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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 >>

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.

Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2012, Story #8 - An Anonymous Gift I'll Always Remember

 I sold a tech company for a small exit in 2010. Everyone was extremely proud of me, but no one knew the exact amount I made, but everyone assumed I did really well. In actuality, I only made just over a hundred thousand dollars. I purposefully hid the amount because I wanted to use all the money to buy my parents a house, and I knew that my parents would never accept me buying them a house with the money from my sale. So with no one knowing, I drained my account (after paying taxes) and bought my parents a 1-story house in Texas (where I grew up). I did this because they had been living in a small two-story house that, in recent years, could no longer accommodate my sick and increasingly wheel-chair-bound dad. Everyone assumed I had made a large amount of money and that this was one of many ... 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.

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 ♡

Healing Through Hugs

“We hugged, now we’re friends, right?” he asks as he takes my hand and leads me up the steps to the Lincoln Memorial. I’ve never offered Free Hugs at a March before, but decided it might offer the smallest bit of healing at the March for Justice in Washington DC on August 23. It was an impromptu decision. My friend Sarah accompanied me. Honestly, we weren’t sure how to best offer the Hugs. So we simply walked, We walked among thousands of people all searching for the same thing; Healing and Hope. Free Hugs signs overhead, we walked through the throngs of people. We smiled. Made eye contact. And the response was overwhelming. Hundreds of people accepted hugs as we made our own March in a sea of people winding their way across the Mall. It was heart-expanding to not only share hugs but to hear people’s comments: “Best sign I’ve seen ... 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. :)

She gave this part of herself to a complete stranger

The other day I walked along with my friends towards the cafeteria and outside I could see a crowd made up mostly by girls.  I couldn’t make out what was happening. As the confused gossip-lovers that we were, we came closer and were able to see that a lady was cutting a girl’s braided hair. Of to the side there was a poster which encouraged you could donate about 10 inches of your hair in order to make hair prosthesis for patients who suffered from cancer and had lost all or most of their hair. I was in awe by the courage of those girls that were excitedly waiting their turn to get their hair chopped off. We then made our way passed the mob of students so we could get into the cafeteria. We sat down and proceeded to eat our lunch.  I kept thinking about the audacity of the ... Read Full Story >>

Extended Hand In Friendship Today.

Our neighbor has two sweet, formerly abused rescue dogs. For several days, I have been able to coax them to come near me by offering "doggie treats". Today they both took treats from my hand. I was happy that I was able to finally gain their trust. I occurs to me that there are people in my acquaintance
 who also seem fearful, distrusting and distant with me. I vowed today that I will not judge them, but will simply extend my hand and hope that they will trust my attempts at friendship.

To The Airport, With An Unexpected Chauffeur

My family was going on a trip and usually our neighbor would give us a ride to the airport. This time our neighbor told me she would be working but her partner - who is a recovering alcoholic and the center of a lot of past drama in her life - would be happy to help us.  I mentioned this to my family and they were a bit hesitant. I didn't have to hear the words to know they were wondering - should we ask someone else? We don't really want him driving us, do we? Is he really ok now? But I realized that this was an opportunity to show my friend that we trusted her partner, and an opportunity to make him feel like he was doing something good! So I explained to my family that allowing him to drive us to the airport would be like giving a gift ... Read Full Story >>

Leaving the World a Better Place

Two weeks ago we came back from Spain, after 8 days holiday with my dearest family, Moran my partner and Ella our 2 year old daughter.
I created a kindness habit for this year, in which I leave every public toilet I visit- cleaner than I got it.

So here is the story- We took the train from Kadis to Seville in south of Spain, and I entered the toilet inside the train. The toilet was full with train tickets that blocked the water.

Automatically I thought just to ignore it- do what I have to do, and someone else will take care of it. But I caught myself and I was committed to my habit: I grabbed some toilet paper, cleaned up all the mess, did what I had to do, and washed my hands really well.

This is a challenging but a very rewarding practice: It teaches me to always leave a better place, better world, than the one I find. Try it.
***Here is a photo of me and my lovely family.

The Invisible Woman

When I had breast cancer I had to have a lumpectomy, chemo and radiation (the works). The hardest part of that entire experience was losing my hair. I have strawberry blonde wavy hair down to the middle of my back which I have always considered one of my most attractive features. What was hard about losing my hair, though, was that I lost my anonymity with it. After I lost my hair it was like having a tattoo across my forehead that said "chemo patient." I am a very active, athletic person so to have people looking at me with pity as if I was an invalid or a leper was very hard to take. Of course they never said anything, but if I got in an elevator everyone looked away because they didn't know what to say. I didn't blame them, God knows I've done the same thing myself, but ... Read Full Story >>

Mystery of a Missing Class Ring

Many times we write about how we shared our kindness and I wanted to share a brief story about how I received kindness from a stranger. 

Kristin, my 22 year-old daughter, just graduated from college and also just recently purchased her first new car.  In the process she traded in her old car, which by now is 10 years old and was a good and faithful friend that proceeded to overheat 4 times on her way to the dealer to pick up her new car.  This transaction was completed in the beginning of November. 

On Moday of this week, there was a message on my answering machine, from a small wholesale car dealer that had purchased Kristin's old car.  In cleaning it out, they found her high school class ring.  Kristin only wore that ring for about 6 weeks when she lost it and that was 6 years ago!  What a kind effort on the part of this car dealer  to go to the trouble ot tracking us down and contacting us -  it made my day as well as my daughter's! 

Pizza and Generosity Delivered

I received my "smile" cards in the mail on Friday and was thinking all week what my first "act" was going to be.  There is a local pizzeria that my family frequents, and it gave me an idea.  My 10-year-old daughter and I went there Saturday afternoon. I asked the person working if someone had called in an order for pick up or delivery.  He checked and he said that there was a delivery going out in a few minutes for a party at a home.  The order was for two pizza's and a few slices on the side.  I asked him if I can pay the bill and he said,  "WHY?"  I explained it to him, paid the bill and asked him when they delivered the food to please just give them this card. He said he would comply and he thanked us for being kind. On the way home, my daughter ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness Adventures On Our Block

I spend a lot of time at home, so there are many opportunities to interact with our great neighbors.

Today, I got a phone call from an older neighbor who lost her balance while bending over her little dog's water bowl and had fallen down.  I immediately ran over to her house with a cold gel-pack in hand! Then, I stayed a while, took some cute pictures of her pup with my cell phone, saw that she was okay, and returned home.  

She just called again to tell me not to worry, she is okay.

Upon returning home from her house, just as I was closing my door, I saw another neighbor (who is also a senior) climbing up a small ladder to hang something in her tree.  The ladder looked precariously perched, so I ran over to check on her. She thanked me, but refused my help. I told her I would stay next to her, just in case. :)

Both these women live alone and are very independent. They are a huge inspiration!

It Started With A New Coat For A Homeless Man

It started 4 years ago. My wife would see a homeless man near where she works. It was the week before Christmas and she said she wanted to buy him a new coat. His was torn and very old. We don't have a lot of money; really we are a step away from being homeless ourselves most months but we try to help when we can. We talked and found a way to get some money together to buy him a coat. I thought since we are giving him a coat let's look at what else he might need. We brainstormed and decided to fill a backpack with useful things, a toothbrush, soap, wash clothes, a hat, gloves, deodorant, razor, some food, etc. and a small gift and Christmas card. A few days later, a check came in the mail. It was completely unexpected. A merchandising company I work for was sued ... 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 >>

Red Velvet Cake and Birthday Surprise!

I had never made a Red Velvet Cake until recently! 
 
A friend at work said it was her favorite so I told her I would try to make one for her birthday. I made it in a bundt pan and it turned out delicious. 
 
She loved it! She hugged me and said thank you with tears in her eyes! I told her that I loved seeing other people happy and it was my pleasure to be able to make her favorite dessert for her.
 
And you know what ... it's a win-win situation. I made her day special and I also learned how to make a new dessert! Red Velvet Cake with cream cheese frosting is now going to be one of my favorite cakes to make!
 

Christmas Through My Child's Eyes

My son is 4 years old and Christmas is a very magical time for children. 

My son ran down the stairs very excited as most children are on Christmas morning and went straight for the gifts under the tree.  But, to my surprise, the first gift he grabbed was a gift he made for his father and me.  

He stood there with anticipation, joy and patience as we opened our gift waiting to see the expression on ours faces. As I opened the gift, which was a hand-made wreath made of his small handprints (which is one of the best gift I received), I started to cry.   My husband leaned over and asked why I was crying.

I said I could not believe the thoughtfulness of this child and with all the gifts under the tree with his name on them, he was most excited about giving us the present he had made for us.  As a parent, I felt so proud of the child I am raising, knowing that he values other people and how they feel.

That is actually the best gift I received for Christmas.

Suckered? I Don't Think So!

One morning a week I volunteer as cashier at a Habitat for Humanity Restore.