Stories by AURELIA (20 matches)

A Ride Home In A New Town

  I just moved to a new state and started a new job at a retail store. After the store closes the staff all walk to the car park together for safety purposes.   Yesterday, as we headed for our cars a young woman was waiting on the sidewalk. When asked if she had a ride, she replied, "Yes, I called a taxi."    Everyone started saying things like, "No Way. Cancel that Taxi. One of us can give you a ride," and so on.   We waited as a group and she called to cancel her taxi, then we started to walk to our cars. Nobody said, "Come with Me" and so, finally, she said, "So, I cancelled my taxi. Who's taking me home?"    Being new to the area and it being pitch dark out I was hesitant to offer. So, I waited about ten seconds and then said, "I'll take you."   Funny how everyone was happy to ... Read Full Story >>

Beautiful Outfit Beautiful Smile

I was out shopping earlier today. 

On my way out of one store I noticed this rather large women sitting on a bench waiting. She was dressed in a brightly colored long dress and had pretty shoes too. Sometimes I think people overlook larger sized women but I am always looking to compliment. So, that's what I did!

As I passed by I smiled widely and said, "I love your outfit! You look very pretty in it." 

She gave me the biggest smile in return and said, "Thank You."  

I knew right then I made a difference in her day! 

Letting T-Shirts Loose

The department store where I work is having a tremendous clearance sale. So I've been spending a lot of time pricing tons of clothing items.

As I was pricing, I put a few aside for myself. Mostly for the great deal-- each shirt was only 2 dollars, but I picked two that I really loved.

A fellow co-worker came in for the night shift and saw the items I was going to purchase when I got off work. She mentioned how much she loved one of them, and without thinking, I told her to take it.

"Are you sure?!" she asked.
"I'm positive," I answered. "It'll look so nice on you."

And if she hadn't taken it, I would have bought it for her instead of myself. I didn't think fast enough for that, though. :-)  But it felt good to share rather than holding on to the shirts, just for myself. :)  Smiles are contagious! :)

Red Velvet Cake and Birthday Surprise!

I had never made a Red Velvet Cake until recently! 
 
A friend at work said it was her favorite so I told her I would try to make one for her birthday. I made it in a bundt pan and it turned out delicious. 
 
She loved it! She hugged me and said thank you with tears in her eyes! I told her that I loved seeing other people happy and it was my pleasure to be able to make her favorite dessert for her.
 
And you know what ... it's a win-win situation. I made her day special and I also learned how to make a new dessert! Red Velvet Cake with cream cheese frosting is now going to be one of my favorite cakes to make!
 

Oreo Smiles

I work in a busy department store. With the seasons changing right now the women's clothing department has been extra busy and our fitting rooms are loaded with clothing to be returned to the racks. 

I am like a "mom" figure to the girls and am always reminding them to stay busy and keep smiling when the going gets tough.

Today I wen out and bought chocolate covered Oreo cookies individually wrapped in bright colored foil. Towards the end of our day I went to my locker and got the cookies. I drew smiley faces on the foil and wrote Thank You on them. 

I gave each girl a cookie and  let them know that I appreciate them trying hard to keep everything neat and clean with a smile on their faces! 

I am not their manager, just a co-worker, but I know it made them feel special and appreciated. They couldn't wait for their shift to end so they could go eat their special treat.

Little things mean a lot. 

Feeding Two Teens From The Dollar Menu

I picked my daughter up from school today. She was hungry and asked if we could stop at McDonald's so she could have a quick bite to eat. I said I didn't have much money, but she could order from the dollar menu.    As we pulled up to the drive-thru window. A young man, about 16-18 years old, approached my car. He had a sad story about his mom being hospital and him having no money or food.    I asked him, "What is it you want? Food?" He said he didn't care, anything would be good.     So, I told him to go ahead of me and wait, that I would order something and bring it to him.   My daughter asked, "Mom, do you believe him?" I said, "I don't know if he's telling the truth or not, but I know he must be hungry or he wouldn't be begging at McDonald's."    So I ... Read Full Story >>

Wrapped In Kindness

Yesterday, I attended an outdoor graduation ceremony.
It was uncharacteristically windy and cold. Since I'm local to the area where the ceremony was held, I had plenty of scarves, hats, gloves available, and I brought them to the graduation to share with my family.

During the ceremony, I heard a little boy who looked about four years old complaining that he was so cold. You see, they were from out of town and thought the weather was going to be much warmer down South. And actually, it usually is a lot warmer... just not yesterday.  

I had an extra scarf draped over my legs, and I immediately took it and handed it to the Mom to wrap around her son. She took it, and said she'd give it back at the end of the ceremony. The little guy was quiet and content after she wrapped that scarf around his neck and face. :)

Later, when it was time to leave, the mother found me and handed the scarf back to me. I told her to keep it and to pay it forward with another act of kindness someday.

She looked at me for a moment. Then broke into a smile as she answered, "Yes, oh yes, I will do just that." :)

A Small Gesture on a Hot Day

I work in a school.  Yesterday we had a whole bunch of textbooks delivered.

When the delivery man arrived, he asked for a different way to bring the boxes in as he said it would be dififcult with the stairs at the front door. 

There is a way through a different entrance which has ramps.  He used the ramp to bring in over 50 heavy boxes of textbooks.  He was sweaty, grumpy and complaining as he was stacking them up outside my office. 

A coworker said what a ray of "sunshine" he was. She was being sarcastic, of course.  I just said that it is really hot and he's probably just wants to go home by this time of the day when it's 90 degrees outside.

When he was finished stacking all the boxes, he came to me to sign for the packages.  I had kept a bottle of water ready for him and offered it to him. He was so thankful and left with a smile.

I hope this little gesture helped brighten up his attitude for his next delivery.

Drying Birthday Tears

Lost And Found In The Men's Department

I work in a department store and things are busy there right now because of back to school clothes shopping.    The men's clothing racks and displays are constantly being messed up! So, I was busy tidying them up when a young man asked if I'd found a wallet. Unfortunately, I had not. I told him to go to the lost and found desk in case someone had handed it in.     The disappointment in his face made me really wish I had found his wallet.   I started folding and hanging and really digging through the messy clothes. Amazingly, I found his wallet!    I quickly went to lost and found to turn it in, and arrived there the same time he did.   The smile on his face as I held up his wallet made me smile too. I walked with him back to the men's department so he could shop for school clothes. He told me ... Read Full Story >>

Motivational Chocolates

Where I work they were having a competition to get people motivated, and I won two Boxes of chocolates! 
 
I couldn't resist opening one box right there and sharing them with all my colleagues.
 
Everyone loved them and I think those little tasters might inspire them to try and win a box of their own!

Cards And More Cards

I have a co-worker who was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. She had surgery and will undergo chemotherapy. 
 
Our manager gave us her mailing address and said we could send her a card if we wanted. So, I have been sending her cards a few times a week ... some pretty ... some funny ... but I just keep sending them to her.
 
She called our manager the other day and said she has good days and bad days, but she really enjoyed getting the cards from me. She said she wasn't up to phone calls or talking to anyone about her cancer yet, so the cards were a great way to know we are all thinking of her. They are also something she can look at over and over.
 
I will continue to send them until she returns to work!

Over Some Snacks

Today at work, my coworker was hungry.

She had brought in a drink-type meal ...and it didn't taste any good. We were working until 9:30pm, so she really needed to eat something.

I went to the break-room and purchased some goldfish crackers and a bag of salted peanuts. I brought them back for my coworker to eat with me.

When I offered them to her, she was so thankful to me for looking out and making sure she would fill her belly a little bit.

We talked a bit as we ate the snacks together. It's nice to share a little food and conversation. And, tonight, we did both! :)

Kindness as Easy as Apple Pie

At work we have a luncheon each month to celebrate the birthdays of the people who were born that month. We take turns supplying the lunch and desserts.

It was not my turn to supply anything for August, but I wanted to contribute.  I have a new boss and she is allergic to chocolate. (I know, I wonder how can she live without chocolate in her life?) Anyway, I wanted to make sure that she was able to eat dessert because August was her birthday month and she was new. I stopped at the store and bought an apple pie to add to the dessert menu!

Little things mean a lot! I'd say that act of kindness was as easy as pie...

A New Job And A New Friend

I started training for my new job this week. There are only four of us training and we spent four hours together yesterday talking about customer service. "Wear your smile!" they say. Well, I think I have that part "aced!"  When the first day of training came to an end a colleague and I went to grab our things from our lockers. He was having trouble getting his combination lock to work and I heard him muttering to himself.  "Come on! Open! I'm going to miss my bus!"    I asked if I could give him a lift but he said he lived quite far away. He would take the bus - if he could get to the bus stop in time! It was late, the mall was closing and soon the busses would stop running.   I told him not to worry, I would take him to the bus stop. And if the last ... Read Full Story >>

When Kindness Rolls Down Windows

On my way home from work, I got stuck in line waiting for my turn to pull out onto the highway. A young man, his wife, and two children were standing on the side of the road. He was holding a sign that asked for money.

I looked at him, wondering, "Does he really need it? Or is this a scam of some sort?"

I felt compelled to look around my car for money, anyway, and I found  a few dollars. Bunching the bills together in my hand, I rolled down my window and called out to the man.

He graciously accepted, and thanked me for my kindness.

Within seconds, more car windows rolled down and money was being waved at him from other drivers nearby. I don't know what he will do with the money, but I feel happy knowing that kind people are still out there. Maybe they are just waiting for someone else to take the first step. :)

Free Dinner In Fifteen

At the grocery store I noticed that there was sale on some frozen dinners. So, I picked up a few extra for the freezer at work. 

I am always hearing people at work saying they are hungry, but they only get a fifteen minute break and can't really go out to get something to eat in that short amount of time. 

Sure enough, the next day someone said they were hungry. I told them there were a few dinners in the freezer and they could eat one on their fifteen minute break. 

The smile on her face was priceless! It's a easy as that. And smiles are contagious!​

End Of The Month Food

As the end of the month approaches many of my co-workers run out of money. Even the government assistance they get to help with groceries will be gone. 

I noticed this a while back when one young lady was not eating on our break. 

I now try to stay mindful of this time of the month and bring in a bag of bagels, a loaf of bread, and pound of lunch meat. Or I buy a pizza for lunch and share it. 

I'm not sure what I'll do at the end of this month, but you can be assured I will try my best to help keep my friends' bellies full.

Facing My Fear For A Friend

Moustaches And Smiles

I have a friend who isn't feeling well. 

I have been sending her cards to keep her positive and I sent a really funny one with a photo of three of her coworkers. I used an "app" to add moustaches to each of the three people in the photo. Two of them are women! 

She actually called me a work and was laughing so hard at the funny photo. She said to please keep the support coming because it was helping her more than we knew.​

Always Remember Those Who Serve

How Dirty Shoes Bloom Roses

Flames of Gratitude

Helping Out At Toys For Tots

Stuck in Line, Stuck with a Smile

Smile Cards Make The Headlines

Near The Horizon

The Sock Ministry

Parking Lot Samaritan

A Spirit Guide To Lean On