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Just Listening

I've found that just listening to people, and their problems, and what they're going through, is a good way to show kindness. A lot of people just want someone to pay attention to them, to hear them out. I know I do.  And it's a wonderful feeling when someone actually cares enough to want to listen to you, your deepest thoughts and troubles, and help you dig to the roots of it all. 

I want to become a therapist someday, God willing, and although a lot of people think that are just "quacks" that don't know what they're talking about, that's not true. They truly want to listen to you and they care about their fellow human beings enough to actually help them. A lot of people think suffering is only physical.. more often it is psychological. 

Anyways.. I'm going off on a tangent.. so in a nutshell: really listen to people. God gave us 2 ears and only one mouth for a reason.

A Pretty Mission

I make it a point, if I see them, to go up and compliment teenage girls or young women. I might tell her how pretty her hair is, or how much I like her dress, or just how pretty she is. I'm usually old enough to be their grandmother so I'm never misunderstood when I do this.   I remember how insecure I was when I was their age and how much it would have meant to me to have an older woman tell me something like that and know it was said with no ulterior motive. And I see this same insecurity in young girls today. It's so hard for us to believe that we're pretty for any number of reasons.   I was looking through an old photo album with my husband and he said how pretty I was back then and I could see it now, looking back, but I couldn't ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness Ripples Spread Through Arby's

As I stood in a busy lunch line at Arby's I was becoming increasingly worried I would be late getting back to the office. A grandmother and her grandson were keeping the only available cashier busy. The woman had difficulty with all the choices and, after finally placing the order, became very flustered trying to find her cash or her credit card.  While this was going on, the cashier had the most gentle and benevolent expression on his face, never once making the woman feel under pressure. His mood transformed my own. I caught his eye and quietly indicated I would pay for the order. He understood and took care of it without embarrassing the woman. Then when I eventually placed my order he paid for my lunch!  As I stood aside waiting for my order two other customers spoke to me about what had happened and said they would also "pay it forward" as a ... Read Full Story >>

A Chocolate-Chip Birthday Cake

I work in a small department store. I decided to celebrate my fellow employees birthdays - if they wanted to be remembered! 

Colourblind Kindness

He was a tall black man, with a generous build and he was walking straight towards me. Dressed casually in a gleaming white tracksuit that hung loosely on him, and a hood that covered both his head and part of his face, he looked like any of the number of black men described in daily news bulletins as being wanted for robberies or similar crimes. If it had been dark, I would have moved quickly in the opposite direction. As it was, it was broad daylight and I was waiting for a bus with my sister. We were on a quiet side street: no cars or people in sight. I unwittingly inhaled sharply, my body cautiously preparing itself for fight or flight. I shudder at the thought of being a racist, but even racists hate the idea of simply discriminating against someone based on what they look like. What we hate, ... Read Full Story >>

A Kind Bomb!

At my previous work-place we had a really dreadful boss. It made for a united staff! One of the things one of the teachers used to organize was a 'kind bomb' and if a teacher was unwell and away for a period of time, or who was struggling with difficult times, this teacher would send out a message and keep a box in her room. All the staff members would contribute something - a magazine, chocolates, food items, write cheer up messages of encouragement, bathroom products, and vouchers, items as big or small as people could afford. It was funny that sometimes the teacher who it was meant to be for would find out there was a kind bomb going down, and contribute to not knowing it was for them! Lol. There was a presentation, hugs, tears, and it was a beautiful and easy thing to do. When the teacher who organized it ... Read Full Story >>

A Midwife, the Sea, and Sharing

I have been trying to think of ways that I can give without having to spend money, as I've been finding it quite hard to do. I was cleaning out my 18-month-old son's bedroom when I found the packaging to his sea-life-themed bedroom set, which cost about $250 and included stacks of things to create a full bedroom theme. I loved it and really enjoyed putting my baby in a room with these surroundings. I justified the price at the time by keeping the packaging and vowing to sell the stuff when I was finished. However, i decided that instead of selling it, I would wrap it up with a gift bag and a card and take it up to the hospital and let the maternity nurse decide who needed it the most and who may not be able to afford something similar. The midwife was really touched by the ... Read Full Story >>

Looking for Ways to be Kind to Strangers

Over the weekends I often find myself leaving home at around 9:00am. I find it hard to stay indoors on a Saturday, so I either head to the office or to town to run some errands. Towards the end of last year, after being encouraged by various acts of kindness from this website, I resolved to make it my mission to touch people's lives unexpectedly.  My target was the underpriviledged in society and in my country the street children were my target group. Each Saturday morning as I would go to get some milk and bread from the nearby shop, I would see how many kids there were in the vicinity and buy them milk and bread also. They would of course have no clue of this and all I would do is creep up on them and give it to them. One day, I was heading back to my bus terminus and saw this beggar on the street in a wheelchair. ... Read Full Story >>

Leaving Sweet Treats

I have been "tagging" at work, which is very easy since I work late and everyone else is gone by the time I leave.   The people at work  have begun to pass it on to others, as well.  We work in a kitchen at a college so to say it is stressful is an understatement. These kids eat alot!  Our  work space is very tight and crowded in the kitchen , which is one reason I work later.

I've been leaving tea and mugs with candy with a card for a sweet treat.  Others I have heard have copied this idea and it has become like a game. Only one person was annoyed. I was so surprised when I heard that someone had reached out and this person was annoyed because she now felt like she had to do this.

I guess you can't expect everyone to feel the way you do when you give , but it is good to know that others have gotten the positive out of it.

Secret Santa for a Family in Need

I have always hated how Christmas has become more about the commercial side and less about the giving.  So, a few years ago, I was without a job (between jobs, but not working none the less)  but knew I wanted to give something to someone that needed things more than I did.  I searched around and found a local community centre (this isn't my home town, so I wasn't familiar with the area yet) and asked if there was anything I could give to help someone else.  Well, it was just a couple days before Christmas and the lady there told me that there was a family in need, who had submitted their names, but had somehow gotten lost in the system.  They didn't know what they were going to do about it, so, my boyfriend and I decided to take them on and be their Secret Santa.  All we ... Read Full Story >>

Folded Napkins For Stevie

I try not to be biased, but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His placement counselor assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy.  But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee and wasn't sure I wanted one.  I wasn't sure how my customers would react to Stevie. He was short, a little dumpy with the smooth facial features and thick-tongued speech of Downs Syndrome.  I wasn't worried about most of my trucker customers because truckers don't generally care who buses tables as long as the meatloaf platter is good and the pies are homemade. The four-wheeler drivers were the ones who concerned me; the mouthy college kids traveling to school; the yuppie snobs who secretly polish their silverware with their napkins for fear of catching some dreaded "truck stop germ" the pairs of white-shirted business men on expense accounts who think every truck stop waitress wants to ... Read Full Story >>

A Call from a Friend

I called my mother-in-law this morning just to check up on her. While we were speaking on the telephone someone knocked on her door. She was obviously anxious and asked me what she should do. I told her not to open the door, and if it was someone who knew her well they would knock the living room window. I rang back about 10 minutes later to check on her. She was really upbeat and told me a friend had called. I was pleased but thought this was a bit mysterious as she did not identify her "friend." A short while later she called me back. She sounded so happy. Her friend had just left. It turns out her friend was a policeman from the local police station. A few weeks ago, he called to her house when someone attempted to break in. Since then he returned with alarms for all ... Read Full Story >>

Stopping for Kindness at the Intersection

I was driving home on a very hot afternoon and about to approach an intersection. One of the major traffic lights had gone out, and a police officer was standing in the middle of approximately twenty lanes of very busy traffic. Despite the fact that he had no hat or shade to shield him from the blazing sun, he was upbeat and doing a fabulous job. I needed to stop at the pharmacy on the corner, and while I was there, I wanted so badly to get some water for the officer! I had some hesitation, though, since it was a little out of my comfort zone to interact with a stranger in this way. I debated, struggled, left, drove partway home, turned around, went back to the pharmacy, got water, and then found myself contemplating how to hand it off to him in the busy intersection. I knew that he might not ... Read Full Story >>

An Anonymous Wedding Gift

When my sister got married some time back, we were all excited.  After her honeymoon she invited me over to her house to help her unwrap the gifts and send some thank you notes to all the people that came to the wedding party.  As a side note, my sister works at Standard Bank in Malawi. Going through the gifts, we came across this precious exotic ice bucket in silver and gold.  I had never seen such a beautiful ice bucket.  Inside it was a note that read, "When I heard you were getting married, I asked around for the details and somehow managed to get here.  You might not know me but I know you.  I am a regular customer at Standard Bank and you helped me a lot when I was applying for a loan.  I will never forget what you did, God bless you.  -- Anonymous" When I showed my sister the note, she couldn't remember who the person ... Read Full Story >>

They help me, I help them

It was raining hard and nearing dusk. I was late for an appointment in a nearby city that I knew only by GPS. And now my phone had died. The usual interstate exits were closed. I couldn't see, ir was raining so hard. I couldn't figure out how to get where I was going or how to let my appointment know I was likely not going to make it there. I stopped at a McDonald's in an impoverished part of town and walked up to what appeared to be a mother and her teen daughter. "I'm sorry, but do you mind, is it possible for me to look up a number on your phone and then call the place and let them know I'm lost?" She handed me her phone and then told me she was lucky she had her phone, it was getting ready to be turned off because shedidn't have ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness and Love Starts at Home

The greatest gift I can recall ever giving my children is the lesson of selfless love.  This is when the only reward from giving to others is that the love for them in your heart grows deeper and stronger. During the holidays we bake and bake and bake.  We then box up that love and secretly place it on the doorsteps of those we know and those we do not. We attach a card that simply states, "I thought of you today, and it made me smile."

The sheer joy the children received from giving this "secret" gift of selfless love lingers with them to this day.  My oldest is 24 and remembers those days. She recently returned from serving in Iraq and has decided to start her own Random Act of Kindness this year in Minnesota.  My second, a young man of 19, wants to know when I plan on doing it this year so he can make the two-hour car ride to join us.  The two children left at home are 18 and 3 and can't wait till we get baking.

In my experience, love does not have a price tag, and charity and love for one another start at home.

Kindness Runners

I used to live next door to a wonderful old couple, Mr Mitchell and Mrs Mitchell.  They used to love gardening and had planted a beautiful garden.  Sadly, Mrs Mitchell died and Mr Mitchell's health began to deteriorate and he wasn't able to garden much anymore. Over the years their carefully tended garden became a jungle. One day, Mr Mitchell's health took a sudden downturn and he was taken into hospital.  I wanted to do something for him so I decided to tend his garden.   I wanted to get it nice again for him so that when he came back home he would have somewhere to sit in the sun while he was recuperating.  So I went into the garden armed with saws, a spade and clippers.  Over time my gardening trips became a regular thing and Mr Mitchell's garden begun to take shape again. Mr Mitchell never came back home.  He ... Read Full Story >>

Customer Service Smiles

I work as a contractor at a senior center and absolutely love it. My days are spent coordinating rides for seniors from volunteer drivers. Today, a lady called saying she was unable to get her medication from the pharmacy. Usually, our center requires a three-day advance notice for local rides. We also require folks to fill out an application and a waiver.  With these things in mind, I decided that this was my opportunity to go above and beyond the call of duty. I filled out the application and told her I would come pick her up. "You will?" she asked, slightly shocked. "Yup." I sent an email to my manager and off I went. It was a nice day to be out. We had a pleasant ride, and along the way, I found out she has cancer. Despite the illness, she still embraces life with a lot of faith. After arriving back at her home, I gave her ... Read Full Story >>

Live As Though Everything Is A Miracle

The following passage is a healthy prescription of how we can approach life. It is not about being famous or being wealthy or about our good looks. Truly, it is all about love. There are times when we feel as if we are separated from the rest. This illusion creates a mental prison. Hence, we should strive to internally liberate ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living things. "Open your heart to others and try to understand, When someone reaches for you, hold out to them your hand, Follow your heart, no matter what other people say, Do things that make you able to smile throughout your day, Treat other people, the way you would like them to treat you, Do what you know is right and to your heart and self stay true, Remember what life is all about, it is how you make people feel, What you do, where you go, and making dreams become real, Helping people through, in hard times of ... Read Full Story >>

Saving The Smiling Turtle

It was a hot day and my mom and I were driving down our street. Mom saw a moving lump right in front of the car and screeched to a stop. 

I stepped out and saw a turtle limping along the road. My mom got out after me and we worked together to lift this heavy creature of of the road onto the grassy strip at the edge of the road. 

It seemed to me like the turtle smiled a little before slowly wandering off into the grass. I laughed before running back to the car.