Stories by alisamom (57 matches)

Kindness Begets Kindness Even on Social Media

During my years of depression, I used to be very much "against" everything I disliked, especially on Facebook. Then after discovering KindSpring and learning new things, I realized that being "for" things I supported is much better for me. And so since then, I've been trying to only post/share/like/comment on positive things.

Over the past several months I have noticed that some friends started also liking pages and posts about kindness and positive quotes. One relative who I know is very hurt and angry - even she now has posts about being kind every once in a while!

It makes me understand that every little thing truly does matter, every little thing does make a difference - we are creating ripples worldwide!

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

3341 Reads

A Thanksgiving Tradition

I'm starting to actually feel the "connect" that many here always talk about. Today we went out for Thanksgiving dinner with my husband's family (it's a new tradition. I don't like it, I'd prefer to cook but due to transportation problems that's just the best solution for now) And, same as last year, I think that if the waiters have to spend their holiday working, then I'm going to tip them as much as I possibly can to express my appreciation, and I put the tip in a handmade thank you card and I write them a short message. So that's what I did today. My husband gave the server the card and a few minutes later the server came over, and I saw his hands shake really bad. And he thanked us profusely and he said that holidays are traditionally "bad tip days" (he said because people go gift shopping right after) ... Read Full Story >>

3236 Reads

A Stuffed Animal Matters

"A stuffed animal might not matter much to the average person, but for a child, it could mean the world. When 10-year-old Leon Ashworth’s mom couldn't afford to buy him a stuffed panda he desperately wanted, he wrote a forlorn note on the toy’s box pleading with shoppers not to buy it until his mom could. What happened next was so heartwarming, it will melt you. The boy, who lives in Liverpool, England with his mom, Debbie Ashworth, first saw his beloved ‘Pandy’ at an Asda supermarket, the British equivalent of Wal-Mart. Though he was willing to wait patiently until his mom’s paycheck came in on June 15th to take the cuddly bear home, the store’s staff decided to do something incredibly thoughtful after they noticed Leon’s scribbled letter. In search of the young author, whom they didn’t know at the time, they posted the note on Facebook – and eventually attracted ... Read Full Story >>

2486 Reads

Brand new beekeeper

I met what must be the world's most wonderful lady last summer - just being around her is like a soothing balm for my soul. I barely know her and after finding out that I've dreamt of having bees for several years she simply gave me a hive as a gift, including all the boxes, frames, gear, tools and a package of bees.

I'm now officially a brand new beekeeper

I kinda freaked out a little when we shook them into the hive though....10,000 bees buzzing around your body will do that to you even in beekeeping gear if you're new to this exciting hobby!

2446 Reads

A Cold And Windy Day

Today my daughter and I met friends at a parking lot to sell them some of our eggs. It's a cold day. A really cold wind. I don't even want to go outside. As we pulled into the parking lot, there was a man sitting on the curb, holding his bike, and he held up a paper plate on which he had scribbled "will work for food". He was still sitting there as we left the parking lot, and I asked my daughter "should we get him some food or some money?" and she said "yes, lets". So I pulled up next to him, got out of the car, and gave him all my egg money. I still had another dozen eggs in the car, and asked if he wanted them, but he said no, he still had half a dozen and he didn't want things to go to waste. I felt frozen through ... Read Full Story >>

2401 Reads

How a community of 'KindSpringers' helped her out of depression

It feels as if I grew in one giant leap.  At Sunday Assembly I spoke on a stage into a microphone in front of a group of people. For many years I have been nervous and never know what to say when even speaking with just one or two people. Sunday Assembly is like church for atheists, it’s a secular meeting.   The topic was “happiness” and I spoke about Kind Spring. The group passed out my “basket of smiles”, (inspired by penny4them’s jar of gems, thank you!) with quotes about joy and happiness that I had printed out, each attached to a smile card. I urged people to go out and do an act of kindness and pass on the smile card. I spoke about how Kind Spring is a welcoming site, where, even though many people post about their religious beliefs, everyone is accepted and equally welcome. I spoke about how ... Read Full Story >>

2193 Reads

Angels in Disguise: An anonymous story of hope.

An anonymous story of hope: "In September 1960, I woke up one morning with six hungry babies and just 75 cents in my pocket. Their father was gone. My boys ranged from three months to seven years, and their sister was two. Their Dad had never been much more than a presence they feared. Whenever they heard his tires crunch on the gravel driveway, they would scramble to hide under their beds. He did manage to give us $15 a week to buy groceries. Now that he had decided to leave, we were left with a balance of good and bad. Gracefully, there would be no more beatings, but there would be no food either. If there were a welfare system in effect in Southern Indiana at that time, I certainly knew nothing about it.  I scrubbed the kids until they looked brand new, and then put on my best homemade dress. I ... Read Full Story >>

1922 Reads

Proud Moment Witnessing Shy Daughter's Kindness

Today at the store my 16 yo daughter, who is very shy and has high anxiety, noticed that an elderly woman had trouble inserting her coin into the shopping cart. My daughter watched for a moment and then asked the woman if she'd like to take the cart that already had a coin in it and which my daughter was returning.
I'm so happy that she's getting brave enough to offer help to strangers!

1853 Reads

Fast Pharmacists

Whenever I go to the pharmacy and there's more than one person waiting in line, the pharmacist comes out from the back room, asks for everyone's names, and then gets their prescriptions from the back ready to hands out so that the cashier can simply ring things up and the line moves really fast. Today I told everyone there that they are doing a wonderful job, that they work so very fast, and that they are the friendliest pharmacy in town. I left them all with a big smile on their faces :)

1785 Reads

An image that helped him during WWII was tragically destroyed, until now

When my dad was a little child during WWII in Germany, a picture of a guarding angel hung over his bed. He had lost both his parents by the time he was 20, but he still had this picture, which by then was badly deteriorated. In his middle age, he brought it to a local artist to have it restored. The artist kept it for a year and eventually, my dad got upset and wanted it back. When he went to pick it up, the artist tore it into pieces in front of my dad saying that it's a worthless piece of paper because it was just a generic print on cardstock. Well, my dad's family was poor and it was from WWII when nobody had money, yet it was still valuable for my dad! After that, my parents kept the pieces in the back of a closet for many years. Last year ... Read Full Story >>

1732 Reads

A Position She Paid Forward

Several years ago, this lady named Lisa and I started working at a bank at the same time. We went through training together and were given part-time positions. Eventually one full-time position opened up.

We both really needed the extra income and benefits - my husband had just gotten laid off; I think she was going through a divorce but I can't remember her exact circumstances.

But when she was offered the full-time position, she told the manager that they should offer it to me first and she'd take it only if I declined. Then she told me to take it. 

I have since lost contact with her but that was one of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me. I hadn't thought about it in years but this morning I woke up and thought of her. I hope someone else was able to show her the kindness she showed me.

1692 Reads

What I learned from Facebook "Memories"

The other day I clicked on "see memories" on Facebook and I realized that all of my old posts were so negative and bashing....and then I realized how much I've changed in these last 2.5 years since I've discovered kind spring....and I'm glad that I don't feed that negative side anymore (most days. Some days are harder).

Thank you all for showing me how to be kind again.

1665 Reads

Hanging Out With The Elderly

My act of kindness for the day-some of my real life friends say enough for the whole month, was to take a drive with my daughter, our retired neighbour and her octogenarian friend.

We went to a fall/craft festival, then drove to a popular picnic spot in the mountains, then a very early dinner. I was pleasantly surprised at how polite and patient all the other drivers were when they noticed we were trying to "load/unload" an elderly gentleman and his walker. All the cars waited at a respectful distance until we waved them past.

I enjoyed the slower pace that we were forced to take, the very slow step by step pace reserved for the very old and very young. And I tried had to make him feel comfortable, to make sure he knew we were happy to see him and spend time with him.

And I'm glad to be back home where I don't have to yell to be heard :)

1657 Reads

Seeds for sparrows

I saw a bluebird and a sparrow looking for seeds outside of my bedroom window this morning, so I sprinkled some grains on the ground for them. I think we will have to make some bluebird nesting boxes for next spring! Random acts of kindness aren't only for humans :-)

1575 Reads

A Little Library With A Huge Impact

I found this on the FB page of "Free Little Library" and wanted to share it here because I know many here support the free little libraries:
One New Orleans steward came out to her Little Library and found this surprising note: "Thank You who ever you are for have-ing the book box. I'm 46 I learned to read 4 yrs ago & the libary how ever its spelled is to far. I just moved from Maine so I dont know alot of places. So Again Thank You! From a Neiphor spelled wrong sorry

1563 Reads

A Play Date That Meant The World To Her

My daughter has a difficult time hanging out with friends because most families don't seem to make time for just 'hanging out.' She has occasionally tried to meet up with friends and while they may say they'll be there, they almost never show up.  Today we went to a renaissance faire and she said a Facebook friend would be there as well but they hadn't met yet in real life. Hours went by and the friend didn't show. We tried not to be negative. Then we decided to have a late picnic lunch in the car, sit for a bit and leave if her friend hadn't shown up. And lo and behold: her friend came, the girls and us adults met. Shortly after we found out that they weren't even going to go to the faire because the weather was getting bad, but they still wanted to stop by just so that the ... Read Full Story >>

1495 Reads

Prayers on my door

Yesterday as I was cooking dinner the doorbell rang and an envelope was delivered. My first thought was "oh crap, did I forget I ordered something? " because I have not a lot of money in my account right now. Then I opened the package and it
Was a set of prayer flags from a wonderful kind spring Angel. I wanted to hug her right there and then but since she wasn't there I just hugged my husband.

Today I hung them up near the fire pit at the bottom of our meadow so I can see them from the kitchen and the dining room.
While today is not an "inauspicious date" I'm sure it's still good for me to hang them cause I just started a new venture this morning so it will still be a memorable day :)

1472 Reads

At A Random Street ...

At a random street corner in my hometown in Germany, a very small town, I found a "book box" where you can leave a book or take a book as you like.
I left a note for the person who put it up and added a Mindy peace dove(TM) :)

1461 Reads

Kindspring Inspirations

All posts here are an inspiration to me, but Mindy sharing her journal entries has re-ignited my desire for artsy creativity. Over the past few weeks, instead of watching tv at night I've been doodling simple cards.
Not sure what I'll do with them yet but I'll think of something!
Thank you for always inspiring me, kind spring angels!

1456 Reads

Spreading Love in a Moment of Challenge

I released a whole flock of peace doves tonight. We had a section chorus meeting tonight and at the end it turned into an "airing of grievances" where several people ended up crying and saying they are considering leaving but love to sing so they are staying for now. I am new so I stayed out of it, I just listened.

Once everyone wound down I felt the meeting had to end on a good note, so I dug through every corner of my purse to come up with enough Mindy peace doves, I got up, gave everyone a hug and a dove, and told them that I love them and how much they all mean to me.it made everyone smile.

It also showed me that sadness and pain often hide beneath a smiling and cheerful face, and it made me more determined than ever to distribute more love letters and inspirational notes wherever I go.
Now I just need to work on my stealth skills to stay anonymous! ;)

1408 Reads

Opportunity For Bitter Or Better

Yesterday I got angry. It had been a long day. . And a stressful week. And this week isn't looking any better. And so I started to get upset when my mom in law asked me to cut her hair. But I know she has no money to go to a salon, and so I decided that I don't want to get upset, I want to see this as an opportunity to be kind and helpful. And I enjoyed being able to help her and I'm glad I did it :) and she was happy with the result 😀💈

1339 Reads

A Text Message That Saved Her Life

A friend thought of an acquaintance of his the other day who he knew had not been doing well recently. He decided to send her a text message to let her know he was thinking of her and to have a nice day.

In the evening, the lady's husband called him and my friend's first thought was "Oh no, he's going to give me a hard time for texting his wife".

But instead the guy thanked him for texting his wife. Apparently she's been struggling with depression and had been thinking of killing herself that day, but the text message gave her hope.

Never underestimate the importance of a simple text message.

1313 Reads

Together We Make it Happen

At the store today there was a long line. Eventually they opened up another register. The person at the front of the first register had problems paying. The manager who ran second register kept getting up to override the first register. People started to get angry. Eventually everyone realized that the costumer only had enough money to pay for the groceries; not enough to cover tax. Someone behind me started handing dollar bills forward. Soon everyone joined in and helped pay for the difference. I loved it. There truly are kind people everywhere.   ... Read Full Story >>

1258 Reads

It's Our Attitude

Some (including myself) frequently feel that we don't have enough, that we struggle to make ends meet. Yet for most of us, like my family, that is just not true. And I'm glad to have learned this here-- I can change my circumstance simply by being thankful for what I have instead of focusing on what I imagine I might be lacking. Yet there are some that truly have nothing. Or not enough. So I've been wanting to make a donation to a US-based, humanist/secular charity in India called Responsible Charity, which, among other things, sponsors slum children into private schools because education is the number one thing you can do to get people out of poverty. Today, as one of the acts of kindness I had planned for June, I signed up for continuous monthly donations of $20, which is enough to sponsor one child's attendance at a private school for one whole ... Read Full Story >>

1250 Reads

Expressing Gratitude As A Daily Practice

I saw this on my Facebook news feed a few minutes ago and it hit me: I have been neglecting my habit of waking up and thinking of something to be thankful for. I'm sure that's why I've been struggling so much for the past few weeks! I'm going to think of three things right now, and another three first thing in the morning.

1. We have heat and electricity.
2. I have work.
3. My hubby cooked a wonderful dinner.
 

1203 Reads

Kindness Was There, Just When I Needed It to Be

Today was not a good day. One of our dogs got sick last night (gee I'm posting way too much about the dogs these days!!!!) and I only got maybe 3 hours of sleep. Today my mind wasn't working. My eyes stung. My nerves were shot. My body hurt. But we had some errands to do so we went out. By the time we got to the pharmacy I was crashing. And our pills weren't ready because the prescription had run out and in three days they hadn't been able to contact the doctor for a refill. So I stood there calling the doctors office. Again and again. And again. Their phone system wasn't working. I couldn't get through. I wanted to scream, cry, throw stuff. I was done. So I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a minute, just breathing. Then the pharmacist called me over, past the line, ... Read Full Story >>

1180 Reads

Honesty Was My Greatest Friend That Day

We took a road trip this weekend to visit some long-time friends that we don't see very often. This was our first time visiting them ever, yet they've driven half-way across the country several times just to visit us (they are only 6 hours away now). Anyway, I tried to take the opportunity to spread a bit of kindness - I gave away a dove and put post-it notes in all the restrooms. And all of us had a great time just hanging out together and chatting.

There's something great about being with long-time friends: they'll tell you stuff others wouldn't. And so this weekend I was told that I am pretty "bashing" toward a certain group of people. And that surprised me, because I thought I was getting better at that. Because I've been working toward being less judgmental, less negative, more positive, more accepting, just kinder all around. I guess I'm not as far along as I thought I was.

I'm glad he told me. Now I know what needs more work!

1144 Reads

An early gift for Christmas

I was going to gift this for Christmas (thanks to being inspired by a kind spring post!) But I found out that my friend has been put on anti- depressants last week so I'll give it to her now. It's a box full of quotes and compliments :)

Feel free to message me your email address if you'd like me to share the files with you

1133 Reads

Giving Smiles

Today my daughter's garden club went on a field trip to a local greenhouse/garden center. The owner gave a personal tour of everything. She was such a nice lady she even gave every participant a pot of narcissus, and I gave her a peace dove before we left.
 
Then my daughter and I decided to do a little shopping, and the cashier was so nice, I asked her what her favorite chocolate bar was, bought that flavor, and then gave it to her with a smile card and a peace dove. She said "you don't have to do that", but I put it down on the counter and said "I bought it for you cause you are so nice!" And I just walked off. I'll have to find a smoother way of doing that next time. And leave a receipt so they don't get in trouble! ;)

Both times I felt very self conscious, I almost backed out each time. But it felt good to make someone smile!

I will do that again! :)))

1125 Reads

Sweet Honey

A few weeks ago I noticed that my bees had all died. Unfortunately they had a rough summer and fall. But it's okay; it happens. 

I spent the last two weeks extracting what honey was left and cleaning everything up to be reused for the new bees this spring. The wax and wooden hardware need to be frozen in order to prevent them from being ruined by bugs until then, but our freezer is full.

So our friends let us use their freezer to store all the wax and hardware for a while, and in return I gave them a jar of honey as well as some cut comb honey. :)

1094 Reads



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