The Angel Disguised as a Nurse (Remembering My Sister on her Birthday)

In January, my great niece messaged me on Facebook from California. She asked me to send photos of my sister, Mary Kaye who died on her 16th birthday. In 1975, Mary Kaye, her boyfriend, and a friend were on their way to a restaurant for the birthday dinner, when a drunk driver ran into their car. My sister’s boyfriend was killed instantly. Mary Kaye died at the hospital. Their friend survived.

With gratitude, I sent several photos of Mary Kaye to my niece and hinted at my curiosity for her interest. My niece told me that her daughter (my great niece who I’ll refer to as D) had recently come home from the hospital after being seriously injured in a car accident. The following events were sent to me through messenger from D and my niece, M.

No family members had been allowed to go to the hospital to see D due to Covid. She felt scared and alone as the nurses prepared her for surgery. Then D saw one nurse standing nearby, not doing anything, just watching her. The nurse didn’t have a name tag on, she was just standing there, so beautiful and smiling at her. It made D feel safe. When she got out of surgery she saw the same nurse again, just standing there smiling at her. She didn’t think much about it but told her mom about the special nurse after she got home.

When D came home from the hospital, she still had a lot of healing to do and struggled with the loss of her friend who died in the accident. D and her mom were lying in bed looking at my pictures on Facebook. When D saw a picture of my sister Mary Kaye, she started crying.

“That’s her! That’s the nurse!” she said.

The nurse standing by to give comfort with her beautiful smile looked exactly like my sister Mary Kaye. We believe it was Mary Kaye, an angel disguised as a nurse.

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Today is my sister’s birthday. If she had lived, Mary Kaye would be 64 today. As a teenager, she volunteered at a group home for handicapped children. In the third photo, she’s wearing her yellow and white striped volunteer uniform. If she had lived, I believe Mary Kaye would have been a nurse or worked with children. I am thankful to know that her spirit is alive and well.

Good News Tuesday for Jan. 11, 2022: Man Reunited with Family after 33 Years, Stranger Returns Wallet, Nurse Adopts Patient’s Dog, an Amazing Bee Whisperer, and a Cosmopolitan Request.

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Man Abducted as a Child is Reunited with Family Over 30 Years Later

Li Jingwei was four years old in 1988 when he was kidnapped and taken to another province China, but he never forgot his family or home village. Abductions have long been a problem in China, but recently, technology, social media, and law enforcement have helped reunite abductees with families. The detailed map Li Jingwei drew from memory of his home village also helped. After 33 years, he was reunited with his original family on New Year’s Day. Here’s the story from CNN’s Good Stuff.

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Stranger Delivers Wallet He Found in the Snow

Jake, a college student from Maryland, lost his wallet full of Christmas money, college money, and ID. He and his mom looked for the wallet in the snow but couldn’t find it. Early on the morning Jake was to head back to college, a man named Juan came to their home and returned the wallet. Here’s more of the story from the Good News Network.

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Nurse Takes Care of Patient’s Dog

 When John Burley was hospitalized for pneumonia and lung problems just before Thanksgiving, no one was available to take care of his 12-year-old dog, Boomer who had been picked up by animal services. Responding to John’s pleas for help, nurse Jennifer Smith searched for and adopted Boomer. Now she takes him to visit John. Here’s the story and a heartwarming photo from CNN’s Good Stuff.

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The Bee Whisperer

Erika Thompson doesn’t just save bees in Texas, she’s the “bee whisperer.” You can watch her fascinating work below:

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Got Good News?

Feel free to share your good news story or link in the comments!

Today’s prompt for Just Jot it January from Willow is “cosmopolitan” which means, “including or containing people from many different countries.” Though a lot of my good news sources lean toward US news, I make an effort to find good news stories from other parts of the world. The Good News Network has a world news tab, so that sometimes helps. If you know of a good news source outside the US, please let me know.

For details and jots on #JusJoJan, visit our host, Linda Hill here. Linda’s post contains a link to Willow’s blog, too. Thanks to Linda and Willow!

Good News Tuesday for July 6, 2021: Wales Takes a Big Step, Nurse Stops Hospital Fire in India, Florida Creates Wildlife Corridor, and Valedictorian Speaks his Truth on Acceptance, Mental Health, and Identity

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Wales Puts a Hold on New Road Building

As part of their plan to reach zero emissions by 2050, the Welsh government is putting a hold on new road building. They’re not saying they will never build roads again, but for now, no new roads.

“We need a shift away from spending money on projects that encourage more people to drive, and spend more money on maintaining our roads and investing in real alternatives that give people a meaningful choice.” Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for climate change. For details, see this article from The Guardian found in my Goodnewsletter.

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Nurse in India Saves 36 Babies from Hosptial Fire

P Jayakumar, a nurse and father of two, put out an electrical fire at a public hospital in India saving 36 babies. After stopping the fire, Jayakumar, who has asthma, was hospitalized in the ICU for five days for smoke inhalation before going home. Here’s the story from The New Indian Express

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Florida Creates Protected Wildlife Corridor

The governor of Florida recently signed bipartisan legislation to create one of the biggest wildlife corridors in the developed world with $400 million of initial funding. The act will help protect many species, including endangered Florida panthers. Here’s more from the Good News Network.

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Valedictorian Bryce Dershem Finishes his Speech

(I first heard this story on Sunday when the priest at my church shared it in his sermon about different kinds of power.)

In spite of spending six months of his senior year in treatment for anorexia, Bryce Dershem graduated as class valedictorian of his New Jersey high school. Multiple videos and articles indicate that Bryce’s high school principal took a hard line in telling the valedictorian he could not say anything in his speech about his LGBTQ status or his mental health treatment. At the graduation ceremony, when Bryce started to speak his truth, the principal disconnected his microphone and took away Bryce’s printed speech notes. Students yelled, “Let him finish!” The good news is that someone brought him another mic and Bryce finished his speech from memory. He talked about overcoming challenges and accepting yourself. I was impressed by Bryce’s courage and composure.

Here’s an interview with Bryce from NBC News followed by a video of his speech.

Here’s the speech:

Got good news?

Feel free to share your good news or GNT link in the comments!

Good News Tuesday for Oct. 13, 2020: Progress for the Planet, Otter Love, Barbie Stands Against Racism, and a Ten Year Journey

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Progress with Polystyrene and Plastics

On October 7, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change presented the next steps in the government’s plan to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030. The plan includes banning single use plastics like plastic checkout bags, straws, six-pack rings, cutlery, and hard to recycle plates by 2021. The Good News Network has details.

Additionally, several US states like Maryland have made progress in banning foam food containers and plastic bags as reported here by US News.

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Otters Get a Second Chance at Love

Harris the otter was lonely after his mate, Apricot, died a few weeks ago. So the staff at the UK Seal Sanctuary created an on-line dating ad for him. A match was found at the Sea Life Scarborough Sanctuary where Pumpkin had recently lost her partner, Eric, who died at the age of 21. Here’s more from CNN.

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Barbie Stands Against Racism

Good job, Barbie, for the following video blog where Barbie and her friend Nikki discuss racism, racial bias and discrimination.

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A Decade of Work Pays Off

Finally, a message from ABC news and their person of the week, Jaines Andrades, who worked her way from hospital janitor to nurse practitioner.

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There’s plenty more good news out there.

Now it’s your turn!

Add your good news in the comments or create your own GNT post. Feel free to use the sunflower badge in your post and link it back here. Your good news can be global, local, or personal. Happy good news hunting!