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Travis Randolph Eating Lunch With My Son!

[Saw this on FB today, by Leah Paske, and was very inspired so I'm resharing below.] Several times lately I have tried to remember my time in middle school, did I like all my teachers, do I even remember them? Did I have many friends? Did I sit with anyone at lunch? Just how mean were kids really? I remember one kid on the bus called me "Tammy Fay Baker" bc I started awkwardly wearing eye liner in the sixth grade, I remember being tough and calling him a silly name back, but when he couldn't see me anymore I cried. I do remember middle school being scary, and hard. Now that I have a child starting middle school, I have feelings of anxiety for him, and they can be overwhelming if I let them. Sometimes I'm grateful for his autism. That may sound like a terrible thing to say, but in ... Read Full Story >>

2883 Reads
  • Posted by moonwalk
  • Sep 1, 2016
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Five Little Squirrels

Ever since I was a kid I've always been involved in animal rescue.  In a neighborhood I lived in several years ago I was known as the Animal Lady. One evening three little neighbor girls ran up to my door, exclaiming over a baby squirrel that was running around on the sidewalk. I quickly followed the kids and they led me to a tiny squirrel, frantically trying to run up to the various nervous neighbors who were screeching and dodging the baby squirrel. I accessed the youngster to be young enough to still have milk teeth and I realized that even if it bit me, it could do no damage. I scooped the little creature up and checked it for injuries. It seemed fine. Now, a baby squirrel has to be pretty desperate for milk to leave its nest and search the neighborhood for help. I figured the mother must have ... Read Full Story >>

2272 Reads

Personal Growth On The Freeway

This morning when I got in my car I said a prayer. I prayed that God would help me become a better person and I prayed He would allow me to experience personal growth.  As I pulled out and headed to work I said I was going to hold myself accountable for all the things that I know prevent me from being that better person.   As soon as I got on the freeway the madness started. People were driving crazily, not courteous at all. So I was getting mad and impatient. And then a car came out of nowhere and the driver cut in front of me so recklessly that I had to slam my foot on the brakes to avoid from crashing into him.   In that moment a string of curse words entered my mind and my arm raised in anticipation of blaring my horn! My other hand prepared to flash a ... Read Full Story >>

2451 Reads

Making Someone's Day - Cheaper Than A Latte!

I was in the check-out line at the store a few hours ago. The gal ahead of me asked the cashier to take two items off because she could tell by the subtotal she wasn't going to be able to afford them.     Off came a single-serve container of strawberry milk and a can of that La Choy Chunk King Chinese food stuff.    Once the cashier was done ringing everything else up, the woman looked at her significant other and said, "We have enough for one but not the other. Should we get the milk or the La Choy?"   He said, "The milk. I'm REALLY thirsty!" So, the cashier added the milk and the gal handed her the payment.    I reached into my purse, grabbed one of my Smile cards and some cash, then I looked at the woman customer and asked, "Can I buy the other thing for you?"     She gave me a ... Read Full Story >>

2214 Reads
  • Posted by sonshiney
  • Mar 2, 2012
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A Bead and the Kindness of Strangers

My daughter is a teller at a bank.  She saw that one of her clients was wearing a charm bracelet made by "Pandora."  I had been wanting one of them for my birthday.  My husband just bought me one last week so I got my present early. 

My daughter mentioned to the customer how pretty her three braclets were and that I had just got one as an early birthday present.  The customer asked when my birthday was and my daughter told her.  The woman, according to my daughter, replied, "Oh, my birthday is on the 20th" and then she opened her braclet and took off a beautiful charm and gave it to my daughter to give to me as a gift! 

The reason I wanted one of these braclets is so that as my friends and family buy beads for it I will be able to look at each one with love and fondness for the person giving it.  This bead will always remind ME to pay it forward and to be kind even to a stranger.  What a wonderful reminder as I glance down at my bracelet. 

2097 Reads
  • Posted by thislady
  • Mar 7, 2012
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Teelu The Puppy

Yesterday afternoon the sky was dark and the rain poured down. I went upstairs to catch the cool breeze. It was still moody, as if sky and the clouds were tired and decided to cry some rain. Yet the climate was awesome and the breeze cooled my body from head to toe.   I went onto the balcony and saw a small puppy near the gate of our apartment. He had been drenched by the rain.   I immediately ran downstairs with a towel in my hand. I rushed to the puppy and wrapped him in the towel.   I cleaned the mud from him, got into an auto, and took him to nearby veterinary doctor. He examined him and gave an injection for his health.    I brought him back home and made a place for him to sleep. I gave him a cup of milk and bread to keep his hunger away. He was good enough and ... Read Full Story >>

3021 Reads

The Gift on the Sidewalk

Today, I was babysitting my two-year-old friend, Liam. He was feeling sad and wanted to stay inside with his mom and dad. I tried everything to get him interested in playing outside with me. Nothing worked. Finally, as a last resort, I took a shiny new penny out of my pocket. I tossed the penny down the sidewalk and then chased after it. It must have looked fun, because he joined right in! On one of my tosses, the shiny penny rolled down the sidewalk and appeared to stop near a Christmas tree that was laying next to the gutter, waiting to be picked up by the recycle truck. As I squatted near the tree to look for the penny, I spotted a small, lonely Christmas ornament attached to one of the branches. Scooping it up, I was struck by how delicate it was. Handmade, and crafted from felt, it was in the ... Read Full Story >>

2241 Reads

A Simple but Meaningful Act of Gratitude

Every month, I write letters to two Marines serving in Afghanistan who I don't know.  I thank them for their service to our nation. While I don't know them, I hope that they know how much I appreciate them.

3127 Reads

The Veteran Who Wants To Make Folk Smile

Last weekend I was navigating my way through a Good-will store as I do every Saturday. I was absorbed in my own thoughts when I overheard an employee say, "Let me shake your hand to thank you for your service!"   I looked up and saw the employee, a man in his 30s, shaking the hand of an elderly man wearing a "WW II Veteran" hat. As they started talking I stood and listened in.   The veteran said he was 85 and when the employee and I expressed surprised he fished out his driver's license to prove it. This man was sharp as a tack and looked to be in great physical shape. And, boy, did he have a sense of humor!   The three of us stood there for about 15 minutes, just chatting away about the veteran's war experiences. He described the feeling he had when Germany surrendered in the war, how ... Read Full Story >>

2982 Reads

Seeds That Blossom And Windows That Gleam

Today I received a lovely act of kindness from a seed I panted some time ago!

About six months ago the person who cleans the windows in my house cleaned only half of the windows. He said he would  come the next day to finish the work but never showed up. Even so I decided to pay him the full amount and wrote him a nice note saying that next time he came around I would expect a fantastic job.  
 
I never thought about it again. As the summer was very wet there were not many opportunities to clean the windows.
 
He  showed up today with a big smile and the good news that he was going to clean all my windows for free.
 
It was truly a gift from life! I have been through a lot lately so the timing of his gift could not have been more perfect.

 

 

2236 Reads

Runaway Coffee Barrels and the 'Angel of Mercy'

Coming home from a coffee shop today, we had our old truck loaded down with three 50-gal. barrels of mostly coffee grounds that we use to make compost.  My husband had laid them down in the truck, and as we came up the ramp to a major intersection the tailgate hinge broke and all the barrels rolled out into the street behind us. Thank goodness there were no cars immediately behind us, which was a bit of a miracle since it was lunch hour. One barrel rolled right into a lane, and the two others were partially in a lane.  We slammed on the brakes, jumped out, and I retrieved the closest one while my husband started running back toward the ramp to get the other two. I knew that one of the ones he was going to get was extremely heavy; we had had a horrible time getting it into ... Read Full Story >>

2395 Reads
  • Posted by Sundi
  • Feb 24, 2013
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The Blanket In The Dug-Out

In my new position as manager of parks and recreation in a small California mountain town I have the great privilege of being able to visit parks and playgrounds as part of my job responsibilities.  A month or so ago, on a cold autumn morning, I walked through a ball park near my office. In the dug-out I noticed some trash and an old blanket which I picked up and carried toward the trash bin. As I lifted the blanket to dispose of it I caught a whiff ... and it occurred to me that it was being used, probably by a homeless person. I stopped, thought about it, and reluctantly returned the blanket to the dug-out.   Over the next couple of weeks I would pop my head into the dug-out. The blanket was always there, always in a different place. As our maintenance men were in the park often I assumed ... Read Full Story >>

2159 Reads
  • Posted by SmileADay
  • Mar 8, 2013
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Service Area Sweets

This past holiday season, I drove with my parents to Boston to visit my distant cousin. On my way way back home, we stopped at service area for food. As we were stopped there, there was this old lady who was busy cleaning all the tables and chairs as people leaving, making sure everything is neat and clean. I just thought of gifting her with five dollars and a chocolate in my pocket. I wrote on a paper napkin: "Thank you and Merry Xmas." I wanted to leave it there for her but decided to walk up to her and give her. She asked me, "Is it a gift? Only then will I take it." I nodded, "Yes," and smiled at her. "Thank you," she replied, and I left to buy some stuff from the store inside. On my way back to car, the woman stopped me. "I make a lot of cookies and candies on ... Read Full Story >>

2838 Reads
  • Posted by mbbb230
  • Mar 27, 2013
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Awarding Compassion

My daughter Rachel won an award at her school for compassion a few years ago.

Her school recognizes one student each month for a specific trait. When the Caring pillar was recognized, Rachel was selected by her school. She was happy she won a bike. The principal read the reasons she had won.

It was so special to me to hear the many kind things she does at school and how she demonstrates kindness and compassion often. We work hard to instill kindness and compassion in our children and it is a wonderful thing to hear how it goes when we are not around.

It was a precious moment full of love. One of my top 5 biggest hugs ever was given was that day. Seeing my daughter’s kind heart in action is one of the most precious memories I will ever have!

2902 Reads

She Made My Piano Sing

She was in her late 70s when I met her and no longer physically fit. She was hard of hearing, very opinionated, and spoke broken English very loudly. Plus, she was seldom interested in listening. Instead, she talked almost non-stop.  She had very few friends and had no family anymore, except for a son she last heard from in 1986.  Somehow the winds of fate blew her into my life. I was a young bachelor at the time and, once a year, I used to go to the coast for a holiday. My 10 hour journey passed near the little country town where she lived all by herself. Whenever I felt sorry for her I would pick her up – along with her mountains of luggage – take her to the coast for ten days or so, and then bring her home again. And every year I promised myself that would be ... Read Full Story >>

19.9K Reads

Lunchtime

Around lunchtime today my son and I were walking in our community's busy "downtown" area. We passed by a homeless man sitting on the street and since I had no cash on me, all we could give him was a smile and a good wish. As we walked on my son asked me didn't I have any money to give him--I said I don't have cash, but why don't we ask him if he would like something to eat. On our way back on that street after doing our errand we saw the same man and asked him if he would like us to get him some lunch. His face brightened up and when I asked what he would like, he just said "anything is fine". So then my son pointed to a rather fancy looking "parisian cafe" type of place across the street and we decided to go in there. ... Read Full Story >>

3120 Reads

Do All, Feel Most

When you do an act of human kindness, you walk a step in someone else's shoes.     This can change your life.  It changed mine.   I was in an awful job, 18hr days, getting reamed out by my boss.  My new husband lived in another city and I saw him 1x a month, and even then we just had terrible, horrible fights.  I was underweight, my hair thinning, I had eczema.  But quitting was failure, simple as that.     One day I was late for work and grabbed a taxi.  I was on my computer when I noticed the driver.  He was middle-aged Asian man wearing a nice golf polo and simply put, did not look like other cab drivers I'd seen in the city.   I asked him where he was from.  Korea, he's been here 25 years.  I asked him how long he'd been driving a cab.  A month.   He said the reason he started driving was for money.  His daughter ... Read Full Story >>

3298 Reads
  • Posted by Anonymous
  • Dec 5, 2013
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This Is Really Great!

Leaving Paris, I had no more use for my mobile SIM card, which still had quite a bit of talk-time on it.

So, after checking-in for my flight, I made a detour to the Arrival area, where I found a just-arrived, almost-elderly couple making enthusiastic enquiries in English at the Information Desk. I asked if they'd like my SIM card and talk-time.

The man replied, "We had just a moment ago asked where we could buy one." "Now you have one," I said, handing his wife a small, cellophane envelope containing the SIM and a Smile Card. "Wow," he said, "this is great!"

She removed the Smile Card and started to examine it as I turned to head-back to the Departure area. "Hey," she called after me, "THIS is REALLY great!" I simply kept-on walking, grinning as broadly as I hoped they were.

2890 Reads

What I Never Want To Forget

My family comes first - not work. Why? Because no matter how long you live, life is short. And people, especially family, are precious.

My mum in law died last week at the grand age of 88 and she clung to life (despite having advanced cancer) with every fibre of her being. One of her last days, she sat, even though she could barely move, outside, in the really strong gusty wind, just being alive. She just plain refused to go inside. Stubborn, yes. Breathing, yes. Alive - absolutely.

When it comes down to it, no-one cares about your work achievements at the end of your life (really, they don't), they care about how kind you were, how you made them laugh, how you listened or were there for them, what you did for others and those quirky little things that you didn't realise people noticed about you that made you special to them.

The last week has been a huge eye-opener for me. I hope it's changed me forever.

2208 Reads
  • Posted by kristinlaustin
  • Feb 7, 2015
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A Mother's Sacrifice

My mom only had one eye. I hated her... she was such an embarrassment. My mom ran a small shop at a flea market. She collected little weeds and such to sell... anything for the money we needed she was such an embarrassment. There was this one day during elementary school. I remember that it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed. How could she do this to me? I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school..."Your mom only has one eye?!" and they taunted me. I wished that my mom would just disappear from this world so I said to my mom, "Mom, why don't you have the other eye?! You're only going to make me a laughingstock. Why don't you just die?" My mom did not respond. I guess I felt a little bad, but at the same time, it ... Read Full Story >>

11.1K Reads