Inspirational Stories / Motivational Stories

Yes, Kindness Does Pay

By A Friend on June 11, 2025 / 3,792 views

By A Friend on June 11, 2025 / 3,792 views

Just dropped in to pick up a couple of items at my local grocery store. At the express checkout the elderly lady in front of me could not work out how to pay, she spoke no English and the checkout operator was trying to explain to her what to do, to no avail. I stepped in and said 'I'll pay for her', it was only about $5. That sorted. By this time the manager had...

Panda Express Made Me Cry

By A Friend on June 10, 2025 / 3,694 views

By A Friend on June 10, 2025 / 3,694 views

The school year is coming to an end and im completely exhausted. To add to that, my kids got sick and have been passing it around. My youngest is having a hard time eating and all they wanted was Panda express noodles. It was late, I'm tired, but if it'll make her feel better then why not? I attempted to order on the app first. It kept saying that it couldn't be delivered to me or there...

Unexpected Pool Time Friends

By Leann Leedom on June 09, 2025 / 3,520 views

By Leann Leedom on June 09, 2025 / 3,520 views

Today we went to the neighborhood pool with my three kids. Aida is 4, Ryder is 11, and Siddhartha is 15. We typically invite a couple of kids who live on our block since their parents are seldom available to take them. We live in a working-class neighborhood in Southern California. There was a large party of about nine kids in their mid-teens enjoying a little graduation get-together. I was in the...

The Bench, The Dog, And A Sign That Says 'Believe'

By A Friend on June 09, 2025 / 3,360 views

By A Friend on June 09, 2025 / 3,360 views

A few blocks from my house, there’s a neighbor who set up a little library for kids. A simple setup, a bench, a kid-sized loveseat, and a small shelf of children’s books. You could tell it meant something to her. In 2022, she posted this on Nextdoor: "MISSING FURNITURE! 😲 Sad/mad panda. Sometime last night our little library...

The World Is Your Mirror

By Joseph J. Mazzella on June 07, 2025 / 3,746 views

By Joseph J. Mazzella on June 07, 2025 / 3,746 views

Well it happened to me again recently. It has happened before and it will probably happen again. Let me explain. I had just finished driving my son to the sheltered workshop where he works a few days a week. I decided to stop on the way back home to pick up some more bananas and whole wheat bread. As I pulled into the store parking lot, the clouds opened up and the sun shone through. The...

If You See Someone In Need, Take A Moment To Lend A Hand

By K-nanator5000 on June 06, 2025 / 3,305 views

By K-nanator5000 on June 06, 2025 / 3,305 views

So recently I was at the gas station filling up on gas, and there was a man right next to me counting pennies to pay for his gas, and when you have to count pennies in order to get gas, you need a helping hand. So I walk over and pay for his gas and he started crying and hugging me saying he appreciated me so much. He said he had a family in his home city. He's had trouble going to...

You And Your Wife Have Raised A Beautiful Kind-hearted Girl

By Jen P on June 06, 2025 / 2,890 views

By Jen P on June 06, 2025 / 2,890 views

I wanted to give a shout out to Amelia and her dad David from Tasmania. I took my young daughters to Luna Park yesterday. Some rides they were ok to go on by themselves, others they needed an adult. Having 3 of us meant I could only take 1 child at a time (but couldn't due to not wanting to leave a child unattended), this is where Amelia stepped in. She befriended my 9-year-old and took her on...

A Middle School Science Teacher Taught Me More Than Just Science

By HammyBurrger on June 05, 2025 / 3,572 views

By HammyBurrger on June 05, 2025 / 3,572 views

This is a brief story from almost a decade ago, but it hasn’t left me and I refuse to let it. My middle school taught the periodic table in eighth grade. Looking back that’s a little old, but it is what it is. From the beginning, I fell in love with the element “Bismuth” (Bi 83). If you’ve never seen bismuth I strongly suggest looking up - it comes in absolutely...

A Complete Stranger Gave Me Flowers Today! It Made My Day!

By A Friend on June 04, 2025 / 2,485 views

By A Friend on June 04, 2025 / 2,485 views

Okay so basically I love going to Trader Joe's, right? And I was just going in to get some coffee ice cream (their coffee ice cream is THE BEST!!) and I hadn't seen this girl in a couple of months. She said "hey _____!" (My name exactly as I prefer to be called it) And I was so surprised she remembered and I turned around and said hey. She asked how I had been and I was...

She's Right About No One Talking To Me Unless They're Mad

By A Friend on June 04, 2025 / 2,910 views

By A Friend on June 04, 2025 / 2,910 views

A few months back, my kids and I went out to eat at a fairly well known fast food restaurant. The food wasn't known for being the best, but my kids loved it, so I humored them. The food was amazing! It was hot and fresh and served quickly. The kids and I happily ate everything we ordered. As we were leaving, I happened to see the manager behind the counter helping to fill orders. I...

Mom's Eyes

By Joseph J. Mazzella on June 03, 2025 / 3,253 views

By Joseph J. Mazzella on June 03, 2025 / 3,253 views

It was the middle of Summer, yet my Dad was already getting ready for Winter. He had dumped a load of firewood from his pickup truck and it was my job to put it in the wheelbarrow and move it to our winter woodpile. I was a skinny 12 year old and it wasn’t easy work. I was loading the wheelbarrow for the fifth time when I felt like I was being watched. I looked up and saw my Mom smiling at me from the...

Anonymously Gifted Singing Classes To A Girl Who Can't Afford Them But Really Loves Musical Theatre

By Lottie on June 02, 2025 / 2,833 views

By Lottie on June 02, 2025 / 2,833 views

There's this girl I met through community theatre a few years ago. She's in her late teens, so significantly younger than me (I'm 25 female). I've been doing musical theatre for years and she's more of a newcomer, so I've always tried to give her advice and feedback if she asks for it, be supportive, even taught her how to braid her hair for the latest show we did. She's...

This Lady Saw My Child Lose 3 Times Playing A Claw Machine Game

By A Friend on May 31, 2025 / 2,844 views

By A Friend on May 31, 2025 / 2,844 views

We went out to dinner tonight and my child got excited when they saw a claw machine game with big prizes inside. Parents, we all know how these games, especially the big prize claw machines, are rigged against you. I despise these because they often get the kids hyped up for disappointment. Anyway, after the third time and $3 worth of losses, my child was bummed out and as she was sadly...

After 15 Years Of Homelessness, I Finally Have My Own Home!

By A Friend on May 30, 2025 / 2,757 views

By A Friend on May 30, 2025 / 2,757 views

I have up until VERY recently lived in the homeless shelter graduating their Alcohol and Drug Recovery Program! I have been HORRIBLY addicted to alcohol and began homelessness at 22 years old, I am now 35. So for over a DECADE I was either sleeping on the streets or staying in motels and drinking and doing day labor to afford it . 3 years ago I was lying in a hospital bed with stomach...

Keepin' It Dry

By Lisa Jernigan on May 29, 2025 / 2,897 views

By Lisa Jernigan on May 29, 2025 / 2,897 views

My grandmother always taught me to never brag about good deeds because it destroyed the value of the deed to get attention for it, Since my niece "outed" me for this one, I figure it's okay, maybe helpful, to tell you about it. One day, I was driving in the rain and saw a woman at a bus stop getting soaked because she had no umbrella. I promptly pulled over and handed my umbrella out...

A Simple Smile Is More Special Than You Think

By A Friend on May 29, 2025 / 2,779 views

By A Friend on May 29, 2025 / 2,779 views

I just passed a man while walking in the park and turned back to give him a (somewhat cursory, I thought) smile and hello. After a moment, he said to me that I was the only person who looked at him with a smile—that everyone else looked at him with a mean or blank expression. I thought it was pretty remarkable how my simple smile made such an impression. It caught me off guard. I...

Our Cleaning Lady Baked This Cake For Our Daughter’s 4th Birthday

By Tesat on May 29, 2025 / 2,277 views

By Tesat on May 29, 2025 / 2,277 views

Our cleaning lady baked this cake for our daughter’s 4th birthday without us asking A homemade round birthday cake decorated with an image of Disney’s Elsa from Frozen on top and blue and white frosting, featuring her name (which I blurred for privacy reasons) and the number 4. We were honestly speechless this morning. She wasn’t expecting anything at all. We...