Paying it Forward

I am home everyday now and I get to watch the news regularly and I wonder what our world is coming to. There is so much tragedy and people are so cruel each other. What has happened to kindness and compassion? I see the transgressions that people commit against each other and it appalls me. The latest is the poor young man at Rutgers who committed suicide after his privacy was violated and spread on the internet. I am saddened by where our country and this next generation is headed. I believe that parents are trying. I see my son and some of his behavior and know that I did not raise him to behave in the manner in which he does. I see the environment in which our children are being raised and I wonder what kind of chance do they have. Our news and programs focus on violence and self-entitlement. Our children’s idols are admired for their illegal and immoral antics. In light of the disaster which is the economy, what about their dreams. Is the American Dream even valid or attainable anymore? Are we sending them false hope that they can have a job, home, family? It’s up to us to provide them with examples to live up to. I think we have a huge responsibility to do what we can to negate the affects of modern media and provide them with truth and examples of hope and kindness.

And that, my dear friends, is where I treasure all of you. I see the kindness that is heaped upon my family and I know there is still beauty in our world. It shows me and my family and anyone who follows our story the splendor of humanity. I am in the center of joy by being the recipient of so much kindness from my fellow man. I still sit in my yard and am awed by the thoughtfulness of the transformation. I have enjoyed my gorgeous yard each and every day and it has been so easy to handle the maintenance. I have to do very little to keep it beautiful. My family and friends have given me a bi-weekly cleaning service and weekly lawn service that further alleviates the burden of work on me and my family and we can focus on my health and healing.

The people around me give me hope of a better future. I worry about what kind of world we are leaving our children, but I know through personal experience that we can realistically wish for a better tomorrow. It only takes a spark to start a fire and the people who “pay it forward” are starting a trend for goodness, kindness, compassion and allow us to dream of future worthy of giving to the next generation. Keep paying it forward, your kindness is not going unnoticed.