kindness

A group of strangers in Hermitage, Tennessee, quickly came together to help a woman trapped in a flipped car. Near exit 221 off Interstate 40, bystanders rushed to the scene where a silver vehicle lay overturned in a field. The group, consisting of eight men and women, successfully righted the car and assisted the woman, whose airbags had deployed. Carolina Carlos, who recorded the incident, noted that the woman was unharmed and that the group remained until emergency services arrived. Carlos explained that she filmed the rescue to demonstrate the kindness and solidarity among strangers. I find hope in the community, especially when faced with all the negativity in the world. It’s uplifting to witness people coming together to help one another and show such good intentions. It is indeed beautiful when people unite to show love. Let’s stay kind, let’s stay humane.

The benefits that arise when our kindness is accompanied by honesty, enriched by contentment, and free from any sense of entitlement; are so enormous that tongue and pen may not sufficiently capture all. 65-year-old Dianne Gordon has been walking 2.7 miles to and from her job behind a deli counter every day since her Jeep broke down and she didn’t have enough money to fix it. One day she decided to stop at a gas station for a snack and noticed a plastic bag. Inside there was a lot of money; turning it around there were some greeting cards, and a lot more money. Just doing what she “was taught to do” the grandmother of two called the police, who sent an officer to take custody of the sum. Gordon could have walked into any dealership in the state and driven something off the lot that day, but new because the money wasn’t hers, it wasn’t correct to take it. “If it doesn’t belong to you, you don’t keep it,” she told the Washington Post. “I didn’t do anything special. All I did was, return something that didn’t belong to me.” Police Chief Dan Keller of the White Lake Township Police Department telephoned Gordon later that day to tell her they had used the information on the cards inside the bag to track down the owners. The happy couple was “overwhelmed” by Gordon’s honesty, as was Keller’s wife Stacy Connell. “As a police officer’s wife, I typically hear the bad things, so this was obviously heartwarming,” said Connell. “I was hoping we could help her get a car, since she could have walked into any dealership and used that money.” Connell set up a GoFundMe, and in just 6 days it raised four times, as much money from people wanting to reward Gordon’s act of selflessness as she had found in the sealed bag that morning. Grateful for the money and the words of encouragement from all the contributors, who celebrated with comments like “there are still good people in the world,” Gordon said she was stunned by the outpouring of generosity, which at the time of publishing, raised $82,000 and then closed. On February 8th, Friends of Dianne wrote: “Dianne officially signed for her new Jeep Compass yesterday at Szott M-59 in White Lake Township. Along with the new car, she also got an extended warranty, maintenance, insurance, and plates/tabs.” There was also an inspection done at her home to evaluate some much-needed repairs that will be done very soon. All of these positive outcomes were a direct result of her honesty and thoughtfulness towards the feelings of the person who had lost the money. It’s a beautiful story that shows more often than not, honesty pays.

When rough seas forced the cancellation of the last ferries out of Port Townsend on a busy holiday weekend, a group of stranded passengers faced the prospect of sleeping on the streets. However, their dire situation was resolved thanks to the kindness of a ferry terminal worker William Patterson .As the wind picked up on Saturday evening, the Washington State Ferries had to cancel the final sailings from Port Townsend to Coupeville due to the rough conditions It was in the early evening that 79-year-old Kip Goodwin and his wife from Hawaii had finished calling every hotel and Airbnb in the Olympic Peninsula’s Port Townsend—they were all fully booked for the summer holiday season. Neither had they luck at the YMCA or Red Cross—even the campgrounds were unavailable. Fearfully looking at each other amid the sound of howling wind, Patterson interrupted their worrying to tell them they would all be staying with him and his wife Arianna. Nestled among the pines on the Admiralty Inlet, Port Townsend is serviced by the United States’ largest ferry network, but the Port Townsend-to-Coupeville route, which Goodwin and the others were hoping to take after a day trip to Port Townsend and Whidbey Island, was canceled after winds picked up and the ferries had to remain tied to their moorings. All three round trips were canceled, starting at 6:45 pm and on to 9:00 pm. Arianna Patterson joked with the Seattle Times that her husband always threatened he’d bring a “straggler” home one day. William called and asked if they could make space for the Goodwins. “I said, ‘We have enough space for two, no big deal,’” Arianna said. “Then he called back and said, ‘We have eight or nine other people.’ I said, oh.” Like the Goodwins, most of the passengers were over 60 years of age, so the Pattersons were just happy they could get the visitors out of the weather. At the home, there was space on the couch and an extra bed, but pretty quickly people were on the floor, borrowing blankets that their hosts had from their time welcoming foster kids. Early the next morning, William went out to the cafe he runs along with his work at the ferry terminal to make pastries and coffee for them all. “It was unbelievable,” said Fred Dente, 79, who lives in Langley and was visiting with his wife and their two friends from Hawaii. “It was the way humans should treat humans. In this day and age, it was exceptional.” That morning was bright and brisk, and at 7:00 AM, the ferries departed. I need not over emphasize the way they felt as the entire atmosphere carried the waves of immense happiness and gratitude.

In all honesty, the flame of liberty will forever burn because humans have chosen to be kind without limits. Krystal was 6 years old when Dave Polen began transporting her over 170 miles from her home in Somerville, Indiana, to a hospital. She was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome and was directed to Shriners Children’s in St. Louis for treatment on her leg and possible amputation. Dave started volunteering as driver 30 years earlier, transporting patients so they might improve their quality of life. Getting back and forth to St. Louis would have been difficult for Krystal’s family as her father worked long hours. So, they accepted an offer for hospital transportation from the local Shriners charity group. Over the course of 10 trips, the conversations were plentiful on their 3 hour back-and-forth trips to the hospital. Dave was a ‘Driver Dad’ but soon became more. He became a friend—and their unexpected friendship has lasted for over three decades. In fact, decades after meeting the “sweet little girl” with a prosthetic leg, Dave was a guest at Krystal’s wedding. As the years rolled on, Dave became sick. Eventually, his doctors gave a diagnosis of end-stage renal failure. They said Dave would need dialysis for the rest of his life or a kidney transplant. Dave also got the warning that an available kidney might take five years to obtain. Dave reached out to Krystal to talk through the process because her husband had just received a liver transplant that saved his life. Krystal immediately saw an opportunity to return the favor. She found out they shared the same blood type and, without hesitation, offered to donate her kidney. She said, at the time, “The kidney belongs to him, whenever he decides to take it.” Dave was shocked – and hesitant—as he knew Krystal was a mother to three kids with a full-time job. “She wouldn’t take no for an answer,” he recalled. In May, 2023, after a year on dialysis, Dave took her up on her offer. “Pack your bags, Dave. You’re going to get a slightly used but new kidney,” laughed Krystal. “Since I was little, I’ve always questioned why Dave was so good to us because he was so kind and so willing to help out with anything. I’ve always questioned why. “What I’ve come to understand is: If I was born with one leg so I could give my kidney to Dave, then so be it,” said Krystal. “This is a gift I can’t ever repay,” said Dave. “I am so thankful! Now, I feel like I can do anything.” Kindness Without Limits: A Journey of Friendship and Sacrifice In all honesty, the flame of liberty will forever burn because humans have chosen to be kind without limits. Krystal was 6 years old when Dave Polen began transporting her over 170 miles from her home in Somerville, Indiana, to a hospital. She was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome and was directed to Shriners Children’s in St. Louis for treatment on her leg and possible amputation. Dave started volunteering as driver 30 years earlier, transporting patients so they might improve their quality of life. Getting back and forth to St. Louis would have been difficult for Krystal’s family as her father worked long hours. So, they accepted an offer for hospital transportation from the local Shriners charity group. Over the course of 10 trips, the conversations were plentiful on their 3 hour back-and-forth trips to the hospital. Dave was a ‘Driver Dad’ but soon became more. He became a friend—and their unexpected friendship has lasted for over three decades. In fact, decades after meeting the “sweet little girl” with a prosthetic leg, Dave was a guest at Krystal’s wedding. As the years rolled on, Dave became sick. Eventually, his doctors gave a diagnosis of end-stage renal failure. They said Dave would need dialysis for the rest of his life or a kidney transplant. Dave also got the warning that an available kidney might take five years to obtain. Dave reached out to Krystal to talk through the process because her husband had just received a liver transplant that saved his life. Krystal immediately saw an opportunity to return the favor. She found out they shared the same blood type and, without hesitation, offered to donate her kidney. She said, at the time, “The kidney belongs to him, whenever he decides to take it.” Dave was shocked – and hesitant—as he knew Krystal was a mother to three kids with a full-time job. “She wouldn’t take no for an answer,” he recalled. In May, 2023, after a year on dialysis, Dave took her up on her offer. “Pack your bags, Dave. You’re going to get a slightly used but new kidney,” laughed Krystal. “Since I was little, I’ve always questioned why Dave was so good to us because he was so kind and so willing to help out with anything. I’ve always questioned why. “What I’ve come to understand is: If I was born with one leg so I could give my kidney to Dave, then so be it,” said Krystal. “This is a gift I can’t ever repay,” said Dave. “I am so thankful! Now, I feel like I can do anything.”

Emma Bassermann, 14, and Zoe Meklensek-Ireland, 13, have both trained competitively for years. Zoe has a dream of making the Olympic trials with her father as her coach, and trains at the Dorval Swim Club in Quebec with the hopes of making that happen. It was 3 p.m. on the south shore of Barbados when Emma and Zoe finished boogie boarding. They were on the island as part of a training camp, but wouldn’t go in for practice until sometime later. Suddenly, they heard a shout. “I heard someone yelling for help in the distance. I was looking around for her and I spotted her and she was about 50 feet out from where I was,” Zoe stated “So I went out to her and she told me that her husband was further out and he was struggling to swim and he needed assistance.” Belinda Stone, from England, had been caught in a riptide with her husband Robert. With Emma’s help, Zoe quickly got Belinda to shore, but Robert was way further out. Fortunately they had their boogie boards, and could save their energy as they went out for a 6-minute swim to reach Robert, who was trying to swim against the current. Many people may vacation on beaches their whole lives and never be taught what to do if caught in a riptide. Zoe and Emma, however, understood the situation well, and after loading the exhausted Robert Stone onto the board, Zoe strapped it to her ankle and the three started to swim—parallel to the shore—until they got out of the both the current and the diagonal wave pattern. It was a long, long swim, but the girls were strong. Together they made it back to the beach. It was more than just the visiting British, who celebrated the two teens’ spectacular swimming skills, but the Universe stands grateful for such heroic stunts pulled by the selfless and compassionate duo of Emma and Zoe whose father, Chuck Meklensek, was so proud and partly astonished at what his daughter accomplished. Like we’ve always maintained, none is too little to make a difference, no selfless act is too insignificant to swing the pendulum of kindness.

The Starbucks on the Marshall University Campus in Huntington, West Virginia, was always like a small family with Karen Collinsworth, 65, at the head of the table. The decades-long supervisor at the famous coffee shop location loved what she did, as well as the teams of aspiring young students who made up her staff. Word spread concerning the story of an unfortunate double whammy of bad luck that befell Collinsworth when her car—a 2004 Kia that always had some kind of problem—was burglarized; the first thief taking the catalytic converter, and the second going in and stealing interior components. At this point, Gray and her teammates, who always knew Collinsworth had trouble with her car, decided that there had to be something they could do to help. Discussing what they might be able to accomplish, the team decided that they might be able to fundraise some money for repairs since so many people around campus knew the 65-year-old barista and valued her. The fundraiser amassed $40,000, headlined by a $5,000 donation from the president of Marshall University. This enabled them to quell down the idea of repairs and reconsider a better option. Collinsworth is looking at a brand-new Subarus, all the while feeling the love and goodwill those decades of serving coffee with a smile have accumulated.