Video: Spontaneous Generosity at Aramingo Diner

More Than Just An Alarm Clock

The maid at the Kingsgate Hotel off Salam Street in Abu Dhabi had outdone even my mother. Every article of clothing had either been placed on a coat hanger or folded neatly,  even the socks. The disposable razors and washing gels were lined up like toy soldiers, waiting to do battle.

I thanked Agnes profusely, gave her a generous tip and went about my day. Late that evening, when I returned from work, a shiny new alarm clock was on the bedside table. As I had occasionally asked the maid for the time of day, I knew right away what had happened. She had used some of the money I had given her – money she certainly needed for herself or her family back home in the Philippines – and bought the clock.

As I hope anyone would have done, I told her she was too kind and returned the money with a little extra. Her generosity reminded me of a truism I have learnt in my work and travels: often the people with the least to give are the most generous. Read more

If I had three wishes

Our deepest wishes are whispers of our authentic selves. We must learn to respect them. We must learn to listen.
-Sarah Ban Breathnach

If I Had Three Wishes:
Hurrying to get out the door on a Monday morning, Kathy Smith started to scratch her name on her son’s homework assignment when she stopped to read what he had written. The fourth-grade creative assignment was pretty straightforward: If I Had Three Wishes. Kathy smiled as she read the first item on her son’s bucket list: a golden retriever. His second wish was to play professional basketball, hardly a surprise for a young jock like Tanner, who spent his time shuffling between the football fields, baseball diamonds and basketball courts in his Alpharetta, Ga., community. It was the third item that made Kathy stop. “To make kids with cancer laugh,” Tanner wrote in his 9-year-old scrawl. What follows is a remarkable story of generosity and wishes coming true. [Read more]

Be The Change:
In the spirit of 9-year-old Tanner, if you had three wishes, what would they be?

Finding friends on horseback

Photo by Paul Lamison//news Channel 8-Tampa Tribune, via AP

I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. –Etienne de Grellet

Finding Friends on Horseback:
On a chilly morning nearly two weeks ago, Donna Byrne packed everything she owned onto one horse, climbed atop another, and set out for Ocala, a ranching town 160 miles north. She said she lost her job in Arcadia a few months ago, could not afford the rent, and hoped to pick up some work in Ocala before riding on to Amarillo, Texas. “I take it one “I take one day at a time,” said Ms. Byrne,”I don’t worry about anything.” But what began as a lonely, quixotic trek has turned into a team effort, with horse lovers nationwide offering to help with rides, money, room and board, veterinarians and temporary work. By Wednesday, when she reached this small farm town, Ms. Byrne had become a minor celebrity and a magnet for generosity. [Read more]

-From DailyGood.org

The generosity gene

Don’t say that you want to give, but go ahead and give! You’ll never catch up with a mere hope. -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The Generosity Gene:
The thought of not receiving presents on a birthday, bar or bat mitzvah, or any other gift-getting occasion is hard to accept for most children. So, where would such an idea come from? Teachers, older siblings and parents are the inspiration. Sometimes, it’s just another compassionate stranger. Read more

It is through giving that we receive

The most difficult time to be generous is when we ourselves are feeling poor. While some of us have experienced actually being in the red financially, there are those of us who would feel broke even if we had a million dollars in the bank. Read more

Surprise someone with your generosity

“Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.” -Les Brown

No I won’t lend You 30 dollars but:
In 1996, Conor Bohan stepped over the open sewers of Cite Soleil, Read more