Cruelty

I don't watch the news. That doesn't mean I'm uninformed. I listen to NPR and feel like I'm fairly well schooled in issues of the day, even if I didn't know who Snooki was for years.
Yesterday, I heard on NPR that a man in his 50s was pushed in front of a subway train in New York and the man died. They were searching for the man who pushed him.
I thought how awful that was. I pictured him falling to the middle of the tracks as the train came speeding in.
Today though, I went to the YMCA to run on the treadmill and they have five televisions spread across the front of the room. One of the televisions had a morning show that showed a picture from a New York newspaper. It showed a man holding onto the platform and scrambling to get up as a train with its beam of light closed in on him. The headline said, "This Man is Going to Die."
I was horrified. The man was looking at the oncoming train and the platform looked strangely empty, as if everyone had backed away in fear. And someone stood there taking a picture of this. Where were the people pulling on the man's arms to help him back to the platform?
This was an awful story when I heard it on the radio, but my stomach just churned upon seeing the picture and the evidence of how horrific it was.
I wish people of the world would be less cruel and more kind.
So I can get this image out of my head, would you share some kind stories?

Hope and Charity

I have to say I've been a little discouraged lately about giving. You may recall that one side of the family decided to give gifts to a needy family rather than exchanging gifts with each other.
For some reason, even though this wasn't my idea, I became the point person to find a family and organize the gift buying for them. The family, with three kids, does not have heat in their apartment. So after the toys were purchased, I suggested we all donate the rest of the money we would spend on each other toward their gas bill to get heat.
Let me just say that none of us spent as much on the family as we would have on each other, but the person who spent the most is probably the one who earns the least. I was feeling discouraged about the goodness of wealthy people. Maybe people who have more, give less.
Then, just this week, I asked the basketball team families if they would be interested in helping a local family who has fallen on hard times. The family with four kids have been living on mac n cheese for 3 months and have only one inexpensive gift for the entire family on Christmas morning. It's a puppy, so the parents hope to maintain some Christmas surprise and excitement. I felt so bad though, and also felt like many of us could slide into this kind of trouble if one spouse lost a job.
So I sent an email to the basketball families and told them that a local family needed their help, without actually naming the family. Many of the basketball families immediately responded that they would donate gift cards for Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers.
Then on Saturday while I was at a swim meet, Grace called me to say a man she didn't know stopped by and dropped off a 100 dollar bill for the family in need. I couldn't believe it. I thought people would donate $25 gift cards to the local grocery stores, not 100 dollar bills. I stared at the 100 dollar bill and imagined how thrilled my friend will be to buy some gifts for her kids.
Then on Sunday, I drove to my brother's house to visit my parents. When I got home, I found a little stocking with a gift card in it. The gift card to Walmart was for $300. $300!!! Someone donated a $300 gift card to the family.
So these basketball families have given me hope that even people with money are generous and want to help those who are in need.