I’m resident of small town and member of a middle-class income group. Two fellow residents fought over the construction of the common wall. One was a widow, her mother in law was also a widow, a very poor family with pathetic conditions. The second party was also not in a good financial position. None of…
Last night on flight 158 from Anchorage to Seattle, a woman was very distraught as she entered the plane. The flight attended asked if she could help and the lady just asked if she could help put her mother’s ashes somewhere where they would not get bounced around. She put them in the 1st class…
We’ve been going through all the boxes out at the barn, finding all our treasures we thought were lost, and today I found our stars. ? My kids each picked a color of paper and we cut out stars. Every time they did something kind or thoughtful they got to write it on a star and…
In the span of about 20 minutes I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to see almost every student enter the building. Some are dropped off by their parents. Others ride their bikes to school. But most of our students take the bus to school each morning. I try to give as many students…
There’s an older couple in the Palo Alto, CA area who have no idea that their gesture of paying for my daughter and her friend’s lunch is comforting a grieving community.
Gratitude … goes beyond the “mine” and “thine” and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past, I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude…
My friend and I spent a summer working at a salmon cannery in Alaska. We were driving back home on the Alaskan Highway, which is a two-lane road through some of the most remote land on planet earth. You are in the middle of nowhere with no way to contact help unless help comes to…
As a 6th grade teacher, I feel the necessity to teach my students about kindness, compassion and empathy.
At work one Valentine’s Day, no one got flowers from their SO, so at lunch I went to the local florist and bought a single rose for everyone. Even the guys. I got a different color for them so they’d feel extra special cause guys rarely get flowers. I had them delivered anonymously. It was such…
Today, as I drove to work there was a man. He was an older man looked a little rough around the edges. He was not holding a sign… just looked hungry. I ran to McDonalds and grabbed a sandwich combo as I figured I’d offer him a bite to eat. He was so happy and…
I had driven several hours from my house to take care of my sister’s cats. There is a fast food place there that makes amazing biscuits so I went today with the intention of paying for the car behind me.
I have two boys, 15 and 12, and I tell them every morning before they leave for school to Be THE ONE. Kind one, caring one, honest one, loyal one, the one who talks to the kids who may not have any friends, to hold doors open, to be compassionate and appreciative every day. We try…