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Immeasurable Generosity from a Friend

My husband died in 1998 and the following year found me incredibly depressed, desperately lonely and totally overwhelmed.  I was living over 2,000 miles from my family, and his family had disappeared as if I had the plague.  My sister and my friends had been trying to get me to sell and move for several months and a close friend invited to move to the town where she lived.  Though I knew I should sell (I couldn't keep the place up), it was impossible for me to consider, as there was no way I could handle the mortgage until it sold, and also pay for an apartment.   My friend invited me into her home, to live there with her, free of charge.  She has a large, beautiful home, and though I seriously considered it, I didn't want to "put her out" or become a burden, and told her it could take months or even years to sell ... Read Full Story >>

Persistance Pays Off!

On my hands and knees on the floor of the airplane, searching for an old lady’s missing hearing aid during the flight from Sydney to Los Angeles, it occurred to me that this may not be the most dignified posture for a Buddhist nun. (With shaven head & long flowing orange robes, I stand out.) I had seen the old lady from the seat in front of me as she tottered up and down the aisle with a flashlight. I asked a few times what was wrong, but she didn’t answer at first — she couldn’t hear me. She spoke with a thick eastern European accent, wearing a vintage plaid tweed woolen coat.  Do you know what hearing aids cost? Thousands, especially for the new tiny hidden-in-the ear type she described. It takes a long time for an appointment to make a new one, and many doctor visits to get the thing ... Read Full Story >>

Grandpa's Investment Pays Off

When I was a student my family went through a few rough financial years. We got by, but only with much effort and many worries. I had a pick-up truck that was forever breaking down and the thought of the 600km drive to school in it was a worrisome one. As I drove away from home my uncle walked up. I stopped and he threw something onto my dashboard. He leaned in the window, speaking softly. "Years ago," he said, "when I was a poor student myself your grandfather once did this to me. I swore one day I would return the gift. And now I have."  Then he walked away without looking back, and I sensed he did so in order to hide his emotions.   A few miles later I opened the envelope. It contained a few bank notes. It was a gift returned more than two decades later to a second ... Read Full Story >>

Anonymous and Unknown Favours for Neighbours

We had a bit of a storm last night and a fair bit of damage has been done around the country. Out early this morning I stopped at a couple of neighbours gardens and picked up their plant pots, garden furniture etc, putting them back in place before owners even knew they were OUT of place.

I've done anonymous RAOKs before, but these were acts of kindness for people who would never even know what had been done. And, you know what - they still felt good!

Generosity "Grande" at the Cafe

So, here's a long story made short. I love Starbucks, but I tend to get fattening items when I go, other than my usual soy chai tea latte. So, that's why I immediately gifted a $25 Starbucks gift card to my friend Cathy who, interestingly, had been teasing me about being part of this "goofy smile card experiment." Nevertheless, I gave it to her and said, "Don't pay me back, but pay it forward." Cathy went to a Starbucks in Lake Oswego and as she was paying for her own drink, she gave some money and my smile card to a lady standing behind her. Much to Cathy's surprise, the lady lit up like a Christmas Tree. She was very excited and said she was going to immediately "pay it forward" and surprise the lady behind her. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was feeling rather down this morning but this has completely brightened my day!! Witnessing her joy, Cathy immediately caught the bug and saw how much fun it is to be a part of this experiment. When Cathy told me the story, I wish I had a camera to show you her enthusiasm. It made me feel great and I hope it does you, too.

Honoring an Old Friend

One of the women in my spirituality group will not be coming to our retreat next month. She has participated for about 15 years but cannot this year. She has dementia and finds it hard to be away from her home. My friend is turning 90 the end of August. She still lives in the home she built herself more than 50 years ago. She loves to paddle the canoe she made, out on the sound. She plays a piano beautifully and has not lost the music in her mind. She wants to stay in her own home for the rest of her life. Because she now needs much more help, the cost has gotten pretty high. One of her closest friends sent an email to our group telling us what's going on and asking for help. There is a woman who lives nearby who has been coordinating the various services ... Read Full Story >>

Late Night in the Company Cab

I was then working in a BPO in the evening shift. It was a tough day for me and was I waiting to go home and sleep. The time was 10pm.  I got into my company cab and was glad to see that I was the only person in it, so that I could reach home in the next 30 minutes. Just then another girl got into the company cab. She told the driver where she wanted to go and it was in the opposite direction to where I was headed. The driver decided to drop me home first as he felt my place was closer to the office and I was happy.  When the company vehicle moved out of my office campus, the other girl got a call on her mobile. From the conversation, I figured out that her husband was not keeping well. She was trying to tell him to eat some light food. ... Read Full Story >>

Goodness Everywhere

This one isn't a commentary on the words of some great philospher, it's not words of wisdom passed down from bygone generations - it's just the story of my morning so far! It's a grey, blustery Wednesday morning here on the west of Scotland. A nothing-much kind-of-day. The plan was, I would take the "weans" to school, walk out to the supermarket, pick up a few things, and then my day could begin. Well the walk to the supermarket takes you, literally, across the forecourt of a Fire Station. As I came up to it I heard sirens. Not fire sirens though.  Two lanes of traffic, car drivers, bus drivers, a truck driver or two, put their journeys on hold and pulled over to the side of the road.  With sirens wailing and blue lights flashing the ambulance tore up the white line in the centre of the road. I caught sight of the ... Read Full Story >>

The More I Understand, The Less I Know

After a couple of decades on this planet, many years of soul searching, and studying the "self," I feel that I am finally closer to knowing myself which ironically seems to be a journey which tells me that the more I understand myself, the less it is that I know. I now can say I have truly felt the difference between the deepest agony of the human condition and the highest state of joy. I know from my own experience that the main difference that lies between "you" and "me" is just a feeling, a feeling of being separate, isolated, lonely, lost, versus a feeling of being whole, connected, at home, and loved. I think most people, if not all, live with a kind of homesickness, a sweet nostalgia which they can't quite put their finger on as if they were once in a place that they can't quite remember but desperately, somehow, want to get back to. The mystics have said for over a millennia that in existence there ... Read Full Story >>

Ever Been Nudged?

My husband and I were shopping in a local grocery store one day and as we were ready to leave, I had a nudge to go into the coffee shop they had added a few months before.  "Are you hungry?" Gene asked.   "No, but I just have a feeling we should go in for a cup of coffee or something".  As we neared the back corner table, I smiled at a lady sitting alone at the table next to ours and asked her how she was today.  She turned and began to tell me.  She talked for about 10 minutes of all that was going on in her life with very few words of encouragement from me.  She then smiled and thanked me for listening but she had to go.  I asked her if she needed a hug and I was immediately enveloped in the strongest yet tenderest hug I had ... Read Full Story >>

The Challenges of Travelling with Children

For my birthday, Julie booked a coach trip to Liverpool. It's where I went to college thirty years ago and I hadn't been back since. We had a great time!   Watching the passengers embark on the coach as we got ready to head to Liverpool, I was a little dismayed to see a couple get on with two boys, both under five. We were gonna be on the coach for four hours. Would they act up? Or be sick? Or would it just be too boring for them?  It turned out they were great!  No doubt about it. Travelling like that with two lively little boys would take both parents full attention. And they did seem to work well together. In the hotel (a hotel that was once the pride of the city, now a bit dowdy, but still spectacular!) the parents got through the meals by working as a tag-team and never leaving ... Read Full Story >>

What I Am Grateful For

I learned to count my blessings a long the time ago. I believe that if any one stops for a minute he/she will find something to be grateful for.   I am grateful for a great number of things but I am especially grateful for NOW, for this moment in time.   I am grateful for the lovely town where I live.  In this town the number of charity shops almost equals the number of “normal” shops.  There are charities for almost everything you can imagine. Even the primary schools are charity orientated, with the Parents and Teachers Association taking responsibility for raising money through parties, discos, fairs and other events in order to be able to buy things like interactive white boards or sports gear for the school football team.  I think my town is very kind and it is very easy to live here.  People smile at you a lot, ... Read Full Story >>

Stop and Hug

My nine year old daughter has walked to school almost every day of her school life and each morning the same crossing guard, Ms. Leslie is there to help us safely cross the street. She and my daughter have a special ritual of hugging. My daughter runs to her, they hug, lock eyes and Ms. Leslie twirls her around once with the "stop" sign in one hand. Once, a neighbor driving her 3 children to school told me they feel lucky when they get the chance to witness this. Any fighting in the car that is going on, stops and they all share the joy between these two. This morning after watching them and having crossed the street to the other side, I said "That looked like so much fun can I have a hug too?" Ms. Leslie smiled and we embraced a full 5 seconds. I could feel our skin touching neck to neck and ... Read Full Story >>

Nightshift at the Marriott

It had been a long, hot August day. We'd driven over six hundred miles and it was nearing 11 pm as we entered Kingman, Arizona. We pulled off and picked a motel. Much to my surprise, it being mid-week, the deskman informed me they were full. Next place, same story. This time, I asked the clerk for suggestions.      "Try the Hampton Inn."      At the Hampton we were greeted with, "We're booked. Sorry."     "What's going on?" I asked. "Is there some kind of convention in town?"     "A tour bus just pulled in with 60 people," he said. "Plus lots of people are heading up to the Grand Canyon. It's an unusual evening. You might try the Best Western. I think they had one room left about an hour ago."      We tried the Best Western. No luck.      By that time, we'd traveled to the west end of ... Read Full Story >>

World Kindness Week Day 4 - Smoothies On Campus

I was walking around a college campus today (not my own) and I picked up two smoothies with the intention of giving them away.

An Angel In The Check-out Line

It was a busy day at the grocery store and two young ladies were in line behind me with birthday balloons.  They appeared to be stressed and in a hurry so I asked if they wanted to go ahead of me. They were very appreciative.   I asked what the balloons were for and one girl said they were for her nephew's second birthday.  She said it was a difficult day for her with lots of family drama and that her nephew had a twin and something bad happened to the baby at birth.  I noticed she had a small heart shaped tattoo on her neck with the a date in it. The date was exactly two years ago. So, I knew it had to be a significant day.  They were chatting together about their rush to get ready for the party, all the things left to do, and how nobody offered to ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness of a Stranger

Monday, I was at my local Home Depot waiting to have paint samples mixed. A gentleman who worked there walked by and I said..."Excuse me, sir...I have a question." He said "sure, what can i help you with?"

I told him I have been trying to figure out how to make a wooden cross. He said "ok, what size?" I replied the size of the ones you see on the side of the road that marks where someone has died.

He asked me to show him the approximate size I was looking for. I showed him and he said, "wait right here, I will be right back." 15 minutes later, he came back -- with the cross, that he had made and even tapered the bottom so that it would go into the ground easier.

I was so taken back, and told him I lost my son in a motorcycle accident and I wanted to put the cross there. I hugged him and thanked him and went on my way. The kindness of this stranger has touched me so much. Time to pay it forward and encourage others to do the same.

Roses For Everyone!

The best way to feel love is to give love and today I'm feeling a lot of love. This morning I went to the supermarket and bought a dozen beautiful red roses. I then brought them to the hospital with me when I went to my fracture clinic appointment. Where better to give love than in a hospital setting? I gave roses to various women visiting loved ones as they walked through the parking lot. I gave roses to two elderly ladies who were waiting to be collected from reception. One had a badly bruised face (I think she had perhaps had a fall), and the other lady just looked sad. I gave a rose to Maria as well. She was in the shop being pushed in a wheelchair by her teenage daughter. I later saw her husband smile at me. Maria was admitted to the hospital yesterday. She was so touched by ... Read Full Story >>

I Choose Kindness!

I can't stand the thought of people being forced to beg for money, even though a good number of them may be swindlers. That won't stop my kindness. One Sunday afternoon, I was on my way to a bus stop. When I walked on the sidewalk, someone blocked my way. It was a man. His face was dirty and his hair was not very neat. His clothes were rather grungy. I was terribly frightened by this man. In a low voice, he said to me, "I have run out of all my money, and now I can't go back home. Could you please give me some money?" I wondered if he was telling the truth. But despite my doubts, I just couldn't stop my heart from going out to him. From the looks of his face, I guessed that he had been refused by others many times. So I gave him some money ... Read Full Story >>

Simply the Nudge

Two weeks ago, my daughter came to me a bit frantic. One of her school friends, nine months pregnant and about to give birth any day, was kicked out of her house because her mother wouldn't leave her husband (the girl's stepdad) who was hitting the girl. She fled to the home of her boyfriend's parents. They, however, were packing up to move to a larger house. Being in transition themselves, her boyfriend's family couldn't host her at that time, and she was at a loss for where to go. So, two weeks ago, my daughter came to me asking if her friend can come live with us until the boyfriend's family finished moving. Well, here's a girl in trouble. I talked it over with my husband, who gave his ok. So we got things ready for her. She must have told her mom what was going on, though, because before she had a chance to move ... Read Full Story >>