Good Stories Gone Bad? How About Bad Stories Gone Wonderful?

Today, I am supposed to talk about good stories that have gone bad. You know, the ones that start out as a gloriously spectacular idea and end up a big fat mess.

And I have had those. Don't get me wrong. They give me shivers to think about and are under my bed with the hairy spiders, the voracious dust bunnies, and the creepy monster that groans in the night (no, wait, I forgot I figured out that was just me groaning in my sleep when I turn over).

So I could talk about them.

But I won't.

I want to talk about love. Life. And the gloriously beautiful human spirit.

The past few weeks have been loaded with tragedy. All of us feel the heartbreak, the devastation and desperation. Please except my deep, deep sympathies to those who were touched directly by the Boston bombings and the West Texas explosions. I am so sorry.

But I'm here to say that I have seen more generosity and selflessness in the past few weeks than I've seen in a long time. At Beyond the Veil we gathered around one of our own beloved authors, Xakara, in her time of need and asked for your help. Bless you one and all for contributing. You are angels.

I am so thankful for the men and women who risk their lives every single day to save strangers. And the regular folks who rush in to help others. I was brought to tears by the folks in Boston who ran toward the site of the first bombing, not knowing if there was another.

Last year, a friend of mine had a heart attack during a local triathlon. Do you know that people stood in line to administer CPR until the ambulance arrived? One after another kept his heart going and breathed life into his lungs. A doctor was in that group. He saw how bad off my friend was and told the last guy to stop the chest compressions. My friend had died. That young man, I'll never forget this, that wonderful selfless man (who prior to this moment had been a real competitor) screamed at the body lying there in the street. He yelled at him not to give up. He promised he wouldn't quit either and he didn't until the EMT got there.  My friend lived to tell the tale. In fact, he's still running. He absolutely credits those people who came to his aide and saved his life. Especially the young man who didn't give up on him and he hopes to race against again soon.

Saving lives, offering strength, a hand, a gentle word, a small act of kindness...  This is love people. This is who we can choose to be. Please, take the time to love.

Thank you,

Kimberley Troutte
Kimberley's website