I have a challenge for everyone, not quilting....
 

I heard a mom have to tell her teenage son that she could not afford the item he wanted for his birthday, he smiled at her politely and put it back on the shelf. I know that feeling. Well the clerk handed him a bag with the item in it and told him she didn't know who paid for it, but it was his, and that was the best darn 30 dollars I have ever spent.

Now I am not saying everyone go out and stalk moms with their kids LOL, but perhaps one day purchase the cup of coffee or breakfast for that person behind you in the fast food lane. Get out of your car and help the elderly man air up his tire, and when he asks what he owes you, tell him nothing just if someone needs your help to help them. Now in some of the larger areas this might not be a good idea, but you know that handicap person struggling to reach up and close the tail gate on his van, reach up there and do it for him. That little kid screaming infront of you in the grocery line, instead of griping, make funny faces at the child and get them to laugh instead. You know that person who steps behind you in line with only one or two items, let them go ahead of you, five minutes won't make a huge difference out of your time and you have two carts full of stuff! If you accept this challenge please post what you did to make someone's day a little bit brighter or a little bit easier. I would love to hear everyone's stories and we sure could use some good news!

Many times I have let people go in front of me at the grocery store and even the Quilt store - I never seem to be in a big hurry and when they have so little and I have so much , why not ? Its the small things that add up :) can't wait to see some of the stories - Thanks for starting this

Just today I offered to let the gentleman behind me in line go first. He very politely declined, but thanked me anyway. I too do this frequently as I usually have at least one full cart and kiddos that just have to help unload it!

We walked by a lady today that was trying to load a lawn mower into her suv. She was having a heck of a time. My hubby offered to load it up for her and she was so grateful.

I've always looked for the lines at the grocery store that has an elderly single person in them and unload their groceries from the cart to the counter or if I see them struggling to get them in the car, I help them out. I've taught my kids (now in their 20's) to do that also. Of course, my son has a shaven head and tat's all over and it kind of scares some folks at first...LOL

Hopefully when I'm not able to do these things myself anymore, somebody else's kids will help me out!

I do it now, by holding doors for mom's with children and strollers. (been there done that) and helping little old ladies getting things off of grocery shelves.

I remember when, as a new mother, I was about a dollar short in the checkout at the supermarket and told the cashier I would not take one item. The man behind me quickly gave the cashier the dollar, I thanked him profusely and felt so good about other people for quite a while! I have done the same a couple of times; the last time a woman refused to take $2, and I felt so sorry for her -- she lost the opportunity to thank someone and feel grateful, and I lost the chance to help (but I will still keep trying)

I cook, hot meal to a new mother who not expecting from me because i barely knew her, she said it makes her day easier and that is a good thing
It helps me feeling grateful that i could make person smile

My 8yr old was shopping with me. An elderly woman, having trouble with her cart, was putting her groceries in her car, he held her cart for her while she finished, then took it to the cart area. She couldn't stop telling us what a wonderful child we have. I know I do, he is very caring.
Thanks for the stories,

I have done the same thing. Let others go in front and stop to help others..It makes my day. Also I will talk to crying kids and try to get them to laugh. Some times mothers are over whelmed.

Wow such beautiful stories coming in! You know quilters seem to be the most amazing people! Lovinmysolider I love your quote "I am a military wife... what's your super power?" That is great! Hugs out to everyone, I sincerely hope a lot more post!

When I was living in a large city and had been out Christmas shopping after work, I noticed something disturbing. An elderly lady was walking ahead of me toward the subway. In her right hand she had a shopping bag. In her left her purse. Her right side was to the buildings and the left was to the open sidewalk and then the streets. Three young men passed her, then doubled back and passed her again. When they started doubling back again, I hurried up to her, slipped my arm in hers (with her purse) and quickly explained to a very startled woman that I thought the young men had been about to grab her purse. They were furious. But the lady and I had a nice chat as we strolled up the street chatting and feeling our own holiday cheer! I cannot say that I am always as aware of my surroundings, but remembering this may keep me more alert, at least for awhile.

The other day I was going into JoAnn's and an elderly lady was leaving JoAnns with her walker. There was no way she could push the door open with her walker. I held the door for her and she was pleasantly surprised. Its a shame that more people do not help others, I was just raised that way....

When going through McDonald's I do at times tell the cashier at the window that I'm paying for the occupants of the car behind me as well.

I could not help from laughing about son with shaved head and lots of tat's all over. If we would remember that we are to look at the heart not the person. If you see me when I first get up I would scare some people too!!!

I try to do things like this when I see a need. This thread is so inspiring that others do it also. On the other side, I was in a grocery line the other day and got to talking to some college kids. When I was getting out my money, the cashier told me that the college kids had said they were paying and not to take my money. I only had < $10 worth of groceries but it made me so proud that some mothers still take time to teach their sons to do things like this also.
PS: I did have the money, they were just nice kids.

We have an elderly woman that just joined our quilt guild. She lives across the street from my Mom so I help with her machine and supplies on the days she comes to sew. I also help her pick material and help her with the patterns we are doing. She just finished her first quilt and it looks beautiful. She is going to give it to her grandson for Christmas. Yes, helping and doing for others feels great.

Since I've moved to a big city, I believe it's even more important to do these little things for the people we see every day. At my work as a nanny, we often pass the same street on our walks. One day an old Chinese lady was trying to get her walker up one step and having trouble. It took me all of a few seconds to do it for her and give her a nice smile. Even though she speaks no English, and I speak no Chinese, we have become friends, and always wave to each other when passing.

I agree, this thread is very inspiring. Keep 'em coming, folks!

I read the other day about 2 ladies who had a flat tire. An elderly couple stopped and the husband helped them change the tire. When they pulled back onto the road and had gone a little ways they noticed the couples car over on the side of the road and the wife waving her hands frantically. The ladies stopped to see what was wrong. The man was having a heart attack. It just so happened that the 2 ladies were nursing students and performed CPR until help arrived. The paper said the ladies said they felt like it was their fault he'd had the heart attack since he'd helped them with their tire. His wife told them no...they had saved his life. I say that was God putting it all together.

Diannia

My husband and I do these kinds of things all the time. My husband regularly buys the coffee for the person in line behind him. (One time a woman was very suspicious, thought he was going to hit on her!)

I regularly fork over a couple of dollars for the person in front of me at the grocery store. My mother-in-law did this a lot, and I always admired her generosity.

My teenage son is great with computers, and I persuaded him to help out a neighbor's adult son, who was in a low-paying, dead-end job. He had an opportunity at a much better job, but needed to take some kind of online test that was several hours long. His computer was down, and you're only allowed an hour on the computers at the library. My son fixed his computer for free. The man passed the test, got the job, and is in the process of buying a house and moving his wife and 2 kids out of their apartment! I was really proud of my son, and he feels great, knowing that a simple action on his part has made such a huge impact on a family.

I was recently a vendor at a musical event at a hotel and one of the hotel maids asked if she was allowed to buy several items. She didn't have enough money for what she wanted to buy for her mother so I told her I was giving free items for each one she purchased. She was thrilled and kept thanking me.............in another language.

I remember when I was little (50 years ago!) when I drove downtown with my mom, we would sometimes see an older lady waiting for a bus. My mom would stop and pick her up and give her a lift downtown. It wasn't anyone she knew other than from giving her a lift. She was nice that way.

DH and I will often stop and help someone who is having car trouble as he knows about all that. One time we helped two ladies start their car - it was just the gas was flooded. They wanted to pay and DH said don't be silly. and gave them one of our cards. Years later, one called and said she was closing an antique shop and wanted us to come down and pick out something. We wound up with a very neat old wood bucket.

Sometimes just to smile and say hi to someone is an act of kindness.

One of my favorite things to do is to pay the toll on a toll bridge or road for the car behind me....I figure it gives me good driving karma.....

My DH and I do stuff like this all the time. A couple years ago I decided that every time I would go into any store that had carts in the lot I would at least take 1 in with me and 2 if possible. Then on the way out I try to leave my cart inside the store. I also try and pick up at least 1 piece of garbage in the lot on my way in. It breaks my heart to see the trash all over our beautiful land and see people ignore it. The prevailing theme with most things is: "It's not my job!", when in reality it is Everybody's job!

These are such great stroies and reminds us all how much an act of kindness can mean!!!!!

that makes you feel so good inside it my kids and my grandson are also doing things for others like that tooo.

what I'm hearing you saying is "practice random acts of kindness." I try to do this all the time and just enjoy making other people smile.

I pay for the car behind me in the fast food drive thru at McDonalds every few weeks. I treasure the look on their face as I am driving away. It is the best good feeling ever! And their look is "priceless"!

I am glad you chose to reward a son who accepted his mother's "no" with grace. You are very kind and I will find a few extra dollars in my budget to accept your challenge!!!

For what it is worth, I was grocery shopping recently and had a young man step into line behind me with two items. I let him go in front of me (despite having waited a while in the line already) and he was very thankful. Really, that was no big deal, so I am going to find a BIGGER challenge! Thanks for the motivation!

I have paid for the person ahead of me in line at Christmas time if they were short, The one that sticks in my mind is the little boy in dollar tree asking for a dollar to buy his mom a chicken, Ok I gave it to him, I later heard his older brother say you take home that chick from Tractor supply mom is gonna be mad at you! I still laugh at that one. Guess mom got a live chick not a statue like I was thinking!!

That was a sweet gesture. I regularly pay for meals for military, firefighters and police officers when we are in the same restaurants.

What a wonderful cheerful post. Nice to hear of people doing good.

Up North, I would of LOVED to have been a fly on the wall when that boy brought home that chick! hehehe
Mad Mimm I cannot wait to read more of your good deeds! Reading everyone's beautiful responses motivates me to do more also! Thank you so much everyone who has replied!! It amazes me still how the tiniest smallest deed (at least to us) makes such a huge difference in someone else's world.

Me too I was so surprised to hear his brother say that as I did not know they were selling chicks next door!!! I thougt it was a little one I saw on the shelf and because I collect chicken things I was impressed. OOPS guess this time I was wrong, LOL

I had taken my mom to BJ's the other day, and we each had cart. She had asked me a question about some product and I was busy talking to her about it when I heard from behind me, "Excuse me, could I get something off the shelf?" I VERY seriously said No, turned around and looked at the astounded face of a woman. She looked in my laughing eyes and cracked up! Of course, I was kidding her, but she said she wasn't sure until she looked at my eyes. She then proceeded to tell me that a close relative of hers had died 3 days prior and she was in charge of doing all the food for the service. She hadn't laughed in a week until that moment. I still don't know who felt better, she or I.

First I want to say thank you for starting this thread; a few 'stories' have my eyes filling up.

2nd strangely I was thinking earlier today about the day I had a flat tire and no stroller in my car. (30 plus years ago), carrying my toddler and expecting number 2 son in a few months, I saw a lady getting into her car and asked her for a ride. She did look surprised and very cautious, but did give us a ride.

Just recently I was selling at a craft fair and a customer was asking the price of a book (I was selling with a pillow case) she wanted to buy only the book for a charity she is teaching non english speaking children. I gave her the book at no cost.
One day I pulled over and got out of my car when I saw an elderly man fall in the cross walk. He refused help and was not hurt.
I do let folks go in front of me when they only have a few items and my carriage is full.
What I really like to do is stop and let a car go in front of me, espically when I am being tailgated.

I stopped and changed a tire for an elderly lady one day. Two days later I found that she brought me flowers. I have no idea how she found out who I was or where I lived.

We were on a vacation and stuck in a small town in Utah with a car problem. We went to a chain steak buffet place that
was near our motel and as we were waiting for our meat to be grilled, a blind man came in to order and was being told
what there was to order and the cost and you could tell he was short on cash so my husband told the waitress to tell him
to order whatever he wanted because his meal was paid for. It always makes one feel good to help someone out.

I had a PIF returned recently - it was great!!

While in Jamaica I had found a camera. I brought it to the hotel front desk to turn it in to LAF. While the clerk was logging it all in I scrolled through the pictures thinking I might recognize the person and let them know I had turned their camera in. Saw several pic's of the same two people, apparently at their wedding just prior to arrival.

On our way back to our room I actually spotted the couple coming out of the gym!! I recognized him instantly and I asked them if they were recently married - yes - and if they had lost a camera - yes!! I told them I turned it in to the front desk. I noticed that she was holding a white plastic shopping bag bearing the name of the hotel.

Flash forward to the night before I'm checking out and packing (several days after the camera find). We had purchased two mirrors at the gift shop and could not find them. I called the front desk and as it was late the maids had all gone home but he promised he would ask her when she came in in the morning (I was sure the bag had been in the room). We searched more and even called our friends at the hotel. I then thought ... perhaps it hadn't been in the room and called the front desk again to ask if it had been turned in. He looked, and sure enough it was!! Hubby and I went right up to the front desk and he pulled out the LAF log for me to sign.

Imagine my surprise when I looked at the log and noted that my item was logged 2 minutes after the camera that I had found earlier!! I asked the clerk about it and he laughed and said the couple that came for the camera had turned it in!!

I know PIF's work, but I've never seen one work this fast!!


Another PIF moment was a cold rainy night on the Interstate and I ran out of gas, and wouldn't you know it I didn't have my cell phone. A nice older couple picked me up, took me to their house to pick up his gas can, he then bought gas, drove me back to my car and filled my tank. He wouldn't take a single dollar AND HE BOUGHT THE GAS, just told me to do the same some day!! The next day was bright, sunny and warm so hubby and I took fruit basket over to their house, they were not home so I left it with a thank you note. Two nights later in almost the same place I saw a woman standing by the side of her car with lights flashing. I stopped and drove her to the nearest gas station where she called a tow truck (her car had over-heated, suspected water pump). Wish I could have helped her more, but I was glad to do the little I could.

Love the stories - keep them coming!!

i like this thread. Doing a random kindness makes both the giver and the receiver have a good day. Spread the joy.