Search Results for 'popular' (3485 matches)

Take One or Leave One

Today my husband and I started something awesome. The sign says "Cold? Take one. Extra? Donate one." It's been so cold these past weeks. It worries us just thinking about those people who are less fortunate.  
 

Hawaiian Gratuity for a Special Waitress

After I married, we honeymooned in Hawaii. Both of us enjoyed our ten day stay-- the islands are gorgeous, the people loving, gracious and spiritual, the sunrises/sunsets one more spectacular then the next, the rainbows miraculously appearing each afternoon after a brief rain and the flowers so brightyly colored and diverse. What a paradise!  We returned to one restaurant several times in Maui because I loved the buffet, the service, the outdoor tables where I could feed the birds, the ocean view and it was close to our hotel.  I befriended a waitress who symbolized the Hawaiin people to me:  she was plump, middle-aged, super friendly, greeting us each time with a huge, warm smile, twinkling eyes, a deep booming laugh and a hug. She was quite chatty and so am I so we bonded instantly.  She shared some of her life stories with us, which was so sad: hubby ... Read Full Story >>

My Conversation With a Homeless Person

There is an older homeless (or at least very poor) woman who sometimes is sitting near where I am living, begging for money. Unfortunately, the 'inner city places' are often being 'strongly requested' by younger men and women who take over the space. Whenever I see her, I make sure to give her something, and if I am out of money at least talk to her for a few seconds. When younger people are around, I often make sure to drop a few coins into her cup while passing her a note without anybody seeing it in hopes that they will leave her alone. Today she surprised me. I was passing her again, giving her some money, and asked her how she was. She surprised me by saying that she wanted to thank me. Not for the money. Well, for that too, but for always taking the time to talk to her. She ... Read Full Story >>

Top 10 Stories of 2012: Story # 4 - A Young Boy's Groceries

I stopped at a grocery store the other day because I was about to go on a long drive and I wanted to buy my favorite beverage for the trip.  It wasn't the store I normally go to, just one I passed along the way. As I walked up to the entrance, I noticed a man and a boy who was about 10 or 12 years old standing at the front of the store.  Customers walked past, as the man handed them half-sheets of white paper.  I walked up to them with curiosity, wondering what cause they were representing.  As I got closer, I saw that they had two carts starting to fill with groceries. I said hello and the man greeted me and handed me one of the pieces of paper, explaining that they were collecting donations for the local food pantry.  On the paper was a simple list of food items: peanut butter, noodles, pasta sauce, canned fruits and vegetables.  It also included a short story about the boy and his ... Read Full Story >>

Remembering My Father's Vest

As a child, I had a lot of pent-up anger and was not good at communicating constructively. Once, as I was getting ready for school, my mother accidentally handed me my father's vest instead of mine.  This was around the time that I was getting to be larger in size than my father, and so as I put the vest, I felt like I was being choked in it!  I realized that it was a small oversight on my mother's part, but somehow the feeling of being choked overwhelmed me and filled me with anger. Without thinking much, I took out my anger on my mother.  I was so upset that she had handed me the wrong vest, that I responded by violently ripping it apart from my chest! Later, my mother shared her own frustration with my father: "See what your son has done." Instead of scolding or abusing me, my father calmly  ... Read Full Story >>

A Saturday Well Spent

Today my heart is full of joy and gratefulness for my family and for the beautiful people I encountered today.  My husband worked all night as a police volunteer and got home at 5.30 a.m. in the morning and then left at 4 p.m. this afternoon for another shift. My daughter spent the morning with some friends and neighbors raising money  for a very famous charity in our town and also helped one of her friend's dad raise money for a sponsored climb of a mountain in Morocco. And what did I do? Well, I bought some cakes for my daughter and her friend and gave a smile card to the gentleman that was selling the cakes, plus a card that said,  "May all your days be filled with Love." I went to the library and left the cards inside the magazines and books and on the shelves so people could find them. I ... Read Full Story >>

An Exercise In Compassion

I sometimes look out of my window with envy at the parade of bicyclists who ride past my apartment each morning on their daily commute into the city. I work from home, and getting exercise outside is not easy for me. Since I moved into this apartment, my bicycle has been in hibernation. I had been longing to get on it, but I have a market almost next door, so I find it difficult getting any riding in. One morning, though, I decided to commute to work just like the cyclists under my window. I planned to bike up the long hill to the bridge and coast back to start my day, a two mile loop. Eager to get out, I filled the rear tire with air, and pushed off into the street. I was so happy to be riding again! Right away, I raced past a bike-commuter, and beat ... Read Full Story >>

Sharing A Laughter Break

It was a rainy day and I noticed that the lady coming into the senior center had holes in both shoes. Her toes were sticking through the shoes! It wasn't really time for a break but I decided to take one so I could chat with this lady.   She told me that she does have other shoes but they are not as comfortable as the old ones. She also told me she was going blind and could barely see, and that she has a friend who took her in and helps care for her. Her children live in other states and can't afford to visit.   She started sharing some jokes and we both laughed. Laughter is good for the soul!    When it was time for lunch, she said, "Thank You for taking the time to sit with me and listen to my jokes!"   We all need someone, sometimes, to just sit and listen and let ... Read Full Story >>

A Profound Urge To Do Something Outrageously Kind

Yesterday, I wasn't having the greatest day. I lost my wallet, and luckily I found it, but the whole mishap messed up the rest of my day. In the evening, I was reading stories on My Life is Average, and then switched to Gives Me Hope. Reading about so many positive experiences and contributions to society from so many different people made me feel very cheerful. After reading, I was getting ready for bed in an altogether happy mood, and as I was getting out of the shower, I had a wonderful idea. I had this profoud urge to do something outrageously nice for someone whom I don't feel like I've ever done anything explicitly nice, my mother. That's not to say that I don't love her and tell her as such, but doing the little acts of kindness, those usually escape me. And it's not just me that forgets to do ... Read Full Story >>

More Than A Munchie Box For Her Birthday

We were sitting on the bus and the guy behind us was on the phone. After a "business" call he phoned his sweetheart. He explained that some money he was due wouldn't be paid in one lump but that they would get it even if they had to wait a while longer. It didn't sound hopeful. She must have asked what he wanted for dinner and he replied that the last thing he wanted her doing on her birthday was cooking. I got the impression her birthday had been a poor affair. I don't know if he'd got her a gift but her not cooking seemed important to him, as if it as all he had to give. So he suggested he picked up a take-away and said he knew a place that did a "munchie box" for a very reasonable price. For "reasonable" I heard "cheap." Then she must have explained ... Read Full Story >>

Roundtable Dinners

A very close friend of mine has two older parents who have been very sick and in the hospital. Her Mom has alzheimers and her Dad has diabetes and just had surgery on his legs. She was able to make arrangements for them to come to her house when they left the hospital, but this is now an additional responsibility for her in addition to her own family.

A bunch of us (9 friends) got together and came up with a calendar of dates for us to take turns making dinner and delivering it to her house. (Thank goodness for email!) It'll be one less thing she will have to worry about while she establishes a routine and things settle down for her. This way she will know they are eating healthy foods and she can tend to her parents needs.  I'm so happy to be part of this effort.

MANY HANDS make LIGHT WORK.  If we all do our part, it's easy!

Something To Sit On

We have five fantastic children.  As they've grown older, from high school to college and so on, we found ourselves cleaning out our home of furniture only to replace it with something new. We had this one living room set consisting of a sofa, loveseat and chair. It went through a couple of the kids, hauling it up the stairs to their third floor apartments and back down again to the next apartment. Our son was the last to have the set when he finally asked for a place to store it because he was going out of town for a semester.  We told him we would hold it for him in our garage.  So we picked the furniture up and brought it back to the house. One day, while at work, I heard a couple of people talking in the hallway.  A mother and her two children were kicked out of their ... Read Full Story >>

My Friend, Howie

Actually, he started out as my step-dad's best friend since they were 5 and 6 years old, respectively.  They grew up in New York City.  Howie's home life was not good, very troubled.  Still, he grew up to be a fine man, worked hard, married, and had two children.  His wife divorced him when the children were small and he kind of drifted through life, working, but no real focus. I was almost 6 when my mother and stepfather met (again) and decided to make a life together.  Howie said to my dad, "You are going to live with her (meaning my mother)?  She has a kid, the kid will be an anchor and slow you down." Howie would come over our house and eat dinner and spend time there.  I guess I kind of grew on him.  He taught me how to play checkers and we got along just fine.  At ... Read Full Story >>

A Spin Cycle of Kindness

When I moved into my new house it already had a washing machine in it but I had just bought a new one so I wondered what to do with the machine already in the house.  I remembered two girls who regularly knocked at my door for religious reasons.  They never had or kept anything they didnt need.  If one of them needed something, say a winter coat, they would work for the amount of time it took to make the money they needed for the coat and then return to their religious work. They had just got their own house so I decided to give them all the things I didn't need when I was done unpacking. Whatever they didn't need, they could give to the charity store they helped support. I asked them if they needed a washing machine and they both looked at each other and smiled. It turns out that they had called ... Read Full Story >>

Gypsy Girl On a German Bus

While we were riding the old German bus in Tirana (Albania), a gypsy girl entered. Seven years old. Most gypsy kids have a 'dead' look in their eyes. Hardened by the world, by what they have experienced. The Albanian gypsies live in slums, their children beg on the streets so that the parents can afford to buy alcohol and continue their addiction. Girls as young as twelve wash car windows at the stoplight, holding a baby with their other arm. Little kids lay down on the sidewalks of Tirana to catch some sleep and rest their dirty limbs. Everytime we saw this hardened 'dead' look in their eyes. But not this girl. She was radiant. A beautiful smile across her face, sparkling eyes. She just stood there, in between me and my two friends. Flip flops, black t-shirt, short messy brown hair which matched her tomboy personality. A joyful presence. She ... Read Full Story >>

A Christmas Ripple Effect

When I first got married, I told my wife that every year at Christmas, I love to give a gift to someone anonymously.  I feel that's the true meaning of Christmas - it is about giving and not receiving. 

My wife had a friend that she had grown close to over time.  Well just before Christmas one year, she lost her job, She had very little by way of savings and no where to turn for help, and she has two young children.  So I told my wife we need to help but we should do it anonymously. 

We purchased a money order from a store and mailed it to her with no return address. We had a friend address so she wouldn't know the handwritting and it was mailed from a city outside of our area so the postmark was unknown. 

Well 4 years later, also at Christmas time, my wife decided to tell her who the money was from when she did her friend just smiled and said from that Christmas on she has been helping others who are in need every Christmas. 

 It just goes to show you a little help can have a lot of ripples.

The Mystery Gardener

Sometime back our lawn mower broke down beyond repair. We got someone to mow the lawn for us from time to time but that was getting a little costly.  Then a young boy used to come down to our house every so often to do some odd jobs to save up for a bike, so we gave him the job of mowing the lawn with his mum's permission & lawn mower!  But, being young, the boy had more interesting things to do, especially after he saved up enough money to buy himself a new bike!  

As the days went on, our lawn was getting longer & longer, even with the drought. The other day I went out to the front garden & I couldn't believe my eyes -- the lawn had been mowed!  I reckoned it was our kindly neighbour, but when my hubby went to thank him, he said it wasn't me.  So, it remains a mystery who was behind this anonymous act of kindness. I truly love those kinds of mysteries...

To all of you mystery helpers around the globe, bless you with love, joy, peace & everything else.

Random Act of Consciousness

Just before Christmas of 2007, almost exactly a year ago, I steered into a Starbucks drive-thru line for a cup of tea on my way to teach a morning tai chi lesson. There were a few cars in line, and I got in behind them. When my turn came I gave my order at the billboard menu and moved up as far as I could while waiting patiently for the cars in front of me to get through the cashier line. While the South Florida weather would probably would have felt tropical to much of the rest of the country, I was a bit chilled and was looking forward to my hot drink. The fellow in the SUV behind me reached the menu. Dissatisfied with the alignment between his mouth and the microphone, he laid on his horn, leaned out his window, yelled an insult and exhorted me to move up. ... Read Full Story >>

Decorating A Heart With Honesty And Kindness

Yesterday I was asked to deposit some cash in the bank. I went out with the money to deposit and some extra money which was to be used to pay for renovations going on at my house. The bank was busy when I arrived so I took a token and waited.  While I was waiting I noticed an old lady struggling to get a cash-in payee slip. I went over and got the slip for her and then asked her what she needed done so I could help her. I filled in her slip and got a queue token for her.  When my turn came up, I deposited the money and I then waited for the old lady's turn in case she needed help. She had intended to deposit three thousand rupees but when it was almost her turn she realised she had lost the money on the way to the bank! She was so upset she started crying. She tried to ... Read Full Story >>

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted

Yesterday, I was at the grocery store buying myself supper.  I actually borrowed money from my boss/friend because I was totally broke.  On my way out, there was a lady there who looked to be in her thirties with a little girl about nine or ten years old.  They had a ridiculous amount of bags filled with empty cans.  We get a five cent refund for each can returned.  Although they had  a lot of cans, their refund most likely only added up to a few dollars.  Maybe they were just doing some spring cleaning, but when I bring that many cans or bottles for refunds, it's generally because I really need money for something.  (Sometimes I'll spend all a lot of time collecting my cans and counting it all out so that I can afford a loaf of bread to eat.) Seeing the two of them there really struck me. I walked by ... Read Full Story >>