Search Results for 'popular' (3486 matches)

Picking Up the Tab for Breakfast

After church this Sunday morning, my daughter and I went to a local restaurant for late breakfast.. An older woman was seated next to us at an adjoining booth. What drew my attention is that when she came in and seated herself , she walked straight toward us with a smile, as though she was going to sit with us and knew us, but then turned to her table and took a seat by herself. I thought to myself that I should have invited her to sit with us. When we were done with our food, my daughter and I left our booth (the woman was still seated at her table) and whispered to the waitress to put the woman's breakfast on our tab.   The waitress seemed surprised at what I was doing for a stranger. So I told her of a card I had received the previous day from a complete stranger, ... Read Full Story >>

It Was A Rainy Night In New Orleans

It was a rainy night in New Orleans At a bus station in the town, I watched a young girl weeping As her baggage was taken down. It seems she'd lost her ticket Changing buses in the night. She begged them not to leave her there With no sign of help in sight. The bus driver had a face of stone And his heart was surely the same. "Losing your ticket is like losing cash money," He said, and left her in the rain. Then an old Indian man stood up And blocked the driver's way And would not let him pass before He said what he had to say. "How can you leave that girl out there? Have you not had a moment of fear? You know she had a ticket. You can't just leave her here. You can't put her out in a city Where she doesn't have a friend. You will meet your schedule, But she might meet her end." The driver showed no sign That he'd heard or even cared About the ... Read Full Story >>

The Sweetness of Siblings

My sister and I are forever borrowing and giving money back to each other whenever either of us is in need.  Just last week, she asked me to pick up her medicine at the pharmacy and she said she would subsequently pay me back soon... Her response suggested to me that she was struggling financially. So, I thought I would step it up and instead of doing just one favor for her, I decided to throw in a few more while I was out shopping. I realized all of her furry living creatures would be delighted to receive some yummy treats so I picked up edible biscuits, chewable toys, and bird seeds for all of her respective pets (which included the dog, the kitty, and the new parrakeet). I got her a new sketch book  to encourage her to explore her budding artistic talent more deeply.  I found her favorite cream filled cadbury chocolate egg at the candy store and tucked that along with $40 into one of her pill bottles, so that she could discover the sweet surprise later. A kindness offer was to made her ... Read Full Story >>

Karmically Rich

I just can't get over the fact that there really are so many caring people in this world....Sometimes we wake up and think about all of the world's tragedies and begin to believe we are doomed as a planet. I don't even like watching the news in the morning because the deaths and car accidents and flames that flash across the screen in loud red and orange colors are the first visual images of my day that set a somber tone to my newly awakened eyes. To shift my perspective on the world, what I do instead is, clutch the remote, and push the "off" button so that version of what the world we live in today is shut off.  Ready to reset my day, I make my way to the HelpOthers site on my computer, with my steaming cup of coffee in my hand. Here, I discover a world that doesn't appear on television screens. I find wonderful stories that uplift ... Read Full Story >>

The Power Of Being Kind

Hello, my Name is Maik and I am 37 Years old. I am new on this Page and I'd like to share one experience I made a few days ago which teached me the power of being kind.  About 15 Years ago I was studying at a University in Münster, Germany. The people I spent most my time was a group of friends. we were about 10 people. Sometimes we went out together for parties, but most of the time we did our own parties back at someones home. First we sat and talked and at some point during the night we put away the chairs and tables and started dancing. It may not sound that special when I write about it, but what was special to me was the support we shared for each other. For example, when someone had to move from one flat to the other, these friends ... Read Full Story >>

Post It Notes On Our Walk

My lovely husband had a bad day at work. He came in the door and suggested we go for a walk. He said "come on, grab your post-it notes too" and we walked and talked and post-it blitzed the main road bench seats, bus shelters and a little quiet park where we stopped and talked more about our days. We both made our difficult days into something uplifting for someone else :-)

Be Kind With Your Words

This morning I woke up to a text message that said, “I want you to know that you are a talented, smart and incredible woman whose beauty radiates flawlessly from the inside out.” When I read it I smiled so brightly that I did not need to open the blinds and look out to know it was going to be a beautiful day.    As I chose my work clothes for the day I took extra care. I tried on a few items until I found the ones that made me look as good as I felt.    As I sat in the morning traffic I thought to myself, “Does he know how wonderful he made me feel with his simple and kind words?”   This made me think of the power of words. Can you imagine how something so simple can make such a big impact?   So I challenge you and myself to be kind with our ... Read Full Story >>

There is Life in Just a Smile

It was only a sunny smile,

And little it cost in the giving,

But like morning light,

it scattered the night,

And made the day worth living.

-Unknown

Thank you for all of your smiles as they have made my days worth living. 

Bowl Of Twisted Goodies

When my students came in from recess today, they all had a treat on their desks, a small bowl of pretzels, and a RAoK card to pass on and Pay It Forward. #AprilRAoK

Hugs On Prescription

My wife never ceases to amaze me.

She and I went out for lunch earlier. We went to a new Italian restaurant down by the harbourside. It's set up in such a way that the upper floor is a kind of balcony where you can sit and look out over the yachts to the sea and the islands beyond.

You can also look down and see the diners on the ground floor. That's when Julie pointed an elderly lady out to me.

This woman had been a patient at a health centre Julie worked at a while back. She suffered from chronic arthritis and is almost always in pain from it. It was Julie's job at each appointment to find out just how bad the pain was and adjust the medication to suit.

Near the end of each appointment the woman would inevitable apologise for being such a moan. She hated burdening Julie like this, but her husband was doing all he could to look after her and she never felt it was fair to moan to him.

There and then Julie would prescribe a course of hugs and administer the first dose before the lady left.

Isn't that just the best medicine?

No Regrets: Living with Dying

[Author Kitty Edwards, left, and Patti Pansa, right] In May 2013, Patti Pansa, a professional engineer and life coach, contacted me to assist her in her journey towards death. She had taken care of all the literal preparations for death: she had spoken to her family members about her wishes for end-of-life care; her last will and testament, advanced health care directives, and medical durable power of attorney were all signed and delivered to the appropriate people; a list of her important accounts with passwords sat in a folder next to her computer. But Patti wanted more. She wanted to leave a legacy for her family and friends. Perhaps most of all, she wanted to discover ways to celebrate life while she still had time. I shared with Patti several articles on the regrets of the dying, chronicling how many regretted working too much, spending too little time with family, or living ... Read Full Story >>

Tears And Cheers

I am a high school teacher in a small school in a very rural area.  My personal "goal" each year is to greet each student in the hallway by their name at least twice every week.  Graduation is coming up so people are becoming very sentimental. 

Today a senior student zoomed over to me in the hall and handed me an envelope.  In it was a Thank You note which read, in part, "Thank you for talking to me when no else would. Thank you for saying hello to me in the hall.  No one else says hello to me. Thank you for visiting with me about what books I've read and how my cats are."  This student is a shy person and not too socially fluent.  School is tough for her because "there are so many people in one building". 

Her note meant so much to me and of course, I started crying.  Inside I also cheered because she took the time and energy to "connect" which is what I hope all students will be able to do.  I love teaching and am so lucky to be able to go to work at a job I love.  What a lovely gift I received from this student.

Listening to the voice

I had a few things I needed to do in the city today. One thing required I park my car in a multi-storey car park. I only needed to be in there for a minute. I thought it would be free as I was parked less than 5 minutes. But nope, it cost me $2. I was so annoyed, so angry. I stuck my $5 note into the machine and when the change fell into the change compartment I heard a voice that said " leave it. Leave it for someone else to find, it will make their day." So I did. I left it along with a smile card.

Walking away I felt happy. I felt good and no longer upset or annoyed. I love that voice, the inner voice of knowing and I'm so grateful to have heard it and listened ♥
 

Pay-it-Forward Coffee Shop Chain in Birmingham

Birmingham area coffee shop customers perform random acts of kindness, pick up others' tabs Posted by Rahkia Nance--Birmingham News April 13, 2009 6:15 AM Random acts of kindness are popping up at Birmingham area coffee shops, as customers are anonymously picking up others' tabs. Sharon Dierking was at a Starbucks on U.S. 280, placing an order for a mocha frappucino. When she pulled up to the window, the barista told her the driver in the car ahead of her had paid for her order.   "I was completely dumbfounded," Dierking said, "but I was thrilled." Dierking wanted to return the kindness to another, but her car was last in line. A few days later, she was able to pay it forward at a Starbucks in Inverness. "It makes you feel good and it brightens your day," she said. Random acts of kindness are popping up at Birmingham area coffee shops, as customers are anonymously picking up ... Read Full Story >>

Kind Words That Touched a Young Mother

I was on the bus with two of my young children this morning. My daughter was chatting away to me.

When the bus came to its next stop an older lady was getting off. As she passed me, she smiled and said, "You're a good mum."  I thanked her and was a little bit embarassed.

Then, after she got off, tears came into my eyes. It meant so much to me because no one ever really says that -- probably most mum's don't hear that very much!  I'm really grateful to her for taking the time to say it.  Having said all that, I don't know what I was doing that made her want to say it!!

19 Lessons Learned From a Friend

1. Give money you can spare to someone who needs it and then pretend you never had it. 2. Let someone tell a story without feeling the need to one-up them or tell your own. 3. Let someone vent, even if you can’t offer a solution, just to be an ear—without considering how well they listened to you last week. 4. Help someone who is struggling with difficult feelings by admitting you’ve felt the same thing—without considering whether they’d be as open with you. 5. Ask, “What can I do to help you today?” Then let it go after following through. 6. Tell someone how you feel about them, even if it makes you feel vulnerable, just to let them know they’re loved and not alone. 7. Apologize when you’ve acted selfishly, even if you don’t like feeling wrong, because it will remind the other person they deserve to be treated with respect. 8. Let someone else ... Read Full Story >>

Heroes At The Beach

What an incredible day at the beach! Not because it was the most fabulous weather. Not because we were with fabulous friends. No, it was the best day because a group of men and a young boy took the time to notice a little boy with different abilities, waving his arms in the air saying, "my turn, me, me" as the football was being tossed around over his head. Honestly, my first thought was,  'oh man they are playing football, I'm going to have to go move Micah.' I called Micah from my chair 50 ft away and he was refusing to come! He just continued to watch the ball being tossed, listening to the fun laughter of the guys, and watching the high fives they were swapping. These are the moments that I dread. These are the moments I have to make choices to choose good thoughts, not bad ones! ... Read Full Story >>

Crazy Sock Day To Pay it Forward

In our community, we are very blessed to have an organization called Food for Friends. They help provide funds for us to have a snack program for all the children in the school and lunch for those who need it. As a teacher, I can't tell you how grateful I am that our children are nourished so that they can concentrate on learning and not their hungry tummies.   The children are raising money for the organization as well right now. I think this is so important for them to learn to be appreciative for what they have. The children paid a dollar to enter a crazy sock competition. It was such a joyful and fun assembly. On Monday, we have to live free of something. I have stacked all of the chairs in the classroom, and we watched some videos from Save the Children to compare our room to other impoverished schools ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness Is A Love Song

My husband's entire life is kindness. If I made a list of all he's done and is day-by-day in the 16 years I've known him, it would take me days to type. He's not a praying kind of guy but his life is a prayer.

He doesn't use flowery words, but his language of love is compassion, hard work, and just so many thoughtful things he does. He just handed me a big green shake.

Earlier he cleaned out the fridge joking the entire time about various, er, science projects. I'm constantly astonished that this gorgeous guy loves me enough to stick around so long. Trust has never been easy for me, but he has shown me why trust is the best path, and kindness is a love song.

"What is Your Wish List?"

I currently work as the internal human resources manager for a large home improvement store. One of our core values is to give back to the community, and to make an emotional connection with our customers. One afternoon, a lady stopped by my store and dropped off a letter.  It was a very busy week for me so I did not get to the letter until a few days later. When I finally did, I noticed that it was from a nearby day care center. The director had written that they were low on funds, but needed certain things for the day care. I ran her letter by my store manager, and he agreed to a meeting with the day care director. When we arrived at the center, the director gave us a tour. The facility was really in bad shape. The walls needed to be repainted, the ceiling tiles needed to ... Read Full Story >>