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Celebrating small kindnesses and basking in the little things.

Monday, October 7, 2013

The Little Things

      There are moments in life that remind us of what it means to be human.  We are born to die according to Shakespeare.  We are born, and then well, we die.  It is cliche to say it is what we do in the in between time; however, it is true.  Zac Brown writes in "Chicken Fried,"...it's the little things in life that mean the most."  I tend to agree with him.  It is the little things: the first kiss, the smell of my babies after a bath, the gentle paw of my new puppy, the laughter of my daughters when they do not know I can hear them, the smell of pepperoni rolls baking, a kind word from another person, a hug when it is needed... I could go on for a long time about all of the little things I appreciate.
      We often don't know how those little things can add up and mean so much to another.  This week's blog is a challenge.  I want you to do little things for others.  You do not need money or even anything material in nature.  All you need is the desire.  I challenge you to do one little thing for another person for seven consecutive days.  Now, each little thing does not have to be done for the same person.  It could be a new little thing for seven different people.  Or, you could pick one person and do something little for them each day.  The following is a list of possible ways to do something little: write a thank you note; do the dishes without being asked or another chore without being asked; take dinner to someone who needs it; offer a seat to someone who does not have one;  make someone some cookies or another type of food.  The options abound.  
      Once you have done your nice things, I want you to post about a nice thing done for you and how it made you feel.  Don't blog about what you did.  This is about how others made you feel.  
             My example:  When I was pregnant with my youngest daughter, my husband and I moved to a new neighborhood.   We did not know any of our neighbors since we moved in December and the cold weather kept everyone indoors.  By the time summer came, we still did not know many.  I knew that my next door neighbor had given birth to twins in April so she was very busy with taking care of her young ones.  I never met her until I had my youngest.  After I came home from the hospital, I was exhausted.  Two children is a different story all together after having only one.  I remember I was vacuuming the house when the door bell rang.  It was my neighbor and she had her arms full.  She came into my house bringing me two lasagnas, loaves of bread, salad, and dessert.  I was not sure what to say.  She just looked at me and said, "I thought you could use this." (or something like that.)  
             I have never told her this, but that day meant a great deal to me.  She is currently one of my best friends and it all started with a kind gesture.  
   

53 comments:

Unknown said...

There was an opportunity last year for students to win an essay writing contest. The topic was advice that you would give to others on how to be a great friend. I wrote the paper with what I personally have learned along the way. I submitted my essay and kept my fingers crossed. One day when I went to get the mail I saw a letter from the group that I wrote the essay for. I honestly thought it was just another note telling me that my work did not quite meet their expectations. However, it was the exact opposite. I had won first place for the contest and was to read it to the group members of The Optimist Club at their next meeting. The day had come and I attended the meeting and read the words that I had written a month prior. Everything went smoothly and all the people in attendance were all so nice and welcoming. The act of kindness comes next when a card was found in the mail from a name that I was not familiar with. I opened it up and read the note. It was from a lady that was in attendance who said that my essay touched her. She had taken my advice and told her daughter because she had been having trouble making friends. That really just made my day and I am so glad that I was able to make a difference in someone else's life. Someone as small as a card can brighten someone's day. These positive words left a lasting impact on me.

Lauryn Osborne said...

My dad and I tend to not get a long very well, and I sometimes got to his shop he owns and help him work. Sometimes I do not feel he really appreciates what I do for him. One day while I was working my dad came up to me and said I want you to meeet my friend Jeff. I said hi and what not then I continued to talk to him. Then out of no where he said to me "So Lauryn, it ws so good to finally meet you, your dad talks about you so much and how much you do foe him. You're a great kid". By hearing this it made me realize how much my dad really does appreciate what I do. it made me feel like he actually cares, and it made my day. It also gave me the motivation to help my dad out more often.

Dustin Buzzelli said...

So recently my uncle passed away and it was very hard on my family he was not all that old. But alot diffrent things were happening at a hundred miles and hour and i had to work. So my boss gave me his condolences and aloud me to take a weekend off even though those are his busiest nights. This made me feel very welcomed and aprpreciated by him and our staff i now have a very high respect for him.

Unknown said...

The first of every Saturday I help out at a soup kitchen at my church. I feel that it is the least I can do for those who may not be as privileged and blessed as I am. Typically I am the one who helps dish out the food onto the plates so I usually don’t get to talk much with the people that attend. However, one Saturday I was put to fill the food pantry orders, this let me communicate some more with those coming in for a hot meal and food pantry. I took a form from a little, old lady who had to use dentures rather than her actual teeth, enabling her to bite into things such as apples and pears. She kindly asked for something softer such as oranges. Fulfilling her request, I got her double oranges rather than things such as apples or pears. With just doing one simple thing, it caused her to break into tears and thank me for such a kind ministry that she felt welcomed and loved at. With that she gave me a hug and said, “You are truly an angel and a beautiful young lady” Hearing it from a stranger that knew nothing about me put a smile on my face and to this day I still remember the conversation we had. Even though it was only a few quick words, it still meant more to me than one would expect. It made me extremely happy and glad that I could be a part of something o wonderful to help those around me.

Unknown said...

I will never forget when I was in seventh grade, my grandma passed away. It was the second death from someone close to me in my family. While my grandma was in the hospital before her death, a stranger approached me and asked me how I was related to her. I told him she is my grandmother. The stranger then told me that his mother had just passed and that it was too late to pray for her anymore so he told me that he will pray for my grandma for her to get better. This really brightened my day the most because the stranger vowed his time everyday to pray for my grandma to get better everyday. It also taught me that every death that happens, if you know the person or not, others will be affected and the right thing to do is to at least seek to do something for the family. Even though one person can not do something to help a family in crisis, it will help.

Unknown said...

I've been working at Aeropostale for almost a year now. A lot of customers that come in have familiar faces, but there is this one particular older lady that comes in more then the usual people I see. The first time I had ever seen her I greeted her and asked her how she was. I'm usually used to the slight smile and barely any eye contact, but she approached me and told me she was shopping for her granddaughter, and didn't know where to start. So, doing my job, I spent time talking to her and getting to know her granddaughter as if she was actually there. By the time she was ready to buy her things, she had a few outfits. Right before I was about to give her the bag of clothes she purchased, she looked at me and said "you know, you didn't have to help me as much as you did, and I really appreciate it. Your smile and kind heart were refreshing to see in someone your age. I can't thank you enough. You have made my day" and she looked at my manager and said "keep her around." I didn't realize how much I actually did for this old lady, but this definitely made a difference walking into work my next few shifts. I have changed my attitude about talking to customers and getting a rude response from them. You never know when someone like this could come along.

Anonymous said...

When I was little, I remember my parents took me and my brothers out to eat at a restaurant. An old couple saw my parents dealing with four young boys. After dinner, the old couple came to our table and complimented us on how well-behaved we all were for being so young and they paid for my families meal, too. Even though I was a little kid it still made me happy and appreciate what they did for us.

Unknown said...

While woking on Tuesday, I was on the sandwich line and I was filling up soups when an old man came up to the counter. As I normally would I asked him if he needed help with anything. When he didn't respond right away, I stopped filling my soups and looked up at him. I saw that the man was crying and I didn't know how to react. I asked the man if he was okay and if he needed any help and he looked up at me and said "This is my first time in here since my wife has past. We used to come in here every week and get soup and sit by the fireplace." When he said that i instantly remembered him. HIm and his wife would come in all the time and always got chicken noodle soup. At this point I had tears in my eyes. I told the man I would be right back and i went and told my manager what happened. She knew exactly what I wanted to do. I went back up front and poured two cups of chicken noodle soup and went and sat with the man at the same table he and his wife sat at. He got the biggest smile on his face and I sat with him and we ate the soup and talked for a half hour, until I said I had to get back to work. He put his hand on mine as I stood up and said "Thank you Nicolette, I hope we can do this again. It meant a lot to me and you have made my day" I really know I made that mans day and it made me so happy to do so, and it changed my attitude about the small moments in life that mean the most.

Paul Matsko said...

I was in the hospital for like four days for being extremely sick. I was so mad I was in there. I was looking through my phone and seeing all these people doing something fun and I am stuck in a hospital bored to death laying in bed on a weekend. My parents left and I had no company. It was horrible. But than later that night my good four friends come up and surprise me. I did not expect them to come at all. They brought me some good food because the hospital food sucks. I am glad to have such good friends. And it was that little thing that made my night at the hospital so much better. I am glad i have them in my life.

Unknown said...

I was at work one Friday night and was getting ready to leave, when I heard a knock on the door. This lady was in need of a birthday present, and even though the lights were off in the store and my drawer was closed, I let her in. She came in and thanked me that I was doing this for her. I opened my drawer back up and helped her find what she was looking for. I explained to her how I was going to the pet store to get crickets one day and I could see all of the workers in the store, cleaning, but none of them would let me in. All I wanted was a dollar worth of crickets and they wouldn't let me in. I knew how she felt and I didn't want her to feel like that anymore, so I helped her. She thanked me a couple more times and then went on her way. The next day she called my work and told my manager that she appreciated what I did for her very much, and I was such a sweet girl for helping her. A couple days later my grandpa, in front of my whole family, told me that he was very proud of me. That is all my grandpa had to say for me to be happy and appreciate working and helping customers. My grandpa normally focuses more on my brother and when he said he was proud of me it made me very very happy. When my manager told me that a lady called and said how good I was it made me feel good inside. I enjoy helping people and making them feel better.

Erin Janecko said...

My dad was in an accident when I was in middle school that left him severely brain damaged. Those first couple months my mom, sister and I would spend all of our free time up at the hospital and it was really hard on us. Because of the hospital bills and my mom being unemployed money was really tight. One day when I went to the mailbox there was a card there. Inside were giftcards for gas and Giant Eagle that totaled a couple hundred dollars. There was no name from who it was from. There was also no postage on it so we assume it was from our neighbors. I still remember how happy my mom was when I gave the giftcards to her. It was so nice to come home to a full fridge for the next month or two and their kindness really touched me.

Leighia Szijarto said...

The nicest thing someone has done for me? Right now the first thing that comes to mind is my cat. Last year my mom and I were outside in the back shed when we noticed a little white ball of fur. I'm a huge cat lover and the second I saw it I had to get to it. She fit in the palm of my hand, but we noticed she was behaving a little weird. She wasn't trying to run or hiss like wild kittens usually do. I noticed all of this instantly and knew her mother had abandoned her. Now my mom is not only allergic to cats but she also can't stand them. So I didn't think she'd let us keep her. Especially since the cat was obviously sick. But the second my mom saw my face she just smiled and asked me what I wanted to do. So as I sit here trying to type, Moka , the little white ball of fur, sits on my forearms swatting at my fingers as they type. My mom didn't have to let me keep the cat, but she knew it would make me happy.

Unknown said...

Halfway through my eight grade year my family moved to Brunswick from cleveland. Moving was very hard on me because I was leaving everything i knew and was familiar with which was very diffacult. When I first started school in Brunswick I knew absolutely nobody. for my first few days at my new school I sat by myself at lunch because I did not know anybody, and because I am a shy person I did not just walk up to a table and start talking to people i did not know. however after a few days a few people asked me to join their table, this made me feel welcomed in a strange new place.

Conner Reis said...

Something that someone has done that made me feel good, was when a total stranger, well a customer would take the time to stay and call for a manager. At this point usually people ask to speak to a manger tom have a complaint about someone or something. This lady stayed to tell my boss of how well of service I had given them, and how its "people like him, that I come shop here". To have someone say that to my boss meant a lot to me. AS well as the recognition from my boss on my work. Stuff like that really impacts me to keep working hard, and to help other.

Unknown said...

I have been running cross country for four years. I have suffered minor injuries, but none have topped the shin splints I have had for most of this season. I ran my worst time in my running career the second race at Lorain County Community College. The course is far from easy, it has almost no shaded areas (it was extremely hot that day), and my shins were hurting worse than they ever had. After the race was over, I was sitting there crying, and suddenly, I felt something tug on my shoelace. I look up to see an exhausted Hudson girl untying my shoe, pulling my racing chip off. She then handed me a cup of water and said, "Don't be upset, you did great!" This event will always stick with me because even though we were from opposite teams, and she was exhausted after the race, she still helped me. A little kindness goes a long way.

Marissa Jenkins said...

A few weeks ago was our senior night for soccer. It was the last home game I would ever play. It was quite hard because many of my teammates wouldn’t be there. It was hard not being able to walk out onto the field with them. This year we also did a big sister, little sister with the JV team. For every home game you would give something little like candy or sports drinks to them and write little notes, encouraging them before the game. So on the last home game I gave my little sister her gift before returning to the locker room. As I walked into the locker room there were flowers and cupcakes sitting on the bench. I walked over to see who they were for and to my surprise, saw my name written on the card. It was a simple gesture that just made my day. Knowing that she didn’t have to go out and get me flowers was so kind that it just the heart, considering that we weren’t that close. It was truly one of the nicest things anyone has done for me because it was so unexpected and kind of her to do.

Unknown said...

In our house we have a dry erase board on the refrigerator for important events that are coming up. Not even a week after it went up, it's purpose was changed. My grandma lives on the street next to us, so she is never a stranger in our house. Every couple days I walk in to find a new quote on the dry erase board pertaining to something going on in one of our lives. The little reminders to keep my chin up, or to keep pushing forward are more motivational than I could've ever imagined before. I find myself smiling as I read them every time.

Unknown said...

Back during elementary school there were times when my parents both worked late and we needed someone to be watched. One of those occasions me and my brother ended up going to our next door neighbors which didn't end up well. It was very boring and their oldest child was in high school so he ended up showing scary shows that didn't help our stay. Next time we needed someone to watch us our grandpa volunteered after hearing how things went last time. That night ended up being so much better than at the neighbors, it was all thanks to our grandpa willing to give free time he had to make sure we behaved (which we did either way).

Unknown said...

A few weeks ago my parents went on vacation and left my sister and I home alone. One of the last days my parents were out of town, family friends decided to show up to our house with Chinese food and to see how we were doing. They did not have to do this but it was nice of them to do that. Additionally they also knew that we did not have time to have a real meal that whole day so they made my day by bringing food to us.

Unknown said...

One day I was having a really bad day. I felt as if everything that could have went wrong, did. I was so stressed out about so many different things that I could not even think straight. When I walked into my house after a very long day, there were flowers sitting on my kitchen table for me. My boyfriend bought me flowers because he knew I was having a bad day. This little act of kindness made my day. It showed me that not everything was going wrong and put a huge smile on my face.

Unknown said...

As of right now everyday during the week, every person in my house works till at least 10 at night. I usually work till 10 and so does my mom and my dad doesn't get home until around 2 a.m. I am home alone a lot when i don't work and they are always working (workaholics). One of my neighbors will just bring over some small meals and some stuff for me too eat. Not that there is no food, just that I do not make my own food a lot and i wouldn't make my mom make my family during around 10:30 at night especially after working all day. This small gestures mean something to me and that someone is looking out even when my parents can't be there.

Unknown said...

The little things are honestly the best things in life. One day I was working just serving tables and I was having a bad day because all the elderly people were cranky and yelling at me. My manager saw this and when i got to serving her table she tells me "You are such a motivated and focused girl". I say thank you and then she just continues to ask me what I want to be when I grow up and I tell her I want to be a nurse. After i tell her this she just replies "Your patients will be truly blessed to have you as their caretaker". This really just spoke to me because she really meant what she said and it gave me motivation to do better at my job and to keep my goal of becoming a nurse.

Unknown said...

A few years ago i was having a really bad week. I was stressed about schoolwork, track, and just life in general when a friends mom texted me off their child's phone telling me to be positive and also "everything looks brighter in the morning." This small act of kindness made me realize things could be worse and I just need to relax. That simple little text showed me that there are so many people that care about me and it just made me smile and thank her.

Unknown said...

Two weeks ago I was cheering at the football game when i saw 3 little girls watching me, so during that time i waved and went on with my cheering. After the game, i was carrying a box of juice boxes and those same 3 girls came up to me and asked for one. They said "Thank you" and talked about how the one girl idolizes me and when they play cheerleaders they pretend to be me. They said they loved my hair and wished to be just like me one day. The amount of joy that filled my heart after that compliment reminds me why i love doing what i do, cheer. I will never forget those kind words.

Unknown said...

One nice thing someone did for me happened on my first day of second grade. My family had just moved across town so I was transferred from Huntington to Hickory Ridge Elementary. It was the beginning of the day and I did not know anyone in my class, recess was about to begin and I was all alone. Then out of nowhere someone runs up to me, tags me, and asks me to play tag with him and his buddies. From that day until now I have been friends with that kid and he will never know what his gesture meant to me.

Unknown said...

One of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me was when my grandmother bought me the LeBron Air Max 7's for my eighth grade basketball season. My grandmother spoiled me ALL the time, but this time I felt invencible. Those shoes led me to my first MVP trophy and a season where I scored more points than my whole team combined. I know it really wasn't the shoes, but that feeling of the shoes taking me to the top, I will never forget. To this day I cherish those shoes and I guard them. Not only did I feel invincible, but I felt loved. Those shoes weren't the cheapest shoes in the world, but that didn't matter to my grandma because she only cared about my happiness at the end of the day. I really do appreciate her for that and helping me to have a powerful basketball season my eighth grade year.

Unknown said...

A week ago I was at work and I saw an old lady struggling putting her groceries into her car. I was on my break but I went over to her anyways and helped her load her car and took her cart for her. WHen I finished she said "thank you so much, kids wouldnt normally help me. Thank you." It made me feel so good to help her and knowing I did the right thing

Unknown said...

Working at a place that sells food it tough. Customers get frustrated if their sandwich comes too late or they got chips instead of a baguette. They are not afraid to tell us when we do something wrong. When the customers get angry, it only angers us, the employees. This can often ruin my shift. But on rare occasions, a customer may give me a compliment or just be friendly in general. When this happens, my day gets better and I suddenly don't mind working as much. It really is amazing how just one person's attitude can affect your day. I certainly act differently now when I go to a restaurant. I know how the employees feel, so I try my best to be the friendly customer that I now appreciate so much.

Taylor Vlna said...

Last year I joined the club big brother big sister and was assigned a little I would work with every Thursday after school. I was assigned a 4th grade girl named mikaila. She didn't come from a very good family or home life and my club leader said she was in need of a positive female role model. When I first started working with her she was very quiet and stubborn. But eventually we started working very well together and she started to open up. We got to the point that if one of us missed a Thursday we were supposed to meet we were really upset. At the end of the year she wrote me a card and inside the thanked me for everything and called me her sister. She also included that I was her role model. Even though I hear that from someone much younger than me I appreciate it more than anything.

Mitch said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sean McClain said...

They're so small they seem stupid to other people, that's the weird thing. You mention to someone else what happened, what was done for you, and they'll smile and nod and say "That was nice," but on the inside they wonder why it means so much to you. That's how you know what the important things were. My experiences with this sort of thing are like that, they defy other's imagination with how much a small gesture means to me. The perfect example came a few nights ago when I'd been stuck in my room working on homework for about 5 hours and was completely burned out. I was falling asleep at my desk with about an hour's worth of homework left and my dad knocked on the door. He walked in with a glass of lemonade and handed it to me, smiling and he walked out. That was it, just a drink, but it was enough to break the monotony and invigorate me, letting me finish my homework with enough brainpower to come out and kiss him goodnight. That one simple act of kindness was enough to wake me up and keep me going, and it really set me up to go to bed happier than I'd thought possible after handling such a load.

Mitch said...

The nicest thing done for me recently was when I was at work struggling to carry a table down the stairs because if I were to keep going it would roll out of control into a wall and most likely brake a window. A random customer that I had never talked to before dropped what he was doing and walked down the stairs to help me with the table. This impacted me that not all people are just looking out for themselves anymore.
Mitch Slyman

Unknown said...

My boyfriend and I went to Applebees over the weekend. While eating our dinner, he recieved a call from his mom about an emergency at home. We asked the waiter for our check as soon as possible and told him there was an emergency that we had to leave right away. The waiter refused to give us our check and told us it was on the house. He said he would very much appreciate it if someone did it for him, so he was doing that for us. It was very nice of him and we were very greatful. We went back the next day and told the manager what had happened, paid for our dinner and gave the waiter a 50 dollar tip along with a thank you note. It's amazing how little things are appreciated, so we had to give back.

Andy Hoza said...

Freshman year i used to go out snowboarding a lot and i ended up breaking my arm very badly. it was literally in two and the cast went up to my middle bicep. I stayed at home for two days. The second day one of my best friends said he was coming over now and his mom got me a get well present. She got me a gift card to the movie store, a chipotle card and a whole bunch of candy. This was almost overwhelming how somebody could be that thoughtful and nice considering my own parents didn't get this for me.

Unknown said...

Over the past summer I was babysitting 5 days a week for a family friend of mine. Their only son Mitch and I spent 40+ hours a week together. The first week i started i would arrive at 7 in the morning, Mitch would wake up, id make him breakfast and then he would run off to his friends house down the street and i would only see him once an hour when he checked in. Over the next couple weeks I made a real effort to connect with him and play with him as much as i could. One day about a month after i started, me and Mitch were wrestling and watching T.V. just chilling out. The door bell rang and Mitch ran to open the door. Mitch's friends were all standing there asking him to come over to play. Mitch hastily told them he could not play because he was grounded. I overheard this and as he came back to sit down by me i said, "your not grounded buddy", he simply replied, "I know i just want to hang out with you though". Over that summer i gained another brother and so did little Mitch. It made me feel so good that I was the one he wanted to be around, he looks up to me, wants to beat me up, but mostly he wants me to be a brother to him, and I was.
- Dean Warchak

Unknown said...

A little thing that really touched me happened at my job. It wasn't a nice thing for me, but it's a very important lesson and it changed my outlook on things. A man who is in a wheelchair and comes in often ordered a drink, but his card was declined and there was no other pay for him to pay for it. After noticing what happened, the woman behind him paid for his drink and he was so happy. After that, the next customer in line saw what happened and bought a different customer a cookie. It was a crazy chain reaction and it made me so happy to see people being so selfless and just trying to help others, and it really inspired me.
-cali brandt

Nick Morton said...

Do you ever get asked what your favorite movie is, and then your mind goes totally blank of every movie you've ever seen? This is how I felt with this blog. There have been so many little things people have done, that have impacted me and been so kind yet I can't pin point them exactly..... one I can think of was when I had no ride to work. Neither of my parents where home, and at the time I had no car. I was talking to my friend about it, and she said her mom would drive me up there. I didn't expect her to (she lived about 15 minutes away), but she insisted. When she dropped me off I offered her gas money but she declined it. This little act of kindness meant a lot to me. The fact that she was nice enough to go out of her way to take me to work and save me a write up was just the sweetest thing.

Nick Morton said...

Do you ever get asked what your favorite movie is, and then your mind goes totally blank of every movie you've ever seen? This is how I felt with this blog. There have been so many little things people have done, that have impacted me and been so kind yet I can't pin point them exactly..... one I can think of was when I had no ride to work. Neither of my parents where home, and at the time I had no car. I was talking to my friend about it, and she said her mom would drive me up there. I didn't expect her to (she lived about 15 minutes away), but she insisted. When she dropped me off I offered her gas money but she declined it. This little act of kindness meant a lot to me. The fact that she was nice enough to go out of her way to take me to work and save me a write up was just the sweetest thing.

Unknown said...

I dislike to be late to school, but I am often just making it to my first period by the time the bell rings. Thursday I was came into first period after the bell had already rung for the second time this quarter. I was so embarrassed because I find it rude to show up to a teacher's class late. My teacher marked me down tardy, but she also knows that I'm pretty responsible for the most part, so she didn't make a big deal out of it. (Which I am very blessed for and will not take advantage of.) Her and I have become very close over the past almost nine weeks now. We discuss a variety of things, most to my benefit. She talks to me about college and gives her honest opinion when I ask for it. I like to describe our bond as very strong.
Friday morning, during your class period to be honest, I got a pass to see Miss Petry immediately. I thought back to the past week if I had done anything out of BHS's code of conduct (I couldn't think of anything) or if I had witnessed anything bad in BHS. I concluded they must have the wrong student because I didn't do anything bad. And I Hadn't. In fact, I had done well. My first period teacher had given me a positive referral! I was extremely surprised and very ecstatic. Her gesture showed me that teachers actually do notice their students and care for them beyond outside of the classroom. I will always remember the feeling that took over me when Miss. Petry told me I had received a positive referral!!

Unknown said...

The little things that people do are the things that can ruin my day or even make my week. One thing that makes me smile just from thought are some of the things my cousins say and do. A couple of months ago, my cousin Sophie was in a play, where she played the role of a munchkin and flying monkey- a big deal for her. I went to her play on the second night, and after the play I went to go find her. As soon as she saw me she would let go of me! People were trying to get pictures with her and she would insist that I was in them, and even after i refused, she wouldn't even let go of my hand. I hadn't seen her for a while because we were all busy, and until that night I didn't realize how much she missed me. Whenever I'm having a bad day, and feel like the world is against me, I think of my little cousins and know that at least they always have my back.

Anonymous said...

i cant really think of anything really nice that anyone has done for me that sticks out but i guess theres one moment in my life i can recall. in 7th grade i was a real bad ass kid . my grades were failing and i was depressed i guess youcould say and things were just going bad for me because my parents were getting a divorce. this was really my dark period and i was going dwn the drains. then one day Mr. Merril who is now our 11th grade prinicpal, was the assistant prinipal at visintainer at the time, called me down to his office to talk. and he just told me how im better than that, and he talked about my parents and stuff and always said he was there for me and that day i changed. he actually made me feel like someone cared and i still thank him to this day for that.

Unknown said...

During my freshman year, my grandfather had passed away. A few of my friends had heard about this and knew I'd be out of it once I got back to school. I ended up showing up to school the day after the funeral, only to find my friends trying their best to dress in black with a "I'm sorry for your loss" card that they signed. Seeing this brought my spirits up and gave me the strength to make it through the day. I still have the card and when I look at it, I know that I have reliable friends that can pick me up when I'm at my lowest point.

Unknown said...

This happened when I was about 12 years old. I was in my back woods with a friend of mine. We were talking when, out of the corner of my eye, I see my dog approaching us. It was unusual for him to be out this far into the woods seeing as how we had put up an electric fence to keep him in. The batteries must have gone dead in his collar. I walked over to grab him but when I got closer, he moved away. I ended up chasing him out into the street. At this point I started crying for fear of him getting hit by a car. After 20 minutes of chasing him down the street a woman, about 50 years old, saw that I was trying to get to my dog. She stopped next to me, opened up her passenger door and said, "Hop in, we'll get in front of him and catch him." I know what you're thinking, "Why the heck did you get in the car with her she could have kidnapped you!!!" But I was panicked and desperate to get my dog back so I did. I got in, we cut off my dog from the rest of the road, and chased him back to my house. Even though she was just helping out a scared kid get his dog back, it was probably one of the nicest things that anyone has ever done for me.

Unknown said...

I work at an Italian restaurant in Strongsville called J-Bella. I dish wash and it completely sucks. Every little thing about dishwashing at my work sucks. I would bust my butt everyday and do everything for everyone. Helped out whoever needed it and even went above and beyond. Just about last month my boss came up to me and said “You’re doing a very good job Kyle and I love your work ethic, so I’m going to give you a raise.” This made my whole day. I had no idea that my boss thought that about me and it took me by surprise because my boss never says anything like that to anyone. This made me feel needed and important where I work. Now I go into work with all of the confidence in the world and I know that they need me.

Unknown said...

Something nice that was done for me was this summer when our neighbors across the street went on vacation for a week. They own a pool and told us that we could use it because we are good friends with them, but one of the days I wanted to have a couple friends over when it was really hot. I asked my mom if we could go swimming and she told me only if I call them because she said it’s not our house, so I called up our neighbors and the parents told me that it was no problem. They could have easily said no, but they allowed me to bring a couple friends over their house because they trusted that I would respect their property. We are still great friends with those neighbors and they remain to let us swim in their pool even when they aren’t home.
Cody Taylor 3rd Period

hallie314 said...

One of my favorite feelings in the world is when people remember small details about me that I may not even recognize myself. I love the feeling I get in a moment where saying the cliche "I can't believe you remembered that" fits the situation to a T. Back in April, I had a friend that wanted to ask my best friend to prom and needed my help. The night he asked her was stressful because I am awful at keeping secrets, plus we were on a schedule to make everything perfect. It all worked out, but the last thing I expected was to be asked to prom myself that night by my boyfriend (just friend at the time). I opened the basement door and at the bottom of the steps found my perfect date standing there with green balloons, my favorite color, and white roses, the only flower I like, and he was one of the only people that knew that. Of course I still would have been the luckiest girl to be his prom date without the extravagant scene and white roses, but the souvenir from the weekend we started dating is nice. I still have one of the now off-white roses sitting on my dresser.

Jesse Marinaro said...

My dad is always extremely busy with coaching and working every day of the week. He was supposed to have practice today but instead he woke me up in the morning and surprised me with Browns tickets. We went to the game today and even though they lost it was still a blast. Me and my dad had a very long good talk about life and how he was proud of me for my success in soccer this year. This gave me all the reassurance i needed to know what i was doing was making him proud.

Unknown said...

The nicest thing someone has done for me recently when I was having a bad day and my mom knew that. She surprised me with my favorite candy and was very nice to me. I really appreciated this from my mom, she does so much for me and I cannot thank her enough for the good deeds she does for me constantly, even if it's just making dinner for me every night.

Unknown said...

When i was a lot younger i was a big baby i would cry just about anything; in particular whenever my mother would leave i would get very upset until she got home. My Grandfather who was living with us at the time was the only one who get me to stop crying and calm me down, he would sit me down at the window and would wait for my mother with me. When i look back on this it just makes me laugh and reminds me how much having someone there with you to get you through the "hard times" helps.

Unknown said...

I always feel good after I help people out I especially feel great after I help my mom out with something because she means the absolute world to me it makes me feel so good on the inside because she does so much for me. All the little things I do for her make me feel great it's the big things that make me feel awesome.

Unknown said...

Over the summer, i went to a Pittsburgh Pirates game. I was originally supposed to have nose bleed tickets, now i had already purchased my ticket and i was waiting in line for my mom to buy her ticket when some woman came up to me and gave me two tickets for the game that she was not going to use, and they were located right behind the Pirates dugout. The view was great and the seats were cushioned, and we ended up winning that game. That act of kindness really made my day.

Unknown said...

Last December (on the day before Christmas break) I got my wisdom teeth out. That week was probably one of the most miserable I have ever experienced. I spent most of my time in bed watching tv, and sometimes I would get up and look out my bedroom window and watch it snow. My parents did an amazing job taking care of me and putting up with my complaining. My best friend Ryan did a lot for me too. We sent a lot of texts back and forth that week, and he really kept me company. One day it started to snow, and I told him that I was kind of upset that I couldn't go outside and enjoy the weather. A few minutes later, he sends me a couple of pictures; one of himself looking up at the sky while the snow fell, and another of his footprints in his snow-covered driveway. Those pictures meant more to me than I think he knows. It was good to know that someone cared and would go out of their way just to put a smile on my face. That little act of kindness had a big impact on me, and I don't think I will ever forget it.

Sean McClain said...

IT IS SERIOUSLY WIGGING ME OUT WE DON'T HAVE A BLOG THIS WEEK!