<p>My boss’s hiring me is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me recently. I was beyond miserable in my previous job, for both personal and professional reasons, and things at home weren’t much better. I had interviewed for this job previously, but got the nicest rejection letter I’ve ever had, telling me she wished she had another position. When I saw on the state government job website that she had another opening, I applied for it immediately and got it. Things have gotten steadily better ever since and I thank God everyday that I’m no longer where I was. </p>
<p>This is just one I know about second hand.</p>
<p>A young man who was a student at West Point got so many demerits that he was kicked out. The demerits were for minor things, but they accumulated and with one year to go, he was out.</p>
<p>At that point you “owe” the army service. So, within a week, he went from being a West Point cadet to front lines in an infantry unit in Afghanistan as an enlisted man. His commanding sergeant had been pessimistic when told he was being assigned someone who flunked out of West Point due to non-academic reasons, and was surprised when the young man turned into an excellent soldier. Near the end of his first year, the young man was eligible to apply for reinstatement in West Point. The sergeant wrote a glowing letter on his behalf and the young man was readmitted.</p>
<p>Fast forward a year. It’s graduation day. The sergeant and all the guys in his unit who were still in the service were now back stateside. They requested leave and drove 9 hours to surprise him by attending his West Point graduation. He was very, very moved and so was his family. </p>
<p>My daughter was cutting quite a bit at this time last year. When she had her senior pictures taken, the first outfit had long sleeves. While she was changing into the next outfit - a sleeveless dress - I told the photographer not to be surprised by the cuts on her arms. He posed her in a million different ways so as to not show her cuts…my daughter had no clue what he was doing. And with the one shot he took that did show that portion of her arms, he retouched before we even got the proofs. I love him. </p>
<p>My D had some major health issues over 3-4 during high school. She had some very inadequate medical care during the first year. I have never felt so alone in my whole life as during that first year, we spent a lot of time at doctor’s appointments and two different times she spent a week in the hospital, me with her. I felt abandoned by those who should have been my closest support systems.</p>
<p>We moved to another state after that first year and by necessity we changed doctors. The new pediatrician was brand spanking new, just graduated from residency and in his own private practice on July 1, our first appointment with him was the last week of that July. He already knew more that the doctor we had had (who wasn’t very long out of med school himself). This young doctor listened to our story, read her records several times, called me himself several times instead of having a nurse do it, and at that first appointment immediately referred D to a specialist. I felt validated and taken seriously for the first time.</p>
<p>That specialist started asking questions and making proper dx’s while he was still walking through the doorway of the examining room, before he even touched or looked closely at D. He got her on track, saw her through yet another surgery, got her stabilized and came to her high school graduation party with his wife and a very generous gift. He is a pediatric specialist, so she can no longer see him as a patient. He did call me himself while he was making hospital rounds, from his private cell phone, when D was in Costa Rica for a semester abroad and told me about an earthquake that happened not far from D.</p>
<p>I will forever hold these two doctor’s in my heart. They were my rock during a very hard time, they took me seriously, they knew how to tell me when enough was enough, and they listened to the wailing and screaming that really my sisters should have listened to.</p>
<p>Here are a few: Last Christmas Eve, I was at the Dollar Tree, and a girl said “Merry Christmas” and handed me something–I thought it was a religious tract or homemade card at first. Then I saw it was an envelope–which held a $100 bill. (I thought it was fake at first–I hadn’t seen the “new” 100s).
Years ago, I had a stillborn son. My friend came to the hospital and talked to me, stayed with me during the labor. (This was not my “best” friend or someone I’d known that long because I’d recently moved to the area.) She organized others (only acquaintances of mine) to help, made phone calls, got info. for me. She got friends of hers to bring our family food. One of them (unknown to me) even put a wreath of flowers on the grave. I still am amazed at her kindness and practical help.
When I was young, we had a neighbor, Mr. S, who enjoyed taking the local kids (including his own) on “field trips.” He took us on bike rides, to the movies, to get ice cream, to go sledding, etc. (He did a lot of things that my parents probably should have been doing–but they were busy with my handicapped brother, so had little time for their 6 other kids.) He helped build model rockets and shoot them off in the back yard. He was an engineering professor and he took us to his labs. This was not every weekend, but just a couple times a year he did activities with us. Two of my brothers became engineers and he was a mentor to them–and helped them get their first jobs. He really had a positive influence on our family and gave me and my sibs some happy childhood memories.
This year, a few days after Mother’s Day, I received a small package in the mail. After opening it I realized that it was a gift from S#2, a college soph. He had actually (with no reminders–I quizzed H and other kids) ordered me a gift on-line. Sounds perfectly ordinary, but S is “on the spectrum”–and this was huge. He has never given anyone a gift before, and does not like receiving them himself. I was absolutely stunned. I cried. </p>
<p>I wasn’t going to write, as there are so many people who have done amazing things for me and my son. I think of my “big brother”, who was a year ahead of me in internship in Boston. When I became a single mom, this friend decided to practice being a father with my son. He took him to Harvard Club, canoeing, etc. Even when we moved away from Boston, this friend remained a constant in my son’s life. We’d visit in Boston or DisneyWorld. Son stayed with this friend and his family when he moved to Boston. They’d go out for dinner or take long walks and “talk”. </p>
<p>Just one more. We saw a pediatric endocrinologist in local area. She was just awful. Finally, at suggestion of a patient of mine, we shifted to an MD an hour away. At first appointment, she was alarmed. She had son go thru medical tests & blood tests, had the radiologist come to her office and explained the results. It was nighttime when we left her hospital. A nurse was at our home in a few days to teach me how to give son daily injections. My little guy piped up, “I’m the one who needs to learn”. After a year without a proper diagnosis, and no insurance coverage, we found a doctor who cared, who got us coverage, and spent a very long day diagnosing the pituitary tumor. Needless to say, we each took a half day off every 3 months to see this wonderful doctor, all thru HS. Once, we were delayed an hour or 2 because she was dealing with a newborn with life threatening illness. Son observed as much as he could, asked the staff questions, and had total patience. Such doctors are a rare breed and fortunately, this woman has been awarded for her dedication.</p>
<p>I wish I could provide as much kindness to others as some of the examples here have demonstrated.</p>
<p>Wow–this thread really renews our faith in our fellow humans! Sounds like there are a lot of angels amongst us and many of us have been fortunate to meet up with a few. :)</p>
<p>I’m sure your S has grown a great deal from his “practice dad,” bookworm and both young men must be exemplary fathers!</p>
<p>My grandmother was widowed when she was in her 90’s. One day the neighbor boy who was about 12 at the time saw her dragging her trashcan out to the curb. He stopped and did it for her. He told her he could do that for her and made it his job to do that for her every week for the next several years until she went into a nursing home. She offered him money and he said no. He just wanted to do it to be helpful. </p>
<p>My SIL has become one of my best friends. She married my brother 18 years ago. They live in a different state. 10 years ago we were having a rough time financially. She knew we had a tradition of attending a special Santa dinner with friends. She mailed me and our daughter a precious matching outfit to wear. It was such an unexpected gesture. Completely unnecessary but so kind. I’ll never forget her thoughtfulness. </p>
<p>When my mom died, my coworkers did all of the food for a reception at my house. They called and let me know it was all taken care of. And it was amazing! </p>
<p>It was an awful year…it was my son’s senior year in HS…but my mom was sick and died. Really out a pall over things. Plus, my coworkers knew we also had the principal from hell…and that added to the agita. Their gesture of kindness was so welcome.</p>
<p>But I have to say…my coworkers were extraordinarily thoughtful on more than one occasion.</p>
<p>Not my family but it’s a story I love to share. College friend of DS went to an expensive LAC, completely courtesy his uncle.
Here’s the story: Uncle ‘stumbled’ onto an idea that led to an uber-profitable patent years ago. He became a billionaire (something like that anyway!) literally overnight. Rather than live a decadent lifestyle, he paid for higher ed for his nieces and nephews–6 or 8 of them! (Had his own kids to educate as well.) Said his brothers worked hard (all had blue collar jobs), but he was lucky enough to stumble onto something that made him a lot of money and he thought it was ‘only right’ to help educate their kids. I just love that story!! </p>
<p>“This year, a few days after Mother’s Day, I received a small package in the mail. After opening it I realized that it was a gift from S#2, a college soph. He had actually (with no reminders–I quizzed H and other kids) ordered me a gift on-line. Sounds perfectly ordinary, but S is “on the spectrum”–and this was huge. He has never given anyone a gift before, and does not like receiving them himself. I was absolutely stunned. I cried.”</p>
<p>Wow, @atomom, I am so jealous. I can’t imagine that one. I completely understand, what a huge deal that was.</p>
<p>One of the women I know has paid for several of her nieces to get nursing degrees, though she earns only about $50,000 a year herself and lives very modestly in a small little place with her H. I think it’s very selfless of her. She wants them to have a better life than they will without the degree. </p>
<p>I’ve shared that my oldest & I are estranged, but my youngest daughter is one of my biggest fans.
She is always sending me notes and articles on things she knows Im interested in and encouraging me to take better care of myself, physically and mentally.
It’s very sweet.
I sure didn’t think that much about my mom when I was 24.</p>
<p>In the 1980s, my family and I were on our first ever trip to NY. To depart from NY, we exited the cab that was dropping us off at the airport with our luggage. In the cab, my father’s wallet (with lots of cash in it) had fallen out of his pocket. The cab drove away and my dad noticed that his wallet was missing. We were frantic. Didn’t even know the phone number of the cab company. The cabbie noticed the wallet and came back to the airport a few minutes later to return it. He refused a tip. He was an African immigrant.</p>
<p>about 18 years ago, I was in a serious car accident. Head injury and two broken legs–one very severely. My kids were school age and my H worked long hours. The neighborhood organized to make sure the kids got taken to every event they needed to be at–Little League coach picked up and dropped off S for every practice and game.</p>
<p>But the most amazing thing was that one neighbor --and priceless friend --organized a diinner schedule; for months, a neighbor or fellow school-parent would show up at our door with dinner. It got more and more elaborate, like a competition of who could do most–some adding dessert, flowers, breakfast for next day, etc. Friends from work also gave us gift certificates to local restaurants that delivered.</p>
<p>I don’t think we’ve ever eaten so good since!</p>
<p>We have close families and friends, so many personal ones. An extraordinary one, though, happened to a friend.</p>
<p>He had just finished up his fishing trip of a lifetime, floating a Kamchatka river for 10 days, and had a day layover in Moscow before returning to the states. He took a cab from the airport to a place in Moscow. When the cab driver was cleaning out the trunk that evening, he found my friend’s camera with all of his trip pictures. The driver backtracked, looking for him, but failed to locate him. He remembered though, that my friend’s flight wasn’t until the next evening. He took the day off and brought his family early the next day to Red Square to watch for him, suspecting it would be the one place he was most likely to visit. Sure enough, they found him, returned the camera, and gave him a story worth remembering.</p>
<p>^^^^Oh, wow.</p>
<p>I was returning home with my then 18 month old son from my mother’s funeral. We barely made the connecting flight and were the last to board the plane. I had to run as fast as I could carrying the baby, hand luggage, and car seat to make the connection and I felt like I could have passed out I was so overheated. When I got to our seats, a young woman was in the aisle seat and only the middle was empty (I had booked the aisle and middle seats). The woman refused to move (or even look at me), and the flight attendant said that I had to put the baby in the middle seat in the row behind. I refused, saying I wasn’t going to put my baby next to strangers, and I couldn’t understand how they would expect anyone to do such a thing. I just stood there in the aisle not knowing what to do…the flight attendant told me that I’d have to sit down or get off the plane because I was preventing them from taking off. Everyone was staring at me and I felt like crying. Then, two men got up and graciously gave me their connecting seats and took the two aisle seats. It was 18 years ago but I’ve never forgotten it.</p>