Meeting Sid, my Valentine
As I do not have a significant other, I usually treat myself for Valentine's Day. Why should I have to do without? :) Well I was on my way to the supermarket when I spotted an elderly man who had not long left the shopping mall. He had a walking stick and could only walk a few steps before he tired and held the fence. I did an about turn, went to him and offered to take him home. He had a few other items to collect in the town centre, so I went with him. We went to the chemist then another food store where he only picked up two items. Total time with him was about half an hour. I am quite certain that if he'd been going it alone, he would have taken three hours or more. He got a taxi to the first shop, then he intended ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by RoseMarie
- Feb 28, 2016
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One of a Thousand Stories to Tell
Hello, my name is David G. Nadeau and I am from Monroe, Michigan, hometown of General Armstrong Custer. I am a paid-on-call Firefighter for Monroe Township Fire Department and I was at Ground Zero for one week starting September 12, 2001. Some of my hundred or so pictures from Ground Zero have been published in EMS magazines. Newspaper reporters from Cooperstown, New York and Lexington, Kentucky call me wanting to publish this story. That is because someone from the family of the business card I found at Ground Zero told the reporters this story – a story about a business card which is just one of a thousand stories to tell. I arrived at Ground Zero on September 12, 2001 with another Firefighter. After several hours of working at the front of a bucket brigade on Friday, September 14 – just one of many bucket brigades -- there came an opening ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by David G. Nadeau
- Sep 10, 2007
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Growing Seeds in Silence
Sometimes you read a story that just takes root in your heart. Many stories on the helpothers.org website have been like that for me: "I Wish You Enough" by BrightEyes and "An Unforgettable Fishing Experience" by Mike Delyria to name just two. Well this story I'm about to share with you has been growing in the heart of many people on Cape Ann, where I live. It is the story of Jude, a young deaf man with green thumbs and a big heart who recently opened a plant store in our community called The Silent Seed. I first heard about him from my friend Nana who had noticed the new store during one of her walks and was so inspired by the owner that she felt called to draw the whole neighborhood's attention to his work. A few days later, my friend Loretta who lives in a totally different part of ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by gipsysoul
- Oct 8, 2008
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Repaying a Stranger's Generosity
This story was brought to my mind after reading some of yours :) It happened several years ago but I have never forgotten it. My husband and I were going through some bad times financially. We had both lost our jobs and were trying to catch up on bills by cutting grass for extra money on the weekends. We got up one Saturday morning and loaded up the little flat bed trailer that we carried our lawnmower on and headed out. About 15 miles from the house the trailer started swerving and we realized that it had a flat tire. Luckily, we were close to a little store and pulled into the parking lot. The tire was in shreds, so my husband took the truck back to the house to see if he could find another tire for the trailer. I stayed with the trailer at the store. I had ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by megumi
- May 7, 2008
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A Seven-Year-Old's Stained Glass Gifts
My seven-year old son had been given a gift of "creating stained glass kit" decorative pieces and enthusiastically went to work making beautiful color combinations that could be hung on a glass window. The kit had 4 different pieces to complete and two of them got ruined in the process. But the other two were real "masterpieces" of kid artwork and he was very thrilled to see them hanging on our window. The pieces remained there for some months and then one day my son's piano teacher came to our house (which was not usual) to give him a lesson and he casually admired the stained glass. As soon as his lesson was done, my son ran out of the room, wrapped up the stained glass piece and presented it proudly to his teacher! A few months after that we had a friend visiting from out of town and she too admired ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by cabbage
- Jun 20, 2008
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All It Takes Is One
One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.
One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal
One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.
One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.
One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what’s true,
One life can make a difference,
You see, it’s up to you!
- Posted by Shriraj
- Sep 17, 2007
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Top 10 Stories of 2012 - Story #5 - 3 Years Later, A Smile Card Seed Sprouts
"Three years! I've had this card in my wallet for three years!" He sounded both elated and relieved. Backtrack a few moments. *The setup* I'm flagged down while walking by a table in a restaurant where I serve. I hadn't been serving this table, but they wanted something with me anyway, so I went over. A young couple sat at the table, looking at me with intention. "Are you serving those two women in the other room?" they said, gesturing to one of my tables. I confirmed, yes. "Well, we'd like to pay for their bill, anonymously," they offered tentatively. "Can you do that for us?" Can I?! It'd be an honor. I told them so, and we worked out the details. The table to be tagged hadn't gotten to dessert yet so they even added on a slice of cake, and I offered to partner in the tag and cover anything else they ordered. The ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by greggie
- Dec 27, 2012
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My Best Birthday Ever
After being inspired by a video of a young Pakistani man celebrating his 22nd birthday with 22 random acts of kindness, I mentioned to my girlfriend Tamara that I'd like to do the same for my upcoming 55th birthday in December. Well, she grabbed onto the idea and made it happen. We wore goofy reindeer antlers to make people smile, placed cheery stickers on the shirts of children, cleaned up a park, passed out delicious Mexican hot chocolate to those in the park--many of whom appeared homeless, offered bottled water and compassionate listening in the shopping mall, played rock/scissors/papers with a bored 10 year old boy who was waiting for his sisters to finish shopping, and more. The highlight for me occurred at the end of the day when we were passing out carnation flowers in a retirement home after their dinner. At first I found myself questioning my motives and how it would be received. It turned ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by WaterDog
- Mar 8, 2015
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More Than Just a Favour
I had an errand to do in Saltcoats today. I arrived early so I decided to go for a walk by the harbourside. It was pouring down with rain but I had my new waterproof jacket on so I didn't really mind. As I was walking along, I met someone who wasn't so lucky. He had swept back salt 'n' pepper hair, a bushy gray beard, sky blue eyes - and he was soaked through and through. "Could you do me a favour?" He held his hand out. "Probably not," I replied. Things had been tight financially and for the past fortnight I'd been telling my kids we can't do this and we can't afford that. "I've been trying to chase up the price of a beer," he continued. Well, I admired his honesty. If I'd been living on the street like he obviously had, a beer might have been important to me too. I ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by wayfarer
- Sep 20, 2009
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A Stranger Becomes A Friend
Today was my first day using Smile cards!
- Posted by rishigangoly
- Feb 15, 2013
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A Warm Embrace And Presence
It was a usual day at the hospital. I was running around doing what I needed to get done for my patients. Then I stopped in my tracks because I could feel my cell phone vibrating in my pocket. I almost always keep my phone on. In the event of an emergency my family and friends can that way get in touch with me. It was an emergency. There was a death in my family. I couldn't move. I couldn't think. I was excused early from work that day, but came home to an empty apartment and didn't know what to do next. I cried. I didn't know if I wanted to be alone or phone my close friend. I didn't know if I should have bothered my friend. Death is a sensitive subject for some people. Different people handle it in different ways. What does one say? What does one do? After deliberating for a ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by lovelightbug
- Jun 5, 2012
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Can I Have Kindness For My Birthday?
This year, instead of birthday presents, dinners, etc, my husband and I decided to pool our resources and request acts of kindness, compassion and generosity be done on our behalf.
My favorite so far involves my girlfriend's 12 year old daughter who got so inspired that she's currently brainstorming things she can do to be kind and generous.
- Posted by magicmuffin
- Apr 6, 2013
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The Art of Waving
It began a year ago, around Christmas. While driving around the corner of our townhouse complex, I always notice an old man sitting by his front yard. He is usually smoking or drinking and looks rather grumpy. One day, while I was driving past him with my daughter, I decided to wave at him with a lot of excitement. Initially, when he noticed me waving at him, he looked a bit shocked. Then, I saw his hand go up and he waved back. "Why did you wave at him?" my daughter asked. I told her that it's just an act of kindness that doesn't cost anything, and it gives both him and me a sense of joy. She responded by saying that she was a bit embarrassed to wave to a stranger, but next time she would try it as well. Lucky for us, we live close to the old man, so we saw him ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by yweling
- Feb 18, 2013
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"Just A Smile, Sister!"
I was walking along a sidewalk in the city. A bit of a distance away I could see a woman walking along with a big signboard around her neck. I was naturally curious about what it said, so I deliberately slowed my pace so I could see.
She looked at me and said, "That's all I'm looking for ... just a smile, sister!"
- Posted by cabbage
- Aug 2, 2012
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An Extra Special Restaurant Surprise
I recently had the chance to have a meal with some close friends who don't live in my city. The choice of restaurant was a pretty fancy one known for triple digit bills. We had a wonderful time together at the restaurant and approaching the end of the meal, I excused myself. I silently headed towards the waiter and asked him to charge the meal to my credit card, but to also not tell anyone that I did it. I signed for the meal and and quickly went back to my seat, no one the wiser for my trip. When it came time for the check, the waiter came by and told me and my fellow diners that the meal had already been paid for by an unknown person! They couldn't believe it and demanded to know who did it, but the waiter assured them he didn't know :) The response on ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by beastly
- Sep 2, 2010
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Lesson From A Janitor
It was five in the morning. The room smelt weird. I saw him, next to me, deep in slumber. I went up to the bathroom and got my answer to the stench. He had had a few extra drinks last night, must have puked all over the wash basin. The basin was clogged and the stench inside was unbearable. A little angry I came back in the room with half a mind to wake him up and ask him to clean up. I could hear his soft snores and knew that he needs that sleep to be normal the next morning. This happened when we were vacationing in Dubai during Diwali holidays. I called up the reception and in an embarrassed tone explained my problem. It was a five star property and the receptionist promised to send someone over within a minute. Before hanging up, I requested him to send ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by Raksha
- Nov 27, 2007
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One Garbage Bag at a Time
I live in an apartment building where there are several elderly people and other tenants that are on a low or fixed income. There is a older gentleman neighbor of mine that is always willing to help out and go out of his way to help anyone in need. A few weeks ago, I was taking a large amount of trash out to the dumpster. This neighbor saw me and stopped to help me as he was taking out his own trash. When we got to the dumpster, he dumped his trash out of the bag. However, he kept his trash bag. "Why don't you throw the trash bag away?" I asked him. He replied that he has been using the same trash bag for a couple of months because he really didn't have money to spare to buy new ones. This immediately made me tear up. I thought about how we can ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by emackaroni83
- Feb 20, 2013
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Christmas With My Son
I have a five year old son and two 18 month old twins and especially at Christmas time I wanted them to truely understand what the act of giving was all about. So I made a list of people that were less likely to recieve gifts or love and let my five year old chose who we would give gifts to.
He chose homeless people. We purchased some large inexpensive gift bags and filled them with canned goods, used warm socks, new toothbrushes, bars of soap, candy bars, and many other surprises, but to my surprise my son came in with his piggy bank and said they could have his money. We filled several plastic bags with coins and I slipped in a few dollar bills, and we put all the bags in the trunk of the car.
It was several days before we saw a homeless person pushing a cart down the main blvd. and fortunately my son was with me and we pulled over and gave the bag to a man who started to cry when we wished him Merry Christmas. I have never forgotten the look of gratitude on his face and neither has my son.
We have now done this for three years on my sons request.
- Posted by Anon
- May 5, 2006
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My First Experience With Smile Cards
Well.....I just couldnt WAIT to try out my smile cards. Last week I set out on my nightly outing -- to a meeting, and then to spend some time with my best friend. I told him I wanted to use my smile cards. First stop, the Dollar Store. I bought 2 nice candle jars with thoughtful things written on them. Next up, 7 Eleven. We parked and looked for someone to give a candle and card to. A woman had just gotten gas and was walking into the store. I hurriedly got out and ran over to her car, put the candle and card on top where she couldn't miss it, and ran back to my truck and waited. When she came out, she saw it, looked around, and acted like she was afraid to touch it! Another man getting ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by Hope4lisa
- Mar 25, 2007
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Rock N Roll Never Dies
After 11 years of being "lucky to live Hawaii" my wife and I are moving to Florida to take care of my Mother. It's a real treat for my wife, who is a local girl who has never been to the mainland.
To minimize expenses we decided to mail the essentials from Hawaii to Florida -- the cheapest solution we could come up with. This also meant parting with things that we have held onto. Things like my cassette tape collection, along with my vinyl record collection. I'm guessing that I probably had about 300+ cassette tapes, mostly 60-70's rock and around 100 or so vinyl LP's, many bootlegs and a lot of great cover art.
I called our local radio station and told my friend DC, the morning jock, that I'd like to donate them to a listener who would appreciate them and give them a good home. He put it on the air, said that the first caller would get the cassettes and within minutes, a listener named "Spike" was over joyed to get them!
The following day DC gave away my vinyl collection and I'm glad they will have a home where they will be listened to.
- Posted by hiloecho
- May 2, 2007
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