Random and intentional acts of kindness

[me&thegals]

Wonderful thread! I can't think of anything from a complete stranger, but the farmer's at my 2 local markets are always lovely about sharing at the end of the market. The baker will often send us home with pies, and at the last market the organic meat/cheese man sent us home with our favorite garlic-dill cheese curds. How lovely!

I'll tell one on DH. In a terrible snowstorm last year, our neighbor called at 1 a.m. A police officer was trying to get home and was stuck in a 6-foot drift in front of the neighbor's house. He needed DH's help. DH crawled out of bed and got the tractor going in bitter cold and howling wind. He worked over an hour digging that man's car out. The police officer thanked them, tried to get home but was stuck in the next drift instead. He walked back to our neighbor's house, stayed on his couch that night, and later sent them both cards and gift certificates with a very sweet thank you note. Of course DH and neighbor would help him. I was actually even more touched by his gratitude!

 

[nikki4612]

I've been practiing the rule of 3 random acts for a few years now. The rule is to do 3 unsolicited thngs for someone else every day. Some days it's hard because I don't see a lot of people at work. It makes you feel great. The one requirement is that you can't benefit from the act yourself. Preferably it should be anonymous.

Lately I've been seeing a lot of elderly people in the grocery stores spending a lot of time looking at prices . With the rising cost of food and their dwindling buying power, many are struggling. Some grocery stores give you $5 coupons for using their loyalty cards. My husband and I watch the elderly in the store. If someone looks under stress, we give them the coupons. We let them think that it's from the store. You should see their facss. I also try to tell them that our local council on aging has coupons to pay the full price of locally grown produce. It helps the farmers too. I'm afraid food is going to continue to be an issue for the elderly. Anything we can do to help, I want to try. If you have other ideas please share. These are good hard working people who aren't used o taking anything from anyone.

 

[Beekissed]

That is wonderful, Nikki! Great ideas for helping the elderly. I always encourage local gardeners to grow and give excess veggies and fruits to the local food bank and the senior center instead of letting it sit in their kitchens or out in the field going to waste. You'd be surprised at just how many people let this happen...food going to waste instead of taking the effort to load it up and drop it off.

 

[me&thegals]

That is wonderful, Nikki! Great ideas for helping the elderly. I always encourage local gardeners to grow and give excess veggies and fruits to the local food bank and the senior center instead of letting it sit in their kitchens or out in the field going to waste. You'd be surprised at just how many people let this happen...food going to waste instead of taking the effort to load it up and drop it off.

It's truly awful. DH and I were just talking about this--it doesn't take much effort to pick it and haul it to the food pantry or to invite people to come forage. So much food gets wasted!

 

[rebecca100]

I have received so many blessings in the past. I don't have much money and I wish there was a way to pass it on. I'm just waiting on an opportunity to do something good for someone!

 

[Beekissed]

I've been where you are at, Rebecca, and always felt much the same way. Your time is coming! I never thought I'd have enough money to give to others but years of living frugally has allowed me to indulge in this several times and it doesn't always involve money or very much money~simply the right timing, I think.

Here's one such time:

I travel over two counties to visit hospice patients, so I am on the road every day for long distances. I happened to be behind a car that was barely getting down the road and I saw it jerking as it progressed. My son used to have that make/model of car and I knew they either had catalytic converter problems or an O2 sensor going bad..been there, done that.

Well, an idea just popped into my head..."I bet, judging from the car, that these people won't have much money for an expensive repair like the catalytic converter...and I just happened to have some money left over from bills this month. I think God wants me to give it to them. Wait! They'll think I'm totally NUTS if I stop and give them money to repair their car! I've never done that before and I don't know how!!!"

So...I pulled up behind them when they stopped and started to get out. Then they pulled back out and proceeded a little further down the road to an open garage. So, I got back in and followed them. By that time, they were giving me strange looks and I felt like a complete BOOB. But I gritted my teeth, walked up to them, told them about my experience with their type of car and those symptoms they were having, and asked if I could help pay for their repairs. The young girl looked at me and said, "Well...uh...yeah!" So I wrote out a check for $100....not much, I know, but it was what I had, so I gave.

By the time I got back to the office, the garage had called and wanted to speak to me...their secretary had called to confirm that my check was legit and could be cashed. I assured her that it was. Before the secretary called, the owner had called my home, spoke to my mother and asked her if the check was legit and asked if her daughter regularly did things like this and asked for my work number. By this time, I was feeling pretty frustrated...I wanted my good deed to be quiet and unnoticed by anyone but the recipient and I felt like these people from the garage was questioning my honesty and integrity..and the validity of my check!

Later the same day, the garage owner called my mother back and said he had been so impressed by what I had done that he had sort of did an illegal procedure on the couple's catalytic converter so that my $100 check would cover their repairs because they had had no money to place with it for a new catalytic converter. This particular garage is known for ripping people off and being dishonest, so I'm still not sure if I impressed him into being more honest and kind~ or if I just led him into more illegal activity!

I said all that to say this....you never know how far even a little bit of money or a small act of kindness will ripple out and who it will touch. I never intended for that day to be anything than a warm fuzzy for a poor couple but I am now thinking it may have went a little further. May be the best $100 I've ever spent..who knows?

 

[rebecca100]

Bee I remember you posting that story! Or one very similar. Wasn't it under another thread about helping others a couple of years ago?

 

[FarmerChick]

yea we all did this before.
new acts of random kindness would be nice to be heard
but I truly understand that some do stick in minds cause they meant ALOT to a person.

my recent act of kindness was this morning. I called the cable company and plugged my installer as a 'wonderful, knowledgable, friendly, fast, efficient, person' to his supervisor. Hope it helps him.

 

[Beekissed]

Yes...I told that one before and probably did it for the same reason~to illustrate a point and not to toot my own little, insignificant horn.

I could tell you more, but it would serve no purpose other than to steal my rewards!

I've had numerous~more than I can count~acts of kindness done FOR me and, if I hadn't been so poor, they would have never transpired. Thank God I have been and still am "less fortunate" than others so that God can show me His love through the actions of others.

 

[FarmerChick]

you are right Bee
alot of times we don't want to share. I hear you on that one.