Search Results for 'popular' (2974 matches)

Helping A Hungry Women

I was on a holiday to the Bay area. On a cold, rainy day, me and my uncle went to have some fast food.  While we waited for our order to be delivered, I watched a women who came in and sat in a corner. She just sat there. I thought she was just there to take cover from the rain. A few minutes passed and I had a feeling that she must be hungry and may be didn't have any money to buy food. I just went close to her and asked her if she was hungry and that if I can buy her some food. She replied in the affirmative. So I got her some food and gave the $10 that I had with me and told her that she can have it.  I could see her face light up with smile and just before I took leave of her she ... 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 >>

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 >>

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! 

Top 10 Stories of 2012, Story #7 - Lessons from a Mother's Love

About eight years ago, I was a new teacher in the local women's minimum security jail, where most of the inmates are incarcerated for drug offenses. During one of my classes, a woman was crying and in a lot of pain. Her 17-year-old daughter had been recently assaulted. She wanted to see her,  but had no way to get to the hospital 30 miles away which cares for children with no health insurance. Having a daughter the same age, I asked the superintendent if it would be possible for me to drive the woman to the hospital. I was granted permission to escort her for three hours on the following Saturday.  I found some nice clothes for the mother to wear and I borrowed my friend's blue convertible. On the 30 minute drive to the hospital, we rode with the top down and sang to the songs from the disks I brought. ... 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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.

Smiling In The Rain

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 >>

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.

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 >>

The Tortoise And The Hippopotamus: A True Story

NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said. The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean , then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him. 'It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother',' ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park , told AFP. 'After it was swept away and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately , it landed on the tortoise and established a strong ... Read Full Story >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

A Big Urge To Do A Little Bit More

This morning I went to drop of my large items to the recycling center. There was an Asian lady in the line who looked about 65-70 years old. She had 6 big black bags of recycling with her. I asked her if she wanted my items, because she was commingling and she could get money for it. She accepted them and thanked me with the most wonderful, loving hug I have ever had. After leaving the recycling center, I went to the market. I had just finished writing my book, and am hoping to get it published someday. I wanted to pick up some steaks to celebrate. It was kind of a special occasion for me, since I have been unemployed for four months and money is tight.  At the market, I had the steaks in my hand, but then thought about the lady at the recycling center. I put them back ... Read Full Story >>