Search Results for 'popular' (3486 matches)

Money Flows - Let It

After a sick-day on the couch I was walking around the block to get some fresh air.  Just as I was turning back towards home I heard someone bawling. A kid, I thought at first. Then I saw it was an adult, a woman, looking lost, crying and calling out, walking on and off the sidewalk.   The woman who first crossed her path didn't stop or ask what was wrong. I guess that stopped me and made me turn around.    I took her arm and gently pulled her back from the road, asking her what had happened.   There was spit all around her mouth and tear streaks down her cheeks. Her eyes were swollen from crying. Sobbing, she told me she'd been on the bus with a friend. She'd given her "friend" the last of her money and then the friend had disappeared. She couldn't get the bus home now since she didn't want ... Read Full Story >>

A Precious Stone

A wise woman who was travelling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveller who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveller saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation.

The traveller left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone
was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime.

But, a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. 'I've been thinking,' he said. 'I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious.  Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone.'

Sometimes it's not the wealth you have but what's inside you that
others need…..A Precious Gift inside you. 

Honoring an Old Friend

One of the women in my spirituality group will not be coming to our retreat next month. She has participated for about 15 years but cannot this year. She has dementia and finds it hard to be away from her home. My friend is turning 90 the end of August. She still lives in the home she built herself more than 50 years ago. She loves to paddle the canoe she made, out on the sound. She plays a piano beautifully and has not lost the music in her mind. She wants to stay in her own home for the rest of her life. Because she now needs much more help, the cost has gotten pretty high. One of her closest friends sent an email to our group telling us what's going on and asking for help. There is a woman who lives nearby who has been coordinating the various services ... Read Full Story >>

The More I Understand, The Less I Know

After a couple of decades on this planet, many years of soul searching, and studying the "self," I feel that I am finally closer to knowing myself which ironically seems to be a journey which tells me that the more I understand myself, the less it is that I know. I now can say I have truly felt the difference between the deepest agony of the human condition and the highest state of joy. I know from my own experience that the main difference that lies between "you" and "me" is just a feeling, a feeling of being separate, isolated, lonely, lost, versus a feeling of being whole, connected, at home, and loved. I think most people, if not all, live with a kind of homesickness, a sweet nostalgia which they can't quite put their finger on as if they were once in a place that they can't quite remember but desperately, somehow, want to get back to. The mystics have said for over a millennia that in existence there ... Read Full Story >>

Ever Been Nudged?

My husband and I were shopping in a local grocery store one day and as we were ready to leave, I had a nudge to go into the coffee shop they had added a few months before.  "Are you hungry?" Gene asked.   "No, but I just have a feeling we should go in for a cup of coffee or something".  As we neared the back corner table, I smiled at a lady sitting alone at the table next to ours and asked her how she was today.  She turned and began to tell me.  She talked for about 10 minutes of all that was going on in her life with very few words of encouragement from me.  She then smiled and thanked me for listening but she had to go.  I asked her if she needed a hug and I was immediately enveloped in the strongest yet tenderest hug I had ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness Received-Kindness Given

Kindness Received-Kindness Given. Sunday, the gentleman who donated our Sanctuary flowers gifted me with one of the arrangements as he said he appreciates all that I do. I was so touched and gladly thanked him and took them home. Today I took them up to my Dad. He loves flowers and he was so glad to have these in his room. Thought they were lovely, too, and I was so glad to share them with him!

A Gift, 15 Years Later

Twenty years ago my eldest daughter celebrated her thirteenth birthday. I worked hard at the deli the week before and got a paycheck of about $125.  I went to the bank to cash my check and asked for one hundred one dollar bills, nice and clean and crispy if possible, please. I went home and grabbed a nice branch from a tree in my backyard and proceeded to use (almost) all of my paycheck to make my daughter a beautiful money tree with one hundred ones placed as carefully as I would have placed ornaments on the Christmas tree.  It was a joy to behold! My daughter was thrilled.  I wanted to take a picture of it, but all my money was gone and could not even afford a roll of film or a disposable camera.  I asked the birthday girl, Jess, if she would buy some film so we could get a picture.  ... Read Full Story >>

A Helping Hand

Today after school, I came home and saw my mother cleaning the house. Since I didn't have much homework that I needed to do, I started helping. While she vacuumed, I picked up junk left out and rearranged things.

While we cleaned, we chatted a little bit. I think my mother really appreciated the help and company, and I had fun hanging out with my mom and helping her with her chores.

The Challenges of Travelling with Children

For my birthday, Julie booked a coach trip to Liverpool. It's where I went to college thirty years ago and I hadn't been back since. We had a great time!   Watching the passengers embark on the coach as we got ready to head to Liverpool, I was a little dismayed to see a couple get on with two boys, both under five. We were gonna be on the coach for four hours. Would they act up? Or be sick? Or would it just be too boring for them?  It turned out they were great!  No doubt about it. Travelling like that with two lively little boys would take both parents full attention. And they did seem to work well together. In the hotel (a hotel that was once the pride of the city, now a bit dowdy, but still spectacular!) the parents got through the meals by working as a tag-team and never leaving ... Read Full Story >>

Dreaming of Plastic-Free Days in the Ocean

Here is a little something that I like to do, and I thought I'd share it as my act of today...

I love swimming in the ocean, and when I do, if I see plastic in the water, I remove it.  Then, when I'm done swimming, I pick up as many plastic bottles that I can carry and dump them in the bin.

While this is not random to human beings, it is kind to the precious ocean that I love so much.  I look forward to plastic-free days somewhere in the future...

May this inspire you to be kind to our beloved oceans and to Mother Nature so those plastic-free days that I dream about will become a reality!

French Kindness on Valentine's Day

France is a very special place.  It is the favorite tourist destination for people from all over the world.  As an American who has lived here for over 20 years it's been for me "a hard nut to crack."  In New York City it was easy to just strike up a conversation with people I'd never met and would never meet again.  Many French consider this type of interaction "superficial" or "invasive." Inspired by this website I decided to find my way to create openings on Valentine's Day.  The key is "when in France do like the French,"  or learn to respect their ways and their limits.  I went to Paris and searched for hours, a woman on a mission, to find just the right chocolate hearts.  The last "maison du chocolat" or chocolate store on my list had them.  Small chocolate hearts, a beautiful deep red color, filled with dark chocolate, ... Read Full Story >>

Nearly Two Months Ago ...

Nearly two months ago, there was an area that was covered in trash. After walking by this area for many years, I decided to try and beautify it.

I cleaned it up and planted some flowers. I hadn't watered the flowers in more than a week, so I went up this morning to feed them. Lo and behold, this is what I found! I couldn't have been given a greater gift this morning <3. Purple is my favorite color and it appears to have light shining from its center. My gratitude cup is overflowing <3 <3 <3

Just 1 Card To Say Happy Birthday...

I have a Aunt who is deaf and lives alone. To communicate with her when we visit we write in her notebook. Her birthday is in March. Last year she was 96 years old. I thought about things I could get her but aside from food there isn't much she needs. So, I decided to I send emails out to a few friends. I told everyone  about my Aunt and asked them if they could please take a few minutes and help celebrate her birthday by sending a card to her.  Little did I know how this one request would impact so many, especially my Aunt! My friends asked their own friends to join in. The cards started arriving every day for a month!! My Aunt was so excited! She couldn't believe so many people were thinking about her.  She recieved over 50 cards! Something so little, that takes just a few minutes ... Read Full Story >>

Witnessing Kindness during the Holidays

"Where do you see kindness? No matter who we are or where we come from, when we take a moment to look around, we can see kindness everywhere" -Shelley Frost Yesterday morning I was feeling stressed because I needed to go shopping for some of the organizations I volunteer with. I really don't like big crowds and tend to stay away from large department stores and shopping malls at Christmas time. However, I was determined to make the best of it and have a good day. So I decided to play a game with myself. I would actively look for and count the number of times and ways I saw people being kind. With this mindset, I witnessed so many, many acts of kindness: Drivers letting other cars into traffic; people taking shopping carts back inside; customers waiting patiently in a long line at the cash register; kind words spoken to cashier who ... Read Full Story >>

What I Am Grateful For

I learned to count my blessings a long the time ago. I believe that if any one stops for a minute he/she will find something to be grateful for.   I am grateful for a great number of things but I am especially grateful for NOW, for this moment in time.   I am grateful for the lovely town where I live.  In this town the number of charity shops almost equals the number of “normal” shops.  There are charities for almost everything you can imagine. Even the primary schools are charity orientated, with the Parents and Teachers Association taking responsibility for raising money through parties, discos, fairs and other events in order to be able to buy things like interactive white boards or sports gear for the school football team.  I think my town is very kind and it is very easy to live here.  People smile at you a lot, ... Read Full Story >>

Nightshift at the Marriott

It had been a long, hot August day. We'd driven over six hundred miles and it was nearing 11 pm as we entered Kingman, Arizona. We pulled off and picked a motel. Much to my surprise, it being mid-week, the deskman informed me they were full. Next place, same story. This time, I asked the clerk for suggestions.      "Try the Hampton Inn."      At the Hampton we were greeted with, "We're booked. Sorry."     "What's going on?" I asked. "Is there some kind of convention in town?"     "A tour bus just pulled in with 60 people," he said. "Plus lots of people are heading up to the Grand Canyon. It's an unusual evening. You might try the Best Western. I think they had one room left about an hour ago."      We tried the Best Western. No luck.      By that time, we'd traveled to the west end of ... Read Full Story >>

Top 10 Stories of 2012 - Story # 6 Learning Kindness From My Father

When I was 12 years old, I went with my dad to his work - a car showroom.  I was wondering around and I saw a poor woman with a child in her lap standing outside the showroom.  I saw that she was crying a lot and went inside and told my father.  My father went out and asked the woman to come in to the showroom.  He offered her some water and then asked her what was wrong?   The woman said that her husband had died some months ago and that she doesn’t have anyone else in her family who can help her.  She does some manual labor to earn some money to take care of her daughter but she was sick for the last three days and was unable to go to work.  Now she doesn’t have a grain of food to eat.  While she was relating this ... Read Full Story >>

Peace Pole ...

Just wanted to give you an update on our Peace Pole Planting. The village school has accepted the pole and has got the Council to agree that it can be planted on a grassy area directly across from the school in a very prominent place which is passed by all who enter and leave the village (think of all those Peace Prayer wishes going out!).
They have invited uor MP, MSP and lots of dignitaries as well as local newspapers. The children are going to be writing about what Peace means to them and having a Peace Pole Party to celebrate –with Peace Cakes! How amazing is that! It won’t be for a couple of weeks yet, mid-may, but I’ll keep you all informed.
 

Brand new beekeeper

I met what must be the world's most wonderful lady last summer - just being around her is like a soothing balm for my soul. I barely know her and after finding out that I've dreamt of having bees for several years she simply gave me a hive as a gift, including all the boxes, frames, gear, tools and a package of bees.

I'm now officially a brand new beekeeper

I kinda freaked out a little when we shook them into the hive though....10,000 bees buzzing around your body will do that to you even in beekeeping gear if you're new to this exciting hobby!

The Kindness Of A Second Chance

Today, I recognized the frowning woman in line behind me at the checkout counter of the grocery store. I hadn't seen her in fifteen years -- she is the owner of a local restaurant where I briefly worked one summer as a waitress. It had been on my heart for several days around Christmas time to go her restaurant and leave a card thanking her for her kindness to me, but I couldn't override my shyness so I didn't act. When I saw her today, I knew the Universe was giving me a second chance and I seized it! I turned to her and said, "You probably don't remember me, but you once gave me a job when I really needed one even though I had no experience -- and I really want to thank you for that." She asked my name and said she didn't remember me. And I admitted with a ... Read Full Story >>