A random act of kindness
Before last weekend, we noticed that someone had put up red ribbons around all the trees on our block. Taped to each ribbon was a note that said "please do a random act of kindness for Emily." We did not know what the notes meant until this weekend, when M ran in to a neighbor, J, while walking our dog. Emily was the girl who was shot in the school shooting in Colorado at the end of September, and she was J's granddaughter.
We have lived in our house for four years, and J has been by far our nicest neighbor. He is retired and spends a lot of his time outside his house with his dog, chatting with neighbors and people walking their dog. He often has a treat in his pocket for our dog, since he knows that she is shy. We chat about dogs, the weather, the news, anything really. He and his wife are just about the nicest, most friendly people we know in our neighborhood. M said he seemed completely devastated.
I had not paid much attention to that shooting, since they all seem so painful, and too much media attention cannot be good. It almost seems like snooping on someone else's private life, to read the memorials and comments about Emily that are on the web. She was 16 years old, well liked by all her friends, loved by her family, and one day, taken hostage, used as a human shield and then shot in the head and killed. Unbelievable.
At her memorial, a family friend asked that people do a random act of kindness for her. I will, and I hope you do too.
We have lived in our house for four years, and J has been by far our nicest neighbor. He is retired and spends a lot of his time outside his house with his dog, chatting with neighbors and people walking their dog. He often has a treat in his pocket for our dog, since he knows that she is shy. We chat about dogs, the weather, the news, anything really. He and his wife are just about the nicest, most friendly people we know in our neighborhood. M said he seemed completely devastated.
I had not paid much attention to that shooting, since they all seem so painful, and too much media attention cannot be good. It almost seems like snooping on someone else's private life, to read the memorials and comments about Emily that are on the web. She was 16 years old, well liked by all her friends, loved by her family, and one day, taken hostage, used as a human shield and then shot in the head and killed. Unbelievable.
At her memorial, a family friend asked that people do a random act of kindness for her. I will, and I hope you do too.
posted by Shelly at 7:57 AM
4 Comments:
That is just so sad. I meant to tell you that, as someone (D?) asked me if you & M knew the grandparents, as they lived on your street. The world is so crazy.
How did D know? I wondered if it was in the local news
Dunno. She knows everything. Reads everything she can get her hands on. She majored in journalism, I think. I did hear on the tv news that grandparents in Madison but didn't know where.
definitely a nice thought but why does it take such an event to trigger people to do something like that. why cant we just be nicer all the time? this planet is going to implode if things continue in this vein...or maybe I'm just too cynical. there is such a lot of anger and impatience out there - and I know I do that too - you wouldnt believe how angry I get at other drivers.
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