What is the nicest thing you have ever done for anyone? how did that person respond, and how did it make you feel?

-- Kelren (ptomlin@swbell.net), April 21, 2001

Answers

I helped a blind man off the bus and took him to where he indicated. It turned out to be a bar. I felt extremely foolish.--Al

-- Al Schroeder (aschroeder@nashville.com), April 21, 2001.

It was a community effort. A woman with AIDS and cancer, whom I drive to doctor's appointments, has a lot of problems in her life, over and above her health problems. Around Christmastime, her daughter was arrested, leaving five children threatened with being taken in by Child Protective Services. Priscilla brought her grandchildren to her home and was in anguish trying to decide how she could give the children a happy Christmas, and how she could feed them. I wrote about her in my journal and to my amazement, several journalers responded by sending money. I was able to take her shopping for gifts for the children and food to feed them while they were in her care. She cried and told me over and over again about how the people who care about her had given her the best Christmas of her life.

-- Bev Sykes (basykes@dcn.davis.ca.us), April 24, 2001.

Man, that's hard. I've done lots of volunteering and community work in my day -- Habitat for Humanity, Trevor Farrell's Campaing for the Homeless, that sort of thing -- but I think I did those things more for myself than the people we were helping. No, I'm serious. I did them because it was fun, because I got to hang out with all my friends and meet new people and feel good about what I was doing with my free time. The fact that it was helping someone else was just a bonus back then.

I think the only thing I did that in all my volunteering that wasn't for me, was helping a little girl with her physical therapy. Christine lived right down the road from me and she had Rhett syndrome [nope, don't know if I spelled that right], which has lots of similarities to autism. Her parents were first told she wouldn't live ... then that she'd never walk.

Her mom started behavior modification therapy when Christine was four or five. The therapy went from morning till night, seven days a week. Volunteers came in for an hour at a time, moving Christine's arms and legs as if she was creeping or crawling, or rolling her body as if she were doing some simple gymnastics, stretching her muscles and teaching her body how to move.

I only got to work with Christine for about two years. It took many more years to teach her to move herself, but the last time I saw Christine, she could WALK if she had something to hold onto.

I've never felt so good about being a part of something.

But you know what? I think maybe I was doing that for myself, too. Christine is a beautiful child. Even though she can't communicate like either children her age, she has the most beautiful smile in the world and being around her can just make your spirit soar. The time that I spent with her are some of the happiest hours in my memory.

-- Maggi Buckler (caiotii@aol.com), April 24, 2001.

I guess, like some of those speaking before I did, that many of the things I have done over the years have been of benefit more to me than anything else, (feel good syndrome ?) I guess the only good thing I have ever done was to restrain myself from interfering with the process of my children growing up. We provided the necessities and the love, but let them grow in their own direction. We have two kids with their families who are college graduates and happy. One girl child who wanted out of life a loving husband, children and the life of a homemaker -- she is a damn good one too, and happy. One son who has a business of his own, the love of two wonderful daughters and happiness. Our oldest girl is in an assisted living place and happy. She had a tragedy in he life that left her brain damaged and unable to live out in general society. She is happy too -- we love her. Gue ss maybe my good thing was something I didn't do ?

-- Denver doug (ionoi@webtv.net), April 24, 2001.

the first thing that I thought of is possibly not the nicest ever, but maybe... When living in Cleveland a housing project experienced a fire that left many without personal belongings & household items, though all were rehoused. I saw this on the news as well as the request for donations of household stuff. I didn't know many people but had an aunt that had hosted a garage sale for girl scouts and had much of the unsold merchandise (pots & pans, kitchen wares) in her garage, so I asked if I could take that and drop it off. Also I worked in a shop in the suburbs and solicitated donations that way, which I matched myself and went to a discount store and purchased the basic necessities these displaced individuals would need (garbage cans, dishracks, cleaning supplies, toiletries etc) and took this all down in my truck. when I dropped it all off, the voluteers were excited to see something other than clothes & bed linens and such. That reaction made me feel better about what I'd done because it really did make a difference...

-- Tricia Bassett (tmb1022@juno.com), April 29, 2001.

I do nice things for my grandparents all of the time. It makes me feel good, and unselfish.

-- jm (asdrwueio@hotmail.com), November 16, 2003.