I recently received an email from a woman who wanted to give me $1,000. No joke. She had $1,000 to give away, and she wanted to give it to me!
Every year, Bell State Bank & Trust gives their employees money to give away in a random act of kindness. This year, the business added a twist and another layer to ... Read More
This is the hardest week of the year to write my column. An entire Holy Week culminates with the celebration of Easter.
It should be a piece of cake: Say something about the gift of salvation or tell a sweet story about how someone delivered chocolate bunnies to sick kids, right?
I either go Christian or non-Christian. Make a choice and start ... Read More
Editor’s note: Nicole Phillips will continue to write her column after she moves in May to Ohio with her family.
My family is about to go through a period of major upheaval.
My husband, as many of you know, is a basketball coach and most recently got to run all over the court in pure unbridled joy after the North Dakota State ... Read More
I wish I could stop eavesdropping. Honestly, I don’t intend to listen in on the conversations around me, but sometimes I feel like it’s unavoidable.
Since eavesdropping falls somewhere along the same lines as gossiping in my book, I find myself either moving away from the people talking or joining in their conversation.
I justify my verbal leap into something that is ... Read More
A few years ago, my friend John was driving his brand new minivan when someone barreled into him.
John’s first reaction was anger, but before he even let go of the steering wheel, something else took over: compassion.
Somehow, John knew the man in the truck who had just hit him was hurting. Emotionally hurting.
Instead of getting out of that shiny, now-dented, ... Read More
Well, I was wrong. The opportunity to be kind is everywhere. You just have to slow down enough to see it, hear it and seize it. And the reward is definitely worth the effort.
“Just as I was finishing my meal, an older gentleman came in. He was obviously a regular; the manager greeted him and asked how he was. The ... Read More
Sometimes I feel small. When I hear about huge problems like human trafficking, child abuse and global hunger, I just feel small. Those problems are like giants, they are huge. What could I possibly do that would even make a drop in the bucket?
Maybe you feel the same way. But what if we all put our one single tiny little ... Read More
My email inbox is usually filled with letters of happiness, but I got one not too long ago that broke my heart.
This poor woman, Hilary, had dealt with loss after loss, and yet she was writing to tell me about all of the kindness she was able to experience through her difficulties.
I read the email to my husband who had ... Read More
Did you know there is a Carrot Cake Day? Yep. It was Feb. 3. There is also Hedgehog Day (not to be confused with Groundhog Day), Homemade Soup Day, and my personal favorite, Gumdrop Day, which happens to be today.
Once you have those on your calendar, I hope you’ll add just one more: Monday is Random Acts of Kindness Day. ... Read More
There is a gas station attached to a coffee shop in north Fargo where I like to write. It’s warm, it smells like java and fresh muffins, and there is just enough background noise to keep me on task.
The other day when I walked in, I noticed a man sitting at a table. He didn’t have anything to eat or ... Read More
