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Secret Agents Spreading Smiles!

Today my champion-of-kindness daughter and I set out on one of our kindness missions.  A while back we did some random drops of envelopes filled with a dollar, Smile cards, and a note asking them to pay it forward. Today we tried a similar experiment and it was my little 6 year old’s idea.   We put a different spin on it this time. She wanted to watch people open them, as last time we loved the few we did see. So this time when we left an envelope, we watched from somewhere nearby. We made sure to only leave them when we couldn’t be caught.   The first one someone grabbed and walked off. We only followed them for a bit and then thought it best to move on to our next “victim”. The second one we sat across from and watched. It was a family who found it. The skeptical husband thought for ... Read Full Story >>

8235 Reads

A Big Piece Of Humble Pie

I ran out of gas less than one block from the local gas station.   While waiting in line to ask if they had a gas can I could use, I was watching the new cashier trainee.  I was judging his appearance and demeanor:  prison tattoos up his neck and down his arms, not making eye contact with the customers nor thanking anyone, insecure about what he was doing...

When my turn came and I asked if they had a gas can.  The  girl training him (who is familiar with me) said, "No, but we have one you can buy."  I like to think that I live in a small town where everyone is able to help one another ... but sometimes not. 

The new cashier, however, looked up at me and said, "I have one in the back of my truck you can use, if you'll bring it back." 

I thanked him profusely.  I was ashamed of how I had been judging and, at the same time, delighted that, once again, the universe had provided me with another  lesson in kindness!

4751 Reads

30 Days; 30 Acts of Kindness

I am currently participating in a "30 acts of kindness in 30 days" challenge which I set for myself. Let me explain. A dear friend of mine recently celebrated her 30th birthday. Rather than doing what most women of her age would might do -- drinking, hiring a stripper, or even buying a fabulous new dress and having a swanky dinner out at an expensive restaurant -- she decided to host a "random acts of kindness" party, inviting her friends to participate in spreading some kindness in the world, and to spend money they'd have spent on a gift instead on gestures of kindness. At the restaurant, she had a drawing so that everyone received instructions for an act of kindness they had to carry out anonymously. She'd also prepared cards for all those present, where she'd written to each guest personally, saying what they meant to her as a ... Read Full Story >>

4415 Reads

A Pocketful of Hope

Here's a quick reminder to all of you when you get stuck in a moment --- that, somewhere out there, someone always comes along with a pocket full of hope. Today I spent all my coins and dollar bills on little deeds. I had skipped breakfast because the clock was ticking away too quickly.  On top of the mad rush, I forgot my lunch. I was going to buy my lunch along the way, but a person in need asked me if I could spare them some cash, so I decided that moment, to put them first. So, then later, that evening, I was heading home anxiously awaiting dinner, when I got a call from my Mom saying that she was stuck working the late night shift and wouldn't be able to make it to the market to pick up groceries. Even though there was no food in the house, I took a step back for a second, and I told my Mom not to worry as I would surely find myself something on which to munch. :)  While I was ... Read Full Story >>

8183 Reads
  • Posted by cassiemeadows
  • Sep 29, 2008
  • 22 Comments
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Kindness In Grief

A long time ago, I was a waitress in a pancake house that stayed open til midnight. One evening around 11:30, a couple came in. There was no one else in the restaurant, so I started chatting as I poured the coffee. It turns out that the womans mother was in the hospital and it was only a matter of time before she passed. We talked how hard it was to watch a parent die and how we both hoped that she wouldn't be in pain for too much longer. She asked if the restaurant would be open the following evening and I assured her that it would and I would be waiting for them with a hot pot of coffee. For 5 more evenings, they retured. I wouldn't let the cook turn off the grill until they showed up. He wasn't happy about it, but after I told him the ... Read Full Story >>

5683 Reads

Even Difficult Times Can Be Kind Times

Good sense might have suggested I stay in today.  There was snow on the ground and we really don't have any money to be spending right now. But, there were a couple of things I needed, so I gathered what cash I had together and hopped on to the bus to the next town (hoping it wouldn't slip off the road on an icy patch.) Once in town one of the first thing I saw was a brass band! They had taken over an empty shop and were setting up to perform in the window. I didn't get to hear a toot out of them, but I did see they were "busking" for donations. The money raised would buy gifts for local needy children. A I slipped a note into the collection bucket the woman holding it finished a sentence to another man with the words, "... even the bad times are ... Read Full Story >>

5826 Reads

Drinking Water Project For Kids in My Area

Government schools in India have very limited facilities, and drinking water is one of them. On a regular basis about 20 government school kids pass by my house. Today I assembled and distributed water bottles to all of them. I have also told them that they can refill the water bottle at my home every day before going to school. (Potable water is not available at the place where they live).

The kids were really happy with the colorful water bottles. I am thankful to this community in helping me do positive deeds. Thank you. Thank you, Thank you.

 

2932 Reads
  • Posted by rs1171
  • Oct 16, 2015
  • 22 Comments
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A Pay It Forward Revolution at School

As a part of my Pay it Foward project revolution, I'm starting the 29 day giving challenge...again!  I've done this in the summer, but this time is different because I'm also doing it with some friends from school and some friends here at KindSpring ;) Today, as my first gift, I believe I have given the gift of encouragement and cheer. Looking back , when I had first done this challenge, normally I would think, " What kind of gift is that?" Looking back at that experience now, I realize that these simple gestures mean a lot more then one thinks they do :) Today, some of my friends were a bit gloomy, perhaps because of the weather, some because their schedules got changed (it's a new term for us now at school).  There was this one frind from school that had recently gone through a break-up that I didnt know of, ... Read Full Story >>

6485 Reads

A Forgotten Young Man

Some years back when I was growing up, we had a young couple who were our neighbours.  They had five children and were a fairly established couple, with a car and other amenities.  Since we were neighbours, their children were like my brothers and sisters.  I must say they lived a good life; their parents took them to better schools than us. In 1988, though, their father passed away.  Two years later, their mother died too.  All of a sudden, the children became orphans.  Some greedy relatives husttled the car and other valuables and the children became destitutes.  They moved out of the neighbourhood and went to stay with their grandmother in the village. Fifteen years later (early this year), I ran into one of the boys. I couldn't believe what I was seeing! Somehow the boy remembered me and then we remembered the "good old days" as neighbors.  By the time I ... Read Full Story >>

5993 Reads

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 >>

16.9K Reads

The Girl In The Corner

I know a girl who is not like the other children in as much as she has this unusual physical condition. 

I met her at school where her mom is my math teacher. This day I saw her sitting in a corner of the library by herself, looking very alone. I don't know what came over me but I went to her. At first she wouldn't really talk to me even though I was trying to be a friend. Every time I touched her hair, her hands, or any of her things she moved my hand away. 

I felt I had done all I could, but before I left the library I told her that she shouldn't be ashamed of her appearance like because it was our personalities that were really important. I said that each one of us have the right to live happily and freely without being judged by how we look.

I was about to stand and leave when she suddenly stopped me and hugged me! 

It melted my heart seeing her smiling and I am so glad I made the effort.

2866 Reads
  • Posted by LoverOfMary
  • Nov 13, 2013
  • 22 Comments
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Love Lasts for an Eternity

I drove to a local supermarket the other day. My shopping list was long and my wallet was light. Still, I needed to get a week's worth of groceries for my family. I parked my car, looked down at my list, and hoped I could afford it all.  As I approached the door, I saw a man with kind eyes and a gentle smile. He said he was collecting for a local food bank that helped to feed the hungry in my area. He handed me a second shopping list of things they could use and asked me to help if I could. I smiled back, took the list and walked into the store. I really wanted to help, but wasn't sure if I could this time.  I walked through the store, picking up vegetables, soup, spaghetti, bread, milk, cereal, macaroni, bananas, and a dozen other things. I slowly marked each item ... Read Full Story >>

7531 Reads
  • Posted by brownowlster
  • Jun 20, 2013
  • 22 Comments
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Stories With the KeyMaker

Locksmith story ... from last afternoon. A friend of mine loses her purse and all the keys in it. She didn't have any copies of her key, so her white, 4-door car is idly stranded outside my house. I called up a locksmith, to create another key (apparently they can do it in ten minutes -- so much for the illusion of security). In thirty minutes of my phone call, a young man in his thirties rolls through with "Grant" written on the left side of his shirt and "AA Locks" on the right side. He asked me for proof of registration for the car and I told him it wasn't my car. After some hesitation he called his boss on the cell, to check if that's ok; eventually he said yes, figuring that I wasn't really the type of guy who would car-jack a 1992 Toyota Corolla. :) There's a ... Read Full Story >>

5795 Reads

The Moment That Didn't Need Words

When Julie and I were on our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic we were mostly cocooned in one of those all-inclusive resorts. (The image of paradise was slightly altered when I discovered that the far reaches of the beach had armed guards!) We went on a coach trip across the island to visit the capitol city (where Columbus first landed in the New World, I think.) We had a good day and were well fleeced as tourists should be. On the way back we were driving through a jungle area. The kind of place where women still wash clothes on the rocks by the rivers. The driver pulled over and let a matronly lady, loaded down with bags, climb on board. She sat well away from us tourists and never said a word. But an hour into the journey she developed one of those really annoying, dry, tickly coughs. They were really ... Read Full Story >>

8031 Reads

160 Dresses

We are five women who wanted to make a difference in the life of our local girls. 

There are many needy families in our area and the winter formal dances were coming up soon. Lots of families would struggle to afford a nice fancy dress for their girl to go to the dance in. So, we reached out to our community and asked for donations of formal dresses in all sizes for this worthy cause. 
 
Little did I expect 160 dresses! 
 
Tomorrow we make them available so the girls can come by and pick one out. We also have high heels, purses, and jewelry that were donated! 
 
If it goes well we plan to do the same again next year!
 
160 dresses will equal much more than 160 smiles!

 

3527 Reads

A Litte Extra Gratitude at Dairy Queen

As I was standing in line for my secret weekend indulgence, a medium dairy queen cone. I watched the two teens behind the counter working frantically to get through the long line of hungry customers. Usually there are one or two customers but today, to my surprise, there were more than ten. So many, in fact, that I wondered if it was worth the wait. There was a tip jar in the middle of the counter and though most orders were for three or more concoctions no one was leaving a tip. The order before mine was a big one! Eight "Blizzards," all sizes, flavors, etc, to go. The gal worked efficiently, cheerfully filling the orders and delivering them with a smile and a "Have a nice day!" Then came my tiny order. "I would like a medium cone." The gal smiled and said, "Is that all?"  "Yep", was my reply. I had handed her a twenty ... Read Full Story >>

5809 Reads

Doggie Day Care

One of my pleasures has always been to make friends out of people I encounter on a regular basis.  This has sometimes led to wonderful unexpected gifts beyond the obvious happiness of setting up outposts of friends.  10 years ago, I was a "career professional" working as a programmer in a bank.  Like many people, I was unhappy in my job, feeling completely unfulfilled, and occasionally having anxiety attacks about my life passing by without meaning. Banks have a strange corporate structure, doling out the title of "Vice President" rather liberally to miscellaneous positions of middling authority.  My job had been bestowed with this aggrandizement.  It not only seemed ridiculous to me, but became a source of irritation when I'd watch someone greet me respectfully, then turn around and respond dismissively to a fellow employee.  In reaction to this obvious inequity, I made it a point to be even more respectful towards ... Read Full Story >>

7755 Reads

A Flourishing "Free" Market

We are a small town of less than 4,000 people in the mountains of Ecuador . Recently our new organic farmers cooperative started hosting one afternoon a week to exchange our produce and seeds among ourselves...no money changes hands. As of this past week we started to lay our stuff on wooden tables set in a portal on the main square, we hold hands around the table to give thanks to our ancestors who used to do this in ancient times in this country, and we pray in thanks, either out loud or silently according to each one's own spiritual beliefs. Then comes the fun... each person around the table tells and shows what she brought.  Each one, in turn, goes around picking and taking what he NEEDS to either feed him/herself and family, and to add to their garden that which is missing. This last Thursday was one such day and some ... Read Full Story >>

4861 Reads

From My Son and Me

Four years ago, my 26 year-old son took his life. I visit him often at the cemetery and always bring fresh flowers to place at his grave. After a series of visits, I noticed that the woman next to him never has any flowers. So on my last visit, I brought flowers and placed them at her grave site, from my son and me.

3665 Reads

Listening to God's Voice

Several years ago, while on the job, I heard one of my co-workers saying that even after we would get our paycheck on that Friday, she would not have enough money left to buy groceries for her two boys and herself.  (Like me, she was a single mom at the time.)

When we got our paychecks that Friday, I counted up all my bills and had $30 left for my two children and myself, to last till the next week's paycheck.  God told me to give her $20 of my $30, but a part of me worried, "What will I do for my two children?"  Well, I listened to my inner voice and placed a $20 bill in an envelope, sealed it and put it in her van driver's seat, without her knowing it (to this day, she still doesn't know where it came from!).

About two years later, I needed money "very badly" and had been praying for the Lord's help and when I went out to my car one day, there was an envelope in the driver's seat of my car.  It had $50!

God is faithful to those who take the time to listen to that subtle voice inside us.

4058 Reads




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