Search Results for 'popular' (3005 matches)

Paying Forward a $500 Gift

Every Wednesday for 2 years now, a group of us ladies goes to a special thrfit store to look for some bargains. At this store, you could buy anything you could put in a bag for  only $1! I bought a few bags and came home to sort it all out on my kitchen floor, as I usually do. As I was looking at a men's leather coat, I started to check it for any flaws.  I felt something in a hidden inside pocket, so I pulled it out .  It was store purchase receipts, but I did not think much of it until I unraveled it and suddenly saw a $100 bill!!!! OH MY! Well, when my husband and I finished counting it all, it ended up being $500!  My husband and I were in shock! Unfortunately, there was no way to find out who the original owner was as these were clothes we bought from a ... Read Full Story >>

Dancing in the Rain!

I recently moved back to my home State of Florida after being gone for 28 years.  I am 29 with an additional 18 years experience.  In Florida, this time of the year, one thing is certain -- rain.  As I got older, I started to think of it as a bother if I had to go somewhere but otherwise, it was a joyful event in my mind.  Two and a half years ago, I had cervical spine surgery that was damaged and cannot be fixed.  I suffer from daily neck aches, headaches and sometimes migraines.  Last week, I awoke and it was raining -- no thunder and lightening, just rain.  I love to go to sleep when it is raining and as a kid, I would beg and plead to just go play in the rain.  I was usually allowed as long as it was just raining.  I would spend ... Read Full Story >>

Being There

I work as a volunteer for a hospice agency. One of my longer-term patients has been slowly deterioriating in health and mental functions. He slept a lot during his last few weeks.

I would sit by his side while he slept, which was very ackward for me because I felt that I should be doing something actively to help this man. At times, I felt like sneaking away and letting him sleep, but I stayed.

During one of my visits he had been dozing off during our conversation and then finally went to sleep. I was just about ready to go and he woke, looking into my eyes with one of the biggest smiles I had ever seen from him. He said, "I really like it when you are here, it's so peaceful."

I have found, during my years of hospice volunteering, that just being there makes a world of difference for lonely people. We don't have to talk, we don't have to do something, we just have to be there for each other.

Not All Skateboarders Are Hooligans!

Last week I went with my boyfriend to visit the first town that he lived in -- a very small town along the Oregon Coast, when he moved from Korea to United States as a child. We went to the skate park that he had helped the city build as a teenager. While we were there, there was a 10 years old boy who really took a liking to my boyfriend. For some reason, they just got along.  Maybe because he was older and skating, it gave the kid someone to look up to. After they rolled around on the crappy cement for an hour or so, we were getting ready to leave. My boyfriend noticed that this boy's skateboard was in very bad shape.  So as we said our goodbye he handed the kid his skateboard, which was pretty much brand new and expensive.  With that childlike awe, the 10-year-old ... Read Full Story >>

Buying a Miracle

A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes, carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door. She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did ... Read Full Story >>

Saying Grace In A Restaurant

Last  week, I took my children to a restaurant.  My  six-year-old son asked if he could say  grace.  As  we bowed our heads he said, "God is good, God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if Mom gets us ice cream for dessert. And Liberty and justice for all! Amen!" Along with the laughter from  the other customers nearby, I heard a woman remark, "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know how to pray. Asking God for ice cream! Why, I never!" Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?" As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job, and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the  table. He  winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great  ... Read Full Story >>

Turning Kindness Into A Habit

Last winter I was going through a rough patch in my life.  I had a bunch of terrible things going on around me. I felt very distant and became quite selfish. I hated the way I was feeling and one day I woke up and told myself, “You are above this, stop feeling sorry for yourself.”   Then, I tried out an experiment, and it has DEFINITELY changed me for the better. Every day I would do at least one act of kindness - It could be anything… Bringing the trash down to the trash compactor for my 80 year old neighbor, Going into the store to buy something for myself (like a bit of makeup) and coming out with something for someone else (like candy for my boyfriend) Sitting down with my sister or a friend and just simply listening. And I can ... Read Full Story >>

Daily Homework

I am a recovering alcoholic.  Years ago I went into a hospital because of depression.  My life was a mess, my husband wanted a divorce. My daughter was doing drugs.  Everything in my life was coming apart including me. My girlfriend's father came to see me.  He was a big, barrel chested Irishman, who loved wearing Nike sweatshirts that said "JUST DO IT".  Upon my release from the hospital, he began to take me to AA meetings, and we would meet for coffee, or go to his house where he and his Alcoholics Anonymous member wife slowly helped me back to life. They gave me a homework assignment.  I was to stand in front of my mirror and look into my eyes and say, "you are a beautiful person, you deserve a good life, I care about you, I love you".  He said, "JUST DO IT". Every night he would call at ... Read Full Story >>

The Best Meal I Never Had

As I was leaving the health club the other day, I overheard some older women talking about going to a nearby restaurant for lunch with some friends.

I happened to have a $25 gift card to that restaurant, and had been holding on to it for a long time.  It just happened that I had the gift card in my car, so I ran over, picked it up, and ran back over to the women in their car.

After I assured them I wasn't carj-acking them, they rolled down the window.

I handed them the card, and told them to enjoy their lunch on me! It was the best meal I never had! 

A School Lesson in Compassion and Understanding

My seven year old son Nicholas came home from school one day and in the context of our usual "How was school?" chat he told me about one of his classmates who had asked him to share his snack with him in a somewhat forceful way. After this chat, as a room mother, I had the chance to better observe the boy concerned. I saw he never had a snack and was often dirty, so I understood a bit more his situation.   From that point on I sent extra crackers, etc., everyday and Nicholas made a point of sitting next to the boy at snack time so he could share - telling the boy I always gave him too much. After this we realized he was unable to pay for field trips and the teacher was doing this for him. We secretly got involved with that also, making sure he was in our group for ... Read Full Story >>

Four Special Sentences For My Grandson

My now 7 year old grandson, who lives 100 miles away, has had my mobile phone number memorized since he was 4.  Since then, he has called me every night before he goes to bed to tell me about his day or just to say "Good Night Gramma".  He also frequently calls me at other times during the day just to share a happy or sad moment.  Many times he's dribbling a basketball with one hand, or laughing with a friend about something that I never quite catch on about, or crying about something he may or may not want to talk about while I'm on the other end of the phone.  I just listen and empathize or laugh with him - just share his current emotion.  I always let him be in charge of the subject, the emotion, and  the amount of time he's on the phone with me.  Many ... Read Full Story >>

The Crumpled Dollar

When I was working as a waitress at a small resturant by the highway, an older gentlemen came in to purchase a cup of coffee. I recognized him because he was the gentleman who lived under the bridge that was just down the street.

When he came in, he placed a crumpled dollar on the counter and asked if that was enough.  I told him it was plenty, went to get his coffee and handed him a menu at the same time. He looked at me confused and I told him to order what he wanted.

After his meal and a to-go bag with a fresh cup of coffee, he smiled and left.  But as I was cleaning up his place, I noticed the crumpled dollar on the counter.

I stood there and cried because I knew this was probably all he had.

I placed the crumpled one in my apron and pulled out a ten; I asked a friend to catch up with him and give him something from me.  I never saw him again but his smile stays with me even today.

Big Heart In A Little Boy

On Fridays, my son's kindergarten class has "prize day" when all the children who have maintained good behavior throughout the week get to choose a prize to keep as a reward.  The children have behavior cards, which start out green every morning but are changed from green to yellow, orange and finally to red as their behavior declines.  The vast majority of these chidren never change their cards from green.  As school is dismissed, I am amazed to see the kids streaming out of the front door smiling ear-to-ear holding some inexpensive trinket like it was a gold medal.  On many Fridays, there is one boy, who I'll refer to as "Tommy," who often walks out with an unsmiling face because he has had a difficult day or two that week.  From day one "Tommy" would be the first name the children would mention to their parents: "Tommy had a ... Read Full Story >>

A Kindness Chain Made of Roses

I love this forum but I'm hesitant to post about my own "good works" as it sounds like I'm blowing my own horn.  I think that helping others should be a true gift from the heart rather than something that you receive applause for in a public forum. This said, I would like to share my story, not because I want to be thought well of by others but rather because I have discovered a recipe for happiness that I'm sure someone can benefit from. So here it is. It is hard for me to keep a smile on my face during certain times of the year and this is one of them. With the impending arrival of Valentine's Day I found myself thinking that if I didn't make a concerted effort to put myself in a good humor I would very quickly find myself sliding into depression. You see, I haven't received chocolates, ... Read Full Story >>

Smiling In The Rain

An Opportunity Lost, In Just 5 Minutes

It’s been a number of years now, but I still remember it - I suppose I always shall.  I was driving around downtown one afternoon in the winter making a few deliveries.  I was listening to a band, rocking out, cruising around, and minding my own business… I came up to a red light and stopped… waited.  As I looked over to my left, I saw a young guy, about my age at the time, standing there.  He was a little scruffy, pale in the face, and holding a cardboard sign with some writing on it.  Generally, I had always just glanced over these signs as I passed them, flicked over anything written on them, and then moved on… As with most major cities, I’m sure when you’re in the heart of downtown, it’s pretty common to have homeless people on every other corner, holding a cardboard sign with something standard written on ... Read Full Story >>

Someone Will Help

Opportunity knocked on my door last January when I was given a chance to work in an other country.  It's really such a blessing! At first, it was really scary living life on my own.  But, I soon met .lots of new people. Some were good and some were bad. It was a true challenge! I met a group of friends, six boys and one girl. They were really nice. I loved their company and they were so funny! We hung out most weekends. We cooked, watched movies, chatted and shared jokes! It was amazing - until something unexpected happened! One of our group was diagnosed with kidney stones which had to be removed surgically as soon as possible. But it was not as simple as that! Our friend could not afford the surgery. He tried to get help from our other friends but they refused to help. My heart cried for him! Our  friends abandoned him just when he ... Read Full Story >>

A Lesson In Kindness From My Mom

When I was about twelve, I was headed to a restaurant for dinner with my family. It was winter, and on that particular night, the wind was really blowing. As my mom and I headed towards the restaurant from our car, a girl about my age and her mother came up to us. They asked if we had any spare change. My mom immediately asked where they kept their things. They pointed to an old car in a parking lot across the street. The girl said there were six of them living in that car, which was the same size as my own family. My mom said she had something to do, and after handing the people a few dollars, we said good-bye. Then, my mother sent me inside the restaurant with my dad and my three siblings. But she didn't come. Later, I found out that she had gone home and practically emptied ... Read Full Story >>

Really Really Free Markets Are A Really Really Great Idea!

  I started a Really Really Free Market in my town as a way to bring the community together.    A Really Really Free Market is like a cross between a farmer's market and a garage/yard sale, except everything is free! People show up with stuff to give away and take what they need from other people's abundance.   It took a little while to catch on but now it seems fairly busy and I am trying to make it bigger and more fun so that more people have access to the wonder that is giving without expectation of reward and receiving without being judged.   It runs once a month on a Saturday afternoon and there are clothes, books, plants, biscuits, pasta, fruit, furniture, ornaments - and lots of other stuff. The kids all play together (it's at a park) and sometimes one family brings playdough, beads and colouring-in pictures for the children to play with.   I ... Read Full Story >>

Grocery Store Flower Bouquet

Many years ago, my husband and I were at a neighborhood grocery store with our two sons.  My elder son has Downs Syndrome and his baby brother was  also diagnosed with mild autism a few years later.

Right as we were passing the floral department, a lady who worked there, handed me a bouquet of flowers.  Unexpectedly.  "These are for you," she said.  "I've been looking for someone to give these to!"   She said she would tell the cashier at the checkout  that they were free.

The gesture brought tears to my eyes. 

My son with Downs Syndrome is now 12 years old and my "baby" is 8.  I draw on this kind incident to give me strength when people have given me rude and even verbally abusive comments, when my children have had problems being in public. 

Receiving those flowers has really made a deep impression on my life.  Thank you, to that kind lady in the floral department that day!