The discord that is driving the temperature of our nation is pushing us all into a negative spiral. Every morning the news reports yet another catastrophic occurrence. This makes me yearn for something positive to report. I am happy to say I have found some ‘feel good’ beautiful stories to tell you that I hope will uplift your day, and hopefully inspire you towards taking positive action to improve someone else’s world.
A 9-Year Old’s Wisdom
A pint-sized fan of the Philadelphia Phillies got an opportunity he dreamed of when his parents got him tickets for a Phillies home game. Jameson Pennings talked non-stop on the ride to the game about his desire to catch a foul ball. The tickets were located down along the third baseline where often linesmen would toss up the foul balls to the crowd. Sure enough, this day was magic for this young man. During the 5th inning, a foul ball was hit to the 3rd base side and the ball girl tossed it up to young Jameson. He told his father, “Getting this ball is the greatest thing ever, this a great day, Dad.” Later, a few innings had passed, this young man overheard a woman talking to the same ball girl on the field who tossed him his ball. She asked if the ball girl could toss the next one her way as her 80-year-old mom was in the stands celebrating her birthday. The thing that happened next astounded young Jameson’s parents. Jameson walked over to where the ladies were seated and offered his cherished ball to the grandmother. “Why,” she exclaimed to the boy, “would you give your ball to me?” “Well,” he replied with what could only be described as sweetness, “I am young and I have a lot more time to go to games, you are old and there probably won’t be many more chances for you.” Still astonished by the child’s generosity, she accepted the gift. The action this boy took symbolizes there is still goodness in this world. When the story spread and young Jameson was interviewed, he modestly said “Actually, I am happier without it. I may be leaving without a ball, but I am leaving feeling really good about myself.” To coin an old baseball phrase…that’s what you call a “game winning sacrifice.”
A Foul Story About a Foul Ball
This story you may have heard about as it received a lot of press and went viral. Again, this occurrence happened a Philadelphia Phillies away game when they were playing against the Miami Marlins. A father and son in attendance at the game were seated in the right place when a home run ball was hurled up into the stands. The father, Andrew Feltwell, moved swiftly over to where the ball landed and scooped it up! Returning several seats over to where his son was seated, he handed him the ball. It was the boy’s birthday, and the smile on the young man’s face was beaming. Minutes later, a woman from across the aisle aggressively approached the father insisting that the ball was not his to take, “I saw it first,” she declared with vehemence, “you stole that ball from me.” What happened next was one of the best teaching moments a parent could ever display, in an effort to de-escalate the situation, with all the eyes of the world watching, he reached over to his son and asked for the ball. He turned to the woman and gave her the ball she did not deserve. Maintaining his composure, Mr. Feltwell said he wanted to set a positive example for his children by not engaging with the woman’s inappropriate behavior. Video of the encounter spread to both team’s dugouts and gifts from the Marlins and the Phillies were bestowed to this wonderful family. Rewards set aside, we can all learn a lesson from this magnanimous display of conduct and principals.
We’ve All Been There
Finally, a story about giving even when you have little to give. A young woman with a baby was checking out in line at a neighborhood grocery store and had her card declined, not once but twice. Without second thought, an elderly woman behind her who was just purchasing cereal, milk and a chocolate bar, reached over and handled the cashier her card. Once transacted, the elderly woman walked away without fanfare. But that is not the end of the story. The young woman posted a thank you on a neighborhood social media app, “My kids ate dinner tonight from the kindness of a grey-haired woman with kind eyes wearing a yellow raincoat. If you know her, thank her for me.” That posted thank you note sparked a bevy of attention with replies like, “I know her, she lives alone above the hardware store.” “I see her walking alone with her dog every morning down Main Street…”. From those responses, a string of actions began to happen. Visitors, one by one, began to show up at the elderly lady’s front door bringing simple gifts – a jar of homemade jam, a knitted scarf, a basket of bread. Then came the letters – one from a nurse stating, “I stayed late tonight to comfort a patient because your gesture showed me kindness matters.” Another from a teenager who said, “You paid for her, now I pay it forward for you – I am tutoring a group of kids at the youth center for free.” So, you see folks, kindness just doesn’t stop with just one gesture… It continues by someone brave enough to start it rolling forward.
I hope you enjoyed these lovely stories and will be inspired to find ways of your own to improve your humanity.
“BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi