Search Results for 'popular' (2847 matches)

On The Bus Ride To Ithaca

To me, school breaks are opportunities to get away from the mundane routine of college and explore. For the Thanksgiving break of 2015, I decided to visit my cousin in Ithaca. It was a 9 hour journey from State College to Ithaca by bus. The first leg of the journey, to Scranton, spanned about 6 hours. I had to switch buses in Scranton for the last leg of the journey, which spanned 3 hours. Unfortunately, my first bus got delayed by a whopping 2 hours. Consequently, I missed my second bus and had to wait for a couple of hours until I could take the next bus. It was 6 pm in Scranton, while I waited for the bus. I called my cousin to notify him of the delay and mentioned that it might be midnight until I reach home. While I was on call, I did not realize that there was ... Read Full Story >>

A Dollar Can Make a Difference

I was in the lobby of my doctor's office waiting for my appointment. As I was sitting there, an elderly couple came in. The gentleman had trouble breathing and looked as if he was in poor health. As they were checking in at the front desk, I overheard the receptionist say that they were on Medicaid and had an outstanding balance of $1.50. The woman only had 50 cents.

The woman and her husband both looked upset and embarassed. The receptionist said that the balance would need to be paid before they could see the doctor. I was sitting far away from the front desk so I walked up and said that I would pay the remaining  $1.00. They were so thankful and gave me many blesssings.

I always thought $1.00 wasn't enough to help anyone, but I was reminded that day that $1.00 really can make a difference!

Setting An Example For My Grandchilren - In The Rain

I was on my way to pick up two of my grand-daughters and take them to church.  On the way, I stopped by the shops to pick up a few things. I told my other grand-daughter Michelle (who was already in the car) that we might get wet. She was all for it, with a grin plastered on her face just from the thought of it. We ran from the car to the shop, screaming as the giant cold drops soaked us to the skin. I almost ran straight into a little old lady holding onto her walker. She had three bags of groceries tied onto the handle of the walker. She didn't mind that we were in such a rush, she just smiled at our silliness! We went into the store, bought the things we needed and prepared ourselves for another shower. That's when I noticed the lady was still there, waiting for the rain ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness, Happiness and Health

Ever since I finished the 29-Day Giving Challenge, I have felt a lot happier and have a much more optimistic outlook on life.  I think the secret to happiness is always counting your "thank yous," giving, and smiling.  I've done some research lately on the health benefits of kindness, and some say that the kinder you are, the happier you will be.  Is this the secret to happiness? This is new to me, but some of you may know that the actual act of giving results in a small or big rush of what's called "endorphins," aka a "helpers high".  Kindness in general has both physical and mental benefits. For example, in my case prior to starting the challenge, I felt tired, unenthusiastic, and lacking vitality. However, after just a couple days, along with some gifts, my energy started to increase, I felt more alive so to speak, and I was ... Read Full Story >>

A Second Chance To Help

Yesterday I was returning from Boston by bus. My wife was planning to leave work to pick me up from the the bus station. I called her to say not to bother, I would just take the local transit bus to her. This was the first time I had ever ridden the local bus system. While I was sitting on the bus a young woman with a dog got on. She was carrying several bags of heavy books. I noticed the dog was an emergency dog, one that is trained to warn the owner of a possible seizure. I heard the young women mention to someone else that she still had two miles to walk with the heavy books after she got off the bus. I thought maybe I should ask if she wanted a ride but I wasn't sure which stop she was getting off at so I hesitated and  didn't ask. The bus dropped ... Read Full Story >>

A Little Girl Remembers A Little Smile

Remembering Not To Hold Back

I was new at church and I knew nobody. I felt lonely the first time.  After heading back home I just said to myself that I was never going there again. Another situation came up and I had to go back to that "unfriendly" church again. I was quite disturbed that night, thinking how it was going to be.

Then I thought, ''Why am I complaining now? Why didn't I make a friendly gesture? Why was I holding back?"  

The next day at the church, I smiled at every possible person I met there. To my surprise, I was showered with smiles and blessings. I gave that wonderful smile and got back too many to take home.

Inspired To Kindness

I was looking through the "wanted" section of an online advertising website hoping to find someone I could help or send a Smile Card to. 

I found a single mom with five children asking if someone could drop off some firewood so she could keep her children warm through the snow storms we have been having. 

I couldn't drop off firewood but I e-mailed and asked for her mailing address.  I mailed her a gift card to a supermarket in our area and of course enclosed a Smile Card.  I hope it helps!

Being Able to Rely on my Community

My mother's coworker relayed a story to us.  Due to some unfortunate circumstances she was left in the snow, far away from her cabin and friends during a trip to the mountains.  She was lucky because a man on his snow plow at 2 AM (!) found her and took her to the hospital. The hospital first pronounced her dead (she had been in the snow for quite a few hours), but miraculously, they were able to revive her. She's been in the hospital since. When she awoke from her coma, the doctor couldn't assure her sister that she would be entirely the same person as before (e.g. personality), but it seems like her sister will be okay and back to normal soon! My mother's coworker was short on money, and she's in a pinch since she needs to pay for her sister's hospital fees. She came by today to ask if my ... Read Full Story >>

Inspired By The Bravery of My Boss

 My boss has cancer. He was diagnosed a few years ago; he went through treatment and chemotherapy. His cancer went into remission but returned recently. He is now currently having chemotherapy 3 times a week and fighting for his life yet a gain. I’m sharing this because never in my life have I ever seen someone so brave. Every day my boss comes to work with a smile on his face. Many times I can look at him and tell he is having a hard time but you could never tell. Every time I see him I make it a point to stop and ask, “How are you doing today?” I don’t ask as a courteous greeting, but rather out of concern. He can hear it in my voice and know what I mean so he looks back at me and tells me how he is doing. Every time I have asked, ... Read Full Story >>

An Opportunity to Give

After many months of illness, the resulting financial troubles and the love and generosity of dear friends, family members and even strangers that helped me and my children through those difficult times, my life regained balance. On a trip to the grocery store I spotted  a young couple hitchhiking with two puppies. They were obviously tired and discouraged and had made a sign, which simply read, "Just Food." Praying that they would stay, I hurried into the grocery store and bought a bag full of  nutritious foods, puppy chow for the dogs along with items I needed. To my relief they were still there when I came out. I drove up beside them and the young man approached at my beckoning him. I handed him the bag full of groceries, saying, "this is for you..." then the bag of chow, "this is for your puppies", and then a ten dollar bill, "And here's ... Read Full Story >>

Conference Called

This week I received the most astonishing thank you note from a person I helped attend a unique conference. This individual, let's call him Rick (and his wife) were facing a great deal of employment instability in the educational institution where they they worked. They were also raising two sweet and busy preschoolers; the stress of it all was evident. Rick and his wife had been attending the conference for years. It is the kind of event that nourishes teaches and administrators who work with vulnerable children and young people. When it became apparent that their employer was not going to provide enough funding for them to attend, I "pulled some strings" which Rick said made it possible for both to go. I hadn't thought more about it until I received Rick's note Thursday. He said attending the conference was like a lifeline; they were able connect with trusted mentors and friends ... Read Full Story >>

When Graciousness Meets Gratitude

My friend was in a very long McDonald's drive-thru line and although she had six small children in her car she wasn't in a hurry. So, she let a woman who seemed pressed for time cut in front of her.  

My Savior Angel

A year ago, I was a mess!    I was going through one of those phases that every teenager goes through in high school. I had made some new friends who were part of the popular gang of our school. Hanging out with them made me overconfident and feel like I could treat other people in whatever way I wanted.   Also, under the influence of these people, I would make up these unbelievably silly lies to cover up for all my mistakes. And, as you probably know, one lie leads to another and then another, and it keeps going on.    Among my new friends there was one girl who was very kind, compassionate and down to earth. She wouldn't judge people on their looks or their crowd. Since we had friends in common and went to the same classes we ended up hanging out a lot.    I remember being extremely surprised at her honesty. And ... Read Full Story >>

3,762 Miles Walked And 100 Tons Of Trash

On an unassuming weekday evening, Jane was at home… as usual. As her thoughts swung between what she was going to do with her life and their dinner plans for the evening, she was unexpectedly interrupted by an urgent call from her sister “get over here! Turn on NBC and check these guys out, they are just like you…” One facebook message and a phone interview later, Jane found herself on a bus with 8 strangers in the middle of the sweltering desert heat of Utah, picking up trash and raising awareness about zero-waste and climate change. Armed with a deep love of the environment and a desire to make a difference, Jane, Davey, and a group of self described “environmental pick-up artists” went on a coast to coast road side trash pick-up. As they walked, sometimes only covering 0.9 miles in an entire day, they slowly and steadily made their ... Read Full Story >>

On The Subway

Every morning I take the subway to work. Usually I am still tired and would love to sit. No one ever offers their seat, which is okay. I see advertisements for random acts of kindness on the subway and they touch my heart, but on several occasions I have seen pregnant ladies get on and no one offer them their seat.    Today I got on and a seat was available! So, I sat down. At the next stop a gentleman with a walking disability got on and to my surprise no one moved, so I stood up and offered him my seat. He was grateful.    As we approached his station he tried to get off but people would not move, even after he said excuse me. So I pushed my way through the crowd and tried to help him off the train. But people just didn't seem to care and even with my ... Read Full Story >>

Coffee Shop Kindness - With Extra Ripples

The other day I was in a popular coffee shop. I got my order and looked around the crowded cafe for a table to sit at.  I asked a woman sitting at a large table if the seat in front of her was available. She said, "No. I'm waiting for a few people." 'Okay,' I thought. 'Fair enough.'   I went on to the next person, a young man who had his coat covering the chair opposite him. I asked if the seat was available and he happily lifted his coat from the chair. I sat there, sharing his table, eating my sandwich and drinking my tea. Then I noticed another young lady walk up to the woman I had talked to. I watched her looking around for any other available seats.    Next to me was another young lady on her phone with an available spot but no chair. I looked around some more ... Read Full Story >>

A Little Bit of Kindness Goes a Long Way

En Route to Ubud

I have been living in Ubud in Bali for the last 9 months, and am really loving it. One of the many things I enjoy about it is that I get to travel without going anywhere, because friends regularly fly in from different parts of the world to visit. When I happen to be the one traveling places, I love being welcomed at the airport, and so I try to do the same for friends whenever I can.   Two days ago, I headed to the airport to pick up a friend who was flying in from Paris to visit for three weeks.  I don't own a car so I hired the services of my friend, Wayan Yoga, a really sweet Balinese driver. Wayan is also my informal Indonesian tutor, so I always look forward to riding with him.  We had a wonderful chat on our way to the airport about what ... Read Full Story >>

More than Money at the Bus Stop

A story a friend shared with me: While going to the office, I found an old man lying by the side of the bus stop. He seemed very sick and poor. Instinctively, I gave him some money. After a few minutes, I realized that he was probably too sick to get up and buy something with that money. I was thinking about how to help him when my bus arrived, halting my brainstorm. I quickly got on and rode off. However, that night I couldn't sleep. I felt very angry at my own heartless and selfish behavior. How could I just walk away from that man without a thought for his suffering? I felt restless and very upset.  The next morning, while waiting at the bus stop, I hoped to run into him again. But he wasn't there. I thought he may have gone to the sidewalk to sleep for the night. I ... Read Full Story >>