It's a Beautiful Day for Good News, Vol. 6

It's spring. Everything's green, flowers are blooming, Kansas City had the most delightful soft morning thunderstorm the other day, hummingbirds are back in the area... But I'm feeling really down, mostly because of News. I truly believe that the world's Good Things and People far outweigh the Bad, but what we hear on the news is the exact opposite. Every moment, people are choosing to make the world a better place, but we don't often hear those stories. That's why I blog them. Hopefully, the following stories will inspire you, like they inspire me.

A brother is missed, but his birthday is celebrated, with an anonymous 130% tip to the server.

Middle school basketball players defend a bullied cheerleader, in the middle of a game.

A group of women help a chronically-ill friend with a surprise pajama/house-cleaning party. Their subsequent joy is a direct result of their friend "being vulnerable enough to humbly allow us in to see her dirt."

An assisted-living facility is shut down, but two employees stay on, without pay, to help those with nowhere to go.

Writing an obituary for a loved one is hard. Writing one that the loved one would appreciate is even harder, but it's completely worth it.

Thirty-five years after taking pictures of mimes in Central Park, a photographer realizes that he captured a rare treasure.

Two on-duty police officers stop and play street football with some neighborhood kids.

Last year, a man started shooting people in the parking lot of the Jewish Community Center here in KC. Due to the quick actions of many, JCC went on lockdown, but three people were killed in the meantime. In remembrance, a week of kind acts called "Seven Days: Make a Ripple, Change the World" was instituted, culminating in a peace walk on the anniversary of the shootings.






Photos courtesy of Jay Coombes, who hid in his car as the gunman aimed at him in 2014.