The Goodness of People

I have been really full of emotion lately. I think I am heading into the next stage of how motherhood has changed me (see earlier reference in How Motherhood Has Made Me Crazy). That nurse from Maine who could have possibly had Ebola made me lose my cool a time or two. Judith on The Walking Dead gives me MAJOR anxiety. I'm talking major anxiety... I love harder. I get angrier at injustice. I feel very strongly about general human suffering. I feel a lot of feelings, you guys. Something that has been on my mind and heart lately, is that there is so much good in people that isn't focused on enough. You can watch the news all day long and see things that make your skin crawl but I am really trying to focus on the good in people. There is so much good. I want to give some examples of things I have seen recently that have made me cry happy tears; legitimate tears down my cheeks and have rated them as such.  I know I am a dork, but you can deal with it, right?

There is the every day kind of goodness that parents show for their children, from helping them tie their shoes to helping them with their learning and developmental struggles. I have quickly realized that parenting is not for the faint of heart and it takes a lot of dang work to keep a positive attitude. I have a perfectly healthy child right now so I really haven't had to face any real parenting hardships... That's why this Dad amazes me. This sweet man turn's his son's wheelchair into fantastic Halloween costumes every year. On top of what I can only imagine is a pretty taxing every day routine for them, this guy spends extra time on top of that to give joy to his son on a holiday that every child enjoys for all the fun it encompasses. Rather than let his son miss out on it, he works overtime to ensure that he gets to experience what other kids do... with a really rad costume. One Happy Touching Tears Face

I was watching NECN and they did a feature on a young boy, Anthony Smith from New Hampshire who was born with very little hearing due to a chromosomal disorder. He has to wear a blue hearing aid to make the most out of what ability he does have. One morning, he did not want to wear his hearing aid any longer. He talked to his Mother about how he knew he was different. Obviously, she was devastated to hear that he felt this way. What the mother did next touches my heart. Knowing how much Anthony loves super heroes, his mother contacted Marvel, asking them if there was anything they could do for him. What Marvel did next made my heart overflow. Not only did they send Anthony drawings of Hawkeye (who apparently lost 80% of his hearing) but they whipped up drawings of a new Marvel hero, Blue Ear. They created an entire comic dedicated to this character who wears a hearing aid. Anthony wears his hearing aid every day now. But that's not all... Thanks to a partnership with the Children's Hearing Institute, Blue Ear got his own comic book distributed. Students and teachers in NYC received 150,000 copies so that other children in Anthony's position can be inspired.

A tidbit from Marvel's Meet the Blue Ear: “Christina sent her heartfelt letter in to the general catch-all ‘fan mail’ account which is shared by the Heroes group in editorial,” Editor Bill Rosemann recalls. “She didn’t address it to a specific person and she even mentioned that it would probably end up in our spam filters, but she sent it in anyway, because Christina is one of the real heroes in this story. It was her inspiring effort to help her son that touched so many of us here and spurred us into action,” he continued. “I forwarded the e-mail around to the rest of Editorial, asking what we could do to help, wondering if anyone knew any artists who would be willing to draw something for Anthony. And just like when Captain America yells, ‘Avengers Assemble,’ the team leapt into action." Two Happy Touching Tears Faces

I have seen Lauren Hill's story a couple of times this week. To get the full picture, it would be best for you to watch the CBS video, which will make you cry, so please be ready with your hankie. Lauren is terminally ill with an inoperable brain tumor. Her wish? To play in her first college basketball game. The NCAA gave Division III Mount St. Joseph in Ohio special dispensation to move up their season opening game in order to accommodate Lauren's terminal diagnosis. She had the first and last shot in front of 10,000 fans (a sold out crowd) and had the best day of her life. She herself said so. Please watch the video, seriously, I can't tell you how touching this was to watch how touched she was by this experience.

Then there is the team that moved the game to let Lauren play. Not only did they move the game up but they gave up their home court advantage so Lauren could play in front of her fans. A CBS camera crew caught their reaction after Lauren shot the final basket. These girls were in tears. They were happy that they helped this girl achieve her dream and their reaction was that much better because they thought no one was watching. This whole story y'all... Four Happy Touching Tears Faces

These are just the instances that I have seen lately but I know there are so many more. Won't you join me in sharing something positive you have seen, even if it's in your own life? I am touched by friends' kindness all the time and I try to bring positivity whenever I am able. You know what? I am going to try harder. Seriously, we all need to bring out the goodness in ourselves.

Share something positive here. Where have you seen the goodness in people?