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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Random acts of kindness

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 05/5/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Let's not miss the kindness all around us

The most amazing kindness that I can ever remember happened to me recently when I was out for lunch with friends.

My dear friend, Jessica, her four-year-old daughter and I decided we would enjoy a hamburger, so after grocery shopping we went to McDonalds. When we arrived, we discovered we had piled the groceries in the car on top of my walker. Instead of taking all the groceries out, I decided to try walking without it.

As I was struggling to get out of the car, three or four young men walked by, smiling at us. A few seconds later, one of them came back, put his left arm around my shoulder and, taking me by the right hand, he helped me into McDonalds.

After helping me with my coat and seating me, he again put his arm around my shoulder and his right hand on my right cheek, then bending over he said, "My grandmother is about your age," and gently kissed my left cheek before quietly walking away.

Then I got thinking about acts of kindness and realized that my friend Jessica has been more than just kind to me. She is a wife, a mother and also works outside the home, but still finds time to come and take me grocery shopping.

As we live our day to day lives, let us remember not just the random acts of kindness, but the kindness that might be right in front of us, lest we take that for granted.

-- Ida Atkinson, age 89

What goes around comes around

I was at the Kenaston Costco and went back to my car in the lot where I noticed two men loading garden sheds into a truck. The truck was quite full, so I helped them lift the second shed into their truck.

They thanked me, and I went back into the Costco to get my prescription, which hadn't been ready. One of the men, carrying his daughter, came after me in the store and asked if I had lost some cash. I checked my pocket and sure enough, I had lost $100.

We went back to his truck, and his friend gave me my $100. I offered to give him $20, and he wouldn't take it. But I insisted he have it to take his daughter to McDonalds for lunch.

Thanks guys.

-- Don Krentz

Keys delivered to home

Recently, I had an upsetting adventure when I lost my car keys to which I had attached my house keys.

I was out at a friend's home, and we searched everywhere, retraced my steps, asked everyone in sight, but no keys.

To complicate matters, I was using a rental car so I couldn't simply dash home to get spare keys.

My friend had to drive me from the north end of the city to the south end, where the body shop gave me another set of keys. She then drove me back to her place and the car.

To make things worse, the lost keys were not inside the car which I had hoped. With the spare car key I was able to drive home, get into my apartment with another spare key I had given to my neighbour.

I came home to a phone message from Red River Co-op. (I have their ID tab attached to my keys.) A kind gentleman named Adam had found my keys on the sidewalk outside my friend's home, called Red River Co-op, who took his name and phone number. They then relayed this to me.

I called Adam at his workplace in the north end, and discovered he lives in the south end of the city, too. He suggested he bring the keys to me on his way home, which he did.

What wonderful people in this city!

1) My friend who drove me from one end of the city back.

2) The Red River Co-op worker who contacted me.

3) Adam who found my keys and had the presence of mind to seek their owner then personally return them to me.

I am forever grateful.

Thank you, thank you, Adam. You all made my day.

-- Carol Perch

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 5, 2012 G11

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