Search Results for 'popular' (2976 matches)

A Little Sister's Love for Her Brother

It was several years ago when my brother was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis). The message was hard to grasp for my parents as well as myself.   At the time , he could barely walk or stand -- he either used a cane or was in his bed.  He didn't want to do anything for himself: he didn't want to get out of bed and he ate all the wrong foods for his body (junkfood). He was basically  giving up and letting go.  It was hard to understand why he is doing this. Our parents wake up every day to go to work and help my brother who I think, thinks nothing of their very kind and very strenuous efforts to help him.  You may have heard of the term, "God helps those who help themselves," but he wasn't helping himself. I then decided to take matters into my own hands. I walked to his apartment and told him ... Read Full Story >>

Hope, Joy and a Little Bit of Ice-Cream

Earlier this year, I submitted an idea to the Helpothers.org Kindness Contest.  I was lucky enough to be selected a winner for my idea and received a $100 to throw an ice-cream party for the children in the ART (Acute Residential Treatment Center) at the Walker Home & School in Massachusetts.  This institution serves the complex needs of a diverse group of children, from those with severe mental illnesses to those who have experienced abuse, neglect or other catastrophic challenges in their young lives. The simple joy of knowing that even children who struggle with daily living can find pleasure in an ice cream party really meant the world to the staff who support them.  It was also important to me becausse it reminded me of how The Walker Home saved my son Evan's life when no other organization could understand him. In saving our son's life, they saved our family from crumbling as well. Walker ... Read Full Story >>

Sixth Graders and the Smile Deck

I teach a sixth grade religion class, and today I played the Smile Deck game with my students.  They each left with two kind acts to complete and were very enthusiastic as I handed them regular Smile Cards to go along with the Smile Deck Cards.

One student was able to complete one of her acts that day itself, when class ended.  She held the door for those leaving the building, handing out Smile Cards to those who would take them.  It was uncomfortable for her at first (12 years old is an awkward age, at best), but she got the hang of it and started to enjoy her 15 minutes as 'Door Woman'!

I am excited to hear about how the other children's acts of kindness go.

I hope that my take on the ways we can “take care of God's creation” will sink into these kids, and they will carry forward the idea of embracing kindness as a meaningful part of life.

This is just the beginning for me!!  Thanks for the forum of inspiration!

Paying-Forward Our Blessings From Around The World

There is a saying in India - "Jab bhagawaan dheta hai to chhapad phad ke dheta hai." Roughly translated it means, "When blessings come, they come in a downpour." This is how I have been feeling since I have been the recipient of a series of tags - from multiple sources. First, I received an envelope with a beautiful hand-drawn image and inspiring message. Then another envelope, with a whole bunch of smile stickers. A day ago it was this huge box containing some cute stuffed dolls, plastic smile coins and smile balls and yet another inspiring note. And today it was yet another box from across the pond with a lovely photo frame and a wonderful note. Not only have these gifts cheered me, my husband has also been having a great time opening them and being amazed at the thoughts behind them. He still has not been able to wipe the ... Read Full Story >>

Inspired by KindSpring

I was inspired by a couple stories, here!
 
I decided to have a burrito from a local fast food restaurant. I went through the drive-through. I was telling my dad about this 21 day challenge and how a lot of people pay for the next person in line. My dad and I decided that we should try it!

 I order my $2 burrito and go to the window. I ask the cashier if I can pay for the person behind me and he asked me if I was sure I wanted to do that. I said yes, and told him to give the next customer a smile card.

I asked how much the total is, and he said, “Woah! It’s over $17!”
At this point, I’m thinking, “Woah that's a lot!” too. But in that time I also thought - well hey, If I were in his situation and someone paid for my $17 meal, I would be the happiest person there is. THAT would make my day.

I told the cashier that it was fine and he asked, “You sure? Think about it... Are you sure?”

Even though I was nearly $18 short for a $2 burrito, I've never felt better. My dad encouraged me and my mom was proud of me.

A Moment of Calm

My husband and I were cleaning windows together yesterday. We  have the double-hung windows that you can pull forward and flip, allowing us to clean the inside and the outside surfaces. My husband was washing one window - and it popped out of its frame!  Well, our house is for sale and the last thing we needed was for something to break. He was so upset and tried with all his might to get it back together, using a few less than pleasant words (I am sorry to say). After twenty minutes he still could not get it fixed. That's when my 23 year old son told his dad to walk away for a minute and he would try to fix it with me. It's amazing how you can see things more clearly and do things more easily when you are calm. He and I fixed the window in three minutes! I called ... Read Full Story >>

I Can Never Repay You...

When I was younger, my children and I went to live in a shelter. The day we arrived, we had five dollars and nothing more. I worried about what I was going to buy with that five dollars for my children to eat. I decided on boxed Mac and Cheese and lunch meat …the shelter was like an apartment and had a kitchen. I bundled my children up and got ready to walk to the supermarket. When I opened the door, someone had placed a food basket in front of it. There was pasta, a ham, and other assorted canned foods. There were toys for my children, pajamas, and bubble bath and slippers for me. I took the basket inside, cried and thanked whoever left me the basket, and made dinner for my babies. I found out after that a group of students from the high school up the block (Aquinas, in ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness video

My kind act for today was making a video of my fur brother Max for my mom. Today I am grateful for play, fun, silliness. :))

Smile Card Revolution at School

I am currently in grade twelve at my school and have been working on a project by creating a group of eight girls, ranging from grades five to six, to stop bullying.  I introduced these girls to the Smile Card idea, and it was a huge hit.  We have been meeting every week since then.  Next thing I know, one girl came up to me with over 100 Smile Cards that she had printed out from this website and colored in herself!

This shows me that kindness can reach all different ages.  Now, the girls are continuously spreading the cards and making journals of their experiences.  I plan to get our whole school involved in this Smile Card revolution. 

My next theme is "We are all the same yet so different."  These girls gave me hope that people in this world do care.

Your Family is My Family

The temple where I work at is involved in assisting a Syrian refugee family.  We have kind of adopted them.

Last Saturday I went with some others to their home and spent four hours visiting and connecting. I convinced my husband who is in the wholesale furniture business to get a couple of dealers of his to make a donation for the family. He was able to get  two things they really needed, one from each of two dealers--a bunk bed and mattresses.

We brought it over and put the bed together (which was a lot of work) and I felt so so so good that I'm still kind of high.  What Mitzvah! (Means commandment in the Jewish tradition but is often used to mean good deed). They were so appreciative and it was a joy for us! I surely received as much if not more than we gave. I look forward to connecting with them and helping where I can in the future. 

It Is In Giving That You Get

It was one of those unexpected moments of generosity that just takes your breath away - I called up my favorite sandwich shop, ordered two veggie hoagies, and arranged to pick them up in ten minutes. Parking places are hard to find around there so my wife dropped me off, saying she would pick me up again in a few minutes.  I walk in and mention my order. "Ah yes! Here you go. That'll be $14.87," the burly man behind the counter said.  I gave him the cash and he handed me my change. As I picked up the napkins he handed me a giant empty glass. "Here you go," he said. "That's for your drink."  I took it, not really sure why he had given it to me. "Um, I actually didn't order a drink," I said and tried to hand him the glass back.  "Oh, I know. Go ahead, help yourself to a ... Read Full Story >>

A Heartfelt Way to End the Year

There is a family in our neighborhood that moved here from Sri Lanka. Their daughter goes to the same school as my children so we see her at the bus stop often. They have had a tough time since they came to America. They had some medical bills last week that made Christmas gifts not possible.

I told my wife that we needed to help her. We got the family a gift card and two toys for each of her two children. When my wife called her mom and told her what we were going to do, she wanted to help too. She bought a few gifts for each child as well.

We took over the gifts, some cookies and wrapping paper for the gifts. The woman was so happy and excited that the kids would have some things to open for Christmas. We couldn't be happier ourselves that we had spread a few smiles.

Some friends and I are doing 10 kind acts for the last 10 days of the year starting today. I thought this was a great way to start it off! It was six years ago today that I joined HelpOthers. It has changed my life in the BEST way, causing me to do more things like this than I ever have! Day one down, nine to go! :)

MSS

A Little Library...

I started a small neighborhood book exchange. My husband put the shelves together for me and we supplied the "seed" books to get things rolling. I also designed and printed free bookmarks for patrons to take with them. My hope is that people will choose a book, enjoy it and return it for another...along with contributing a few books of their own to share with their neighbors and friends.

What Makes a Grumpy Bus Driver Laugh?

I often take the bus for my daily commutes, and one of the drivers on the route to my house isn't known to be very nice. In fact, not many people like him at all. It doesn't take much for him to turn up his nose, or to ignore members of the community who are stranded when he drives by. That didn't bother me, though.  I decided that, no matter what his mood is on a given day, I would continue to greet and smile at him. Unconditionally.  Now, after awhile of doing this, I've noticed that his overall demeanor towards me has changed.  He not only smiles at me, but he cracks jokes, too!  One time, I fell asleep on his bus, and when I woke, I said, jokingly, "Why didn't you wake me? You know where I live!" We both laughed hard, and since then it has been an on-going joke ... Read Full Story >>

Passing Along A Gift of Love

Ten years ago, my mom gave me a peculiar but welcome gift: a fancy blood pressure monitor. My doctor told me I had high blood pressure and she wanted to make sure I was keeping track of it. Being in my early twenties at the time, this situation should have shocked me, but it didn't; I had long been suffering from nameless anxiety and stress that ended up being a decade long struggle. It's only been in the last few years that, through lots of meditation, self inquiry, exercise, and diet, I've slowly unwound it, day by day. I'm happy to say that I no longer need my blood pressure monitor. My mom is healthy and doesn't need it, but I know she spent a decent amount on it back when her finances were not the best. I decided to put it up for sale online for a nominal fee, and ... Read Full Story >>

Drive-Up Smiles

  I received a package of new Smile cards and decided that I would focus on people who work in drive-up businesses.     My first act was at the drive-up window of my bank. It was a new person I had never seen before. I thought to myself, 'This is kind of hokey but I'll try it.' So, I put a Smile card underneath the check I was cashing. She counted out my money and then, with a big smile on her face, inquired about the card. We had a nice chat and I gave her some additional cards to pass on. That was how my day started.   The next day I had worked late and stopped by a fast food restaurant drive-up window to collect a salad. A clear voice over the intercom took my order and I put a Smile card underneath my payment. The young girl smiled and asked me ... Read Full Story >>

More Kindness Inspired By A Homeless Man

  It was bitterly cold and I had been watching a homeless man make himself comfortable in a "shelter" next to a power unit on the canal bank. His "shelter" was a tarpaulin taped to the metal unit and anchored with rocks to keep the wind from blowing it away.  He had been living there for over a month in weather that often dipped below freezing. In all the times I passed that makeshift lean-to I never saw him with warm clothing or food. I knew what I wanted to do.   I was young, living at home, and when I told my parents what I wanted to do they were alarmed. I could be putting myself at risk, taking a box to a homeless person in the night time! But I knew, on some intrinsic level, that I would be safe.    I went to the grocery store and got an apple box with a solid top ... Read Full Story >>

Hot Burritos Warm My Heart

  The company I work for actually pay my public transportation costs on a yearly basis.  Because of this I travel to work every day on the MAX train which goes through the downtown area of the city, so I get to see homeless men, women and sometimes children sleeping in doorways along the way.    My heart just aches for these people and I knew I couldn't keep looking away - but I didn't know what I could do that would make any difference.     'Well,' I thought, 'I can cook!'  So I started making piping hot burritos and giving them out!   My income is not great and I can't afford to do it every day but most weeks I will pass out about two dozen burritos. The men and women are so appreciative and always say "Thank you" or "God bless you." And their words do bless me!   And now there is a co-worker ... Read Full Story >>

Cookies And Tea With An Extra Helping of Kindness

  I had just finished my shopping and was crossing the busy street when I saw an elderly man walking in my direction. He was leaning on a walking frame and I felt that he might need a little assistance crossing the street. So, I walked up to him and volunteered my help.    It seemed that my hunch was right. He wasn't aiming for the proper crossing place, he was keen on crossing the street from where he was to get to the bus stop on the other side.   I stepped out and waved my hand for the drivers to take notice of the man and slow down a little.   He got safely to the other side. But, somehow, I felt I could do more than just help him cross the street. So, I reassured him he was at the right stop, then I ran back across the road to get him some tea ... Read Full Story >>

Creative Coupon Kindness

I've always disliked throwing away the coupons that I will never use (diapers, baby wipes etc.). To me, it feels a little like throwing away money. So I decided to take those coupons to the store with me yesterday along with my wrist tape dispenser.  I would tape the coupons I wasn't using to the product in hopes that someone could use it and I wouldn't have to throw them in the trash.  

I got to the diaper aisle and taped a wipe and diaper coupon to the diaper box.  As I moved my way down the diaper aisle, I noticed a mother with her young son putting the exact wipes in her cart.  Then I watched her put the exact diapers in her cart as well.  I walked over and took the taped coupon off the other box and handed it to her along with another diaper coupon that I hadn't yet taped.  She was so surprised and happy since she had left her coupons at home that day. 

One of my coupons was $5 off a Swiffer system.  I could only image the face of the person that found that one taped to their new purchase !! 

So, from now on, I am going to be the coupon fairy and share what I get with others.