Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Seeing A Handful Of Pennies

While getting a couple of things at a local gas station, I noticed a girl walk in and pay for her gas. She caught my attention with her very very green hair. I remembered 10 years ago when I dyed my hair purple ... and loved it!! She apologized for the cashier having to count her change as she put down a handful of pennies and a couple of nickels. She said "Believe it or not, this is suppost to get me home" At that time I was getting my change back from my purchase ($2.00) and not having anything else to give her, I gave her my last two dollars, knowing I wouldn't need them. Plus I had a full tank of gas ... and I had been where she was. She looked at me with such a surprised look on her face. She thanked me and you could tell ... Read Full Story >>

Doorbell Ditch on Easter

It was Easter Sunday.

The day before I thought it would bring plenty of smiles, for young and old alike, if I spread some happiness along the path we all travel. 

So I got some white paper bags and tucked in each bag some speckled malted milk eggs, tiny chocolate bunnies, mini M&M's, and a few jelly beans. On each stapled bag, I wrote "Happy Easter from God."

The best part was knocking door to door and disappearing when someone sounded like they were opening the door. I felt wonderful and exciting to be adding some small  joy to each persons' day!

A Few Words Can Go A Long Way

The other night I was at a friend's house to discuss some things about a charity organization we're involved in.

There were a fews of us there, and we were all laying around on the couches in her living room. All of a sudden, I became extremely emotional and burst into tears for no good reason.  I was sobbing hysterically, but i couldn't figure out why. 

My friend came over to me and hugged me tight, rubbing my back and trying to figure out what was wrong.  He sat there holding me for probably ten minutes before I stopped crying.  Then he looked at me and he said, "You look so pretty today."  It was a small thing, but just because he said that, I was able to smile and for the most part pull myself together.  It brightened my day, and boosted my self-esteem at least a few notches. 

The lesson here is that the smallest of compliments can sometimes make the biggest difference in someone's life.  Always remember to give compliments!

Five Pounds For A Big Issue

I was in the city of York this last week.  If you are ever near  Yorkshire, don't miss going there -- you will not be disappointed.  The history of the city goes right back to the Romans and Vikings, when it used to be called Jorvik.  There are so many fabulous places to visit, like the stunning cathedral.

I thought I would do an act on kindness on the oldie worldie streets.  I saw a man was selling Big Issue magazines for a £1 -- it is a scheme for homeless people to raise money.  He wasn't having much luck as everybody just averted their eyes;  it must be soul  destroying to be ignored all the time. 

I went over to him and said hi and gave him £5.  Quickly, he started to find the change and I told him it didn't matter.  You would not of believed the transformation that came over him when he gave me a big smile!  He looked a different person, a human being with a heart and soul.

"Thank you, thank you," he beamed.  I felt really pleased that such a little can make a big a difference to someones day.

Giving Away My Prize Money

I had two strangers at my doorstep this morning. I asked them what had brought them there, a little afraid because of my parent's Little Red Riding Hood style warnings of dont-talk-to-strangers, and a little surprised to see two unknown people who looked like they could be fellow students in my college. Both dressed in old but neatly pressed clothes, the taller boy began explaining his predicament. He showed me his fees form and said that his exams were starting in a month.  He would not be allowed to write his exams without coming up with the entire tuition fees amount.  He was studying a Masters Course in Computer Applications in a good college in my city.  I luckily have friends studying the same course in my college which meant I could verify the dates and information he was giving me. The bottomline was that he still fell short of 2500 rupees to meet his target of 30,000 ... Read Full Story >>

A Midnight Mistake

It was late as we left the restaurant after a meeting. It had been a busy week and we still had a lot of work ahead of us before we went to bed that night. We had already crossed the toll booth when I discovered I'd left my purse at the restaurant. It had my husband's phone in it and he was leaving for out of town the next day. We needed that bag. There was nothing to do but to turn around. There wasn't much chance that we would make it back to the restaurant before closing time but we decided to try anyway. A little monologue of reproach started off in my head. How could I be so careless. Now we wouldn't get home until a couple hours later and who knew if we would even find the bag that night, and we were already running low on ... Read Full Story >>

A Gift at a Book Sale

At work they were having a Book Sale in our Lunch Room. There were many wonderful books for  children, cookbooks and educational books.

I noticed one fellow employee looking at the cookbooks and then putting them back on the rack and saying maybe if she has enough money on payday she'll get the book.  Then a different person came in and was admiring the children's books and she too had to wait until payday. I knew she had 2 little ones at home and money was tight for her. When she left the room, I quickly left enough money and paper clipped a Smile Card and note saying "Some one please use this money to buy a book that you would normally not be able to afford" I taped it to the Book Sale Poster.

When I returned before I went home that night, the money was clipped to an order form and someone did use it.  I'm not sure who ... but I hope it'll make someone SMILE when their book arrives knowing that someone cared enough to share.

In Memory of our Son

After becomming a recent single mom, that had no family with in 2,000 miles I found myself and my children with no where to spend last Thanksgiving. So I decided to make the best of it. My kids and I (they were 6 & 9) volunteered at the Salvation Army soup kitchen, handing out meals to the homeless (helped me be grateful that I have what I do) Then I splurged and the three of us went out to a very nice dinner downtown (I was behind on bills, and did not have the money for extra expenses) We sat down and enjoyed a wonderful meal ... they were impressed how nice it was (not our usual McDonalds). We had decided to eat dessert at home, but when the waiter came over he told me that another family in the dining room wanted to treat us to dessert, the kids were ... Read Full Story >>

Wandering Around an Albuquerque Airport Terminal

After learning my flight was detained 4 hours, I heard the announcement: "If anyone in the vicinity of gate 4-A understands any Arabic, please come to the gate immediately." Well -- one pauses these days. Gate 4-A was my own gate. I went there. An older woman in full traditional Palestinian dress, just like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing loudly. "Help," said the flight service person. "Talk to her. What is her problem? we told her the flight was going to be four hours late and she did this." I put my arm around her and spoke to her haltingly. "Shu dow-a, shu- biduck habibti, stani stani schway, min fadlick, Sho bit se-wee?" The minute she heard any words she knew -- however poorly used -- she stopped crying.   She thought our flight had been cancelled entirely. She needed to be in El Paso for some major medical treatment the following ... Read Full Story >>

Little Pieces Of Glass

Last night I went outside to practice skateboarding. Afterwards, I took a small walk in  the neighborhood. As I walked, I noticed there were pieces of broken glass on the side walk. I thought that I should scoot the broken glasses into the grass so people wouldn't step on it, after all, I have seen little kids playing around the neighborhood. But then a thought occurred to me, people could still get hurt from the glass even if they were in the grass. After a small debate within in my head... I went home and grabbed a plastic bag and returned to the same area. I decided to pick the pieces and put them into a plastic bag.   (At the same time, I was thinking that hopefully this isn't stealing.. because I'm suddenly taking these pieces of glass.. which were clearly not mine.) I grabbed as many as I could find ... Read Full Story >>

I Gave My First Smile Card!

The RA of my floor at my dorm is an amazing person. Her door is always open, and she's always ready with a ready ear, some great advice, a shoulder to cry on, and some of the best brownies I have ever tasted.

We've really been lucky that, as freshmen, we've had her as a resource and a friend. She's really become like a big sister to all of us. Sometimes I feel that we don't let her know enough how much she means to us, and how much of an impact she's had on our lives. So, when I got my smile cards in the mail, I decided that the first one would go to her.

I wrote a little note with it saying how much we appreciate all that she's done for us, even though we don't always show it. I slipped it under her door this afternoon... I'm waiting to see if any there is any noticeable reaction :D As long as she is smiling, I'll feel good.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

I had been having a rough week at school; exams, reports, papers just all seemed to be hitting me all at the same time. My boyfriend knew how much the week had worn me out so when Friday night came, he knew I wasn't up for too much excitement. We ended up just staying in my room talking and such, which was exactly what I needed.

We even made up a game. One would tell the other to draw something, and the other would do so, usually in a very original way. Sure, it may sound a little lame, but to me, it was the happiest I had been all week.

When I was little, I had a video of a Garth Brooks concert that I watched again and again (my mom even made me a guitar out of a tissue box, the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels, and a few rubber bands).  So as we played our little drawing game, I told my boyfriend to draw a guitar. When he showed me what he had drawn, I was speechless. Of course, it was a tissue box with a paper towel tube stuck in it with some rubber band strings.

It was a really little thing, but remembering something so little that I loved made me so happy. He definitely won our game hands down!

A Car Ride To Remember

A man named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shining new car admiring it. "Is this your car, Mister?" he asked. Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy, I wish..." He hesitated. Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what this lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels. "I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that." Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?" "Oh yes, I'd love that." After a ... Read Full Story >>

Finals In The Ap

So it was the finals week for our school. First two days had been a real drag for most students and for some it was about to get harder.  The AP European History class, for which I was a teacher's assistant, was next.  The teacher told me I didn't have to worry about showing up since there wasn't anything I'd need to do that day. The next morning I woke up extra early to get dressed and ready.  Taking from my small savings stash of money, I  then began to walk to the nearest grocery store about one and a half to two miles away from my house.  Running there I quickly searched the shelves for the freshly baked cookies.  Paying with what money I had, I left the change and rushed out of the store to head back to the school. Trying to juggle the bags along side my ... Read Full Story >>

An Unexpected Person At the Breakfast Table

When we help others, God adds in some blessings.

I walked in a hotel the day before yesterday and I ordered my breakfast.  After me, an old lady walked in and said Hi! to me and sat next to me.  When I ordered breakfast, she also did the same thing. 

Now, I don't know her and I've never even met her.  She asked me of what I think is good for her to order and I told her whatever she feels is good.  She started ordering everything such that the waiter began to question her about who was actually going to pay for this.  And she pointed to me!

Surprisingly, I wasn't surprised.  Since I had the money, I  was ready to cater for an extra cost.

The analogy of this short experience is that  we should always be ready to perform our kindness acts at any place and anywhere we go.  We should be the mirror that reflects kindness.

A Firefighter's Point of View

Back in the day when I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life, I was studying to become a firefighter. I was a volunteer fire aide with the city of Milpitas, and was studying at mission college. As a firefighter, you're constantly thinking of other people and trying to help children. That's the mindset, at least for someone trying to get into a fraternity of brothers that is the No. 1 most difficult job in the country to get! One night after going to class I was heading home and decided to stop off at a burrito place. This was in a part of San Jose that wasn't very good. It was dark, and it was obvious that I wasn't in a place that I would normally go to. Well I got my burrito and started to head for my car when I was approached by a homeless ... Read Full Story >>

Flowers in the Communal Hall

I was thinking that it would be nice to put some flowers on the table in my communal hall in the block of flats where I live so when my neighbours get their post (mail) they will be able to see the flowers and maybe smile.

Recently, I was visiting a friend and she gave me a lovely bunch of daffodils she had brought from a neighbour's house.

Immediately, I put these on the table in my communal hallway thinking that the universe really does provide and how grateful I was.

A Lift From The Storm

My daughter works in a drive-thru coffee shop downtown.  Our town is small, so we know just about everyone that goes by. 

Gena is a less-abled mom who always walks with two crutches and her son, Sam, rides his bike along with her.  They don't have a car.  The other day a tremendous storm hit and my daughter called to tell me that Gena and Sam were walking in the freezing rain. 

I stopped what I was doing and went to pick them up.  They were so cold, wet and grateful. 

I was so proud of my daughter for taking the initiative to help others!

A Trail of Shells

I live in Florida in an area that is famous for its shells. Many tourists wake up at 5:00 in the morning to find the best shells.

Living here, we have learned where to find the best shells and how to look for them. A lot of tourists spend time walking up and down the shore on the same beach and they don't tend to find very interesting stuff. And I figure, since I live here, there's no real point in looking for shells for myself since I already have a big collection.

So, whenever I find really nice shells (and sand dollars- those are not easy to find but are in high demand), I go out at night and scatter them along the beach for some lucky tourist to find.

Once I saw a family find a really pretty sand dollar I had left and they were so excited! It made their vacation. Plus, they were from Europe and they had traveled a long way for their vacation. I was so glad that someone deserving got my little gift!

I'll continue to leave more shells along the beach whenever I can!

Reflection On Kindness

Kindness, and the world. I believe we are in many ways brought up to believe that kindness is very rare. We are taught about a cruel world, an unjust world. We are taught about mans inhumanity to man. War and violence, power and money. The world is becoming more and more corrupt, and its true and I won’t deny it , humankind has succumbed to selfishness, arrogance, and primitive savagery towards one another. Yet, in the pit of all humankinds violence and cruelties, there is a ray of hope that keeps us from ceasing to exist, and that is love. And with love comes kindness towards fellow mankind. Love motivates kindness, you cannot have love without kindness, and you cannot have kindness without love. It is the kindness in our hearts that brings us together as a race after awful things have happened to our world. It was inhumanity and sin ... Read Full Story >>