Grocery store clerk allows man with autism to help him stock shelves

Jordan Taylor was just doing his job at Rouses Market in Baton Rouge, LA, stocking shelves and cooler cases. He noticed a man and his teenage son, and as he later told a reporter, "Something in the back of my mind was just like, 'Ask if he wants to help you.'" Taylor did as his heart directed, and the teen accepted the offer to help stock the cooler while his father and sister videotaped.

Why? Because the teen, Jack Ryan, is autistic. Interaction of this type is difficult for him. But with Taylor's gentle instruction, Jack Ryan stocked the cooler case for 30 minutes, which his dad Ed calls "a miracle." 

Ed asked Taylor what plans he had for the future. Taylor shared his hope to become a teacher, and Jack Ryan's sister Delaney promptly set up a GoFundMe page. In just one day, over $92,000 has been pledged to offset Taylor's future college expenses. 

And what might be the best outcome of all - Rouses Market has offered Jack Ryan a job stocking shelves.  

She invited 60 strangers to a Christmas meal

First, an apology to my subscribers. Between the holiday chaos and a stomach bug, I've been off my Tuesday/Friday blogging schedule for a bit. Now I'm back on track. Fingers crossed I stay that way.

This story comes to us from Scotland. Back in November, Taylor Barnes overheard a woman say she dreaded the holiday season. She would be alone, and the media build-up of togetherness and family around Christmas did nothing but increase her sense of loneliness. Barnes was haunted by the truth behind the woman's words and wanted to do something. The idea of a community Christmas meal popped into her head, and she decided to make that happen. But as a nursing student and the single mother of a one-year-old, she was short on both time and money. 

She posted her idea on Facebook, and was amazed to see the response. Owners of a local steak house offered to cook and serve a luncheon right at their restaurant. Local businesses donated food and a hair salon offered services. Many businesses and individuals donated money to help make the Christmas meal a reality.

Barnes ran with it. She arranged transportation for her 60 guests, many of them disabled and/or lacking transportation, all of them strangers to Barnes. She used the remaining funds to buy gifts for everyone, including a toy or two for each child in attendance. According to the guests, the meal was delicious and the singer was quite entertaining, but having companionship on Christmas was best of all. 

Barnes was delighted with the outcome of her idea, but shrugged off any accolades. "It was a community effort," she said. "There's a lot of really good people out there."

Bride forgoes registry, gets donations for her homeless students instead

When high school teacher Rickee Stewart set up her bridal registry last spring, she hit on a unique idea. Instead of showering herself and her fiance Kasey with gifts, she wanted to spread the love, specifically to the over 100 students in her West Jordan, Utah school who are currently homeless. Kasey was on board.

The couple set up a DonorChoose.org account for donations of tents, shoes, and food for the homeless teens and their families. At first, donations came from folks on their wedding guest list. But word spread. Within weeks, gifts flowed in from all around the state, then around the country, some even from Canada.

Rickee and her school administration have set up distribution so it remains anonymous, preserving the dignity of those in need. The students and families receiving these items are beyond grateful.

The couple also accepts donations of winter coats to help students through the upcoming winter. With over 2100 student in Rickee's Copper Hills school district homeless, the need in their community is huge.

Luckily, so are the hearts of this teacher and her new husband.

Cake-decorating stranger saves a wedding cake from disaster

Like other engaged couples, Millie and Matt wanted their wedding day to be special. Millie, an avid and accomplished baker, decided to personalize their day by making the wedding cake herself. She created a three-level beauty of a cake, fully decorated and anchored with dowels and rigid bases between the layers.

But a hot day and heavy traffic on the way to the hotel reception site wreaked havoc on the buttercream and fondant, causing the entire middle layer to collapse when Matt lifted it from the car. Millie was prepared to accept the damage and enjoy the day anyway, but Matt felt horrible. He repeatedly apologized. Nothing Millie could say calmed his sense of guilt.

It so happened that Clare Vaz was in the same hotel at that time, delivering a batch of cupcakes. The owner of a bakery, Clare was approached by a hotel manager. He told her of the damaged wedding cake and asked if she might be able to help. She said she would do her best to restore the cake to its former beauty.

And she did, even though it meant she needed to drop everything and devote hours to the task. To date, she still hasn't met the delighted bride and groom and hasn't asked to be paid for her time. She was just happy to restore a lovely cake to celebrate Millie and Matt's wedding day.

Toronto police officer buys shoplifter the interview clothes he was trying to steal

For Toronto Constable Niran Jeyanesan, it sounded like a routine call - respond to the local WalMart for an apparent shoplifter. When the officer met with the young suspect and learned he was caught stealing a dress shirt, tie, and socks, he asked more questions. It seems the 18-year-old had faced some difficult times and was looking to turn things around for himself and his family. He had a job interview coming up and didn't have any decent clothes to wear. 

Constable Jeyanesan saw the authenticity of the young man's story, and did not arrest him. Even more surprising, he himself then paid for the clothes and presented them to the would-be shoplifter. 

With support like that, here's hoping the interview goes well and the young man in question can indeed provide for his family in a positive way. As for Constable Jeyanesan, he was commended by Staff Sergeant Paul Bois when he said, “We [the police] need to make a positive difference in people’s lives. I think he did.” 

Stranger carries a frightened 100-pound dog across a boulder field

Amanda Bowler and some friends were hiking to Alaska's Reeds Lake last weekend. Accompanying them was a friend's 100-pound Bull Mastiff named Bocephus. All was going fine until, about 2/3 of the way through the hike, Bocephus had 'a colossal meltdown.' Frightened, he hunkered down and refused to move. To make matters worse, a couple of passing hikers told of an aggressive grizzly which had terrorized hikers and their dogs near the lakes earlier that day.

The three young women knew they had to move on so they urged the dog forward. Bocephus wouldn't budge. They tried to carry him, even pass him between them hot potato style as they walked. They didn't make it far before the struggle became too great.

A second small group of hikers noticed their problem and approached. One of them, later identified as Ryan Pepp with the US Army in Anchorage, took off his own pack and slung Bocephus around his shoulders. Pepp then carried the dog across the boulder field until they reached a spot where the dog could continue safely on his own.

400,000 people applaud this young man's small kindness

With the divisive atmosphere in our country and our media's focus on bad news and sensationalism, human decency seems in short supply. In fact, bad behavior seems more common than ever. As headlines and 24-hour news channels broadcast more and more stories of worthy of a dystopian novel, I ask myself - is the escalation in bad behavior a matter of garbage in, garbage out?

Call me callous, but I limit my intake of news. I can't spend my life's energy fretting about other people's bad behavior. I'm on the lookout for good news, hoping to fill my mind with examples of goodness and decency so my heart will absorb the message and my actions will reflect that. Goodness in/ goodness out.

That's the purpose of this blog. It's my way of calling attention to kindness, a chance to spread some decency, share some small reminders that people who behave with respect for themselves and others still exist. I believe their stories should be broadcast far and wide. Their behaviors are the ones which can and should be emulated.

Take this story for example. At a busy Massachusetts shopping mall, an 83-year-old man hesitated at the top of an escalator. A few people walked around him and still the man stood in place. Several paces back, a woman named Paula witnessed a young man later identified as 23-year-old Alonzo Johnson approach the elderly man. "Do you need help, sir?" he asked. The man explained that he'd once been caught by an escalator and still had a phobia about them. Johnson offered an outstretched arm and said he'd ride with him to the bottom. The man accepted the offer and did just fine.

Paula captured the kindness on her cell phone and posted the act of decency to Facebook. The shot has gone viral, which surprised both Paula and Mr. Johnson.

Apparently I'm one of over 400,000 people who like hearing good news. Here's hoping each of those 400,000 people spread some kindness of their own.

Filipino man does One Right Thing, 64 times over

Persecution of religious minorities is horribly familiar. It was seen in ancient times and has continued into the modern era. Just last weekend, ISIS terrorists searched the Philippine city of Marawi, hunting down Christians and beheading them. President Rodrigo Duterte has declared a 60-day period of martial law in the region.

A number of Christian workmen were doing repairs at the home of Noor Lucman, a Muslim and a resident of Marawi when word of the attacks reached them. The men were stuck: it was unsafe for them to stay in the city and yet they were unable to leave. Lucman sheltered the workmen in his home, risking his own life by doing so. The following day, more Christians joined them and Lucman sheltered them as well. A total of 64 people took refuge in Lucman's home. He was determined that nothing would happen to them under his roof.

Sure enough, ISIS members came knocking. They recognized Lucman as a Muslim and left respectfully when he asked them to leave. When that door closed behind them, no doubt everyone inside breathed a sigh of relief.

Lucman's courage astounds me.

Goodness and decency are not limited to one religion, one nationality. All of us have the capacity to either step aside and let terror reign or to act for the dignity of our fellow man.

Courageous 20-year-old fights fire, saves food pantry

On Wednesday, CJ Sparks was driving through Citrus Heights, California when he spotted smoke and flames coming from a church. He turned his car around and pulled into the parking lot of Advent Lutheran Church. One entire side of the structure was on fire. 

Thinking quickly, the 20-year-old Sparks called the fire department, but he was concerned by how fast the fire seemed to be spreading. He took matters into his own hands. He entered the church, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and got to work.

He was soon joined by a neighbor with a hose, and the two of them fought back the flames until firefighters arrived. 

The pastor is thankful for the early fight against the fire. If the fire had spread, it would have destroyed the food pantry, and with it, meals for hundreds of the area's homeless people every week. Sparks says, "...it was something I had to do." The pastor calls it "a God moment." 

Girl with chronic illnesses founds a non-profit to bring smiles to hospitalized kids

Kayla Abramovitz and her brother Ethan know a thing or two about hospitals. Both have had extended hospital stays because of chronic illnesses: Crohn's disease, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

When Kayla was 11-years-old, she wanted to help some younger patients through their long, frightening, often boring hospital stays, but she was too young to volunteer. She noticed some Thomas the Train DVDs on her own shelves at home and had an idea.

With the help of her family, Kayla Cares 4 Kids began with a goal of collecting 100 donated DVDs for Niklaus Children's Hospital in Miami. That was four years ago. Kayla Cares 4 Kids, now a 401c3 non-profit, has collected over 14,000 items to date, including DVDs, electronic hand-held games, and arts and craft supplies. Donations are dropped off at collection points in Florida and New Jersey, and have been enjoyed by kids in children's hospitals and Ronald McDonald houses in all 50 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico.

Now 15, Kayla has won numerous local and national awards for her work. She works as hard as ever to "help sick kids feel better one smile at a time."

This officer's example led his community to go above and beyond

Back in February, Atlanta Georgia Police Officer Che Milton responded to a call to apprehend a shoplifter. The thief was a 12-year-old girl, caught stealing $2 shoes from a Family Dollar store.

Officer Milton spoke with the tearful girl. He learned she stole the shoes to give to her 5-year-old sister, because she wanted to do something nice for her. Touched, Officer Milton offered to drive the girl home and speak with her mother.

The girl's small home was in a rough part of town. The home had almost no furniture, and sheets lay on the floor where beds should be. There was little food for the family of seven, two parents and five children. The girl's mother explained that her husband works jobs that don't pay much, and prohibitive day care costs for the little ones prevent her from working.

The officer's heart broke. He went to a nearby pizza shop, bought four large pies, and dropped them off. Several times in the next few weeks, he brought diapers and bags of clothing.

Back at the station house, he was called into his sergeant's office. The sergeant had heard about the family's situation and wanted Officer Milton to know he was organizing additional help for the family. The department posted the children's clothing sizes to their Facebook page. Now people from all around the Atlanta area have pitched in with donated goods, all because one man listened to his heart.

Kind-hearted repo man raises funds for elderly couple

For Jim Ford of O'Fallan Illinois, that day last November was a regular day in his job as a repo man. He had to repossess the Buick Century belonging to Stan and Pat Kipping because they'd fallen behind on their payments. When he learned the elderly couple's story, he knew he had to do something to help them out.

The couple explained that the reason they'd fallen behind was the cost of Stan's medications. The prices had doubled in a year's time, a big problem for the couple on a fixed income. Jim was obligated to take the car that day, but he also opened a conversation with the bank to come up with a plan. The bank agreed to work out some finances with the couple. A good start.

In the meantime, Jim set up a GoFundMe page for the couple. In a few days, donors contributed enough to pay off the car. A friend of Jim's gave the car an oil change and detailing. Someone else donated a Thanksgiving turkey. Needless to say, the Kippings were grateful, overwhelmed.

But Jim didn't stop there. He and his wife and children took the Kippings out for dinner in a nice restaurant, a treat the Kippings hadn't enjoyed since 'I can't tell you the last time.' In March, while Pat was hospitalized with a heart condition, Stan fell at home. He later died at age 83. Jim again worked from the goodness of his heart, updating the info on the GoFundMe page with the need for funeral expenses. To date, over $28,000 has been raised.

This 10-year-old's kindness went viral

Last summer, 10-year-old Leah Nelson saw her dad crying. He was upset by police shootings in Dallas Texas, and took the news especially hard - Leah's mom is a Sacramento police officer.

Leah had just started to share her woven rubber band bracelets with others, calling her outreach Becuz I Care. She asked people to show a simple kindness to someone, then give that person a bracelet as a reminder to pass the kindness on. After the shooting, Leah told her parents she thought a message should be added to the bracelets. They agreed, and typed out the message, "In a world with so many issues, let's show people they are valued." The bracelets with their message were first distributed in Sacramento in July. The media got hold of the story, and it went viral. Becuz I Care became a movement.

Becuz I Care has been tagged in stories of kindness across the US. It has spread overseas to England, Brazil, the Congo, Belgium, South Africa, France and Indonesia.

All because a girl listened to her heart and chose kindness.

Canadian teen on horseback delivers hot coffee to stranded trucker

Eileen Eagle Bears couldn't just sit and watch. The roadside camera from Highway 10 showed a truck stuck on the icy road, with its driver still inside. The highway was an otherwise deserted sheet of ice. Help would come, but it would take a while. In the meantime, Eileen knew that driver would be alone.

She filled a thermos with hot coffee and mounted her horse. Even though she had to walk the horse along some stretches because of the icy conditions, she and the horse trekked about 2.5 miles to deliver the coffee to the stranded driver, Peter Douglas. Eileen and her horse even came back a second time with some water, a thermos of stew, and some potatoes.

Douglas' truck was eventually towed to safety and he resumed his trip. He'd been stuck for 28 hours. But the help and encouragement Eileen brought let him know he hadn't been stranded.

He's not alone anymore

One of the regular customers at the Leeds, England grocery store where Ellie Walker works is 86-year-old Edwin Holmes. He chats up the employees and other customers, and most everyone there knows him by name.
At Christmastime, 22-year-old Ellie learned that Edwin would spend the holidays alone. His wife died years ago, and his adult daughter and grandchildren live in Australia. Ellie invited him to join her for a holiday dinner.

Edwin showed up for the dinner in his best suit, and even brought flowers for his 'date.' The unlikely duo had a lovely time. They still meet for coffee and long talks. Both of them feel their lives are richer for this cross-generational friendship.

One woman's idea - fill purses with feminine hygiene products and give them to homeless women

Jana Girdauskas isn't quite sure what prompted the thought, but last Monday she wondered how homeless women manage when they get their periods. How would they get the costly products they need, the tampons and pads and such? The Toronto mother of two pictured herself in that situation and decided to give away some of her own products. She needed something to hold the items, so she posted a request for donated purses on a local parenting Facebook page. She was overwhelmed with the generous response. Not only were purses dropped off by the dozen, but also personal extras like scarves, deodorants, and coffee shop gift cards. Apparently, Toronto residents form a caring community.

Last week Jana and her husband delivered the first round of what they're calling 'period purses' to women living on the streets. The women are understandably grateful for the purse full of necessities. Jana and her husband, neither of whom have ever done something like this before, have enough filled purses to keep the project going for another 10 days. They are looking to local shelters and other charities to take the idea and run with it.

I love this idea - such a simple and straightforward way to promote personal dignity.

Man uses Tesla to stop car with unconscious driver

Manfred Kick was driving his Tesla Model S on the Autobahn near Munich the other night. He noticed a VW Passat ahead of him swerving on the high-speed highway. Kick pulled up alongside and peered at the driver. The man was limp, slumped over the steering wheel, apparently unconscious.

Kick pulled his Tesla in front of the Passat and gradually braked, slowing the runaway car to a safe stop. The quick-thinking Kick then got out of his car, checked for a pulse, and performed first aid, positioning the man so he could breathe. Other drivers stopped and called for help. The man was transported to the hospital after suffering an apparent stroke. He is reported in stable condition.

Kick's expensive car had suffered over $10,000 worth of damage. Because of the nature of the collision, he wasn't sure if insurance would cover it. He told reporters he was just grateful that he was able to help the man get medical attention and that no one was hurt by the runaway car.

Tesla's Elon Musk heard the story. He has offered to expedite and pay all the repair costs associated with Kick's heroic act.

Substitute bus driver sees a mom struggle, builds her a ramp

Thomas Mitchell works as a bus mechanic for Tennessee's Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. Sometimes he's called upon to be a substitute bus driver, as happened one day last fall.

His route that day included pick-up of 10-year-old Lydia DeSpain, who uses a wheelchair. Mitchell watched Lydia's mom Verna struggle to get Lydia and her wheelchair out to the bus. The home's front steps had a portable ramp which was flimsy and too short - it forced Verna to back the wheelchair down a stair before connecting with the start of the ramp. Verna confessed to Mitchell that she worried about Lydia's safety, and that she herself had been injured more than once maneuvering the wheelchair on the awkward setup. Afterward, the conversation and image of the struggling mother haunted Mitchell. 

He decided to act. He spoke with district officials who supported his efforts. Contact was made with the local Lowe's, who donated materials for a proper ramp. Mitchell called Verna DeSpain with the news - he would build a new, customized ramp for Lydia free of charge.

So late last month, Mitchell and four fellow volunteers built a new ramp for the DeSpain's home. Now Verna and Lydia can both be safe as they enter and exit their home.

Random act of kindness leads a homeless man back to his family

A woman known only as Bev noticed a homeless man sleeping at a bus stop in Chadderton, England. She went into the nearby Baguettes of Broadway and handed the owner, Ciaran Egan, £15 for breakfast and hot drinks for the man for a week. When she left, Egan told his employees of this random kindness. All were touched.

Egan posted the story on his shop's Facebook page, and the post was shared over 12,000 times. People who read the story were motivated to kindness themselves. Donated tents, clothing, and food were offered to community aid agencies, and one person set up a crowd funding page to help get this particular homeless man back on his feet.

During a follow-up conversation with Bev, she realized she actually knew the homeless man - he was the brother of a former co-worker. She remembered the family had moved some distance away, and she tracked them down. Within a day, the man was reunited with his family. He now has a roof over his head and meals on the table, all thanks to Bev and her kind heart.

And the £15 she offered for his week's food? It has been donated to a local non-profit which aids the homeless.

Subway passengers work together to remove graffiti swastikas

Strangers on a NYC subway car don't typically interact much. But Saturday night, Gregory Locke was on the 1 train headed toward West 72nd Street when he noticed graffiti on the subway car's advertisements. Closer inspection showed the graffiti to be anti-Semitic phrases and swastikas written in marker on all the advertising panels in the car.

Other passengers had noticed too, and shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Locke reports that someone stood up and announced, "Alcohol gets rid of Sharpie. Anyone have hand sanitizer? Tissues?" Smiling passengers dug through purses and pockets and sprang into action. With cooperative action and elbow grease, the words and imagery of hate were erased. 

A huge attaboy for the nameless stranger who called everyone to action. And kudos, NYC.