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Giving someone a chance to recharge

Good day, I was recently traveling and bad weather had surrounded the airport, causing many flights to get canceled or delayed.  I was sitting by the gate, having changed my flight to another one already and was watching the unfortunate airline rep at the gate counter.  She was being bombarded by a number of people who seemed to assume that the poor weather, flight cancellations and everything else causing them grief was her fault and each one in turn laid all of their grief on her and I could see she was being pushed to the brink. A little ah-ha light bulb flashed in my mind and since I am apt to follow my instinct, I stood up and took my place in the line of people intent on sharing their bad day with her.  I patiently waited my turn and when I was finally standing in front of her, her weary ... Read Full Story >>

4522 Reads
  • Posted by KingHartuc
  • Jan 20, 2007
  • 20 Comments
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My V-Neck Sweater

  Driving home from a movie I knew I was running out of gas. For some reason I passed up the nearest gas station and was compelled to drive well out of my way to gas up.    As I pulled up I was captivated by the scene; fancy cars, hybrids, Mercedes and Hondas juxtaposed against two homeless men eating out of the trash can. Another man was asking customers if he could clean their windscreens for spare change.   As I stepped the warm confines of my car I felt the frigid wind against my face. That's when a homeless man walked up to me with a desperate look in his eyes. He said, "Sir! Someone stole all my stuff! Can you believe that? Do you have an extra jacket or t-shirt I could have?"    I was shocked to think that someone would steal from a homeless man, but I didn't have any spare garments ... Read Full Story >>

4602 Reads
  • Posted by toanlam
  • Jul 21, 2011
  • 20 Comments
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Accepting a Blessing and Passing It On

Last Sunday, a woman told me that she felt led to give me twenty dollars.  She wanted me to use the money for whatever I needed.  I tried not to take it, but she insisted and so I took it and thanked her.  I didn't need the money, but I knew there must be a reason for her giving it to me. The next day, Monday, I went to work.  A different woman was walking by the store I worked at.  She was limping, and didn't look to be very well.  I knew her and called out, asking her how she was doing. She responded with her sad situation.  Her husband had died recently, she had to quit her job because of her health, and on top of that, she wasn't drawing her disability benefits as yet.  I told her the story about the $20, and asked her if she would ... Read Full Story >>

6160 Reads

I Always Wanted To Be An Angel

I was walking from my office to my car during rush hour at the end of work day in San Francisco.   As I waited at the corner of 3rd and Folsum for the light to change, I noticed a car about to go through the intersection. The driver looked harried and was talking on his cell phone.  

As he accelerated through the intersection, papers and a manilla folder began swirling and flying out the window.   The driver was clearly dismayed, but given the traffic and the one-way street, he simply pulled over a few blocks down. 

As the light changed, other pedestrians stomped the papers into mud puddles in their rush to cross the street.   Looking at the drivers panic stricken face, I decided to try to pickup as many papers as possible before the light turned and cars started running them over.   I noticed these paper looked like the papers I signed when I bought my house.  

As the driver came up to me to get the papers he said "You are an angel, You are an angel." 

Hearing that made me feel better than I had in weeks.

4654 Reads
  • Posted by doowyah
  • Mar 28, 2007
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Repaying a Stranger's Generosity

This story was brought to my mind after reading some of yours :)  It happened several years ago but I have never forgotten it.  My husband and I were going through some bad times financially.  We had both lost our jobs and were trying to catch up on bills by cutting grass for extra money on the weekends.  We got up one Saturday morning and loaded up the little flat bed trailer that we carried our lawnmower on and headed out.   About 15 miles from the house the trailer started swerving and we realized that it had a flat tire.  Luckily, we were close to a little store and pulled into the parking lot.   The tire was in shreds, so my husband took the truck back to the house to see if he could find another tire for the trailer.  I stayed with the trailer at the store.   I had ... Read Full Story >>

6000 Reads

Giving The Rent Money Away

My wife and I were on our way to the seaside just before sunrise to pray.  On our way we headed to a community where squalor is king. I got an urge to drive into the impoverished community instead of past it and bless someone financially.    My rent money was all I had and the rent was already one day overdue. Plus, my wife and I were experiencing one of the worst financial drought in our lives.   As we approached the area I told my wife what I was thinking of. She said, "Follow your heart, sweetheart."     We drove into the community and as we turned the corner we saw a woman with her half-slip pulled up over her breast and her hands atop her head. I walked over to her and held out a fist with the money inside.She stretched her right hand out and took the money into her fist to ... Read Full Story >>

11.0K Reads

Meeting Sid, my Valentine

As I do not have a significant other, I usually treat myself for Valentine's Day.  Why should I have to do without? :) Well I was on my way to the supermarket when I spotted an elderly man who had not long left the shopping mall. He had a walking stick and could only walk a few steps before he tired and held the fence. I did an about turn, went to him and offered to take him home.  He had a few other items to collect in the town centre, so I went with him. We went to the chemist then another food store where he only picked up two items. Total time with him was about half an hour.  I am quite certain that if he'd been going it alone, he would have taken three hours or more. He got a taxi to the first shop, then he intended ... Read Full Story >>

4991 Reads

Taken By Surprise By A Course In Miracles

Arriving in a new city last Thursday, I had the strangest first week of graduate school. I fell and broke my leg within 48 hours of arriving there! I was really amazed by the kindness shown by my new roommmate, someone who I had only just met. "We are family now", she said when she found me lying in my room with a swollen leg, unable to move, in a strange city with no family except across three oceans. She took me to the student health center by cab to get my leg examined. The cab driver was so nice and said to me how lucky I was to have a friend like that.  After that, my roommate didn't stop helping me - she made me amazing meals and brought them to and made me comfortable despite my insistence that I could do things on my own. When I protested, "I really like helping people", she said , "I believe ... Read Full Story >>

11.7K Reads

Repaying Greed With Kind Deeds

Today I received the news that not only was my hard work not going to be recognized but I was not going to get paid on time and all my extra-hours would not be taken into consideration.

 
Was I angry? No, just sad for my boss who is a muti-millionaire but very poor in his heart.
 
So, I decided to pay forward the unkindness with kindness.
 
I decided to look for a new job and put some ads on the post office notice board. Then I bought six lovely flowers and planted them in some flower pots of my neighbours which had been sitting empty for over a year. I baked cup cakes for a friend. I wrote a letter to another friend.
 
Now I am having my coffee at home feeling an immense joy inside that no one can take away from me.

 

 

2382 Reads

Dust In The Wind

It happened so suddenly.  She said she wasn’t feeling well, so she took a shower, drank some tea, and went for a nap just before dinner.  By 5PM, she had passed away. “That’s insane. I just saw Sushila Auntie last week. She’s fine. I mean, she’s my mom’s age. There must be some sort of mistake,” I thought to myself. No mistake, unfortunately. Sitting in the living room at Narayan Uncle’s house to pay our condolences for the passing of his wife, the thoughts in my head wouldn’t stop.   That’s my Narayan Uncle sitting there. He’s been around forever.   And next to him would always be Sushila Auntie.  I just saw her last week. All I gave her was a perfunctory, “Hi”.   Why?  Because she was always there. Yet, there is so much more to the being “there” than one realizes, because once that’s gone, things seem strange and askew. I knew nothing ... Read Full Story >>

4191 Reads
  • Posted by sadhvini
  • Jan 26, 2008
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Moment In The Pharmacy

I was in the pharmacy and I had to pay for my meds - but I didn't have enough money!

 
I just prayed, "Lord, what am I going to do?" I needed all five of those meds, but I could only afford three.
 
When the cashier totaled up the bill I told her I did not have enough money.
 
Out of the blue this lady walked up and asked how much I needed to get the rest of my meds. So, I told her. She said, "Can I give you some money to help to pay for the rest?" I asked if she was sure, then she gave me the rest of the money. I turned around and she was gone! 

29.3K Reads

An Unforgettable Fishing Experience

Several years ago, I worked for a trucking outfit as a driver. It was my habit to go in on Saturday and spend a couple hours maintaining my truck. As I was under the truck greasing it, I noticed the owner's elderly father making his way over to his grandson's truck next to mine.  The old man was in his high eighties, had been an avid fisherman all his life, and had come out to ask the kid to take him fishing after work. The grandson told him all about how much he would love to do that, but, he just couldn't that day due to prior commitments. The old man accepted the answer and hobbled off to the house. A few minutes later, the father came out and asked his son what the old man had wanted. After telling the story, the kid ended it with telling his dad, ... Read Full Story >>

9991 Reads
  • Posted by Mike Delyria
  • Dec 12, 2008
  • 20 Comments
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Kindness links growing

I used kindness links in my 3rd and 4th grade classrooms. Each time I saw a student being kind, they would write their kind act on the link and add it to the chain (the chain hung up in the classroom).

It was awesome to see how long our chain was by the end of the school year!

4534 Reads
  • Posted by mbpeterson3
  • Apr 9, 2016
  • 20 Comments
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Lost & Found: Two Rings

After working out one day, in the locker room, I came across a gorgeous wedding ring studded with many diamonds and a ruby ring.  I could tell they were very expensive, and by the color, the gold looked to be 24 carat. I looked around but there was no one in the gym or in the locker room.  So I took the rings to our work Lost & Found in the Security department upstairs.  After you fill out the tag, the items are kept for at least 30 days. I told the security guard that I did not want my name mentioned, as I wanted it to be a random act of kindness. I did not want the person to feel they needed to thank me or compensate me.  And I was pretty sure that the rings would be claimed! Over the course of the day, I forgot all about turning in the rings but ... Read Full Story >>

4060 Reads

Serving Up Smiles at Baskin Robbins

I'm just a senior in high school who works for minimum wage at a local Baskin Robbins. In and outside of work, I always wear a smile and try to influence my amiable attitude towards others. But lately, I've been inspired by the stories here to reach out in kindness in other ways beyond just acting friendly.  So, today, when I went to work, I decided I would take my first big step and truly help a complete stranger. Two young girls came into the store and looked around. I offered them my usual "Welcome to Baskin Robbins!" greeting.  It was a couple of minutes later when one of them finally decided upon a flavor, chocolate chip. So then, I made a big scoop and put it upon a cone and handed it to her. Interestingly, though, the other girl didn't get anything even though I could tell she was eyeballing the variety of creams.  So, I ... Read Full Story >>

4591 Reads
  • Posted by MINtyfresh353
  • Oct 17, 2008
  • 20 Comments
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A Rainy Afternoon Brightened With Little Acts of Kindness

If you are on the lookout, you can almost always find an opportunity for kindness.  I filled my afternoon with small gestures today, they didn't take much time or effort, but I hope they made a small difference to the people who received them. I was out and about because I had to do a few errands this afternoon.  My first stop was the supermarket.  I wanted to buy some croissants with chocolate on them for my daughter Rita.  I also decided to get  a few plain ones for my husband, my mum and me. Armed with the croissants, I went on to my second stop - a local charity bookshop.  I wanted to see if they had any books on Unicorns, since Rita loves them (and, I have to admit, so do I).  While I was there, I struck up a conversation with the lady at the counter during which she commented on the smell ... Read Full Story >>

6080 Reads

Touched by kindness

My daughter and myself were driving from Los Angeles to Dallas. We were running low on gas somewhere in New Mexico and figured we'd see a gas station soon enough to fill up. But that didn't happen and we realized we were not going to make it to the next town. So my daughter made up a sign that read "Low on gas. Can u help?" and held it outside her window in the hopes that a driver in the next lane would notice it and stop. There weren't too many vehicles passing us either at the time. It was a desolate stretch of road and about 3.30 pm on a weekday. A suburban was driving along happily in the neighboring lane ahead of us. We caught up with it in the hopes the driver would notice the sign. An elderly gentleman was driving it and after a brief expression of confusion on ... Read Full Story >>

6573 Reads
  • Posted by preethivfm
  • Apr 9, 2015
  • 20 Comments
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A Secret Handshake Puts It Right

Yesterday was my step-mom’s birthday. I haven’t been home in a long time so I wanted to stop by the house to see her on this special day.    I have been struggling financially so I was dreading the long trip. Gas is so expensive nowadays! Anyway, I filled my tank with gas and set off.    I stopped at the shopping mall and found a present. It was the perfect gift and I knew she would love it. But when I got to the cashier my card was declined! I did not have enough money in my account to pay for the gift!    So I pondered the issue for a few minutes. I could put it back and get something cheaper, but I knew there was nothing else in the store she would have liked as much. So, I got on my smart-phone and transferred some money from my savings account so I was ... Read Full Story >>

10.5K Reads

A fast turn-around in spreading kindness

Last night I was about to leave work when I noticed an elderly, disabled man on his motorized scooter. It had broken down on the sidewalk in front of our school, which is in a somewhat seedy neighborhood. There was no way we could lift the scooter and move it, it was way too heavy. And, the man didn't want to leave the scooter because he was afraid it would be vandalized. The wind was icy cold and he had no money, no cell phone, and no family nearby. I thought to call the police - 311 - but they said they couldn't do anything about this. I wondered ... so they would rather wait to get a call that he's been assaulted? Then I called AAA roadside assistance. I offered to upgrade my account so that he could get help, but they said it would take 48 hours to clear unless it was ... Read Full Story >>

2506 Reads

It's Not Too Late To Talk

I am writing this story because it is not too late for me to talk to my parents.  I realized this last night when visiting their house while they were away.  I went to freshen it up for their return, and being at their house without them home made me sad.  As I went into their bedroom, I saw little reminders of them -- some Christmas gifts still in boxes and family photos that must have a special meaning to them.  What took my breath away was seeing my dad's tags from his military service to our country. My father never talked about the Korean War.  As I looked at those tags hanging proudly with all the photos that he treasures, I realized that this was an important part of his life, and I never took the time to talk with him about it.  The photos of my mom with friends made ... Read Full Story >>

4472 Reads




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