Happy Sunday, dear friends. After a relaxing Saturday, and a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday with my family, we put the icing on the cake with some great feel good news!
When I look for the feel good news I feel like I am mining for gold. I know it is there, and I simply pan for it in the internet stream. The good stuff always floats to the surface, with sparkles, as it is hit by the light. I love finding each precious nugget and sharing it with you all!
The good news for today comes from all over this wide world, and proves that no place has the market on good news. So draw up that comfy chair and have a cup of joe with me and the news.
San Francisco Food Runners pound the pavement for hungry neighbors.
Mary Risley is the founder of Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco, California. When she got involved with the food industry, she was appalled to discover there were 4,000 restaurants in the city and most threw away a lot of food while many residents went hungry.
She started Food Runners, in 1987, with a few women friends. The group has expanded over the years, but the goal is the same, to pick up food from restaurants and other vendors and bring it to area soup kitchens and food pantries.
This short video is about Food Runners and tells the inspirational story of neighbors helping neighbors.
Little kid makes a huge difference at Thanksgiving time.
This article proves you do not have to be an adult to make a huge difference. Nine year old Gunner Robinson just wants everyone to have what he has. He loves a big Thanksgiving meal with his family, and so he set out to collect food donations in time for the holiday in Wilmington, North Carolina.
He and his mom started a Facebook page called Gunner’s Runners, and they collected over 400 pounds of non-perishable food. They donated it to area food pantries and churches for folks who needed help this holiday. Gunner’s devotion to service and helping others to feel good really shines through in his smile. He is an inspiration to all kids, showing them they can make a big difference in the things they care about.
He made millions, and then went home, to return childhood kindnesses with new homes.
Xiong Shuihua was born in Xiongkeng village in the city of Xinyu, southern China. His family was poor, and they lived in a simple wooden hut. He always felt supported by a strong network of neighbors, who made sure his family always had what they needed.
Shuihua worked hard in the construction business and then the steel industry. He became a multimillionaire, and said he had more money than he could ever spend. He decided to go home and spread some of that money around, to show appreciation for the kindness he had received as a child.
He has transformed the slum where he grew up into a series of luxury apartment buildings. He tore down the old wooden houses and now provides free living accommodations for 90 families.
He even promised to provide 3 meals a day to older residents in the village so that they would never go without. His investment in gratitude to those who supported him with kindness through his life is far larger than the millions he spent creating the new homes.
A high powered corporate executive cashes it all in to create projects for a sustainable earth.
Barbara Jackson was a jet-setting corporate executive on the edge of 30 and on the edge of burnout. A chance decision to spend 5 days at an Ashram in India changed her life. She learned to find the stillness within, and in that silence she heard her true calling.
When she returned to her corporate job, she didn’t fit in anymore. Another chance situation took her in the direction of sustainability, and she quit her job to start Projects for Change.
Jackson believes that cooperation and creating sustainable options to solve global problems is the way to go. Sounds like she is a young leader using her talents to create a world that works for everyone!
A World We All Want To Live In by Judi Lemke for Good News Shared
A beautiful look at kindness.
This beautiful essay on kindness, by John O’Donohue, was published last year. Its essence remains true today, and I hope you enjoy his heart centered sharing on why he believes that kindness is at the center of the human soul.
Kindness by John O’Donohue on Awakin
A girl finds an injured dog on a beach in Thailand and uses social media to rescue him.
Megan Penman is Canadian, and she was on holiday in Thailand when she discovered a paralyzed dog on the beach. Even though the dog was horribly wounded, covered in ticks, and malnourished, he was friendly and wanted to be loved.
Megan’s heart opened and she named him Leo. She took him to a vet in Thailand, who discovered that he had broken his spine and would never walk again. She tried to find a rescue group in Thailand to take the dog, but was unsuccessful.
Using social media and micro-funding sites, Megan raised enough money to bring Leo back to Canada. His medical costs are extensive, and she continues to seek donations. He has been given a wheelchair-type device so he can now walk, and is being fostered while he recovers from urinary tract surgery.
And finally…
Time lapse photography of nature’s beauty.
This awesome video by Dakotalapse features scenes of the Aurora Borealis, the Milky Way, and magnificent thunderstorms. Simply divine!
That’s the good news for today. Have a happy day. I hope to see you back here tomorrow for more news!
Be Well. Be Joy. Be Love!
Alex