This is a space to share your kindness stories. They can be about your acts of kindness or your experiences of kindness. Click here to submit your stories. 

To the woman in the gray car who paid for my Tim hortons order this morning on Delaware and Allen: I just want you to know that I have 4 sons, 1 who had a bday last month and had a party which was hard on my pockets, another who's having a party this weekend again that's gonna kill my pockets, a florida trip next week for my sons little league football championship, not to mention Christmas next month and lastly my baby's bday the day after Christmas. You may have felt it was a small gesture, but to me it was EVERYTHING and it meant the world to me so thank you and know your kindness was definitely appreciated! And I hope this message gets to you somehow.
Courtney Page

This morning, the woman in front of me in the drive thru paid for my order - I'd heard of this happening before, but it's the first time I've experienced it! It was a small gesture, but definitely made my day!! And I passed it on, paying for the order for the car behind me :)
Eileen McConville

This morning on my way out the door to get groceries I discovered a package on the porch. It had a ladybug card on it that said "The garden fairies appreciate the hard work that you do."
We did not know who the package was for as there are three of us living here until we opened it. Inside the wonderful package was an amazing "illuminated safety vest" and batteries for it's lights!! So I am so very grateful for the love that sent this saftey vest as I am my bike is how I get to and from work, lots of times in the dark. I have nearly been hit by cars twice and was looking for ways to be seen better and this vest is just amazing!!!!! Thank you with all my heart "garden faries"!! Peace
Sam Akin

Yesterday afternoon, I ran out gas on I-490 near Culver Rd. I put a sign on the windshield. started walking. At About three steps on what would have been a round trip walk of an hour or more, a car pulled over ahead of me. As I opened the door of the Good Samaritan's car, he said, "you ran out of gas, I know what that is like." "What's your name, my name is John." The handshake was my welcome. It took a while to get to a gas station. John said, "I'm a salesman and my next stop is across the street from the gas station, I'll wait for you to get gas, take you back to your car, and follow you back to the gas station to be sure you make it ok. I was overwhelmed gratitude and affirmation that "my brother/ other is my keeper". As we traveled, our conversation moved to our families. I was worried about meeting my daughter, Gracie's school bus. Describing our family of adopted(my wife, Sherrie, calls heartological, and biological
Children, John asked, "Which agency helped with your adoptions?" When I said Catholic Family Center, John told me, "I 'm adopted, they're the people that helped me get adopted." As I got out of my car, back the Mobil Station , I looked John to say thank you, again, but he drove on, having opened up an experience of Grace for me, a God experience. Along with learning to check my gauges so as to not run out of gas, I was affirmed in knowing God's love is found in the loving fullness of human mutuality. Thank, John, you are a friend of mine.
Rev William Huston Wilkinson

Just heard a news report about paying it forward and it reminded me that a lovely lady bought my coffee last week. I was in an unusual funk that day, and this young woman just out of the blue bought my coffee. It would have been great on any day, but the timing was truly a gift.
Kitty Wolfsong

I had a lesson this morning that I would like to share. rest assured, I am not going to out the person I had this experience with...but I would like to share what I was reminded of through this interaction. a dear friend is having a rough few days, pretty much out of food for the next few days and no $. now this individual is always checking to make sure that mom and I have enough supplies and do we need anything. so even though I have no cash right now, I can and did walk into my back yard and harvest potatoes, carrots, apples and tomatillos and took them over. now this is only partly about the fact that because I grow food in my yard i can get fresher than anywhere else healthy, organic, mine mine mine! and is more about that i was reminded that it is a gift to be able to help someone out. this person gave me one the most ultimate of joys in my life, and that is feeding people my food! Thank you Creator for the bounty of the land! help someone out, a little or a lot...it is good for the soul...and it feels good too!!!!!!  The other HUGE lesson for me was that when I DON'T allow others to help me , which is a huge challenge for me...I am all about independence...I am robbing those who offer that help, of the chance to feel that same blissful joy!
Kelly Baumgartner

Dairy Queen Manager, Joey Prusak, witnessed a blind customer drop a $20 bill. A woman behind him picked it up and put it in her purse. When the 19-year-old Prusak confronted her, she refused to return the $20. Instead of just letting it go, he then refused to serve the woman and asked her to leave the store. He even reimbursed the man's $20 out of his own pocket.  
Read the story: http://goo.gl/CeAE8D

Reading Mary Wilkins story, reminded me of how she and Ed paid it forward in our lives. We had never met them. Zoe and Mary had bonded on Facebook over a mutual love of animals. Then Mary and I connected on Facebook. Zoe was going through chemotherapy and needing to travel to Buffalo one morning a week for her last semester of classes. I put a request for assistance out to our friends on Facebook and off. Mary and Ed, who until that point we had never met, were the first ones to volunteer to drive Zoe to Buffalo so she could be on time for her 9 am class, spent the morning in Buffalo, and then drove her home. Unlike Mary, I know their names, address, and phone number and have been able to tell them how much their loving acts of kindness meant to us and always will -- Rev Dr Sharon Jacobson

Several years ago, Ed had surgery on his neck to ensure that his melanoma had not spread. I went to pick him up at Strong the next day and he insisted he could walk to the ramp garage with me. Once we got there, I couldn't find the car. It seems there is a spot where the labeling of the sections is completely illogical. I've had it happen before as have other folks. I was getting more and more frustrated, worrying that Ed was going to start to feel faint. Suddenly, a gal pulled up and offered to drive me around until we found my car. She had observed my frantic activity and Ed's waiting for me with a bandage on his head and figured out what was going on! After a few times around the ramp, we found the car and I went back to collect Ed. I only got her first name and did thank her profusely at the time, but I've always wished I could tell her again how much her actions meant to us. -- Mary Wilkins

Our neighbors across the street, Eileen and Phil, and our next door neighbors, Sue and Larry, are some of the kindest people we know. Zoe and I have been through our share of health challenges the last few years and since then they have reached out and demonstrated "neighborly love" in so many ways. I cannot even begin to count the number of times that our driveway was snowblown or our yard was mowed by one of our neighbors, especially while Zoe was undergoing chemo and radiation and recovering from them and it was always without even asking.  I would be in the office working and hear a lawn mower and when i looked out the window, there would be one of the guys riding around on their mowers. Every time, I think about their kindness, my heart overflows, and I give thanks for the neighbors that we have and the universe guiding us to this home. -- Rev Dr Sharon Jacobson

I called the Pampered Chef this morning to get some assistance for how to set up a fundraiser for a friend who needs help with medical expenses. Besides being very helpful, Donna, the solutions advisor, was personal and warm and concerned about my friend.  She did not conclude the call by thanking me for contacting the Pampered Chef, giving me tips on sales, etc. or with technical advice.  She concluded by sending regards and well-wishes to my friend and hopes for his full recovery.  I need to work, and I love that I really enjoy what I'm doing for work.  In a perfect world, everything is a cooperative and people own their work.  In an imperfect world, where the bottom line is usually the bottom line, this is both impressive and heartening.  I guess I don't see the perfect world ever happening without people acting with heart in the imperfect one.  ~~ Vinessa Buckland