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A bad day?
Today, after taking a client to a medical centre with a workmate, I came home and couldn’t find my bag. I searched all over the place, then from the work phone I called my colleague (who was on his way home) to see if he had seen it. He hadn’t. My keys and phone were […]
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Kindness is all around
I have been in my current job and geographical location for a year, so have got to know a few people but not made a lot of close friends. Recently I have been suffering from overwork and found myself feeling very low in energy and enthusiasm. Part of the stress involved the fact that I […]
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A trip to the beach
After deciding that it would be best to give the orphanage children experiences rather than material things, I put forward the idea of taking the kids to the beach during the school holidays. The idea was well received, but of course, not knowing my way around here, I had to rely on Madame Rose and […]
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Help for a stranger – even if unsure
Recently, while working in a Hamilton shop, Jane (not her real name) was approached by a man who needed to use the phone. He was apparently passing through on his way north, but had run out of petrol just outside her shop. There was a petrol station nearby, but the man had unfortunately left his […]
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Just what she needed!
A friend of mine (she wishes to remain anonymous, so let’s call her Mary) tells of a kindness she did for a woman from another town whose husband was seriously ill in Waikato Hospital. The poor woman was running herself ragged, with travel and other commitments. The only time she sat still was at her […]
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Helping out family members in need
In recent times I’ve heard plenty of stories of people suffering financial crises. One person who was made redundant approached the bank to renegotiate her mortgage, but was told there would be a fee of several thousand dollars. One of her siblings generously paid the amount for her. Another woman faced losing her home to […]
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Helpful neighbour
A woman who lives alone writes: “My neighbour was doing some work in his garden and noticed water seeping out of the ground along the boundary line. He investigated and found it was a leak in my water pipe. I was out at the time and came home to a note on my door saying […]
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Secret Gardener
My friend Mavis looked out her window the other morning to find her unruly rose bushes had been expertly pruned. It turned out the phantom pruner was Margaret Liddell, who writes the gardening column for Urban Country. Margaret keeps an eye on a number of elderly people’s gardens, and when she sees they need some […]
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RAK Day
September 1st is Random Acts of Kindness Day! This is a wonderful excuse to be kind to a stranger or do some unexpected favour for a neighbour, friend or workmate. RAK day was started in New Zealand in 2004 when Josh de Jong sat in a cafe watching an incident of road rage and thought […]
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Finders not keepers
Have you ever lost a wallet and then had it returned, complete with contents? It happened to me a few years ago while Christmas shopping. I went back to the shop where I thought I’d left it and was told a high school boy had taken it, leaving his name and phone number at the […]