I’d like to share some good news stories I’ve been enjoying recently. There’s an awful lot of the other sort, and it makes a nice change to focus on the positive for a while!
Positives like Capuchin Franciscan Brother Richard’s poem Lockdown, which became famous world-over when he posted it on Facebook on Paddy’s Day.
It begins: “They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise
You can hear the birds again.
They say that after just a few weeks of quiet
The sky is no longer thick with fumes
But blue and grey and clear.”
You can read the rest here.
Feed the Heros, a fundraiser set up by family and friends of healthcare workers, has raised €325,000 to send takeaway meals to those on the front line of the fight against coronavirus, more than smashing an initial target of €250.
GAA clubs around the country have grouped together to offer support to members of the public with shopping or collecting prescriptions, and taxi drivers have been offering transport and delivery services free of charge. Restaurants around the world have offered free meals to children who would normally be fed at school.
Guinness has donated €1.5 million to help support bar staff and help elderly people, through ALONE, the charity for older people. Several NBA basketball stars in the US have pledged hundreds of thousands of pounds to support arena staff out of work due to games being cancelled.
Individual stories stand out too – like the London pub which sent a 90-year-old regular customer a barrel of beer and box of crisp packets for him to enjoy during isolation. A florist in Antrim decided to use up her remaining stock after being forced to close by delivering random bouquets for free to neighbours and friends.
Another woman in the UK created a postcard which people can fill out with their contact details and offers of help with shopping, posting mail or a friendly phone call and then put through neighbours’ letterboxes. Broadway star Laura Benanti posted a message on Twitter asking children whose High Scholl Musicals had been cancelled to send her a video of themselves singing, so she could be their audience. The hashtag #SelfIsolationHelp started by social media strategist Samantha Kelly has been doing the rounds with people offering help and support.
I have heard many personal stories too, of strangers offering kindness to their neighbours or via social media, of communities coming together to support each other and of friends, families and colleagues making an extra effort to be close to one another when isolating apart – including several stories about ‘virtual pub’ sessions over Skype – sounds like a great idea!
Have you seen any other stories of kindness in the past few weeks? Comment below and let me know.