It's no secret that we often see more bad than good — particularly in the news. However, in the words of Albus Dumbledore:
It's not all bad — here's three heart warming good news stories that will help bring out the great in the world.
1. Michigan high school football team surprises their water boy.
A high school football team in Michigan came together, along with the opposing team whom they were playing, to create a very special surprise for a valuable member of their team, this week, as seen on Good Morning America. Robby Heil, a senior with Down Syndrome, has been supporting the football team since he was a freshman as their water boy. On their Friday night football game, the Michigan high school and their opponents surprised Robby with not only fantastic sportsmanship, but a heartwarming surprise.
Not only did he participate in training throughout the week with the team, but he was placed on the field mid-game! They tossed him the ball, and as the crowd cheered his name, Robby scored a touchdown after running down the field. His mother, Debbie, who has cancer, watched from the sidelines and couldn't contain her excitement. It was all caught on camera; and if you're anything like me, the video will make you cry. You can view it here: Michigan High School Surprise.
Heil's father told GMA that the players, coaches, and even the opposing team were all in on the surprise. The sportsmanship, and the surprise, were definitely something good worth watching this week to help brighten up the darkness.
2. Spiderman, Iron Man, and Batman bless patients in Chicago hospital.
Children in Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago were surprised this week when none other than Spiderman, Iron Man, and Batman were spotted washing their windows. Not only did this make them smile, some of the patients dressed up as their favorite heroes and watched from inside the hospital, before the hero window washers came and paid the children a visit. Truly a heartwarming sight amongst the seemingly consuming darkness this week.
You can check out the video here: Super Hero Window Washers.
3. Stranger provides homeless woman with incredible act of kindness.
Jess, a New Zealand born woman is living homeless in Perth Australia, who was surprised by an incredible random act of kindness this week. After regaining contact with her estranged family, Jess decided to start asking people for donations and money in the hopes to help her and her partner raise some money not only for a place to stay, but ideally airfare back to her homeland.
As Jess is not a resident of Australia, she is not eligible for economic assistance or support; and so she was spotted by an Australian brother and sister whom she had been in contact with before and they sat with her and discussed her situation. As they were sat down in the street, a man approached them, and sat down to talk with them and asked Jess her story — why were these people sitting with her? Why was she on the street? After listening to her and her tales about living on the street, her struggles, and her situation, the man surprised her with a random and direct act of kindness.
He held out his hand and took her over to an ATM, and took out enough cash for her to purchase a plane ticket home. This act of kindness, incredibly, was caught on video. You can watch it here, if you need some faith restored in humanity: Random Act Of Kindness
4. Starbucks employee gives out free Starbucks to first responders in Chelsea, NYC.
Germaine, an employee for Starbucks, gave out free coffee and pastries to the first responders in Chelsea, Manhattan, after the bombings this week. He can be seen handing over numerous coffees and bags of pastries to the New York Police Department.
When interviewed, Germaine said he hoped the act of kindness could inspire others and bring more positivity in daily life, and to bring us closer together as human beings.
As written by original posters of the video, Knightnews, Germaine truly showed the best in people in the middle of a situation that exposed the worst.
You can watch the videos here: Starbucks Employee Kindness
Even amongst the worst of times, it is always great to be reminded of the good. It's easy to get caught up in the negativity and forget about the positivity in the world.