Swandeh Terhide

This Jewish nurse wasn’t about to let religion get in the way of a baby boy’s livelihood. The baby’s mother was injured in a head-on car collision in Jerusalem on Friday, while the father was killed instantly. The boy, Yaman Abu Ramila, was then taken to the hospital by paramedics for his lighter injuries. The aunts of the 9-month-old baby went to the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital to claim Yaman – but when he cried for several hours, refusing to eat from a bottle, the women were distraught. Finally, a Jewish nurse named Ula Ostrowski-Zak volunteered to breast feed him herself. Since Ula has an 18-month-old child of her own, she said that it was like “feeding her own son”, even though the aunts were taken aback by her kind gesture. “His aunts were surprised that a Jew agreed to breastfeed him, but I told them that every mother would do it,” said Ula, according to News Outlet. “His aunts embraced me and thanked me.” Until the boy’s mother is fully healed, he will be staying with his grandparents in Hebron. When we’re determined to show compassion neither religion nor political differences would stand in our way.

Sometimes all it takes is a little reality check to put things in perspective. A home nurse Amanda Perez made a Facebook post about how the misfortunes of one of her clients made her appreciate how lucky she was to have food on the table. “Lately I have been so upset because I wanted the materials in life,” wrote Perez. “New car, house, more clothes, shoes, etc.” While she was working at the home of one of her male patients, the man asked if Perez could clean his fridge. She was shocked to open the door and see nothing inside. Upon asking him where his food was, he “looked down as if he was ashamed” and said that he bought groceries whenever he had money to do so. “I have never seen a fridge so empty in my life,” said the home nurse. “All of a sudden, I realized how my needs are wants and his wants are needs.” Despite not having a lot of income of her own, Perez drove to the grocery store and used her income tax money to buy a cart full of food and stock her client’s fridge. “This isn’t a post to be noticed, this is a post to show you that there are so many people out there that have it worse than we do. I opened my eyes and realized I need to stop being so mad about what I don’t have and start appreciating what I do have.” At times, our feelings of depression stem from our attachment to our desires. By cultivating gratitude for what we already have and being willing to help others, we can significantly lighten the burdens of life.

Officer Jordan Gaiche was patrolling the neighborhood on a chilly Monday night when he saw a man walking down the sidewalk in a tee-shirt and shorts. Since the temperature was only 7º Fahrenheit, Gaiche pulled his cruiser over and asked the man if he needed any help. To his surprise, the man said that he was on his way to help a senior neighbor who had gotten stuck in his chair, “as he had done many times before.” The man asked if Gaiche could help them, and the Wausau, Wisconsin police officer readily agreed. “The elderly gentleman had gotten stuck in his recliner and appeared to be immobile and on oxygen,” says Gaiche. “It was evident that this chair was the place this man spent most of his time.” After he and the neighbor fixed the senior’s chair, Gaiche lamented the debilitated state of the recliner. “It had become more of a trap for injury rather than an assistive device,” wrote the police officer. “The neighbor looked up at the man’s wife and said: ‘I think it’s time you guys got a new chair.’ The wife sadly replied that she knew they needed a new chair, but could not afford one, as they [cost] around $2,000.” Upon finding out that the elderly man was also a Navy veteran who had served two tours in Vietnam, Gaiche was spurred to help. He told the vet’s wife to pick out a new armchair and he would cover the bill. Once she picked out a new recliner model, Gaiche made a quick post on Facebook to see if anyone would help him buy the chair. To his surprise, he received dozens of donations from folks all over the country. “Some of the people who donated, I have not seen for a decade… some I have never even met,” says Gaiche. “The amount of compassion that was displayed for this elderly veteran was so incredible,” he added. “The moral of this story is to look around you and see all of the great things that people are doing. This world is a good place. Turn off the negativity and focus on making the world just a little bit better.”

A father was prepared to return to Cleveland with his newborn daughter, but unforeseen circumstances left them stranded in Phoenix, Arizona. Fortunately, a compassionate stranger stepped in to assist. Rubin Swift had traveled from Ohio to Arizona to pick up his 4-day-old daughter, Ru-Andria, after gaining custody. Before embarking on the journey home, he contacted Frontier Airlines to confirm that his daughter could fly. The airline representative informed him that he needed to present her birth certificate and a doctor’s note from Banner University Medical Center, which confirmed she was fit to fly. However, upon arriving at the airport, Swift was informed that infants must be at least 7 days old to board the flight. With no funds left for a hotel and a refund for the tickets taking several days to process, he reached out to Joy Ringhofer for help. Ringhofer, a volunteer at the hospital’s NICU, had cared for Ru-Andria and felt an immediate connection with Swift. When he explained his predicament, she offered her home to them. “She opened her door without hesitation,” Swift recounted. “My color was never an issue. She loves my baby and held her all night. Who does that?” Ringhofer expressed her strong intuition to help, stating, “I knew he was a kind and safe man to have in my home, and he has been a perfect gentleman.” Swift and Ringhofer developed a bond, and she has since become an honorary grandmother to Ru-Andria. “He promised to come back and visit me, and I’m looking forward to that,” she said. May we never cease being compassionate to others.

Most people might overlook a stranger’s stolen wallet, particularly if it ended up in the ocean. However, Jimmy Gilleece, the owner of a bar in Wrightsville, North Carolina, was determined to assist a distressed customer, and his quest to recover the wallet profoundly impacted his life. Last month, a female patron approached Gilleece in a panic over her lost wallet, which contained her ID cards and also her wedding ring. Gilleece began his search by meticulously reviewing hours of security footage from the bar. After examining various cameras, he spotted the wallet on a bench outside and witnessed a hooded figure pocketing it. Gilleece identified the thief as 17-year-old River Prathers, who confessed to taking the cash and discarding the wallet into the ocean from a nearby pier. Undeterred, Gilleece hired two divers to search the shoreline, and eventually, one of them retrieved a waterlogged wallet with the wedding ring intact. Feeling a sense of accomplishment, Gilleece decided to extend his kindness further. He learned that Rivers had been homeless after becoming estranged from his mother. “He was living in the woods during freezing temperatures and hadn’t eaten in two days,” Gilleece recounted. “I could tell he wasn’t a criminal; he was just someone in need of help.” Instead of reporting Rivers to the police, Gilleece invited him to live with his family, and since then, Rivers has become part of their household. He now works two jobs and has aspirations for a better future, all thanks to Gilleece’s compassion. “I say thank you to him every day,” Rivers expressed. “I’d do anything for him.” Love and kindness have the power to turn even the darkest traits into something positive. We should strive to embrace kindness, even when it seems like the simplest or most ordinary choice.

An older man with a bandaged arm faced difficulty eating at a Huddle House restaurant in Douglas, Georgia. A piece shared by Dallas Smith Jr. captures the moment when a restaurant employee, identified only as Ms. Wanda, noticed his struggle. Despite being busy, she set aside her tasks to assist him by cutting up his pancakes after he had attempted to do so himself with limited success. The situation became more poignant when Smith learned from the man’s family that he was a war veteran who had recently injured his arm while intervening in a domestic dispute. The story went viral, receiving widespread acclaim on social media for Ms. Wanda’s compassionate gesture, highlighting the kindness shown in everyday situations and also encouraging us all to be mindful of other people’s struggles, and if possible, lend a hand to save their situation. There’s always something one can do to help another.

Jessica Rudeen experienced her first flight with a toddler and a baby, and without the kindness of a fellow passenger, the journey could have turned chaotic. Due to unexpected circumstances, Rudeen was unable to breastfeed her 4-month-old son, Alexander, before boarding. As he began to cry from hunger, her 3-year-old daughter, Caroline, also became upset, demanding to exit the plane. “I genuinely feared we might be removed from the flight,” Rudeen shared on Facebook. “With both kids in distress, I was frantic to find a solution.” Fortunately, Rudeen was seated next to a man named Todd, who stepped in to help. “Todd took the baby and held him while I secured Caroline with her seatbelt and got her settled with a tablet for a movie. Once she was calm, he kept her entertained so I could feed Alexander,” Rudeen recounted. “By the time we were taxiing, the chaos had subsided.” Throughout the flight, Todd engaged with Caroline, colouring and watching movies together, and even pointed out interesting sights outside the window. By the end of the trip, he had become her new best friend, receiving a kiss on the shoulder from her during their window-watching session. Coincidentally, Todd was also on the same connecting flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Wilmington, which he frequently travels for work. He guided Rudeen and her children through the airport to their gate and even changed his seat on the next flight to sit with them. Rudeen later shared pictures of Todd and Caroline on Facebook, expressing her gratitude for his remarkable kindness. “Todd showed me a level of compassion I’ve never encountered before. He mentioned that his wife had a similar experience when their boys were young, where a stranger helped her,” she reflected. “I am amazed by how fate placed us next to such a wonderful person.” Verily, there’s hardly any act of kindness that goes unrewarded. The Universe will always create an avenue for it to be paid forward.

Michael Malone, a 60-year-old veteran, has recently faced homelessness due to extensive repairs needed on his childhood home. After serving in the Air Force from 1976 to 1980 and in the Air Reserves until 1996, Malone has been coping with the emotional toll of losing both his mother and daughter. Although he inherited his childhood home after his mother’s death, he lacked the financial means to undertake the necessary renovations. Fortunately, over 70 volunteers from Indianapolis stepped in to help. In recognition of National Volunteer Week, teams from Home Depot and Volunteers of America dedicated their time to renovate Malone’s home during their off days. Within a few days, they remodeled the bathroom, repainted the interior, and installed new flooring. A particularly touching addition was the installation of an American flag in front of the house, which holds special significance for Malone, as his daughter was born on the 4th of July. Malone expressed gratitude for the kindness of the volunteers, stating, “I’m kind of overwhelmed. I’m happy, I’m sad in a sense that my mother won’t be here to experience this – this was her home.” He noted that seeing the flag would remind him of home and his daughter. The renovations are part of Home Depot’s initiative to invest a quarter of a billion dollars to combat veteran homelessness by, with Malone being one of many veterans benefiting from their efforts.

Evoni Williams was going about her usual workday at the Waffle House in La Marque, Texas, when a moment of kindness transformed her life. At just 18 years old, Williams had been working at the restaurant since graduating high school, diligently saving her earnings to fund her college education. On a particularly busy morning, a partially disabled customer named Adrien Charpentier requested Williams’ help in cutting his ham. Charpentier, who has been experiencing muscle weakness in his hands, found it difficult to use a knife, although he could manage a fork. Without hesitation, Williams assisted him, despite the bustling environment around them. Unbeknownst to Williams, another diner, Laura Wolf, captured this entire exchange on camera and shared it on Facebook. The post quickly went viral, garnering thousands of shares and drawing the attention of La Marque Mayor Bobby Hocking. Moved by the gesture, Hocking declared March 8 as “Evoni ‘Nini’ Williams Day” in her honour. In addition to this recognition, Texas Southern University awarded Williams a $16,000 scholarship to support her college aspirations. Overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, Williams expressed her gratitude and plans to study business management, with hopes of one day opening her own restaurant. In a world where you can be anything – be KIND

Christiana Corrado was in the right place at the right time when she saved a New York driver who suffered a heart attack, attributing her presence to an unexpected craving for a cherry slurpee. After not having one since her pregnancy three years ago, Corrado felt a sudden urge for the icy treat on a Thursday morning. While heading to a 7-Eleven, she witnessed an SUV veer off the road and crash into a CVS wall. As an EMS instructor and paramedic, she quickly made a U-turn to assist the injured driver. Upon reaching him, she found he had no pulse and was cyanotic, appearing very blue. Corrado performed chest compressions until the driver regained consciousness. Reflecting on the incident, she expressed her amazement at how a simple craving led her to be in the right place to help. “It’s pretty strange to me that all of a sudden on this day at that moment I would decide to go to that particular 7-Eleven,” she said, emphasizing the serendipitous nature of the event and the role of fate in her actions. Whenever the need for kindness arises, may we rise to fill that gap, may we never hold back stretching out in fellowship of humanity.