Grandmother Prevents Mass Shooting
The recent mass killings in Texas and Ohio make me feel sick, almost overwhelmed, and asking, what can we do to prevent this? Joanne Corey at Top of JC’s Mind hopes we can replace hateful rhetoric with “respectful conversation where people of differing viewpoints actually listen to one another.” She asks us to renew our commitment to respectful dialog. I renew my commitment to seek respectful dialog and will ask others to speak with respect. It is within our power to ask and to work on own own behavior.
In the midst of fighting off despair, I found the following story about William and his grandmother. William who is 19, called his grandma from a hotel room in Texas where he had an AK47 and ammunition ready for a mass shooting. His grandmother convinced him to go to the hospital instead. What caused William to call his grandmother? Did they have a good relationship? Did it help that he was receiving treatment for depression. I don’t know. There are some things we cannot control, but we can work on keeping communication lines open. We don’t have to accept hateful behavior from toxic people, but we can offer a way back. We can move away from hate and toward love. We can speak with respect and ask for respectful dialog.
You can read more in the Washington Post story about William and his grandmother below:
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America’s First Solar Powered Airport
Last month, Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport in Tennessee became the first American airport entirely powered by solar energy. Read more in this article from Forbes.
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Leaving a Legacy
Thank you to Theresa for this link about the “frugal carpenter” who left millions of dollars to pay for 33 strangers to go to college. https://www.wsbtv.com/news/trending-now/frugal-carpenters-3-million-gift-has-sent-33-kids-to-college/968225075
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Positive Energy at the Border
Two California professors designed pink seesaws so that children and adults on opposite sides of the US/Mexico border could play together. It gives me hope that they were given permission to do this and to build these opportunities for positive connections.
“The wall became a literal fulcrum for US-Mexico relations and children and adults were connected in meaningful ways on both sides with the recognition that the actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side,” he added. Ronald Rael via Good News Network
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Got good news? Please feel free to share in the comments! Or write your own Good News Tuesday post on any day of the week, and link it back here!
August 6, 2019 at 11:02 am
Reblogged this on Loving Me, Too and commented:
Reading good news is a way I take care of myself. Good news is out there! We need balance!
August 6, 2019 at 12:59 pm
Respectful dialog and keeping communication lines open can, indeed, go a long way in narrowing the divisions among us.
August 6, 2019 at 8:39 pm
YES! And we certainly need that kind of narrowing.
August 6, 2019 at 5:42 pm
We have got to get better at dialogue. It does have to start with us. This idea that the world will change when our adversaries or perceived adversaries “smarten up” is just going to have us spinning in circles.
Very much in line with my post and daily video affirmation yesterday.
https://affirmationspot.me/2019/08/05/daily-video-affirmation-31-mass-shooting-affirmation/
August 6, 2019 at 9:15 pm
Good point about expecting our adversaries to change. I look forward to reading yesterday’s post. Thanks, Ray,
August 6, 2019 at 7:11 pm
I so resonate with what you wrote, though I think you already know that. 💖 I love the story you linked to as well. Good news is indeed out there, stopped by the media owned by those who don’t want us to evolve or be free, but rather us remain in a fear based, negative place, which then allows then to control us. If you search the Net, which isn’t controlled by the media, it’s so easily seen that there’s far more good news than bad news, so I agree, we must take it upon ourselves to share it, to flood the world with good news, to show the people of Earth that we aren’t in a horrible state of awful as they’d have us believe, but how large the numbers are, and growing, of so much love, connection, change, peace, people making a difference and people who no longer choose to live within the constraints of what society tells us to, or what society considers normal. In closing, I think, while this might trivialize it a bit – it all comes down to spreading love in whatever means we individually choose to – there’s so much more of it in the world than “those” who own so much want us to know about. ❤
August 6, 2019 at 9:50 pm
That’s it exactly! This is why I do Good News Tuesday. Thank you, Kim. ❤
August 7, 2019 at 12:18 am
🌻🌷💖🌷🌻 JoAnna ❤
August 6, 2019 at 7:15 pm
It was the sea-saws in the heading that grabbed my attention. It was on TV here in Sydney.
It’s great to see good reporting on the better things in this world. 🙂
August 6, 2019 at 9:54 pm
I’m glad you saw that in Sydney. Maybe the mainstream media is getting a clue about how much we need the good news just as much as the other kind. Here in the US, they tend to limit good news to the final 5 minutes, Thanks for appreciating the good news!
August 6, 2019 at 9:55 pm
This was probably in the last 5 minutes as well but at least it was shown.
August 6, 2019 at 9:57 pm
Yes! It’s a good way to end the show on a positive note.
August 6, 2019 at 10:01 pm
🙂
August 7, 2019 at 5:56 am
I have a strongly ambivalent reaction to the seesaws. They are themselves a very good idea; but the circumstances are awful
August 7, 2019 at 10:15 pm
I understand. It seems like such a small thing, like a tiny band aid on a gaping wound. But at least it brought some smiles and positive connections. Thank you for this thoughtful comment, Derrick. We can’t forget the bigger picture and how much needs to change.
August 9, 2019 at 8:00 am
Wonderful story shares JoAnna.. the first, the Grandmother speaking to her grandson, I agree we do not know what goes off in the minds of such people who intend harm on other this awful way.. But one thing is certain they are deserving of help.. Here in the UK there has been a great lack of Mental Health support and its only now just coming to light just how the health system has failed so many of its patience in need of help who suffer from deep depression.
The Pink Seesaw.. what a good idea.. IF only Adults could find such ‘Balance’ both sides of the border too..
Sending love and well wishes JoAnna ❤
August 9, 2019 at 10:08 pm
I didn’t know that about the lack mental health support in the UK. I hope it gets better and wonder if community based support groups would help as the overall system works on improvements. A lot of people suffering from depression have trouble getting out, so maybe on-line support. Sending love and blessings to you, dear Sue and hope for a better world. ❤ ll. ❤
August 10, 2019 at 9:56 am
Its being addressed within the health organisations, but many people have felt let down by the system.. I think it was the Royals, Prince Harry who brought his own depression issues forward to the public eye saying how the death of his mother Princess Diana had affected him. and how it had affected his life.. He is a big campaigner of Mental Health Issues
August 10, 2019 at 1:38 pm
It sounds like Prince Harry deserves his title. It took courage to speak his truth.
August 13, 2019 at 7:17 am
It did.. 🙂