Stories of Kindness
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
~Aesop
1) The story of homeless man Glen James involved many acts of kindness.
The first was his own. When Glen, who had been living on the streets of Boston, found a backpack stuffed with $42,000 he decided to turn it over to police so it could be reunited with its owner, rather than keep what would undoubtedly have been a life-changing loot. But after reading about his honest act, Ethan Whittinghton set up a fund for Glen. Donations flooded in from around the world, eventually raising more than $100,000 to change the homeless man’s life after all.
Glen James
2) Giving someone a hug can make a big difference to a person in need of support and comfort.
And these tender pictures of Pope Francis taking time to embrace a man with tumours all over his body were broadcast around the world. The man suffers from a rare condition called neurofibromatosis that has left him covered in neuronal tumours, including growths on his face. The pontiff stopped to hug, kiss and bless him in St Peter’s Square in Rome.
3) The morning commute is rarely a pleasant experience.
But commuters making their way through Earls Court tube station in London last November received a heart warming message to cheer them up during Monday’s rush hour. The station’s Thought For The Day, written on a whiteboard near the entrance read: “You… yes you. The one reading this. You are beautiful, kind, sweet, amazing and simply the best at being you. Never forget that.”
4) Hundreds of thousands of workers were affected by the US Government shutdown last autumn.
So when waitress Sarah Hoidahl heard two National Guard soldiers discussing how they would be missing out on pay, she decided to pick up the bill for them, leaving a note that read: “Thanks to the gov. shutdown the people like you that protect this country are not getting paid. However I still am. Lunch is on me! Thank you for serving ladies. Have a good day!” And then when TV star Ellen DeGeneres heard about the single mum’s generous act, she decided to reward her 300 times over. Ellen gave Sarah back the $27.75 she paid, plus a cheque for $10,000
5) Teenagers Save Girl from Abduction
In July of 2013, five-year-old Jocelyn Rojas was playing in her front yard in Lancaster, Pennsylvania when she suddenly disappeared. Rojas’s parents feared the worst, so they alerted police and began a frantic search of their neighborhood.
Instead of waiting for the police to find the little girl, fifteen year-old Temar Boggs and his friend decided to start looking for her themselves. Soon, they spotted Rojas in a car with a man, so they began to follow the car on their bicycles. The teens followed the car for fifteen minutes as the man tried to lose them. Finally, he seemingly gave up, pulled over, and shoved the child from the car.
“She ran to me and said that she needed her mom,” Temar said.
6) 21 Year-Old Organ Donor Saves Seven Lives
Organ donors are heroes who commit the most selfless act of kindness imaginable. When Henry Mackaman, a University of Wisconsin-Madison college student, died from bacterial meningitis in May of 2013, his family found some small comfort in the fact that he had made the decision to donate his organs.
Mackaman’s ultimate act of kindness, simply checking the “Organ Donor” box on his driver’s license, ultimately saved seven lives. His mother posted on Caring Bridge, “All of us are proud of Henry for making the decision to be an organ donor. This generosity shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows him. With his decision, up to 54 people will benefit from the incredible life that Henry lived.” (Source | Photo)
7) 10-Year-Old Stands Up to Bullies to Save a Cat
It’s never easy to stand up to bullies, but that’s exactly what Wendell Overton did when he discovered a group of kids torturing a neighborhood stray cat. Overton had seen the black and white cat around town before, but one day he came across a gang of kids, aged five to thirteen, who were running over the animal with their bikes, throwing him in the air, and squirting energy drinks in his face. Afraid that they would kill the cat, Overton bravely intervened and took the cat home to his mother, who called the Outer Banks Humane Society.
When word of Overton’s compassion and kindness got out, notes of praise and encouragement came in from all over the world. (Source | Photo)
8) Strangers Form a Human Chain to Save a Boy from Drowning
On a sunny day at the beach in Napier, New Zealand, twelve-year-old Josh McQuoid was up to his knees in the surf, playing with some friends, when a dangerous current swept him off his feet and carried him far from shore. As waves crashed over the boy, he struggled to keep his head above water.
Another beach-goer and two Napier police constables spotted the struggling child and rushed into the water to help him, but the water was too rough. After he realized that he couldn’t reach the boy without falling victim to the waves himself, Constable Bryan Farquharson organized a human chain to reach the child while remaining anchored to the shore.
9) Kiss From a Stranger Saves a Suicidal Man
In Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, a sixteen-year-old boy was standing on a bridge, threatening to jump off and end his life. Hundreds of onlookers watched in horror as he refused to cross back onto the safe side of the guardrail. Police had arrived and were talking to the boy, but no one could get through to him.
Just then, Liu Wenxiu, a nineteen-year-old hotel waitress, was walking home from work when she saw the boy and knew that she had to do something to help him. Wenxiu had once been suicidal herself, so she knew how the boy felt. Telling police that she was his girlfriend, the girl managed to get close enough to talk to the boy. She shared her own sad and difficult life story, listened to his, and showed him the scar on her wrist from where she had tried to commit suicide herself.
“He said he’s hopeless, ‘so don’t waste your time to save me’. But I told him, ‘I’m not saving your life, I just want you to realize how silly you are being. Look at me, I’ve been there and I’m now here,'” Wenxiu said.
Finally, the girl was able to lean in and give him a hug, and then she unexpectedly gave him a kiss, as well. Police were then able to take the knife that the boy was holding and lead him back over to the safe side of the bridge. (Source | Photo)
10)Woman Donates Kidney to a Complete Strange
Retired Police Sergeant Michael Newman needed a kidney to live, so his former coworkers sent out a desperate plea to local media to get the word out. The Phoenix, Arizona man didn’t hold out a lot of hope that a donor would step forward. However, a local woman named Kellie Boff printed out the article and put it aside. Boff says she kept finding herself drawn back to the email for no discernable reason. Finally, she picked up the phone and called the Mayo Clinic.
It turned out that Boff was a perfect match. Therefore, she agreed to donate one of her healthy kidneys to Sergeant Newman, whom she’d never even met.
Images of Kindness:
During hurricane Sandy. (Source)
Photo by symphony of love 
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
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