Search Results for 'popular' (3005 matches)

A Gallon Of Gas And A Gift Card

My husband and I have six children and things have been tight financially.  He is a brick-mason and as a barter deal he agreed to build a sign base for a man who owns a sign company in return for a basset hound puppy.    The job was at the front of a cemetery. As we were working beside a busy road we noticed a well dressed man walking towards us. I looked beyond him and saw his car was parked on the roadside. When he reached us he asked if we had any gas he could have.    My husband reached into the back of the truck and handed him a gas can with a gallon or two of gas and a funnel and told him it should be enough to get him to the nearest gas station.    The man thanked him and walked back to his car. About twenty minutes passed and we finished ... Read Full Story >>

Helping Others Is The Best Medicine

Yes, helping others is wonderful. Feeling so good helping out. You know what I mean..It brightens your day, lifts your heart and that wonderful from the heart smile! Fabulous! And then some. In March we had to take Dad's license away. Our proud, independent Dad was going to have to ask for help and to depend on others!  Yikes! How does one do that? He had to ask/accept and we did too. Big changes. Now I celebrate the start each day with 'breakfast with Dad".  We share special time. We help lift each other. I leave with a tired body but a fabulous smile. I have to admit there have been days when I had to push myself but was always happy I did.  Now for the unexpected WOW! I've been coping with chronic but stable health issues for 10+ yrs. ..being told to pace myself, don't get stressed, take naps, blah ,blah.  Well, guess what?  My blood work is now the best in 2 yrs! Wow! All I could ... Read Full Story >>

A Family Tradition Lives On

Every morning my friend would stop on the way to work to grab a quick breakfast for herself and her son, before dropping him off at school. They tended to frequent the same eatery every morning grabbing an egg sandwich, juice, coffee for her, milk for him.   One day she ordered an additional breakfast. Once they had eaten and were headed out the door, she stopped, said good morning to a homeless man sitting outside of the restaurant and handed him the additional breakfast she had ordered. He thanked her profusely, grinning, telling her it was the first meal he had in a great many days. She couldn't help but feel good and was glad she finally took action. She told her son that she had seen him every day that week outside the restaurant and that no one, herself included, had stopped to offer him support, food, drink, comfort, etc. She further explained that homelessness ... Read Full Story >>

A Different Kind of Pep Rally

A group of us decided to start a Kindness Pep Rally, where we hold signs with messages like, "Honk if you love someone," "You Are Awesome," "Kindness is Good for the Heart," and "Dont Give Up, Ok?" We are well into the third week of it, and still going strong! Our "Pep Squad" began two weeks ago with two friends, and today something amazing happened! An hour into our "Pep Rally," a total stranger stopped by to chat. During the conversation, the stranger revealed that her name was Amanda and that she had just moved to the area. She said that she was touched by what we were trying to accomplish.  "This may sound strange, but I believe that meeting you and seeing the amazing thing that you both are doing is a sign that I belong here in this city. I want to become part of this."  We shared that our next event would be holding signs that ... Read Full Story >>

Marvin's Prayer Book

A while back I started a prayer book for a very sick friend called Marvin. This morning I was collecting prayers and a man wrote something in Marvin's prayer book. Then he told me his story.    Like Marvin he too has cancer. He has been through chemotherapy three times. His cancer has returned after every chemo period and even a few surgeries. He is now stage 4 and terminal.   The reason I am sharing this is because he said all of this to me with a voice that was so hopeful. He seemed not concerned about his situation at all. Instead, he asked many questions about Marvin and even put his phone number in the prayer book for Marvin to call.   He said, "Tell Marvin, no matter what time of the day or night it is, he can call me. Tell him I want to hear from him in his darkest hour. You ... Read Full Story >>

A Special Blessing That Lasted A Lifetime

Most of us have a few experiences each day that make us laugh or grin for a short period of time. If we are lucky, we may cross paths with something that makes us grin for a day or two. If we are truly blessed, somewhere on our path we are able to be part of something that will make us grin for the rest of our lives. I need to share such an event with you, with the hope that you would consider a similar project in your community. I am a building contractor from Lynchburg, Virginia. I have been volunteering with Greater Lynchburg Habitat For Humanity since our affiliate started in the late 1980’s. In the past 20 years, I have tried to give more to Habitat than I have received, but it is something I have not been able to accomplish. I have always said that if you look around, ... Read Full Story >>

Come Out and Play!

I thought it was rather odd when my friend from the nursing home asked me to motor her wheelchair through the puddles that formed from the melting snow. I didn't really get it, but I went along with it. We were out on one of our walks or what I like to call one of our"weekly strolls" because I stand and she rolls. Adhering to my friend's peculiar request, we were off on our watery wheelchair adventure! We splashed through each puddle together and came out of each experience, slightly damp and smiling. In fact, after a few puddle excursions, even I started looking out for larger and more daunting puddles to sail through until one day we were out on our stroll, and to our dismay, no puddles were to be found. They had all dried up.  Keen on keeping our strolling adventure alive, we discovered something new that awaited us. As we headed down the residential street, there was a small pile of leaves. My friend asked me to roll her through ... Read Full Story >>

Turning Rain Into Sunshine - For A Dollar!

I go to one of those "everything's a dollar" stores and purchase several umbrellas to keep in my car. When I am driving somewhere in the rain and see someone stranded without any shelter I pull up by the roadside and hand them an umbrella. 

Learning Kindness From My Father

I remember when I was growing up that my mom would tell me stories about the kind acts my dad would do.  She told me that one time my dad met a close, long-time friend of his in the downtown area. They talked for a while and his friend mentioned that he didn't have money for fare back home.  My dad gave him the only money he had, which was for his own fare, so he just walked home.   I obeserved these acts kindness in our home.  Dad would let me and my two younger brothers eat first and he would eat after us.  Whatever was left on the table he would consume.  I remember the days when his older brother would come to our house and ask for money for his kid's allowance in school and my dad would give him some.  And when it was our time to ask for allowance he would tell us ... Read Full Story >>

Spreading Love on Labor Day

On Labor Day last year my husband went out for a meal at a restaurant.  After we had finished, I asked him if he'd ever given a waiter/waitress a 100% tip.  He gave me this funny look (probably because he was thinking about how much our dinner added up to be!) and said he hadn't. I said that since it was Labor Day and our waitress was working this holiday, it would be fun to give her a 100% tip and see what her reaction would be.  He told me I was crazy but agreed anyway! Our dinner bill came to $32.18 so that's the exact tip we left, $32.18.  We tried to hand her our dinner bill folder but she kept telling us to leave it on the table and she would get to it.  So we left and we never got to see her reaction. I wondered off and on, and still do to this day, what ... Read Full Story >>

Dont Worry Be Happy

This is one of the happiest songs I have ever heard -- Bobby McFerrin's Don't Worry, Be Happy.  Every time I'm down, I listen to this and I wanna share my happiness with you all.  Here's the video and below it are the lyrics to the song: Don't Worry, Be Happy Performed by Bobby McFerrin Here is a little song I wrote You might want to sing it note for note Don't worry be happy In every life we have some trouble When you worry you make it double Don't worry, be happy...... Ain't got no place to lay your head Somebody came and took your bed Don't worry, be happy The land lord say your rent is late He may have to litigate Don't worry, be happy Lood at me I am happy Don't worry, be happy Here I give you my phone number When you worry call me I make ... Read Full Story >>

Dry Cleaner Excitement

I went to pick up my dry clean and paid for my bill. Then, I kindly said, I wanted to pay for someone else’s bill as an act of kindness today. The lady said you what? I repeated myself. Keep in mind she had a smile on her face and she was saying that is so nice of you to do. I started to tell her about Helpothers.org and showed her the Smile card. She just starts beaming with smiles. She said is this money from the website? I said no, the website gives us a place to share our stories and ideas with other people. She asked if this was a religious site. I said it’s a site for anyone that wishes to share acts of kindness with people all around the world. She said should I pick someone I know? I said that would be fine because I do not know them. She ... Read Full Story >>

A Bakery Box on the Counter

I have always loved our local library and every couple weeks, I've started to stop by on my lunch break.  As the weather has gotten colder I have noticed that the library is more crowded during the day and not smelling very pleasant.  It seems that the library is a popular place for our local homeless to gather to get out of the bad weather.  I am glad that there is a warm safe place for people to get out of the bad weather, but I also wonder what it is like for the librarians who work there every day. Recently, on the way back from a business meeting, I stopped at a bakery and picked up my favorite treat -- a Napoleon. I love the bakery's Napoleons and was looking forward to enjoying the treat when I got back to my office.  That day, I also stopped by the library ... Read Full Story >>

Run Shay, Run!

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?' The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. 'I believe, that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.' Then he told the following story: Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay ... Read Full Story >>

She found a transplant donor in Germany

A friend of mine was diagnosed with leukemia in her 60s. Her last hope was a marrow transplant. Luckily, they found one in Germany! This lady had signed up in the donor registry years before, but wasn't a match for the child and later the teenager in her region that needed a transplant. Years went by and out of the blue she got the news that she was a match for a woman in California (my friend). The transplant was performed, and my friend fully recovered. This year she went to Germany to thank the donor and found out that this lady had received the match request two days before her wedding! She said yes, and a few weeks later became a lifesaver while still a newlywed. Here they are together.

A Bus-Load of Appreciation

The shuttle bus service I take to the airport is famously bad at customer service, but they are the only option for lots of travelers. I was sitting on the bus one day feeling disappointed by their shoddy service when a young soldier got on. He was in full uniform with his duffle bag across his shoulder and a ticket in his hand. But, guess what? The driver wouldn't accept his ticket!   Apparently it was "the wrong format." It was probably a military issue travel pass but because the driver didn't recognise it or it hadn't been made out properly he was not going to let the soldier travel. The soldier did not have any cash and, unbelievably, the shuttle company (via radio) would not authorize a voucher.     I was sitting pretty near the back but I could hear what was going on and I had heard enough. I stomped down to the ... Read Full Story >>

Contagious Kindness Everywhere?

I always come by the site to read an off-the-wall sort of story, but since joining the site a few days ago, I'm experiencing an amazing transformation -- I see kindness EVERYWHERE!

The bus driver who waited for this old man, then bent the rules and let him out where he wanted to get off (rather than at the next stop).

The man smiling at the little boy playing.

The Dr who rushed round to a (nearly) closed clinic to give my mum the all-clear, rather than make her wait two-weeks for the usual paperwork/report to be written.

The driver who spent 5 minutes giving me accurate directions when I was lost.

My neighbor who brought round a bag of fresh fruit.

The shop-assistant who hurried up my order because she thought I was waiting too long for it.

The receptionist who understood that patients should come before Doctors.

The almost-stranger who gave me some good, unexpected advice.

 
Is this unique to me, or are you all going through this amazing experience?

Gratitude for our Caregiver

About 2 months ago I realized how often my mother's caregiver would do kind things for me.  Not just little things ~ BIG things, like picking oranges and juicing them, making my bed for me when my muscles are so tight I can't bend over easily, raking the leaves and weeding the front yard......... those kinds of things.  I ALWAYS thank her, and she says she enjoys it.  But I decided, since she is paid a set wage by the agency we went through, and has a large family to raise, I would put a dollar in a decorative box every time I see one of those kinds of things that she has done for me.  I have already changed out 20 single dollar bills for a $20 bill TWICE and have probably somewhere in the vicinity of $70 in there.  That's my own "thank you for your many kindnesses" box, and ... Read Full Story >>

Returning Unconditional Love

I was thinking the other day, I had been very short tempered with my lovely partner, who didn't deserve it, just because I was stressed about something at work.  I stomped about the house and eventually flounced out saying I was going to the library, without a backward glance or asking if there was anything I could pick up for my loved one. I suddenly realised that I had spent all day with virtual strangers (I am a Work Based Tutor and visit different companies daily ) to whom I had been polite, courteous, 'smiley' and generally a jovial person. I did not mention my work worries and nobody guessed I was feeling particularly stressed and unhappy  but, I managed to hurt the one person who deserved it least, the person who would have given me a hug and let me have a moan.  On my way back from the library I began to feel guilty ... Read Full Story >>

Waking Up to Cookies on My Car

Yesterday around 9:30 am, as I was going towards my car, I noticed something box like on my windshield. At first I thought I may have gotten a ticket from the cops, but as I approached closer, there was a box of delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies and a smile card! Thank you anonymous angel! Later in the day, I had to make a run to my local library to pay off some overdue fines and pick up a book that I had on hold. I decided to keep few cookies for my parents to enjoy, and took the rest for the volunteers and staff at the library. I approached the clerk at the counter to hand them the box of cookies. "A small gift and token of appreciation for the staff and volunteers. Would you mind putting them in the break room?" I asked. She replied, "Oh wow! Thank you! Why don't you at least ... Read Full Story >>