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" Two years ago, as I sat sobbing on the steps of my vet&amp;#039;s office after receiving grave news about my dog, a woman walking by stopped and said, &amp;quot;You look like you need a hug.&amp;quot; She sat next to me for a few minutes as I cried, offering me tissues. I&amp;#039;ll never know her name and she&amp;#039;ll never know how much her gesture meant to me. Sometimes all it takes is a moment of kindness\u2014whether given or received\u2014to make your day a little brighter.   A Cup of Joe   As Ann Bridge, a mom of three, stood in line at her favorite coffee shop one morning, she noticed a young soldier walk in and join the line. &amp;quot;I decided to do something I&amp;#039;d never done before,&amp;quot; says Ann. She gave the cashier an extra $10 when she paid for her purchase, and told her, &amp;quot;This is to buy the soldier in line coffee and a muffin.&amp;quot; The happiness Ann felt as she drove to work afterward was worth the money.   Winter Wonder   Deanna Collins recently moved to Billings, Montana, land of big sky and even bigger snowstorms. &amp;quot;This winter we had a fairly large one,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;When we woke up after that snowfall, we found that someone had completely shoveled our sidewalks and driveway.&amp;quot; She doesn&amp;#039;t know for sure why the person did it, but she has a theory: &amp;quot;This is a place where people just look out for each other.&amp;quot;   A Ride Home   During a trip to the grocery store with her 6-week-old infant, Jessica Rosenberg of Santa Clara, California, noticed an elderly woman slowly shuffling her way through the store. &amp;quot;We kept running into each other,&amp;quot; says Jessica, &amp;quot;and each time, she&amp;#039;d stop and coo at the baby.&amp;quot; By their fifth encounter the women were exchanging pleasantries. As they chatted, Jessica learned of the woman&amp;#039;s recent heart surgery. &amp;quot;I started to worry about her because she seemed exhausted and frail.&amp;quot; So Jessica gave her a ride home and carried in her groceries. &amp;quot;I live far from my own mom,&amp;quot; she says, &amp;quot;and I hope someone would show her the same kindness if she ever needed it.&amp;quot;   The Gift of Music   Every day after school Kim Enfield of New Prague, Minnesota, took her son to church to practice piano. He was taking lessons and she wanted him to get as much practice as possible. One day a member asked Kim why she brought her son there to practice. &amp;quot;I explained that we didn&amp;#039;t own a piano,&amp;quot; Kim recalls. The stranger said that she had a piano no one ever used and asked Kim if she&amp;#039;d like it. &amp;quot;I offered to pay but she refused,&amp;quot; says Kim. &amp;quot;She allowed beautiful music to fill our home and gave my son a gift that will be a part of his life forever.&amp;quot;   A Silver Lining   On a chilly fall day in Erie, Pennsylvania, Joyce Anthony and her then 6-year-old son set out to the grocery store. As they walked to the bus stop, the weather took an unexpectedly nasty turn. &amp;quot;It started raining and sleeting and we didn&amp;#039;t have boots or winter coats yet,&amp;quot; says Joyce. &amp;quot;I was waiting for payday to get them for my son.&amp;quot; As the pair approached the bus stop, Joyce was startled when a car pulled up beside them. &amp;quot;The driver got out and handed me an umbrella and a jacket,&amp;quot; says Joyce. Then she left. A few moments later, the stranger drove back, this time getting out of her car and pressing something into Joyce&amp;#039;s hand\u2014a $10 bill. The woman&amp;#039;s only words: I hope this helps. I&amp;#039;ve been where you are. She got back in her car before Joyce could say thank you, and drove away.   Note to a Stranger   Kira Storch and her husband were on their way home from work when she saw a bus accidentally hit a car parked along the side of the San Francisco road they were traveling on. &amp;quot;The bus driver got out to look at the car and then drove off,&amp;quot; recalls Kira. Even though at least a dozen people saw the accident, no one stopped for more than a second. &amp;quot;I made my husband pull over so that I could write a note to the owner of the car letting her know what had happened,&amp;quot; Kira says. &amp;quot;It took all of five minutes, and I was happy to do it.&amp;quot;   Paying It Forward   Living in Milwaukee, Lynda Nicely often finds herself passing through toll booths in nearby Chicago. One morning, on a whim, she decided to pay the toll for the driver behind her. Now it&amp;#039;s become a habit. &amp;quot;I give the toll booth worker the extra money and ask him to please tell the person behind me that his or her toll has been paid and to have a great day,&amp;quot; she says. Why pay a stranger&amp;#039;s way? &amp;quot;Maybe that person is having a bad day,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;My small gesture might turn their day around. I don&amp;#039;t know if it really does, but the cost is just a buck or two, so it&amp;#039;s worth it.&amp;quot;   A Helping Hand   Late in her first pregnancy, Melissa Matinzi of Plymouth, Massachussetts, was in the supermarket checkout line with a cartful of food. As she attempted to place items on the conveyor belt, the woman in front of her began unloading Melissa&amp;#039;s groceries for her. &amp;quot;I couldn&amp;#039;t reach everything in my cart because of my big belly,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;I was so thankful.&amp;quot; Sometimes it takes a mom to know what another mom needs most. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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