Circle of kindness

Readers share little reminders of how much goodness there is in the world

“A FEW KIND WORDS CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE!”

I had taken my mother to the beauty shop for a shampoo and set. After helping her get settled under the dryer, I sat down with

a book to wait. I noticed a man waiting his turn for a haircut, but I didn’t know him. I was so surprised when, before leaving, he walked over to me and said, “Thank you for taking care of your mother the way you do.” He walked away before I could say anything. He will never know how much his words encouraged me that day. Just a few kind words can make all the difference! — Jan King, Columbia, TN

“MY LITTLE GIFT MEANT EVEN MORE THAN I HAD HOPED”

I donate blood regularly, and the mobile blood donation bus parks in a movie theater parking lot and gives

us two free tickets for donating. I don’t usually have time to see a movie afterward, so I like to give my tickets to two random people in the ticket line. Last week, I handed my tickets to a young couple, and they were so grateful! They told me that it was their first adult outing after having had a baby and their money was very tight, so the savings of $20 was substantial to them. Knowing that I had donated blood to help save someone and also provided these nice people with a chance to enjoy their evening without worrying about finances filled me with joy! — Irene Milman, Coral Springs, FL

“IT MADE ME FEEL SO GOOD THAT I HAD MADE HER DAY!”

Not long ago, while at my favorite restaurant, my server was a gal I’d never seen before. Impressed with her service, I wrote on a napkin that she had done a great job and God bless her. I then left it on the table with the tip. The next time I ate at that restaurant, I specifically asked to sit in her section. To my surprise, she recognized me and shared that she had been having a bad day the first time she waited on me and that my note had really perked her up! She’d even taped the napkin inside her order pad, so she could see the note all the time. It made me feel so good that I had made someone’s day without knowing it at the time. — Shari Hendricks, Grandville, MI