The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.
Pierre Alexandre Jean Mollière - French playwright
My wife keeps a journal and, every Saturday, makes a point of including a “Good News Story” e.g. “Koalas are re-entering the wild after wild fires destroyed much of their habitat... ... Sydney-based wildlife conservation organization Science for Wildlife announced that four rescued adult koalas and one baby joey would, at last, be released back into the New South Wales national park Kanangra-Boyd.”
During these times of global fears in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic. I thought I’d try and come up with some other good news stories and quotes to lift our spirits:
In parts of America, people are filling their Little Free Libraries with cans of food and rolls of toilet paper.
“Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.”
Charles R. Swindoll - Evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator,
In Morristown, N.J. — Nurses, doctors and staff at the local Medical Center were left in tears as a mystery man held up a sign to the hospital window thanking them for saving his wife’s life. As staff tended to a busy emergency room, the unknown man stood outside the back window of the emergency department, placed his hand over his heart and held the poster sign that read: "Thank you all in emergency for saving my wife's life I love you all."
“It is only in our darkest hours that we may discover the true strength of the brilliant light within ourselves that can never, ever, be dimmed.”
Doe Zantamata - author, artist, and photographer
Sophia Thomas, 8, from Southampton, England, was unable to celebrate her birthday as normal following the government’s announcement last week that people should stay home. So the people from her entire street assembled outside Sophia’s home to sing “Happy Birthday” to her on 25 March, whilst social –distancing.
“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”
Harriet Beecher Stowe - American abolitionist and author.
In Edmonton, Alberta, Cara McLeod turned her condo balcony into a stage to share the beauty of opera with her neighbours. McLeod, a soprano with the Edmonton Opera, performed to passersby who gathered while maintaining a safe distance from each other. She was inspired by the videos of Italians singing on their balconies and from their windows as that country began locking down. "Just seeing how, in such a stressful time, that people can come together and use music and raise their voices and have a light spirit even in the pain, was really beautiful," she said.
“When written in Chinese the word “crisis” is composed of two characters – one represents danger and the other represents opportunity.”
John F. Kennedy - 35th President of the United States
All 78 elephants at Maesa elephant camp in Chiang Mai were set free on as their owners scrapped the heavy wooden chairs that are tied to their backs for carrying tourists. Camp director Anchalee Kalampichit said this was the first time in 44 years that the elephants had not worn the seats at the start of the day. She said the park will now change their business to allow the elephants to roam freely in the grounds and operate as a place for visitors to observe the animals. They will never wear chairs again.
“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.”
Thich Nhat Hanh - Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist,
A 90-year-old woman who contracted Coronavirus at a nursing home in Seattle has recovered. Geneva Wood, a resident at Life Care Center is now a beacon of hope, especially for people over 65. Health officials have said elderly people are especially vulnerable to the disease. Wood tested positive for coronavirus on March 6, her grand-daughter-in-law, Kate Neidigh said. When Wood tested positive for COVID-19, the family was "stricken, and in shock," and "mad," Neidigh said. Wood, however had a different outlook. "I'm going to fight this for my family and make everyone proud,"
I found this story posted by Mark Rice-Oxley on The Guardian website, March 27th. 2020: “Rolo, the dachshund has been so happy that everyone (in our household) is home for quarantine that his tail has stopped working. The vet told us that he had “sprained his tail from excessive wagging.”
And, if you feel the need for more good news stories, to brighten your day, why not check out the Sunny Skyz website www.sunnyskyz.com and Readers Digest Canada, website https://www.readersdigest.ca/culture/good-news-stories-world/
Stay well.
About the Author
Martin Parnell is the Best-Selling author of MARATHON QUEST and RUNNING TO THE EDGE and his final book in the Marathon Trilogy, THE SECRET MARATHON-Empowering women and girls in Afghanistan through sport, was released on October 30th 2018. He speaks on having a “Finish the Race Attitude – Set Goals, Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Outstanding Results” and has written for, or been covered by CNN, BBC, CBC, The Huffington Post, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, Runners World, Men’s Journal, Canadian Business, and Maclean’s.
In a five year period, from 2010 to 2014, Martin completed 10 extreme endurance “Quests” including running 250 marathons in one year and raising $1.3m for the humanitarian organization Right To Play. In 2016 he ran the Marathon of Afghanistan in support of Afghan women and girls running for equality and his film “The Secret Marathon” was released in late 2019. Find out more about Martin at www.martinparnell.com and see what he can do for you in the long run.
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