Stories Matching 'Giving Ability' Tag (103)Environment Research New Ideas Public Transportation Children Inspiration Teachers Seniors OnThe Road Grocery Store Money Workplace Animals At Home Anonymous Friendship Kindness Kindness of Strangers Courage Small Acts of Kindness Health and Wellness Generosity Sharing Family Respect Neighbors Reconciliation Smile Cards Advice Good Samaritan Giving Money Giving Ability School Church Youth Collective Arts Creative Kindness Random Act of Kindness Homeless Travel/Vacation College/University Holidays Internet Birthday Sharing Food Emergency/Disaster Community Relationships Paying-It-Forward Coffee Shop/Restaurants $100 Kindness Idea Smile Decks Thank You Serendipity Snow Angel--posted by Anonymous, on Apr 4, 2006
comments (4) | email this | print | permalink A Neighbor's Blessings--posted by Agnes Haddaway, on Apr 10, 2006
comments (9) | email this | print | permalink On Grey Days of the Soul--posted by Pavi, on Apr 11, 2006
The three of us met this morning at a crowded cafe in downtown Manhattan. The streets outside wet-gleaming in the rain and blossoming with umbrellas. Me, and K and M. K a young woman I'd met only just this morning. A person with a wonderful spirit working towards finding balance through a challenging period in her life. M a woman I met two years ago in the park. A writer struggling with comments (3) | email this | print | permalink Miles of Smiles--posted by JZ, on Apr 24, 2006 "Right on. This is my kind of protest," he says while going past me. I hadn't thought of it way before. But perhaps it is a protest for lack of smiles in the world. About 15 of us gathered earlier today to create poster boards that we would proudly hold up on busy street intersections of San Francisco. The posters would say simple things like "smile" or "smile anyways" or "spare a smile?" or "smile, it's free". We weren't doing this as a part of any organization but rather as friends and well-meaning citizens of the ... comments (58) | email this | print | permalink The Karma of Kindness--posted by VM, on Apr 28, 2006 My wife and I were at the bookstore the other day and we were helped by a young woman in finding a book, and something about this woman just told me she needed to get tagged! So my wife wrote a beautiful note addressed "To the woman in the light green sweater and curly, brown hair" with a quote that said "Sometimes our joy is the reason for our smile, and sometimes our smile is the reason for our joy," along with a small box of Godiva chocolates ... We gave it to another employee who read the whole thing and left it for her to come back to. Now they say that in giving we receive, and maybe it was a coincidence, but minutes later, I ran into one of my best friends from high school, who I hadn't seen for about a decade! comments (10) | email this | print | permalink I Bow to the Paint on my Walls--posted by Sukh Chugh, on May 12, 2006
comments (23) | email this | print | permalink Laundry mat Veggies--posted by Danielle, on May 31, 2006 I have a big veggie garden and every year i plant a little more than i can handle. It's something like my eyes are bigger than my appetite. I decided to take all of my excess veggies down to the laundry mat with a sign that read "free veggies". I guess that those who use the laundry may prbably rent places and might not be able to plant a garden. I did this all summer and each time when i went to collect the box...it was empty! comments (6) | email this | print | permalink Buying a Miracle--posted by Anonymous, on Jun 13, 2006
comments (23) | email this | print | permalink An Offered Basket--posted by Loveta, on Jun 29, 2006
While going through a time of great sorrow and grief over a loss, I left my apartment and went to the 99 cent store to pick up two things I needed. Although these were not important items, I needed to get out for a while. comments (2) | email this | print | permalink Laundry Mystery--posted by anonymous, on Jul 12, 2006
comments (4) | email this | print | permalink Got Up Off My Bed--posted by Jac, on Aug 8, 2006
comments (9) | email this | print | permalink A Little Bit of Love is the Price of the Fare--posted by hpotter, on Sep 21, 2006 As I waited for the bus, a shuttle rickshaw came by. It was headed towards my destination,and since it was pretty much the same price as the bus I jumped in. Inside, I found a mother sitting with her daughter. The little girl was absolutely precious. She was all dressed up in a new outfit, her hair done, new shoes and a purse on her lap. I've been taking lessons from a lot of inspiring sources and knew this was the perfect time to meet some strangers. I began talking to the little girl. They were headed to her aunt's house to ... comments (17) | email this | print | permalink All You Need is Little Bit of Love--posted by hpotter, on Sep 6, 2006
With the recent floods in Gujarat, India, I've been busy with flood relief work in the affected slums. We distribute medicines, food, clothing, etc. but what is the most important thing to give is love. comments (7) | email this | print | permalink Serendipity With a Camera Woman--posted by karmaklimber, on Oct 25, 2006
Recently my wife and I were in Maui, and we went to enjoy one of its gorgeous sunsets by the beach. While sitting there a nice lady saw us and asked, "Do you have a camera?". I replied, "Yeah", and then she offered to take a picture of us. So we stood up, got into our 'standard' arm around each other pose. Then she asked us to lie down on the ground to make the shot more interesting, and asked how to set the manual flash on my camera. My wife asked her if she was a photographer, and she replied, "Yes, but I don't have any jobs tonight." comments (4) | email this | print | permalink Ripples of Light--posted by alchemist, on Oct 31, 2006
comments (12) | email this | print | permalink Mikey's Kindness Booklet--posted by keymaker, on Nov 18, 2006
comments (16) | email this | print | permalink My Mom's First Truly Anonymous Kind Act--posted by twiceblessed, on Nov 22, 2006
comments (34) | email this | print | permalink It's the little things that matter--posted by maliceyalice, on Dec 2, 2006 I was doing some volunteer work at a homeless shelter, and decided to document it with photography. I took shots of the residents which came out really well, but I also gave some of the residents a disposable camera. I then developed the film and printed them up. When I gave back the images, I had enlarged and framed the best photo, which was of a little girl. The man who took it was so happy because it was the first photo he'd ever owned of his daughter!His smile was the biggest smile I've ever seen in my life (even bigger than his daughters smile in the photo)! comments (9) | email this | print | permalink "Mahalo Nui Loa"--posted by hiloecho, on Dec 16, 2006 I just finished my Human Services practicum and as much as I loved the class and the instructor, I was dissapointed with my classmates. It was a small class - just 12 of us - and the other students took advantage of the instructor's kindness with late work, excuses for not completing assignments, etc. During the last 3 weeks of class, she was expressing her dissatisfaction and how she was going to have to re-think how she taught the class next semester. I really felt bad for her as she is a great inspiration to me and I could relate to her ... comments (6) | email this | print | permalink A Gift of Cloth--posted by anon, on Dec 29, 2006
comments (19) | email this | print | permalink Making the Gardener Smile--posted by guin, on Jan 12, 2007 This morning I was walking in a new park that I had just discovered near my house. When I went walking the previous day, the old gardener had asked me if I had some clothes to give him. He was wearing a tattered vest and it was obvious that although so many people frequented the park, nobody had ever spoken to him before. I gave him some nice shirts and some cake that I had at home. The next morning he told me how thankful he was for the shirts. As I walked, I noticed that the sprinkler that he was using to water ... comments (10) | email this | print | permalink Best Looking Yard in Town--posted by lazyonsundays, on Jan 26, 2007
comments (26) | email this | print | permalink Birthdays are for giving--posted by sonrisa, on Feb 19, 2007
comments (6) | email this | print | permalink We're All In This Together--posted by Jesstars, on Mar 11, 2007
comments (12) | email this | print | permalink The Flower Elves--posted by hiloecho, on Mar 15, 2007 A couple we know who have fallen on hard times went out of town over the weekend we think to probably regroup and try to re-establish their love for each other so they can weather the adversities they have recently encountered. They are the type of people who will not ask for help and even if it is offered they will not accept it, at least not willingly. We decided to do something nice for them by doing a quick landscaping job on their entrance walkway. They have a nice paved walkway but on either side it was just bare dirt, not very attractive. We went out and bought some flowers and some red cinders and replanted the walkway and then spread out the cinders for the asthetic look and hopefully to make weeding easier with less weeds able to grow through. We think it looks great and hope that when they drive in their driveway they wonder if they are at the right house. We feel it is important for them to know that they are special people who have friends who love them. comments (16) | email this | print | permalink We All Have A Story--posted by hiloecho, on Mar 31, 2007
comments (23) | email this | print | permalink Helping a Neighbor Down on his Luck--posted by MakeSomeoneSmile, on Apr 7, 2007 We had a community garage sale this weekend. Early that morning a man who was staying down the street with his mother stopped by. He is a cabinet maker but there has not been much work for him lately. He has been doing lawn jobs and clean up to make extra money to keep going. He stopped by to ask us if we had any lawn equipment for sale. We didn't but upon hearing his struggles I pulled an extra yard blower/vac out of our cabinet and gave it to him. When he asked how much it was, I just ... comments (8) | email this | print | permalink Wandering Around an Albuquerque Airport Terminal--posted by Naomi Shihab Nye, on Apr 26, 2007
comments (56) | email this | print | permalink Gratitude For The Kindness Of Strangers...--posted by sonrisa, on May 23, 2007
comments (25) | email this | print | permalink An Unforgettable Fishing Experience--posted by Mike Delyria, on Dec 12, 2008 Several years ago, I worked for a trucking outfit as a driver. It was my habit to go in on Saturday and spend a couple hours maintaining my truck. As I was under the truck greasing it, I noticed the owner's elderly father making his way over to his grandson's truck next to mine. The old man was in his high eighties, had been an avid fisherman all his life, and had come out to ask the kid to take him fishing after work. The grandson told him all about how much he would love to do that, but, he ... comments (30) | email this | print | permalink
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I was at work and it had been snowing all day. I peeked outside about an hour before leaving work and I was terrified to see that every square inch of my car had been blanketed in about 8 inches of snow. I stayed in the office a few minutes after 5 trying to figure out how I would get the snow off of my car in heals, a skirt and no window scraper! I finally sucked it up and walked outside. To my surprise as well as relief, my car was completely clean of snow. My windows were scraped, ... 
Each week, I give my elderly neighbor a ride to the store, when I am going. She keeps trying to pay me, and I keep refusing. I tell her that it doesn't cost any more for her to ride with me. 
Wow! I got seriously tagged with an act of anonymous kindness last week. Actually, its more like ’seriously pummeled’ with kindness. I spent 26 days at a meditation retreat, mainly to begin the process of self purification through self discovery...I guess you could call it a renovation of the interior walls of my mind. As I walked back into my studio home on Sunday, WOW, a few folks had decided that they would self-purify my home and renovate its interior walls as well. The place has been tiled, every corner has been painted, fridge has been stocked, light switches ... 
I was a first year college student in a Graphic Design course and I'd like to tell you an interesting story that happened to me a few months ago. You see, I live in a "seedy" (an abundance of illegal activity) apartment building whose residents are a large diversity of minorities, most of which I have never met, (I don't even know my neighbors name), and we all have to use the laundry room on the third floor. The dryers in the laundry room are old and usually require more than one cycle to fully dry even a small load ... 
For a long time, I have been toying with the idea of going abroad to do something worthwhile, a voluntary thing, either working with kids or animals... and have been spoiled for choices with the kind of organised things you can pick, different causes, different countries. It's very expensive though. And I was puzzling over how can I be able to afford the flights and costs and everything. And impatience took over me. 
I have been going through a difficult patch recently and a friend told me this story when we spoke one evening. I am sharing the story with you because it gave me a little bit of hope when I was in need of a positive perspective. I hope that the ripples of this lovely story give you some hope if you need it too.
He said that he was standing at the entrance of his building that evening, on his way home from work. He was talking to the building porter, when an old couple entered to go towards their flat. ... 
For their first baby-shower, my cousin and her husband created a very unique kindness theme for everyone to partake in. To support their heartfelt intention, my wife and I decided to surprise them with a booklet that contained many of our favorite stories from the HelpOthers.org site. The compassion conspiracy, as we soon learned, went way above and beyond our expectations.
On Saturday, Michael was running the night shift at the 24-hour Kinkos and flat out said that they won't be able to get the project done that night. We nodded but still carried on with our ... 
Here's a story my mom recently emailed our family. I thought I'd share with the group!
Per your invitation card instructions, I decided to do my first truly anonymous act of kindness as my baby-shower offering.
For Junior, I wanted to crochet a receiving blanket and I just learned crocheting. Then I realized what you had asked for was an anonymous act of kindness. I decided to do it for someone unknown. I got white yarn and started crocheting with as much good wishes and blessings as possible for an unknown baby. It came out beautifully with a ... 
I read a lot of spirit and intention books. I remember reading Wayne Dyer one night and in his Power of Intention book, he wrote something along the lines of if you can’t give a homeless person money, give him a smile.
The other day I was waiting for the light to change in downtown San Francisco and there was a homeless guy who was walking around with his sign and he went from car to car (I was the 3rd one in). The cars reacted as they usually do, just closing the windows and ignoring him, one car moved up, you ... 
After learning my flight was detained 4 hours, I heard the announcement: "If anyone in the vicinity of gate 4-A understands any Arabic, please come to the gate immediately."
Well -- one pauses these days. Gate 4-A was my own gate. I went there.
An older woman in full traditional Palestinian dress,
just like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing loudly. "Help," said the flight service person. "Talk to her. What is her problem? we told her the flight was going to be four hours late and she did this."
I put my arm around her and spoke to her haltingly. ... | Home | About Us | Our Friends | Get Involved | Contact us |  |  |  |