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A Generous Gesture That Made A Dream Come True

I had a dream for over a year, to attend the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December. I had even reserved a hostel room a year in advance  because I so wanted to be there. I had worked very hard to arrange things, but was having trouble raising money for the trip. I asked one of my MBA professors who is connected in investing circles to ask, if I were to write an appeal letter, would he please send it to his contacts? He apologized, because he said there is not much money available right now because of the economy. Then he paused, and asked me where I was flying from. When I told him, he asked me if he could help me out with flight miles to Copenhagen for the trip. I was awestruck by the offer. I hurried to tell him that I had not mentioned this to ask ... Read Full Story >>

Police > Gratitude

Yesterday I wrote a mail to several senior police officers of my city thanking them for all that they do. I feel that their job is very tough. They deal with all the negatives of the society, the works seems very twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, in all weather conditions. Also, their jobs could be very dangerous.

Yet no one says thank you but instead one only hears about the negative aspects of the police. Usually the media reports one case that might not be solved, and neglects to mention the hundreds of others that might have been solved, or cases where the police was very efficient.

So as a citizen of the city, I wrote a mail expressing my heartfelt gratitude to all people who work with the police.

"Mom, Can We Give It All?"

Last night, my eighteen year-old son and I were leaving a store. At the end of the parking lot, there stood a man. He was older many--most likely in his sixties-- clean, but looked very sad. He was holding a sign which read: "Looking for work. Trying to get enough money to buy a bus ticket to Wyoming."  I drove by him and something in my heart said: You need to help him. I rarely have cash on me, but today I actually had cash in my wallet.  I looped around, stopped my car, and asked my son to get my wallet. I had a $5 and a $10 dollar bill. I said get the $5 and we will go drive by and hand it to the man. My son said, "Mom, I think that man is really down on his luck. Can we give it all to him?" "That's all the cash I have," I ... Read Full Story >>

The Gift of an Apology

For awhile, every time I saw my next door neighbor, I feel remorse and shame. A little while back, I had harshly reacted to him when he did something that upset me. But this is wonderful, as it has taught me to be mindful of my "reactivity," and reminded me of the high price I pay when I am reactive instead of proactive. After sitting with the discomfort for a bit, I finally apologized to him for any harm from my reaction towards his behavior. He noticed my tears as I spoke, so I guess he knew that I was sincere in expressing my regret. Now, as time continues to pass by, I feel less and less awkward when we bump into each other (which is often, given that we share a driveway :)).  The thing to note here is that, when we spoke, I did not apologize for not liking what he did (because ... Read Full Story >>

If I Can't Donate Money. I Donate Love!

I wanted to share with you all a little something I do. I do this often, well as often as I can. I love to write. I love to make others feel happy, loved and special because lets face it; that is exactly what we all are. So what I do is put the two things together, writing and love. I often write letters of love to strangers and leave them in places hoping that the person who needs it most will stumble upon the letter and find it. However lately I've started to post letters to organizations and even random people whose addresses I stumble upon. I am often sent letters asking for donations and to help contribute to various charities and organizations. I contribute the best I can but as we all know, we can't contribute and donate to them all. Included in these letters of request for donations, are ... Read Full Story >>

Chapatis and Chili

My mother has always had a soft heart for beggars and anyone in need. When she lived in India, people would come to see her from far off villages. They would bring herbs and some organic home grown vegetables. She always cherished such gifts, and cooked them at home with love. After reading a kindness story, I was reminded of her and a story she told me once: Years ago, when my mother was in the early months of her pregnancy with me, she was very sick. She could not eat anything-- any food or drink would make her nauseous, and give her an upset stomach. In this condition, sleepy and hungry, she yearned to eat and drink--even just water. One afternoon, there was a knock at the door. When she went to open it, she found herself facing an extremely scorching hot day-- the temperature was probably around 40 degrees Celsius. Then she ... Read Full Story >>

Final Resting Place

As I left my home this morning, I found three small feathers on my windshield, which I kept in the car.

As I was heading into work, outside in the parking lot, I noticed that there was a dead sparrow on the pavement. She must have been less than a day old since she passed. I know that the ultimate act of kindness would have been to nurse her wounds had it been alive, but at this point, there was only once choice for me.

I put my laptop bag down on the ground and made room by an adjacent flower bed, in between the mound junipers, for her to have her final resting place... It felt right.

I gathered all twigs and leaves that I could find and covered her body.

Thank you little sparrow for your journey in this reality..

Three Feet of Snow and a Very Kind Neighbor

It's no secret that we've had some pretty crazy weather in the Maryland area this past winter. We had 15 inches of snow during one month followed by 28 more inches. Whenever it snowed like that, I packed my things up and stayed at my mom's house, both to help her with shoveling and for the ease of getting my car out of the driveway to get to work rather than attempting it from my mountain side driveway. I did about 4 hours of shovelling one day and only managed to dig us out of the house and a small walking path to and around 3 sides of my car.  To make better headway the next day, I set the alarm and got out there preparing to do the necessary 3 or 4 shovelling rounds before being able to relax and watch the Super Bowl. My whole body was in pain from the ... Read Full Story >>

Small Gestures in the Workplace

One day, while I was walking to work, I decided to bring some flowers that I had picked from my garden that morning. I came across a random stranger, and was inspired to give the bunch to him with a smile card.  Struck by the sense of joy I felt from giving flowers to another person, and maybe brightening his day, I wanted to do it again. When I got to my office, I had the idea of anonymously leaving flowers around the workplace. Sometimes, the impersonal atmosphere of the building where I work numbs my spirits a little. It's a nice building, with great light, but it just feels a little sterile sometimes. I figured lots of people might feel the same way, so why not put a little beauty there, and throw in an inspirational quote while I'm at it? After all, who doesn't like flowers? So, for the past month, I've been putting flowers ... Read Full Story >>

A Story Of Kindness As A Gift

I began a new practice last year, which I have continued. After many years of being on the receiving end of gifts from my students, especially around this time of the year, I asked my students to forgo giving me anything. Rather than getting me something that I don't need, I asked them to take that money and make a donation to a non-profit and I gave them names of a few that I like to support. There are so many beings whose basic needs are not even met. I have an abundance of all that is important! Or, I asked them to do an act of kindness and write me a card telling me about it. On Monday a student gave me a card and said, "don't worry, there's no gift card in here." She began my telling her her act of kindness. She volunteered at a hospital and told me about ... Read Full Story >>

Hope, Joy and a Little Bit of Ice-Cream

Earlier this year, I submitted an idea to the Helpothers.org Kindness Contest.  I was lucky enough to be selected a winner for my idea and received a $100 to throw an ice-cream party for the children in the ART (Acute Residential Treatment Center) at the Walker Home & School in Massachusetts.  This institution serves the complex needs of a diverse group of children, from those with severe mental illnesses to those who have experienced abuse, neglect or other catastrophic challenges in their young lives. The simple joy of knowing that even children who struggle with daily living can find pleasure in an ice cream party really meant the world to the staff who support them.  It was also important to me becausse it reminded me of how The Walker Home saved my son Evan's life when no other organization could understand him. In saving our son's life, they saved our family from crumbling as well. Walker ... Read Full Story >>

One stolen light projector and three friendly neighbors helped restore faith

I was just blown away with an act of kindness by three strangers, who are now friends. A few nights ago we had a light projector taken from our yard; it was my feeble attempt at decorating for Christmas. I made a posting on 'Nextdoor,' a neighborhood website. It wasn't a mean spirited post at all. I tried to muster all the love and compassion I could for whoever took it. In fact, many neighbors commented on how much they loved my approach. Then, out of the blue, I get a message of someone wanting to come over and introduce themselves to me. I drove up just in time and was approached by Cynthia and Ken, along with their son Nikhil. Cynthia had read my post and didn't want me to lose faith in humanity, so to show me that there are good people in our neighborhood they went out and ... Read Full Story >>

Sixth Graders and the Smile Deck

I teach a sixth grade religion class, and today I played the Smile Deck game with my students.  They each left with two kind acts to complete and were very enthusiastic as I handed them regular Smile Cards to go along with the Smile Deck Cards.

One student was able to complete one of her acts that day itself, when class ended.  She held the door for those leaving the building, handing out Smile Cards to those who would take them.  It was uncomfortable for her at first (12 years old is an awkward age, at best), but she got the hang of it and started to enjoy her 15 minutes as 'Door Woman'!

I am excited to hear about how the other children's acts of kindness go.

I hope that my take on the ways we can “take care of God's creation” will sink into these kids, and they will carry forward the idea of embracing kindness as a meaningful part of life.

This is just the beginning for me!!  Thanks for the forum of inspiration!

A Moment of Calm

My husband and I were cleaning windows together yesterday. We  have the double-hung windows that you can pull forward and flip, allowing us to clean the inside and the outside surfaces. My husband was washing one window - and it popped out of its frame!  Well, our house is for sale and the last thing we needed was for something to break. He was so upset and tried with all his might to get it back together, using a few less than pleasant words (I am sorry to say). After twenty minutes he still could not get it fixed. That's when my 23 year old son told his dad to walk away for a minute and he would try to fix it with me. It's amazing how you can see things more clearly and do things more easily when you are calm. He and I fixed the window in three minutes! I called ... Read Full Story >>

Making Things Better With Kindness Medicine

I was at the bank applying for a new  ATM card because mine was damaged. As I was filling in a form given to me by the bank officer, a middle-aged woman came and asked the banker if she could withdraw a certain amount of money and showed the officer her bank book.  The banker checked her pass book and told her she could withdraw the amount requested.  She then returned to the line to wait her turn, saying she needed the money to pay for her medicine. 

While I was filling out the form heard what she said and suddenly my mind suggested that I give her the amount she needed.  I quickly turned to her and confirmed how much she needed and told her not to withdraw money from her account.  Instead, I said I would give her the money. 

She was shocked and looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, "Thank you, daughter. When ever I take my medicine I will remember you."

Tears came to my eyes, too.

Turning it Around With an Act Of Kindness

I was at work in the same aisle as a lady and her daughter when I overheard the mother yelling at her daughter. She said: "Great! No onion soup to use for my beef. Now I'm going to have to re-plan my entire meal for the day. I told you we should've went to Monroeville grocery store instead! They never have what I want here. The woman's daughter seemed upset and replied back: "Mom you don't need to be mad at me. "

I went into the back found 2 cans of onion soup and searched the whole store to find the lady and her daughter again. I asked: "Mam will this work?" The woman looked at me puzzled. (Like how did  you know?) I shared with her that I had overheard what they had talked about  A big smile came across her face and she said 'thank you'. Not only that, but her daughter  also had a relieved smile. I hope I turned her day around. :)

Smile Card Revolution at School

I am currently in grade twelve at my school and have been working on a project by creating a group of eight girls, ranging from grades five to six, to stop bullying.  I introduced these girls to the Smile Card idea, and it was a huge hit.  We have been meeting every week since then.  Next thing I know, one girl came up to me with over 100 Smile Cards that she had printed out from this website and colored in herself!

This shows me that kindness can reach all different ages.  Now, the girls are continuously spreading the cards and making journals of their experiences.  I plan to get our whole school involved in this Smile Card revolution. 

My next theme is "We are all the same yet so different."  These girls gave me hope that people in this world do care.

A Banana Bread Thank You

We live in a circle of giving in my neighbourhoood; neighbours sharing and looking out for each other.

So, the other day when a plate of banana bread appeared on our doorstep without a note I didn't know who to thank.

Was it Leslie? We often exchange fruits and vegetables from the garden and swap baked goods. I called her. She said it wasn't her.

Was it Carol? She loves our garden veggies! Nope.

Was it Helen? I had stopped by her house with a bag of freshly picked tomatoes and although her daughter had just given us some apple cake a few days earlier she said it wasn't her either.

I was scratching my head in confusion when Helen started talking about how nice it was that my husband and two other neighbourhood men had helped her neighbour move a big mattress into their house the other day.

Then her eyes sparkled and she said, "I know who baked a lot of banana bread! It was Ellen! She wanted to thank your husband for his help with moving the mattress!" 

Mystery solved - and more friends to bake for!

Stories for an Extra Special Listener

 This isn't so much a kindness story as a lovely moment. Every once in a while I go along to a local radio station to record some stories that go out as a 'Thought For The Day'. Usually the sound engineer is very fussy about background noise when we are recording. Sometimes there are other people in the studio and he makes sure they know silence is the order of the moment. Today there were two people in the studio. One was teenage boy working at a computer keyboard. The other was a woman who might have been his mother or his helper. We exchanged some pleasantries and she asked if I was doing 'Thought For The Day'. I said, "Yeah," but joked I was self-conscious. "So, nobody listen," I said in a mock raised voice. Then we began to record. While I spoke into the microphone I noticed the woman talking to the boy - ... Read Full Story >>

It Is In Giving That You Get

It was one of those unexpected moments of generosity that just takes your breath away - I called up my favorite sandwich shop, ordered two veggie hoagies, and arranged to pick them up in ten minutes. Parking places are hard to find around there so my wife dropped me off, saying she would pick me up again in a few minutes.  I walk in and mention my order. "Ah yes! Here you go. That'll be $14.87," the burly man behind the counter said.  I gave him the cash and he handed me my change. As I picked up the napkins he handed me a giant empty glass. "Here you go," he said. "That's for your drink."  I took it, not really sure why he had given it to me. "Um, I actually didn't order a drink," I said and tried to hand him the glass back.  "Oh, I know. Go ahead, help yourself to a ... Read Full Story >>