ave and Prospect Park West in Brooklyn, a group of people decided to hold a block party.  The money raised was for planting trees on each side of the street. 

And so we planted some trees.  The trees were so small, they were almost comical!  Still, they meant a lot to a small group of teenagers who lived on the block.  Teenagers like me.

Fast forward some years, and the last time I went back to Brooklyn, I actually saw those little saplings turn into beautiful, full grown, majestic trees! 

I looked up to the sky and thanked God for such a creation, for giving life to such a small seed planted in the hearts of a few people so many years ago!

Reflections from a Giver

While driving, today I passed a man holding a sign, begging for donations. I had two dollars in my wallet. I decided I wasn't going to give because money is so tight right now. Then, it felt wrong of me not to give, so I decided to give him half of what I had. I rolled down my window and handed him one dollar. He said, "God Bless You!" and I said, "You too." It was not a full exchange. As I drove away, I wished I spoken more to him, and I wished I had given him all that I had, but instead I was too afraid to give more of myself. Driving home I wondered if I had neglected a powerful universal law, the law of giving from my heart instead of my head, a law that perhaps creates boomerangs of abundance?! By not giving it all from my heart, perhaps ... Read Full Story >>

Father And Son Bonding

Last night  it was still light out when I returned home from work. My new neighbor and his son were in their favorite place, outside in the yard, playing ball. The young boy always reports to me how many "home runs" he hits and I always clap and cheer for him. These guys are something else. Where you see one of them, the other is not far away. The dad is always engaging the child in conversation, focusing on the child...not talking on a cell phone or walking ahead of the boy so that he has to run to keep up with him. This guy is the real deal. It warms my heart to see a father and son enjoying each other's company like they do.   As they were returning to their upstairs apartment, when the boy out of earshot, I asked the dad if his son had a bike. He said ... Read Full Story >>

An Extra Step on a New England Hiking Trail

Hiking today with the wags and a friend provided yet another opportunity to move out of my comfort zone and connect. Cold with a mixture of sun and snow encouraged a quicker step than usual on the mountain. On the descent, we came across a large troop of boy scouts and their families heading down as well. The trail and people bottle-necked for a few moments before the majority of the troop was well ahead and out of sight. Left behind were a young boy and his mother who seemed unsteady and unsure on the trail. We slowed our pace for a bit to talk with them before eventually passing them. They caught up again when my friend paused to tie her shoe. The boy at that moment slipped and tumbled forward. My friend attempting to catch him as he rolled down the trail. Helping him up he was nervous, crying in his ... Read Full Story >>

Secret Santa with a Difference

This will be the second year at our company when we do a Secret Santa exchange that makes a difference.

As with the usual gift exchange we all pull a name out of a hat and purchase a gift for that individual. The difference is that we envision our recipient as a child & choose a gift the child would enjoy. After we have all opened our gifts & gotten a good laugh, we collect up the toys and take them to one of the many Christmas toy drives in our city.

This is such a great way to have some fun together & make a difference in the lives of needy children during Christmas.

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 Karma Effect

Some of you know about my marvelous Mom who had a stroke seven years ago. She is unable to walk, talk or move her left hand. But she is an absolute inspiration. Every Tuesday night we go out together. I take her to a mall and out for dinner (she loves a glass of pinot grigio). Anyway tonight was a bit miserable due to a big snowstorm. So we just stayed in town. Off we went to Wal Mart and as we were in line I noticed a fairly disheveled man a bit ahead of us in line. He was looking at us as people often do when someone is in a wheelchair. I gave him a big smile and started to chat with my Mom. A minute later he came up to us and gave my Mom these two lady bugs. He paints them and gives them to people. He said when you "See a ... Read Full Story >>

Celebrate Pay It Forward Day, April 26th

Pay It Forward Day is coming up on Thursday April 26th and we invite you to celebrate with us by doing an act of kindness!   Below are some kindness ideas, based on some of our favorite real-life HelpOthers' pay-it-forward stories.  And we invite you to share how you celebrated by leaving a comment on this story! 1.  The tried and tested - pay for the coffee for the person in the line behind you.   Andrew was a bit anxious when he tried to do this for the first time and wasn’t sure it would work - a week later, the coffee shop tags him with a free cup of coffee for being cheerful and friendly!  [more]   2.  Anonymously pay for someone’s meal at a restaurant.   A grandmother is sharing pancakes with her family when she decides to pay for the meal of a man eating alone, so she has the waitress deliver him ... Read Full Story >>

"You Look Nice Today!"

About seven years ago, whenever I would notice that someone looked nice, I started telling them that they looked nice. Shorty afterwards, I came up with an observation: If you tell five people during the day that they look nice, at the end of the day, six peole (you have to count yourself!) feel great. Over the years, I've had many fruitful experiences with this. Here are a few: One day, I was riding around town with a friend when we rolled to a stop at a traffic light. As we waited for the light to turn green, a man walked across the crosswalk. He looked very together, so I called out, "Hey, you look sharp today!" Pointing towards a building, he said, "Thanks, but I was more sharp in there." His comment puzzled me. But before I could ask about it, the light turned green, and we drove on.  I ask my friend who was driving, ... Read Full Story >>

The Imperfect Act of Kindness

I am in the midst of prolonged frustrations at work. Today was more of the same. I walked to the car remembering my act of kindness and feeling a little pressed for time and creativity. As I drove to the grocery store to pick up milk, I ran some scenarios through my head not landing on one I was satisfied with. I walked in, there was a table of vibrant yellow mums. I chose one and put it in my cart still not knowing what I was going to do with it. I find myself trying to figure out the perfect scenario for these acts of kindness knowing that it defeats the purpose, but I can't help myself. I left the store and while I was backing out of my parking space, I saw an older woman walking to her minivan. She was by herself and did not have much in her cart. I ... Read Full Story >>

Secret Snow Wiper Will Strike Again!

After 2 false alerts the winter storm advisory today, tonight and tomorrow  is real  -- snow has been falling and accummulating.  And I'm armed!  I made sure to put an extra pairs of  gloves, 2 ice scraper (small and large), and a small hand held brush for sweeping the snow in the front seat of my car. What I'm also going to do is scout our work parking lot for a secret snow wiping and windshield cleaning, after I leave work. I started this tradition a few years ago when my hubby and I discontinued car pooling. (I did not realize that he spoiled me- I'd sit in the nice, warm truck watching/waiting while he did the cleaning then drove us safely home.) Now I do my own (ugh!).  I know how much work it involves, and  how cold you can get.  So I'm excited to be able to surprise someone with a ... Read Full Story >>

Hospital Cafeteria Kindness

The other day, I wandered into the hospital cafeteria to grab a bite to eat after an appointment.  While having lunch, I spotted this older woman who had bought only a small amount of french fries.

She sat by herself and ate. Then, I overheard her ask the young lady at the cash register how much it would cost to buy a drink. The cashier informed her that they were different prices, depending on what she wanted.

Upon hearing this, the woman walked back to the beverages to pick one out. While she had her back turned, I snuck up to the cashier and paid for her drink. All I asked was for her to tell the woman it had been paid for, and to wish her a Happy New Year. 

Later on, while walking to the elevator, I spotted the same woman and said hello. She had the biggest smile on her face as she greeted me.
It just felt good. :)