Random acts of kindness

Two, count 'em, two random acts

I always read Random Acts on the weekend and they always bring a smile to my face. I never dreamed I would be writing in with not one but two very random acts of kindness.

I was late for my daughter's music class and couldn't find a parking spot anywhere in the lot. So, after finding a spot on Corydon Street, we ran to class.

Unbeknownst to me, my iPhone fell out of my hoodie pocket while we were running. You can imagine the panic I was in when I got home and could not find my phone.

After calling it a few times, an angel named Lisa answered and offered to meet up with me later to return it.

I was able to pick it up that night from her in perfect condition, and I'm not sure she understood the gratitude I felt for the kindness she showed.

I thought I was done with angels, but then a couple of days later, another one came into my life.

I was again running, this time down Smithfield Avenue while my daughter rode her bike home from day care. I had my keys in my jeans pocket and didn't notice when they fell out.

Two hours later, when I realized they were gone, I retraced my steps all the way back to the day-care centre, but no keys. I came to the conclusion they were lost and resigned myself to making signs and a new set of keys.

When I went to drive my daughter to day care the following morning -- using my husband's keys -- my keys were on the driver's seat. There was no note, and everything in my car was intact.

I have no idea who found them or took the time to go down the street to find my vehicle, but thank you.

For anyone who questions why I live in Winnipeg, all I have to do is share that week with them, and they can see what a great city I live in.

-- Jennifer Beanland

Kindness may have

saved husband's life

LAST week, my husband was walking with a somewhat disabled elderly friend, when my husband went into insulin shock.

His friend struggled to keep my husband on his feet once he could no longer walk.

Thankfully, two women stopped their cars and came over to help. One of them called an ambulance for my husband, and the other took his friend home.

The ambulance attendants quickly recognized the problem, gave my husband intravenous glucose and took him to the hospital. His sugar level was very close to being fatal, so if those kind and wonderful women hadn't stopped to help, the ending could have been tragic.

A similar thing happened about five months ago, also in the Garden City area. This time my husband had gone into a store to buy milk. Before he completed the task, he began to go into insulin shock and couldn't even find his way back to our car where I was waiting.

A man helped him find me, brought the milk, helped me get him into the car and encouraged me to take him to the hospital.

As I was not as familiar with the problem at that time, this man also could also be seen as a life saver.

Our thanks to these three wonderful people.

-- J. Rodkin

Thanks for return of wedding rings

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the person who found my wedding rings in the parking lot at the Southdale Zellers and turned them in to customer service. They are safely home with me now and I am so very grateful.

-- Betty Bender

Happy 80th birthday

FOUR of us had gone out to eat lunch and celebrate our neighbour's 80th birthday.

We went to Foody Goody on Regent Avenue, had a great lunch and asked staff if they had a birthday candle we could put in a piece of their cake and sing Happy Birthday to our friend.

They did this, and then the waitress brought the bill. Five minutes later, the manager came, picked up the bill and said the birthday lunch was paid for and he could not tell us by whom. What a special birthday gift for all of us.

Thank you to whoever did this. You are a person with a big heart. God bless you, whoever you are.

Now this really was a birthday to remember.

-- Marge Rowntree

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 31, 2012 G11