Kindness Happens

A Very Unexpected Kindness

2011-10-16T23:47:00.002-04:00

First, I'd like to start off by wishing all the readers of this blog, and the entire Jewish blogosphere, a late shavua tov. And now for the kindness.

Yesterday, (yes, I know yesterday was Shabbat, I'm still working on the observance), our county had its inaugural meeting for the just-re-established chapter of the National Federation of the Blind. The day before, I was on campus, and had a seizure, which caused me to fall down a flight of stairs. So I figured I wasn't going to be able to make the meeting. When the person I was supposed to walk with called to make sure I was still coming, I explained the situation to him and asked if he could post me on what happened afterwords. Instead of just agreeing to update me, he offered to put me on speaker phone for the meeting so that I could attend. I was very surprised. I'm generally not used to that kind of accommodation. And I was quite thankful for it.

Taking Action

2009-08-24T17:37:00.006-04:00

I saw this on Twitter and FB. It's a movement that helps youth in diff communties, and tries to take caring preventive measures to insure that young individuals stay on the right track.

It is called B'derech. Here's the message on their page
"The movement dedicated to keeping our kids happy as they travel B'Derech HaTorah. It's about hearing the voice of the kids. It's about Kiruv Kerovim. It's about reintroducing the Derech HaBaal Shem. It's about making sure each kid knows he's unique and special."

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=102975394413

The kindness of neighbors

2009-08-02T13:50:00.006-04:00

;
NMF#7 has a great post about moving into another appartment. Eventhough it was difficult, it is made is easier with the help of friends in the neighborhood, baruch Hashem

http://israelchronicles.blogspot.com/2009/08/oii-16-moving-in.html

-

Achdus

2009-07-06T04:50:00.002-04:00

Here's a beautiful post from clooJew "Random acts of Achdus"
http://luleidemistafina.blogspot.com/2007/07/random-acts-of-achdus.html

May we all work towards having good middos and ahavas Yisrael

Wedding Kindness

2009-06-09T13:18:00.000-04:00

I keep telling people that I feel like my wedding is a community effort. The kindness of so many friends who are sharing in my happiness has really touched me. And the kindness from strangers through this process has been awesome as well. Here are just a few examples:

1) The jeweler that we got my engagement ring from gave us the wedding band for free.
2) The woman I got my sheitel (wig) from gave me a huge discount.
3) We are holding our wedding at a friend's house, who offered without any hesitation.
4) I've had tons of people offer to make food for my engagement party, wedding and sheva brachos (festive meals for a week after the wedding).
5) I had friends throw me a bridal shower and give me beautiful gifts.
6) I have friends who are donating their time and expertise to do my make-up, photography and wedding cake.
7) Friends have offered to take lots and lots of time out of their busy schedules to go with me to pick out my gown, sheitel, and take care of other wedding preparations.

In addition to all the wedding stuff, my fiance and I went and visited the community we are moving to and the outpouring of welcome was phenomenal. Not only were we invited for meals on the holiday and Shabbos, but we were also hosted during the week for lunches and dinners. It went such a long way towards making me feel comfortable about moving there.

2009-03-27T17:36:00.002-04:00

Maybe it's my "out-of-towner" sensibility, but I don't usually expect to see unusually kind acts from random starngers in Brooklyn. I'm not trying to be stereotypical, and I realize that there are many many Chesed organizations, etc. Brooklyn can come off as being so impartial, so cold sometimes, which is one of the major disadvantages to such a large grouping of people in one place...

In any event, my wife and I took a trip down Bay Parkway to Babies R Us in Bensonhurst, to buy various and sundry products for our little boy.

We were trying to determine which brand of diapers and exactlt how many we should get one a random woman approached us. I couldn't tell if she was Jewish, but that's neither here nor there. She asked us if we had any coupons, and when we said no, she started riffling through her purse to give us a whole wad of coupons. She insisted we take them, and then continued to track us down through the store to offer us more coupons on other necessary things we had on our shopping list.

Isn't that nice?

Ms. Two-Broken-Wrists thanks her helpers

2009-01-18T21:38:00.009-05:00

Many thanks:

to the friend who made us several days' worth of full-meal-in-a-bowl vegan soup;
to the friends who drove us to an out-of-town Chanukah party, door-to-door, because I couldn't get on the subway and meet them partway;
to the friend who lent me a cape because I couldn't get my casts through my coat sleeves;
to the friend who calls me several times a week to see how I'm doing;
to the friend who cooked us two weeks' worth of kosher meals, asking only that we pay for the ingredients;
and most of all, to my poor husband, who helped me through the worst of it, waiting on me practically hand and foot in the beginning, when I had over-the-elbow casts & was almost completely immobilized in the arms---it took a whole month of phone calls to get me a home health aide.

I am also grateful for having been spared any injury of the legs, back, or head (which is fortunate, because my brains are scrambled enough already :) ). I can't wait to go for a walk on the wild side. :)

Kindness in the Snow

2008-12-22T10:48:00.002-05:00

My boss told me the following story:

This past weekend there was a big snowstorm and the aftermath of it was tons of very slick spots of ice all over the roads. My boss was driving to a friend's house and, in order to avoid a car that was turning into her lane, she ended up skidding and getting stuck in a snow drift. She tried to get out of the drift, but her wheels just kept spinning without her car moving.

As she was despairing, a truck drove up and the driver, a total stranger, got out of his car. He pulled on boots and a big pair of gloves and got a shovel out of his car. He walked over and asked if he could help. My boss, of course, accepted. This man shoveled out her car and then helped her maneuver to get out of the snow drift she was in. Without asking for any kind of thanks, he then got into his truck and drove off. She was certainly thankful for his help!

1000 Mitzvahs

2008-12-16T17:38:00.002-05:00

Linda Cohen is chronicling the 1,000 mitzvahs she is doing in the memory of her father. What an inspiring project! Check it out.

A Few Acts of Kindness

2008-11-20T12:05:00.001-05:00

We've been touched by many helping hands, recently, and I found this video really moving.

Music Monday - Dread Zeppelin

2008-11-17T06:15:00.001-05:00

What do you get when you take a Reggae Zeppelin cover band fronted by an Elvis impersonator? Dread Zeppelin of course...

2008-11-12T12:02:00.002-05:00

So, it's been quite some time since I last poked my head into the blogosphere, specifically in the KH page.

Thank God, things have been crazy busy in the six months or so since I married my beautiful wife, and I can't stop thanking the One Above for His benevolence.

Among other things, we realized that we'd need a larger place pretty soon; we had really been looking since before the wedding, but nothing had caught our eye or worked out, until this past summer. After all the back and forth and extensive paperwork, we finally settled and closed on a wonderful little townhouse in Passaic, and I have been pleasantly surprised at the warmth our new neighbors - and anyone else who realized we were new - have shown us.

For me, it's quite reminiscent of Cleveland. For my wife, it's a very new experience...

A little kindness to a new neighbor goes a very long way towards their acclimation; you don't have to cook 'em a dish or bake a cake - just the offer to help in any way to ease the transition? It helps in so many ways.

Thanks people of Passaic!

Kind Words

2008-10-26T16:48:00.002-04:00

Here are two ideas from Phil Bolsta on small acts that can make someone have a nicer day -

Be an Email Angel

Brighten Someone's Day

Back to School Kindness

2008-09-12T16:10:00.003-04:00

I received the following:

The IFCJ-JDC Partnership for Children in the FSU (International Fellowship of Christians and Jews /American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee), led by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, has distributed Back-To-School supplies to children in need. These children in the Former Soviet Union are now prepared to begin the new school year with hope.

Directional Kindness

2008-08-31T20:48:00.002-04:00

I was told this story by Diana:

Diana was going to sheva brachos (the celebration after a couple is married) in a town that she wasn't very familiar with. She couldn't find the street that she needed, and Shabbos was about to start, so she pulled over and asked a woman who was standing outside her car. The woman didn't know where the street was either, but she said to Diana, "I have a GPS. Why don't I put in the address and you can follow me there?" And then she led Diana to where she needed to go! Yay!

Phew! There ARE still good people in NYC...

2008-08-28T08:38:00.002-04:00

I was shopping in Target in the Bronx the other day, as they finally are carrying shirts with sleeves again and the occasional skirt that just might cover my knees, and also because I needed to pick up some other stuff for the apartment. I walked around with a cart for awhile, but it got taken away while I was in the changing room, with my coffee in it. "Okay fine, so I was only meant to drink half that coffee," I told myself, and continued without it, which wasn't so hard because I decided not to take most of the stuff I had tried on.

I wandered about the store, taking my time, but eventually I had what I needed and I thought it was getting a little late, so I headed towards the checkout. While there, I decided to check was time it was for real, and since I don't own a working watch, I dug around in my bag to check the time on my cell phone. And dug...and dug some more...and panicked. Because it really, truly, wasn't in there.

Anyone who knows me, knows that my phone and I are very attached to each other. (Actually, I never asked the phone...but whatever.) My whole life (and all of my vital phone numbers!) are in that phone. Losing it is NOT a good thing.

Still, being in possession of at least a small remaining amount of my original out-of-towner idealism, I decided to check customer service to see if anyone turned it in to lost-and-found. Stranger things have happened...even in the Bronx...right?

I walked up to customer service and asked, "Has anyone turned in a lost phone?"

The lady answered, "What kind of phone?"

I told her the type of phone it was, and she asked, "What color?"

Now, I never really paid that much attention to the color of my phone; it's rather generic and, well, looks like an average cell phone. It's not pink or green or orange.

"Um...well...if you flip it open, there's a picture of me holding a baby." [my new nephew]

She flipped it. "Yeah, it looks like you." She smiled, and handed me my phone.

See? Miracles do happen, even in the Bronx! :)

How Sweet

2008-08-05T16:40:00.002-04:00

My co-worker went into B&H Photo & Video, an amazingly impressive electronics store run by Chassidic Jews just a few blocks from where I work. She noticed that they had candies on the counter for their customers, and that they were kosher, so she grabbed a few for me. Not a big deal, but just really thoughtful and sweet and kind :)

How to do Kindness

2008-07-22T19:08:00.003-04:00

I just went to visit a former teacher of mine who just had a transplant. She and her daughters were telling me that although everyone asks, "What can I do to help" they have one neighbor who tells them, "I'm going to such and such area or such and such store, do you need anything from there?" This way my teacher's family doesn't have to worry about little errands; their neighbor (who's going anyway) does it for them. So kind and thoughtful

Passing Kindness

2008-07-20T22:41:00.003-04:00

My grandmother told me that recently, she went with her sister to a store. Her sister just had to run in, so my grandma decided to wait in the car with the windows rolled down for air, since it was a warm day. A stranger passed by and saw her sitting in the car and was concerned about her welfare. This stranger stopped and offered my grandma some water and asked if she needed anything else. We all thought it was very sweet of a stranger to stop and make sure she was ok.

Kindness is Forever

2008-07-10T13:19:00.001-04:00

I received an email today with a link to an amazing story of kindness. Check it out here.

Graduation Kindness

2008-06-02T08:22:00.002-04:00

I recently finished my Master's Degree. I have been working pretty hard on my degree for the past three years, while at the same time holding down a full-time job. Upon graduation, I didn't really expect to celebrate too much - my family lives far away and I didn't really see the point of throwing myself a party; I was just happy to be done.

Well, my friends and co-workers decided otherwise. Five cakes and several gift cards later, I am so touched by the kindness of my friends who went out of their way to celebrate my achievement. They decided that my graduation was worth celebrating, and celebrate they did. I feel very lucky to have friends who share my success with me.

Moving

2008-03-26T13:03:00.002-04:00

I took a few great stories of kindness and went a different way with them, but the stories are worth checking out.

Pushed out of a pile of snow

2008-03-11T18:09:00.002-04:00

Ohio got some snow this weekend, LOL. It made national news!

It started Friday morning and started to let up Shabbos afternoon. I ventured out Sunday afternoon, expecting the main streets to be plowed but knowing the side streets wouldn't have been touched.

I don't know why I was surprised when, on my way home, I turned from the main steet to our side street, and came grinding to a halt in a pile of snow in the middle of the unplowed side steet.

After trying a few times to go forward/backward, I was about to call DH on my cell when two men, in two different cars, parked nearby and worked together to push me out and on my way!

Feeling the Love

2008-03-10T22:21:00.002-04:00

Since a trip to Alabama to see my family recently, I have been a bit down on the NY area. People are not as nice, everyone is in a rush, it's just too much for me. Combine that with a lot of stress from all my responsibilities, and I've just been kinda overwhelmed.

Tonight, I got a call from a friend to invite me for Shabbos because she hasn't seen me in a few weeks. Even though it's only Monday, I already have plans. We had a nice conversation about her children's Purim costumes and we made plans to see each other during the week.

Then I got a call from another friend. He and his wife have an extra ticket to see a comic and they wanted to see if I wanted to come. Sure!

Then I got an email from one of the people I am actually going to for Shabbos this week. She told me that she's not quite sure what it is, but her children ask for me to visit every single week.

All this combined with being invited for Shabbos meals all the time, and having been invited to at least four Purim seudahs, and having a friend offer to stay home for the first days of Pesach and make seders for me when I told her that I am probably staying home. It feels really good to know that people are thinking about me.

Token of Appreciation

2008-02-19T10:50:00.003-05:00

My mom is a first grade teacher and last week there were Parent-Teacher conferences. It turned out that the evening was very cold but everyone managed to make it out to the school. The next day, one of my mom's students brought her a card. The parents had written, "Thanks for coming out in the cold for the conferences. We really appreciate all that you do for our daughter. Here is something to warm you up." And they had included a $5 Starbucks gift card. How sweet?!?

(And since my mom doesn't drink coffee she gave it to me :) But she kept the note)

A Run-In with Kindness

2008-01-30T11:49:00.000-05:00

Today I was passing a coworker's desk on my way to somewhere else in the office, and she quietly stopped me and said, "You know, Scraps, you have a run in the back of your tights." (I was wearing black tights, this being the season for them, so it was quite noticeable.) This in and of itself would have been a nice thing to do, because I for sure never would have noticed it myself (how often do I look at the back of my legs?) and I would have walked around all day with a run in my tights and looked rather foolish. At lunchtime I could have gone out and bought myself a new pair.

However, she didn't stop there. She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a brand-new pair of nice black tights and offered them to me on the spot. She didn't even ask me to pay her for them, although I did offer and she accepted. She said she usually tries to keep an extra pair or two around, just in case she or someone else needs them.

I thought that was really nice of her, so I wanted to share. :)

Close Call

2008-01-16T11:27:00.000-05:00

Passaic has really mean rules. They like to tow people's cars at the drop of a hat. Like, if you park on the wrong side of the street on street-cleaning day (and um, I am totally not impressed with the supposed cleaning that is involved), then they tow your car. Not a ticket, but tow. And because they are so mean, they make it incredibly complicated to get your car out. First, you have to go to the towing lot and get your registration and insurance from your car, then you have to go to the police station several miles away to get a notice saying that they release your car, then you have to go back the several miles to the towing lot to pay money to actually get your car. And all this must be done without your car, since it's been towed.

Today, I accidentally parked my car on the wrong side of the street. Oops. I just totally forgot what day it was and didn't even think about it. At 10:00 AM, I get an email from Princess D (who gets a big SSY for tipping me off) that she thinks I've parked my car on the wrong side. I know that my car will be towed if I don't move it by 10:30. I wrack my brain, trying to decide if I will be able to make it back to Passaic in time by bus, which I know isn't really feasible.

I have a couple co-workers who drive to work. One of them happened to actually be in the office at 10 AM this morning. I went to her and asked her if she would consider letting me borrow her car. I explain the situation to her and she offers to take me herself. We hustle on over to the lot where she parks her car. And we're off! She drives me back to Passaic, where we arrive at almost exactly 10:30, where my car is beautifully still sitting in its place. I move my car to the other side of the street, and we drive back to my office.

It was a HUGE act of kindness - my co-worker saved me a major headache and a lot of money as well. Thanks co-worker!

Small Nisim and Small Packages

2007-12-05T14:22:00.000-05:00

A couple of nice stories...

Story #1: My co-worker, who is not religious, came over to tell me about the small 'nes' (miracle) that happened to him last night (his words). He realized he didn't have any candles to light for Chanukah, so he planned on going to the Judaica store nearby after work. Unfortunately, work didn't end until 8pm for him - so he was going to try and get some then, though he didn't know where. But then he was invited out by his manager to drinks on 43rd St., and couldn't really pass it up - but by the time he came out, it was already close to 10:00. Where could he find candles at such a late hour?

He usually walks across 45th Street to get to his apartment on the East Side, but since the bar was on 43rd, he decided to walk across 42nd Street instead. As he was walking, he reached the corner of 42nd and 5th Avenue - and lo and behold, what does he see? A 15-16 year old Chabad kid giving out candles for people to light! He offers to pay a couple dollars and is refused - "They're all to be given out" - and takes home his candles and happily lights his menorah.

Story #2: This morning, as I got off the bus to get onto the subway, there was a woman trying to take a baby (in a snap-and-go) down the steps... and walk her child who was probably about 3 years old down, as well. She noticed the crowds coming off the buses behind her, and wanted to hurry down the steps, and tried encouraging the 3-year old to walk down on her own - but the girl wanted to hold her hand. So she tried to walk her down quickly, but the child was taking her time, holding the railing with her other hand and counting "1! 2! 3! ..." as she walked down the steps. The mother said to her, "C'mon, hurry..." and walked a couple of steps further down to encourage the girl to do so, but a lady right behind me called out to the mother, "Don't rush her! She's counting!" I thought this was really nice.

The mother still felt bad about the crowd, though, and tried again saying to the girl, "C'mon, honey, hurry - people are trying to get to work." Again the lady called out, "It's okay!" It was nice to see so many people patiently waiting, smiling, as the little girl continued her way down the steps.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2007-11-19T17:13:00.000-05:00

The past while has been a bit rough for me. For us. I've been feeling for a few weeks that I really need a break - time to just freeze, to stop, anything to let me take a break from everything that's swirling and to just sit. To think. To write. To relax. To take care of all the stuff that's overwhelming me. To talk to some friends I've really wanted to talk to for a while. To plan a bunch of things that need planning. To just... I don't really know. Just a break.

A lot of this kind of culminated on Thursday and Friday a couple weeks ago, as some - if not many - of you know. In truth, none of it was a big deal, but at the time, it sure felt like it. We enjoy having lots of guests here at SerandEz, and this Shabbos was to be no exception. We had three wonderful young women staying here for Shabbos, two couples with their cute kids Friday night, and a number of other guests Shabbos day [even one without a blog!]. But by the time we got all our groceries Thursday evening, planned our menus, and got ready to start cooking, it was rather late. Serach ran out to get a few things we'd forgotten, and as I checked on the food in the oven, I noticed that the broccoli kugel looked like it hadn't gotten cooked at all. More importantly, there was no heat. My father-in-law was staying the night so he didn't have to drive too much (he has a very long commute in general), so he tried to fix it... but couldn't figure it out. He came to the same conclusions I had [except he knows a lot more], so we were pretty stuck. I decided I'd take off the next day, because we wouldn't be able to make Shabbos without an oven and I really had a few other things to take care of anyway.

The next morning, I dropped Elianna off at the babysitter. As I did so, I noticed that the right side of the car was scraped horribly; the area by the right front tire banged in a bit. This is a car we just leased three months ago... our first car. Upset, I called Serach, who recently got her license, thinking it must have been her; she insisted she hadn't sideswiped anybody, though that's what it looked like (and on the right side, it's hard for it to be anything else). I assumed that she simply still was a bit nervous, sideswiped someone, somehow not realized it... Ugh. What a mess. I went and got a haircut, which I'd needed for a while, and that helped me calm down a bit; around then Serach texted me that she'd been parked on a one-way, and that when she told her co-worker about the car, the co-worker had noted that the same exact thing had happened to her. And they'd been parked next to each other... and on a one-way street. Nice little lesson in dan l'kaf zchus, particularly about one's wife, eh?

Well, I received my payback rather quickly. As I started to back my car into a driveway across from our apartment, being that it's a rather thin street, I was worried about nicking a car on my own side of the street with the front of the car. Being annoyed and upset about my own car wasn't helping with concentration. A second later, I felt a huge *SMASH* as I nailed the back corner of an SUV's bumper right in, denting it badly. (It was parked with the back just next to the driveway. Distraught, and with an Israeli neighbor misunderstanding that I was trying to park so I could see the extent of the damage and leave a note and not drive away, I finally pulled my car into a spot. I'd made a nice dimple on the Murano... ugh. I went upstairs, wrote a note, stuck it in his window, and went out to take care of some more stuff. Thankfully, our cleaning lady showed up and was doing her usual incredible job [cleaning ladies are worthwhile for families where both spouses work, particularly when they have lots of guests!], so I grabbed a bunch of stuff that needed toveling and took it to the mikveh nearby. I only lost one small cheap pan in the process; the netting that looks like it catches large objects in fact is two nets, split in two. Ah well.

Meanwhile, my superintendent had previously informed me that he didn't figure out what the problem with the oven was yet, but he had one idea to try. He then disappeared for a couple hours, so I called and gently reminded him that this was pretty important, especially as who knew what could be going on with gas (though it seemed okay). He came back, checked it again, and kindly informed me that this was beyond him, and we likely needed a new starter ignition, but he couldn't do that. Translation: You better find someone else's oven to cook in, quick. This was at about 1:15pm, and I had at least prepared some of the food, but time was quickly becoming scarce.

This is where amazing friends come in... especially when they live nearby. I'd e-mailed RaggedyMom about the possible use of an oven; she'd informed me hers was available... and that another friend a couple of doors down had offered the use of hers as well. As had our non-blogging daytime guest. Meanwhile, Serach was stuck in school due to a suspected gas leak kicking them all out of the building... leaving her bag (and her ride's bag/keys/etc.) inside. When she finally returned, she helped me take over the chickens to the neighbors nearby, then she and our other guests who were arriving helped with everything else - from taking food to neighbors to cleaning up to setting up and then setting the table to taking care of Elianna, whom Serach picked up with a couple of them.

I think that perhaps the most ironic part of it all was as I was making the last few things to be brought to our non-blogging guest (from now on Sabra), Chana remarked "Wow, this is so nice!" I looked at her questioningly and she explained, "It's so calm here today. Normally it's kind of hectic, but this week... you guys are so calm, it's so quiet, not much is going on... it's so nice." Here, I'm thinking it's such a crazy day and week, but to some extent, she was right, too. It was rather calm (until the final rush to get the food from the neighbors and bring it back without burning ourselves). It was nice. And Shabbos... Shabbos was amazing.

Good neighbors, wonderful guests - good friends - they are all truly amazing. Thanks, all.

2007-10-23T05:19:00.001-04:00

I was driving back from Cleveland to Jersey last night. I hit a terrible snarl of traffic just as it was starting to get dark.
The darkness, coupled with the lack of activity started to get to me, and I was feeling pretty drowsy. I tried calling people, but my service was dead in Pennsylvania.
Finally, I got out of the traffic, and pulled into the nearest rest area. I needed caffiene, badly. I run to the machine, hoping for a pepsi when I realize my smallest bill is a twenty. I start asking around, hoping someone has change, but no luck.

A guy approaches me. "Whatsamatter, boy?" he asks me. I ask him if he has change, but he doesn't. "How much yew need?" he asks. I explain that I just need a drink to keep me up. He opens his wallet and pulls out two bills. "Here," he says, "and use the change to get yerself a candy burr, kid."
I start thanking him, telling him that I just need something to pep me up for the rest of the trip, but he stops me with an upraised hand.

"I don't need no reason, boy. I see yew need help, that's enough fer me. Yew just drive safe, y'hear?"

I heard. With the sugar in my bloodstream I was ready to finish the trip...

The Seat of Kindness

2007-10-22T08:21:00.000-04:00

I was on the bus for a LONG time this morning. There was traffic and traffic and traffic. We had to take an alternate route and then more traffic. The bus was overfull- there was not enough seats for everyone, so there were a few people standing in the aisle for the entire, extremely long ride. One of the people standing was a woman. A little while into the ride, when it was obvious that we were not going to be arriving at our destination any time soon, I noticed a man getting up from his seat. He got up, moved all his things, and gave his seat to the woman standing in the aisle. The woman was very thankful. I guess chivalry is not dead.

Sow Only Seeds of Love

2007-10-01T11:09:00.000-04:00

I came across a sticker on a bus yesterday and it was just such a nice idea that I wanted to post a link - so here ya go.

It's the Little Things

2007-09-18T08:42:00.000-04:00

Two very small things, but they made me smile:

- I was in the grocery store last night and a little girl who I was passing told me that I looked pretty. It made me feel good. And then her mother told her that she was a nice girl, so that made me happy to hear also.

- This morning on my very quiet bus, I sneezed. The guy sitting next to me, who I don't know, said "Bless you." It's very small, but rarely happens. :)

The Tie Man.....

2007-09-04T13:36:00.001-04:00

I have a friend of mine who had a fantastic practice and a big mitzvah. He brings an extra tie to every wedding he attends ( and he's been too many and unfortunately is still single). You have no idea how many times a family member who was getting ready for pictures and had no tie. He gives out these expensive ties and often does not even get them back. That does not stop him from continuing this very thoughtful practice.

Lemonade in KGH

2007-09-03T14:52:00.001-04:00

Just a small public service announcement if you're in the Kew Gardens Hills area... Camp Simcha is running a cute little lemonade stand on the corner of 141st St. and 70th Avenue (just off Jewel), and an old chavrusa of mine and his friend are providing a little entertainment on the side, too. Go enjoy and support a very worthy cause!

Friday night

2007-08-27T10:18:00.000-04:00

Purely out of my own laziness and lack of initiative, I found myself without a meal for Friday night. This knowledge did nothing to brighten an already bad mood on Friday afternoon, but I went ahead and made preparations to eat by myself in my apartment. Nothing too fancy, but still nicer than usual, and I certainly wasn't going to starve (at least physically). I contemplated skipping going to shul, since I wasn't particularly in the mood to be social. However, I decided to go anyway because usually when I'm not in the mood to be around people, the best thing for me is to be around people. It forces me to act happier than I am, and sometimes by acting happier, I really do end up being happier.

After shul got out, I was about to make a quick escape to avoid the usual social scene that follows services, when a girl I know--not a close friend, but a step above casual acquaintance--said hello and wished me a good Shabbos. She asked if I was okay; I said I was tired and not feeling 100%. She then asked me what my plans were for that night, and I answered that I was eating in my apartment. "Oh, so how many people are you having over?" she asked. "Oh, it's just me," I answered as brightly as I could muster. I'm not foisting myself on anyone after shul on Friday night! But of course, she had other ideas. She promptly invited me over, as she and another mutual friend of ours were eating together and they wanted more company and had more than enough food. And of course, since eating alone on Friday night is slightly depressing no matter how positive one tries to be about it, I did accept. I had a very lovely time, and my mood picked up in no time! :)

Thoughtful

2007-08-24T08:34:00.000-04:00

I have a friend from school who is just really thoughtful. Every so often, I receive an email from her asking how I am doing. When I miss class for Jewish holidays, she gives me a copy of notes and remembers to ask how my holiday was. We once bonded over lipstick. We use the same brand but different colors. She told me how the drugstore near her often has buy 1, get 1 free sales. She asked me what color I use so that if she sees the sale, she can pick some up for me. Well, that's exactly what happened a couple weeks ago. She saw the sale, remembered my shade, and got me my lipstick. She's now traveling into the city to take care of a few things, and she made sure to contact me so that she will get to give me the lipstick. And she offered to treat me to Starbucks. It's a small thing, but it means a lot.

Great message

2007-08-08T17:12:00.000-04:00

We all need someone to talk to either for guidence or just to talk. I found this beautiful message on Scrap's blog

Little Stuff and Big Stuff

2007-08-06T15:36:00.000-04:00

I've been going through a very stressful housing situation. There have been so many people who have been so amazingly kind that I can't even count them.

I've had SOOOO many offers of places to stay temporarily, I can't even count them. Some came from people I've never even met in person. Some came from friends of friends.

I've had dinner made for me, with the leftovers packaged up and sent home with me, since I don't have a full working kitchen at the moment.

I've had people who have checked up on me daily to see how things were going.

I've had those who supported me in so many ways all the way from other countries on occasion.

I've had people be understanding when I completely forgot my obligations to them.

I've had people who understood when I told them I didn't want to talk about the situation any more, because I just couldn't deal with thinking about it.

I've had people give me boxes and offer to come over to help me pack and move.

There are more things that people have done - I wish I could list and remember every single one of them here. But mainly, I just feel so incredibly lucky to have had such support through such a difficult situation. I'm eternally grateful to all those who have shown their kindness and caring. As stressful as it was, I can't even begin to imagine what it would have been like without these kind people in my life. Thank you to everyone.

Wedding Kindness

2007-07-31T15:25:00.001-04:00

Beautiful story of a program in Chicago for those who can't afford expensive weddings - a community coming together the way it should to help those in need.

Hashovat aveidah

2007-07-29T16:48:00.000-04:00

Tisha b'av night, I went to hear Eichah at the home of someone in the apartment building I lived in for the past few months. I brought my siddur with me to daven ma'ariv. Inside my siddur are various pieces of paper with different tefilos on them. The next morning, I noticed that I was missing one of the tefilah cards from my siddur, but didn't think too much of it since I figured it was lost somewhere in my apartment.

The day after the fast, I was reading the daily digest of the building's frum listserve, and I noticed that the host for the Eichah reading had posted a message saying that he found a Chofetz Chaim tefilah card in his apartment, and judging by the location where he found it, he assumed that one of the women had left it there. I immediately realized that it must be mine, and emailed him to tell him so. He very graciously agreed to drop it off at the building's front desk so that I could pick it up at my own convenience.

When I went to pick it up, the tefilah card was in an envelope clearly labelled with my name and apartment number. This man didn't even know me personally, but he went and made the whole transaction convenient for me. Thank you!

Cakes of Kindness

2007-07-29T04:59:00.000-04:00

In our family, we usually break the fast (Tisha B'Av) with a nice cake. However, this year no one had time to make anything because of work and everything else stressful that is happening. By the last few hours of the fast I was feeling way too awful to even think about baking. But as I was lying on the couch with a pounding headache, the doorbell rang. It was a family friend dropping off warm, freshly baked cakes for us to break the fast on. They had been baking anyway and made a few extra for us which which was a lovely thing to do! Thank you to them! (And it was yum, an excellent food to break a fast on.)

Birthday!

2007-07-26T15:13:00.000-04:00

So far, so nice. One co-worker went with me to Ben & Jerry's earlier today and paid for my chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cone; then later, she and a few others joined me for lunch, then bought me a nice dessert. And of course, Holy Hyrax put up a fun little cartoon.

That's aside from all the well-wishers and E-card senders, etc. Nice.

2007-07-24T15:52:00.000-04:00

It can get very uncomfortable when you have to sit for a prolonged amount of time on the ground. Every Tisha B'Av, I go through the whole ordeal of having my legs fall asleep, etc.
This year, I was away from home on Tisha B'Av for the first time in many years. The shul where I went to this year was a very small place, with very little wall space. All that space was taken right away, and I couldn't even find a spot where I could at least lean back against.
But someone did me a huge favor: he shared his couch pillow with me, and we sat back to back, leaning on each other for support!

Running to do good

2007-07-20T10:32:00.000-04:00

Those of you who’ve followed the saga of my surgery know that I’ve had a minor setback since that lump, which turned out to be a tiny blood clot, was carved out of my left foot this past January—my surgeon assures me that the lump I have now is just a symptom of the tissue rearranging itself post-surgically. Humph, some reassurance.

But it could be a lot worse. I can still go folk dancing, provided that I stand behind the circle and dance at my own pace. I’ve even been known to use my cane on the dance floor when my foot gets sore, though I assure you that Fred Astaire looked a lot better dancing with a cane than I do. :)

Running, on the other hand, is another matter entirely. So this morning, I was having quite a time of it, attempting to do some semblance of running—using my cane—to catch a bus. I was quite relieved to see a man in front of me sprint over and flag down the bus—and pleasantly surprised when he did not get on. He’d stopped the bus just for me.

Yes, Virginia, there really are nice people in New York City.

Ode to a Princess

2007-07-12T19:54:00.000-04:00

We owe a HUGE thank you to our friend, and this week's birthday girl, Princess D'Tiara. She was eating here last Shabbos when Serach mentioned that she had to take Elianna to a pediatric specialist in the city today. She offers to drive Serach to the city early for this 11:00 appointment, which is not only a huge hassle, but obviously going to hit a ton of traffic.

Today, she drove them to the specialist, picking her up early at 9:45, then offered to stay until the appointment was finished to drive them back - even though it wasn't going to be a short appointment. And then things got very, very annoying. Serach and Elianna were waiting in the doctor's office for over an hour and a half, despite being there fifteen minutes early. Finally, they get let into the doctor's office at about 12:30, where she waits a while. Elianna has already fallen asleep at this point, she's so tired. The doctor finally walks in for a minute... then walks out, saying he'll be right back. He doesn't return for over 30 minutes (Serach was none too pleased), then they had to take and wait for X-rays... and then finally, were ready to go at 2:45 - and, despite constant suggestions by Serach that she should go home, Princess D was still waiting outside.

She'd moved her car three times. She'd gotten bagels, gone shopping, gotten a milkshake, and then finally sat in the car. She spent almost 6 hours of her day, just doing us a (huge) favor. So thank you very much, and have a wonderfully happy birthday, Princess D!!

Sweet cherries from a sweet person

2007-07-11T11:47:00.001-04:00

Just now, one of my coworkers called me up and told me that her mother had bought sweet (white) cherries and she'd brought some with her to work. She remembered that I particularly like sweet cherries, so she was saving me some. When I went to her desk, she said she'd saved me some of the best ones. :)

I thought this was particularly nice--not just that she was sharing, but that she remembered what I like. It's this sort of little thing that makes a difference in someone's day.

Kindess from many...

2007-07-10T06:16:00.001-04:00

Kindness is... all the people who care enough to ask how my mother is doing, whether or not they know her.

Kindness is... all the people who offer to help out with anything we may need during such a difficult time.

Kindness is... all the people who pray/daven, extend their best wishes, take on a Mitzvah or gave Tzedaka for a Refuah Sheleimah for my mother and for all the sick of Klal Yisrael.

Kindness is... all those thoughtful people who sent cards, balloons, letters and messages to boost our her spirits and ours.

Kindness is... all the people who helped out our family in other way, such as inviting us for Shabbos when we needed some company or dropping off some food when we were too tired too cook.

Kindness is... those friends who are there, there for whatever - to listen whenever we need to talk, to cheer us up during times when we're down, to just be there as a comfort, to be a necessary distraction from everything that's going on, who know when not to bother us.

Kindness is... the hospital staff who come to see how she's doing... just because they care.

It's been a rough few months for my family, with my mother being in hospital and her condition getting fairly complicated. Things have been fairly stable the last few weeks, B"H and even some noticeable improvements, however she is still in intensive care and there is a long way to go yet. I just thought I'd write a bit here as a little thank you, we appreciate everything that people have done to help us.

Please continue to say Tehilim/prayers for Gittel Chava Bat Pesia.

Mickey Mouse Ears

2007-07-09T08:48:00.000-04:00

My co-worker just got back from a trip to Disney World with his family. Before he left, I was telling him how I had a pair of Mickey Mouse ears when I was younger, from a trip when I was about 2 years old. I told him how much I had liked them, and that I wasn't sure what had happened to them in the number of years since I was 2.

He came back today and he brought me a new pair! I love them! It really makes me feel like I'm young again (ok, fine, so I never really felt old). But it was just so nice and kind of him to think of me on his family vacation.

Sick Days

2007-07-06T10:50:00.000-04:00

...or why we love the Baltimore (Jewish) community:

Here's a positive shoutout to the Baltimore community. My in laws have a friend who recently became unexpectedly disabled. She is a Federal employee, so my father in law was looking for other Federal employees to donate their vacation time so she wouldn't lose her job. Word got around to the Baltimore community, and many frum government workers have donated generously from their vacation time. Many of these people don't know my in laws or their disabled friend. Here's to you for a great chessed (kindness), Baltimore community.

The Silver Lining

2007-07-02T16:02:00.000-04:00

Someone stole my wallet last week. This was a very stressful and frustrating experience. Throughout this difficulty, I have to give credit to two experiences that I had.

The first was those employees both at my bank and credit card companies who helped me and took care of my claim. Everyone I spoke to was kind, courteous and expressed their own displeasure at my circumstances. They took care of everything very quickly and responded to my situation in an amazing manner. This is especially true of my bank (who I plan on being loyal to from now on, since I have had such a good experience) which contacted me before I even realized my wallet was missing. I have been quite impressed with their diligence.

The second credit I have to give is to a complete stranger. When I realized my wallet had been stolen, I was in the bus station in Manhattan. I had no money, no means of getting money and no way to get home. I called a friend to attempt to borrow some money. A man in the bus station overheard me speaking to my friend and offered to pay for my bus fare. Just like that. It was an amazingly kind act for someone he will probably never see again. I hope to pay the favor forward at some point and I hope he also reaps the cosmic awards of his kindness.

Kindness from an Author

2007-06-28T08:24:00.000-04:00

I received an e-mail from Ilana-Davita about a lesson in kindness that she was taught and shared with her students.

Read here to find out about an author who took the time to really teach students.

Accessory Kindness

2007-06-27T08:18:00.000-04:00

My co-workers are so good to me. I was talking to one of my co-workers yesterday about the fact that I wanted some pearls to wear for a wedding. I have pearls but the clasp is broken and I haven't had it fixed. I figured I would go to a store and buy some fake ones since I'm not planning on wearing them that often, and I do want to get my necklace fixed (it was my grandmother's). My co-worker told me I could borrow her pearls, that she had a nice necklace. I told her that would make me nervous. She insisted. She brought me not one, but two choices this morning for me to borrow and offered earrings as well if I want. And they are beautiful. So nice.

Kindness In My Community: The Story of Chaya Mitchell

2007-06-17T20:15:00.001-04:00

Chaya Mitchell was a beautiful, vibrant girl who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She did not know that she was ill; she was in Israel for seminary and started having headaches. After returning home due to the severity and pain of these headaches, she found out that she was suffering from cancer. Her family tried every treatment possible, but she did not respond to any of them. The tumor was inoperable. Chaya was not going to be with us very much longer.

Today, June 17, at 5:00 AM, Chaya Mitchell passed away.

But I do not want to write about the sadness. I want to write about the goodness that I saw within my own community, the beauty and the love that was shown to her family and to her. There was no one who was not affected, no one who declined to help the Mitchells. There were many of us who felt helpless, but we all did what we could.

There were doctors, nurses and other professionals who gave of their time to help Chaya eat or feel more comfortable, giving her massages or otherwise helping her. There were the people who cooked meals, bringing them over to her family. There were the girls her age who took the trouble to come to her house and paint her fingernails and toenails. There were girls who held Tehillim groups at her house and Tehillim groups at Stern, who came and sang with her or otherwise amused her, who visited frequently and often, always trying to entertain her.

There were organizations that created songs for her or Chai Lifeline, which sponsored a trip where she was able to go to Disneyland. There were people who sent her gifts or added to her collection of keychains, beads, cards or balloons.

And then there was the Tehillim group for her created on Facebook.

For me, this is one of the most amazing parts of the story. It is amazing because it is the part I know best. I was invited to join this Tehillim group and of course I did. I also invited others on my Facebook account, simply because it was easier to invite almost everyone rather than distinguish between those who knew her and those who did not.

There were many people- friends of mine, people who are merely acquaintances of mine, even fellow bloggers- who startled and suprised me by their kindness. Because they volunteered their time and chose to say a perek of Tehillim every day for Chaya, a girl they did not even know. A girl who could not be to them the many things she was to me, the many things she was to those who really knew her and were her closest friends. These were people who were touched by her story or who simply wanted to help, people who were kind.

That amazes me.

Further- today I wanted to somehow spread the word, to inform others of the loss to our community and to our world. So I set my away message on AIM to read:

Friends of mine- people who are not Jewish, who are not religious, who do not know her- wrote me the kindest, sweetest words, telling me that they were sorry. Which meant they had read what I had written and taken a moment of their time to think about Chaya, or rather to think about her in an abstract way, to realize that someone special had left this world.

And this is something that I see as being total kindness. Because it is easy to be kind to someone you know, someone whom you have seen or met or spent time with. It is easy to care about them. The difficult thing may be to mantain that caring, to consistently continue to offer that level of support. But the initial emotion is not difficult.

Not so with people who did not even know her. And yet these people joined the Facebook group, these people write me such kind messages- these people, too, offer their words for Chaya, to Chaya.

In a way, Chaya's slow, drawn-out death brought a sense of unity to our community. Everyone wanted to help in some way, whether it be providing food or baking challot or opening their homes to the family. Even those who were not close by would write messages in her online guestbook, which would later be read to her. The response of our community was a truly beautiful thing. It is kindness epitomized.

And that is something that is wholly and totally to Chaya's credit- a great zechut that she brings before God. No, she was not able to learn as well as she might have wanted while in the last stages of her debilitating illness. And no, she was not able to participate in her beloved singing or even perhaps in her prayers. But she was able to bring together an entire community and to instill a sense of love and care.

This is her merit; this is her power. This is her defense before God.

The kindness that she created.

The kindness that was embodied in her.

Kindness on the Bus

2007-06-08T14:57:00.000-04:00

Guest post from Diana

The other morning I was reading on the bus on my way to work. The overhead lights were off because most of the other people on the bus were snoozing. After ¾ of the way through the Queens Midtown Tunnel (which is sporadically lit), I looked up because the overhead lights had been turned on. The smiling bus driver looked over at me and said “Why didn’t you tell me you were reading?”

2007-06-07T02:12:00.000-04:00

I went to a show tonight at Triad, a little club on West 72nd street. That band playing was a band from a Israel called Eden MiQedem. With God's help, there will be an interview with Shmuel Nelson - the man behind it all - and a review of his CD on my own blog.
But for now, I just wanted to share the fact that the club had a two drink minimum, and the prices were ridiculous. 8 bucks for a beer, and it was a bottle, not draft! Plus, they charged a gratuitous gratuity fee, and tax.
In any event, I was more than several dollars short, and was about to engage in some negotiating with the waitress when some guy tapped on the shoulder and handed me the full sum of money! I only took the amount I needed, and when I asked for an address so I could return the money, he refused to be paid back.
"Just make sure word gets around about this band, and we'll call it even, okay?" was all he said, and then walked off.
Isn't that nice?

Returned Wallet

2007-06-05T08:32:00.000-04:00

I lost my wallet yesterday. I was pretty sure it had fallen out of my purse on the bus, so I called the bus company and they said they hadn't found it. I called a friend and borrowed a bus ticket so I could get to work and planned to call the credit card companies and bank in the morning to get all new stuff.

I got to work and received a call from my neighbor. He said that a man had stopped by the house with my wallet. He had found it on the bus and was sure that I was frantic by then so he wanted to make sure he returned it to me as soon as possible (this was 8 in the morning). The lucky part of the story is that my driver's license, which is the only thing with my address on it, originally had only my old address. But the week before this, I had received change of address stickers in the mail that I had attached to my license, so he was able to find my current address. I am so incredibly grateful to this person (who left his card at my neighbor's insistence) for returning my wallet. It's an incredible relief.

Re-Gifting Kindness

2007-05-31T09:43:00.001-04:00

I decided a while back that I wanted to make a Happy Jacket. Basically, a jacket sprinkled with pretty little accents - an appliqué here, some pretty trim there. I told one of my co-workers about it and he brought me a huge package of gorgeous silk fabric that had been used to make ties. He told me he got it from a woman who worked in a fabric store, who had saved the remnants for him for a month after he had expressed interest in it. He was excited to receive the fabric from the store clerk, and I was excited to receive it from him. The kindness just gets passed on...

Flowers

2007-05-15T08:30:00.000-04:00

My co-worker bought a big bunch of roses on her way to work this morning, because she liked to arrange flowers and have them on her desk. She had more than would fit in her vase, so she gave me a few for my desk. It brightened up my morning :)

Kindness Through Chocolate

2007-05-08T02:51:00.000-04:00

Many readers of my blog know that my mum has not been well and is still in intensive care. Tomorrow is her birthday. My dad ordered a big chocolate cake from one of the local kosher caterers here to take in to the hospital for the occasion so the doctors and nurses (who have been by her side for so many months) can celebrate her birthday and continued Refuah/recovery with us. My brother went to pick up the cake just now and called with a nice surprise - that the caterers were giving it to us as a gift, free of charge which is so nice! Thank you so much to them.

There are also those who sent birthday cards and messages and made donations to various charities in her name which, even in her tired state, mum smiled at when I told her. Thank you all.

Please continue to pray/say Tehilim for Gittel Chava Bat Pesia and all the sick of Klal Yisrael.

Incredibly Thoughtful

2007-05-07T18:47:00.000-04:00

I have a classmate who is just one of the sweetest, most thoughtful, but completely overwhelmed people you will ever meet. But despite being so overwhelmed, she always finds the time to think of others. When I was out of school for two weeks during Passover, she e-mailed me just to wish me a good Pesach. The other day we were hunting my school for a specific snack that I really was craving, but couldn't find. She just e-mailed me to tell me that she saw some of this snack in the grocery store and bought them for me, but her family didn't know it was for me, so they ate them. Still the thought is just so sweet and kind, I'm very touched by it.

Kosher Kindness

2007-05-07T09:22:00.000-04:00

My co-worker was in some bakery this morning and decided to bring donuts for our office. He knows that I keep kosher and didn't want me to be left out, so he also bought some bakery goods that were kosher so I would be able to eat them. He brought them, unopened, and pointed out the kosher certification on them so I would know that I could have them. Just the fact that he went out of his way to make sure I could take part in the yummy treats meant a lot.

In Need of Brakes

2007-05-02T21:45:00.000-04:00

Sent to me from a friend:

We have needed a brake job and numerous other things on our car for months now, but didn’t have the money for it.

Finally two weeks ago suddenly there was a loud sound that the brake-pads were gone and scraping the drum. We just left the car alone, that night, it seemed to be all gone. I was hoping that it was just dirt that got in the breaks earlier. But alas, in the morning I was proven wrong.. I went to the garage and called my husband. He informed me that he doesn’t have the money, and isn’t sure what we should do. Later, as he was walking from the house to the garage, I called to tell him it was $340. And we would try to work out a payment plan.

When he finally got there we were told that its cash only, and they wouldn’t even let us take the car to go pick up money from people who owed us. We were just about to tell them to take the car off the lift, so we could just go home and wait till we had the money, even though, its impossible to do our jobs without the car, when an older Yid with a long white beard offered us a loan. He put several hundred dollars on his card, and we gave him our phone number. We have tried looking him up, but hes not listed anywhere.

A Kind Guide

2007-04-27T23:05:00.000-04:00

I wound up getting lost at a military base along with a fellow blogger, and we wandered in circles for quite a while looking for a museum. We stopped a woman, who was just about to drive away, and asked her for directions. She wasn't too sure either, but despite having someplace to go, she invited us into her car, and drove us around, looking for the building, until she finally found where we had to go. A small kind of kindness, but much appreciated! Not everyone would have taken time to take two complete strangers in their car to look for some museum.

Kindness at the library

2007-04-27T16:14:00.000-04:00

I went to the New York Public Library recently to do research, and I needed to photocopy the book I was reading. There was someone using the photocopy machine already. The librarian noticed that I was waiting and she offered to give me a pass to go photocopy my pages somewhere else. Before I could even accept the offer, she said, "no, I'll do it." She photocopied all the spreads that I needed within a minute and didn't charge me any money. If I had had to use the regular machine, it would have taken me longer and also I would have had to pay for each copy. Such a nice thing to do . . .

Negotiating in good faith

2007-04-26T06:47:00.000-04:00

They left the door wide open. I was flabbergasted.

But then again, perhaps they wanted the man to know that his conversation was being overheard by three B'not Yisrael (Daughters of Israel, Jewish women).

They offered to help him get a better parnassah (living, job).

They even dangled an outright bribe in front of him, offering significant financial assistance from our organization for his child--and they were willing to put it in writing.

All he had to do was sign a paper authorizing a Bet Din (Jewish court) to give his estranged wife a get, a Jewish religious divorce. They were ready to call in an eid (witness) and have him sign the paper on the spot.

Sadly, he insisted that he had to consult some other rabbis (in addition to the two rabbis who were doing the persuading).

I've never been prouder to work for this organization.

I pray that this act of kindness results in a kind conclusion.

Of New Beginnings, and Kindness

2007-04-25T09:01:00.000-04:00

First, baruch Hashem, I've been blessed with a new job.

I've been praying for this one for a little while, and have been on Cloud 9 ever since I found out Monday that I got it.
I'll be working for a company called Freedom Scientific, which develops technology for the visually-impaired and learning-disabled.
I'll be handling technical support, and will be working from my home.
Also, this job will go with me when I move, which is another goal of mine that is finally looking like it will be realized.
At any rate, a friend of mine got in touch with me this morning, asking if I have a Paypal account because she wants to donate towards covering my initial hotel expenses.
I'm very touched by this.
I'll have to stay in St. Petersburg, Fla. for a month training, and that hotel bill will get very expensive.
So every bit helps.
Baruch Hashem for kind people.

Small Actions Can Be Huge

2007-04-24T05:45:00.000-04:00

A wonderful friend sent this story to me in an e-mail. I've seen it before, have no idea if it's actually true, but can't help but tear up everytime I read it. And I thought it was perfect for Kindness Happens, so enjoy!

One day, when I was a freshman in high school,

I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school.

His name was Kyle.

It looked like he was carrying all of his books.

I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?

He must really be a nerd."

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him.

They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt.

His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him

He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye.

As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. "

They really should get lives.

" He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!"

There was a big smile on his face.

It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.

I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived.

As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before.

He said he had gone to private school before now.

I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.

We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books.

He turned out to be a pretty cool kid.

I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends

He said yes.

We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.

Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again.

I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!

" He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.

When we were seniors we began to think about college.

Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke.

I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem.

He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our class.

I teased him all the time about being a nerd.

He had to prepare a speech for graduation.

I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak

Graduation day, I saw Kyle.

He looked great.

He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school.

He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.

He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.

Boy, sometimes I was jealous!
Today was one of those days.

I could see that he was nervous about his speech.

So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!"

He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled.

" Thanks," he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began

"Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years.

Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach..but mostly your friends...

I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.

I am going to tell you a story."

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met.

He had planned to kill himself over the weekend.

He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.

He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.

"Thankfully, I was saved.

My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.

I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.

Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions.

With one small gesture you can change a person's life.

More train chesed

2007-04-23T15:28:00.000-04:00

Last week, when the New York/New Jersey area was hit by the nor'easter, I was running late on my way to school. As a result, I jumped onto the train that I take to school without purchasing a ticket beforehand. The train schedule was very erratic because of the weather and I wasn't sure if I would be able to get another train soon. However, because I didn't have a ticket, that meant that I would have to pay an extra five dollars as a surcharge for purchasing the ticket on the train. I noticed a man from my shul sitting in the same car and decided to ask him if he had an extra ticket I could buy from him. He did have a ticket, but refused to let me pay him - he insisted that I take it for free. So not only did he save me the cost of a ticket, but he saved me from having to pay the extra fee! Then, later in the train ride, he offered me some food in case I didn't have any snack with me. What a mensch!

The Offer of a Jump and a Ride

2007-04-23T10:16:00.000-04:00

My car was not running this past weekend. It was a bit distressing, as I don't have an extra mode of transportation to rely on. My downstairs neighbor, who has three small children and works part-time, offered her help. She left her keys for me in the morning, so I could use her van to jump-start my car. Thankfully, I got to the dealership and they took care of my car quickly, but she has also offered to drive out to the dealership and pick me up if I needed a ride. If she had needed to pick me up it really would have been an inconvenience, so it was really, really nice of her.

Kindness on the train

2007-04-22T14:20:00.000-04:00

As I'm cooking for Shabbat this past Friday, I get a phone call.
Me: "Hello?"
Voice on phone: "Hi! How are ya?" (Okay, I don't recognize the voice. Probably some telemarketer.)
Me: "I'm good! How are you?"
Voice on phone: "Good. Ah . . . I'm calling from the train. Someone left this cell phone here. I'm the conductor."
OH MY GOSH! MY SISTER LEFT HER CELL PHONE ON THE TRAIN!
Me: "Oh my! Well, that would be my sister's phone! Okay, let me think. Um . . . where is the train now?"
Voice on phone, whom I now know is the conductor: "We're going to ______." (The next stop after ours.)
Me: "Well, is there a lost and found or something that you can send the phone to?"
Conductor: "Yes, that's in New York. This train is going straight back to New York, and isn't stopping at [my stop] on the way back."
AAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!!!

So I spend the next fifteen minutes on the phone with the conductor, trying to work out a way for us to get Pickle's phone back before Shabbat. I ask him if he can mail it to us but he says he won't get to a mailbox before Monday. Okay, scratch that. He suggests that we meet him on the same train on Wednesday - not good because:
1. She needs the phone before Wednesday
2. Nobody that I know will be on that train on Wednesday

Finally we decide that the conductor (his name is Anthony) will give the phone to another conductor (Wayne). After the train gets to Trenton, Wayne would be riding a train back to New York and would be stopping at our usual stop, and we could meet him on the platform and pick up the cell phone. Anthony tells me that Wayne is tall and bald, and will be in the second car of the train. I speak to Wayne for a few minutes (he has one of those molasses-moving, deep voices) and confirm that someone will meet him on the train platform as the train pulls into our stop.

Thank goodness.

So my sister arrives home about ten minutes later and I inform her that she forgot her cell phone on the train (she hadn't realized this). So she goes off to pick up her cell phone, but because she doesn't have one with her, I have no way to get in touch with her and am worrying and worrying whether or not she managed to make it to the train on time.

Finally, Pickle calls the house. "I got my baby!!"

Apparently Wayne was just where he said he would be, and he was very tall and very bald. My sister was so thankful that she gushed to him, "Wow, you guys are amazing!" and he looked sort of bemused.

Baruch Hashem, and thank G-d for conscientious and well-meaning train conductors. Anthony was thoughtful enough to pick up the cell phone, call the "home" contact and take pains to try and return the phone to its rightful owner. He could have simply dropped it in a lost and found and we never would have seen it again, or he could have left it on the seat and someone else would have stolen it. And thanks also to Wayne, who took responsibility for giving the phone back to my sister. They were both so nice and polite on the phone to me as well. I think I will write a letter to New Jersey Transit and tell them what happened, because these two men deserve recognition and thanks in writing.

Yay for Anthony and Wayne, and yay for New Jersey Transit for hiring these two responsible and dependable conductors.

Chabad on Campus Launching Week of Goodness and Kindness

2007-04-18T07:52:00.000-04:00

The network of Chabad Houses on College Campus, otherwise known as COC has responded to the tragedy in Virginia Tech. COC has launched a week of goodness and kindness.

"As a university and nation began the transition from shock to mourning one day after the deadliest shooting attack in American history, the network of more than 100 campus Chabad Houses declared a “Week of Goodness and Kindness” as a way to honor the memory of the slain. The goal of the effort, according to organizers, is simple: to translate the pain of grief into the healing of positive action.

For one week beginning this Friday, Chabad on Campus representatives will be handing out pledge cards at the campuses they serve. Students will be encouraged to pledge a good deed in the merit of those lost; the collected cards will be presented later to the students of Virginia Tech"

Read the entire article here.

You can send condolences to the Librescu Family here.

Search for a local Chabad on Campus here.

(HT C.H.I)

"Today's a day for helping people..."

2007-04-17T23:12:00.000-04:00

Wow. Sunday we experienced a Nor'Easter, and like many people, my sister's basement was flooded.
Apparently there was something wrong with our sump pump ( among other things, but this was a biggie ), and we were hard pressed to find a plumber who would help.
One guy said he was too busy. Another came, started working, and in passing mentioned that his "rates had gone up". Significantly. After my brother in law refused to pay the seriously inflated fee, the guy packed up and left.
Finally, one guy comes in and offers to do the work for less than his usual fee!
"Today's a day for helping people, not for making money," he told us. He stayed with us for three hours, and when he had to leave to another call, promised he'd come back and install the new sump pump. He made good on his promise; he came back at three in the morning!
No more plumber's crack jokes from me!

Yum!

2007-04-05T18:31:00.000-04:00

I didn't kasher my kitchen for Pesach because I knew I would only be eating a few meals in my apartment, since I go out for all the Yom Tov and Shabbos meals. When I got back in town from the first days of Pesach, I went downstairs to my neighbors to get my mail that they had brought in. My neighbor asked me what I was eating for dinner. I told her that I wasn't sure, but I would throw something together, probably matzah and cream cheese. She was making dinner for her family, and offered to make me up a plate also. A few minutes later, she came upstairs with a plate heaping full of really yummy food. And then told me that if I want any more, there's plenty. So, despite the fact that I don't have a kosher-for-pesach kitchen, I'm still eating really well, thanks to the amazing kindness of my neighbors!

Update - In case I was too nice to ask for more food (and what she gave me initially was plenty!) my neighbor sent two of her children up to my apartment to see if I wanted any more. So nice!

I See You

2007-04-05T11:02:00.000-04:00

Yet another beautiful act of kindness on our trip to Cleveland for the first days of Yom Tov...

Serach & I decided to go bowling last night with our friends, Pobody's Nerfect and Stoner. Stoner [who is not a stoner] was driving, and with a lot of swirling snow, construction, and few lights on the road, it was hard to see where we were going. When we were almost there, it appeared we were lost. We turned around and started trying another street, but still couldn't find the alley - and it was nearing 11:30 while the alley was only open until 12:00. Finally, we called up the bowling alley and asked exactly where they were and if they knew which way we should be going, since our directions didn't seem to be right. The man on the phone started asking where we were, and after we'd turned around yet again, kept asking what we were passing and was directing us all the way there. He spent almost 15 minutes on the phone with us, kindly guiding us on our way, and freaked us out a bit when we were still a few blocks away and he suddenly said "Oh, I see you guys! Keep coming straight..."

When we walked in, he immediately asked which of us he'd been talking to, and stuck out his hand to shake mine when I responded that was me. He then announced to us that seeing as how it was about 11:30, he'd just turn on a lane for us for the half-hour - and all we had to pay was $3.00. That's for four people, including shoes - just three bucks. It was mind-boggling kindness, and we had a wonderful time. (And we managed to finish the game in the half-hour, too. :) )

Three dollars!!

Competition

2007-04-02T06:58:00.000-04:00

A beautiful story via Pobody's Nerfect:

I was in [one of the two Jewish bookstores in Cleveland] today and I saw such a beautiful thing. Basically, [one of the owners] told a customer, "No, we don't have that in, but I just called [the other Jewish bookstore in Cleveland] and they have it in..."

Chag Sameach, everybody!

Moving Up

2007-04-01T15:51:00.000-04:00

Today was a very frustrating day, and I was getting to work (yes, on a Sunday, right before Yom Tov) way later than I had planned. I had just spent about 15 minutes circling the area between 52nd and 56th and Madison and 3rd in vain, looking for a spot, and was completely frustrated. Finally, as I made a left onto Park Avenue, I saw a spot behind a car that had just parked itself. A young boy and his mother were standing on the sidewalk and the father was about to get up onto the sidewalk as well. I started to back into the spot, but had tried from too far out and had come in at a bad angle, and couldn't straighten out. The man motioned for me to wait a second, and I thought he was getting something from inside the car and just didn't want me to hit him by pulling out to start over, so I waited. After a few seconds I realized he was actually starting the car - he moved his car up about a foot, leaving me with plenty of room to maneuver without having to start over again on a busy Park Ave. (for a Sunday), and actually boxing himself in a bit with the car in front of him.

Some people are just selfless... and the small things are often where you get to see that. It was a bright spot to a rough day.

2007-03-28T17:40:00.000-04:00

I was just reading The Curious Jew's (http://www.curiousjew.blogspot.com) blog, and I was very impressed by what she wrote. This should inspire us all. A Chag Kosher V'Sameach to all, and I'll quote it here:

Chicago's Matzah Crisis: One Person's Response
This is a story.This is a story about the incredible sweetness of my friend.Yesterday, my father sent me an email saying:
Chana,Any chance you can bring hand made shmura matza with you on Thursday. Chicago is completely sold out of it, and we haven't yet bought. Seems the Chicago Matza Factory decided not to bake matza this year.- DaddySo what's going on?For some reason, at this point in time unknown, Chicago's Shmura Matza Factory decided not to bake matzah this year.I mean, this is my matzah. This is the matzah. This is the matza that all of us Chicagoans eat.What are we going to do without it?I frantically send out an email to various and sundry friends:
All right, folks, help me out here.Where in New York can I find handmade shmura matza? I just need to buy a box or so. And I need to buy this BEFORE I leave on Thursday, so basically today or tomorrow. Preferably today.anybody?thanks,ChanaI receive lots of responses about locations and suggestions and maybe I should go into Brooklyn, but the fact is that I have class, I have no time, and there will be no shmura-matza hunting from my end.That is, until my friend proposes a solution.This is my incredible friend. This friend is responsible for lots of sources on lots of my blogposts; this is my friend who hunts down aggadot for me and somehow knows sources off the top of his head, my friend who is brilliant at Hebrew and dikduk, who is impassioned by music, basically, one of the smartest, brightest, kindest people I know. And acting in his kind, bright, concerned way, he decides that it is imperative that we have shmura matzah for the seder.So he tells me his plan, which is basically this:1. He, stationed in Washington Heights, will wander around Washington Heights/ Brooklyn/ someplace and find me some matzah2. He will buy said matzah3. He will take a forty-five minute shuttle (or subway) to Midtown4. He will give me said matzah at a time that is convenient for me (that is, the one break I have during the day)5. He will then return to Washington HeightsSo of course I determined that this plan was ridiculous, though in the end, frantic, I acquiesced, somehow thinking that I wouldn't actually let him go through with it. I even called to tell him not to come as I realized how much effort this would involve.But he came. He came, and he was just here, and he brought me matzah, so my problem is solved.How incredibly sweet, wonderful and amazing is this person? Forty-five minutes each way for no other reason than to make sure my family can fulfill the mitzvah in the way we are accustomed to fulfilling it this Pesach.Utterly, utterly amazing.Oh! And I forgot! After he gives me the matzah, he warns me that I should check to make sure the matzos are whole, and if they're not I should tell him...implying that he'll go and get me another box with whole matzos.How incredible!(Incidentally, Jewel Osco in Skokie just got in a recent shipment of shmura matzah, and apparently Hungarian will be getting some, too. But there are loads of people in Chicago who still don't have any, so if you have connections/ any way to get them matzah, I'm sure that would be much appreciated.)

My Honda

2007-03-27T14:47:00.000-04:00

We had just moved to Smalltown, and there's no bus system here. My car was terrible; buying it was a big lesson in the school of hard knocks. Within a month of moving it was relegated to the junkyard. Beloved is a trucker, and the only way Sweetie (daughter) and I could go anywhere when he was gone was to call on a few friends at our new church, who were very generous.

A woman in my Bible study group was preparing to sell her mother's Honda, and Hondas have a great reputation. But we only had about $500 to spend, and my friend wasn't saying at first how much she wanted for it. (I checked later, and the blue book said it was worth $1800.) When the time came for her to sell it, she and her husband decided to give it to me! This woman had known me for 2 months. They had the cracked windshield replaced, and when I went to pick it up, she had just finished washing it and the gas tank was full. She even gave me the gas card she got as an incentive from the glass company. This car had been in the family since it was new, so I also got all the maintenance records.

It had 218,000 miles at the time, and I put on 15,000 miles over a year and a half. It always started, no matter how cold, and was such a great little car. But the heat stopped working, and a week later the fuel pump broke, and on advice from several car people, we decided it was time to stop paying for repairs. We used the tax refund to replace it.

And of course, I gave the Honda away to somebody else who could fix it cheap.

At shul

2007-03-18T02:43:00.000-04:00

On shabbos I went to go hear a shiur in the late afternoon. There were more people than usual because of the shabbaton that the shul was having. After the shiur and mincha, it was time for shalosh seudos. Usually they have enough chairs in the hall, but since there was a lot more people there, they had to bring in a bunch of chairs from the shul to the hall. Before we went, the rabbi said that instead of bringing one for ourselves, what we should do is we should each bring one for someone else. And that's what we did.

Insane Kindness

2007-03-13T20:50:00.000-04:00

I am flying out insanely early tomorrow morning to attend a weddding. I was planning on waking up at 4 AM, quickly throwing on clothes and driving to the airport, which is about 35-45 minutes away. I was asking some co-workers which route they thought would be the best for me to take to the airport. One of my co-workers was asking me what time I had to leave, where I lived, etc., etc. Then he offered to come pick me up and drive me to the airport that early! He has to travel from Queens to NJ to pick me up and then back to the airport. I vehemently protested, but he wouldn't hear of me having to park my car at the airport. I told him 100 times to call me if he can't do it - haven't heard from him yet. What an amazingly, ridiculously, insanely kind thing to do!

Subway Kindness

2007-02-22T22:25:00.000-05:00

I got on the subway tonight after class and there wasn't a ton of room, so I stood. It's not such a big deal, since I only go one stop down anyway. A man on the train saw me standing and offered me his seat. I told him that it was ok and to stay where he was. He actually got up, told me that he was only going one more stop and once again offered me his seat. And he smiled. It was nice to see that on the subway.

At a shoe store

2007-02-20T19:28:00.000-05:00

A while ago, like in the fall, I went to get some dress shoes. While paying for the shoes, I found that I was one or two dollars short and was worried that I would have to go and come back a different time. The lady standing next to me saw my situation and paid the difference and I was able to get the shoes. I thanked her and she said that it's happened to her too and she knows how it feels.

Cab Fare Kindness

2007-02-16T13:05:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine works in a job that requires very long hours. Because of the long hours, the company will reimburse my friend monthly for cab rides home, rather than expecting a not-so-safe late-night subway ride. Lately though, money has been tight and didn't have the resources to be able to wait until being reimbursed, so my friend has been relying on a co-worker to share a cab home. Unfortunately, the co-worker has been leaving earlier than what is expected by the company, causing my friend to need to leave early as well.

My friend's supervisor inquired about the early departure and my friend explained that it was necessary to leave early in order to save the cab fare. The supervisor took my friend aside the next day and asked how much he was owed by the company. The supervisor then took out an amount of money that would cover it and handed it to my friend and said that it could be paid back when the next check comes through. The supervisor did all this in privacy without anyone else knowing about it, in order to not embarrass my friend.

More Kindness in the Snow

2007-02-15T17:54:00.000-05:00

This afternoon one of my co-workers came in pretty late. Upon seeing him we had the following conversation:

Me: Late night last night?
Coworker: Not really, I just had to spend some time this morning shoveling snow.
Me: Wow, your car must have been really snowed under.
Coworker: Well after a dug myself out, I noticed a few older women digging their cars out. It looked like they were having trouble with it, so I helped them out.

I thought wow, what a pleasure to work with a guy who will now have to spend a couple extra hours at the office tonight because of his good heart.

Snow storms bring out kindness in strangers

2007-02-15T11:30:00.000-05:00

Thank goodness I am able to work from home (G-d bless wireless internet!) so I have been working from home yesterday and today. The snow plows buried my car yesterday so I went out this morning to try to dig it out. 2 different men saw me digging and helped me out. They do not know me and I'm sure they had better things to do, but they helped me get my car out. It was really nice of them. And it wasn't because I looked so cute in my sweats under my skirt and scarf and mismatched hat ;-)

Crossposted on my blog.

Valentine's Kindness

2007-02-14T10:24:00.000-05:00

I was just speaking to my dad, and he told me that he is going out to dinner with his wife for Valentine's Day this evening. He then mentioned that they are having a friend join them - a friend who recently lost her husband. I was touched by that - it's very thoughful to include someone who would be alone on Valentine's Day, especially now, when I'm sure that loneliness is still very acute.

I heart Nice People

2007-02-13T17:24:00.000-05:00

I'm going to a wedding on President's Day, and it's not in the five boroughs so it was giving me a bit of a headache trying to figure out how I was going to get there. Public transportation to this location (or lack thereof) being what it is, I had sent in my affirmative response card, but I hadn't a clue as to how I would get there.

Then, today, a coworker who is also friends with one of the baalei hasimcha called me and offered me a ride. Isn't that nice? :)

Random Acts of Kindness Week

2007-02-12T19:42:00.000-05:00

(cross-posted at Elisheva Blogs)

In honor of "Random Acts of Kindness Week", February 12-18, 2007, here are some ideas inspired by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin to help spread kindness throughout your world:

Let the people you care about know that you care. This is a kindness to yourself and to them.

Refrain from causing others pain (emotional, physical or financial).

Think before you speak and refrain from lashon hora and baseless hatred.

A true act of kindness is one in which you don't receive any thanks or anything in return. Try not to resent others who don't show appreciation. This takes your act of kindness to a new and higher level. Be sure to express appreciation and thanks when someone does something kind for you!

Be willing to forgive those who ask for forgiveness (and those who don't).

Be patient with people, don't rush them.

Be willing to change.

When you see a friend or family member do something helpful for others, point out to them how thoughtful they are and how you are so proud of them.

Judge your fellow favorably. Give the benefit of the doubt. Think of others as you would like others to think of you.

Let others help you when they offer.

Kindness Links:

Pay It Forward Movement

Tradition Of Kindness

World Kindness

Cabbie Returns Bag full of Diamond Rings

2007-02-09T10:11:00.000-05:00

In New York:

She gave him just a 30-cent tip, but a New York cabbie didn't hesitate before tracking down a passenger to return 31 diamond rings she had left behind.

"I'm not going to take someone else's money or property to make me rich. I don't want it that way," said driver Osman Chowdhury, who is from Bangladesh.

He was even reluctant to accept the $100 check the passenger offered as a reward, eventually accepting it to cover the fares he lost while trying to locate her. But the 41-year-old cabbie did have a message: "I'm proud of what I did so that people know New York taxi drivers are honest."

Read more.

The cheapskate New York Jewler is not identified, but I'd hate for it to turn out to be an Orthodox Jew. We used to have a corner on kindness, honesty, and integrity. I wonder if the the crown has been passed on.

I especially like the tagline:

He said he didn't mind the meager tip, and it never occurred to him to keep the diamonds.

"All my life, I tried to be honest," the soft-spoken cabbie said. "Today is no different."

Coffee, Your Price

2007-02-08T13:49:00.000-05:00

[cross-posted at SerandEz]

(Hat tip: Michael B) This is pretty cool, and interesting:

With its blood-red walls and black leather sofas, Kirkland's Terra Bite Lounge looks like any other coffee shop — until you get to the menu. There are no prices listed. Terra Bite doesn't have them.
You read that right: No prices. Customers pay what and when they like, or not at all — it makes no difference to the cafe employees, who are instructed not to peek when people put money in the metal lock box.

I wonder if - and hope - it will be successful. I think it may be for the reasons illustrated in this comment [the very first comment] on a Kirkland blog:

I went down to Terra Bite randomly on a Sunday with my best friend because Janis had told me about it. Katie and I had this plan to just go in, get coffee and not pay because we wanted to see how it felt to just not pay. We ended up feeling so guilty that we drove back paid double what we would have and I offered to put a bumper sticker on my car to help advertise...it's a crazy mind game they have going there.

This is much better than similar ideas from the past - say, communism or other policies that distribute wealth, for a simple reason given by the next comment:

My initial excitement was later tempered by the thought that we've done this before and it has failed miserably (pick any communist state that has tried to force economic equality by spreading wealth). But then I realized that this was fundamentally different. It's not a government forcing us to distribute wealth. It's about relative worth measured by US. It forces US to look at the larger economic picture and assess how we fit in.

It's really brilliant, and I'd love to see how it goes. Hopefully it will show that people really are kind, honest, and fair. My guess? A high enough percentage of people really are, and that will make this be at least moderately successful.

Kindness in Sederot

2007-02-05T09:12:00.000-05:00

I received this story on a Yahoo! Group that I am part of and thought it needed to be shared:

Two leaders of the Persian community of New York took it upon themselves recently to visit 12 grocery shops in S'derot requesting their credit lists. They paid off all the debts to the tune of $28,000. The store owners were in shock and couldn't thank them enough ! One of them said, "Only through people like this can we expect to survive here." If only stories like this made the headlines!

Sharing

2007-02-04T17:28:00.000-05:00

I was in a drug store earlier, buying some make-up. They didn't have everything I wanted, but I did find an eye shadow that I decided to purchase. I went to the check-out counter, had my purchase rung up and was about to leave. All of a sudden, the clerk offered me some chocolate. I was shocked by this. I wasn't sure if it was kosher, so I declined it, telling her that I try to stay away from sweets. She told me it was her favorite. I thought it was so sweet of her to share. You never know who will show some small kindness.

Kindness When You Least Expect It

2007-02-02T08:05:00.000-05:00

I spent last week in court, testifying at a trial.
The whole experience was very stressful, but there were two instances of kindness that really stood out.
To start off with, this was the first time I had been in court to testify for any reason, and I was nervous about that.
Add to that that the original situation was stressful to begin with, and I knew I was going to have to deal with the defendant's squirrely attorney coming up with every lie in the book in order to get his client off, and it made for a not too pleasant situation.
Before the trial started, I made it a point to call my boyfriend.
I was hoping to get in touch with him, but wasn't sure I would because his schedule has been extremely packed with work for the last couple of months.
He spends a lot of time out of town, and he spends all hours cooped up in data centers, so although I hoped for a reply to my voice mail, I wouldn't have been surprised if he hadn't replied until much later, or not at all.
Not only did he reply, but it was prompt, and he made it a point to inject his urual reassurance and confidence into the message.
That made quite a difference in my day, and it made it a lot easier to go ahead.
The next bit of kindness involves the detective who investigated the case we were now trying.
He had to testify as well, and I didn't expect that he'd do much more than that.
But he made it a point to let me know that I did well on the stand, and not to worry about the attorney grasping at straws, and he also made it a point to congradulate me after the guilty verdict was handed down three days later.
He was very diligent when investigating the case, and he made it a point to keep me informed.
For that, and his kindness last week, I'm extremely grateful.

Israel is Amazing

2007-01-28T00:41:00.000-05:00

Jameel posted an incredible story of kindness at the Muqata.

FREE Kindness Cards and Posters

2007-01-25T14:48:00.000-05:00

A nice freebie for those who want to make kindness a bigger part of their lives:
Free cards, posters and more...you can print out the cards or they will send them to you!

Kindness from "Confusion Reigns"

2007-01-24T15:47:00.000-05:00

Debbie over at Confusion Reigns posted a really nice story of kindness on her subway ride home. Take a look!

Tea and Honey

2007-01-24T08:47:00.000-05:00

I woke up not feeling very well this morning. My stomach is a bit upset and I'm just generally not myself. I came in to work anyway, because it's rare that anything keeps me home (I get bored). I was telling my very kind co-worker that I didn't feel well. So she went to the store, and bought me feel-good tea and honey, and bought the milk that I am usually responsible for getting. She takes really good care of everyone, true kindness.

The Kindness of Dinner

2007-01-18T10:05:00.000-05:00

Last night, I didn't have any plans but didn't feel like sitting at home bored. I contacted one of my friends and asked whether she wanted to have dinner together, be it out at a restaurant or cooking at home. She responded that she had a ton of food and I should come on over. I got there, and she did, indeed have a TON of food. She offered me two kinds of chicken, leftover Chinese food, side dishes and salad. We had a feast! She's the kind of person that takes amazing care of people, remembering what they like and always putting others first. She is one of the greatest hosts ever, and it's really amazing how she manages to make you feel like you are doing her a favor by letting her take care of you. I left with a very full stomach, great conversation ringing in my head and no boredom.

Accidental Kindness

2007-01-11T18:10:00.000-05:00

This afternoon I witnessed the kindness of strangers in a rather unfortunate situation.

I was also reminded me of the frailty of human life and how precious it is.

I had just got into my car, rolled down the window because it was so hot and turned on the ignition. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed something odd about fifteen metres up the road. I looked again to make sure I wasn't seeing things. A man had been hit by a car, I saw him crumple to the ground. I couldn't tell you who or what car hit him as I was a bit far away, although I did notice people start to pull over. I whipped out my phone and called Hatzolah as I jumped out of my car to go and see if anyone else had called emergency. A number of people had stopped and were assisting the man, checking to see if he was conscious or if he could be moved off the road. He could not be moved so others who had stopped when they saw the accident directed traffic, found a box to shade the man from the hot sun.

It took a few minutes until the police and emergency services arrived and during that time, there were a few people talking to the injured man to keep his spirits up (he was conscious) and ensured that the traffic didn't get in the way. Another passerby on her evening walk commented to me that it was really nice that people had actually stopped to help. Which it was.

I waited around because I couldn't get my car out (the traffic had backed up) and I was also a little shaken at having witnessed that. I don't know if the man was ok (he was conscious and with good movement in his legs) but the medics used extreme care to move him to the ambulance. The strangers that stopped to help do deserve a thank you, as do the paramedics from Hatzolah who all took time out to help with this accident. This was definitely a reminder to drive safely, be aware of pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles as well as to be careful when walking, crossing roads and driveways.

Obviously an accident is not something we want to happen but if it ever does, it is nice to know that there are kind strangers out there who take out the time to stop and help and wonderful volunteers, like Hatzolah, there for you in an emergency.