To ask what's the nicest thing anyone has done for you?

About 5 years ago I had 6 rounds of chemo. Some relatively new friends and some close workmates made arrangements to meet up every 3 weeks for lunch on my ‘good’ week. We always had it planned ahead so I had it to look forward to.

And even better they made a rota to look after my young children after school and dropped them to all their hobbies. I have no family locally, this meant the absolute world to me and my DH. Human kindness at its best.

Offered to stay with my dad while they stopped CPR as I was 300 miles away. Didn’t know me ( a colleague of his) and I am eternally grateful to them.

She sounds wonderful fluttering
I’m glad her words were comforting to you.

I’m sorry for the loss of your dog but it sounds as though you were kind and loving owners right to the end. Your ddog was blessed x

We had ddog pts last night. The nurse with us was amazing. She assured us we were good owners putting ddog's needs first. And listened to tales about her and our life together.. A true star of her profession..

@TwinkleLightsRubberDucks I'm so glad that the man was there at the right time for you. I had someone who just sat with me too, so preventing my from committing suicide. I am fortunate, as I know who the man was that saved me but I have no way of contacting him nowadays

I have very long hair and have been feeling quite down over the last week. One of my lovely friends told me I have the hair of a mermaid and the heart of an angel. I wept.

Bumping

Many years ago, I was on my knee's financially and drowning in debt. I had a new born and was due to be evicted for rent arrears.
The bailiff, who was nearing retirement, who I had many dealing with previously attended for the eviction which was due to take place at 10 in the morning when the locksmith arrived.
It was snowing, I was crying with my new born in my arms.
Some ten minutes before the locksmith was due, the bailiff looked at his watch and said that by his watch, it was 10, they weren't here so he was going.
He had actually put his watch on by 10 minutes to save me being evicted ( they couldn't change the locks without him there )
I have and never will forget that one act of kindness that still means everything to me, all these years later.
Fortunately, my parents came to the rescue and paid my arrears, after giving me an almighty telling off for not telling them and asking for help.
I hope he had a wonderful retirement and enjoyed his hobbies to the full.

Was very stressed at work and joked to a colleague that I’d need a g and t when I got home. Half hour later she dropped a litre bottle of gin off at my desk. Was so unexpected and lovely.

Another time I was chatting to a cafe owner when I had a dizzy spell and nearly fainted. She got my friend to help me back to my seat and then kept bringing food and drink over to bring sugar levels up and to make sure I was hydrated. She refused to take any money from me when I felt better.

A friend had me stay for two weeks following surgery. Not only that, she put fresh flowers in the room, and when I asked in wierd delirious state for pomegranate she cut one up and dished out the seeds for me (swiftly followed by bloody hell the mess went everywhere, I'm never desseeding a pomegranate again). True friend.

Not as lovely as some of these but here's mine.

My DH is always helping his friends out, lifts to the airport at 2am, diy, helped friends with building projects, manual labour etc he's done it. He's a firefighter and his work colleagues are his best friends. He's helped them all out numerous times over the years.

When we moved house we got a van from DH's work (his other job) and packed up the house ourselves to save money. It took us ages, I have no upper body strength, DH was late getting home from work then got called out half way through. We finished at 3am. Exhausted. We were up at 6am to get it all finished and get out by 12.

We get to our new house, (which was filthy) me and MIL crack on cleaning the lounge and bedroom so we have 2 useable rooms. DH opens the van doors and I actually start crying at the thought of having to unpack it all. At that moment I see a fire engine pull up into our road. 6 of them (including DH) unpacked that van in 30 minutes. I had to stand at the front door directing people and that was it. One of them even put our bed together for us .

After 4 years of primary infertility, and multiple failed rounds of IVF, I was at the lowest point of my life.
My best friend, who had completed her family, offered to donate eggs to us.
We did one further round ourselves, which resulted in ds1 and then DS 2 2 years later, but I will never forget how selfless her offer was.
X

@DukeChatsworth THANK YOU. You have no idea how much your kind words mean to me. We will survive it, because we have to.

Going to add you to the list now for taking time out to personally respond to me on this lovely thread.

This is the side of MN I love

Lovely thread

When my DD was around 18 months old, I had to do a big food shop at the supermarket. She was being a little demon - screaming, trying to climb out of the trolley etc, whilst I was trying to load the shopping onto the conveyor and trying to stop her falling and hurting herself at the same time. A lovely elderly couple saw my distress and started to to talk to my DD and playing games with her to keep her occupied so I could finish loading and pay for my shopping. They saved my sanity that day and I will forever be grateful to them for being so kind.

@FortheloveofJames I just wanted to say you will get through this. DD was that baby too. Friends with babies marvelled they didn’t know they came like DD. I nearly lost my mind.

But magically, at around 6 months, she changed and she’s just the best 13yo now.

I just wanted you to know it’s survivable and it will be worth it in the end. You’ve got this

Our DD had a very difficult birth and had to go to NICU at a major central hospital nowhere near our home. Neither dh or I drive and I was in no fit state to use public transport, I'd had many stitches, pp haemorrhage etc. Dh's well off aunt slipped him an envelope when she came to visit the baby in NICU, when we opened it later it contained £1000 in cash to cover daily taxis to and from hospital. It was so thoughtful and generous, I'll never forget it.

At 17 years old I had decided to take my own life, I have suffered with MH problems all my life due to abuse from my parents. I was sat at a bus stop waiting for the bus that goes to a local suspension bridge which is very, very unfortunately a suicide hotspot locally.

It was raining and dark, the bus stop was just that, no shelter or anyway to get out of the rain. I was sat on a bench with no coat on, just a t-shirt and jeans which were soaked through. An older gentleman (not that old now I think about it, he must have been around 40) was walking by and obviously noticed I was not in the right frame of mind, he sat next to me and said nothing for a while, until he said just a few words to me, "it get's better, you don't need to get that bus". I looked at him with tears pouring down my face and completely broke down.
He took me for a coffee at a local late night cafe, we didn't talk much at all but it was all I needed to make it through that night.
I left my parents home 5 days later and went into a house share, I was lucky I was working. It was hard as I was working 2 jobs and at college full time too, it was one of the hardest points of my life but he helped me get through it.

I've never, ever forgotten that gentleman and if I could meet him now I would show him how far I have come and how well I am doing, all thanks to his 10 words.

Another one that we have had, that we are ever so grateful for was when I was suddenly in a very bad financial situation and had no money for shopping etc. I mentioned on SM that our tax credits had been cut suddenly (due to DS leaving school age), just to air my frustration. A little while later I received a message from a friend who I know through a charity. She wanted to send me a generous sum of money so that we could pay for our essentials. The only stipulations that she said was that a) it was not to be paid back and b) it was to be completely anonymous. As it was her duty as a good christian to help others.
I don't think she is in MN, so she won't see this post. She will always have a special place in our hearts.

So many over the years - I’m a very lucky woman.

Heavily pregnant with DS2, got flu, DH was working away. I asked my friend if he could possibly have DS1 for an hour. He collected DS1, took him for a full day out and fed him, bathed him with his DS, brought him home in PJs and brought me a pot of soup.

I once got dropped of by DH in town with kids (4yo and 1yo). Realised as we went to buy drinks I’d left my bag on the kitchen table with my wallet and keys. DH was on a course until 5. Home was 8 miles away.

A lady in her 50s said “you look worried, do you need help?” I explained I’d realised I had only brought the nappy bag, not my handbag, but I would figure something out, it was OK.
She pressed £10 in my hand and said “someday you’ll see a young mum having a hard day, and you’ll do the same.” She wouldn’t give me her address to repay her. I was so grateful. We could get cold drinks and the bus home and play in the garden til DH got back with keys.

She was right, I have seen young mums having a rough time and I’ve paid it forward. I know they will too, when the time comes.

I lost my NC mum to addiction last year. She left no insurance policies, no estate, just debt.

Despite being NC, it was all left to me to deal with and I was sick with worry about how to find the money for the funeral. But my amazing friends raised the £3200 for the basic funeral in 46 hours!

I'd never felt so humbled in my life. It reduced me to tears.

After a long cold journey home during the winter, walked into the house to find that Dd1 had visited, switched the heating on, popped a casserole in the oven and had even put coffee ready. It was like walking into a warm comfy duvet.

Looking after DGdaughter age 4. We were watching kids TV and I said how cold my legs were. She disappeared for a minute and came back with a throw which she laid across my legs. Such a simple gesture from such a little person.

Raised a 4 figure sum for my DS1s new wheelchair.