There was a small child at the drug store the other day. He was walking with an elderly person – maybe a grandma or great grandma. Grandma wasn’t walking fast enough to suit him so he started running up the aisles to the end and then back to where she was, up to the end, and back to her, up to the end…, “C’mon, Oma! Come! On!” She’d move her walker forward and shuffle toward it. “I’m coming, Child - slow down.” As she came closer to the end of the aisle, the child began to run around the end to the next aisle, coming back to peek around and see the grandma’s progress. Read more

Keaton is a child in the church I attend. He’s got a helping heart. It’s part of him that requires no lesson, no prodding, no inducements. He’s a small boy, but he’ll take on any big task when he notices someone needs help. He notices if another kid is lonely or new or upset, so he sits by that kid in class or invites the kid to be his partner for a game or on the play yard. He notices if his adults need help around the building and either just does what needs doing, or if he is too small, he asks how he can help. He always wants to help prepare and serve meals for the homeless shelter. Read more

My cousin sent me this story:
“One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really, sincerely friendly. Read more

My friend has the heart of a child, even though we are growing alarmingly old! She is a mental health therapist and helps people deal with mental and emotional difficulties in their lives. A strong proponent of Fun as Healer, Sid encourages her clients to make time every day for a little fun. She, however, doesn’t have to force herself to do it. It comes naturally to her. I remember years ago, while studying to become a therapist, she was given an assignment to research the reactions of people who witnessed something that was unusual.Read more

The sweetest things come from children! Once I was ill and in the hospital. After a week, I was discharged to go home. As often happens when you’ve just been released from a hospital, I really didn’t feel up to cooking, cleaning or doing much of anything that required staying awake. My friends and family delivered the goods when it came to feeding my husband and me, running errands, doing laundry and keeping the house tidy. Their get well wishes came in the form of actions that helped me to keep up the house and my strength as I recuperated. To this day I remain grateful for their support.Read more

A couple had two cats. They were taking a trip out of the country for about three weeks and needed someone to watch the house and care for the cats. They engaged a young man who was preparing for his tests toward his teacher’s certification. The couple thought he would be a perfect house sitter, as he was a large fellow, tall and strong. He would seem a little intimidating to passersby, even though, as a “dog person” he was not particularly comfortable with cats.Read more

I wrote recently about a truck driver who helped me on the road. Telling a friend about it, I learned this is not a unique incident. Here’s another "road" story: Sue and Nell took a road trip to Carbondale, Illinois. They were on the way back home, but it was 3:00am and they needed to find an open gas station to fill up the car, as they had 496 miles left to travel. They found a station with lights on and an “open” sign, but just as they pulled into the drive, two things happened simultaneously. The station lights were turned out and they had a flat tire.Read more

We had a family tradition. On Christmas Eve, we gathered in the family room to drink eggnog and open just one present. Then Daddy would read the Christmas story. We would watch a holiday special on TV until it was time for the midnight Candlelight service at church. So on Christmas Eve, 1974, we poured the eggnog, selected just one gift to open and gathered in the family room. We opened our gifts, laughing and squealing with delight. My sister had received a lovely blue skirt. She left the room to go upstairs and try it on. We turned on the TV for the M*A*S*H* Holiday episode.Read more

From a village in France, Nanette came to the US to study international marketing and merchandising in a university cultural exchange program. She moved in with her American host family who seemed so happy to have her in their home. But the arrangement quickly fell apart. The host family liked to hold lots of parties, every other day or so, staying up until the wee hours of the morning with lots of carousing and noise making.Read more

A married couple from the USA took early retirement to have an adventure. They moved to a Central American country, and had a great time exploring and learning to live like the locals do. After about a year, however, they began to miss certain things in their lives. After 2 ½ years, the married couple determined that they needed a broader range of cultural activities, medical services and a few amenities not available in the country. They traveled to other countries, and finally found a lovely city in Mexico where they wanted to relocate.Read more