Let me be a little kinder

Believe it or not, when I was in sixth grade we had opening exercises every morning. First we stood and faced the flag and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. (The words "under God" had just been added by President Eisenhower.) Then one of the students stood and read a few verses from our classroom's King James Bible. We only used the old testament, so our Jewish classmates could be included. (When it was my turn, I usually read the 91st Psalm.)  Then we bowed our heads in a moment of silent prayer. But I wasn't sure what to whisper to God. Should I ask for good grades? Or ask to be appointed to the safety patrol? That's what I wanted most!

When I told Dad and Mom about this, they said I shouldn't ask God for anything. They wrote down a little prayer (originally by Edgar Guest) and made me read it over and over and over, until I knew it by heart. They said if I recited it to myself during silent prayer, and really meant it, my whole day would be better. Since then, I've asked my campers at summer camp to memorize it, and the kids I've taught in Sunday school, and do you know why? Because this prayer works! Maybe you'd like to memorize it too? But remember, it only works if you really mean it.

Let me be a little kinder,

Let me be a little blinder

To the faults of those about me.

Let me love a little more.

Let me be when I am weary

Just a little bit more cheery.

Let me think more of my neighbor

And a little less of me.

Teacher goes the extra mile

Shannon Grimm, 31, teaches kindergarten at Meador Elementary School in Willis, Texas. One day last fall she noticed one of her pupils, 5-year-old Priscilla Perez, was extra quiet in class, and seemed sad. She was feeling down because other kindergarteners were making fun of her new haircut, saying that it made her "look like a boy." Priscilla was so embarrassed that she wore a cap to school and refused to take it off during class.

Miss Grimm was heartbroken over Priscilla's melancholy, so when students returned after winter break, they were shocked to find their teacher had cut off her waist-length hair to get the same haircut as Priscilla. She said, "I had to show them that boys can have long hair like girls, and girls can have short hair like boys." She even brought matching bows to class, so she and Priscilla could wear the same ribbon to class each day. According to Grimm, Pricilla's confidence shot through the roof, and the haircut also taught her a valuable lesson. She told her teacher, "When I get big like you, I will have friends who will be mean to me, but I will be nice to them, just like you."

How one dad felt about his daughters

"The Children's Hour" is a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It first published in the September, 1860, issue of The Atlantic Monthly. The poet describes his three daughters, "grave Alice, and laughing Allegra, and Edith with the golden hair." This group portrait of the girls was widely reproduced and distributed with the poem. How beloved were the ideas in this poem? A copy was found near the body of a Union soldier who died at the Battle of Gettysburg in July, 1863. No doubt he was a dad with daughters waiting for him at home, as he went into his final battle.

In the early 20th century, "The Children's Hour" was one of the poems most frequently taught in American schools. In 1924, it was taught to children in grades 3 to 6. Of all Longfellow's poems, none is so personal and touching as this affectionate letter to his daughters. If you ever loved a daughter, this poem will make sense to you. To hear it, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsqu_2jJgjs

Inspiration on Taco Bell menu

Kelly Stewart, 27, has worked at the Fairmount Taco Bell near Syracuse, New York, for several months. Along with tacos, staff must give each customer a survey form, and part of the back of the form in blank. So Kelly decided to write brief motivational messages in the blank space. She's included hundreds of these messages with people's orders, and folks have noticed. Some diners reposted the messages on social media, and called on Taco Bell's corporate branch to recognize her for going beyond the call of duty.

She simply says she writes the notes because she "loves people" and because she wants to be a good role model for her 6-year-old son. "I may just work in a fast food place," she explained, "but you have to take pride in what you do. Especially with how hard today's times are, it's nice to put a smile on someone's face."

Dogs force children off highway

Two little kids under age six wandered off while playing in their yard. They live in the town of Holt, about 40 miles northeast of Pensacola, Florida. Before long, they ended up on the side of a busy interstate highway and could have been hit by traffic, except that two dogs were with them.

Both dogs were some sort of shepherd mix, which really mattered, because the dogs literally blocked the kids and shepherded them off the highway. Because of the dogs, both children are fine. Their foster-dad and siblings were looking for them when the police arrived. The dad saw them walk off, but has a medical condition and could not follow them. So police determined he didn't do anything wrong. When asked why they wandered away, the kids said they were "chasing a rainbow."

Recent random acts of kindness

1) When a single mom couldn't afford much for Christmas, an older guy who lived in her apartment building showed up on Christmas Eve dressed as Santa Claus and he brought a bunch of presents for her five-year-old child.

2) A man had very little money after his dad passed away. So the funeral director helped him out, and paid his RENT for three months.

3) A teen who just got her driver's license realized she didn't know how to pump gas. While she was trying to figure it out, a stranger walked up and showed her how to do it, AND paid for her gas.

4) A couple went on their honeymoon, but didn't have much money. They splurged on a nice hotel anyway. Then another guest found out they were newlyweds and paid their entire hotel bill. Now they plan to return to the hotel someday and pay it forward by doing the same thing for another couple.

Homelessness is not forever

Dawn Gieber works at the Pulaski County Circuit Court in Little Rock, Arkansas. On her way to work each day, she saw a homeless man named James. People said James was very angry, and usually Dawn ignored him, but one day she stopped and asked him why he was homeless. It turns out he wasn't angry. He was hungry after eating out of dumpsters, and he was cold. He'd been homeless for 15 years. James told Dawn he'd lost his way and his family, and did not know how to contact them. So Dawn's husband Jodi used Google to find some numbers. After leaving many voicemail messages, they received a call from James' niece. She said James' family had looked for him, and assumed he was dead. It was just before Thanksgiving.

Dawn arranged for James to speak with his family, and he was very emotional when he heard their voices. They lived in Illinois, 600 miles from Little Rock, but Dawn turned to Jodi and said, "Road trip!" Jodi bought James some clothes and drove him back to their house, but then they learned James had outstanding warrants in Little Rock. So Dawn went before the judge and offered to pay all James' fines, and the charges were dismissed. Then they packed the car and drove James to Illinois. According to his brother, James is now living with his family again, and doing well. Dawn just felt it was the right thing to do.