Search Results for 'popular' (3485 matches)

Down In The Dumps

Very recently, I have had to move from my home and have been living in a hotel room with my son who is 17, my sister and her two children ages 4 and 8.  

Times have been hard and I have been still going to work and pretending every day that it is no big deal, that we will get through this.  But today I was really down until I logged on to this site .... and read everyone's stories!  It just brightened up my day.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank each and everyone  for their acts of kindness.

Even though times are hard for me right now, I am still going everyday to help my mother who has colon cancer and try to help others with their problems.  Compared to some others, my problems are not so terrible.

Thanks for reminding me.

Moved By The Tears Of A Mother, She Helped A Boy From Further Being Bullied

I was talking with a mother of a young teenager and she was telling me how bad it was for her son at school because he is in a school uniform that doesn't fit as he's outgrown it, but since her husband and she both lost their jobs in the last couple of years and have been searching and interviewing persistently, I know for a fact that they just can't afford a new one. She wiped away tears as she told me that she is slowly trying to buy a new shirt, then trousers, then it will be the blazer and then shoes. I know her well enough to know that she was not manipulating me for sympathy or help, she's never asked for anything from me, ever. She was just telling me the honest truth. I felt moved to go to the bank and come back with a bit of ... Read Full Story >>

A Rainy Day At The Carwash

One rainy cold day, I decided I didn't care anymore if it had been raining all week, I just wanted my car clean. Besides, if it was nice and I had it washed, it surely would rain anyway!   I went to the carwash around 1 p.m. and sat there a minute before a young attendant came out.  He seemed somewhat dejected.   After I pulled out of the carwash, I didn't get far before a thought occurred to me -- I had a bag of homemade cookies; they were meant to be for a friend but knowing the compassionate nature of my friends, I figured he would understand.  So I immediately made a "U'ey" and pulled back into the carwash.  The attendant seemed even more surprised to see me, again!   With a big smile, I handed him the cookies and the card that said "SMILE, you have been tagged" and he got a huge smile ... Read Full Story >>

60 Day Challenge for 60th Birthday Gift!

Along the lines of celebrating my 60th birthday with a 60 day kindness challenge, I got the greatest birthday surprise from my daughters. When they asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I said, "please do a kindness act for someone in my honor" They took it WAYYYYY farther. They contacted all my friends and family members and asked them to do the same thing I had asked of them, as my birthday present. Then they asked them to write to them after they had done their 'act' and tell them what they had done. They also asked their friends to do the same. On my birthday, I was presented with a gorgeous scrapbook filled with pictures and all the kindness acts written out in their own words, telling me what they had done and how it made them feel. The 'acts' ran the gamut from donating frequent flyer miles so someone ... Read Full Story >>

A Day Full Of Blessings

Some days are just so full of blessings you don't know what to do! Today was one of those. My neighbor needed to avoid a utility shut-off, so I helped her round up the money to cover it. It was mutually beneficial and not really a favor but she appreciated the help. (I bought some stuff from her that she had no use for but I would have probably purchased anyway.)      When I got home I found a wet $20 bill plastered to the ground in the street.    Another friend had coupons and rewards and treated me to a good movie and wonderful dinner at a little cafe. At the diner, I saw a man and his three adorable little girls having a frugal meal. He looked a little stressed, so I used the $20 bill I had found and paid for their meal.    The waitress was so surprised by this that she ... Read Full Story >>

How to Make a Friend

My son Wynn has autism. As a result, his social skills are stunted. Neverless, he still longs for friendship and human kinship even though he rarely knows how to properly initiate conversations. When he was 7 or 8, he went through a phase where he would approach strangers with survey-type questions such as: "Excuse me, Sir. Are you married or are you happy?" or "Excuse me, Lady. Have you always been so old?" or, my personal favorite, "Excuse me, Girl. How did you grow up to be a fat woman?" As you can imagine, he didn't make many friends for either one of us, and I spent a lot of time apologizing and feeling embarrassed (though I have to say, his questions were actually quite relevant).  When Wynn was 10, he entered the phase of being totally enamored with men who had facial hair. In his attempt to interact with his subject of interest, he would approach each ... Read Full Story >>

Spreading Smiles, Smile Cards And Chocolate :)

Yesterday afternoon, I bought a few things from the supermarket. I decided to buy a chocolate bar for the checkout operator, and gift it with a smile card. The woman at the check-out counter was an older lady, and at first, she seemed very grumpy. After paying, I was nervous to give my gift to her, because for the whole time we interacted, she didn't smile at all. Nevertheless, I picked up the courage and gave it to her, explaining that it was for her.   It was the most amazing reaction ever! :) She seemed shocked at first but then a huuuge smile spread across her face, and she was so happy and thankful! She told me that no customers had ever done anything nice for her before. I felt so happy that I was able to make her smile! :) Then I went out to wait for the bus at the bus ... Read Full Story >>

Lost and Found: A Ten Dollar Bill

Last week I was visiting my best friend in Cincinnati.  One morning as we walked to breakfast, I spotted a piece of paper on the street and it turned out to be a $10 bill!  I was determined to use it as a special treat and carried it around for two days as we brainstormed ways to spend it. Since we are both huge fans of Dairy Queen, we decided to head there after dinner on my last day in town. His blizzard and my sundae came to $5, so when the employee handed me $5 bill as change, I turned around to the lady (and her son) behind me and said, "Here, this is for you!"  Seeing her startled reaction, I told her, "I found $10 the other day and since we've already received our treat, you guys should enjoy the rest!"  She was very gracious and took the money and ... Read Full Story >>

Ask A Stranger If They Are Okay, And Mean It

While on a walk on the bike path, I noticed an older man riding his bike stop ahead of me and leaning over his handlebars. He appeared to be in pain.

As others just continued past him, I stopped and asked if he was okay. He said he was, and I said I was concerned since he looked like he was in pain.

He told me that he was and told me about how he had by-pass surgery not long ago and the doctors said it would be good for him to bike.

Once I was convinced he would be okay, I continued on. He road past me, thanking me for stopping.

It wasn't much but it felt good to do so. Even though he was a stranger, I was willing to stop to assist. This is my small act of kindness story for today.

Heaven and Hell Story

A man spoke with the God about heaven and hell. The God said to the man, "Come, I will show you hell."

They entered a room where a group of people sat around a huge pot of stew. Everyone was famished, desperate and starving. Each held a spoon that reached the pot, but each spoon had a handle so much longer than their own arm that it could not be used to get the stew into their own mouths. The suffering was terrible.

"Come, now I will show you heaven," the God said after a while. They entered another room, identical to the first -- the pot of stew, the group of people, the same long-handled spoons. But there everyone was happy and well-nourished. "I don't understand," said the man. "Why are they happy here when they were miserable in the other room and everything was the same?"

The God smiled, "Ah, it is simple," he said. "Here they have learned to feed each other."

My Neighbor's Encounter With Death

My neighbor was diagnosed with Leukemia.  He was told that he didn't have many days to live. While most would get depressed, he was as happy as ever!  I was confused and decided to ask him why. He was gardening when I finally asked the question.  With a smile, he responded, "Why be angry at the world when we are blessed with the knowledge of our death?  Why not embrace it give back something to our society?" The next day, I read in the newspaper that he was among the many who volunteered to help out the poverty stricken people in South Africa. He was already packing when I entered his house.  He said he want to go and enjoy the last few moments of his life helping people.   With his usual wisdom, he also noted, "It's better to live a life happily in the short amount of time then to live a ... Read Full Story >>

An Unexpected Tip from an Unlikely Customer

This happened to me years ago when I was a waitress, but I still remember this specific incident so vividly. As the end of the night was approaching, fifteen minutes before our restaurant closed, a gentleman came in.  I was the unfortunate waitress who got to stay after closing to take his order and serve him his food. The customer was impeccably difficult was quite openly upset with how his food was prepared, slightly overdone, perhaps a medium rare when he had requested rare. He sent his order back twice. When it eventually arrived to his liking, he needed a pot of coffee brewed fresh. Meanwhile, my managers and our cooks were breathing down my neck, as they wanted the last customer of the day to finally leave so that we could close up shop and go home.   At this point I was frustrated and tired. I had stayed 45 ... Read Full Story >>

The Lady in The Antique Stall

I visited an Antiques market this weekend. A friend of mine needed to buy items for her house. I often enjoy looking at all those beautiful 'old' things, love to imagine who used them and what they were used for. I noticed a very fragile lady who had her stall nearby.

I watched for a while (always do...observe). I decided to go and talk to her. Most people I observed only asked for prices and bargained, many left without even saying thank you. I felt she needed 'more'. I always try to talk to people who seem sad or lonely.

We talked about her stall, I asked her about her items and a bit of the story behind some of them, told her about some of my Grandma and Mum's collections, etc. She was so kind and tender, her face changed, smiled a lot, and thanked me dearly for spending time with her. I was even more delighted!

Knowing What Homelessness Feels Like, I Had to Help Her

I had noticed an elderly lady was panhandling on an off ramp. It was an overcast breezy day but not particularly cold. Usually, I pass by panhandlers because I don't have much money. But I couldn't pass this lady up. She looked like my grandma. I don't know what her real situation was but my heart was pierced by her need and my eyes welled with empathy. As one who has lived on the streets and rode the rails, I know what hunger, despair, and eyes of indifference feel like. So, I knew instantly I had to help "Grandma" but I was in the wrong lane. Because of the one-way streets and the freeway, it took 5 miles to get back to her. I gave her $60 I had earmarked for something that no longer had relevance for me. My need was of no consequence compared to her's. I am so heartened ... Read Full Story >>

Helping One Mother To Another

My husband stayed home with my daughter, and I took my son in to the ER after a fall off the slide, where he landed on his head.  We were in the ER for observation for a couple of hours and when it was time to leave I realized I had no money with me to pay the toll to leave the emergency parking lot.  It was late enough (10 p.m.) that the cafeteria wasn't open, and my credit card wasn't working in the ATM machine.  The hospital volunteer told me to find a security guard who might help me with a token, but they were no where to be found. So, I called my husband trying to figure out what's the easiest way to get us home.  All the time I'm holding my 3-year-old who is very tired and stressed from the ER visit.  Unknown to me,  a mom is listening ... Read Full Story >>

Smile Cards Take Australia By A Storm

On Sunday 30th of September 2007 over 70 beautiful people in my life (family and friends) staged a Random Act of Kindness Project in our local community. We distributed over 600 SMILE cards on the day and the project is now set to be an annual event!   The day was perfect and we had plenty of volunteers. Over 30 businesses and individuals sponsored and donated and supported in one way or another. The day started off with a brief welcome from me, followed by a poem written by my 9 year old son about Random Acts of Kindness. He read this out aloud for all volunteers to hear which surely got everyone into the spirit of things! My gorgeous fiancé Steven took the reigns and lead the day.   We surprised our community with a free car and window wash, coffee, balloons, sweets, biscuits, gift vouchers, BBQ and lawn mowing. We also fed the homeless, visited local rest homes ... Read Full Story >>

A Smile Card Wins The Lottery

  While I was in hospital for back surgery recently I was looked after by a nurse called Deitrich. She worked the night shifts and took very good care of me.   One night things were quiet and when Deitrich came in to take my blood pressure we started to talk about our family situations. Then she asked what I enjoyed doing most. I replied that I liked helping people and doing charity work. Deitrich  said she thought she would enjoy doing that kind of thing too, perhaps with her church.   The day I was discharged we hugged and she gave me a kiss on the cheek. In return I gave her a Smile card and ten dollars. She didnt want the money but I told her to read the card  and assured her the money was from my heart. "Now you have the power to do something for yourself or make adifference for ... Read Full Story >>

Victim Treats His Mugger Right

Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner. But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn. He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife. "He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says. As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm." The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, "like what's going on here?" Diaz says. "He asked me, 'Why are you doing ... Read Full Story >>

Ten Dollar Gas For My Cab

I was just starting my duty for the evening shift of driving a cab.  As I pulled into a service station to get gas, I waved at the people, a local musical duet, who were pulling off. When I got ready to gas up, the pump would not work. I went into the store to figure out why and they said that the person ahead of me drove off without paying. "Oh no, I know them, they would not knowingly do that.". The clerk told me that she would reset the pump for me but asked me if I would just give them the names of the people that drove off so she could make a police report. I asked how much was their gas bill, she said it was $10. I gave her a twenty and said that I want $10 in gas for myself and pay the other tab ... Read Full Story >>

Good Bye North Face!

This is an unfolding story. I once came across bedding all folded up behind the swimming pools where I walk my dog Roux. I wondered at the time who was sleeping there and why, what had happened in their life that this is how they had to live.  I then saw a young woman walking away from the area when I was walking. I was surprised and wondered if she was the person sleeping rough. I saw her again the next day, walking towards that area of the park. Roux the ice breaker, ran up to her for a pat, and she smiled and she is young, mid teens? I asked her if she was sleeping there and she looked embarrassed and said "no" and I didn't believe her. It was winter at the time. She had a T-shirt on and a small rucksack and looked cold. I thought of Mindy (A KindSpring Member)  Oh well ... Read Full Story >>