Random Act of Kindness Day-Pay it Forward!

[mtabsw]

Originally Posted by reese foster

Probably why I will never be rich...

Reese, you are already richer than most of us will ever dream of.

I wish I had your kind heart, warm eyes and adoring children.

My random act was giving my upgrade first class seat to a marine on leave from Iraq. I need more ideas like these and the awakening to share.

[pmdelites]

i contribute around 1000 a year to various organizations that are helping children [in various part of the world] learn and eat well, helping families start small businesses to support themselves, etc.

i donate all my older clothers to family shelters rather than goodwill. i donate older household goods to goodwill or to community garage sales to help them raise funds.

if someone approaches me and seems to honestly need some money they're directly or indirectly asking for, i help out [i dont help that guy who says he needs gas for his car so he can get his family back to mississippi - esp when there arent any gas stations around for miles].

following on w/ what others have said, with what we spend on encounters/visits or getting ready for an encounter/visit, surely we can afford a 20 or 30 or more to someone in need. or afford to help someone acquire a gift or item they can use and enjoy.

btw reese, "Probably why I will never be rich..." - you are spiritually rich!!! besides, being rich is not about how much we have but about how much we have given and shared.

remember what the beatles said - "and in the end, the love we take is equal to the love we make."

[Tara Evans]

Originally Posted by verygood69

Tara I would be in heaven if you bought me a hot dog.

Anytime you want.

[Guest030911]

Originally Posted by reese foster

Thank you all for sharing your stories..They all touch my heart. Probably why I will never be rich...

He who has friends is rich. I believe in that.

Wealthy is another story.....

Yes, Reese. I have. 24 years ago this week as a matter of fact is when I first did that. It was an assignment from a counselor to teach me humility.
I do not do it often enough today. Thanks for the reminder. You are truly a special woman!

(This topic was too good to seque into talking about me and you nekkid somehow like I usually do.... Just keep sensing the theme, please.)

[Mr No Confidence]

Thanks Altus, being homeless is no joke to me. I'm blessed to still be partly sane after being out there two times. My first time tore me up hard, I was 18 just out of high school. I knew I was going to get kicked out, so I just packed up whatever I could in my 95 taurus 4:00 in the morning. Found this tiny little motel near Eastfield college, waited till they opened and caught a room. .. That whole week I just cried and drunk myself numb. That feeling still haunts me now, like I have no love coming in .. just the feeling of emptiness. I was blessed to find the people I did (friends of my mother boyfriend) .. they gave me odd jobs cleaning this office building near Rosehill Rd. in Garland .. I saved everything I could and took handouts (ate old/unwanted food, slept at my bosses house) .. From those times to now; I know I'm blessed to not have done desperate things. I'm blessed and I don't care about being rich, I'm cool with working the job I have now. I don't care if I sound crazy .. give me real love any day.

When I was alone during those times, I would just think about how bad others have it. I wasn't sick, I wasn't robbing people or in jail, I had a few people behind me while others don't. .. Just thinking like that really helped me. .. Helped me to understand I only got me, can't feel too sorry for myself. you know.

I hope you get to find that person before they go under. Pray for that person, be cool man.

Sorry to hijack the thread. .. had to respond.

Originally Posted by Altus62

This touched Me,as I have someone far away who is Homeless ...

[Hawkeye]

“Money-giving is a very good criterion of a person's mental health. Generous people are rarely mentally ill people.”


Dr Karl Menninger

[rakuguy]

Last night I was at my favorite sports bar in Bedford watching the UFC fights. I sit at the bar next to where the servers pick up their drink orders. It was loud in there and this one waitress had misunderstood the drinks ordered by her table and returned the drinks that the table refused and wanted corrected. The manager told her if she could resell the drinks to other customers pretty quickly she wouldn't have to pay for them herself so she raced back out into the bar talking to her other tables desperately trying to resell them but she had no luck and came back up to the waitress station looking totally defeated. She's living on a shoestring and doesn't have any extra money to spare. I looked over at the manager, gave a nod that told her to put the messed up order on my tab. When the manager told her I paid for the order she lit up like a Christmas tree. She asked me if I was going to drink the order. I said "God no, I'd be trashed if I drank all that... just pour them out or give them away".

I often see little opportunities of need like this where just a little effort or generosity can make a big difference in someone's day. Never pass up an opportunity to create a little good karma for yourself.

[HuntBigBucks]

I will often pick up the tab for someones coffee when at Starbucks or at a quick stop. It is funny though...both women and men think you are hitting on them.

I have also left a $20 with the clerk and told them to use paying for the next person or peoples stuff until it was all gone. He may have pocketed it, but I at least felt like I did something good.

[Indian33]

I first understood the meaning of giving watching my Dad. On several occasions I witnessed him giving him the money in his pocket to help others in need. One such time I know he gave $100 to a man with small children who needed food. When we got home my mom tore him up because he gave away all the money we had saying we now had no money for food. He told her we would be fine. This has always stayed with me I often help when I see a need knowing that others have more need than I. This was a good lesson to learn as a lad and I have attempted to teach the same to my children. I know now that my Dad beleived we were put here to take care of each other even if we do not know each others.

[Bella_HHD]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

“Money-giving is a very good criterion of a person's mental health. Generous people are rarely mentally ill people.”

Dr Karl Menninger

LOL ... this quote made me chuckle.

Last week, a doc who saw me for eight minutes diagnosed me as bipolar - REALLY?

With every new client I am lucky enough to get, I try to make a donation to the Lung Cancer Foundation (lost both parents to LC), Susan G. Komen foundation (I have two friends who are currently battling) or the Make a Wish Foundation.

I know I am crazy, but in the fun, make you laugh kinda way; NOT the "you need heavy meds" kinda way. Thanks to Dr. Menninger for backing me up.

This is a great thread.

B.

[OldGrump]

We always go to the State Fair and buy far more tickets than we need. When leaving, we find a family with children and give the tickets to them. It's usually enough for a family's worth of corny dogs.

The other night, we were eating out using a gift card (one of those use-it-or-lose-it credit card rewards). There was a young couple near us who had carefully selected their dinner. We gave them the card with our dessert and coffee recommendations.

It is so much more fun when you don't know them and they don't expect it.

Reese, being rich is easy if you don't use dollar signs to define it. You're a sweetheart.

[airlineguy12]

I travel a lot for work and try to pick up a meal for a man or woman in uniform each trip, I know airport food is not cheap and these young men and women aren't pulling down that much from uncle Sam. I also had a job in the 90s that required a month or so in Cancun each year for training, poverty in Mexico is just as sad, many of them work full time jobs and still have nothing to show for it, I'd hand out a 100 pesos to kids on the street, 10 bucks to me about 25% of a weeks pay for many families down there I was told.

[am-a-pleaser]

In my distant past I was broke not knowing how I'd meet my bills. I felt hopeless. No one helped me. I asked God for peace and help and vowed to repay his grace. I continue to repay, realizing I may be the only one offering help. Sometimes it's money, othertimes it's my time, my labor, humble advice. Just whatever seems appropriate at the time.

I was driving back from Tampa, got lost in Jacksonville. (It's a long story.) A lady named Tarin helped me with directions (I will never forget her). The next morning, I met a waitress who had two small children. She'd been up with little sleep from having moved away from her abusive bf. I left her 200 tip and rushed out before she knew what I'd done. Random acts of kindness are great to perform. I do it anonymously a lot.

Reese, I guess I'll never be rich either. It hurts when I see needs and can't help.

[spindrifter]

Everything you have on this earth doesn't really belong to you. Did you make the dirt, air or water? Once you truly believe that, giving is much easier. Remember it's impossible to "out-give" God.

[selot]

Several years ago I was traveling from Iowa to Colorado for a family funeral. Stopped in some small town in Nebraska for dinner, before getting back on the road to drive all the way to Colorado. Just happened to strike up a conversation with an elderly couple sitting in at the table next to us. Traded a few Marine stories, (he had served in the Marines during WWII). Our food came, and conversation stopped while we ate. During this time, the elderly couple finished their meal and left. When we finished eating, we asked our server to bring us the check so we could get back on the road. She sort of got this funny look on her face and told us that the elderly couple had paid for our dinner. She said that she thought they knew us because she had heard us talking to each other. I will never forget that couple. That don't know how much it helped us for them to pay for our meal that evening.

So know that I am able and have the means to do so, If I see a family in a restaurant that looks like they could use a helping hand, (usually military) I will ask our server to take care of the tab for them without them knowing. I usually try to pay and leave the restaurant before they are finished with their meal.

Another thing that I have started doing is every christmas, I will go to http://www.lbeh.organd I will pick out a service member to purchase an airline ticket for them to travel home for the holidays. It is usually less than $300 for me to purchase a complete ticket. I have done this twice and it feels awesome when I do it. I make sure that when I purchase the ticket I tell the lady that I work with there that I want to remain anonomyous.