Play Book Tag discussion

Have you witnessed or participated in a random act of kindness. Please share your experience. We can all use more kindness in our lives...

Monday, 21Dec2024

To the lady in line behind me at the grocery store. You had your arms full and I had a large cart with just a few groceries in it, so I offered the "child carrier" section of my cart for your items.

After I had checked out and the cashier began checking you out, you handed me a package of chocolates in thanks for letting you use my cart. I tried to decline but you insisted. So, I accepted and we parted with mutual wishes for a happy holiday.

I didn't realize until I got home that these were chocolate covered cherries.

My mother used to always buy those at Christmas. It's ten years now since she passed on. Your gift brought her home to me this Christmas. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Book Concierge wrote: "Monday, 21Dec2024

To the lady in line behind me at the grocery store. You had your arms full and I had a large cart with just a few groceries in it, so I offered the "child carrier" section of my ..."

Awww, I love this story! So heartwarming!

Just wanted to say thank you you too our Book Concierge for setting up this thoughtful thread.

Here’s one that pops to mind that I really like. When we went to visit my parents in Aspen this summer for eight days, we had gone to the farmers market, which is an activity. We all enjoy. My parents being 84 and 90, I forget what they must look like to other people. Because for my entire life, they have looked incredibly young. But anyway, my father saw the bread line and it was just so long. So he’s a charmer, and he started chatting up this lady who gratefully invited them in and saw that it would be good for them not to be standing too much in the sun and helped them cut the line near the front. Anyway, he chatted her up and flirted with her and all the while he’s holding my mother’s hand because she never leaves him for a second. And my husband is watching this whole thing happen and then of course, my father is picking out his breads and baguettes and pastries and Lord knows what. He goes to pay, and this woman had already paid for everything. Their entire load. She had already disappeared before we could even say thank you. I think about that a lot.

Our across the street neighbor is a nurse at the local hospital. She works long shifts. Wednesday is the day our garbage gets picked up. After the garbage truck comes thru, if her garbage cans are still at the bottom of her driveway when I get home from wherever I have been, I roll them up to the top of her driveway. Then I do the same for my own.

Great stories! This summer we were on a 2-week trip in Britain. We moved from one part of the country to another and the new hotel was on a rather busy street. I am very sensitive to noise at night, so I always travel with silicone ear plugs. But I found I must have left them at the previous hotel across the country. I discovered this after 5pm when the pharmacy was closed. This was a small town with no other stores in walking distance and we had no car. There was a convenience store a few blocks away. I didn't expect to find any but as I was asking the clerk and confirming they didn't have such a thing, another customer said, "I have some in my truck". He was parked right outside, worked in construction of some kind with noisy equipment and he had a pair in an unopened plastic sleeve. What are the chances? I thanked him profusely. The next morning I was able to buy some of my usual kind at the pharmacy.

Witnessed: While waiting in my car for a light to change, I watched a stranger who saw an elderly man in a wheelchair struggling slowly to cross a very busy street before the light changed. Though he'd already passed the man, he turned back and must have asked him if he'd like a push because a few seconds later, that old man was relaxed and zoomin' via the hands of the guy who went back to help. And, once on the other side, he must have discovered they were going the same direction because even though they were now back on the sidewalk, that guy just kept on pushing. Go, stranger, go!

Given: A few years ago while out on a walk around the holidays, I saw a living room with a gold star hanging in it. For those that aren't familiar, "gold star moms" are mothers/parents who have lost a child through military combat. I spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for small things: lotions, some lip gloss, a holiday CD and some chocolates, and I put them in a basket with a thank you note and a wish to her for a peaceful holiday, and left it on her doorstep during my next day's walk.

Received: On a particularly rough work day and during bad weather to boot, I came home to a hot, homemade pizza made by my neighbor who had been making one for her family and thought we might like one too. It was a "simple" gesture that was far from small in that moment.

I'm loving these stories! Warms my heart on a snowy evening.

We bought a load of firewood, which was delivered and dumped in our driveway. We left it a few days and were planning to wheel it to the back of the house and stack it. It is a formidable task. Our neighbors across the street knocked on our door and told us they were going to stack it for us. With 2 wheel barrows and a teenage son they were able to finish in no time.

We are eternally grateful.

As a note of interest the man who we buy our firewood from is R. Crumb's cousin. If anyone recognizes his comic books from back in the day.

Book Concierge wrote: "Monday, 21Dec2024

To the lady in line behind me at the grocery store. You had your arms full and I had a large cart with just a few groceries in it, so I offered the "child carrier" section of my ..."

How wonderful. You made me tear up with this story.

These are amazing stories. Keep 'em coming.

I love the chain reaction you get from these nice little things. It creates a nice sense of community.

Snowstorms really bring out the best in people around here. Yesterday when we got a lot of snow, my husband got out the snowblower and cleared several extra driveways and sidewalks. He’s one of younger men (meaning under 70) who seems to know who needs help the most. Our new neighbors (from India) don’t have a snowblower yet so he did their whole driveway. Soon after she came over with a cake. Another neighbor always makes too much soup and brings around containers of it. There have been many times when I went to bring the trash cans up the driveway, only to find that someone else has already done it.

I like the stories about the drive up lines at the bagel shop nearby (it also happens at Wendy’s and Tim Horton’s). Someone will buy an extra bagel, or frosty, or pay the bill for the person in the car behind them. It sets up a little chain reaction, and people talk about it at work. One little generous impulse can affect more than that one person.

Here is a story of mine. Several years ago, I made a Bar Mitzvah celebration for my son. As anyone who has done it knows, it's a very costly proposition. I decided to shave off an expense by having the photographer take pictures of the party only- not of the Bar Mitzvah ceremony itself.

Here's what happened. The photographer called me the day after the event. She explained that she wanted us to go to the synagogue with her to film more pictures. It would be free and her gift to us. The photographer explained that without these pictures, there was nothing to indicate that a religious ceremony had taken place. She generously gave us her time that day and afterwards in developing the pictures. My parents were also featured in them.

The photographer was a stranger to me. She did this out of the goodness of her heart.

Here's another experience that I can relate.

When I was working as a social worker in a hospital, my colleagues and I organized a gift giving program for Christmas. Each year, various hospital depts. would volunteer to buy Christmas gifts for needy patient families that the social workers would identify and work with. These depts. could request to be matched with: a large family, a small family, etc.

We social workers would talk with the families and get their wish lists - not promising that they would be fulfilled.

I can't tell you how absolutely generous and thoughtful the gifts were. And, how lovingly wrapped. It was stunning to see. The looks on the families' faces when they saw the wrapped gifts were priceless.

The program kept getting bigger and bigger each year that we did it. It was a lot of extra work for us and full of unplanned aggravations (ie. patients not showing up as planned, etc.) At the end of the day however, it was always worthwhile.

When my daughter was in Middle School she belonged to a group called Destination Imagination (a global organization). After many activities and performances, her group won the State competition and moved on to the Global Finals in Tennessee. 90% of the expense fell on the parents of the group. I was in a whirl trying to figure out how to pay for everything especially a week at a large hotel. Arriving at check-in I pulled out the credit card and the clerk looked up at me and said "it has already been paid for", I was shocked, overjoyed, and confused. I later found out that one of the team members parents (very wealthy) picked up the bill for us. I had been the Team leader all year and he told me it was a thank you for all I did to get the team there. He had no idea we were struggling with money.

I love all of these stories! And that photographer, did such a mitzvah!!!!

I would have thought it would be inappropriate to have a photographer during the religious service? But I haven't been to many bar mitzvahs.

Robin, if the photographer works unobtrusively, then it can be permitted. And, it is possible to take photos at the synagogue before the ceremony.

Holly ... that's a wonderful story about the photographer. What a special thought to include some evidence of the importance of religion to this milestone.

I'm going to pull up an old memory for this - one I tell and think about often.

If you've been reading any of the recent posts - especially my long long ones - in the Play Harder discussion thread - about a prompt I got that triggered filling in some of my family - and especially Mom's - history - you know my mother was ill and a semi-invalid during my college years.

When I was a sophomore, I headed home (from NYC Barnard College) the night before Thanksgiving for the holiday on the farm. An hour after I arrived home Mom had a stroke, and when I left to return to school for final exams, she was in a coma (she came out with minimal damage after 5 days - woman was a miracle I tell you). It was clear that I needed to wrap up my exams ASAP and get home to help run the household, deal with Christmas and my younger sisters, while Dad spent most days at the hospital (he'd retired from farming about 4 years earlier). I took my exams all in a 4 day period right after the last class met, which was about 3 weeks earlier than anyone else --though I did get until January to hand in a couple of papers. I gave up reading period basically and having exams spread out over a couple of weeks. I finished my last exam and was leaving on the first bus out of Port Authority headed to Binghamton - the nearest bus depot to the farm. I headed downtown to check out holiday windows, do some shopping, and feeling quite numb. Elizabeth Ashley was starring on Broadway in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and I really wanted to see it - it was getting rave reviews. I decided to go and went first to TKTS (which was new - and fyi tickets were half - price which in those days was about $6 or $8!) but they had no tickets and sent me to the box office. At the box office, I was told there were no tickets to be had at any price. I must have had such an sad disappointed face! After saying that and looking at me as I started to say thank you and leave, the guy said 'wait a minute', pulled a ticket from a cubby on the side, turned it over and wrote something on the back, then handed it to me and said 'show the back of that to the theater manager when you come back - show is at 8'. I said thank you and left, had supper (burger, fries and for dessert peppermint ice cream hot fudge sundae) at Howard Johnsons in Times Square and went back to the theater, showed the ticket as I was instructed (I never looked at the back of it, assuming it was standing room or some such). I was led to this seat in the orchestra, 5th row and it was the best seat in the house! The stage was angled into the audience so center action took place at a bit of an angle - and my seat was dead center to it. Ashley played directly to me all evening! I have never seen any other production of that show, nor will I because it could never be surpassed, I'd only be disappointed.

But what that ticket seller did - gave me what was clearly a House Seat saved for those last minute important attendees like US Presidents - without charge for no reason other than there must have been something in my face or voice that indicated I needed that act of kindness. It meant a great deal to me then and still does.

Mom came home from the hospital Christmas Eve, and she had recovered sufficiently by the time in late January I had to go back to school that she was insisting they could manage and I was to go back to school. Period. That Christmas was a little rough - Dad was too distracted and coping poorly to be much help and wasn't exactly cognizent that I needed money to deal with it all for them -- I wasn't quite as assured and outspoken in those days -- but we muddled through, being very grateful to have Mom still with us and home.

Where do I start? How about our neighbours across the street. They will NEVER take anything from us (well, they used to take extra produce from our garden but would always bring us salmon so I stopped because I can't eat it anymore) not even as a thank you. Not only have they popped over with their snowblower to assist with the very end of our driveway when we're shovelling snow (those are the random acts,) but last winter when everyone was away but I had the bad ankle, we got snow (this one's not a random act, but just so very kind.) I asked them if they could shovel just enough so I could get out of the driveway in an emergency (I was using my crutches still and they were already outside shovelling,) but they did the whole kit and kaboodle. Then they brought back my thank you card with the gift card in it because if there is an emergency they can come to us (not that they ever had.)

FYI I'd texted the neighbour beside us and asked her if I could pay her teen son to shovel, but never heard back from her (they are on our neighbourhood board) so it's not as though I hadn't tried something else first!

A long time ago, when my wife had cancer, after about 7 months of weekly overnight chemo treatments…1.) the parking attendant (that I would pay when exiting the hospital) asked how my wife was and then ask me how I was…and 2.) the guy that owned the donut shop down the street from the hospital which was what I would use to bribe my wife to treatment (she loves donuts), gave me 4 dozen donuts on the day of her last treatment and told me to give them to the nurses…after which I told him, his donuts saved my wife’s life.

Neither my husband nor I had anything to do with organized sports when we were growing up. Our daughter had no interest, but it was obvious by the time he was two that our son needed to do something very active. The efforts of volunteer soccer and little league coaches aren't random acts of kindness. There's nothing random about it. It's time consuming and demanding. I was grateful all of the years that my son participated. I am still.

We were past 40 when our son began playing sports. Most of the other parents were 10 or more years younger, and usually more strapped for cash. One of the coaches had two boys, very close in age who played on the team, a group of 7- 8 year olds. Most of the team signed up for a baseball summer camp but only the oldest of the coach's two boys was going. Turned out, they couldn't afford the fees for both of them. My husband ( who knew absolutely zip about baseball ) had helped as an assistant coach. He quietly created a scholarship without identifying himself. All of the kids had a great week.

Another, not so random act. My son also played soccer, alternating the fall and spring sports. I never volunteered. I worked with children all week and I knew the limits of my energy. My husband helped in the baseball season, but the AYSO only got our fees and our gratitude.

My husband died in an accident the summer that our son was 11. Somehow I did manage to get him signed up for soccer. A week or two before the start of the season, I got a sharp phone call from the woman ( a volunteer) who was responsible for organizing thousands of kids into teams and finding them coaches, referees and team moms. It was a demand call. She'd noticed that my husband and I had never contributed our time. I explained my situation and told her that I'd wanted to call and ask to have my son put on a team with a coach that he already knew, but with the press of many demands, I hadn't gotten around to it.

She asked for a list of names and called me back 15 minutes later. She put my son on a team with a coach he already knew from soccer and baseball.

I don't remember her name. But I'll never forget that act of kindness.

Jgrace-we were older parents, I had my only when in my mid-30's.

My heart just broke a little reading about the loss of your husband and young boys father. Having helped, in my community, with the roster for soccer teams, I know that even though the beginning of contact with that woman was not pleasant, she moved mountains to accommodate your request and son.

My daughter played soccer from age 5 until she was 12-I do not miss the weather we suffered through those games-lol

One of things I love most about this season is that all of the holidays are connected through the concept of light. That we can be a light to others. That we have a light that endures inside of us. That we increase each others lights. I think this season reminds us of that. That there is always more we can do to increase the light of others and be a light to others. I love that we are marking experiences of that, that were deeply felt, and that inspire us to continue making sure we are lights to others whenever we can be.

Beautifully expressed, as always, Amy! 🕎