Search Results for 'popular' (3007 matches)

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 >>

Getting Things Moving by Blocking the Way

I love my truck! I have a big old 99 Suburban Chevy model. One of the biggest they made. I love driving on the road with my Burby!   So there I was driving, singing, having a fabulous time when suddenly I saw ahead of me a congestion of traffic. A three car accident had slowed things right down. It seemed they were all okay and the police were handling it. Meanwhile, everyone was crawling along.  I was watching and waiting for my opportunity to get past all of this congestion. What had been six lanes of flowing traffic was now only three, one lane going west, another east, and a single turning lane. It was horrible.   I slowly came closer to my chance to make a move. Looking around I could see an older woman in the turning lane, obviously upset. Horns were blaring behind her and she hadn’t managed to make ... Read Full Story >>

Top 10 Stories of 2012 - Story # 6 Learning Kindness From My Father

When I was 12 years old, I went with my dad to his work - a car showroom.  I was wondering around and I saw a poor woman with a child in her lap standing outside the showroom.  I saw that she was crying a lot and went inside and told my father.  My father went out and asked the woman to come in to the showroom.  He offered her some water and then asked her what was wrong?   The woman said that her husband had died some months ago and that she doesn’t have anyone else in her family who can help her.  She does some manual labor to earn some money to take care of her daughter but she was sick for the last three days and was unable to go to work.  Now she doesn’t have a grain of food to eat.  While she was relating this ... Read Full Story >>

Brand new beekeeper

I met what must be the world's most wonderful lady last summer - just being around her is like a soothing balm for my soul. I barely know her and after finding out that I've dreamt of having bees for several years she simply gave me a hive as a gift, including all the boxes, frames, gear, tools and a package of bees.

I'm now officially a brand new beekeeper

I kinda freaked out a little when we shook them into the hive though....10,000 bees buzzing around your body will do that to you even in beekeeping gear if you're new to this exciting hobby!

I Had A Dark ...

I had a dark moment earlier. The dragon that was once me, returned. I hadn't slayed her. Oh she is a fine piece of work. I don't like her at all. But I am grateful she comes out at times. She reminds me of how far I've come and who I don't want to be, ever. I was at the dentist for my eldest. An appointment which I have organized and reorganized for months. I confirmed it twice and called the day before to ensure all the paperwork would be ready for the x-rays. Then I arrived. it wasn't ready. The lady on had no idea what I was talking about and I immediately felt my blood boil. I was getting so mad. I didn't yell at her or curse but I may as well have because the way I was talking to her was not nice. My tone was so ... Read Full Story >>

A Gift On A Small Slip Of Paper

Over the holidays last year, my team at work did a 'Secret Santa' gift exchange. We all picked a name out of a jar, and gave our assigned person small fun gifts over two weeks. Then, we all met after work one day for a final 'reveal' where we exchanged our real gifts. Usually, these kinds of gift exchanges feel a bit more focused on material things than I like to be, but I wanted to be a team player, so I went along with it. It ended up being fun to scheme up a meaningful trail of gifts to give my colleague. On the evening of our final gift-giving exchange, the person who had picked my name out of the jar totally blew me away with her thoughtfulness. She gave me a beautiful framed photo and a postcard that she'd been holding on to since she was 5 years old. Then, ... Read Full Story >>

The Power of a Handwritten Letter

Our world is so dependent on email that handwritten letters have gone by the wayside.  At a service I attended recently, the topic had to do with how important and touching handwritten letters are. 

I followed my heart, which had tugged at me for some time to actually write letters. I started by writing a letter to my grandfather and nothing could have made him happier. Even though I see him every week, he said so many times how much it meant to him. So now we write each other a letter each week. There is something so special about seeing a real letter when you open the mailbox and something even greater about sending it to someone special. I write at least one letter a week now to family and friends -- it reconnects you in ways that no email ever will.

Peace Pole ...

Just wanted to give you an update on our Peace Pole Planting. The village school has accepted the pole and has got the Council to agree that it can be planted on a grassy area directly across from the school in a very prominent place which is passed by all who enter and leave the village (think of all those Peace Prayer wishes going out!).
They have invited uor MP, MSP and lots of dignitaries as well as local newspapers. The children are going to be writing about what Peace means to them and having a Peace Pole Party to celebrate –with Peace Cakes! How amazing is that! It won’t be for a couple of weeks yet, mid-may, but I’ll keep you all informed.
 

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.

The Kindness Of A Second Chance

Today, I recognized the frowning woman in line behind me at the checkout counter of the grocery store. I hadn't seen her in fifteen years -- she is the owner of a local restaurant where I briefly worked one summer as a waitress. It had been on my heart for several days around Christmas time to go her restaurant and leave a card thanking her for her kindness to me, but I couldn't override my shyness so I didn't act. When I saw her today, I knew the Universe was giving me a second chance and I seized it! I turned to her and said, "You probably don't remember me, but you once gave me a job when I really needed one even though I had no experience -- and I really want to thank you for that." She asked my name and said she didn't remember me. And I admitted with a ... Read Full Story >>

Finding the Courage to Smile

I was at a coffee shop last night where there was a wonderful folk music performance. I was busy tapping my feet and singing along to the soothing beats! As I got up to get a cup of coffee and a cookie, I noticed this middle-aged woman near me. She had obviously been caught in a fire of some sort. Her face was severely burned that it looked very tight.  She barely had a nose and her eyes were extremely tiny.  I took a deep breath and went back to my seat. I thought about how brave she was to come out and appear in public. I also felt ashamed of myself for mildly shuddering and looking down while I headed back to my seat, unable to send even a feeble smile her way. As I sipped my coffee and ate my cookie, I just kept thinking endlessly about whether I should ignore this ... Read Full Story >>

Post-It Note Smiles

One summer day, my best friend, Ronnie, and I were talking about how society puts a lot of pressure on girls to have the perfect body. There's a sense that women need to be all around perfect, without realizing that they already are perfect the way they are.

So, we decided to set out on a mission to our local library.

Upon arriving, we wrote, "Smile You're Beautiful," on 75 post-its and placed them on the inside page of every depression, anxiety and eating disorder book we could find.

That night, I went on Facebook and saw that a girl I knew made a status about her journey to the library and how she saw one of our post-its in an eating disorder book. She mentioned that she's been struggling with her eating disorder and seeing that post-it note made her day.

I told my friend, and it made us so happy to know that we had put a smile on at least one person's face. It made our entire day worth it.

Crushed In The Rush For Cross Stitch

A day or so ago I posted a photo of a pile of cross stitch kits that I had been gifted. I couldn't possibly use them all so I decided to give them away to ladies in my community who like to have a project in their hands. I packed them all into a box and decided to start with the lady who runs my local bar as she's perfectly charming and so good to me. I took her out to my car and showed her the box. I was holding it in my arms whilst she looked when another car drew up next to us with two other ladies in it. Within moments I was crushed against my car behind the weight of rummaging elderly ladies and had to fight my way out to put the box on a table. Well between the three of them they took every single item ... Read Full Story >>

A Treasured Gift For A Young Couple

I met a really nice young couple about a year ago through mutual friends on a social networking site.  They have just adopted a baby girl.  This is a beautiful gift to the world on its own, but what makes it even more special is how many hoops they jumped through and how much time and money they spent to get to that stage. I was going through some boxes from my mother’s house (she passed away at Christmas time in 2007) and I found some beautiful vintage baby dresses. So I thought, wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if I sent some of this lovely vintage clothing to the couple for their adopted baby?  I knew they would love it.  This was truly a gift from the heart; I had planned on saving those for my daughter if I had one someday.  But, given that my husband died before we had any children, ... Read Full Story >>

Showing Kindness to Even the Smallest Beings

I have found that the way I treat insects acts as a reflection of my approach to kindness.  Like most kids, I suppose, I mistreated bugs terribly.  But many adults continue the rampage against insects, and I have often found that they do this mindlessly, killing them for no reason. With the weather getting warmer, more bugs are getting into our houses.  We also spend more time in "their house," as we enjoy the great outdoors.  We find ourselves reaching for the fly swatter and insecticides to get rid of them.  But why do we do this?  Most insects pose no threat to us, but we kill them anyway. As a young adult, I found myself questioning my treatment of bugs.  It became a moral issue.  I remember reading a Native American story about a mother who saw her daughter stomp on a spider.  The mom simply asks the child: "Now who'll take care ... Read Full Story >>

A Valuable Lesson Learned From My Child

I always try to encourage my children to be, think and talk positive but one day I was caught not practicing what I preach by my son. My son is 7 ½ yrs old son and he was preparing for a sketch at his school for the occasion of Mother’s day. He was playing the role of an angel. On the evening before the show, we were having a casual conversation while I was preparing dinner in the kitchen.  He asked me: “Mum, can we see angels?” As usual, I seized the opportunity to encourage him to be positive and I said: “Yes, but only those who are, think and talk good can see angels.” He responded by asking: “You must have seen them then?” I paused a few seconds. I was touched by his innocence about the fact that how he thought his mother was a perfect person. Impatiently waiting for his answer, ... Read Full Story >>

Look Inside Yourself To Heal Others

Two years ago, I heard about a therapist in Hawaii who cured a complete ward of criminally insane patients--without ever seeing any of them. The psychologist would study an inmate's chart and then look within himself to see how he created that person's illness. As he improved himself, the patient improved. "When I first heard this story, I thought it was an urban legend. How could anyone heal anyone else by healing himself? How could even the best self-improvement master cure the criminally insane? It didn't make any sense. It wasn't logical, so I dismissed the story. "However, I heard it again a year later. I heard that the therapist had used a Hawaiian healing process called ho 'oponopono. I had never heard of it, yet I couldn't let it leave my mind. If the story was at all true, I had to know more. I had always understood "total responsibility" to mean that I am responsible ... Read Full Story >>

Taking inspiration from KS community

Well after reading Mindy's post 're- sock and the homeless', I am off to buy some more socks and take them plus frozen meals out to the shelter.

I know how lucky I am with not having to work, married to a beautiful man, children living good lives, a cozy home, a funny little VW Beetle to drive around in (yellow daisy included), a mostly healthy body, Bentley  and simply having enough.

I am grateful that I can now look back at the hard, tough years of suffering and despair and now greet each day with pure joy. I thank all of you my friends for helping me make this happen. So many hugs of love to all of you.

The Little Lost Girl

One day I was outside my school and I saw a little girl crying. I went to her and asked her what happened and she told me that the afterschool bus left her and she was going to be alone for 6 hours. She didn't have any money, not even a phone. She was six. I told her if she could give me her mother's phone number so I can find out where her afterschool hours were taking place. I finally found out. Her mom was at work and when she realized what had happened she couldn't believe it. She was scared and didn't want her daughter lost. I told her that she could trust me and she gave me directions to the kindergarten where the afterschool hours were taking place. I went there with the girl and left her there with the teachers. The teachers were really mad and confused. They ... Read Full Story >>

Biggest Drive-thru Smile Ever

Last night my husband and I were on the way to a show. We were both hungry and wanted to grab a quick bite on our way there, so we swung through a Jack-N-the Box drive-thru and placed our order.  When we got up to the window the lady smiled at me (which is sometimes rare) and asked how I was doing while she was collected our money for the food.  I replied, "Fine, and how are you?" She went to get our order ready and I asked my husband to pass me my "Drive-thru Smil bag". He handed it to me and watched in amazement as I gathered together a "You make a difference" paper, a Smile Card, a smiley stamper and a smile button.  She came back to the window almost before I finished putting it all together.  Without looking too closely she passed the bag and said, "Thank you. Have a good ... Read Full Story >>