Search Results for 'popular' (3455 matches)

Togetherness: A Life After Life

I attended a funeral a week ago of a management friend who’s husband passed away of a heart attack very unexpectedly at age 50. He was survived by his wife and 12 year old child. It has been a difficult time for the family. On the back of their funeral announcement was this three paragraph poem that I thought was worth passing on to you. Hope you find it as valuable as I did:   Death is nothing at alI. I have only slipped away into the next room. Whatever we were to each other, we still are. Call me by my old familiar name. Speak to me in the same easy way you always have. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Life means all that it ever means. It is the same as it always was. This is absolute ... Read Full Story >>

❤️ Be Kind

❤️ May kindness fill your day & small joys come your way….

💫 Checking in on two people going through a hard time….one local and the other far away. Send the far away friend a daily message & he shared “ Thank you for the daily inspiration. It helps 😊”

💫 Check in with the local friend to see if they need anything when we are out running errands & before I send in our weekly Fresh Direct order. She texts me if she needs help retrieving deliveries on her porch (she’s recovering from a bad fall & lives alone)

A Creative Way to Teach My Children an Important Lesson

I have two sons who are 5 and 3 years old.  They love to take walks outside and one of the walks we often do is along a cycle path through some fields. This path eventually leads to the local high school, so  there is always some litter scattered on the sides, even though the city's cleaning squad sometimes tidies it up.   One day an idea occurred to me, I decided to show my children that we could do something to make a difference.  The next day, we took a plastic bag and some rubber gloves with us and the children and I collected whatever litter we found on our way. My sons had so much fun, since at that age they love picking up things from the ground (and with the rubber gloves I did not need to be scared they would catch something) and it was a creative ... Read Full Story >>

An Unforgettable Birthday Bracelet

Well, well, well, it's that time of the year again....ITS MY BIRTHDAY! Just like last year something extraordinary happened this year. Last year, I helped a homeless man in Fordham. This year I started going to a  nursing home to visit different people and I came upon a new comer. Usually when a new person arrives at a nursing home, they feel like all hope is gone and they are ready to die.  I try to convince them to keep going. This new comer was a lady... a strong and nice lady. She was very cheerful, and when her daughter brought her to the nursing home she became very unhappy. Everytime I would see her, she would frown at me and say, "Don't even waste your time on me, for I will die pretty soon." That scared and devasted me, but I never gave up on her. She finally got tired of me pushing her to talk to me, and started ... Read Full Story >>

A Life Lesson From A Farmer

My dad sent me a nice story forward, and here's an attempt to paraphrase the gist..

A certain farmer with the best crop yield was known to give away his seeds to other farmers in the area. When asked why he would give away his assets, he responded, "Well, you see, the wind blows seeds from all over into my land. If my neighbors have inferior seeds, then I will get an inferior crop. Therefore, to ensure that the wind brings me the best seeds, I must share my best seeds with others.

This is true about farming, and true about life. If we have an exquisite seed of happiness, why not give it away, so the wind blows it back to us.

My First Thanksgiving

At 47 years old who would have thought I would have been wearing a "Baby's First Thanksgiving" bib? Although I didn't actually wear a bib, last year was my first "real" Thanksgiving. I came from a broken home and when I married 25 years ago, I sought to make my family everything I didn't have growing up. I'm afraid I had that "white picket fence" mentality. Every holiday needed to be picture perfect. The food, the dishes, the house decorations, even down to the cozy sweater I had purchased especially for the occasion. I was so wrapped up in how things were suppose to be, losing sight of what meant most. So many of my years wasted on being decieved. That was then this is now. Being alone now, separated from my husband, and our son serving in the military, I was blessed to have the opportunity to truly serve. A small group of friends and ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness Into The Flow

Usually when I drive home I take the fastest and shortest way home...don't we all! Usually the drive takes me about 45 minutes driving from work. Well a week or so ago, I started to drive a different way home because I got bored of the usual way home. This new way contained lots of traffic, with cars moving at a snail’s pace. In the distance (about 300 meters away), I noticed a huge line of cars trying ever so hard to drive and get into the traffic flow on the main road (which I was on). I couldn't believe it – it was so easy to do – to stop and let a few cars into the traffic in front...but no one seemed to do that.  Well, that was probably because it was the 5pm rush home from work. When I finally got up to the line of traffic, I stopped ... Read Full Story >>

Two Little Kindness Moments

The first moment came when I was in the local dollar store. There was an older woman in front of me just wrapping up her purchases. When she came to pay for them she discovered that she was seventeen cents short. Before I could even offer to help the young cashier gave her a big smile. She said, "Oh, don't worry about it,"' and sent the woman on her way. As I came up she said, "It's only a few cents. I can't make a big deal out of it." I responded, "Here's the seventeen cents. You did a really nice thing. This way your cash won't be short."   The second moment came when I was walking along with my young son in a big, busy mall. We passed a young man whose arms and face were covered in tattoos. He wore raggedy clothes and sat on the sidewalk with a sign that said "Homeless - Hungry ... Read Full Story >>

New Glasses and Well Wishes

An old man I knew fell down in front of my house.  He was okay but he had smashed his glasses.  I knew he was living off a pension and had limited resources so I told him I would like to get his glasses fixed for him.

He told me if I go to a certain optometrist they'll do it free if I mentioned his name. I took the glasses there, mentioned his name, and they said "yeah, we know him" and then charged me $80 to fix them.

I never told him they charged me, I just passed on his new glasses and my well wishes.

A Small Message Of Appreciation

Today I am pleased to be able to say I sent an email to my aunt!

Why is that such a big deal? Well, there is some bitterness in the extended family because of her  (she is my uncle's wife) but today was their son's movie launch. My cousin had invited me to the event.

I was there in time to share the happiness and it moved me to tears as I remembered my dad who was the inspiration for all my cousins who forayed into the film industry. 

I just sent her the email appreciating her for standing by her family and doing her best to help them achieve their dreams.

And here comes the best part! I feel at peace and all the bitterness has disappeared. I know she will smile when she reads the message!

Thank you all for being so supportive and inspiring me to change for the better - always!

Ocean Lover!

I'm an ocean lover.... living in Montreal, far away from the ocean makes it even more a dream land for me.... and I try to visit at the very least, once a year.... and I've been doing it for the last 20 something years.  When I was younger, I would pick up shells rocks  and driftwood and bring them back home.... and ended up having tons of them on my shelves, floors, desks, etc. But as I visited the ocean more and more, I started picking up the garbage left by irresponsible polluting people... picking up less and less ocean treasure.... I was beginning to question my habits..... and one day, in California, I just had this revelation. I realized that a stone you find in the ocean has a wonderful color that makes you pick it up.... but then, when it dries, you don't find it as lovely anymore,  so why pick it up ... Read Full Story >>

Feeding the Soul by Helping People

Hi all, I would just like to say what a FAB site this is, and I feel blessed to be in this with soooo many beautiful people. At the tail end of 2007, my wife at the time told me that our marriage was over.  It hit me extremely hard emotionally, physically, and financially.  I had my faith in a lot of things taken away from me.  But that all changed because of the love of the person that I was put on this earth to be with!! To cut a long story short, I put my house on the market (selling it at the worst possible time due to the economic meltdown), made a pittance on the sale, but I did not mind because at least I wasn't in negative equity.  Being grateful for what I have, instead of dwelling on what I don't have has really kept me in ... Read Full Story >>

Anonymous Kindness With My Coworkers At School

Yesterday, I anonymously gifted three coworkers at the school I work at. First, I left a note for our school assistant superintendent that said, "Thank you for holding down the fort."  She has taken on the additional role of principal until one can be hired. Next, our school secretary received a note that said, "Thank you for wearing your happy face, everyday."  She does an awesome job of constantly being patient and smiling at everyone. Third, our payroll person got a note that said, "You make a difference."  Needless to say, she makes sure we all get paid, but she is also a great mom that has brought two wonderful children into this world.  I know because I have taught them both. Along with the notes, the recipients got the famous Smile Cards and small bottles of various perfumes.  I have not seen or heard the effects of these small acts of kindness.  However, ... Read Full Story >>

Sweet Love

I normally get 4 of my grandaughters on Saturdays and they spend the night to go to church with me. The plan was for them to finish their Valentine's Day cards up for the special ones in church. Of course, everyone is special, but they can only make so many. We were to make and bake some heart shaped cookies and spread the love but due to circumstances the girls arrived late. I had already decided to go ahead and bake the cookies. They came into a home filed with the smell of homemade cookies which was a plus. Next morning I gave each girl a wrapped plate of cookies to take into their Sunday School room and share with others. There were some left-overs because there were so many. After church service I allowed them to share the remaining cookies with whomever would like one. The girls smiled as they asked the church family if they would like one. They recieved so many compliments and smiles and hugs! It was so awesome to watch them. Alot of love was passed around in that small gesture....Happy Valentine's Day everybody !!! 

Shared Scrubs

I am a nurse who is required to wear a uniform we call "scrubs" at work. 

Cooking and Feeding With Love

I love cooking and food, so it's very natural for me to share the foods I make with my friends, family and co-workers.  It's such a profound way to show someone you care about them.  When I cook, I create meals of loving kindness, which I hope will nourish the recipients in body, mind and spirit. 

It is very important to me to use mainly organic and non-GMO ingredients so that when I deliver food to my friends and see them smile and enjoy my cooking, I am reminded that I have shared my love with them. It's nourishing on multiple levels and I am grateful they relish seeing me with my cooking creations.

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 >>

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.

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 >>

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 >>