Nicest Thing Anyone Has Done For You?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>My mom got a really generous and wonderful surprise a few days ago, and I’ve been thinking about how important it is to celebrate the kindness and generosity in the world.</p>

<p>My family is going through a very rough time. Oldest daughter (that’s me!) has moved back home as an adult, for the forseeable future, because of some very rough surgery with a year long recovery. I can’t even get to the bathroom myself, so my mom and dad and younger sister are waiting on me hand and foot. It was nice for the first two weeks, but then I went nuts from having to rely on them so much! But I digress. My younger sister is also suffering from mental illness, which her doc says was probably brought on or worsened by our stressful family life. My mother has been working 24/7 for months on end to get her two daughters healthy. It’s been an arduous year. </p>

<p>Anyway, getting to the “nicest thing anyone has ever done” part. I have a life long friend whose mother owns a maid service. She surprised us with a free deep cleaning of our home, to lighten my mom’s burden. This is valued at almost $400. We were shocked/thrilled, especially because our mothers are not really friends. No bad blood or anything, they just don’t know each other that well. It was such a kind offer, and I felt so blessed to have that kind of generosity in my life.</p>

<p>As for my personal self- the nicest thing anyone has done for me was when 8 of my college friends (who still lived up at school- I graduated before them) drove 3 hours to my house to surprise me 2 days before my surgery. Despite midterms and snow and a long drive, every one of my close friends made it to my house to surprise me with cards, balloons, and taking me out to dinner. </p>

<p>Does anyone else have similar feel good stories? </p>

2

<p>I can’t choose the nicest thing–here are a few:</p>

<p>My BF from law school flow over to attend our wedding during his finals week. He just stayed two days and flew back to take his finals. I thought that was very sweet. He was surprised that none of our other friends attended.</p>

<p>The other day, my friend saw us at a nice restaurant, we were celebrating our 28th anniversary and my folks were celebrating their 61st. The friend and her husband bought us a take-home order of dessert to bring home.</p>

<p>Today, my BIL washed and waxed my car when I was out with my sister and their son. It was so unexpected and thoughtful, as we have been sadly neglecting the care of the car. It was such a touching gesture.</p>

<p>My SIL was kind enough to help us pay tuition for our kids for their private HS and college. That really made a huge difference, and when she died, she left a nice windfall to H and me, so we can be more secure in our retirement.</p>

<p>When I had to go back to work and my S was only 3 months old, mom watched him on Wednesdays and brought him to my office to nurse while we ate lunch together for 6 weeks. She also brought me lunch every day for 30 days after each of our two children were born.</p>

<p>Once, when I left my waistpack in the St. Charles Street car in New Orleans (without H or I even knowing it), someone found it and called us and brought it to our hotel and refused any reward and it was wholly intact!</p>

<p>My D’s friends in HS continued to befriend her and include her in all activities, even though she was forced to leave the HS after her JR year of HS. They helped secure her dates for formal events and included her whenever they could, including in photo shoots for the yearbook. They are still her friends now 6 years after they graduated from HS! Even though these kindnesses were to our D, they really touched us and helped her remain the cheery person she is, in spite of our chronic illness.</p>

<p>I am very blessed. It sounds like you have a wonderful family & friends, so you are very blessed as well and hopefully will make a full recovery. Best wishes to your family, sister and folks!</p>

3

<p>Here’s an example of anonymous goodness from someone who really had no reason to be so kind. </p>

<p>When I was in graduate school I slammed my hand against the wall in the department hallway. The diamond in my engagement ring flew out and completely disappeared. (It was a really small diamond, but it meant a lot to me.) We looked for hours and couldn’t find it. In desperation, I wrote a note to the cleaning crew that started, “If you happen to find a diamond when you sweep up tonight…” The next morning, there was an small envelope on my desk. With my diamond in it. That’s all. No note. No name. Someone who cleaned up our building in the middle of the night took the time to sift through the dirt to find my diamond. And with no fanfare nor any desire for reward or even thanks, returned it to me. That was almost 35 years ago, and I’ll never forget it. </p>

4

<p>Decades ago, I stupidly left my watch on a playing field when I was in college. That evening, I got a call from the university asking if I was missing something. The watch had my initials, through which they identified me as one of a very short list of possible owners in the school.</p>

<p>My senior project advisor was truly kind to me. I was an indifferent student, and a clear underachiever as an undergraduate. After graduation I took some steps to rectify that situation, and when I applied to graduate programs a couple of years later, he graciously responded to my inquiry about writing my recommendations. The fact that he was a well-known academic who had become president of a top 50 university helped me greatly, I believe, and I was admitted to all the schools to which I had applied. This is remarkable because, * I know * he could have fairly and honestly written a recommendation that would have eliminated me, but he must have chosen to write one that said I had some potential.</p>

5

<p>I cant choose the nicest thing either, but the most generous anonymous thing someone did for me is when I was venting on a local message board about having my car broken into and my purse stolen including an ipod, someone contacted me and sent me a replacement.
I did not vent thinking that would happen and it really made me feel good.</p>

<p>Another time, was when I was a single mom and having a hard time at the holidays, I registered at the food bank for some extra help. Part of the registry was for holiday gifts for the girls, I asked for warm hats & gloves which they received, but they were given really nice holiday books, which surprised me & made me cry because it was so unexpected.</p>

6

<p>Kuddos to all mothers who carry us fo 9 months. I believe that this is the nicest that anybody could do to somebody. And it is the hardest also. </p>

7

<p>The school cafeteria staff went through 15 trash bags before finding my daughter’s retainer.</p>

<p>I stupidly put my foot on a woman’s night stand when painting her bedroom ceiling during a youth mission trip (I was a chaperon). I offered to replace it and she would not let me, so on our last day I left her a $50 gift certificate to the local quilt shop, since she loved to quilt. A few months later I received a beautiful lap quilt in the mail, (since she recalled the name and town for my church) with a note: “learn to accept grace”.</p>

<p>But the nicest of all: When I was married, I invited everyone from the church that I grew up in to attend the ceremony. One of the newer members had never met me because she’d joined while I was in seminary. She was a woman with limited intellectual capacity, and had never been to a wedding before. She went to a secondhand store and gifted us with silverware and dishes for two, an alarm clock, and a couple of other things that she thought we’d need. It was my favorite wedding present, because of the love that went into it.</p>

8

<p>Almost 11 years ago, my mom was hospitalized on the eve my husband and I were scheduled to move into our new house. We literally jumped into our car with three kids in their pajamas to make the 3 hour drive to the hospital. Mom passed away and the next few days were a complete blur. DH and I came returned to meet the movers and boxes were quickly stacked in the front rooms and furniture piled in the other. There was no time to take advantage of the extra hands to move them appropriate places.
We left for the services and two days later, we returned to a set up kitchen. The windows were covered with temporary shades (we had left them bare) and the refrigerator was full of food. My two friends had done this for us and I am teary as I write this. </p>

9

<p>Many kindnesses when 2 out of 4 of my family had critical illnesses, more than 10 years ago. Mostly supportive words and delicious meals. </p>

<p>Recently my daughter received a real boost from a total stranger. After attending her grad school graduation ceremony, we headed out to dinner in a cab. When we arrived at the restaurant, she could not find her cell phone. It slipped out of her pocket en route. Thinking quickly, she texted the locked phone, saying simply “call this number”. Within 2 minutes, her work cell rang. It was a woman in the cab who then worked it out with my daughter that she would swing by the restaurant with it. My daughter assured her that her ride was covered and she arrived 15 minutes later, with my daughter glad to recognize her thoughtfulness. Happy moment and we were all relieved that the joy of the event wasn’t de-railed by missing phone logistics. Go NY, NY. </p>

<p>Love this kind of thread, poliscinerd. Glad that you decided to share your family’s gift with us. Best to all. </p>

10

<p>Rather mundane in light of the prior posts, but this is hats off to my orthopedic surgeon. I saw him after 6 months, and he noted how my neck was so much worse. He , as well as I, knew it was time for surgery. He called one of the doctors, gave history, and got things going. He followed up that I had an appointment set upOne often feels like a number in a doctor’s office, but to have someone go for bat for you, it is just nice.</p>

11

<p>When my father passed away, my sister and I received a condolence card from – of all people in his life – the post mistress at his local P.O. My father was charming and kind to everyone, and she regaled us with tales of his looking for his Barron’s Weekly early Saturday morning. She said how, though she wouldn’t do it for anyone else, she would go find him his copy, even before all the others had been sorted. </p>

<p>It was absolutely charming, absolutely touching, and absolutely unexpected from someone who was a stranger to us. It really showed me that the man I thought my father was really was the man he was. </p>

12

<p>When my FIL died, several distant cousins and other relatives came up to H and sibs and told them how FIL had helped them fill their stomachs during lean times, giving whatever he could, even tho it was obvious FIL didn’t have much to spare. They said it meant a ton to them to have his many kindness and gifts of food. </p>

<p>It was heartwarming to H and his brother and sister to know that their dad was fondly remembered for his many small acts of kindness. We hadn’t known how many lives he had touched and helped make more comfortable. </p>

13

<p>During Hurricane Sandy, my parents lost power for a week. The refused to go to a hotel for the first few days. They were using the fireplace to keep warm. A good friend’s husband showed up one afternoon with firewood and coffee for them. He checked out the house and my parents to make sure everything was ok. I was finally able to convince my parents to go to a hotel.</p>

14

<p>My mother did so much for me. I’ll have to say her financing and organizing my wedding in our church was really nice. You see, she was vehemently against my getting married. I had just finished my soph. yr. of college, still only 19 years old and determined to marry my boyfriend.</p>

<p>Mom had valid reasons…too young, will prob.get pregnant or run out of $$ never finish college, will be moving 5 hours away and will know no one, will have to transfer to a new college… and she would be left at home all alone (my Dad died when I was 11 and my sibs were grown and on their own)</p>

<p>She was so against it but I wanted it so badly. So she did it for me.</p>

<p>I finished college (BSN) without getting pregnant!
DH and I will celebrate 32 years of marriage this month. </p>

15

<p>When my son was hospitalized last spring, a group of CC friends showered me with cards, flowers, candy, gift cards, etc.! I’ve never met most of these wonderful people in real life. That meant so much to me! It helped make a difficult period more bearable.</p>

<p>Then last month, when I was feeling burnt out after helping my son get through another crisis, my dad emailed me and asked, “Would you like to go to South Africa with Mom and me in August?” They are the sweetest parents anywhere! I have gone twice with them before, but always with one or more of my kids. This time, it will be just me and my folks. Nobody for me to be responsible for! I can’t wait. </p>

16

<p>One thing really comes to mind. When my kids were very young (baby and three years old), my husband was laid off, and six months later I was laid off. We had little savings, and a very tough job market to work with. My husband was working part time as a valet, parking cars for $7 an hour. My neighbor was the sweetest lady, not intrusive at all, but knew our situation. Her husband’s job was as a toy buyer for a major toy store. He always got tons of samples, and instead of him getting things for her daughters, she told him to get toys for boys. The presents she gave us were the only ones we had under the Christmas tree that year, and they were magnificent. It was such a depressing year, and she was so kind to us.</p>

17

<p>In case it confuses anyone, I thought I should point out that I am still married to the original H, but we went through a rough patch and were separated for about 16 months.</p>

<p>But we were still married so I count it when we celebrate our 33rd annv next week.</p>

18

<p>One from family and one from stranger.<br>
Family: as a young man I was taking a chance on a career change with great trepidation. My stepfather told me he had faith in me, but if for some reason It didn’t work out then there would always be a place for me back home till I was back on my feet. Fortunately, I didn’t fail, but having that safety net below me gave me the courage to take that chance. </p>

<p>Stranger: when I was a very young kid - before the age of cell phones, back when parents didn’t track your every movement, I ended up lost a long ways from home (long story), and a young guy (hippie, really) drove me back. No drama, no motive, no evil - just a random act of kindness from a stranger. </p>

19

<p>The absolute nicest thing ever done for me were 3 friends, one of whom I had not met face to face at that point, came to my late dad’s house from different states to help me clean it out. I will NEVER forget their kindness</p>

<p>Believe it or not I’ve had some customer service reps go out of their way to do some nice things (one at BCBS comes to mind when my DS was hospitalized with a fractured femur across the country). She was fabulous and I wrote a very nice letter to her boss. H She and I kept in touch for a year or more and she was an invaluable resource and very helpful.</p>

<p>Currently, 8 of my friends, not all of whom really know each other, are putting a shower together for my s’s fiancee. Thats really nice.</p>

20

<p>That reminded me…when my son got his first cell phone about 12 years ago, the technology was new and he got a lemon. After getting the runaround, my husband wrote a complaint email to the president of the company, which, at the time, was located in a town just a few miles from our home. Two days later we got a knock on the door, and someone from the company who lived in our neighborhood had brand new cell phone for S. I realize that it was basically a marketing/customer relations move, but it was nice, too! (And, ever since, H has been in charge of letter-writing in our family.) </p>