The good guys thread

[kuhio98]

Miles of Smiles
I was at my job as a massage therapist in Knoxville when my best friend called from Denver to tell me that her husband had been killed in a car accident. She begged me to fly out immediately to be with her. My next client, a salesperson who flies constantly on business, overheard me comforting my friend and saying I'd try to get a flight to Denver the next day. While I went off to wash my hands, she called the VIP number at American Airlines, arranged a flight for me, and paid for it with frequent-flier miles. I protested, but she said she'd never be able to use all her miles and that my friend needed me. I still marvel at her amazing generosity.
-- Sue Painter, Knoxville, Tennessee

[kuhio98]

Cooking for free for the kids

Bruno Serato moved from Italy to USA in 1980 as a poor immigrant who didn't speak a word of English. He began his career working as a dishwasher. Working hard, he dreamed of owning his own restaurant. He achieved his dream with hard work and dedication. He now serves Italian food in his own restaurant called the White House in Anaheim. Celebrities and politicians have eaten at his restaurant. But his favorite customers are the ones that he feeds for free - the so-called "motel children" of Orange County. They are the children whose parents are too poor to afford them decent, regular meals.

The story began on April 18th, 2005. Bruno's mother came to visit him from Italy. As part of her tour of California, they visited the Boys & Girls Club charity in Anaheim. There, they saw a little boy eating potato chips. The director told them that those chips were all he had for dinner - his family was too poor to afford him a full meal. His mother then came up with the idea that started it all - to give the children who need it food from Bruno's restaurant. Bruno, inspired by her idea, then decided to start his own charity that offers free meals to children in need. He called it Caterina's Club, after his mother.

Every night, the White House makes a meal of fresh pasta and sauce and sends it to the kids at the Boys & Girls Club in a van. Bruno has given away hundreds of thousands of meals so far. Some nights his restaurant struggled, having more children to feed than paying customers. But Bruno kept going and says he will never stop giving to the children, as it is his passion in life.

[kuhio98]

Clearing Snow for Neighbours
Whether they are young or old, able or not, just do it if it is needed please. The benefits are many to both parties involved but most important of all, they appreciate it. (Plus, upon reflection, you'll like yourself that little bit more for doing so.) By all means, prioritize what gets cleared first according to each individual's needs. But don't wait to be asked as their paths are full of snow and they cannot get to your door to do so. Just go grab some shovels and get to work!

[kuhio98]

Layaway Line
I like to help out folks that work hard but have a difficult time during the holidays. So I just go to a local store that offers layaway like Kmart. I get in line and then when the person goes up to pay I step in and ask if I could please pay the balance for them so they can take the gifts home and not have to worry about it any longer. It is easy and you get to see a smiling face and a huge hug. I don't tell them who I am and just ask them to pass it on when they can.

[kuhio98]

Christmas kindness
One year when my 4 children were young ranging from about 5 to 15, I had been unemployed for over a year and there were no prospects. It was approaching Christmas and we had talked to the kids telling them that this year there would be no gifts to share with each other. They were great about it and they all accepted it without complaint. I have always felt that no matter what your religion Christmas is a magical time of year and should be about love and kindness but this year I was really down. I had always enjoyed Christmas as a child and my parents had never failed to provide a wonderful Christmas for me so I was really feeling down that I was not going to be able to do that for my children this year. One night about 3 weeks before Christmas we were sitting at home not doing much and the doorbell rang. We went to answer it only to find no one there but a white envelope lying on the doorstep. We opened it and inside were $750 dollars cash with a note that said "Merry Christmas from someone who loves you." We never did find out who did that for us but it was one of the best Christmas we ever had. To repay that act of kindness for us the next year I was working and we knew of a family in our neighborhood who was in similar circumstances. We were still catching up from being unemployed for so long so we could not afford much but we scraped together $400 dollars and did the same for that family. This world is filled with so much anger and hatred and saddens me that we can't all accept one another as fellow human beings without having to display so much anger and hatred and judgment towards others. Random acts of kindness as appear here give me hope in our race as human beings.

[kuhio98]

My Neighbor Norman
My dear neighbor Norman is always so kind with his words. He is a true gentleman from the South. My husband and I noticed that he can't move around much anymore. On the weekends we shop for him and I always cook more to share with him. We noticed that he had a small TV and I don't use the one in my room so a few weeks ago we brought him ours. He can't stop thanking us. Now he can watch all the MGM in stereo. On Valentine Day I brought him a bunch of flowers. My dear husband noticed that his rug was torn and went to Home Depot and replaced it with tile. It is such a pleasure being with Norman. This all started 3 years ago when I noticed his traditional Christmas wreath was not on his door. We went out and bought one for him and one for us. He always makes my day.

[kuhio98]

Because One Family Pitched In When It Counted

"Last year, after months of pain and fatigue, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia," says Kathy Beezley, of Fenton, Missouri. "I had barely been able to work, let alone clean and decorate for the holidays. So my sister Diane told me a few 'elves' were coming over to help. Imagine my surprise when 15 people showed up! My aunts, cousins, sisters, nieces, and mom came in a whirlwind of buckets, brooms, and cleaning supplies. What a wonderful Christmas gift."