Remembering Kindness 41 Years Later
I was twenty-four years old and three months pregnant when my husband died. I was a widow and an expectant mother in the same day. We had bought a new home and I had filled our two bedroom apartment with nursery items in anticipation of moving in. Now the house would be taken away. I knew I would have to go back to my parents' home, at least until I delivered the baby. And the shock of my husband's sudden death had made losing the baby a very real possibility. I moved back into my old bedroom. My twin bed, a crib and a dresser was all that could fit in the 8 x 10 foot bedroom. The rest of our furniture had to go into storage. I was able to pay for three months worth of storage and then I would have to sell all the new furniture we had bought for ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by wooka85257
- Aug 17, 2011
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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 >>
- Posted by wooka85257
- Nov 11, 2011
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Kindness Karma Returned
When I lived in Portland, I lived pretty much hand to mouth. I had injured my knee and couldn't work and my tiny early retirement check paid rent only. I was on food stamps so I could eat, and getting around on crutches made bus travel challenging. But it was my only recourse as my car had so many repairs needed, I couldn't afford to have it fixed. Curiously, I would find money all the time, so I started a FOUND MONEY jar. It was the biggest jar I could find (a Mason quart jar), because I was always finding coins on the street or in theaters or in seats. When I would come home with coins I had found, in they would go. One time I found a $5 bill in my garden by my apartment. It was the biggest bill I ever found, and it lived in the jar ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by wooka85257
- May 21, 2011
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More Kindness Inspired By A Homeless Man
It was bitterly cold and I had been watching a homeless man make himself comfortable in a "shelter" next to a power unit on the canal bank. His "shelter" was a tarpaulin taped to the metal unit and anchored with rocks to keep the wind from blowing it away. He had been living there for over a month in weather that often dipped below freezing. In all the times I passed that makeshift lean-to I never saw him with warm clothing or food. I knew what I wanted to do. I was young, living at home, and when I told my parents what I wanted to do they were alarmed. I could be putting myself at risk, taking a box to a homeless person in the night time! But I knew, on some intrinsic level, that I would be safe. I went to the grocery store and got an apple box with a solid top ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by wooka85257
- May 10, 2011
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Waiting for Parking; Learning a Lesson
I have been ill and in a lot of pain for quite some time. So my trips away from home have been few and far between, mostly to the doctor's office. Two weeks ago I decided to go to the local market for some fresh produce. As I backed out of my driveway, I asked aloud in the car, "Please help me to show kindness to others today." It was heartfelt and I was eagerly looking for ways I could be kind, for example by letting people into my lane. I drove to the market, and as I drove up, I saw an elderly man get his wife settled into their car, and then go around the car to the driver's side. They were in a handicapped parking spot, and as I have a handicapped plate, I waited for that close spot. It would mean all the difference in being ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by wooka85257
- Aug 11, 2011
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A Caring Angel At A Caregivers Retreat
I went to a day-long family caregiver's retreat this past weekend and encountered a lot of wonderful people doing fabulous work caring for their loved ones. Because of my recent physical problems I had to go in a wheelchair. It is a companion chair ~ the kind you have to push with your feet because the wheels are tiny. It's meant to be an easier chair to lift out of the trunk ... much less cumbersome and definitely lighter than the big wheel wheelchairs. But it makes for exhausting pushing, especially when your leg muscles are already compromised. Unfortunatley, I have to push myself backwards because I cannot use the muscles needed to pull myself forward! After the retreat was over, I was pushing myself backwards across the large campus. It was hot and I was exhausted from the effort. A lady of about 50 years of age came up to ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by wooka85257
- Aug 23, 2011
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Angel in an Audi Quattro
My car has been giving me fits lately. Dying right in the middle of the road for no discernible reason, I checked out by my mechanic-- to the tune of $283 two weeks ago-- but it continues to stop at odd and wondrous times. No sputtering, no chugging, just stopping. Today, I had to go to the office store. It's close by, so I thought I would risk it, and if that didn't cause it to die, I would go to the pharmacy to return some old prescriptions. The office store was no problem, however, just as I turned the corner to go into the pharmacy parking lot, the Gracemobile died. I tried starting it again, and unlike other times, it didn't restart. I was nine feet from the intersection, so I put on my hazard lights to make sure I wouldn't get hit by an unsuspecting car rounding the corner. I ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by wooka85257
- Jul 28, 2012
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