Day 28: It's Worth Fighting For

Today at church, my pastor played this clip from The Lord of the Rings:Two Towers.  The beautiful heartfelt speech by Samwise Gamgee to Frodo about why life is worth fighting for. 

Frodo: I can't do this, Sam.

Sam: I know.  It's all wrong.  By rights we shouldn't even be here.  But we are.  It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo.  The ones that really mattered.  Full of darkness and danger, they were.  And sometimes you didn't want to know the end.  Because how could the end be happy?  How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?  But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow.  Even darkness must pass.  A new day will come.  And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.  Those were the stories that stayed with you.  That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why.  But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand.  I know now.  Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't.  They kept going.  Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?

Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo...and it's worth fighting for.

What a beautiful and vivid reminder: there is good in this world.  Something worth holding onto.  Something worth fighting for, and worth passing on to the generations to come.  At times it may feel pointless, that the darkness won't lift.  But the darkness is fleeting, and when it passes, goodness will be even more evident and encouraging.  

I have been pursuing good news now for 4 weeks.  Each day I scourge the internet and news sites, looking for good news.  And each day I am delighted to find that goodness is happening in some of the most expected and unexpected places.  People are fighting for the rights of those who can't stand up for themselves.  Innovations are being made to improve lives.  Heroes are living amongst us.  Good news is created each day.  By you.  By me.  And it's worth fighting for.

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Day 27: Riding Waves

What comes to mind when you think of Gaza?  Rolling ocean waves?  Surf and turf?  Likely that is not your typical first thought.  But for a few teenage girls in Gaza, Shorouq and Sabah Abu Ghanem, getting out into the ocean waves is what they think about.  Escaping the challenging lives they have on land, they opt for the freedom that the waves offer.

Their father, Rajab Abu Ghanem, taught them from a young age how to swim, bucking some of the social norms traditional of their society.  "They can swim up to 6 miles, dive to 25 feet and surf on plastic boards that they hope one day to trade in for competition-grade models."  I often wonder what the lives of children must be like in war-torn regions of the world.  Surf and swim lessons don't usually enter my mind as a consideration.  But what has this father given his children?  A love for life, in a place where life may seem fleeting.  A joy and sense of exhilaration, in a place where most only experience fear.  What an awesome gift for his children.

"In the sea I find my freedom.  I feel free of everything I leave behind on land," said 13-year-old Shorouq.  "Gaza is under blockade.  We lack surfboards, we lack diving gear.  We lack many things.  But out in the sea it doesn't matter."

Information for this story was found at msnbc.com.

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Day 26: SEEDs of Change

The SEED Foundation is the dream of two men, Eric Adler and Rajiv Vinnakota.  Dramatically change the culture of the poor by education.  Not a new idea, for sure, but the means of accomplishing this dream is visionary.  Boarding schools.

""There's boarding schools for rich kids; why aren't there boarding schools for poor kids?" Vinnakota said. "The intense academic environment, the 24-hour aspect and constant access to role models. Why wouldn't all of those things be just as important for poor kids as it would be for rich kids?" 

"We believe very strongly that there is a group of kids for whom the answer is a 24-hour supportive educational environment. And they're not gonna have a shot if we don't give it to them," Adler added. 

It all starts on SEED's campus, a four-acre oasis, a safe zone where 340 kids can focus on school, free from distractions back at home.  SEED's goal is to prepare these children academically and socially for college and beyond. The students enter in sixth and seventh grade; 80 percent of them performing below grade level...That kind of dedication and personalized instruction has paid off: tenth graders at SEED score 40 percent higher in reading and 34 percent higher in math compared to other minority students in their area." 60 Minutes

The school is founded on the belief that each kid has high potential, and when placed in a supportive environment, they can succeed beyond what they can even imagine.  But not only that, they also work with them to develop life skills.  Teaching respect, study skills, values, social skills, and etiquette.  Suddenly these kids aren't just learning head knowledge, but instead how to be upstanding citizens, college-bound with the confidence to achieve great things.  

"In a single generation, families can not only produce a high school graduate, but a college graduate, and that changes a family forever. And that's why we do what we do."

Information for this blog post found at 60 Minutes and The SEED Foundation website.  

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Day 25: Out of the park

Here is a something that was passed along to me.  The video is slightly cheesy, but a courageous moment.  Enjoy!

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Day 24: Green

A color.  A man's name.  Life.  Brent Green is not only bringing plant life into his Los Angeles neighborhood, but he has facilitated life in his community.

A landscape designer by trade, but a lover of plants at heart, he has transformed a mundane house with window bars and graffiti into a welcoming space.  And his neighbors have taken notice.

""People saw that and they said, 'Wow, I would like my home to look like that too,'" said neighbor Sylvia Rubalcava.  And so began Brent's Green revolution on Orange Drive. For 11 years now Green has been planting his age in trees.

"On my 30th birthday I wanted to give something back to the city of L.A.," said Green. "I mean I love this city -- I really do. So I planted 30 trees that year."

This year he'll plant 41 trees...Yet, Brent planting all of those trees hasn't just made the neighborhood look better. It's changed the landscape in ways he never imagined. His neighbors formed a block watch group and their efforts have branched out to include newly repainted fire hydrants, speed bumps to slow down traffic and increased police patrols. 

"Being involved, meeting people," said neighbor Laura Franklin, "it can just transform the place where you live."  In fact, overall crime in the area is down nearly 30%." CBS Evening News

I'm sure there are numerous examples that could be found, of people making an impact in their community with such a simple idea.  But what is so wonderful about this story is that it was something that Brent Green loved.  He just lived into his passion, and from that came an outpouring of life.  Transforming a concrete jungle into a place of beauty.  Bringing neighbors out of their homes and into shared spaces together.  Building a community that cares for each other and has pride in where they live.  It's inspirational and definitely good news.  


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Day 23: Go for Reconciliation

Nelson Mandela's memoirs, "Conversations with Myself," have just been released, giving us a look into the fascinating life of this man who stood for justice and reconciliation.  Interesting to look at his life today, on our election day here in America.  

Nelson Mandela was a man who longed for equality, to end the South African apartheid and build a country where race wasn't a dividing factor.  "During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people.  I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination.  I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.  It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve.  But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." After 27 years a political prisoner, he continued to live with the same conviction.  Inviting his opponents into his office, he established democracy and brought about reconciliation.  "He ruled with the exact same strategy he had employed as a prisoner: don't go for revenge, go for reconciliation."    

There are truly amazing people, standing for solid principals, who bring about positive and sustainable change.  He wasn't a man without flaws, but he also acknowledges them readily. "You don't have to protect me" he said to the man writing his memoirs.  A man humble in his victories as well as his shortcomings. 

*  *  *

Today, I am thankful to live in a country where democracy also reigns.  Free to make choices on policy and elected officials.  Free to agree or disagree without repercussion.  Freedom. 

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Day 22: The simple things

A hug.  A familiarity .  The simple things of life that let you know you are loved.  So basic, but so important for adding meaning to your life.  

Thousands of people were separated from their families during the Korean War.  When Korea split into North and South, a dividing line was drawn and there was no longer the freedom to travel freely from one part of the country to the other.  As the years passed, the grief became reality, and each person had to figure out how to live unable to touch their loved ones.  For sixty years.  That is twice my lifetime. 

While the North and South are still separated by a demilitarization zone, a huge victory has been made in the last decade.  Families are being reunited.  Parents with children, sisters with brothers.  Loved ones are finding the caring embrace that they have missed for the past six decades, and are being given the opportunity to see each other once again, face-to-face, sharing their lives and history with each other.  Read CNN's story of the recent reunion.  

A beautiful, but bittersweet moment.  And a reminder to cherish those loved ones who are near.