On Nov. 13, we marked the 27th year of "World Kindness Day," a chance to pause, reflect and ask: How does kindness really change lives? We then invited you, our readers, to share acts of kindness that left a lasting impression, perhaps even reshaping the way you see the world.
What you sent us was compelling, heartwarming and refreshingly unexpected, reminding us that goodness is alive and well in a world often overshadowed by displays of cruelty and grim headlines.
Do small acts of kindness really matter? We'll let your stories speak for themselves. (But the answer is yes. Always yes.)
Here are some of the highlights.
Teacher Steps Up
When I was in second grade, my only pair of shoes was worn out, with holes in the soles. At that time, my parents couldn't afford to buy me new ones, so I wasn't able to go to school. My teacher, Mrs. Wortz, called my mom to find out why I wasn't in school. My mom told her the truth, even though it was probably embarrassing. Mrs. Wortz replied, "Get her ready for school in the morning and I will come pick her up."
The next morning, my teacher drove me straight to a Buster Brown shoe store and bought me a new pair of shoes.
After Mrs. Wortz retired and moved to a smaller house, she called and gave me her library of books. I was an avid reader and loved books. Still do. Her kindness made a huge difference in my life. I will never forget it.
Teresa Staats
Ohio
Grief Meets Grace
My husband passed away from COVID at age 53 after 40 days in the hospital. This was before vaccines were available or anyone truly knew how to fight the virus.
During that time, I called the hospital constantly, and there were countless acts of kindness toward me.
There was the nurse who sat with him to explain why we couldn't visit, but was willing to look at all the pictures we sent and listen to what they meant to him. Another nurse bathed him while he was intubated, amid the chaos, so he could attend his daughter's wedding via Zoom. The palliative care team became my eyes and ears, listening to his story with compassion and helping me make difficult decisions. And there were the nurse and resident who stopped their work to comfort me for over an hour while I said goodbye. And we will always remember the nurse we called "Wonder Lizzie," whose daily acts of compassion showed just how powerful kindness can be.
At his funeral, only 10 people were allowed to attend, but the church allowed us to have a "Zoom Mass" for 200 attendants. My husband had been a UPS driver for 26 years. His fellow drivers asked permission to show up in their uniforms and trucks, where they sat outside in the Arizona heat and listened to Mass.
The next day was Father's Day, and those same UPS drivers came to our house and did yard work both front and back in his honor.
Patricia Amaro
Arizona
Drive-Thru Kindness, Supersized
After reading about the idea of "buying coffee for the next person in line," I decided to try it on my next trip to the local Dunkin' Donuts. I often stopped there for a medium latte for myself and a couple of glazed blueberry donuts for my wife. At the takeout window, I asked the cashier to put the bill for the car behind me on my credit card, with the request that he tell the driver, "Have a nice day and pay it forward."
As I pulled away, I got a wave and a quick beep of the horn of the car behind me. The thought that I might have put a smile on the face of a stranger was enough to put one in my own heart, so I started doing it regularly – always with the request to pass along the same message to the next driver. Normally, this was an "inexpensive high," and I became known to the Dunkin' employees as "The Tacoma Dude," because I was always driving my silver Toyota Tacoma.
One day, after I had been doing this for a while, I stopped for my usual order and the drive-thru attendant told me it had already been paid for by the woman in the car ahead of me! She recognized my truck as the one who covered her bill a few days earlier. I looked up to see an arm waving and heard a quick toot of the horn. The smile stayed with me the rest of the day.
My wife asked me what I would do if the car behind me was picking up breakfast for a soccer team. I admitted that I hadn't thought about that. Then one day it happened. The cashier told me they had a $45 tab. My response was that if you're the next batter in baseball, no matter what happens before you, you step up and take your swing. So I paid. It could have been worse.
Bottom line: Random acts of kindness just feel good.
Warren Standley
Virginia
Lights in the Dark
Acts of kindness are central to my life, both in giving and receiving. It's so very easy to make a difference, even in ways that seem small or insignificant.
While growing up, I often volunteered at veterans' hospitals and soup kitchens. That's where it started. But when I was about 30, I found myself in a different, dark place: married to an abusive man. It was extremely traumatic for both me and our child. My family was not there for me, so I was truly alone in struggling to get back on my feet. Eventually, I managed to escape, but I was penniless, homeless and traumatized.
Some people took noticed and stepped in. Without diminishing my pride or efforts, they quietly offered help. Some gave me work in their yards. Others kept an eye out for rentals that offered a work-trade arrangement. One couple gave me an old beat-up van in exchange for work, so I didn't have to hitchhike my child to school. People stood by me in court, helping me gain full custody.
In my darkest and loneliest hours, the community stepped up in powerful ways. Their kindnesses were pivotal in lifting me up and setting me on the path to where I am today: a homeowner who runs a small business.
Now I pay it forward every chance I get, whether it's giving away food or money, opening my home to someone in need, or running errands for the elderly. Kindness is what makes everything worthwhile and keeps us connected. Small acts are easy to do, but they have a long-lasting ripple effect. I only wish we all did more.
J.F. (She asked that NPR not use her full name because she was talking about a past abusive relationship)
Hawaii
Sorrow and Sisterhood
When my beloved partner died, I lay down next to him, sobbing. Then my sister lay down next to me. I was crying for losing Bob, and she was crying for me.
Rutie Havazelet
New York
Small Souvenir, Big Ripples
Many years ago, while traveling in Ethiopia, I was approached on the street in the small town of Lalibela by two young girls who asked if I would buy a metallic cross. One of the girls (I'll call her Mary) spoke some English and explained that it was made in the style used in her Ethiopian Orthodox Church for centuries. I agreed to pay a small sum for it as a souvenir, and she gave me her email address.
Three years later, my work brought me back to Ethiopia, this time to the capital city of Addis Ababa. Curious about Mary, I found her email address and sent a note. To my surprise, she answered immediately, saying she was in Addis Ababa, so we arranged to meet.
Now a teenager, she was going around the big city searching for a scholarship. She was very serious about getting an education, but her father had passed away when she was very young, and her mother had become a nun with no income. I was very impressed by her initiative, and I agreed to help fund her education. She was subsequently admitted to a school for tourism, where she studied hard to learn about guiding, and did well.
Some years later, I returned to Ethiopia and met Mary again. She was still a student, living with very little money, but surviving by relying on the resilience she had learned while growing up in poverty. Together we explored parts of the country.
Outside the ancient city walls of Harar, people were sitting on the dusty ground, selling a wide variety of simple things. Mary stopped when she saw a very young boy with a small basket of hard berries. She gave him a couple of coins in exchange for some.
As we walked on, I asked her how the berries were prepared. She explained that the berries were not actually very tasty, but she felt compelled to buy some. She could see that the boy was trying to earn money to help support his family. She knew how he felt, because she had been in the same situation when she had sold me the Ethiopian Orthodox cross many years ago.
I am so grateful to Mary for showing me how vital it is to stay mindful and share kindness in seemingly ordinary situations.
Cedric Yoshimoto
Hawaii
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