Random Act of Kindness

[luckymom30]

Seeing a man help an elderly woman this afternoon at Fred Meyer when she did not have enough money to pay for her groceries.

What random act of kindess did you witness?

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[TanDL]

I like this, luckymom! I was just thinking about all the unsung heroes in West Seattle, as mentioned in another thread. Maybe it’s time to sing out about the heroes around us and perhaps we can have as many mentions of acts of kindness as the gripes and complaints threads.

I witnessed a guy last week who had just lost his dog of 12.5 years pay it forward at the local dog washing place. He told the proprietor to give the next person who walked in the door a free wash in memory of his dog and to not mention his name, only the dog’s name. I thought that was very sweet.

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[luckymom30]

To toot my own horn, my last random act of kindess was at the Seattle Center, after seeing a woman with a shopping cart sit with all her belongings in the centerhouse outside of Starbucks we purchased her food and drink of her choice. The woman was overwhelmed and we felt good for doing something nice.

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[grog]

The first thing that comes to mind happened just about 4 1/2 years ago, but it was so big it sticks in the fore-front of my mind to this day.

It was July 1, ’08 (my moms birthday so the date was easy to remember), I was sitting at the traffic light on Admiral @ California when I noticed a blind woman (with a white, red-tipped cane) walking out into traffic and yelling, I was too far away to hear her words but could see it was obvious she needed help. There were 4 or 5 people on the sidewalk just standing there watching her then out of the corner of my eye I see this gentleman walking at a very brisk pace and calling to her, telling her to stop (as she was heading directly into the middle of the intersection with traffic driving by just feet away), from his gate I suspect there was a physical limitation that prevented him from running to her assistance or I’m sure he would have.

Once he caught up to her she began to swing her cane striking him repeatedly, not hard blows, however ones that would lead to the thought that she wanted nothing to do with him, but instead of backing off he held out his arms fully extended and corralled her back towards and onto the sidewalk, absorbing blow after blow.

At this point our light had turned green and I needed to proceed with my left turn away from them (standing in front of the cleaners) so I made the left onto Admiral and then another into the alley between Atomic Boys and the ugly big-bank chain and circled around to see if I could help.

When I finally found them he was leading her south on California with her had placed into the crook of his elbow, they were walking and talking and I could tell from her body language and facial expression that she was comfortable with the situation so I proceeded on with my day but what I just witnessed never left my mind, it really lifted my spirits and made me feel good inside.

The fact that ONLY one person out of 5 or 6 on foot in her immediate location came to her assistance was sad, the fact that he braved her blows and ensured she was removed from the traffic that continued to flow around them was very heart-warming.

The following week I read a short piece in the West Seattle Herald from a woman who was with her daughter also in a car in the intersection who wrote to praise his actions and made sure that her daughter understood what he did was leaning toward the heroic side.

I have seen this man around the area on many occasions since, I know that he drives a school bus and coaches volleyball near-by (my niece was on his team a couple years ago) and feel really good knowing that he’s someone in our neighborhood who’s not afraid to help, we need more people like him in our world.

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[JoB]

this one is personal

i visited my brother in Portland recently.. he is a retired policeman who spent the last 10+ years on the SWAT team.

One of the members of that team was recently badly injured in a freak accident

although recovering from both a hole in his lung and shoulder surgery, my brother was part of the crew that made sure their friend who had just learned he would never walk again was not alone…

but what really made my ears perk up was the story he told of the young couple who had come into a small inheritance and had decided that a handicapped equipped van for this man they had never met but who had served his city was more important than a down payment for a house..

the pay it forward i saw was the wonder in my brother’s eyes when he told that story..

that couple did more than buy a handicapped van for someone who needed one

they taught others the meaning behind pay it forward..

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[JoB]

the pay it forward i witnessed last night

one of the residents in Nickelsvile who i have been supporting in his struggle to find permanent full time employment took another resident to interview with a friend of his who staffs the fishing boats..

he will be taking him back for his drug test and follow up interview this week..

and if that is successful has taken it upon himself to make sure that the guy has the thermal underwear and waterproof gear he needs to survive on a boat..

that in spite of the fact that he worries every day how he will pay for transportation back and forth to his latest temp job…

one he hopes will become permanent full time employment…

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[luckymom30]

Bump!

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[wakeflood]

I know a lovely but VERY quiet and introspective young girl (9yrs.) who often does very nice things for others.

Her last birthday, she asked her mother if when they sent out invites to her bday party, that they could suggest that all gifts be donations for a local shelter.

Well, she gathered $750+!! in cash and checks and brought them in to the shelter. She forced her mother to give them the $ and forbade her from giving them her name.

Needless to say, I’d do anything she ever asked me to do for anyone – and I know it would never be for her.

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[sbre]

Grog~Thank you very much, what a wonderful compliment to read about ones-self, that was me who helped that blind woman that morning.

And good observation skills, I was limping due to the pain experienced while trying to hurry to her location, pain caused by the hernia I was having repaired later that same day as a matter of fact.

After the woman finally calmed down and excepted my help she explained that she just gotten off Metro from Capitol Hill and was trying to find the church where her 12-step meeting was being held, that she didn’t know west Seattle and the driver told her that it was “around here somewhere”. Eventually we made our way to the Presbyterian Church at Spokane where the meeting was in progress.

Who is your niece and which team was she on?

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[phoenix]

Grog, thank you for sharing that very heartwarming and uplifting story. I can see how it has left an indelible impression on you.

Sbre… I cried reading that story because of how determined you were to help her, regardless of her initial reaction. The fact that you had to run to get to her, and you were in pain could have easily been a reason to think, “Someone else will help her.” Nonetheless that didn’t stop you. Your act of kindness inspires me to take action in whatever way that might be, regardless of if it’s easy and comfortable for me. I’m going to share this story with my children tonight to show them the importance of choosing the right & noble thing to do. Thank you.

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[FionaEnzo]

What a beautiful story. Sbre, what a good soul you are

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