In the spirit of this holiday season, we invited readers to write in about random acts of kindness — acts so unexpected but touching that they should be shared with our community. Here are some of them. Merry Christmas, one and all.
Kindnesses make our world better
Murphy’s Law was in full swing.
A shopping bag fell off the bench where I sat waiting for my Kahala Nui shuttle and hit the sidewalk. When I picked it up, I knew immediately that — of course — it was the bag with glass bottles of corn syrup and molasses. I was still staring stupidly at my sticky, dripping hand, trying to decide what to do, when a woman rushed up.
“Wait right here, don’t move,” she said. “I’ll be right back!”
She rushed off, reappeared with a handful of wet paper towels, and said, “I’ll get the manager. Wait right here.”
She returned with a young man holding a bag. Saying, “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it,” he handed me a new bag with bottles of corn syrup and molasses. Thanking them and assuming I’d need to pay for the new bottles, I turned to get my purse. When I turned back, they’d already gone.
I’ve received many such acts of kindness over the years, similarly performed without expectation of rewards or even a thank you. People rushing to help when my husband, because of Parkinson’s disease, had difficulty getting from his Diamond Head Theatre seat to his walker. One woman insisting on staying with us until our daughter arrived to pick us up.
A purse left outside downtown, where it could have been easily picked up without notice, was instead turned in to the office building security, no name given.
Once, my husband was on his way to give his first speech as a new University of Hawaii professor when his car broke down during rush hour at the busy intersection of University Avenue and Kapiolani Boulevard. A young man rushed out of a nearby building and helped push the car out of traffic. Then, after checking with his wife, he insisted on driving Harvey to his destination: not Manoa, but Pearl City — at that time of day, 45 minutes away.
Apologizing for not waiting to drive Harvey home, he explained that he dared not be gone too long — his wife was due to go into labor any minute. (He did make it back in time — we checked). That was 1971. I hope his son appreciates his parents. We still do.
Have there been bad experiences? Of course! No surprise there. It simply makes my many stories of kindness even more outstanding.
All such people deserve gratitude. They also deserve to know that their kindness is more than just a simple act, that it has a larger meaning.
They need to know that I try to repay them by passing their kindness on to others. I hope I was never rude, but I’m more apt to go out of my way for tourists because of help we’ve received. I hope I’m kind to others, but I’m far more apt to go out of my way to be helpful because of such acts of kindness. I never thought much about which supermarket to use. But I now go to Times Kahala purposefully and share that story with others, because one can buy molasses anywhere, but a store with a manager who lets kindness trump profit is hard to find.
To those I’ve mentioned and the many others, I hope you all know that not only is your kindness appreciated, it makes, and, in turn, leads others to make the world a better place.
Jean Gochros
Kahala Nui
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Travelers find ‘room’ at the inn
When I was young and living on a shoestring budget, my husband and I visited my brother, who was serving in the Navy in San Diego. We looked for an inexpensive hotel room for the weekend, but every hotel was fully booked. We were part of a line of cars going from one hotel to the next.
Finally we stopped at a small family-owned hotel in Del Mar. Like the others, it had no room, but the owner let us camp overnight on the lawn. He made the same offer to everyone who came by. More than 30 travelers slept on that lawn that night. The owner lent blankets and pillows to those who did not have their own; told us stories about his hotel; and fed us coffee and doughnuts in the morning.
I will always remember that magical night and the generous man who could not turn away the strangers who came to his inn.
Judith F. Clark
Executive director, Hawaii Youth Services Network
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Stranger in distress turns into lesson
I was recently a house guest in a home in the San Francisco Bay area called the East Bay. It is a quiet, “Leave it To Beaver” kind of place. There are difficult neighborhoods about five miles away, but nothing much really happens on their sleepy street.
One night in August, a man was waving his arms in front of their house at dinnertime. He was wearing a dark sweatshirt and dark pants. My hostess went out and asked what he wanted; he said he needed an ambulance because he wasn’t feeling good. She returned to the house and asked her husband to go out and talk to him. Her husband said the man had slurred speech and seemed confused.
His wife prepared a plate of food and a bottle of water for the man and called 911. The husband stayed with him as he drank some water and ate a little.
The firefighters came first and checked his vital signs, then the ambulance arrived. The police arrived as well. The man got in the ambulance unassisted as the husband stayed in the yard to make sure that he was well cared for.
Meanwhile, I was on the second floor of their house, taking one photo after another. I was so paranoid after hearing all the news stories of police shootings of unarmed black Americans, of killings in Chicago, and of accidental and intentional use of firearms in the deaths of innocents. I feared that the man might be feigning illness and was going to draw a gun; that the police were going to overreact and shoot; or that a lack of good sense would propel someone to do something foolish.
Instead, what I saw was a man asking for help, a householder offering help, and the authorities arriving and acting professionally. It was a kindness to himself that the man asked for help when he needed it; a kindness on the part of a couple leaving dinner to help someone in distress; and professionalism and sensitivity on the part of the firefighters, the paramedics, and the police in an encounter with a black man with a confused demeanor wearing a hoodie at night.
Linda Q. Green
Makiki
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Grateful for drive-through gesture
On Nov. 29, my friend and I went shopping at the Logos Book Store in Honolulu. On the way home, we went to the drive-through at McDonald’s in Waipio Gentry to get something to drink.
As I was making the turn to enter the drive-through lane, I decided to let a pickup truck go ahead of me. As I got my money out to pay the cashier, she said the person in the truck ahead paid for our drinks.
We couldn’t believe our ears and were in a state of shock and surprise. We heard of people paying forward for others but this was the first for both of us. We both laughed in disbelief and quickly thanked God for this kind person.
My friend wanted to get out of the car to thank her but was too late. The truck was already making its way out.
We felt very special as we drank our frappes. To think that a stranger did a random act of kindness. So whoever you are, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making two grandmothers feel so loved and special.
God bless you!
Lynette Suda and Aileen Potter
Mililani
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Grandma’s touching gift to kids
This expression of support for the Children’s Discovery Center tugged at my heart-strings:
After a grandmother sat with her grandson, coaching and working with him on a craft in the cultural gallery, she took a photo of him proudly holding his finished paper krathong and the explanation of its significance. She said, “Today is for just the two of us.”
She said she has done this with each of her grandchildren after they turned 4 years old.
“Then at Christmas, I’ll give him an album of photos of him playing today — like I did for the other grandchildren.”
This grandmother values the Children’s Discovery Center’s learning-through-play experiences so much, she started a family tradition here.
Imagine how her grandchildren will feel when they flip through memories of that special day with their grandmother. What a priceless gift from the heart this grandmother presents to her grandchildren — and to herself.
Dana Nishiyama
Children’s Discovery Center
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Post-marathon thanks run both ways
Marathon Day. We watched the finish to support some friends and then walked to Lulu’s to watch a football game.
A young man who obviously had run the marathon came in alone and looked around. It was very crowded, so we invited him to join us. He asked, “Are you sure?”
Of course we were sure. He sat and shared his marathon experience with us. We chatted, laughed and watched a little football. He is a city employee and a Marine reservist, but we don’t even know his name.
He left before us and, much to our surprise, he had secretly paid our bill. It was his way of saying thanks, but we were thankful for meeting him.
Mahalo to that young man.
Tom and Jan Nilsson
Waikiki
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Caring deeds bring joy to all
Whether it is delivering the daily newspaper, or extras from home-cooked meals to neighbors on our cul-de-sac, or doing some light housekeeping at the graveyard for my dad and grandmother and their “neighbors,” my husband, Tom, has just one goal in mind — making life simpler and easier for everyone.
Since an accident just over two years ago forced him to give up his general contracting business, Tom takes great pleasure in the little random acts of kindness he is able to provide for others. Taking his dad grocery shopping, visiting his mom who suffers from Alzheimer’s, dropping off an occasional lunch or dinner for my mom, or a handwritten note in my lunch (which he makes every day), each of these caring deeds brings joy to all recipients.
These simple acts, done with great love, make our world an incredible place to call home.
Pamela Shim
Kaneohe
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Clinic visit, sans wallet, draws kindness
On Dec. 13, I was feeling ill and drove to the Kaiser Medical Center after-hours clinic at 8 p.m. On arrival, I realized I left my wallet at home.
The doctor saw me and ordered tests. I was in the reception area waiting for the results, when I realized I couldn’t get out of the parking lot without $3. I asked the receptionist if she could stamp the ticket “Paid” and then bill me. She couldn’t. A lady overheard me and handed me $3.
The doctor ordered medications from the pharmacy and told me to pick them up on my way out. I said I would have to do that the next day, as I had no way to pay for them. She left and returned with her personal charge card as she wanted me to start the medication that night.
Two strangers showing such kindness — so grateful!
Judy Uding
Makiki
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50-lb. box no burden for helpful stranger
In late November, I went to the Waikiki post office to pick up a box that is sent annually to my wife and me from back East. It had always been small enough for me to carry the four blocks or so to our apartment.
This year the order was more than double and a huge box weighing 50 pounds was wheeled out to me. I exclaimed, “Oh my, how will I ever get this home? I don’t have a car.”
The gentleman standing in line did not hesitate and said, “I’ll take you home.” You don’t know where I live, I said. No matter, he replied. I’ll get you there.
Thanks and happy holidays to the retired Marine who helped me and my box to get home.
Terry and Jennifer Williams
Waikiki
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Singers bring joy to housebound seniors
On Dec. 14, a group of Hawaii Kai United Church of Christ members visited seniors at home to sing Christmas carols to visit and lift up their holiday season.
Words cannot express the happiness and joy we felt, that the younger members spent their time helping many seniors remember the days of their youth when they were able to run around and celebrate the holiday season. Today they are housebound and can only reminisce about the season.
The group was led by Pastor Janice Ogoshi, who leads her sheep in many other community activities, like serving refreshments at the Hawaii Kai Christmas Parade; meals at the River of Life Mission; and outreach for seniors who need help in order to continue to live independently, i.e., driving them to medical appointments and providing many other services as the need arises.
I wanted these friends to know this senior and her husband in a care home appreciated it, and that others felt the same joy but were not able to verbalize it.
Jean Ogata
Hawaii Kai
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Giver of time, money is a true blessing
Debbie Ko-Ing has been doing random acts if kindness for many years. Often she does them anonymously because she knows that some of those dear folks are too proud to accept her help.
Once she overheard two young boys in a department store shopping for a gift for their mom, but not having enough funds to pay for their purchase. Quickly she placed some money in their hands. Seeing the bright look in their eyes was the best gift she could ever ask for. They couldn’t stop thanking her enough.
Recently I was struggling with some doctor bills and, when I arrived home, I found some money in my purse. I was overwhelmed.
Debbie also enjoys helping the needy, driving the homeless to their destinations, and just giving her time to others. She is a blessing in disguise.
Dorothy Decker
Pearl City