<p>After the senseless killings in Newtown, I joined the 26 acts of kindness in memory of the 26 people killed. In short, I bought coffee for strangers in line at Starbucks, distributed gift cards to the homeless, etc. </p>
<p>I long ago completed my 26 acts for the people of Newtown, but I continue to perform them anyways. It makes me feel good, and my daughters have helped me out. :)</p>
<p>I have lost my wallet so many times I have lost count.
Half the time someone puts in my mailbox & the other half, I finally retrace my steps & it is being held somewhere.
Never has anything been missng.
( of course I did get my car broken into & my purse taken when it was in the school parking lot, but that doesnt outweigh all the other times)</p>
<p>I also have been a dollar or two short & the clerk just tells me to get it next time.</p>
<p>When I was with a friend and she had car trouble at a local park, a stranger used his AAA insurance to get some help.
His friend was handsome so I married him.</p>
<p>Once when I was in Paris alone on a business trip I decided to spend the evening taking in the blockbuster movie of the moment. The local multiplex had two or three screen showing it dubbed in French, but one screen had the original English version with French subtitles. So I stood in the line for that one.</p>
<p>A young French couple came walking down the line randomly asking (in English): “Do you speak English?” I spoke up and said I did. So they handed me two tickets for the English version, for free, and then they escorted me up to the front of the line. (The long line was to buy tickets.) After they made sure I got into the correct theater, they smiled and waved and walked away into the night.</p>
<p>These years later I can’t remember which movie I saw that night, but I sure remember the helpful generosity of that young French couple.</p>
<p>On Christmas eve, we were on a plane flying to L.A. Due to a burning odor smell, the pilot decided to land our plane in Lincoln Nebraska. This was a small airport not used to having airplanes of 200 people land. We were told to stay in the boarding area which we entirely filled but if you had kept your boarding pass, you could go out through security and get food. </p>
<p>Many folks didn’t have their boarding passes so had to stay put. Some caring citizen in Lincoln heard we had been stuck there for hours and decided to order pizza delivered for us. Boxes and boxes of pizza were set up at the boarding area ticket counter and airline employees served everyone as they came up in line.</p>
<p>We did manage to find out the person’s name but no other information on how to thank them except through the airline folks that were there that day. Very considerate of this person to think of us.</p>
<p>emeraldkity4, nice of your friend to fake having car trouble so you would meet your future husband ;)</p>
<p>Here’s a crazy story I remember about DC. A burglar interrupts an outdoor dinner party but the hostess thwarts him by offering him a glass of wine. It all ends with a group hug. Not exactly a good samaritan story, but definite proof of the power of kindness. </p>
<p>We were in Paris for our kids’ hs graduation trip. We went to Notre Dame and I stood in line to go up to the top while my husband and kids walked around and went in. To pass the time, I chatted with a woman behind me from Seattle who was saving a spot for her husband and 3 teenagers. The line didn’t move at all, and it was evident that we would be waiting a long time, so we figured - sorry, kids, we’re not going to go to the top of Notre Dame, and we set off to enjoy the rest of the day. </p>
<p>We walked for an hour and a half and then came back around by Notre Dame and passed by the line. This woman had waited there the whole time – recognized me, and waved us in. We got up to the top in about 10 minutes. It was REALLY nice of her to wave us in!</p>
<p>When S1 was five and S2 was not quite one year, I traveled without DH from NYC to Detroit and on to San Diego to visit my father. Unfortunately the airplane on the second leg of the trip had mechanical problems, and we were stranded. S1 sat on a chair, in my sight, with our luggage while I held and rocked S2 in my arms while standing on line to see who would be on the next flight out. I made the acquaintance of the lady right behind me in line, who was a dietician at a hospital just a few miles from where my father lived.</p>
<p>S2 of course fell asleep in my arms, so I laid him down on the seats to sleep. The nice lady watched him while S1 and I went to the bathroom. </p>
<p>Of course, the scarey part was when S1 said to me, “Mom, you shouldn’t have left S2 with that lady.” “Why not, honey?” “Because she’s a stranger.”</p>
<p>All of a sudden I became terrified and dashed back to where they were sitting. Thankfully, everything was fine – she was a lovely stranger – but S1 was probably right. On the one hand, what was I thinking? On the other hand, she was a dietician at the hospital – she must be OK, right?</p>
<p>This might not be exactly what you are talking about, but my 19yo S rear ended another vehicle about a month ago. The hood was damaged so much we were afraid the latch was not secure and the hood could fly open while driving. We did not want to put in a claim with the insurance company. We had S go to a body shop we had used previously to plead his case for a cheap but safe repair. Ended up cheapest repair when all was said and done would be over $3700. So S made the insurance claim and left the vehicle with the body shop. I took him to pick it up yesterday expecting to have to write $500 check. The body shop told S he owed (<em>I</em> owed) nothing because the owner was able to repair instead of replace some parts and the money he got from the insurance company would cover the entire repair. :)</p>
<p>I was home for the summer and went back to Chapel Hill to visit boyfriend who was living there over the summer. I left my wallet in the phone booth (!) A woman found it and drove ALL THE WAY TO MY HOMETOWN to bring it to me!!! I’ll never, ever forget that.</p>
<p>Shortly after the Newtown, CT shooting, I was in a drive-through line at a Starbucks (here in Chicago, not in that area). I got to the window and the barista told me that my drink was already paid for – that a person ahead in line had paid for 26 cars in honor of the 26 people killed :-(</p>
<p>When I was in high school (way before cell phones) my friend’s mother was driving 3 of us girls into NYC for a violin recital, when she got a flat tire on the West Side Highway. Along comes this souped up hot rod, and 4 young men got out whose appearance scared the %*$&^ out of us. They proceeded to change the tire, wouldn’t accept any money, and blocked traffic so we could pull back out when they were done!</p>
<p>I helped a young mom once and have always been glad I did. I was just finishing getting gas at my regular station when I saw this young mom pushing a baby in a stroller while carrying a red gas can. She was obviously frantic, in a huge hurry, and trying not to cry. I just knew there was trouble, so I went up to her and asked if I could help and if she need ed a ride to get to her car. She looked at me like I was an angel sent from heaven! We loaded the stroller, gas can, and baby into the car and I drove her to her condo just a block away. I sat with the darling baby while she put the gas in the car. I don’t know what the circumstances were, but I was so glad I offered to help.</p>
<p>One winter years ago, I was in parking area narrowed by snow. A huge SUV came down the lane too fast, causing me to move out of his way, and I grazed another car. I waited for someone to come and eventually the owner, a young man arrived. I apologized and told him that I planned to pay for the fix. He pointed out that his car was old and the damage almost unnoticeable. I told him I felt responsible, but he was firm. Finally, I took out some cash and told him to enjoy a nice dinner. He again refused and told me to spend the money on my kids’ Christmas presents. I was not in a situation where money was an issue, but that year everyone in my immediate family was facing very serious illness and I will never forget how much his kindness meant. It was a real “pay it forward” moment.</p>
<p>H and I were in the Adirondacks hiking. Done with the hike, we got back to the car (just before it got dark) only to find that we had a flat tire. H got all the tools out, but he couldn’t get that tire off at all. I was panicking by now - the gate closes at sunset and there were no cars around. A truck with 3 burly guys came by and they offered to help. They tried their best, but they couldn’t get the tire changed either. They drove away, telling us they would inform the forest rangers on their way out. Another car came by - with four young people and a little kid. They stopped and offered to help. They had a “fix-a-flat” canister in their car - with that, we were able to get the tire inflated enough so we could drive. We drove down to a parking lot further down and from there on, they drove in two cars - one ahead of us and one behind us until we got to a gas station outside the forest. Cannot forget their kindness in stopping to help!</p>
<p>Remember when our family of 9 went to a beach. Dad unwittingly parked the car in soft (not hard) sand and was stuck when we tried to leave. An entire volleyball team walked over and they all heaved and got our car to firmer ground. We found that very thoughtful!</p>
<p>On 9/11, the Staten Island ferry was taken out of service in hopes of transporting the injured to hospitals on Staten Island, of course, there were very few injured, but the ferry was still out of service leaving anyone who was on Staten Island stranded because the bridges were all closed. A young woman managed to make her way to the senior citizens center where my mother was teaching sculpture. She had nowhere to go and didn’t know anyone because she had been a tourist on that last ferry. My mom took her home and fed and housed her for three days until the bridges opened up, and they still keep in touch to this day.</p>