• polarheart said on Jun 18, 2007....

  Last year the soon to be sister-in-law of a dear friend of mine paid my return flight tickets from the UK to SA in order for me to be at my friend's engagement party.  I couldn't believe the generosity of someone who had never met me in person and had to explain that I could never repay the gift and thus it would have to be written-off from her side.  Of course I first denied the offer several times because I felt it was too much to accept, but she eventually got her husband on the phone to me who insisted that I come out there on their expense. . .the two weeks away from home actually saved my life emotionally.  I can only say that God uses who He chooses and often from the most unexpected corners :-)))

• secretlife said on Jun 18, 2007....

  the one that comes to mind first for me is the flowers i got a few weeks ago from my soulcast friends.

   

• gingersoul said on Jun 18, 2007....

  Pollie......that was indeed something really big....not only (but even also) for the amount of money (and we are not talking about few dollars anyway) offered but for the fact that this person had never met you......amazing.....

  I am very happy that gift arrived in yoru life when youneeded teh mots...{{{hugs}}}

  Secret.....really? Did you get flowers from Soulcasters??? Wonder who on Earth would be so silly to do such a thing????.........*wink*.

  I think that surprising someone with a nice gesture gives as much happiness as being the receiver of such gesture .....{{{hugs}}}  

• tbs230 said on Jun 18, 2007....

  Hmm, let's see. I must say that I am surrounded by wonderful people, both IRL and online.
  
  The one that stands out the most is receiving a postcard from my friend from Spain. She is probably one if not my BEST friend, and she knew I was missing her terribly. And it too came at a time when I felt everything was crumbling around me. Just knowing she was thinking of me warmed my heart.
  

• mirrorimage said on Jun 18, 2007....

  I was having a horribly busy week at work several months ago, stressed about my marriage and not feeling well at all and the receptionist from my doctors office, who was becoming a very close friend, showed up at my office with the biggest fudge brownies and a quick little chat on her day off.... i'm sure she had no idea what a horrible day I was having....it was just perfect timing. It something very simple but thoughtful and put a lot of things into perspective....it doesn't matter what happens when you have friends you can depend on.

• gingersoul said on Jun 18, 2007....

  Tbs.....its nice to be able to say something like that....friends are the best thing one person might desire....that postcard from your best friend surely tells a lot about how much you are loved by her .....:-)

  Mirror......oh....really nice..so thoughful.....sometimes there are freinds who have a special sixth sense ..we dont have to say much to them or ask for anything and they show up at our door and our day brightens sup...i am really happy you have such close friend to cheer you up when you need it......{{{hugs}}   

• genalonewolf said on Jun 18, 2007....

  This is something pickle wrote to me on my b-day.

   

  http://www.soulcast.com/post/show/68740/A-Note-From-The-Pickle.#

• gingersoul said on Jun 18, 2007....

  Gena........read it......priceless.....you are a lucky  man, she is a lucky girl.....:-)

• uniquely-ironic said on Jun 18, 2007....

  My kids are 3 1/2 years apart and they fight an awful lot, but a teacher told me about a little thing that happened years ago.  At this point I knew that they'd be there for each other.
   
  My daughter was taking a tray of food from the school cafeteria to her classroom one day.  It had rained and the ground was slick.  She tripped and her food went everywhere.
   
  My son was eating at a picnic table where he saw the whole thing.  He was eating with his buddies and I'm sure he wanted to be cool and everything, but he jumped up and went to help her up, clean up the mess and then went and got her a new tray of food and carried it to her classroom.
   
  When I heard this it made my eyes tear up.

• silverwhisper said on Jun 18, 2007....

  the one that sticks in my head right now is a dear friend who took the time to explain to me that sometimes, no matter what our ideals, we all inevitably fall short of them and i ought not to spend so much of my life engaged in self-flagellation.
  
  ed

• Alyss said on Jun 18, 2007....

  Most recently a net friend surprised me for my birthday. ;-)

• pickersplock said on Jun 18, 2007....

  What a nice post Ginger.  My son was three when he pulled a bunch of marigolds out of a pot and carried them to me, trailing dirt the whole way.  I started to get mad, but he said, "Mama, I picked these for you because I love you so much."

• mobil said on Jun 18, 2007....

  Great post Gingerbread, I've had a lot of family and friends do very nice

  things for me. I expect that they would, it's they way we are.

  But, for me it has been total strangers and never so much as in times of

  crisis, accident scenes, things like that. I've been so taken back at the

  ability of these strangers to give all they had to help others they didn't know.

  It's the human spirit Gingerbread, everyday people acting in extraordinary

  ways. It's amazing to see and it fills me up whenever I do......thanks Gingerbread

• the_infernal_optimist said on Jun 18, 2007....

  After trying to conceive our second child for more than half a year, I was starting to get frustrated (yes, I know many people have to wait longer than that) when I finally got the double lines I was hoping for on a pregnancy test in September.
  
  I immediately told DH, then ran to post on the mommy board I frequent (we've all known each other since we were pregnant with our '05 kiddos, so we're good friends). There weren't many people around, as it was the weekend of the annual meetup and many of the regulars were having fun together in a city known for entertainment.
  
  The next day, my cell phone rang. It was one of the meetup crew, calling to say congratulations (one of the stay-behinds told her). Then there was a pause, and suddenly I was talking to another of the regulars...then another, and another - they all got together to call me (20+ of them!) and convey their congrats/excitement. I ended up sitting on my kitchen floor with tears running down my face, overwhelmed by the whole thing.
  
  They also threw me a virtual baby shower (sent a big box of gifts!), and one lady made a gorgeous afghan/blanket - it must have taken her months to finish!
  
  I've never actually met any of these people IRL.
  ~Infernal

• ladyofspirit said on Jun 18, 2007....

  When my 3 oldest children were fairly young, (this was probably 10 or more years ago), we were in a Wal-mart & on the way out, my husband went to that little restaurant/grill thingy they had in the front (where you could get slurpees & popcorn & hotdogs) to get the 3 kids a treat (can't remember what it was they wanted) and when my husband was done handing them their stuff & about to hand the cashier the money, some guy paid for my kids treats.   Just like that, for no reason!  I wanted to say "no", I actually felt a little weird, and this man did not look like he was exceedingly wealthy or anything but my husband looked at me & said, real quiet, "No, he wants to do it, just thank him," so we did, profusely I might add, and this man just smiled & nodded and went about his business.
   
  My husband later told me he'd heard of this happening, these "random acts of kindness" but that was a first for me.  I still remember the guy's face, the color of his hair.  I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't done anything like that when I've been in a store.

• PassionTraveler said on Jun 18, 2007....

  I've had a number of kindness acts bestowed upon me, particularly this last year going through Steven's death, and the financial hardships that immediately followed, and none are to be taken lightly or ignored.
  
  However one example from years ago sticks in my mind for being a great example of how something so simple can make such an impact.
  
  I had been working countless hours putting together a holiday section for our local newspaper with no help from my coworkers and it was desperately needed.
  
  I was overwhelmed, exhausted, and frazzled. Nearing the end of the project, and after one particularly brutal day, I arrived home and couldn't bear to look at the stove or even the microwave to cook dinner.
  
  I decided to call in an order to the local pizza delivery service. At the time, I was a strict vegetarian in a very carnivorous community, and as is often the case, customer service can be spotty for such requests. I repeated carefully the order to the young girl with whom I had on the phone.
  
  Once at the end of the order process, I imagined the order arriving laden with ingredients I simply would not eat and didn't think I had the energy or mental fortitude to deal with the correction process, so as we were about to finish, I quickly stressed to her... "I mean this as no disrespect to you, but Please, Please, Please don't screw up the order. I have had a perfectly rotten day, and frankly, I just don't think I could handle it if you did. I'm exhausted, hungry, and mentally spent."
  
  She was polite and said she'd do her best, or something like that.
  
  I hung up and decided to take a long hot bath while I awaited the order. It arrived while I was still finishing up, so my then-husband accepted the order. When I got out, he walked over to me holding a diet coke and wearing a really big smile of understanding and said, "The delivery guy said he was told to make absolutely certain that you received this diet coke, and that your order was correct. He said the coke was no charge."
  
  I collapsed on him right then and started crying uncontrollably. Through sobs, I said, "All I wanted was for someone to help me... sob sob... I just wanted someone to be nice to me, and no one was ... sob sob... nice to me at work all week... sob sob... this is soooo... sob sob... sweet. I ... sob sob... don't know what .... sob sob... to say."
  
  Once I calmed down, I called the girl up still somewhat crying and told her how much that little gesture meant. I think she thought I was psycho or a nut case, by her surprise at my reaction, but the next day I called her manager and praised her.
  
  That was more than 10 years ago, and it still stands out as one of the most memorable nice gestures anyone has ever done for me.
  
  PT
  

• NotSoSinglechick25 said on Jun 18, 2007....

  A month or two ago, Mr NotSo and I were walking the dog and came across a cat that had been hit by a car on the side of the road.  It was lying not far from our front door.  I have a very soft heart and it tore me up to see the poor thing.  When we got back from walking Buddy, Mr NotSo got a bag and his gloves and went to pick up the cat so that kids and/or the owners wouldn't come across their pet that way.  He also did it to ease my mind and heart.  The kindness in that simple but unexpected gesture did bring tears to my eyes.  I haven't met many people that would be willing to do that. 
  J
  ps  Great idea for a post Ginger!

• mommy02 said on Jun 18, 2007....

  One of the kindest things that has ever happend is now that I am going through a horriable divorce, a guy from High School came back into my life and now he is coming in for 2 days from GA to VA just to support me and hold my hand through this tough time.....  I couldn't stp smiling the day he told me, cause I so didn't think he would do that!

• CreativeWoman said on Jun 18, 2007....

  One of the kindest things I ever experienced was an impromptu candle light vigil held in front on my sister's house the evening after my 8 year old niece died in an accident.  Friends organized it, the priest came home from a jubilee just to be there, and the police blocked off the whole block.  It was estimated that over 400 people converged to honor her out of a little town of 4,000.  We sang, we cried, and we held on to each other.  It was very overwhelming to feel the love of that community reaching out to our family.  I tear up even now when I think of it.
  
  Great post, Ginger.
  
  CW
  

• Eilan said on Jun 18, 2007....

  When I was pregnant with my four-year-old, one of my students brought me a baby quilt that she'd made for me.  It was completely unexpected.

• sweet_cookie01 said on Jun 18, 2007....

  hi ginger... i read this post and there was too many situations and too many people that rushed into my mind...the very recent was yesterday... my daughter made me a small note saying "Mommy i love you... thank you for taking care of me"....

  she just handed to me casually when she arrived from school....she was aware of the financial difficulty we were facing lately.

• gingersoul said on Jun 18, 2007....

  Unique......i agree with you....that gesture is so sweet and full of respect and love...you raised two great kids for sure.....i can understand the tears in your eyes....so nice...:-)

  SW.....oh, you kind of surprised me...i was expecting something that you wifey did ...but you were expencting me expecting that....lol...what your friend did is really important.....he gave you an injection of confidence and showed how much he was caring for yo.....great....

  Alyss...yes, i read your post about it...and you are still smiling about it....;-0

  Picker...awhhh...so sweet....i mean, it can be better than that for a mom?

  Mobil.......yes, it gives you hopes in the positive of the human kind...no matter how bad people can be (killing, raping, stealing, abusing) the acts of so many other people counterbalances the meaniness, the atrocities......from friends and family we kind of expecting to be treated with kndness...but the strangers....{hug}

   

• gingersoul said on Jun 18, 2007....

  Infernal....great....i can imagine your surprise...how nice of them...:-) .

  what colors was the blanquet?

  Lady...oh yes, i know about these random acts of kindness....i never been the receiver but i do small kindness gestures to strangers....Secret had a great post months ago where we coudl go and write if we have done something nice to somebody....it was very uplifting to read it....;-) 

  Passion.....you are so right.....its not the big grand gesture that hit the spot....actually it can be small like a Diet Coke...yet, look how greatly affected you.....that girl has a golden heart for sure.......:-)

  Notsosingle......tell you hubby is a great guy!...:-)

  Mommy....i am sorry for you hard time....been there...i know how precious is the support of a friend in moments like these ones.....i am glad he is coming for you.....{hug}

  CW.......that little girl touched the heart of a lot of people.....i understand how can be still overhelming for you remembering this amazing kindness toward your family.....

  Eilan.....this also tells you must have been a great teacher.....:-)

  Sweet.....your daughter sees and appreciates what you do for her....she feels you love her very much....she has a loving mom....

  my daughter too tells me that she knows our situation and that, even though i can't buy her the things she might want, she is grateful anyway....it means a lot for me that she understands me....:-)

• the_infernal_optimist said on Jun 18, 2007....

  Hi, Ginger! :) The blanket is a soft blue with a silver thread winding through the yarn. Very pretty! My 2-year-old has decided it's her blanket for now, so I've been wrapping her in it at bedtime. :)
  
  ~Infernal
  

• Lioness said on Jun 18, 2007....

  Hi ginger, honestly, thinking of those people who've done me kind things makes me a little teary-eyed. Yes, there are lots of 'em... Sometimes, I feel that my "thank you" is not enough for such a gesture, and silently, I say a prayer for them. One thing I cannot forget is the concern I got when I suddenly fell ill sometime last year while we were on an official trip. Inet, as we call her, lent her pillows, blankets, sent me food in the hospital, and made sure I was recovering well. She even sent her nephew to look after me on the first night. I was sooo touched. 

• zombied420 said on Jun 18, 2007....

  I was in Moscow, I was eating a german scone...Go figure that out. I was drinkin my coffee and I dropped my scone. .
   
  I picked it up and threw it in the trash.
   
  I notice this scrawny dirty looking kid bearly able to pay for bread notice this and gave me one of his loafs.
   
  This made me smile.
   
  I took out five dollars and gave it to him...That was a really nice day.

• gingersoul said on Jun 18, 2007....

  Infernal......it seems really pretty.....blu and silver.....bet your baby is even prettier all wrapped up in it...:-)  

  Lioness.....if you received such warm attentions its because you deserve it....its been really nice of Inet taking so great care of you when were ill.....really nice...

  Zombie...oh, you and your usual headspinning mix...in Russia, eating a German scone....lol.....and what a surprising gesture from that kid....i bet that for him that bread was 100 times more important than for you and yet......he gave it to you....really amazing.....:-)

• Zayda said on Jun 18, 2007....

  I have several things that came to mind, but I'll share this one:
  
  I had a former student email me out of the blue one day last fall. His email happened to come on a day that I was feeling particularly discouraged about work, but he, of course didn't know this. He emailed me to tell me that he had just successfully gotten a multi-million dollar project at work funded thanks to the, as his supervisors called it, "stellar" feasibility study and proposal he had written.
  
  So, the student emailed me to thank me for everything he learned in my class and to tell me how much he still looked back on the notes from the class and the advice I had given him about approaching certain kinds of writing projects.  But, then he went on to say something unexpected about how he had always admired my attitude and my honesty with him.
  
  He distinctly remembers the first day of class when I told the entire class to take back their books if they had bought them.  You see, I hadn't chosen the book for the class; a committee had, and it was terrible book that students were paying way too much money for.  So, I told them to return the books for a refund.
  
  He thought that was a bold move for someone who wasn't tenured, but he was impressed with my honesty from that day forward and the frank discussions I had with them about writing in corporate settings. 
  
  I saved the email, and I open it to read it every once in awhile because it was so unexpected and it reminds me of why I really do like my job even though the politics that come with it are often induce hair-pulling.
  

• kingcobra said on Jun 18, 2007....

  Hi Ginger....long time no hear!!! I trust that you are well. Did I upset you in any way? I see that you don't visit the cobra anymore.............

  Bye

• polarheart said on Jun 19, 2007....

  Just recently a fellow SoulCaster prayed for me and others here too.  This gesture of kindness means the world to me!

• queenparanoia said on Jun 19, 2007....

  ah so many to mention. a simple hug is such a big impact to me.. =)

• Froggie_50 said on Jun 19, 2007....

  I called my sister on her birthday and shes so reserved, and conversation with her is next to null unless its interesting. For the first time in our life she said before hanging up, "I love you Jen" :) My jaw dropped. She had made my day!

• Me-Myself&I said on Jun 19, 2007....

  I have had many folks here that has been very kind to me. Just having folks take the time to come chat on this or that is ...wonderful! To me, when strangers gaves me kind words, well, it means more to me because they really don't have to. So, here on soulcast when anyone comments i figure it is from the heart. MsB, said something on one of my post ....well, it made me feel special, it was the nicest thing ...so simple but i needed to hear that.

  Thank guys for being who you are.....this here has made me complete.

• novem said on Jun 19, 2007....

  I frequently get over looked for nice gestures, but do offer my own. I sometimes pay for the elderly persons food shopping who is in the queue in front of me. I do this for many reasons but the best one for me is the true sincerity of their thanks, seems to have been passed over by the younger generations.
   

• moonriver said on Jun 19, 2007....

  i've met so many strangers who gave me help when i most needed it -- in the most surprising ways and often at the risk of their own lives -- that i don't know which to choose among the memorable ones.
  
  what most often comes to mind was when an intelligence agency of the ruling junta raided several houses of our underground network and arrested more than a dozen of our comrades. three of us luckily eluded arrest. catholic nuns who barely knew us but also working among the poor gave us sanctuary in their convent. later that night, they smuggled us out of the tight intelligence dragnet by hiding us under the seats of their service truck, among the tools, covered by tarpaulin. had we been discovered at a checkpoint, the nuns would have suffered the same fate as that which awaited us.
  
  another memorable story, which i posted here as a blog, was when a peasant family helped me recover from a jellyfish attack. this story has at least a funny twist to it.
  
  

• silverwhisper said on Jun 19, 2007....

  ignorant spammer.
  
  ed

• silverwhisper said on Jun 19, 2007....

  GS, give some thought to blocking anonymous?
  
  ed

• destinydiva said on Jun 19, 2007....

  My mum is the kindest to me ever..............
  she is always doing nice things for me...  she has the kids at a minutes notice
  she helps me catch up when I let my worst chore ~ironing....  build up to an untouchable pile!!!!!
  she always thinks of me and picks things up for me just cus she knew i'd like them
  she's always there when I need to rant!!!!  or cry or laugh
  she buys me little cards saying how much she loves me and they always come at a point where Im down......and it picks me up again.
  she's amazing .....I love her to bits.....
  
  Destiny x
  
  
  

• rmuxagirl said on Jun 19, 2007....

  hmm let me think on that.
  
  I would honestly have to say everyone here at soulcast who has been praying for me and giving me support.  I mean you guys have never met me and yet support me in my battle and that means a lot to me.
  

• gingersoul said on Jun 19, 2007....

  What a lovely and interesting post this has turned out to be......:-D

  I am really glad each of you had experienced this kindness in their lives....  

  Its uplifting to read your stories.....it really reinforces the hope in a better brotherhood-sisterhood...

  people living on these precious, small planet careful about each other and kind to each other......in the midst of our lives, our troubles and our personal demons...sorrounded by wars and atrocities in any corner of the globe and in our backyard too........

  thank you all and keep sharing.....:-)

  SW....yes, i deleted that idiotic spammer....thank you..  

  King.....all is well...thanks for stopping by ......:-).

   

• Jenna said on Jun 19, 2007....

  I have been blessed with many kind thoughts and deeds in my life.  I have tried to come up with one that stood out.  The people I work with are a great group and whenever someone is in need everyone runs to help.  Years ago, one of my co-workers son was diagnosed with cancer....and I supported her through the entire process.  I had given her a card about hope and one line in the card said something like If you listen close enough perhaps you can hear the flutter of an angel's wings.

  When all was said and done, and he was on the road to recovery she wrote thank you notes to everyone.....for me she had given me the same card.....if you listen close enough you can hear the flutter of an angel's wings....and then she hand wrote...and perhaps that angel is you. 

  Her note really touched my heart. 

• destinydiva said on Jun 19, 2007....

  aaaw Jenna that really is a touching tale :-)
  
  Destiny x
  

• gingersoul said on Jun 19, 2007....

  Jenna.........you were close to her when she needed a friend the most......you deserved to be called angel...{{{hugs}}}

  Destiny....it really is.....:-)

• robtard94 said on Jun 25, 2007....

  it seems insignificant to most
  but hearing one of my best friends (who before I met her spoke no English) say "I love you very very much"
  it was a horrible day and nothing seemed to be going right, but she made it all better with that :)
  

• gingersoul said on Jun 25, 2007....

  Rob.......having someone who tells us "I love you"  it the most significant thing that can happen.....everything looks better and more bearable.....:-) 

• robtard94 said on Jun 25, 2007....

  amen :D
  
  

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