Category Archives: kindness

Aug15

superior service.

Posted on by
Standard

while recently at my friend’s lake house

we made this beautiful puzzle

of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

 she purchased during her recent visit to the northern regions

 beautifully made of wood, precision cut, and challenging

but together we managed to complete the puzzle

except

for one piece

that I tried to jam in

 I broke it

our ‘gluer’ didn’t put it back together quite right

so we accepted that it was finished without it

but I felt bad

so I wrote to the company

to see if they could possibly replace the piece

I took photos of it and where it was supposed to be

always worth a shot

the artist who made the puzzle

also the company owner

said she would replace it

(talk  about customer service!)

 I thanked her

 excitedly waited for the piece to arrive

within days it showed up at my house

 what should arrive at my house

all the way from the upper peninsula

but an entire puzzle

at no charge

from the artist herself

as her and her husband

are the small business owners

of their own family owned company

she is a Ukranian artist

who makes the puzzles

among many other things

 he is an American veteran

 I was so amazed by their kindness

that I’d like to publicly thank them here

by sharing a connection to their business

I will certainly buy puzzles from them myself

thank you again for reminding me

that there are wonderful people out there in the world

and for your beautiful work

(all links are below)

Artist, Kateryna Nelson

https://www.facebook.com/artfactorytwinportsWIMNMI

https://www.artfactorytwinports.com/shopall

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtFactoryTwinPorts

artfactorytwinports.com

Gwinn, MI, United States
artfactorysuperior@Gmail.com

—

“customer service is an opportunity to exceed your customer’s expectations.”

-John Jantsch

*John Jantsch is an author, speaker, and marketing consultant who specializes in assisting small businesses. He is the author of Duct Tape Marketing, The Referral Engine, and The Commitment Engine.

Apr7

message.

Posted on by
Standard

this shirt, worn by a man in front of me in our recent march,

had a very simple message that really moved me

—

‘to become a deeper man is the privilege of those who have suffered.’

-oscar wilde

Mar13

a little more gentle.

Posted on by
Standard

so kind and unexpected

  handwritten positive affirmations

in the restroom of a little local diner

—

‘wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all be a little more gentle with each other?’

-judy garland

 

Jan31

what wisdom.

Posted on by
Standard
BBC A triangular roadworks sign which normally features a man digging has been changed to show a man helping up another from the ground, with the words "Be Kind" replacing the word "Roadworks".
A road sign advocating kindness appeared on a street in Hull in July last year – BBC

Kindness has been chosen as Children’s Word of the Year for 2024 after a survey of thousands of young people.

Oxford University Press (OUP) said “artificial intelligence” and “conflict” were also among the most common suggestions.

It follows 2023’s winning phrase “climate change”, and “Queen”, which was the winner in 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

More than 3,000 children aged six to 14 were asked for their suggestions, with the top three then put to vote by a further 2,000 children.

Andrea Quincey, a director at OUP, said the choice was “encouraging” and reflected children’s increasing awareness of mental health. “We know from previous years that young people are very conscious of the big issues that can divide us as a society and attuned to the important role which language can play in bringing people together.”

“It tells us that empathy and tolerance and the language we use matter, and that kindness is not only a solution to so many problems but is something everyone and anyone can do to make a difference.”

The final vote kindness had been chosen by 61% of children.

—

‘what wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?”

– Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Dec4

shop with a cop II – holiday edition.

Posted on by
Standard

for the second time 

i’ve had the honor of volunteering 

with local law enforcement officers, firefighters, marines,

first responders, heroes of all kinds,

community members

athletes from university sports teams

all there to host children from across the area

from families who are underserved in our surrounding community

the parents receive a stocking filled with gift cards

for gas, food, things for home, other things they want or need

the children stay with us

for an afternoon/evening of fun, food, activities, a santa visit,

and holiday shopping

for loved ones,

for warm outdoor winter wear for themselves,

holiday pajamas, cuddlies,

for things on their dream wish list,

(we find some things to pass on to a parent to give them from santa for holiday gifts)

along with some other things they’ve been hoping for or need

so joyful to see

most children wanted to buy things for those they loved first

we had to steer them back to also choosing some things for themselves

these are children who struggle

yet still understand the joy found in giving to others

j, the little guy who was trusted with myself and a young sherriff’s officer

said his mom’s very favorite thing in the world was mountain dew

 he chose this as the first thing to put in our cart

he also bought some toys for his two cats

but just wrote ‘to: cats’ on the tag

so they would both share them

for ‘papa-grandpa’, some chicken noodle soup

j is an only child, raised by a single parent

he’s not had an easy life

yet, he has a gentle spirit

watched the fish in the tanks for a long while

 wanted to take them home and let them go

‘because they are prisoners in there’

loves nature, being outside, running,

catching minnows and letting them go,

fishing and letting them go,

and everything at recess

he played hide and seek in the store with us

laughed with no filter

seemed to love every minute where his role

was to just be a child, enjoy all the fun, he certainly deserves it all

even the giant sugar cookie he decorated

with all of the five colors of frosting on it

and every kind of sprinkle.

—-

“the greatness of a community is most accurately measured

by the compassionate actions of its members.’

-coretta scott king

 

Aug3

(Luck I.)

Posted on by
Standard

 

this very moving page popped up on my screen recently

proof once again

that one person’s simple act

can have a huge impact on another

often without  them ever knowing.

profound and quiet kindness

yes.

 

—

source credit: Luck (I), by Joy Sullivan

Joy lives in Portland, Oregon and is a poet and educator. She has a masters degree in poetry and served as the poet-in-residence for the Wexner Center for the Arts. She also leads live transformative writing workshops for individuals who have experienced trauma and has guest-lectured in classrooms from Stanford to Florida State University.

Joy’s work is a part of The San Marcos Writing Project and is one of over 200 writing project sites in the country devoted to developing teacher leaders that improve the writing and learning of all students.

csusm.edu/education/outreach/smwp.html

Jun12

the time of my life.

Posted on by
Standard

what a wonderful retirement celebration

with sweet surprises galore

very kind words from friends/colleagues

comedy, a musical serenade, lunch together

 songs i wrote with our music teacher made into a beautiful book

a fab dance act from my favorite movie

an explosion of glitter

book of words, poems, haiku, photos, glittered pages, memories, hopes

and of course

so many wonderful pinatas

you can never have too many

filled with special things for my journeys ahead.

they know me so very well

thank you one and all

i had the time of my life.

 

==

“always surround yourself with people who inspire you to be a better person.”

-d. denise dianty

 

Apr14

good things happen.

Posted on by
Standard

 yet another

delightful encounter

with a stranger

at trader joe’s

when checking out

my cashier

put the chocolate i was buying

into my hand

 ‘i know this isn’t going far.’

 spot on.

working there a long time

knows what chocolate means to some people

  rarely looks them in the eye

 the chocolate gave him a reason to do so

i told him to

have a good day

he told me to

have a good life.

—

‘good things happen when you meet strangers’

-yo-yo ma

Mar28

mistaken.

Posted on by
Standard

 

A worried animal lover was left red-faced when the baby hedgehog she carefully nursed overnight and rushed to an animal hospital turned out to be a fluffy HAT BOBBLE.
The pom-pom next to its bowl of food 

A wildlife hospital just solved a hilarious case of mistaken identity.

On Thursday, a woman brought in a baby hedgehog to the Lower Moss Nature Reserve and Wildlife Hospital in Cheshire, England — only to be told it wasn’t an animal in need,  but a beanie hat pop-pom.

The caring woman had picked up the ‘hedgehog’ from the side of the road after she noticed it “hadn’t moved or pooped all night,” reported U.K. newspaper The Independent.

“From a distance, you take it at face value. She didn’t handle it at all — she scooped it in a box with some cat food and left it alone in a warm, dark place,” veterinarian Janet Kotze, told the paper.

“She did everything so well. She barely peeked at it because she didn’t want to stress it out.”

Kotze described the woman who made the rescue as having “well-meaning” intentions. She said she knew immediately when presented with the box containing the ‘hedgehog’ what it actually was.

“It was pretty obvious to us but I can also see how she was mistaken,” she recalled. “She said, ‘You’re joking! Oh my goodness, how did I do that?’ ”

“She was so concentrated on doing the right thing. She was concerned it hadn’t moved or even pooed — that would be spooky if it had,” Kotze added.

Hedgehog
A real-life hedgehog

The wildlife hospital wrote of the rescue attempt on  Facebook, “Our hearts melted as a kind soul thought she was rescuing a baby hedgehog,” as they jokingly nicknamed the pop-pom ‘hoglet.’

Despite the mistake, the reserve shared that the “adorable” new visitor “still got all the love, complete with some cozy TLC.”

“Remember, kindness knows no bounds, even when it’s to a faux furry friend! 🐾,” the wildlife hospital added while highlighting the importance of rescuing hedgehogs in vulnerable situations.

“Please remember, if you spot a hedgehog out during the day, it’s a sign something’s not right. Pop them in a box with a warm source and seek help from your local vets. Let’s keep our prickly friends safe!”

—

“he was so benevolent, so merciful a man that, in his mistaken passion, he

would have held an umbrella over a duck in a shower of rain.”

-douglas william jerrold

—

p.s. confession:  this could have easily been me. especially if i didn’t have my glasses on. 

—
source credits: escher walcott, people, the independent, kennedy news media photo,
brandi ettis, getty images, lower moss nature reserve
Mar1

kids watching kids.

Posted on by
Standard

where are those kids going and what are they up to?

—

today we went back to the farm

to see how it has changed since our fall visit

there were no leaves

there were no pumpkins

there were lots of new babies

there was not a lot of green

but the animals were as sweet as ever

and that never changes.

—

‘to teach children that animals have certain rights

creates in their minds a respect and regard for life.’

*-caroline earle white

*Caroline Earle White founded the first animal shelter in the United States in 1869. Born on September 28, 1833 in Philadelphia, Penn., White became an influential figure not only in animal welfare, but also fought for women’s suffrage and equality. White and a group of 30 women activists created the Women’s Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (WPSPCA), America’s first official animal shelter. Later known as the Women’s Humane Society, the organization pioneered programs that helped save homeless animals and employed animal cruelty officers to prevent and punish animal abuse. The organization still operates today as the Women’s Animal Center.