Circle of Kindness
Have you done something kind for someone . . . or been on the receiving end of a thoughtful gesture? Share your heartwarming story here!
A sweet taste of kindness! I was shopping for strawberries to make jam at a new grocery store that had recently opened in our neighborhood. But I couldn’t find the Mason jars, so I asked a young clerk to help me. After introducing himself as James, he took me to the aisle that had the jars. “My grandma used to make preserves every summer, and I really miss the taste,” he said. So I offered to bring him a jar of my jam. James thanked me, and I went home to make jam. A few days later, I returned with a jar for James, who was shocked. “I never really expected you to come back,” he admitted. But as I explained, one act of kindness deserves another! —Noma Jewell Bellissemo, Cincinnati
“A gift of a lifetime!” On my 60th birthday, my daughter Heather gave me a beautiful ceramic cookie jar. Inside were 365 slips of paper— one for each day of the year— and each held a special memory. Remember our summer camping trip to Yosemite? one slip read. Remember climbing the Cuyamaca Mountains every New Year’s Day when we lived in California? said another. Other slips held the titles of favorite songs or Bible verses. Heather told me she wanted her gift to last all year, but be new and meaningful every day. When I look at the jar now, I remember all the love she put into it. It is a real treasure-trove of precious memories. —Ann Davie, Hammond, LA
“It felt so good to help someone!” My sister and I were in the Walmart parking lot when we spotted a woman struggling to put a big box in her car’s trunk.
It was raining heavily, so we went over to see if we could help. But the box, which contained a barbecue grill, just wouldn’t fit. We couldn’t get it in the back seat, either. Finally, I told the woman we could put the grill in the back of my Jeep and I would follow her home. She was so relieved! It didn’t take long to get to her house, and she was so happy to get the grill home. It felt so good to help someone! —Cheryl Drake, Windsor, ON
“I had a smile on my face all day!” I work as a cashier at a local supermarket. One day an older woman came through my line. She was using a walker and was breathing with the help of a portable oxygen tank. I helped her unload her purchases, but when it was time for her to pay, her debit card was declined. The woman got upset and explained that she had made a deposit at her bank earlier that day. Not wanting to hold up the customers behind her, she stepped aside to call her bank. As I began to help the next woman in line, she asked how much the other customer’s purchase totaled, and when I said $60, she told me to just add it to her bill. After she left the store, I stepped over to the older woman, who was still on the phone, and told her that her bill had been paid. She burst into tears. “I’m flabbergasted!” she said. “Someone did such a good deed and didn’t even stick around for a thank-you!” There are such kind and caring people in the world! I had a smile on my face for the rest of the day! —Tina Plush, Westland, MI