Search Results for 'popular' (3484 matches)

A 10-Year Old Teacher Tips Us in Life

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.  "Miss, how much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.  "Fifty cents," replied the waitress.  The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.  "Okay then, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.  By now, more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.  "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.  The little boy again counted his coins.  "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table, and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier, and left. When the waitress came back to that table, she began to ... Read Full Story >>

Confronting Road Rage With Compassion

I was on my way to the gym this morning and making the right turn from 21st onto Broadway when a car ran up onto me from behind, and started flashing his lights in my rear-view mirror. He then swings around in front of me and jams on his brakes. I go around him and he gives me the finger and mouths a couple of bad words through the window. I blow him a kiss. He gives me the finger again with even more ferocity and some more dirty mouth-mime. We get stopped at the next light, side by side and he rolls down his window. I roll down mine. He is a well-groomed, professional looking guy in his 40s. Could have been a lawyer or a doctor or a dad or a teacher. He was driving a newish, nice looking mid-size SUV.  "F*&% you," he says, "You think that ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness 2 Miles Away from Home

A few years ago when my daughter was about two years old, I went through a difficult time.  My marriage was in trouble, I was pregnant  and not particularly well and I didn't have much money.   Looking back I think I was also a bit depressed but I had to get on with taking care of my daughter the best I could. One day I thought I would take my daughter for a nice day out up at our allotment as she liked it up there, and I thought it was a nice, positive thing to do.  I decided to walk because the bus was expensive, so it took us a long time to get there.  When we finally got there, immediately my daughter began to cry.  She was cold, she was thirsty, she wanted to go home.  To be honest, I hadn't been thinking straight as I had not prepared properly.  I didn't ... Read Full Story >>

Helping One Person At A Time

I live in Singapore where there are thousands of migrant workers from countries like India, Bangladesh and China. They work very hard, usually in construction sites, and are often away from their families for years in order to save money.

Be Open. Be Ready. Look for Opportunities to be Kind.

Today I prayed for ideas on ways to be kind. My first opportunity came at a restaurant. A little girl dropped a dollar and walked off. I picked up the dollar and ran after her, giving it to her mother. "She dropped this," I said. Then at the store, there was an elderly man looking at firewood. He had a cane, and I couldn't see him carrying the firewood by himself, so I approached him and asked if he needed help. He said that he was just looking, but he seemed grateful that I asked. Inside the store, I found a bouquet of beautiful flowers. Uncertain who to give them to, I got into the check-out line. I only had two items, but a man came behind me with one, so I let him go first. I bought my mother her favorite candy bar, and I had the flowers but no one to give ... Read Full Story >>

Three Strangers Come Together to Help

It was a busy and stressful day at work. I decided that I had done what I could do and it was time to face the hour-long commute to the East Bay. It was stop-and-go as usual when I finally braved through the Bay Bridge traffic and reached the Powell Street exit ten minutes from my home in Berkeley.  About to exit the freeway, I noticed a large black pick-up truck parked a bit abruptly to the right shoulder. A small Hispanic woman got out of the driver seat and opened the back door. I could barely see her through the tinted windows but something didn’t seem right. Just as I pulled over behind her and got out of the car, she came running towards me -- screaming. As the tiredness of the day slipped away rather quickly, I tried to remain calm and inquire what the situation was and walked ... Read Full Story >>

Grandfather's Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about father," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor." So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When ... Read Full Story >>

I Just Can't Stop Smiling!

I haven't smiled this much in a long time.  I am reading many stories leaving comments and getting great ideas for Random Acts of Kindness.

I didn't even realize that I was smiling and feeling so good until I sat back and broke out in a big WIDE smile.  I feel so good and I wanted to write about it because within less than 48 hours I feel my life has changed.

I have always been one to give RAOK (Random Acts of Kindness)  usually without thinking about it.  But now I feel better because I have a plan.  I am doing things on purpose.  Makes me feel good to have a purpose in life other than work and paying the bills.

I feel I am doing things now to counter act the negativity that comes at me.  As long as i have RAOK to do then I am ok.

I Thank everyone for there stories.  I Thank HELP OTHERS for making this a place where we can come share. 

And guess what I am going to thank you right now.  Yes you who is taking the time to read this.  Because this is why i wrote it for YOU!

ARE YOU SMILING YET!

Raqui

It Only Takes A Minute

My neighbor of thirty years is stressed out waiting for the results of a biopsy.

The Secret To A Lasting Marriage

When I was a little girl, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burnt toast in front of my Dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed!  Yet all my Dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite! When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad,for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said, "Baby I love burnt toast."  ... Read Full Story >>

A Double Dose of Compassion at the Grocery Store

I was getting out of my car at my local supermarket one night and a woman with a backpack approached me asking for money.  I offered to buy her a sandwhich and she told me that she had a partner as well.  I said I would buy him a sandwich too. On the way into the store she told me she was an alcoholic and I offered a suggestion about an nearby AA meeting.  She said she had been clean and sober for years but then had an injury in which she she was put on pain relievers and then turned back to alcohol.  I was compassionate and told her to return to AA if she could - she would find support there.  She thanked me and seemed very grateful then looked straight at me and said she didn't need anything to eat, she just needed a dollar for a beer and understood that I ... Read Full Story >>

Smiles For Remaining Days

I have this very sweet neighbor who was just diagnosed with cancer. 

She has chosen not to receive any treatment and I try to visit her daily. 

When I received my Smile Cards I was wondering how I could use them to make a difference in someone's life. Imaginary light bulbs flashed as I thought about my neighbor and friend. Mary, I realized, would love some happiness in her life. 

She loves flowers so I bought a small violet and a "Thinking of You" card, then tucked a Smile Card down inside the leaves of the flower. 

That evening I got a call from her asking about the Smile Card. She felt so special. It made her day. It sits in her living room where she can smile at the card every day. 

I am just thankful that I can bring some happiness to such a special and kind lady as Mary. I ask God to comfort her everyday that she is here. 

Thank you sending me my Smile Cards. I will find a way to send her one everyday until she leaves me. 

Playing Smile Tag

I happened upon HelpOthers.org a couple of weeks ago and immediately fell in love with the idea of Smile cards. 

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.

I See You

In the country where I was born, eleven official languages are spoken. Yep, not kidding! (I can speak two fluently.) One of these languages, Zulu, has a splendid greeting: , which means literally: ‘I see you’. Isn’t this just a magnificent way of recognition? Not just the stereotyped forms of greeting, like ‘How are you’ (and not really waiting for or interested in the answer), ‘Hey’ or ‘Good Day’, but actually a powerful acknowledgement hidden in one word. And the Zulu response in this regard, is ‘Ngikhona’ – with the literal meaning of ‘I am here’. In this grateful response lies the awareness of: ‘Until you saw me, I didn’t exist. By recognizing me, you brought me into existence’. It made me think. When my daughter passed away nearly six years ago, I couldn’t stand it when people asked me afterwards how I am. I wanted to yell at them: ‘How can you ask ... Read Full Story >>

A Flashlight From An Old Man

I recently went to a restaurant to buy a pie for a party.  As I walked up the steps and opened the door, I saw a hunched-over old man with a cane walking toward me carrying a handled bag full of things he had just purchased there.  I stepped back and opened the door widely so that he could pass through easily.  As he did so, he stopped and said to me, "Wait!"   He set down the bag, reached into one of his pants pockets, and retrieved a tiny plastic keychain flashlight still in its original plastic wrapping.  He handed it to me and said, "Take this.  I like to give things to people who have done something for me."  I thanked him and told him he was very welcome.  I was almost speechless as I watched this old man walk off to his car.  I added his token to ... Read Full Story >>

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 >>

A Mother's Legacy Of Unconditional Love

As I entered womanhood, Mom sat me down and told me that no matter what happened and no matter what I did, I could always come home. Because of what those words meant to me, I said the same thing to my sons.  My childhood was filled with affection—lots of kisses, lots of hugs, lots of spoken I love yous. I never wanted for physical affection, and because of what that affection meant to me, I gave the same thing to my sons.  I grew up in a home where love was openly talked about and warmly expressed. I can still picture myself in my attic bedroom, sitting on my bed and fuming at my parents. They had been mean to me and were totally unreasonable—at least that was my evaluation of the situation. They hadn't understood that I was a teenager and should be allowed certain freedoms. With eyes closed, lips ... Read Full Story >>

"If I Had Ten More Years"

Paul was dying of cancer.  It became clear to him that it was time for him to prepare for death. About a week before Paul died, I was visiting him one morning.  I found him sitting up, propped against a mound of pillows.  I sat on the edge of his bed.  His bedroom had a beautiful porch with French doors that were always open to the summer sun and gentle breezes.  Paul sat, silent, in the rays of the morning light. "I feel ready to go," he said finally.  There was quiet on his face.  "But sometimes," he reflected, "I just wish I had more time."  Paul's voice carried so much sadness mingled with acceptance, melancholy softened with a gentle peace.  In a moment like this, it is bittersweet.  Some of our dreams have come true, some have not.  There is a readiness to die, accompanied by an equally passionate wish to ... Read Full Story >>

An Answer To A Prayer

  Since my husband has been hospital for quite a while I have learned to make do with very little.    On Sunday I went to our church and someone there said to me, "I know you must be having a tough time." I just smiled and said, "I'm okay. I have two dollars and I have food at home, so I'll be fine."   I always think that what I have is what I have and it is up to me to make the most of it.    Anyway, then she said, "Can I borrow your Bible? I need to look up a verse." I said, "Okay."   Just then someone called me. "I'll be right back," I said to the woman. When I returned she thanked me and returned my Bible.   On my way home my friend who was driving said, "I thought you told me you didn't have any money?" I replied, "I don't."   She said, "Oh yes ... Read Full Story >>