Search Results for 'popular' (3005 matches)

The Mystery Gardener

Sometime back our lawn mower broke down beyond repair. We got someone to mow the lawn for us from time to time but that was getting a little costly.  Then a young boy used to come down to our house every so often to do some odd jobs to save up for a bike, so we gave him the job of mowing the lawn with his mum's permission & lawn mower!  But, being young, the boy had more interesting things to do, especially after he saved up enough money to buy himself a new bike!  

As the days went on, our lawn was getting longer & longer, even with the drought. The other day I went out to the front garden & I couldn't believe my eyes -- the lawn had been mowed!  I reckoned it was our kindly neighbour, but when my hubby went to thank him, he said it wasn't me.  So, it remains a mystery who was behind this anonymous act of kindness. I truly love those kinds of mysteries...

To all of you mystery helpers around the globe, bless you with love, joy, peace & everything else.

The Hands We Are Dealt

There is a homeless man who always seems to be perched on his bike somewhere along the main road running through our town. We see him every time we leave the house. He is either bundled up, hunched over his bags and blankets in the winter, or riding up and down the street in the summer when I suspect trying to catch a little breeze in the heat. Whenever I see him I want to bring him a coffee, or a water, or a blanket, or a fan - but I never do.   His name is Bruce. I only know this because my brother-in-law saw him one freezing day on his way to our house. He asked his name and why he was sleeping in the field. Then he gave Bruce the coat off his back and the hat from his head!   Today I had a notion to venture to the mall with ... Read Full Story >>

Chance Encounter Brings Joy

I was taking the garbage out two nights ago and I recognize a neighbor so I said "Hi". We started chatting and he began by telling me how his wife had passed away in September last year and how they had been together for 63 years. He is now 87.  I was delighted listening to his stories about when he lived in Poland, where he is from, and how he was a welder that got payment only with food and wine. :) He proceeded to tell me very interesting facts about crows he had seen on National Geographic, and about how happy he is in this neighborhood where he can walk everywhere and doesn't even need a car to get around. We chatted for about 30 minutes and then we proceeded to part ways. On his way back in, he was sure to let me know how I had made his day ... Read Full Story >>

Struggling to Make Ends Meet

While I was shopping at the Family Dollar Store I noticed a young mother with her daughter struggling to pick out items she needed because she counting money in her hand.  She got behind me at the check-out counter.  As I began to pay for my items, she began to put a few items back after realising she did not have enough money left in her hand.  She had shampoo and I saw her put the conditioner back.  The lady looked like she hadn't bathed in weeks and her child was also really dirty.  

My heart really went out for this poor lady and her child.  I paid for my items and then I passed the clerk a $10.00  bill and a smile card.  I told her to wait until I left the store and then to give the money and the smile card to the girl behind me.  I hope I made a difference in a small way.

Guerrila Repairs for the Homeless Folks

I go to Goodwill or some other used merchandise place, buy laptops which need a bit of work such as a new hard drive, memory, etc. and repair them for use by the homeless. Many job applications these days have to be done online, and this gives them the ability to do so.

The homeless person can go into someplace like McDonalds or Starbucks and get online, apply for jobs. The computers may cost me at most ten or twenty dollars as is, and myparts for repair are most of the time salvaged from other computers I have around and I use those parts to fix the machines.

I am professionally trained as a hardware repair technician and photographer/filmmaker and also am a musician. I will fix up guitars for the homeless sometimes too, or some other instrument or perhaps a camera on occasion.

Roundtable Dinners

A very close friend of mine has two older parents who have been very sick and in the hospital. Her Mom has alzheimers and her Dad has diabetes and just had surgery on his legs. She was able to make arrangements for them to come to her house when they left the hospital, but this is now an additional responsibility for her in addition to her own family.

A bunch of us (9 friends) got together and came up with a calendar of dates for us to take turns making dinner and delivering it to her house. (Thank goodness for email!) It'll be one less thing she will have to worry about while she establishes a routine and things settle down for her. This way she will know they are eating healthy foods and she can tend to her parents needs.  I'm so happy to be part of this effort.

MANY HANDS make LIGHT WORK.  If we all do our part, it's easy!

My Friend, Howie

Actually, he started out as my step-dad's best friend since they were 5 and 6 years old, respectively.  They grew up in New York City.  Howie's home life was not good, very troubled.  Still, he grew up to be a fine man, worked hard, married, and had two children.  His wife divorced him when the children were small and he kind of drifted through life, working, but no real focus. I was almost 6 when my mother and stepfather met (again) and decided to make a life together.  Howie said to my dad, "You are going to live with her (meaning my mother)?  She has a kid, the kid will be an anchor and slow you down." Howie would come over our house and eat dinner and spend time there.  I guess I kind of grew on him.  He taught me how to play checkers and we got along just fine.  At ... Read Full Story >>

Most Fun Yet

That was SOOO much fun! My daughter went out to the bike path and a corner in the neighborhood and offered people cold drinks (soda and water) and Smile Cards. Many said "no thanks," but were appreciative.

Lots were suspicious and asked, "why?" When we told them it's what we were doing it for RAoK Month, they were so happy! Almost everyone offered generous thanks.

One person felt compelled to pay, and couldn't believe we wouldn't take the money. He shook our hands.

One person said he'd give the drink to his homeless friends. So we gave him as many as he could carry.

And, one person took a photo of us...Spreading kindness! #AprilRAoK

Gypsy Girl On a German Bus

While we were riding the old German bus in Tirana (Albania), a gypsy girl entered. Seven years old. Most gypsy kids have a 'dead' look in their eyes. Hardened by the world, by what they have experienced. The Albanian gypsies live in slums, their children beg on the streets so that the parents can afford to buy alcohol and continue their addiction. Girls as young as twelve wash car windows at the stoplight, holding a baby with their other arm. Little kids lay down on the sidewalks of Tirana to catch some sleep and rest their dirty limbs. Everytime we saw this hardened 'dead' look in their eyes. But not this girl. She was radiant. A beautiful smile across her face, sparkling eyes. She just stood there, in between me and my two friends. Flip flops, black t-shirt, short messy brown hair which matched her tomboy personality. A joyful presence. She ... Read Full Story >>

Sharing A Laughter Break

It was a rainy day and I noticed that the lady coming into the senior center had holes in both shoes. Her toes were sticking through the shoes! It wasn't really time for a break but I decided to take one so I could chat with this lady.   She told me that she does have other shoes but they are not as comfortable as the old ones. She also told me she was going blind and could barely see, and that she has a friend who took her in and helps care for her. Her children live in other states and can't afford to visit.   She started sharing some jokes and we both laughed. Laughter is good for the soul!    When it was time for lunch, she said, "Thank You for taking the time to sit with me and listen to my jokes!"   We all need someone, sometimes, to just sit and listen and let ... Read Full Story >>

Sharing Water In The Nature Park

I took a long walk in the local nature park this morning. I do that most mornings. It really makes a great start to the day! I usually walk up this nice long road that goes back into the woods. It's so quiet and pleasant and there are so many green trees. 

Kindness Blooms at the Airport

Last weekend at the airport, I had some extra time before going through security to catch my flight. While wondering what to do, I decided it was the perfect time and place to look for an anonymous act of kindness to do! One of the magazine stands outside security had flowers for sale. I told the clerk that I'd like to buy flowers for someone else, and she could decide who to give them to. She looked a little confused, so I suggested perhaps she could give them to someone who looked like they could use some cheering up, and then hand them the smile card with the flowers. At first, the clerk responded, That's weird." (Or maybe, "That's crazy," I can't remember which.) But then, I explained a little more about smile cards and the concept of doing something kind for a complete stranger, and she brightened up. "I'll never know how it turns out," I said, "but you will have the opportunity ... Read Full Story >>

Remembering My Father's Vest

As a child, I had a lot of pent-up anger and was not good at communicating constructively. Once, as I was getting ready for school, my mother accidentally handed me my father's vest instead of mine.  This was around the time that I was getting to be larger in size than my father, and so as I put the vest, I felt like I was being choked in it!  I realized that it was a small oversight on my mother's part, but somehow the feeling of being choked overwhelmed me and filled me with anger. Without thinking much, I took out my anger on my mother.  I was so upset that she had handed me the wrong vest, that I responded by violently ripping it apart from my chest! Later, my mother shared her own frustration with my father: "See what your son has done." Instead of scolding or abusing me, my father calmly  ... Read Full Story >>

Candy Care from the Kindness Contest

In early December, I had a fun idea. I thought it would be a good idea to provide care packages for my students who were heading into their final exams. I teach two classes at CWRU in Ohio, which is a difficult, research oriented, private school.I also teach two classes at Tri-C, a community college made up of more mature college students who worked and had families. They had their own stresses.  I found this site, HelpOthers.org and the kindness contest, and wrote in with my idea to use the $100 to provide care packages for my students.   Before I even knew if I would win the kindness contest, I spent $50 of my own cash. I used it to get the supplies for my CWRU students' care packages. I pondered this for awhile before I did it, because $50 is a lot of money to me, but it quickly became an obsession.  I decided to do it ... Read Full Story >>

She Calls Me Father

I did not remember her, but recently a young woman’s email note surprised me and brought tears of joy. Her email began, “We met in a subway train in Queens, New York...” Fate had seated us next to each other. She wrote that she had been sad and depressed. She did not want to talk or face a genuine smile from someone like me. Life meant nothing to her at that moment. Her sad feelings did not stop me. I continued to talk to her about hope, faith and love. I gave her quote cards that she put in her bag. At home she was shocked to find the words on the quote cards resonated with her present situation. She became very happy and forgot the dark side of her life. Her grateful heart wanted to see me again to thank me about the kindness she received. She felt that God had sent me to help her feel better. This ... Read Full Story >>

A Saturday Well Spent

Today my heart is full of joy and gratefulness for my family and for the beautiful people I encountered today.  My husband worked all night as a police volunteer and got home at 5.30 a.m. in the morning and then left at 4 p.m. this afternoon for another shift. My daughter spent the morning with some friends and neighbors raising money  for a very famous charity in our town and also helped one of her friend's dad raise money for a sponsored climb of a mountain in Morocco. And what did I do? Well, I bought some cakes for my daughter and her friend and gave a smile card to the gentleman that was selling the cakes, plus a card that said,  "May all your days be filled with Love." I went to the library and left the cards inside the magazines and books and on the shelves so people could find them. I ... Read Full Story >>

My Late Husband's Gifts Are Regenerating Smiles All Over Town

I haven't been here in a while but I wanted to share what I've been practicing lately. Six months ago my husband died of ALS. There was no dignity involved, and though he was a kind person at his core, the disease broke him to the point that he self medicated and became someone none of his loved ones recognized. So two years of a very difficult situation, and after he died, most of our mutual friends disappeared. Then people I thought were my friends started telling me how I should grieve, what I should and shouldn't talk about, how I should behave. I wasn't doing or saying anything crazy; I was just grieving in what I thought was a pretty typical fashion. So I'm starting over at 54 in more ways than one. Who ever thinks this will actually happen? I sure didn't, but luckily I'm flexible and adaptable and ... Read Full Story >>

The Magical Twenty Dollar Bill

Recently, my husband was on a long drive and picked up a young hitch-hiker. 

They had plenty of time to talk and my husband discovered the young man had little money and was hoping to get a job in the city. My husband shared his lunch with him, bought him a coffee and when they arrived in the city, he gave him bus fare and twenty dollars to help him out.  A simple act of kindness.

Smile Card Magic In The Sky

I was at Karma Kitchen, a gift economy project, when a volunteer asked if anyone could use some free drink coupons for a particular airline.  I enthusiastically accepted, knowing that even though I don't usually drink, I could use those free drink coupons to "tag" someone with a smilecard.  I loved the idea of "tagging" someone with a smilecard and a free drink coupon on an airplane! Fast forward a month or two later, when my girlfriend and I were on a flight to Las Vegas as the first stop of a trip to the Grand Canyon.  I had several drink coupons and smilecards ready, and it was just a matter of figuring out the "Who" and the "How" of tagging someone on an airplane, while still trying to stay completely anonymous. As luck would have it, we had an awesome, amazing, hilarious flight attendant, who was very, very funny (he really could have been ... Read Full Story >>

A Spin Cycle of Kindness

When I moved into my new house it already had a washing machine in it but I had just bought a new one so I wondered what to do with the machine already in the house.  I remembered two girls who regularly knocked at my door for religious reasons.  They never had or kept anything they didnt need.  If one of them needed something, say a winter coat, they would work for the amount of time it took to make the money they needed for the coat and then return to their religious work. They had just got their own house so I decided to give them all the things I didn't need when I was done unpacking. Whatever they didn't need, they could give to the charity store they helped support. I asked them if they needed a washing machine and they both looked at each other and smiled. It turns out that they had called ... Read Full Story >>