Search Results for 'popular' (3484 matches)

Spreading Love on Labor Day

On Labor Day last year my husband went out for a meal at a restaurant.  After we had finished, I asked him if he'd ever given a waiter/waitress a 100% tip.  He gave me this funny look (probably because he was thinking about how much our dinner added up to be!) and said he hadn't. I said that since it was Labor Day and our waitress was working this holiday, it would be fun to give her a 100% tip and see what her reaction would be.  He told me I was crazy but agreed anyway! Our dinner bill came to $32.18 so that's the exact tip we left, $32.18.  We tried to hand her our dinner bill folder but she kept telling us to leave it on the table and she would get to it.  So we left and we never got to see her reaction. I wondered off and on, and still do to this day, what ... Read Full Story >>

Living out a life-long dream in South Africa

My heart is so full of love and fulfillment, I have been so blessed to be able to live out a life long dream recently. I am so grateful for the support and friendship of a very dear friend of mine, who has helped me with making a kind acts project possible. We live in Johannesburg South Africa, where as you all know poverty and unemployment are huge issues. I have for many years had a dream to open a soup kitchen. To be able to help and feed the hungry. We have created a Facebook page called Shadows, where we have started sharing our kind acts activities with our friends. We are handing out blankets and I am making hearty soup, which we have started handing out to the homeless. There are so many people living on the streets, it is heartbreaking. I have now created a blanket drive and hope to ... Read Full Story >>

A Different Kind of Pep Rally

A group of us decided to start a Kindness Pep Rally, where we hold signs with messages like, "Honk if you love someone," "You Are Awesome," "Kindness is Good for the Heart," and "Dont Give Up, Ok?" We are well into the third week of it, and still going strong! Our "Pep Squad" began two weeks ago with two friends, and today something amazing happened! An hour into our "Pep Rally," a total stranger stopped by to chat. During the conversation, the stranger revealed that her name was Amanda and that she had just moved to the area. She said that she was touched by what we were trying to accomplish.  "This may sound strange, but I believe that meeting you and seeing the amazing thing that you both are doing is a sign that I belong here in this city. I want to become part of this."  We shared that our next event would be holding signs that ... Read Full Story >>

Who's Thirsty?

A group of us walk dogs every week at our local Humane Society.  It's a fun thing to do and the dogs always express their appreciation! 

But it can be grueling in the hot humid summer here.  It's not quite summer here yet but we have had some hot days ... and many of us wish we had some cool refreshing water to quench our thirst in the heat.

But this is something that I can change -  I decided that I will be the water point person and try to keep my team cool so that they can stay committed.  So I've brought a cooler with water bottles for the last two weeks and intend to do that the entire summer.  It's a small and easy thing to do.

Last week everyone had some water and I think it helped us all physically and mentally!   Just look around - it's these little things that count!  :=D 

Fierce Love

Sometimes kindness has a ferocious beginning.

My dear friend Michael stood in line at a  grocery store. In the next line a mother had lost her temper with her screaming three year old sitting  in the cart seat. To everyone's shock the woman began slapping the little boy's face. Michael (a therapist) turned to  her and commanded, "Stop!" The woman jerked, as if from a trance and buried her face in her hands as she began to sob. Michael took her in his arms and held her as she cried. Then he comforted the little boy. The woman thanked him and tearfully told him about the tremendous stress she was experiencing in her life. Michael encouraged her and gave her a card to an excellent family therapist that he knew. Through her tears the mother apologized to to her little boy and hugged him and promised that she would make an appointment with the therapist.

I think most of us, at our worst, would benefit from someone stepping in to help us regain our bearings.

Michael is gone now, but the Love that he shared so generously in life continues on, rippling from those he touched to others.

Literally Giving Away the Shirt Off of My Back

I've been traveling through Southeast Asia for a few months now, and I've learned how to be a minimalist and carry only what I really need. I thought I had reduced my backpack down to the bare essentials after a few months, when a RAOK opportunity presented itself to me and proved me wrong. It was laundry day in the mid-sized Indonesian city I happened to be in, meaning I was down to my last shirt, the least flattering shirt of my seven day collection: a ratty conference t-shirt of a well-known American company I've worn a hundred times. It's a shirt I don't feel particularly flattering in, so I try to stay indoors and use it as an opportunity to have a quiet, indoor day. I hadn't thought anything of the shirt until a young Indonesian man staying at my guest house saw me and immediately took notice of the corporate ... Read Full Story >>

A Family Tradition Lives On

Every morning my friend would stop on the way to work to grab a quick breakfast for herself and her son, before dropping him off at school. They tended to frequent the same eatery every morning grabbing an egg sandwich, juice, coffee for her, milk for him.   One day she ordered an additional breakfast. Once they had eaten and were headed out the door, she stopped, said good morning to a homeless man sitting outside of the restaurant and handed him the additional breakfast she had ordered. He thanked her profusely, grinning, telling her it was the first meal he had in a great many days. She couldn't help but feel good and was glad she finally took action. She told her son that she had seen him every day that week outside the restaurant and that no one, herself included, had stopped to offer him support, food, drink, comfort, etc. She further explained that homelessness ... Read Full Story >>

Frodo, Sam and the KindSpring Family

I’ve been thinking lately about my visits to the KS community, about how much I enjoy coming here and about the different types of messages which are posted here. I like to participate in some way too as I feel that it’s only fair to give as well as to receive encouragement from all of you however, I’m often at a loss as to what sort of thing to share. Should I post a pretty picture of a flower, an inspirational quote or should I tell a kindness story? When I first came to KindSpring I had recovered from depression and anxiety attacks, KS helped me to see beyond my immediate field of vision, and the inspirational stories of kindness renewed my outlook on life and the world in general. I had come from a period in my life which was pretty much summed up by these words from Tolkien which I ... Read Full Story >>

She found a transplant donor in Germany

A friend of mine was diagnosed with leukemia in her 60s. Her last hope was a marrow transplant. Luckily, they found one in Germany! This lady had signed up in the donor registry years before, but wasn't a match for the child and later the teenager in her region that needed a transplant. Years went by and out of the blue she got the news that she was a match for a woman in California (my friend). The transplant was performed, and my friend fully recovered. This year she went to Germany to thank the donor and found out that this lady had received the match request two days before her wedding! She said yes, and a few weeks later became a lifesaver while still a newlywed. Here they are together.

Waking Up to Cookies on My Car

Yesterday around 9:30 am, as I was going towards my car, I noticed something box like on my windshield. At first I thought I may have gotten a ticket from the cops, but as I approached closer, there was a box of delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies and a smile card! Thank you anonymous angel! Later in the day, I had to make a run to my local library to pay off some overdue fines and pick up a book that I had on hold. I decided to keep few cookies for my parents to enjoy, and took the rest for the volunteers and staff at the library. I approached the clerk at the counter to hand them the box of cookies. "A small gift and token of appreciation for the staff and volunteers. Would you mind putting them in the break room?" I asked. She replied, "Oh wow! Thank you! Why don't you at least ... Read Full Story >>

The Spirit of Kindness

I wanted to share some of my reflections on kindness..... Acts of kindness are a wonderful way to reach across time and space to touch the life of another being and they undoubtedly make the world a better place. At every step along the path of expanding our awareness there is the opportunity to go deeper; to explore more of the potential of our divine humanness. So it is with kindness. Acts of kindness are really not difficult. An intention is formed, and you carry it out. It makes you feel good. Holding kindness and compassion in our hearts, and integrating them into the complexity and stresses of daily life, every day -- now there is a deep challenge! Parents can learn to discipline kindly, remaining firm, yet doing so with love and warmth. Teachers can learn to remain patient and forgiving, no matter how frustrated they might feel with a particular student. ... Read Full Story >>

I Couldn't Ignore Her Wet Socks And Sandals

It was raining and chilly. I passed a homeless woman with wet socks and sandals. I asked her if she had any other shoes than that and she said she didn't. So I asked her if she would like a pair of shoes that would keep out the cold and damp. She was very eager, not surprisingly. Her feet were soggy though at least she had an umbrella and a hooded summer jacket on. It was my honour and pleasure to go with her to a shoe store there and then and do some shoe shopping. I don't have a lot of money so I told her the budget and she was like, "Oh, I can't spend that much any way. I just couldn't." In fact she chose a pair of rain repelling shoes which were on sale and the least expensive in that budget shoe store. She seemed grateful, and ... Read Full Story >>

Turning Rain Into Sunshine - For A Dollar!

I go to one of those "everything's a dollar" stores and purchase several umbrellas to keep in my car. When I am driving somewhere in the rain and see someone stranded without any shelter I pull up by the roadside and hand them an umbrella. 

Learning Kindness From My Father

I remember when I was growing up that my mom would tell me stories about the kind acts my dad would do.  She told me that one time my dad met a close, long-time friend of his in the downtown area. They talked for a while and his friend mentioned that he didn't have money for fare back home.  My dad gave him the only money he had, which was for his own fare, so he just walked home.   I obeserved these acts kindness in our home.  Dad would let me and my two younger brothers eat first and he would eat after us.  Whatever was left on the table he would consume.  I remember the days when his older brother would come to our house and ask for money for his kid's allowance in school and my dad would give him some.  And when it was our time to ask for allowance he would tell us ... Read Full Story >>

A Simple Bowl To Drink From

While buying milk from a nearby vendor my husband noticed an old lady walking by. She had a big sack on her head and two milk containers in her hands. She was walking a little ahead of him and, after some time, she sat down on the footpath, laid down her sack and tried to drink milk from the container. 

A Carpenter's House

A highly skilled carpenter who had grown old was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter agreed to this proposal but made sure that this will be his last project. Being in a mood to retire, the carpenter was not paying much attention to building this house. His heart was not in his work. He resorted to poor workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When the job was done, the carpenter called his employer and showed him the house. The employer handed over some papers and the front door key ... Read Full Story >>

An Unforgettable Taxi Stand Encounter

Recently, when I was waiting at a taxi stand, I noticed a young man engrossed in polishing shoes. I decided to get my shoes polished as well and as I was paying him I noticed on his left-hand some sort of old marking. That took me back to 2001 when I had, at this very taxi stand, consoled a boy who had an injury on his hand. 

The boy had told me that his step-mother had branded him with a hot iron because he had demanded more food. I had bought a chocolate for him and also two tins of shoe-polish and brushes because I was very supportive of his willingness to work and earn.

This time I paused just as I was about to pay him, looked deep into his eyes and asked him if he was Manoj. He raised his head, looked up at me and froze with moist eyes, refusing to accept my payment.  I, too, couldn't control my tears. I admired and complimented Manoj for his continued efforts to be independent and hardworking. I was very glad to learn that he was attending night school after he finished polishing shoes everyday -- that he was continuing to work hard to achieve his dreams.

Marvin's Prayer Book

A while back I started a prayer book for a very sick friend called Marvin. This morning I was collecting prayers and a man wrote something in Marvin's prayer book. Then he told me his story.    Like Marvin he too has cancer. He has been through chemotherapy three times. His cancer has returned after every chemo period and even a few surgeries. He is now stage 4 and terminal.   The reason I am sharing this is because he said all of this to me with a voice that was so hopeful. He seemed not concerned about his situation at all. Instead, he asked many questions about Marvin and even put his phone number in the prayer book for Marvin to call.   He said, "Tell Marvin, no matter what time of the day or night it is, he can call me. Tell him I want to hear from him in his darkest hour. You ... Read Full Story >>

Dry Cleaner Excitement

I went to pick up my dry clean and paid for my bill. Then, I kindly said, I wanted to pay for someone else’s bill as an act of kindness today. The lady said you what? I repeated myself. Keep in mind she had a smile on her face and she was saying that is so nice of you to do. I started to tell her about Helpothers.org and showed her the Smile card. She just starts beaming with smiles. She said is this money from the website? I said no, the website gives us a place to share our stories and ideas with other people. She asked if this was a religious site. I said it’s a site for anyone that wishes to share acts of kindness with people all around the world. She said should I pick someone I know? I said that would be fine because I do not know them. She ... Read Full Story >>

The Sock Ministry

David the homeless man started to cry.   In order for the ER doctor to examine him, he needed to get undressed. With some coaxing, he undressed, explaining that removing his layers of Michigan winter clothing made him feel vulnerable.    He hesitated when I assisted him in taking off his socks, and once they were removed, I knew why. The socks were smelly, wet, and had not been changed in months. David also had a severe case of trench foot.   With soap and a pan of warm water I washed David's feet, recalling in my mind the biblical meaning of washing another feet. It was then I got the idea to start a Sock Ministry. Christmas was coming, and we encouraged people who received socks (again) for Christmas, to donate them to the Emergency Room. Within a few weeks we had hundreds of pairs of new socks. Word spread throughout the homeless population, and ... Read Full Story >>