By Nanci Dixon
In the midst of an abundance of bad news – rising COVID numbers, unemployment, evictions, homelessness and hunger – some good news stories still bubble to the surface.
We find ourselves mostly posting bad, sad or frustrating news in our Sunday newsletter. It’s not our fault, of course, but we want to make sure you come here and smile too. That’s why we’re bringing you this “Good News” column.
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Alex Trebek wanted to be remembered “just as a good guy, a nice man.”
While Alex Trebek, longtime host of “Jeopardy!” has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer, he continues to positively influence the lives of others. Trebek’s suits, dress shirts and ties have been donated to the Doe Fund. The Doe fund provides housing, transitional work, counseling and job training to those in need of reentry help from incarceration, homelessness and substance abuse. Trebek’s wardrobe of 14 suits, 58 dress shirts, 300 ties, 9 sport coats, 14 sweaters, and 9 pairs of shoes will help equip people for professional job interviews.
As Alex left the set of “Jeopardy!” on his last day there, he wanted people to know the goodness of opening up their hands and hearts to those that are suffering. Donating his wardrobe to the Doe Fund was indeed a way to open hand and heart to those in need of rebuilding their lives.
A “Welcome back!” win from lockdown in New Zealand
When all 14 employees were welcomed back to work after lockdown in a New Zealand law firm, they were not only relieved to be back, they were surprised with $1,000 each from attorney, Jenny Beck.
There was a caveat, though. Local businesses were hurting because of the pandemic and lockdown. The employees were told that they needed to spend the money locally and on small businesses.
The grateful employees soon embraced the idea and have continued to plan trips to a National Park, restaurants, shops and kayak rental places.
“When you feel the suffering of every living thing in your own heart, that is consciousness.” —Bhagavad Gita
They ran out of space at the rescue center, so the local convention center opened its doors to turtle storage. This video was from yesterday afternoon. By the time my mom sent it to me, there were so many more that she said, “there is no empty floor space tonight.” pic.twitter.com/g6Gw7dfIOQ
— Lara (@lara__mac) February 16, 2021
As temperatures quickly dropped to record-breaking lows on South Padre Island, Texas, thousands of sea turtles were trapped in the frigid water unable to swim to warmer areas. They are then susceptible to pneumonia, and frostbite, which could result in death.
More than 5,000 turtles have been saved on the shores of the Gulf Coast. Volunteers are rescuing them in the back of cars, on boats and trucks, and housing them at Sea Turtle, Inc., a rescue center, and even the local convention center floor!
“It takes each of us to make a difference for all of us.” —Jackie Mutcheson
Papi’s Fajita Factory is a restaurant in Denham Springs, Louisiana, that makes paying it forward easy for both the giving customers and those receiving their thoughtfulness. They have a wall of prepaid meal tickets. The wall has a sign that reads, “If you are hungry or know someone that is hungry and has no money, these tickets have been paid in advance. Grab a ticket and eat.”
Hikers carry missing Golden Retriever for miles down an icy mountain
Neesha is an 8-year-old Golden Retriever that, when startled by a deer, had taken off running while on a nature hike with her family. Her companion dog,Harley, a 3-year-old German Shepard, returned but Neesha did not. Neesha’s owners came back several times looking for her, using drones, and bringing a basket of laundry, hoping to lure her back with the scent – to no avail.
Two weeks later and no sign of her until doctors Clara Nolan and Jean-Francois Bonnet braved the frigid snowy weather to climb to the summit of one of Wicklow, Ireland’s mountain peaks. There they spotted Neesha, shivering in the snow, curled up by a rock. She was unable to stand or walk. The hikers wrapped her in spare clothes and Jean carried her on his back 6.2 long, cold, slippery miles down the mountain to safety.
See something? Say something! Do something!
Don Merrick and Brandon Antoine, sanitation workers for Pelican Waste and Debris, were on their route when Merrick noticed a car parked strangely in a field. Upon closer inspection they realized that it looked like a car on an Amber Alert.
They quickly blocked the road, and the car, with their garbage truck and called the police. The girl was saved. Merrick, with a little girl of his own, teared up and said, “She is safe now.”
They were given the Citizens Award for bravery and diligence by the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office.
“Lighten up, just enjoy life, smile more, laugh more, and don’t get so worked up about things.” —Kenneth Branagh
We all want to keep our young ones safe and comfortable. This otter mom does that well.
Providing comfort to each other with cuddles, cuddles, cuddles.
Lovely Dogs
by in aww
Still cold and snowy out there. This dog owner knows his dogs well, and provides a backyard racetrack for them.
Sometimes your favorite things are fleeting. This dog loves the snow and wants to hold on to every minute before it melts.
Siberian Husky enjoying snow before it melts
by u/MadrugadaMistral in aww
“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” —Mary Ann Evans aka George Eliot
We end this week with a heartwarming video that proves that you are never too old for your 10 minutes of fame … or for more than 100,000 views – even at 110! Since age 7, Amy Hawkins loved singing and dancing and was about to tour with a dance troupe but her parents did not think it was a respectable occupation. She has never stopped singing, though, and her great-grandson, Sacha (who “love[s] her to bits”), videotaped her on her 110th birthday in Monmouth, South Wales, and posted it to TikTok.
Read last week’s Good News post here.
All great articles! Thanks for sharing!
We enjoy your good news articles. Keep them coming