Search Results for 'popular' (3612 matches)

The Gift of a $1 Car

I am serving in Americorps VISTA in Cheyenne. Although the work has been challenging, the rewards are immeasurable. The weather in Cheyenne has proved to be adventurous! Although the fact that I walk everywhere has proven to be excellent exercise, for my body as well as my mind, I began to realize that I needed another form of transportation for the winter. My boyfriend Mike knew of this desire and he researched some local sites for inexpensive vehicles. The second he sent me information about a 1978 Ford Fairmont, I just knew this car was meant to be! I began my communications with the owner, a man named Dale Meyer. I found out that the car was originally purchased by his grandfather and was in pretty good condition. He and his two siblings had actually learned to drive using this car. We settled on a price of $400, and decided ... Read Full Story >>

He Played His Best

This is the story of Robby. He was a young boy who lived with his elderly mother. His mother wanted him to learn how to play the piano because she longed to hear her son play for her. She sent her son to a piano teacher who took Robby in under her guidance. However, there was one small problem because Robby was not musically inclined and therefore was very slow in learning. The teacher did not have much faith in the boy because of his weakness. The mother was very enthusiastic and every week she would send Robby to the teacher. One day Robby stopped attending the piano lessons. The teacher thought that he had given up and in fact she was quite pleased since she did not give much hope to Robby. Not long after, the piano teacher was given the task to organize a piano concert in town. ... Read Full Story >>

A Circle of Kindness From Our Neighbors

Last year my family was moving from New Hampshire to Washington State.  In the process of selling our house, giving away most of our belongings (we were moving to a much smaller house and didn't need most of it) and saying goodbye to all the friends we'd made over the past 22 years there; our 27-year-old daughter, who was living with us, became progressively more ill, eventually becoming unable to sit up or walk. Three weeks before we were supposed to close on our house, she was diagnosed with both Lyme disease and a brain tumor, which was pressing on her brainstem.  Her excellent neurosurgeon was able to remove the entire tumor, which was non-cancerous, and within days she could walk again and use her arms.  Intravenous antibiotics took care of the Lyme disease.  When we returned home from the hospital (after 11 days away), there was a big sign welcoming us home ... Read Full Story >>

The Beggar Poem

On my way to work,my eyes wander to various sights
There always sits a beggar man next to a shop
He sits outstretching his arms
I dig in my pocket to give him alms
The beggar man is my everyday sight
He gives me a smile that is just so right
We are blessed with everything in life
Yet we do not smile as if there is a strife
The beggar has wealth nor health
Yet the smile on his face is heartfelt
For sometime the beggar man is seen nowhere
I feel something missing,
I look around and stare
The shopkeeper tells me he died
Silently I pause,he will no more be in my sight
I will miss him,I do not know why
Seeing him was a habit,
I feel to cry
The beggar man taught me to smile and to forget lifes worry awhile

***based on a true story

Seeing the Same Stranger Twice

It was a freezing cold winter day. During a late night run to the grocery store, I saw an old man slip on some ice.   An ambulance came but the man didn't want to go to the hospital (perhaps due to insurance reasons). I saw the old man starting to walk home. Feeling sorry for his condition, not even knowing who he was, I offered him a ride home.  On our way, he wanted to stop by a bar for some silly reason, so I obliged; he said he'd only be a second, but I waited nearly 15 minutes.  Still, I continued taking him home.  When we arrived at his house, about 10 minutes later, the man offered me some money, but I refused event though it was a ways out of my way. Thinking I would never see this man again, I went on home and went on with my life. Well, ... Read Full Story >>

How Will You Fill Your Flower Vase?

Last night after reading some inspirational posts on HelpOthers I decided it was getting a little late so I decided to go to bed. As I was lying there I was thinking about the stories I had just read. For some reason my mind flashed back to my first day at College (High School). The head girl was standing up on the stage giving us a speech about your life and your life journey being a vase full of flowers. Now that may seem a strange context but that speech has stayed with me for many years. I would like to share it with you all!  It went something along the lines of… Imagine a big vase of flowers being your life. Each person has a vase of flowers but it is their opportunity to fill it in the way they decide. You could fill your vase with a few flowers ... Read Full Story >>

At A London Bus Stop

One late winter's evening I was standing at a bus stop in gloomy, wet and windy London. Then I noticed a young man running as fast as he could and just behind him there was a number eight bus. 

I held my hand out and stopped the bus. The guy was still running, so I proceeded to walk slowly towards the bus. I put my right foot on the step to keep the door open and, finally, the young man reached the bus stop! 

A Newborn At My Doorstep

Nearly 6 years ago, a little boy was brought to me to look after in my day care.  He was a mere two days old.  After being with me for some 3 months, we realized that the "Mother" has disappeared, leaving this helpless little boy.

I could not get it over my heart to leave this child to his own defenses and decided to adopt him.  We come from different backgrounds and cultures, but I was will to endure everything in order to love this child unconditionally.

I adopted him and am proud to say that he is today a real blessing in my life!

Thank you for your kindness!

For the past 5 days, I was down with viral flu and I wasn't really feeling well. My father lost his job, I've had trouble in my work and a lot more trouble I can only imagine.I can't help but cry. What keeps my sanity for these agonizing days? You guys in here - people I really don't know personally but by your never ending stories of kindness. I know at one point I'll be able to stand up and gain whatever helplessness I am feeling in my heart now.

I really just want to thank you for letting me feel your kindness here in my heart.

Having Faith in the Power of Doing Good

Two of my friends and I were coming back from a youth meeting when a woman with three children, who were looking unclean and unkept started speaking to us.  She said she and her kids needed money to eat, as they had not eaten since morning and it was already evening.  I had three hundred naira with me and I wanted to use it to buy credit to recharge my phone.  I was tempted to ignore her and tell her I had no money to spare -- even my two friends told me that we should go and I should not give her anything, that she is a fake, pretentious fellow.  But, I decided not to listen to my friends and gave her all the money that I was planning to use to recharge my phone without any hopes of getting more money to top-up my phone for a few days.  I was so shocked when I saw the woman burst ... Read Full Story >>

Sometimes We All Need A Little Support

I will never forget a special trip to the grocery store a couple of years ago. My father had just recently passed away.  I was missing him terribly and rarely getting through a day without crying. I needed to pull myself together to get some groceries for my husband and young children. As I entered the store, I immediately had to control my emotions as the sweet aroma of my Daddy's favorite cinnamon buns made there at our local grocery store drifted throughout the store. I made my way up and down the busy aisles and filled my cart as I read my list, which I had prepared that morning. I was approaching the in-store bakery when I just couldn't control myself any longer. I held the cart and quietly cried as I looked at the plump, gooey cinnamon buns in the case. An older gentleman came to my side and simply ... Read Full Story >>

A Timeless Gift

Every day I pass by a homeless man on the street near where I attend college.  He tells me 'hello'  in a cheerful manner, and I always say it back.  I give him any extra change I have.  He always wears a watch.  Not an expensive watch by any means, but it serves its purpose.  One day I noticed he wasn't wearing it anymore.  I asked him why and he looked down and told me that the battery had died so he threw it away.  I knew he couldn't afford a new battery and he certainly couldn't afford a new watch.  He stayed on my mind all day, and I knew what I had to do.  I went out and bought him a watch.  Not an expensive one, but one that was very similar to the one he had.     When I saw him the next day, he was smiling and cheerful ... Read Full Story >>

Oh, That Is So Refreshing!

It was a very hot, late August day when I took my 8 year old grand daughter out to lunch at a beautiful, fancy restaurant, because she enjoyed feeling like a princess. 

As we sat out on the lovely deck with many other diners around us, she reached out to point to the flowers on the table and accidentally tipped my ice water glass into my lap. 

She gasped, her eyes grew large, the people at the next table peered to see my reaction.  I simply smiled and said, "Oh, that is so refreshing."

We can make a split second decision to have a different-than-expected reaction to happenings that, in their smallness, make the world a better place and teach our children at the same time.

Random Notes of Kindness

For some time, I had been thinking that I wanted to do something to make strangers smile. I decided that I would leave small post it notes around in shops, on public transit, and other public places with positive sayings or kind words for strangers to find. A friend on Facebook had posted that she had received reams of beautiful paper from an artist friend and was wondering what to do with it.  I told her about my idea, and she immediately remarked that this must be what her paper was meant for. So, two friends on opposite sides of the world started leaving these random notes of kindness.  I now have a third friend in the UK leaving notes as well, three continents are covered. :) I leave my notes without expecting any particular results.  Whether they are read or thrown away, it doesn't matter.  The main thing is that I did ... Read Full Story >>

A Slice Of Love In the Supermarket Aisle

I was working in a supermarket promoting a new variety of bread.  My job was to hand out slices of bread; it was very monotonous and at times very hard to keep motivated saying the same thing over and over again.

So I decided to change it up, and alter my perspective on the situation.  With a piece of bread in my hand, I started to say, "Would you like to try a slice of love?  And I'm also giving away free hugs today."

And so I started hugging complete strangers, as they passed by my aisle.

The reactions of the people absolutely blew me away!  An older lady said she had not been hugged in two years.  I was so moved by our brief conversation that I decided that I'm always going to be ever-ready to share my hugs freely – you just never know who might need them!

A Small Gesture Meant a Great Deal

This is just a short story but it really brought home to me how very small acts of kindness and even courtesy have bigger effects than we realise.

I have a bad back which flares up from time to time. Yesterday I was out walking while carrying shopping bags and my keys. My keys slipped from my hand and fell to the ground. The problem was that because of my back I couldn't bend down to get them. I was just thinking of how to get around this when two teenage girls came up beside me.  Without even speaking to me, one of the girls just reached down, picked up my keys, handed them to me and went on her way.

While it was a small gesture and she couldn't have known that I was in too much pain to bend down, it meant a great deal to me at that moment.

The Long Three-Legged Walk

I was doing some yard-work yesterday. It was a mellow evening and I was making the most of it. Now, there is a path that runs alongside our garden fence. After I had been out there a while I heard a neighbors' voice coming from the path. "That's no place to be sleeping!" he said. "What a ridiculous state to get yourself into. Get up and get home. I'm telling you, you'd better not be there when I get back!"   I looked over the fence as the neighbor walked away. There didn't seem to be anyone else there.   Then I looked down. There was a man lying on his back on the path with his eyes closed. I recognized him. I had seen him doing the drunkard's walk along that path on several occasions.   My mind went over the telling off I had just overheard and a little voice in my head said, "Oh, ... Read Full Story >>

Overhearing a phone conversation at Starbucks

A few months back I was waiting in line undecided on what to get at Starbucks. I noticed a woman in her mid-thirties, well dressed with a resume in her hand. One of the employees told her that the manager would be with her shortly. While we both waited her phone rang. She started apologizing to the person on the line, "I'm truly sorry, I lost my job a few months back and I could barely pay tuition. But I promise you as soon as I can I'll buy the girls their books. Please just give me time." I wanted to hug her right there and then. My birthday was the day before and I am obsessed with books. I got many bookstore gift cards. I knew why God put me there today. I thought of my mom and what she would say to me "come on you know what to do." I ... Read Full Story >>

Carrying Love Half Way Around The World

The postie has just delivered a letter. It's from a friend in a far away land. Inside is a note, a list of "I Believes" and a beautiful bookmark.

I've been sitting here for the past five minutes at a loss for words. Not because of the gift, although it is sweet, not because of the thought, although that is also appreciated, but because my friend took that thought and that gift and put them into action, in a way that carried love half way around the world.

That's an awesome thing, and, well, it's a lot to take in.

So, I'll digress a little and mention one of the "I Believes." My friend says, "I Believe ... that your life can be changed by people who don't even know you." In a very real way, that's what you all out there in HelpOthersland are doing. You change the lives of the people you help, but you also change the lives of the people you share with on this site. We're becoming a family, for the best of all possible reasons. Thank you all for that.

And to my friend, I Believe ... you have changed my life!

Lesson from the Check-Out Line

A little part of me thought about going to another checkout line. This one had the shortest queue, there was only one guy in it, but he was in a wheelchair and there seemed to be some complications going on. Well, I stamped on that little part, and we stepped in behind him. At first, he seemed to be having difficulty getting his groceries onto the conveyor belt. But after a while, I realized that what he was actually doing was separating it into two lots. Still, getting the stuff up there was no easy task in itself. I offered to help, but he and the checkout lady had it under control. He asked Julie if she would mind putting his empty basket away. Then he reached for his wallet which was in a pouch on one side of his chair. The way he was positioned and the fact he only had ... Read Full Story >>