Circle of kindness

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

“SHE CALLED ME AN ANGEL BUT I WAS TOUCHED TO HELP!”

I was in line at my CVS pharmacy when I overheard an elderly woman ask for help

in finding high-potency iron. I am severely anemic and take iron, so when the clerk couldn’t find it, I showed them where it was. But when she saw the price, the woman, who had revealed she was undergoing chemotherapy and desperately needed iron, said it was out of her price range. While the store associate sympathized, he said there was nothing he could do. It was then I noticed that the supplement was on sale for buy one, get one 50% off. While I did not need a refill, I offered to buy one bottle at full price so the woman could get one at half the cost. She called me an angel, but I was touched to help! —Kimberly Manchester Massaroco, North Providence, RI

“SHE HELPED ME—AND SET A FINE EXAMPLE FOR HER SON!”

I was at a thrift store when I impulsively purchased an artificial tree set in a large

woven basket. It was over six feet tall and rather heavy. I am 80 years old and sometimes forget my limitations. After paying, I dragged the tree to the exit and began to wonder how I would get it to and into my car. Just then, a woman and her little boy who were also leaving asked if I needed help. Before I could answer, she had picked up the tree and carried it out and put it in my car. I congratulated her on setting such a fine example for her son. Her kindness made my day! — Betty Bowers, Mesa, AZ

“HER GIFT MADE MY HEART SING!”

Having had a stroke, I can’t walk very well, so I get around on a scooter. One day, I rode over to a local plaza. While I was there, a woman I had never met approached me and asked me to meet her in that same spot the next day. She then walked away without saying why. I happened to be in that plaza the next day and, curious, I went to the same spot where we had met. She was there and handed me a warming shawl. I loved it, and she insisted on giving it to me, saying that she makes them for people like me. I was so grateful. Kindness makes my heart sing! —Joane Love, Gibsons, B.C.