Small Acts of Kindness: Policemen Set a Great Example for a Little Boy

I often share posts from The Kindness Blog to showcase some of the wonderful stories you can find there. Here’s another one…

Especially during tumultuous times, law enforcement finds itself under intense scrutiny and receives a lot of negative press.

However, with perspective, we can easily see that these men and women do a hard job, often in very difficult circumstances and in sometimes thankless conditions.

Here’s a question to consider…can you really imagine what life would be like without the police? Here on Kindness Blog, once again, we celebrate the Police and the great examples of kindness and humanity they regularly do.

Children and Small Acts of Kindness

 

By Jennifer Hallmark

Children can be some of the greatest givers of love and kindness. It never ceases to amaze me how little ones can pick out someone hurting and encourage them with a simple word, smile, or act.

I remember when my son was little, maybe 5 or 6 years old. We had gone to a local fast food restaurant to eat lunch. The cashier was an older lady, maybe 50. To me, she looked tired. My son walked up to the counter and gave her his biggest smile. He said, “You’re beautiful. Will you marry me?”

She instantly brightened up and smiled back at him, telling me what a sweet little boy I had. I’m sure the good feeling from that moment lasted a long time, especially every time she shared the story.

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Here’s another special act of kindness by a sweet child.

David and Crystal are very proud of their son, Ky. Here’s why in Crystal’s words…

My son made me so incredibly proud and happy today. There was a little girl at Spring Park and her and Ky had been talking about the children’s roller coaster before we left. She had never ridden it before, so Ky pulled on his armband enough to slide it off of his arm and she slid it on hers. Of course, I then peeled mine off without ripping it and put it on her grandmother so they could ride it together.

No, it doesn’t seem like much, but all Ky kept saying was, “I just wanted her to be happy. She has never rode that roller coaster and she will have fun.” She was having a blast on that roller coaster when we left, huge smile and arms up in the air.

Ky’s sweet, caring heart made me cry. I love him more than he’ll ever now! I pray he is always as caring as he is now.

Small Acts of Kindness: Shout out to the Limestone County Sheriff’s Department

By Bonita Y. McCoy

My friend was nervous. She had never shot a gun before. As we entered the classroom, one of the instructors sat at a table to inspect our guns to make sure none of them were loaded.

I’d brought my gun unloaded, but the magazine I carried still had ammunition in it. The officer took the bullets out and handed them back to me.

“Go put these in your car.”

They were serious about safety. No Ammo allowed.

As the night progressed, each of the three officers took turns presenting material about gun safety, how to operate a revolver and a semiautomatic, what the laws were in the state of Alabama, and real life scenarios that made us think. They asked us to consider whether we could pull the trigger or not.

The class lasted about three hours, and we were given a map to the gun range where we were to meet that Saturday to put our instruction into practice.

Saturday morning came, and the ladies of the church gathered with their guns. Some, like my friend, were still nervous, but the Deputies of the Limestone County Sheriff’s Department encouraged us through both their words and their actions.

They calmly explained step by step what we were to do.

Once we were on the firing line, there were five deputies present in order to ensure we received the attention and instruction that we needed.

I was impressed with their great attitudes and wonderful encouragement. Then I found out that these guys were there as volunteers. It blew me away. They had willingly given of their time to teach a bunch of ladies how to operate their guns giving us the experience and knowledge we needed to keep us and others safe.

At the end of the lesson, I found out that they do this several times throughout the year.

So, I wanted to give a big shout out to the Limestone County Sheriff’s Department for volunteering their time in order to make their community safer.

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Hello! I’m Bonita Y. McCoy. I hail from the Great State of Alabama where I live on a five-acre farm with three horses, two dogs, two cats, and one husband who I’ve had for over twenty-five years. I am a mother to three mostly grown sons and one beautiful daughter-in-law who joined us from Japan. I love God, and I love to write. My blog is an expression of both these passions. Drop by and visit. www.beautifulpiecesofgrace.blogspot.com 

Housewarming Surprise

I’d just bought a new home and while it had a nice floor plan, it needed some TLC in the front. Overgrown bushes hid the house from the street and obscured the view from the kitchen window.  Dad and some friends spent quite a bit of time getting rid of some of the bushes. One day around noon, Mom suggested we go over and see how it was coming along. They’d made progress. We went inside and pretty soon a friend of mine from my Bible study drove up.

 

She said Mom had called so she decided to come over to see how things were progressing. After a few more minutes someone else from Bible study showed up.

Soon more and more people showed up, having planned a surprise housewarming. Some who couldn’t be there even arranged to have gifts delivered on their behalf. I later learned Mom and my friends had planned it all a few months earlier, having made sure I would be there when they came.

 

They’d ordered pizzas for lunch too! I spent the next couple hours talking with good friends about my new home and opening their gifts that ranged from toilet paper to hand towels to dishwasher detergent. Flour, sugar, and vanilla (because I love to bake) soup and picnic supplies were among other gifts.

 

It was so thoughtful of them to think of it and plan the surprise for me. It’s wonderful to have friends you trust with personal joys and struggles, who will celebrate exciting news and even surprise you like my friends did that day. It’s times like this that make me realize I’m truly blessed.

Kindness From a Small Hand

By Tori Bailey

At some point in time, we’ve all experienced moments when the total on the register doesn’t equal the amount of money in our wallets. There’s the forgotten purchase where the twenty-dollar bill was used and you only have eighteen dollars and some change. The awkward embarrassment is followed by panic and concluded with exasperation of what to do. Unfortunately, one of these such moments occurred with me.

It was my third night of making the commute to another long twelve-hour shift at the 9-1-1 center. I’d stopped at my normal quick stop to get gas and grab something to eat along with a few snacks for the night. With my items in hand, I made my way to the register and filed into the last spot of the line. Soon, it was my turn and the line behind me continued to grow with those on their way home from work. Positive I’d stayed within my budget of the cash I placed my bounty on the counter and waited for the cashier.

In my rush I’d forgotten I’d broken my twenty-dollars the previous night and was a dollar short. Embarrassed and frustrated with myself, I apologized for the inconvenience and asked to set my items to the side while I ran to the car to get the rest of what was due. Before I stepped away from the counter, a young voice spoke and offered a dollar to me. There was no pause, hesitancy, or reservation in his offer. I looked down into the face of what appeared to be a seven or eight-year-old boy.  With much gratitude I thanked him for his generosity and accepted his offer.

Once back at my car I waited from him to exit and watched him approach his mother. With the amount he’d given me plus a little more, I approached him and again thanked him for his act of kindness. His mother beamed with pride to hear what her son had done to help a stranger. As a public servant, one often experiences humanity at its most unpleasant and can jade the ability to seek good. It took the small hand of a child and an act of selfless kindness to remind me there is still hope not only for all of us but in the generations after us.

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Tori Bailey is a retired 9-1-1 Communication Officer.  She is the author of the Coming Home series that includes the titles: Coming Home–A Second Chance at Goodbye and Ethel’s Song-A Coming Home novel.  The third title, Love-Made from Scratch, is set for release on Valentine’s Day 2017.  Her short stories have been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul- My Very Good, Very Bad Cat and the Christmas Anthology – A Cup of Christmas. She is a contributing writer for the Georgia Connector Magazine and Walton Living Magazine. Follow, friend and visit her at:  Tori Bailey Ink (Facebook), ReadToriBailey (Twitter), and www.readtoribailey.com

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Love Made from Scratch

Solitude was the only neighbor Thomas wanted when he rented the small cabin in the mountains of North Georgia.  It was the one place where he could escape the constant reminders of his wife and wallow in the guilt he was responsible for robbing his son of a mother. He did not expect the second cabin to have an occupant.  

Jess Durrington accepted her aunt’s offer to move into the cabin.  It was her first step toward gaining independence and making a life for herself and her unborn son. Since the news of Tyler’ platoon being ambushed and his death, Jess’ life turned from being a bride to a single-parent.  She knew she carried the one gift of Tyler’s that his mother would want to rip from her.

Kass Durrington was proud her sister was making a stance for herself.  Dixie Prudence Durrington had held a tight rein on Jess’ life since the accident, leaving Jess hearing impaired. Caught in the constant cross-fire between her mother and aunt, Kass understood how manipulative her mother could be and the courage it took for Jess to agree to the offer.

Three lives will merge in the attempt to save one during an ice storm. Thomas and Kass help Jess deliver her son, Tyler Zachary Wasley, while stranded at the cabin. News of Zach’s birth and the manner in which he arrived into the world will spread. Thomas and Kass will now have to help Jess fight to keep her son.

Love Made from Scratch is the last installment of the Coming Home trilogy.  Tori reunites readers with the characters from Coming Home – A Second Chance at Goodbye and Ethel’s Song.  Journey with Thomas, Jess and Kass between Athens, Dahlonega and the Napa Valley. Love Made from Scratch is set for release February 14, 2017.  Pre-order your copy at www.readtoribailey.com  and download the Love Made from Scratch recipe.