I was making a comment in my PDA about listening skills. And I was thinking about all the times we have been disrespected by people too busy for common courtesies.

So I wondered what you have done for someone lately or what has someone done for you lately? It isn't about fabric and quilting tho you can tell those stories here too but I was thinking that how often do we practice how we want to be treated.

I am working on my listening skills. Just taking the time to listen to the person talking to you --really listening not just patiently waiting til they are done so you can talk - is a courtesy so many don't take the time to practice anymore.

So what courtesies have you offered lately or what kind act did you practice?

My DH will always ask if I want the last of something in the fridge before he eats it. I don't always acknowledge this but he is a kind person most of the time!!

I'm actually not sure what I have done lately to be courteous or kind. Will have to think on it myself!!
Shame on me! LOL

So anyone want to share? Please don't be shy to share something good you have done!! Or something someone has done for you. A courtesy performed or an actual act of kindness. Thanks Everyone!!

Well, I have to admit I am listening challenged as well, and have tried to change that, and have gotten somewhat better...but thanks for the reminder...I needed it:)

i left $100 gift certificates in the lockers of 2 single moms at work

Randomly dropped off a large financial donation for their to my neighbor family (which I have adopted for the year...although they don't know that). They have received 4 random surprises from me so far....I plan to continue this for the next 8 months. And then maybe I'll adopt another family.

What inspiring stories! Keep it up people! We want to hear good things and lift some spirits!!

I guess as some may know my DH and I gave away our 4 wheel Shoprider scooter to a lady who needs one. It was a very rewarding feeling knowing she will enjoy being able to be more independant with the scooter.

random acts are very catching. I'll tell a little story:

My friend at work heard that I was having a bake sale to collect money for this particular family. She went and asked the boss if our jean's week collection could go towards this family. I didn't even know it at the time. At the end of the week, she presented me with $350 to add to my $160 dollars that I had collected. It brought tears to my eyes to know that one spark, caused another spark and the pot of money grew bigger!

For the single mother, who was the recipient, she was at a loss for words. All I had to see was the smile and gratitude on her face, and it was all worth it.

Even though I can work in the school system due to diabilities, my interest is still in children. I made sure a 14 year old in a precarious family situation had birthday and Christmas presents to unwrap. She is in a safe, loving situation, but her caretaker is far removed from the needs of a 14 year female.

Both are such nice kind acts...I am sure you each made of those families very happy..


i left $100 gift certificates in the lockers of 2 single moms at work

Randomly dropped off a large financial donation for their to my neighbor family (which I have adopted for the year...although they don't know that). They have received 4 random surprises from me so far....I plan to continue this for the next 8 months. And then maybe I'll adopt another family.

Back at the beginning of November I decided on my Facebook page to try and post something every day that I was thankful for. When that ended I decided that since November had been a month of 'thanks' I would make December a month of 'giving'. Kind of a Pay-it-forward idea for the month. I'm not sure I took advantage of every opportunity God gave me, but I did deliver food boxes to 3 families, bought Christmas gifts for a family of six who had very little by way of gifts for their kids and was able to help a family who's mobile home had burned down by rounding up others in our church to donate clothes, Christmas gifts, household items, etc. while they are waiting for their insurance claim to be settled. Oh, and this may sound silly, but I try to return my shopping carts to the cart return area instead of just parking them willy-nilly.

My next door neighbor locked her keys in her car on Christmas night and when we came home we found her trying to jimmy her door. My hubby went looking for a piece of thin metal and I called our AAA (she doesn't have AAA or a lot of money) to get them to come unlock her doors, before they could get here my hubby was able to unlock her door with a thin piece of metal that had a lip on it. She was so happy and I was so happy that we could help her!

A former employee called me shortly before Christmas as she has done for the last few years since she moved out of state to wish me a Merry Christmas and during the conversation I learned she had fallen at work and broke her knee. She is collecting compensation, but it's only 65% of her salary, so I sent her a check. She just called, in tears, to tell me how much she appreciated it.

Kudos to everyone for the wonderful, kind and generous things you have done. And GrammaO - I always return my shopping cart too. It's the right thing to do and only takes a minute. I can't stand when people leave them and they go flying into cars - I even had one hit me!

Wow!! Such inspiring stories. I have had so much going on since November that I am not sure that my listening skills have been exactly up to par, but my friends have sure been there to listen. I am feeling fairly selfish at the moment. I will have to mak sure that I pay a little more attention to other people to as I know everyone is having a hard time right now. Thanks for inspiring me.

When we were in the apartment in town, there was an elderly lady who was trying to shovel the snow off her driveway. My husband went over and asked if he could help, she said she'd appreciate it very much. Anyway, since that day, whenever it snows my husband or I go shovel the snow off her driveway and walk. I've also been helping a friend move to their new home on her days off.

I also return my cart and will even bring a couple in if they're close by where I parked.

Well, I can't take the credit for this idea but I thought it was a good one. I work for a very large company that makes "tons" of money as a result of the work that I and my co-workers do. We have long since learned to never expect anything in return other than our paychecks and we get aggravated every Christmas because they make us pay $10-$20 each to come to our own company Christmas party, and if we don't want to due to the charge they say we have an attitude problem. Needless to say they never give us "anything" for Christmas. So this year they shocked us all by handing out $5.00 gift certificates to McDonalds. It was chinchy but better than nothing. The next morning one of my co-workers said she had decided to donate her gift card to a needy family whom her neighbor had adopted for Christmas, and she invited anyone who would like to do the same. She collected quite a few gift cards to give. Where I live you really can't buy any adult combo with a drink at McDonalds for $5, but those cards that none of us missed one whit, put together, were worth several nice meals for this family. It was a good way to turn a negative situation into a positive one, I thought.

I also make sure I return my cart. I dislike seeing them where they could get hit when someone pulls in. I also have a compulsion to make sure the carts are pushed into the next carts so they are in a straight line. My quilting eye needs to see the straight line I guess! LOL

I always let someone go ahead of me in a checkout line when they have only a few items. I am not in that much of a hurry that I can't wait a few minutes. I usually have a full cart so it makes sense to me not to make them wait through my long list of groceries.

I applaud all the kindness I am reading about! Bravo everyone! You are showing the love of Christ when you do for others!! Let his light shine through me!

My neighbor on one side is blind so I talk to her a couple times a day and run over to help her do all kinds of things. (Her family gets tired of helping her so they ignore her calls!!) She can do much so she is bored all the time. On the other side an elderly couple with no kids or family are dealing with a bout of cancer for him. I am also available for what ever they need. I have a busy life anyway and some times I complain to my husband about their neediness but I would never let them know. I just get tired and have to vent. He helps too and knows where I'm coming from. Does that count?

My daughter and son-in-law were out of work last Christmas and between the school where their 3 children go and church they had a good Christmas. This year the son-in-law has a job so we adopted 5 children from the giving tree at the same school that helped them last year and donated 4 food baskets loaded with food to the school for families. We also donated food to the food baskets at the church. As my 8 year old grandson will tell you, " Nana it is better to give then to get."

I also return my shopping cart to the return holders, it's just laziness not too IMHO. I really need to hone my listening skills. There's a needy family in our church, and I bought a baby bed for one of the babies and contributed $100 to their Thanksgiving meal. I felt I needed to do more at Christmas, but this lady is real independent and doesn't want to take anything, but, she knows we are all there for her. I'm collecting clothing for her children now. It really makes me stop and count my blessings.

I call my daughters school to find out what clothing items are needed. The school has a clothing closet for children that don't have enough clothes - if I don't have what they need, I go to our local thrift store and pick some up, wash them and send them the next day.

I also let people behind me go in front of me to checkout if they have a few items.

I open and hold the doors for older people (to me that is common courtesy) but unfortunately many others don't see it that way.

What a great topic to post here - it will open my eyes to other things that I could be doing :)

thank you

I spent from before Thanksgiving to two days before Christmas across the country with my MIL to care for her after her hip replacement. I'm the only female in our very small family and there are some things that would have been very embarrassing for her to have done by her other son. I flew home after 4+ weeks to spend Christmas day with my family and was planning on going back the next day, for another 4 weeks, but MIL had recovered so well that she didn't want me to come back. I was really grateful to be able to have a last family Christmas Day together with my little family unit before our only goes off to college next year.

This is quite simple but I try to give people a true smile when our eyes meet. Usually they will smile back but sometimes I just get the funniest look in return! I figure a smile cost nothing and can be used over & over. You never know when it might change someone's day.

My friend, Paula, is the best listener I've ever met. When you're telling a story, she stops what she's doing, puts down anything she's holding, and leans in to listen to everything you say. It makes a person feel so valued how she pays attention. Then, months later she'll bring up what you said and relate it to something else that's going on. Whenever I see her, I leave feeling on top of the world.


As for myself, I try to be a very good tipper. Waitresses, pizza delivery guys, grocery store baggers, gas station pumpers, almost no one is safe from my tips. I know these folks don't make much money and have to deal with lots of demanding grumpy people, so I try to make it a little more worth it for them.

This is a great thread. I'm enjoying reading everyone's posts.

I've definitely got to work on being a better tipper...that's great that you are so generous in that area...I'm always trying to calculate 20%...but I never think of giving more.

After finding out how many children were at a local shelter, my sister and myself had our boys (15 y/o) make pillowcases. Sis had a great collection of kids prints, we purchased new pillows and a book to go with each. The boys liked the sewing quite a bit!

I took my coat, which I really,really really like and gave it to a homeless person.

When I see someone, I always ask how they are doing and after they tell me, I ask how their family is doing.
i.e. mom, dad, kids and I'll try to mention them by name.
If they ask about me or my family, great. If they don't, I don't fill in the info.

Love reading about all the nice things people do for others!! I had not thought about it much but yes, I do return shopping carts to the corrals, I hold doors open for others, I give smiles, I always say "thank you". Yesterday, while at Walmart a lady 3 people in front of me at checkout line was short just a little money to complete her purchase so I paid what she needed. Then on the way home a pickup truck with an older man and women was stalled half on the road and half off the road. Husband and I stopped, helped push them out of harms way. Made sure they had help coming before we left. We got home, put away groceries and kept wondering if their help came (it was a cold 25 degrees outside) so went back to make sure help had arrived, prepared to bring them home with us or take them to their home, but their daughter was there for them. It does make a person feel good when they are able to help even just a little bit.

We had a brand new stove that the previous owner of our house had installed prior to putting the house on the market. We replaced it immediately, without even turning it on, because we were used to having double ovens. Last month, I asked friends if they knew of anyone who needed a new stove, but who couldn't afford one, and the stove now has a new home where it will be used and appreciated.

We have also given away a couple of my old cars in the past to friends who needed transportation - I tend to keep my cars until forced to part with them ;-)

We also bought several bags of food for needy families through our local grocery store and sponsored a family for Thanksgiving dinner at our barn.

It's not that we are wealthy, but we are fortunate to be better off than many in this dreadful economy. Back in the 80's, I was one of those suffering and had good friends who helped me survive the tough times. Unfortunately, my new medical bills will be limiting our activities somewhat this coming year.

It seems many people give and get help during the holiday season. I try to do things and donate during the whole year, not just at Christmas time. One thing I do is try to keep an eye on some of my eldery neighbors. One neighbor fell and broke her hip so I would go each week and take her trash out for her.

Before Christmas, my daughter and I bought canned goods, and personal items to take to a dear lady here who is on disability and has bad health problems. We haven't been able to deliver them yet though, because she is out of town with her daughter's family. That's good because they don't often come see her at all, and complain when she's there that they don't have enough room for her. As soon as she's back home again, we'll take the things we bought to her.

I also have my mom and uncle living here with us. He is on hospice and right now is going downhill. We call him the come back kid, becaue he's bounced back so many times. Only this time, I think he hung on for Christmas, becuase he's gone downhill like a rock ever since. I don't know what we have ahead of us, but God will see us through. I just don't want him to suffer, and so far hospice has not provided us with any pain meds of any kind. grrrrr.....

I am so thrilled with all the stories I have read! Thank you everyone for sharing!!

There are so many ways we can lift someone's spirits with or without money.
I so enjoy just seeing a smiling face when you see so many frowns and scowls around you. It just makes the day brighter.

It is wonderful to know there are still people who look outward and not so much inward!! Great to see so many helping others!!

I have a special fondness for clerks at stores b/c I know they don't make much and have to deal with a lot of crabby people. I like to smile, say "how are you?" and stuff like that. I want them to know our brief encounter is important to me and they are valued It's amazing how a small gesture can make someone feel special and that makes me so happy :)

Thanks for all the great stories! The ones about being a good listener especially struck home with me. I try to be a good listener....I'm blessed (or cursed) with the ability to successfully type on my computer, or data entry or whatever, and listen at the same time. The work is still accurate and I can repeat every word of the story I'm listening to. All that is fine and good, but you all reminded me that just because I can doesn't mean I should. It's not very considerate to the person talking to me and they probably leave feeling as though I resented their interruption....sigh. I'll try to do better. :-)

I was on my way back from a dinner out with the girls. My friend and I were discussing a third acquaintance's situation. Single mom, three kids, no support income, going to school to better her career etc. And now she was getting the runaround from financial assistance!
I had just got a Christmas bonus. So I looked my friend in the eye, and we just knew.
We went to the grocery store, loaded up a cart, my friend knew some of the family's likes and dislikes, and we even threw in a bag of her fav chips.
Then we knocked on the door, brought the bags, and bags, and bags, in and set them on the kitchen floor. I wished her a Merry Christmas and set off. My friend, who is closer to her stayed with her a while - until she stopped crying and helped her put the groceries away.
Y'now, I didn't miss the bonus. But she'll never forget it.
I remember as a kid, my Dad doing something similar. We dropped in on a family on the way back from getting groceries, and she was upset because she couldn't even make a cup of tea for us. Dad unloaded the car and we went home. When he explained to Mom why we had no groceries, she just hugged him. That's one of the reasons I love my folks.

We lost one of our quilt group ladies, I knew she had problems and was busy for holidays...so did not call when she missed Nov. meeting. Come to find out, she had rapidly growing brain tumor and passed away within 6 weeks! I called and spoke with her hubby for almost an hour, reminiscing (sp) and just gabbing...he has no close family. We also sent flowers to the funeral, I loved it when I saw our flowers were so very much nicer than what her garden club sent :)

I received so many 50% off coupons from different stores and I really didnt need anything but went to look around and if people had things that could use the coupons I gave away 10 coupons like that and yesterday got a 5$ off coupon at the grocery store and gave it to the people behind me. Most of the time I forget to take them with me and lose out anyway. Also took many canned goods to different places. It doesnt seem like much but I donate during the year also. - j

I make a huge amount of Christmas cookies every year. This year I made up tins and dropped them off to elderly people who I know don't bake and some single friends of my husband who definitely don't bake. Everyone said they enjoyed the goodies and it lifted their Christmas spirits : ) I think sometimes it's just the little things :)

I went to an elderly friends home and shampooed her hair and rolled it for her. Told her I wasn't a professional but she was just thrilled to have her hair shampooed. She hasn't been able to get out to the beauty shop.

I'm not to cool, with tattoos but the young
Women that cuts my hair, had one on her arm in the
shape of scissors, very cool looking,an eye catcher
but very nice !! and she just lit up like a christmas tree,
when I commented on it !! I'm learning it's all on how
one makes one feel !!!
As I left she said, bye miss Olga :)