We’ve asked for your stories regarding what you feel have been acts of kindness in your life. Here are some of those stories:
My husband and I were on our way to meet friends for a bicycling afternoon. The weather was sunny, the bikes on the rack at the back of the truck, we were set.
After passing through Cook Street Village, we had a car following us and the horn blasting several times. I suggested to my husband that I thought the person was trying to get our attention.
Sure enough, looking out our back window he could only see one bike. We pulled into the first possible turn off and checked. Oh no, my nearly new electric-assist bike was gone.
A quick turnaround, and in a hurry back to where we came from and me looking out at both sides of the street, there it was in Cook Street Village and watched over by a kind couple. Luckily, the bike incurred not a lot of damage and a new part has been ordered.
I wish to thank the person who made it his or her business to try to alert us by honking so insistently and, of course, the couple who waited patiently by the bike, expecting or hoping that the owner might notice and return. I hope you recognize yourself in this story and know how much we appreciated this.
Nelly Woodsworth, Victoria
Cruise-ship traveller sends thank-you to blood donors
May I send a heartfelt thank-you to all blood donors past and present.
In early October, I embarked on a 16-day around-Hawaii cruise. Unfortunately, mid-cruise, I fell quite seriously ill. I was bleeding internally.
Too far from any port to be moved from the ship, the captain made an appeal for anyone in my blood group — O negative — willing to donate blood, to come forward. Within half an hour, a line of some 15 or more good Samaritans were lined up at the ship’s medical centre.
I received two whole units of blood from these wonderful donors, sufficient to stabilize me and to get me back safely to Vancouver, where I was admitted to St. Paul’s Hospital. I then returned to Victoria, where I spent three weeks at Royal Jubilee Hospital in rehabilitation.
Unfortunately, privacy laws prevented me from knowing the names and addresses of my benefactors, thus I’m reduced to expressing my profound gratitude through the medium of the newspaper.
Without their selfless and generous help, the outcome of this experience would have been entirely different. So to all blood donors everywhere, I say thank you. Please know that the gift of blood does save lives.
John H. Râtel, Victoria
Christmas cleanup brings card, and something more
I want to thank some people, really thank them, and don’t know their names or even where they live.
One morning in January, I was on my morning walk along Wishart Road when a fellow coming up behind me got my attention, so I stopped. He caught up and said that they have been trying to catch me over Christmas, and handed me an envelope with a card in it.
He thanked me for cleaning up the neighbourhood, I thanked him very much. I asked him where he lived and he pointed over to a street called Webb Place and said they lived down there. When we parted, he said that there was a little something in the card for me.
When I got home and opened it, there was far more than a “little something.” The card contained a considerable amount of money.
I have been doing this morning walk for more than 20 years, picking up the litter on my way, and have had many people stop and thank me. But this was quite extraordinary, and I want to thank this family very much.
When I walk in this area now, I keep my eye open for this fellow, but haven’t seen him again. Age and health are catching up to me and I don’t do this walk near as often now, so my chances are getting slimmer. Now I just hope that they get this morning paper.
Lyall Eriksen, Colwood
If you want to tell us of your encounter with a random act of kindness, email localnews@timescolonist.com. Be sure to include the word “kindness” in the subject field.
