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I am enough, and so are you

I often show my middle school students inspiring videos to start their day. I never know which ones will make a huge impact, but I know they always reach the kids on some level. I recently showed my kids THIS video, where the resounding message was "I am enough."  When the video was over, I went around our circle and had each child say out loud, "I am enough." It was amazing to see their backs straighten and their faces brighten as they affirmed this for themselves. Well, I posted about this on my Facebook page and how blessed I felt to get to work with such open-hearted, amazing kids. A friend of mine saw the post, watched the video, and felt moved. So moved, in fact, that a few days after I had posted I went to my mailbox and discovered a beautiful ring stamped with "I am enough." I instantly ... Read Full Story >>

Passing Forward The Kindness I Recived Many Years Ago

Many years ago while waiting in a long queue at a busy check in counter in an airport I passed out. I had rushed to the airport on an empty stomach. I have never forgotten the kindness of two strangers who picked me up stayed with me until I regained consciousness and gave me a hot drink that they had bought from the cafeteria. Having made sure I was OK they rushed off because their fight was already boarding. Yesterday I had some way of paying it forward. I went with some colleagues from my office for a dinner to a local very popular restaurant. It was peak business time and the restaurant was packed. We finally found a table in a corner for three of us. It was so crowded that the cleaning boy was just clearing our table as we were sitting down, while the waitress apologized for all the ... Read Full Story >>

The Blessing Of Losing My Iphone

I am shopping in the local farmers market in San Isidro, Costa Rica on a sunny Thursday morning.  I love this market it is, I believe, the second largest in the country. The selection of produce is exceptional! I dropped my car off earlier a few blocks away at Firestone to get my oil changed. An hour into my shopping after collecting all my organic produce, I reached in my purse for my phone. I dig around searching and searching.... no phone!! At first I feel the butterflies in my stomach as I think since the zipper was not zipped on my bag that perhaps my phone fell out or got picked up by wondering hands. I quickly reigned in my thoughts. It is only a phone. I know that my thoughts effect my physical state of being. If the phone was gone then so be it, all is well. It can ... Read Full Story >>

Finding a wallet in a Ferry to Cape Cod

About 2 weeks ago, my husband and I went to meet with our Bostonian daughter in Provincetown, Cape Cod. When we took her to the ferry to go home, I found a wallet, filled with credit cards, driver's license and cash. I looked at the license photo to see if the person was in the line for the ferry, but no luck. My husband suggested that I leave the wallet with the dock master, but I was apprehensive. We then went to a nearby post office and mailed the wallet back to the owner (with my return address on the label). My joy came yesterday when I received a card from the owner, thanking me for my thoughtfulness and wishing me blessings.

A First Class Delivery of Generosity

I was recently at the Post Office. I walked in and saw the line, it was all the way to the door. Normally, I would have come back later but a voice in my head told me to just be patient and it would go quickly. I got in line and was immediately drawn to a conversation at a side counter between a Japanese woman and a postal worker. There was frustration in the clerk's voice as he said, "You'll either need to come up with the cash or find a card that works." She was trying to use the same card several times and was obviously distraught. I wondered how much cash she needed and then  heard the man say, " Look, you need $16.34 in cash or a debit card that works." I couldn't resist and pulled $17 from my wallet and placed it in front of the woman ... Read Full Story >>

This Simple Act Of Kindness Left Her Feeling Connected and In Tears

Hi everyone. This is just a short moment in time, but I wanted to share it because it made me feel so good. I was at the library the other day volunteering, and our library is a place where the homeless often spend their days as well. As I was putting books up for our book sale, I glanced up and there were a small group of homeless people sitting in chairs near the door. One man caught my eye and he seemed to start to look down, almost as if he were embarrassed or ashamed. I locked eyes with him and smiled, and he just beamed back at me. I got tears in my eyes and waved to him before ducking back into the volunteer room trying not to cry. I hear such negative stuff sometimes from library patrons about these down-on-their-luck people; how they smell bad, or shouldn't be there ... Read Full Story >>

Renewing My Father's Smile

Last Sunday I visited my parents as I do every Sunday. My 84 year old Dad seemed unusually worried, so I asked him if anything was the matter. He silently gave me a letter from his motor insurance company to read. In two sentences they informed him that they would no longer be able to insure his small truck and that he can call the undersigned for further clarification. I told him not to worry and that I would take care of the matter.  The next day I called the undersigned to get clarification. To sum it up, it did not matter to the insurance company that my Dad spent 50 years paying the premium, but what mattered was that in his first accident (last August) the company had to fork out € 8,942. From then on for three days I visited or phoned almost every broker or insurance company to try and ... Read Full Story >>

Letting T-Shirts Loose

The department store where I work is having a tremendous clearance sale. So I've been spending a lot of time pricing tons of clothing items.

As I was pricing, I put a few aside for myself. Mostly for the great deal-- each shirt was only 2 dollars, but I picked two that I really loved.

A fellow co-worker came in for the night shift and saw the items I was going to purchase when I got off work. She mentioned how much she loved one of them, and without thinking, I told her to take it.

"Are you sure?!" she asked.
"I'm positive," I answered. "It'll look so nice on you."

And if she hadn't taken it, I would have bought it for her instead of myself. I didn't think fast enough for that, though. :-)  But it felt good to share rather than holding on to the shirts, just for myself. :)  Smiles are contagious! :)

Moving Creates An Opportunity To Start Giving

Moving away gave me a chance to reflect on my good fortune and it was a wonderful opportunity to give away some of my things.   I’m not rich, but I decided to make sure that what I have an excess off (thanks to the kindness of wonderful friends and family) is passed on to those who really need it.   Once you start, its amazing how much you can do...   1.     I donated some clothes which were still in pretty good condition, which used to belong to my roomate or me (partly inspired by the story of Goonj posted by 'Anju73').  I spent a good deal of time laundering and ironing them I also added some lavender scents :).   I searched for the right place to give them to.  I could have given it to Habitat which is round the corner, but I checked out a great homeless shelter that I had heard about and gave it to them instead.   I popped ... Read Full Story >>

Keeping Hope Alive For Our Favorite Professor

A professor I have worked pretty closely with has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. It has been devastating for his family and heartbreaking for his students. What made him extraordinary was not only that he was a phenomenal rising star. He had only recently collected the highest honours for young researchers at the White House. We truly admired him for his inspiring personality - as someone put it, "He always has a smile and a kind word for everyone." It is very hard to find someone who is exceptionally intelligent and also a wonderful , humble human being. My professor's family of four (beautiful, sweet children all under ten) and lovely,generous-spirited wife (who is expecting the fifth), along with their deep spiritual faith has been a continual source of joy for him. All this made us, his students, even more shocked and heartbroken when we found out his cancer was terminal ... Read Full Story >>

Sowing Seeds of Joy on a Supermarket Adventure

Grocery shopping has never been my favorite activity, but  yesterday's trip was different. I decided, before I even left the house, to make this a RAOK "event".

I was determined to sow seeds of kindness in as many areas as I could. Smiling and acknowledging the gentleman who brings the carts in from outside; assisting a mother and baby with her cart; quietly reminding myself, "slow down and take your time" (as I am a notorious rush shopper:-); and giving people the right of way in the aisles -- these small acts don't seem like much, but when your attitude is to make people happy - even on the smallest level - there are such benefits.

Letting shoppers with smaller baskets ahead; making sure to place the divider for the person behind me; and making pleasant, positive and encouraging conversation with the cashier all contribute to sowing seeds of joy.  You can create a mini garden of joy and contentment  that extends beyond yourself.  

Attitudes are so contagious and what a gift to be able to spread a happy one!

Loving Kindness Is Twice Blessed

I felt gloomy the other day. The weather had been dark and rainy, and I just didn’t feel so positive. It happens to us all, I guess. As I was sitting at my desk, I remembered it was the birthday of a dear long-time friend—a single, middle-aged woman who has dedicated the past 30 years to nursing and loves her work. Knowing that she doesn’t have family in town, I decided to give her a call. Sure enough, she was scheduled to work late into the evening, and wouldn’t have much of a birthday this year. As always, though, she sounded cheerful and was happy I called. After I hung up, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she would really appreciate a little attention on her special day. Still feeling a little gloomy myself, I tried to put it out of my mind, but as the day passed I couldn’t shake the thought. I ... Read Full Story >>

Smile Cards and the Gentle Man

False happiness renders men stern and proud, and that happiness is never communicated. True happiness renders them kind and sensible, and that happiness is always shared. - Charles de Montesquieu   I volunteered to fulfill Smile Card orders & my first shipment of “to-be” mailed Smiled Cards arrived on Monday. I was very excited & immediately inspected all the contents. My darling husband quietly watched me, not wanting to interrupt my moment, but I could tell he was curious. I told him I would be helping to spread kindness by mailing Smile Cards to members. “That’s great!” he said. Probably thinking, “There she goes again with another one of her causes.”   I showed him all the contents I was to mail, and he mentioned how it was an awful lot to send. “Did HelpOthers provide you with stamps?” he asked. I held my breath, worried that he would be upset when he found ... Read Full Story >>

A Warm Gift Left In His Basket

It was early on a cold December morning. I was making a quick trip to the post office, and along the way, I saw a man riding his bicycle through the dirty, heavy slush, left over from last night's snowfall.

He was dressed in a tattered, old black coat. A knit beanie cap covered his head. As he parked his bike on the sidewalk and went inside (to warm up, I assumed), I noticed that his hands were bare.

While he was out of sight, I reached to my back seat and grabbed a pair of thick leather gloves that belonged to one of my boys. Then, quickly, I ran to his bicycle and placed them in the basket that he had tied with twine to his handlebars. I hurried back to the warmth of my car and waited. Even though I had been in a hurry, I couldn't leave without seeing that he got them. About twenty minutes passed.

I watched as he returned to his bike, picked up the gloves, looked around for a moment. Then, he put them on and slowly rode away. 

Helping Others Helps Me

Today at Parrys bus-stand, I helped two ladies to unload a bag filled with clothes. The bag looked shabby and slightly dirty and it was difficult to carry. One of the ladies was carrying a small baby. They were from the poorer sections of society.

I unloaded the bag (without a proper handle) and carried for 100 yards and placed it in the other bus they were taking home. Fortunately, although my pants were soiled by the effort my heart certainly was not!

Helping helps me. What a privilege !

Finding A Family A Home

 Working at a homeless shelter can be stressful but it can also be a source of uplifting stories! One part of my job is dealing with the initial homeless family housing calls. The very first call I had was a single mother. She was weeping. She told me she had gotten into a terrible car accident and wasn’t able to work for a while so she lost her job, had stacks of medical bills and fell behind on rent. Even though she had gotten another job just recently she was still being evicted from her apartment and she and her two children had nowhere to go.   After she finished explaining the situation she stopped and said, “I’m so sorry! Thank you for letting me tell my story. I’ve tried every shelter and church organization in the area and no one listens - or cares. I’m not a liar ... and I realize ... Read Full Story >>

Leaving a Little Soul With a Smile

I was in the queue for the supermarket checkout earlier today. All of the checkouts were busy and the woman behind me in the queue was not happy!  Every word that came out her mouth was negative, a complaint, a moan, a whinge! She wasn't happy with the number of checkouts opened, she wasn't happy with the amount of shopping some people had in their baskets, she wasn't happy because this supermarket didn't have a stand where you could scan your own shopping. She wasn't happy! I listened to her without looking around as I loaded my stuff onto the conveyor belt. I didn't want anything to do with that kind of attitude, and if ever I had felt like letting someone go ahead of me, it wouldn't be such a moaner! But then I glanced back. Standing beside the woman was a five year old girl, possibly her granddaughter. The girl's part of ... Read Full Story >>

A Drop-In-The-Bucket Act

I was entitled to a free burger because I had 10 stamps on my Smart Alec's card. Awesome, I was pumped!  I liked the burgers, was on a tight budget, and had enjoyed accumulating the stamps on my card (the cashiers had been very nice about it, providing extra stamps here and there : ). I was really going to saver this burger. It suddenly dawned on me: the thing to do with this card was give it to someone who needed it more than I did. I plotted to leave the free burger card along with a smile card under someone's sleeping body on the street or something...it sounded like a good plan. But, as time went on and I did not find what seemed like the right opportunity, I went through a period of cashlessness and I thought maybe I will get myself a burger with this card. ... Read Full Story >>

Visions of Cheeseburgers

Visions of cheeseburgers -- that was what her cardboard sign said as she stood at the intersection of the mall exit and the highway. She was skinny and young, with a backpack on the ground next to her, although the weariness on her face made her look so much older. We pulled over and I jumped out to give her a few bucks and received a smile and a tentative "thank you ma'am" for my humble donation. But as we drove away, I looked down at the bag by my feet holding a junior cheeseburger in it; a surprise for our much spoiled big mutt awaiting us at home. " A burger for my dog," I thought, and sighed. Seemingly at the same time, my partner made a u turn and said, "we have to go back. We have to buy her lunch!" Back to Wendy's we went and ordered 2 cheeseburgers, ... Read Full Story >>

For Your Time, Effort And Smiles, Thank You!

Today I received my very own set of Smile Cards from HelpOthers.org. Yay! I opened my envelope with great excitement and found my promised ten cards along with a larger card with ideas printed on it. Immediately I started planning my next kind act – the cards truly have an inspiring effect! It was then I realized the value of these cards and of websites such as HelpOthers.org. Not only does it inspire you, but receiving these cards, knowing that there are others out there with the same aim to be kind to others as I myself have, really made me smile! And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? In other words, the Smile Cards have already done a great deal: they made me smile! And in the future I hope each and every single card I hand out will make someone else smile too. I’d like to thank HelpOthers for offering ... Read Full Story >>