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Love Knows No Bounds

There is this poor peasant from a backward village of Bihar. He belongs to the class of people who live below the poverty line. Manjhi is his name. He is now almost sixty years old.

Some five years ago, Manjhi was troubled to see his wife go around a hill to fetch water for the family. His old lady had to make a long and tiresome trip to the river, fill her pitcher with water and make the trip back home.

So Manjhi decided to do something about the problem. He is illiterate and a very poor man, but he began hacking, chipping and cutting a path through the hill. It was a herculian task. The people around scoffed at him. But Manjhi went on attacking the hill day after day, month after month and finally carved a path through the hill after three years, to the river. He did this job alone and single handed with simple tools. So great was his love for his wife that in the end he succeeded.

This is a true story. Today the government has given him a reward and are now working on enlarging the road this poor farmer had begun.

Embarrassed

I think I could live to 200 yrs. and still not understand what happened today. I was sitting infront of my little shop talking to a 6 yr old girl. In my 65 yr old mind I was trying to tell this little girl how important words were and how important it was to know how to use a dictionary. The word semantics came up and I went inside to get my dictionary, I wanted her to know the correct meaning of the word was.

However as I started to look up the word, I realized how hard it is to look up up word when you don't  know how to spell.  I went next door to ask her mother how to spell the word, she was of no help.  In the end all I could tell this little 6 yr old, was she better learn how to spell or she would end up like me, knowing a word, but not being able to prove it in the correct manner. The good news is I did realize words change from time to time and I am not able to change as fast. I think I might be happy being a good heart. I do not have the win a spelling bee.

Rewarding Kindness

I was in getting coffee one time and the girl behind me needed a bit more change so she didn't have to break a bill. Without hesitation a gentleman behind her gave her the necessary change.

I thought it was a generous thing to do and I paid for his coffee. There is a lot of good in this world and it is often hidden by the bad.

Santa Drives A Taxi!

One of my best buddies was in New York for Christmas last year. She had a ball shopping, eating out and mingling with the gossling crowds. What stood out in her mind was on Christmas day, she was due at a friend's apartment and had hailed a taxi from the hotel lobby.  One promptly pulled over and without looking inside, she grabbed  the door handle to let herself in quickly as it was cold and blistery --she was used to the mild climate of California.  She hopped in the taxi and what greeted her was Santa! A gentleman outfitted in the authenic red costume, beard , glasses, huge smile and twinkling eyes.  "Where to miss"?, he asked. She was too stunned to make any comments, just gave the address of her friend's place grinning ear to ear.  One she arrived at her destination, she hopped out and handed Santa the fare.....he declined, "Merry Christmas Miss", he stated, " The ... Read Full Story >>

Small Acts Of Kindness Add Up

I always think I need to write about some grandiose act of kindness I performed each week, but I realized that there are lots of little acts that I'm just starting to notice.

Like one day it was a chilly 10 degrees outside and I was in the ATM (heated) cubicle. There were 2 people outside patiently waiting and I let them in so they could be warm.

Then there was the delivery man who was coming towards the door with way too many packages to carry let alone open the door.  So, I held the door open for him and it was amazing to see the big smile that resulted in that small act, from both of us.

Often times I let someone go ahead of me in line (or in traffic) because they are in a bigger hurry. Sure beats road rage :-)

I smile at people on my walk to the train station. It's amazing how many people smile back. I think it brightens both our days.

I'm noticing these small acts more and more as I read and contribute to this site. It's amazing, but it really does improve my outlook on a daily basis.

A Cup of Kindness

   They have introduced a coupon system in my workplace for coffee where we have to produce a coupon to get coffee. And we must collect the coupon booklet from admin people on the first of every month.    Yesterday i went to collect the coupon from our cafeteria on the 9th floor and then went to 2nd floor where the coffee machine is to grab a quick cup of coffee before starting my day at work. As i was waiting for the lift after getting the coffee I saw a senior person about the age of 50 being informed by the attendant that he could not have coffee without the coupon. And he had to go to the 9th floor to get the coupon and then come down again for coffee. But then it would be late for him to start his work since we have strict reporting time in our ... Read Full Story >>

Let Your Voice Of Kindness Be Heard!

Have you seen the news off to the side on this website here about the extra $100 to spread kindness in the community?

Togetherness: A Life After Life

I attended a funeral a week ago of a management friend who’s husband passed away of a heart attack very unexpectedly at age 50. He was survived by his wife and 12 year old child. It has been a difficult time for the family. On the back of their funeral announcement was this three paragraph poem that I thought was worth passing on to you. Hope you find it as valuable as I did:   Death is nothing at alI. I have only slipped away into the next room. Whatever we were to each other, we still are. Call me by my old familiar name. Speak to me in the same easy way you always have. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Life means all that it ever means. It is the same as it always was. This is absolute ... Read Full Story >>

A Creative Way to Teach My Children an Important Lesson

I have two sons who are 5 and 3 years old.  They love to take walks outside and one of the walks we often do is along a cycle path through some fields. This path eventually leads to the local high school, so  there is always some litter scattered on the sides, even though the city's cleaning squad sometimes tidies it up.   One day an idea occurred to me, I decided to show my children that we could do something to make a difference.  The next day, we took a plastic bag and some rubber gloves with us and the children and I collected whatever litter we found on our way. My sons had so much fun, since at that age they love picking up things from the ground (and with the rubber gloves I did not need to be scared they would catch something) and it was a creative ... Read Full Story >>

An Unforgettable Birthday Bracelet

Well, well, well, it's that time of the year again....ITS MY BIRTHDAY! Just like last year something extraordinary happened this year. Last year, I helped a homeless man in Fordham. This year I started going to a  nursing home to visit different people and I came upon a new comer. Usually when a new person arrives at a nursing home, they feel like all hope is gone and they are ready to die.  I try to convince them to keep going. This new comer was a lady... a strong and nice lady. She was very cheerful, and when her daughter brought her to the nursing home she became very unhappy. Everytime I would see her, she would frown at me and say, "Don't even waste your time on me, for I will die pretty soon." That scared and devasted me, but I never gave up on her. She finally got tired of me pushing her to talk to me, and started ... Read Full Story >>

A Life Lesson From A Farmer

My dad sent me a nice story forward, and here's an attempt to paraphrase the gist..

A certain farmer with the best crop yield was known to give away his seeds to other farmers in the area. When asked why he would give away his assets, he responded, "Well, you see, the wind blows seeds from all over into my land. If my neighbors have inferior seeds, then I will get an inferior crop. Therefore, to ensure that the wind brings me the best seeds, I must share my best seeds with others.

This is true about farming, and true about life. If we have an exquisite seed of happiness, why not give it away, so the wind blows it back to us.

My First Thanksgiving

At 47 years old who would have thought I would have been wearing a "Baby's First Thanksgiving" bib? Although I didn't actually wear a bib, last year was my first "real" Thanksgiving. I came from a broken home and when I married 25 years ago, I sought to make my family everything I didn't have growing up. I'm afraid I had that "white picket fence" mentality. Every holiday needed to be picture perfect. The food, the dishes, the house decorations, even down to the cozy sweater I had purchased especially for the occasion. I was so wrapped up in how things were suppose to be, losing sight of what meant most. So many of my years wasted on being decieved. That was then this is now. Being alone now, separated from my husband, and our son serving in the military, I was blessed to have the opportunity to truly serve. A small group of friends and ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness Into The Flow

Usually when I drive home I take the fastest and shortest way home...don't we all! Usually the drive takes me about 45 minutes driving from work. Well a week or so ago, I started to drive a different way home because I got bored of the usual way home. This new way contained lots of traffic, with cars moving at a snail’s pace. In the distance (about 300 meters away), I noticed a huge line of cars trying ever so hard to drive and get into the traffic flow on the main road (which I was on). I couldn't believe it – it was so easy to do – to stop and let a few cars into the traffic in front...but no one seemed to do that.  Well, that was probably because it was the 5pm rush home from work. When I finally got up to the line of traffic, I stopped ... Read Full Story >>

Two Little Kindness Moments

The first moment came when I was in the local dollar store. There was an older woman in front of me just wrapping up her purchases. When she came to pay for them she discovered that she was seventeen cents short. Before I could even offer to help the young cashier gave her a big smile. She said, "Oh, don't worry about it,"' and sent the woman on her way. As I came up she said, "It's only a few cents. I can't make a big deal out of it." I responded, "Here's the seventeen cents. You did a really nice thing. This way your cash won't be short."   The second moment came when I was walking along with my young son in a big, busy mall. We passed a young man whose arms and face were covered in tattoos. He wore raggedy clothes and sat on the sidewalk with a sign that said "Homeless - Hungry ... Read Full Story >>

A Small Message Of Appreciation

Today I am pleased to be able to say I sent an email to my aunt!

Why is that such a big deal? Well, there is some bitterness in the extended family because of her  (she is my uncle's wife) but today was their son's movie launch. My cousin had invited me to the event.

I was there in time to share the happiness and it moved me to tears as I remembered my dad who was the inspiration for all my cousins who forayed into the film industry. 

I just sent her the email appreciating her for standing by her family and doing her best to help them achieve their dreams.

And here comes the best part! I feel at peace and all the bitterness has disappeared. I know she will smile when she reads the message!

Thank you all for being so supportive and inspiring me to change for the better - always!

Feeding the Soul by Helping People

Hi all, I would just like to say what a FAB site this is, and I feel blessed to be in this with soooo many beautiful people. At the tail end of 2007, my wife at the time told me that our marriage was over.  It hit me extremely hard emotionally, physically, and financially.  I had my faith in a lot of things taken away from me.  But that all changed because of the love of the person that I was put on this earth to be with!! To cut a long story short, I put my house on the market (selling it at the worst possible time due to the economic meltdown), made a pittance on the sale, but I did not mind because at least I wasn't in negative equity.  Being grateful for what I have, instead of dwelling on what I don't have has really kept me in ... Read Full Story >>

Anonymous Kindness With My Coworkers At School

Yesterday, I anonymously gifted three coworkers at the school I work at. First, I left a note for our school assistant superintendent that said, "Thank you for holding down the fort."  She has taken on the additional role of principal until one can be hired. Next, our school secretary received a note that said, "Thank you for wearing your happy face, everyday."  She does an awesome job of constantly being patient and smiling at everyone. Third, our payroll person got a note that said, "You make a difference."  Needless to say, she makes sure we all get paid, but she is also a great mom that has brought two wonderful children into this world.  I know because I have taught them both. Along with the notes, the recipients got the famous Smile Cards and small bottles of various perfumes.  I have not seen or heard the effects of these small acts of kindness.  However, ... Read Full Story >>

The Gift on the Sidewalk

Today, I was babysitting my two-year-old friend, Liam. He was feeling sad and wanted to stay inside with his mom and dad. I tried everything to get him interested in playing outside with me. Nothing worked. Finally, as a last resort, I took a shiny new penny out of my pocket. I tossed the penny down the sidewalk and then chased after it. It must have looked fun, because he joined right in! On one of my tosses, the shiny penny rolled down the sidewalk and appeared to stop near a Christmas tree that was laying next to the gutter, waiting to be picked up by the recycle truck. As I squatted near the tree to look for the penny, I spotted a small, lonely Christmas ornament attached to one of the branches. Scooping it up, I was struck by how delicate it was. Handmade, and crafted from felt, it was in the ... Read Full Story >>

A Simple but Meaningful Act of Gratitude

Every month, I write letters to two Marines serving in Afghanistan who I don't know.  I thank them for their service to our nation. While I don't know them, I hope that they know how much I appreciate them.

Runaway Coffee Barrels and the 'Angel of Mercy'

Coming home from a coffee shop today, we had our old truck loaded down with three 50-gal. barrels of mostly coffee grounds that we use to make compost.  My husband had laid them down in the truck, and as we came up the ramp to a major intersection the tailgate hinge broke and all the barrels rolled out into the street behind us. Thank goodness there were no cars immediately behind us, which was a bit of a miracle since it was lunch hour. One barrel rolled right into a lane, and the two others were partially in a lane.  We slammed on the brakes, jumped out, and I retrieved the closest one while my husband started running back toward the ramp to get the other two. I knew that one of the ones he was going to get was extremely heavy; we had had a horrible time getting it into ... Read Full Story >>