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It Was A Rainy Night In New Orleans

It was a rainy night in New Orleans At a bus station in the town, I watched a young girl weeping As her baggage was taken down. It seems she'd lost her ticket Changing buses in the night. She begged them not to leave her there With no sign of help in sight. The bus driver had a face of stone And his heart was surely the same. "Losing your ticket is like losing cash money," He said, and left her in the rain. Then an old Indian man stood up And blocked the driver's way And would not let him pass before He said what he had to say. "How can you leave that girl out there? Have you not had a moment of fear? You know she had a ticket. You can't just leave her here. You can't put her out in a city Where she doesn't have a friend. You will meet your schedule, But she might meet her end." The driver showed no sign That he'd heard or even cared About the ... Read Full Story >>

My First 'Help Others' Day

I joined HelpOthers last night and, since then, have been trying to figure out how I could make someone smile today.

My opportunity came just before lunch when I left the office to pick up a pack of my favourite biscuits. On my way back into the building I saw the new security guard standing in a corner of the foyer.

Because he is new to the job he is still unsure of himself and not sure how to behave around the people who work there. That's when the idea came to me!

I walked over, introduced myself and offered him some of the biscuits from the packet. A smile replaced the nervousness on his face. He picked one with real care and appreciation. It was a sight to see!

So, now I know. That's how easy it is to help others. And I was left feeling blessed in return!

Helping a Girl Get Married

 A few years back during the time that my aged mother was bedridden, her attendant happened to be a young woman. She was caring and kind, though not trained in her profession. When we heard her personal story our hearts sank.   She was to get married to her fiance in the near future and according to their custom the bride had to wear a valuable, colorful saree with gold accessories.  In addition, she had to give away 12 sarees plus matching jackets. This all would cost her a lot.   Seeing how my parents had helped the people who worked for us when we were kids, a flash of lightning struck me.  I though if we don't help her, who would?  A couple of months passed by and her mind was only on the "big" problem and in another four months she would have to get married, only with the six months ... Read Full Story >>

Drying Birthday Tears

A Quiet Lesson from Steve

A few weeks ago, our dog, who we've had for more than a decade, had to be put down. First, a tumour on her pancreas exploded, and she had to have emergency surgery. Then, the arthritis in her back got so bad that sometimes she would lie down in the middle of a walk and refuse to take another step. When I first found out, I was devestated. She was more like a sister to me than a pet. But if I'm honest, I was also angry at my stepfather, Steve, who informed us that she had been put down a week after it happened. He waited because he didn't want to worry us, and he didn't want me to get distracted and fail my exams. We thought she was still being treated at the veterinarian. I think you can imagine all the thoughts that went through my head: She's my dog too! Why didn't ... Read Full Story >>

An Surprise Gift

Last week I went to a different grocery store than usual, just to check it out.  The person in front of me at the checkout was pregnant and purchasing a couple of containers of milk.  No big deal, she would be done quickly and I could be on my way.  Her method of payment was a WIC card and it kept telling her that it wasn't working.  A manager came over and told her to come to a different register, maybe this one was the problem.  After I checked out, I noticed she was still there, trying to get her card to work.  It was obvious that the young woman was getting anxious about the purchase so I offered to pay for her purchase.  She was shocked that I had even offered and very humbly accepted.  She thanked me and I went on my way with a smile from her. Everyone needs ... Read Full Story >>

The Road To Acts Of Kindness

More than a week ago I decided to do something that I called "A Smile Card a Day Makes the World a Better Place".  I've been doing an act of kindness every single day and giving away Smile Cards with it. Yesterday on my way back home from school I stopped at a restaurant that I always go to. It was almost 10pm and that's when the close. I ordered some takeway food and sat and waited for it to be ready. The girl that took my order was mopping the floor and singing and I have to say she had a very beautiful voice. I started talking to her and told her how beautiful her voice was and I gave her a Smile Card. She loved how the card says 'Smile' on it because another customer calls her "Smiley". I then told her the rules of the Smile Card and she ... Read Full Story >>

Priceless friendship from a five dollar microwave

One day I was driving by an apartment complex and an elderly lady flagged me down. I pulled over and asked if she needed a ride somewhere. She told me no and then asked me if I needed a microwave. I said, "no"...and asked why? She told me she had one for sale for just five dollars. Curious to find out what her situation was, I asked her to let me see it. The microwave looked like new and was worth a lot more than five bucks. I asked her what she needed the money for. What she told me broke my heart. She said she wanted some bologna, bananas and bread. I told her I would buy it but I needed to go to the bank for the money. I rushed to the grocery store and bought her bananas, bologna and bread. When I returned to her apartment I gave her the ... Read Full Story >>

Generosity That Goes Around Comes Around

The other day I noticed a young woman, very close to my own age, walking by the store front.  I thought she was a student at the local college, mainly due to the fact that she was carrying her books and supplies.  She stopped and looked through the window with a somewhat sad look on her face.  The next day, around the same time, she stopped by again, the same thing as the day previous. I came to the cafe this morning, after having made a comment of how cold it was outside.  The region experienced a drastic drop in temperature last night to around 27 degrees Fahrenheit.  I noticed the time was getting close to be around the same time as the previous two days when I had seen the young woman, so I looked for her.  I saw her slowly approach the store.  She looked as cold as ever.  ... Read Full Story >>

Sterling Performance For Your Eyes Only

There was once a skinny young boy who loved football. Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, all his heart and effort couldn't make up for his physical shortcomings. At every game, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever got to play. However, the determined young man decided to hang in there.  He hoped that maybe his body would grow to match his heart and dedication.  All through high school, he never missed a practice nor game, but he remined a bench a bench warmer all four years.  His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him . When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a " walk on.".  Everyone doubted that he would make the team, but he did.  The coach ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness "To Go" At This McDonalds

As a substitute teacher, my daily routine invoves driving to a new school almost every day so I'm usually unable to anticipate the days events, good or bad! On one particular day, I was teaching in a very difficult classroom. I was managing behaviour all morning and by lunch time, I knew I needed a coffee to even consider surviving the afternoon. So on my lunch break, I drove to a nearby plaza to get a coffee. Upon returning to the car I realized I had locked my keys and my phone inside! I had about 15 minutes to get back to the school which was a good four or five-minute  drive away. I contemplated sprinting back, but it being winter, I thought a nasty fall on ice would only make the situation that much worse. So I ran into a McDonald's which was in the same plaza and asked the man ... Read Full Story >>

Carmen's Laundry

I recently traveled to my hometown to visit friends. While I was there I visited to my elderly mother's friend, Carmen.  I found her in the back yard hanging clothes out. I noticed a washer and dryer in the garage and asked why she wasn't using the dryer instead because it looked like it might rain. She replied, "Oh, that old thing doesn't work anymore and the washer is on its last legs, too. They are both over 20 years old."   The next day, I invited her out to lunch at the mall. After lunch we strolled around for a while and ended up at Sear's. While she was busy buying clothes, I meandered over to the home appliance section. Before I had time to think about it I bought a washer and a dryer and requested that they be delivered to Carmen's home.    When she found out she was pleasantly surprised, profusely ... Read Full Story >>

Giving Generosity Another Chance

Lately I had started to question why I still would readily help someone, since recently my attempts at generosity usually turned around to end up hurting me.  However, this concern recently vanished thanks to a very kind person. Last week, I was winding down a long day of train-hopping and dragging a few huge suitcases around with me to get home from visiting a friend's house.  I was rather peeved that I had to sit at the station for 4 hours for a bus that left at 10 p.m. While I was sitting there tired and frazzled, a woman asked me if I had some change that she could have for a ticket.  Without thinking, I said, "Oh sure! How much do you need?" and then mentally kicked myself.  But I reached for my that I had buried in one of my bags anyways and fished out a $5 bill.  When I ... Read Full Story >>

What Happens When We Give What We Need?

One afternoon, I joined CharityFocus folks to distribute food to homeless people. We went around a few streets in Manhattan. I was at the office in the morning, a little overloaded with work, and had plans to travel back to India.  Still, I  wanted to take part in this activity in the afternoon.  We gathered at a coffee shop and othe members of the group came with lots of food packaged properly for distributing.  The first person we offered food to cried at the gesture of lovingly being offered food. This was an emotional moment for all of us and really touched me. After this, the rest of our food distribution happened at a particular place near Port Authority where many such needy people sit. Here the food was distributed quickly with a crowd surrounding us and receiving our  packets. Our activity got over by 5:00 pm and we started back to our homes. However, I ... Read Full Story >>

Good Deeds Don't Go Unnoticed

I work in a restaraunt that has a program working with ex con's and the homeless. There is a guy who started working with us as a dishtanker and he told me his story one day. He lived in Florida, (we're in Ohio now) and he received information that he owed child support on a 6 year old boy. Well this was news to his ears because he didn't even know he had a kid! He came to Ohio to to clear this matter up and took a DNA test that determined that the kid was his. He was PROMPTLY put in jail for owing over $19,000 in back child support. He stayed in jail for 9 months and when he was released he was homeless, jobless. Instead of giving up on his kid and going back to Florida where he had plenty of family and help, he stayed in Ohio and ... Read Full Story >>

Teaching Kids Spiritual Harmony

Aikido, translated as “the way of spiritual harmony”, is a Japanese martial art. While it is a powerful system of self defense, the greatest benefit of Aikido training is that it provides a means to better yourself and become a happier, more balanced person. There is a piece of calligraphy authored by Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, that reads “True victory is victory over oneself”. This concept and Aikido itself is suitable for people of all ages. For the last year or so, I have had the privilege of being an assistant instructor for the “Kid's Self Mastery” classes at my dojo; helping to teach children ranging in age from 5 to 10 years old. The classes themselves consist mostly of games and exercises allowing the students to learn Aikido, teamwork, respect, kindness, and other skills in a way that's fun to them. They also have “Mat Chats” in which ... Read Full Story >>

Coffee, Diners and Smile Cards

Peapod and I just returned from a trip across the pond to see her parents and some of her friends back home in America.  We had a great time, being somewhat spoiled by her folks  :-)  While we were away we kept our eyes open for opportunities and managed to leave a little kindness behind us on the way. Coffee and coffee houses seem even bigger over the water than they do in the UK, so one idea we had was to buy some $10 coffee cards and give them out to people as we wandered around the town.  We quickly earmarked two particular people to give cards to.  Earlier that afternoon we had been to a jeans store to exchange some jeans and the girl there really knew her stuff!  Before we knew it Peapod had a replacement pair and an extra pair of jeans, while I was also buying a pair.  The ... Read Full Story >>

Trying Not To Blush On My First Kindness Mission

I have been a member of this site for quite a while and come on everyday while at work to read the stories to cheer me up. However, I had never used a smile card until recently!! I started a new job and was a little bit unnerved by my larger-than-life boss. She told us that she was going in for an operation and I could tell that even though she was acting "normal" that she was really worried underneath. So I thought I would try my first smile card act of kindness with her. Before going out to lunch as we all did, I snuck away from the group and went and bought a really nice box of chocolates for her (as she was quite partial to a nice bit of choccy). Then was the task of getting them into the office and placing them on her desk without anyone noticing it was me!! It ... Read Full Story >>

Change Of Heart

A mother and daughter living in my complex are two of the most unfriendly people I have ever come across in my life. They are totally withdrawn, mixing with no one. As they drive past neighbors they keep their eyes averted and make no sign of acknowledgement. The only fame they have is making a nuisance of themselves to the local police station by reporting music played too loud, dogs barking more than once a day and any other petty little gripe. On moving into this neighborhood, I was warned about these two but decided I would make up my own mind. This proved quite a challenge to me as more than once either the mother or the daughter would knock on my door and blast me with some complaint or other. My warfare? I always answered politely and made sure I waved as they went past my place and also made ... Read Full Story >>

Walk With New Amazement

When you measure the distance between towns on foot, walk to places you thought could only be reached by car, or talk to neighbors with whom you never felt necessary to interact, it will shift your mind! I live in the suburb north of San Francisco, driving is considered the main transportation option for most residents here. I still remember how excited I was when I first learned to drive 10 years ago. Driving at night, the headlights softly illuminating the road ahead, with music gently soothing my heart, I was filled with joy, a joy of independence in a foreign land! I had a photo taken of me hugging my white slender car and sent it to my family in China. I loved my car! Sometimes she was my only companion in lonely nights. Yet, as time went by, that excitement wore off. I dreaded driving, burning gas in bumper-to-bumper ... Read Full Story >>