What is one of the kindest things anyone has ever done for you? **Thread title edited by MNHQ**

[elliollie]

Doesn't have to be a big thing.

1. I was ill a few years ago, acutely for about 2 months and probably another 10 months after that. Particularly in the first two months, a friend of mine practically gave up all her time every day to sit with me, help with washing and cleaning and keep me going. She was a huge support to dh and the dc and we won't forget her kindness.
2. During the same time, I had another friend who would post me little cards every week or two, just to remind me that I was loved and appreciated.

My mum was dying in her bed from cancer, my madcap, bubbly, wonderful mum look liked a skeleton from a nightmare. She was bed bound and just waiting for my db to come home so she could die.

Every morning the amazing Macmillan nurses would arrive and be shocked she'd lasted another night.

Anyway, the stress and the grief affected my health and I had terrible asthma. Cough, cough, coughing all night when i had an opportunity to get an hour or two in bed. After one particular bad attack, the bedroom light came on and there was my mum standing there ..... with a bottle of Benolyn.

She had literally got out her death bed to give me some cough medicine. I took some and helped her back to bed. 48 hours later my DB got home and she died with us laughing and teasing her about sending down the winning lottery tickets.

Over 20 years later and I still miss her every day.

Over 25 years ago my boyfriend (now DH) and I were Interailing round Europe.

We were on our first train in Italy when the ticket collector got very cross and kept shouting 'supplemento' at us - turned out our Interail tickets weren't valid on this train but we hadn't changed much money into lira yet and didn't have enough.

The rest of the people in the carriage had a whip-round and paid our supplemento!

I've never forgotten their kindness and have paid it forward by helping others in similar situations.

I nearly regretted my kind act yesterday! I was coming out of the station and someone had two suitcases so she left one at the bottom of the stairs to take the other one.

I picked it up but bloody hell it was SO heavy. I made it up the first flight and was tempted to leave it there but someone behind me had seen and offered to take it the rest of the way.

Kindness breeds kindness

RedTartan and SecretWitch, I had made it almost 3 pages without blubbing. You got me.

I have a chronic health condition which first reared its head when DS was about 3. I recently had a party to invite some of the 60 people locally who have helped us along the way. DS also has mild disability and these lovely friends have taken him to activities, cooked us food and given lifts to school, and cheered us on. They have helped us to survive and thrive and we are hugely grateful. We have had no help from official sources (the opposite really) so our lovely community has been our absolute lifeline.

I was feeling completely overwhelmed with a hyper toddler with SEN and a newborn. Everything seemed such a struggle and I couldn’t put the newborn down because the toddler would try and attack! A friend who I knew but not massively well came over, shoved some chips and nuggets in the oven and fed her son and my DD. It’s not a huge thing but at the time it felt like the best thing anyone could ever have done.

Also,my brother died when we were both in our 20’s. It was such a bad time and about 18 months later I completely lost the plot. Mentioned to my best friend in an email how low I was feeling and she rang me as soon as she got the email. Doesn’t sound like much but she was in New Zealand for a year as part of her medical training, it was the middle of the night over there and must have cost her a bomb. I’ll never forget how grateful I was to hear her voice at that time.

Ohh, KisstheTeapot14, I still get teary when I think about that night!
I hope you are feeling better. Love how your village rallies to assist you and your family💐

RedTartanLass, I can’t stop thinking of the love between mother and child. Your mum was still mothering you even as she was leaving this earth. I got chills reading your post 🥀

RedTartanLass
Well i'm sobbing now!
What an amazing woman your Mum was.

I have two:

Finished a difficult night shift and was shattered. Couldn’t face waiting 30 mins in rain for a bus and didn’t have full taxi fare, but knew I had enough to get within 1/4 mile from my flat. Asked taxi driver to take me as far as the money would go: it was a black cab with a clock, when the clock go to the amount of money I had, he turned it off and took me home.

On holiday in Goa, hired a moped and ran out of petrol miles away from hotel. Passing motorist stopped and managed to syphon some from his van

#Redtartan that's the most amazing love story I've ever read. Made me so emotional. What a beautiful memory for you.

@SecretWitch @Serin @BigcatLittlecat

Oh thank you ladies for your kind words.

The funniest (looking back) was when I picked DM up from her final ever chemo.

I'd parked the car by the hospital doors to collect her, but as I and the nurse were helping her from the wheelchair to get into the front seat, my bloody dog kept jumping in the front too, all excited to see my DM.

So I was getting stressed and shouting at the dog "Get in the back! Get in the back! Get in the fucking back!!"

The nurse gently laid her hand on my arm and said "She'd probably be better in the front"

It was only as we were driving away my DM and I realised the nurse thought I was shouting at my mum, as she couldn't see the dog from the angle she was standing.

I had to pull over I was laughing too hard to drive. Bitter sweet memories.

I was leaving the country I was in to escape from my abusive ex. DD was 10 months at the time. At the airport I was so exhausted I wasn't paying attention and she fell out the pram. A guy helped me with her whilst I was crying and flustered (nobody else even moved to help, just stared at me). We got chatting and I explained I was 'visiting' home and had to catch a connecting flight. Unfortunately I missed it because of the delay from the first flight. He was meeting his family at the airport then he explained to them what happened with my flight and that I needed some help. They then drove me to the bus station, let me change DD nappy in the car and we caught the bus to my parents. I can't remember his name but am so grateful for what he did. Probably meant nothing to him but his kindness meant the world to me at the time.

Getting in a bus I twisted my ankle (very bad sprain foot all black and blue next days). Young woman kept out of her seat so I could sit down. Young guy next to me asked very quietly if I was ok. He and I ended up having a really lovely chat. Liked him a lot. Hobbled off that bus feeling full of wonder at how
Many nice people there are around. Seems a silly comment but neither looked to be obvious candidate for sweet nice thoughtful person of the day. Really lovely.

Red tartan - absolutely love that.

When DD was 4 months old DH got a contract to work in the US for 3 months, just outside of Vegas so we found a condo and went to live there. This was before phones were easy to activate abroad, so while I had a phone I couldn't use it at first, and the hire car wasn't being delivered for a few days.

The second day we were there I took DD in the pram to the local outlet mall, about 5 miles from the Vegas strip, to get some essentials. It was 2 miles in a straight line from our condo (so between our home and the strip) and I got the bus there. When I came out at only about 5.30pm it was pitch black, and I'd got confused with the bus times, there wasn't one going back to the condo. I didn't fancy walking the 2 miles as it was past dodgy unlit areas pretty much the whole way, so went to get a taxi.

The first taxi refused to take me south, he only went north (to the strip, where undoubtedly he'd get a better fare). The second taxi said the same, and people behind me once again jumped into it. I was really starting to panic, I couldn't call DH to come and get me or meet me, and I really didn't want to walk 2 miles in the dark with a 4mo.

The third taxi that came (I'd been waiting 10 minutes between taxis they were really infrequent) again said no, he only goes north. I begged him to take me, said I'd give a generous tip, explained that I was new to the country and my DD was only tiny and I wasn't sure how I'd get home otherwise. He said no, he wouldn't take me. I couldn't go back into the mall as it was closing which I knew meant there's likely be one or two more taxis, if any.

I went and sat on a bench and cried into DD's muslin have you ever had that feeling where you feel really lost and you're frightened? I didn't know what to do. A woman came up to me, gave me a hug, and I explained what happened. She said that she was going to the strip and I could share the next taxi with her and she'd ask them to go south and drop me off first. I was so relived, and she refused to take any payment for my leg of the journey. I really wish I'd caught her name, she was staying at the Venetian and I'd have sent her flowers as a thank you. Loads of people saw what happened and ignored me and she was so sweet and helpful!

I had actually taken a picture of the third taxi's (the one I begged to help me) registration and taxi number after he refused to take me and when a got back to the condo a furious DH rang the company to complain. It's actually illegal in Vegas to refuse a fare based on the destination, and he did it because I wouldn't have made him much money. The taxi company owner was furious and said the driver had kids himself and should know better. They suspended him for 2 weeks (which I actually felt bad about) and gave us free taxi rides for our 3 months duration

A few years ago I had a knee op and couldn't five. My workmates arranged a rota to take my son to school and then pick him up for 3 months (I am a SP). I was so grateful.

Drive!

When my youngest was born he went to nicu and I was in hdu with sepsis and really wasn't with it. My older dc's paediatrician came to visit him when she was off duty and then came and visited me. She sat with me and talked to me about how ds was so I could understand. All the other drs talked over my head in medical jargon and I hadn't got a clue what was going on.

Also the Dr who delivered my youngest by emcs came to see me a few days later to see if ds was ok and to apologise for giving me a c-section when he knew I wanted a vbac. There wasn't any other options but I thought it was nice of him.

When DS1 was born he was poorly and ended up in SCBU. DH stayed with me the first night but I sent him home the second night. I had been desperately trying to hand express colostrum with no success. Sobbing to myself on the maternity ward where all the other mums had their babies with them. The loveliest midwife came in to check on me and was so lovely. Helped me to express - pretty much "milked" me 😂 - and was just generally lovely. I saw her frequently over the next few days and she always asked how we were getting on and high fived me when I could happily report I was now able to express loads of milk for DS. I was very much aware that all the staff were rushed off their feet and she just went above and beyond.