Nice Guy Keeps the Store Going

In small town America, it is hard to keep things going. Often young people have to move away to find a job. Farming isn't quite like it used to be. There isn't much going on in regards to economy or opportunity. But in this story, there's a bit of hope in the air.

In Truman, Minnesota, the small community had lost its grocery store. The same had happened to my grandma's little town. Once the grocery store was gone, the life of the town seemed to slip away. Nick Graham had other ideas in mind for his hometown.

Nick had been working odd jobs and helped his uncle on the turkey farm. He was able to save up about $10,000 and used this money for a down payment to buy the grocery store in Truman. He reopened the grocery store, and now he works there whenever he can, keeping the place going. People are so thankful to have their store open again, some have volunteered to stock shelves. Everyone does their best to shop there. They are so happy for the convenience of a store nearby.

You have to watch the video of the same story if you can. Not just because it is an example of good, midwestern (Minnesota) accent, but also because this Nick Graham is such a great guy. He's only 17 years old, and he's changing his corner of the world in immeasurable ways, bringing a community together.


(Image found at this location: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/15/assignment_america/main2272837.shtml)

Amputee becomes Great Wrestler

Kyle Maynard has been competitive all of his life. Until tonight, I haven't heard about him, but it seems he's old news. Been in the news since 2004 when he began college and just after he was in the Georgia State Championships for wrestling. He was interviewd by Larry King and is on the Washington Speaker's Bureau. He is a weightlifter and broke the world record for modified bench press at the Arnold (as in Schwarzenegger's) Fitness Classic. Just a hardworking guy with a competitive spirit. Really isn't any big deal other than the fact he has no arms beyond the elbow and no legs below the knee.

He was born with a condition known as congenital amputation. It is rare that this condition affects all four limbs, but for Kyle it did and he has not missed a beat.

You can see him on a video clip living his life (writing papers, typing, and hanging out) as well as a video displaying his skills as a wrestler.

Next time we find ourselves all worried about what's not working in our life, it will be good to remember how much some people have to overcome. It will help me keep to things into perspective. I'm looking forward to reading his book No Excuses. It's true.

And I love what he said in his interview with Larry King. . ."We have to have a crutch, though, at times. And I have -- I do believe that I was blessed in the sense that the challenges that I have to face in life really mold the person that I've become today. I think without that, then I wouldn't have ever been able to succeed."

Now there is gratitude in action.

There is so much to be thankful for when we take time to look.

(Image found at this location: http://www.csw.edu/209647.ihtml)

From Rags to Riches

This is a real life story that I have been missing all along. I stumbled across this story on 20/20 and then came to realize it is the story the movie Pursuit of Happyness is all about. Now I've got to go see the movie.

The story is about Christopher Gardner who came from a tough background and challenging childhood. He joined the Navy and once he completed his four years, began working as a medical supply salesman in San Francisco. He was married and had an infant son. He then met a man in a red Ferrari who was looking for a parking space. Gardner gave up his parking spot in return for two questions. 1) What do you do? and 2) How do you do that? Turned out the man was a stockbrocker and Christopher Gardner decided that was what he was meant to be.

He began to knock on doors and make phone calls and continue to reach out until he finally found a position as a trainee. Unfortunately, the man who had given him the trainee position was later fired. Gardner was back looking to learn. At some point Gardner was faced with $1200 in parking fines and couldn't pay. He was placed in jail. His wife left him. And he was starting over. (Sidenote: isn't it interesting that parking a car brought both the best and the worst to Gardner's life?)

After spending his time in jail, his ex-wife brought Chris Jr. to him. Gardner had decided earlier in his life that he would always be there for his kids, so he kept Chris Jr., even though the boardinghouse where he was living would not allow kids. Now he was united with his son, but they had no place to stay. They were homeless.

Gardner was receiving a small stipend as an intern with a new company, but like many who receive minimal pay, Gardner could not afford all that they needed. He struggled to find daycare, and often they had to decide between food and a cheap hotel. Gardner remembers how some of the local "ladies of the night" would give his baby boy a $5 bill as he pushed the stroller along. He remembers how those few dollars were often the only way they could afford dinner.

Gardner and Chris Jr. used the train bathroom to clean up, and at times could lock the door if they needed time. While waiting in a food line, Gardner met Rev. Cecil Williams of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. Rev. Williams was setting up a shelter for young mothers. Gardner asked to be considered for the program, and Rev. Williams found a way to give him support.

In 1981 Gardner passed his stockbrocker's exam on the first try, and his career took off. They eventually found an apartment and Gardner became the top producer of his company. He moved to another company and also became the top producer there before he broke away and began his own firm. Now Gardner is a multimillionaire with offices in three cities...and a book and a movie about his life.

He remembers his mother telling him he could be a millionaire, and Gardner believed it. That is the power we have as grown ups. Remember that if you talk to a kid today, say something that will inspire. Everything we ever say to children should only bring hope and courage. And in this case, the words Gardner's mother spoke fueled the fire that kept him going. Sometimes all it takes is one person to believe in you, and then you can believe too. We all have the power to be anything we want, if we truly want it. The key is to believe.

Check out the written transcript of the 20/20 story here.
Check out the 20/20 video with Gardner himself filmed with part 1 here and part 2 here.
Another great bio can be found here.

(Image found at this location: http://www.csw.edu/files/images/hws%20and%20dls/gardner_Resized_228x289.jpg)

It's Never too Late for Dreams Come True

This is a great website I just found. Daryn Kagan used to be a CNN anchor and she resigned to start her own news venture. It's an online news site with the subtitle "Show the world what's possible!". I really like it and it does what I was hoping to do here...remind people that life does work out and we don't need any news other than good news.

This story just tickled my insides. It reminds me of my grandma so much -- although my grandma is a Twins fan. Alice is a Red Sox fan and never misses a game. She knows all the players and has opinions about the Yankees. She loves the game of baseball.

When she turned 100 she decided she would like to throw out the first pitch for the Red Sox. Why not? She loved baseball and she was certainly one of their most long standing fans. She just turned 103 years old, but last fall, her dream came true.

You gotta watch Alice as she lives her dream with humor, excitement, and a very classy form of bravado. What an inspiration.

I read recently a study about a group that was looking at the connection between happiness and aging. They looked at journals written by nuns. Basically, what they found was that happy people live longer. The nuns that wrote more postively in their journal, lived an average of 7 to 11 years longer than their peers.

Watch Alice in the Daryn Kagan video above. Based on happiness and on her good health, it appears that Alice has another 20 years ahead of her.

(Image found at this location: http://www.darynkagan.com/resources/images/NeverTooLate/os_070110_alice102/alice.jpg)

Monticello Miracle

In 1941, Don Karkos signed up to fight in the second great war. He wasn't quite 17, but they let him enlist anyways. He became a sailor and worked on the USS Rapaden. The mission of this ship was to avoid the German U-boats and refuel Allied battleships. In the summer of '42, Don's ship was hit and shrapnel from the blown up ship was thrown everywhere. One piece caught Don above the right eye.

Don woke up in the hospital and couldn't see out of that right eye. They told him he would never see again out of that eye. They offered to remove the eye, but Don wanted to keep it there. At least it would look more normal. He returned to the farm in Maine and worked with his father, trying to adjust to not having full vision. He would bump into walls and at times had trouble with balance, not knowing what was coming around the corner.

When he started to get cataracts in his left eye, he checked with doctors to make sure it was still true. Was his right eye still unfixable, even with all of the advancements in medical technology? They shook their heads and sadly told him he would never see again out of that eye.

Don continued his work. In 1972 he had bought a small horse farm and last month was out working with the horses. He was getting a horse ready for the morning workout when the horse lowered his head and lifted it quickly, knocking Don in the head. Don stumbled back, dazed. He returned to his house and laid down, feeling woozy.

When he woke up he could see.

Miracle? God's work? Coincidence? Power of positive thinking? Does it matter? Now after 67 years, Don can see out of both of his eyes. He has full peripheral vision, and can enjoy sunsets now unlike ever before. What a great gift.

Lose Weight and Build Houses

On October 2, 2005, Matt McKenna weighed 500 pounds. In December of 2006, Matt had reached his goal of 240 pounds. Maybe for some this isn't such a life altering, local hero, awe inspiring story. But to me, it is a reminder that people all around us are facing challenges and having to make hard choices that can be kind of scary, or maybe just a bit embarassing, or maybe simply uncomfortable. For Matt, it might have been all of these things, but he did it.

I've known people who haven't been able to control their weight. Some people who talked about it and were a bit overweight, maybe. Some people who didn't talk about it at all, but maybe should have been. Some people who made people laugh about it. Some people who had their stomach stapled which ended up causing some serious harm (although they are OK now). Some people who have died from their excessive weight because they suffocated during their sleep they were so heavy. Truth is, we all have at least one demon that stops us from being better. For some, it is eating too much -- or excercising too little depending on how you look at it. For me, one of my demons is I have this bad habit of picking my face. I'll do it in the mirror some days, or maybe just absentmindedly pick at my face while I'm sitting around. For me, picking is not a serious health risk, but it's not good for me. I need to stop.

Matt's story is a reminder that I need to stop doing things that aren't good for me. And, I need to start recognizing the little ways people are changing so they can have a better day tomorrow. Hats off to those of you who are working for change. Congratulations for every little step you took today and this week, and throughout your life to turn the corner into a new world. I celebrate your resiliency and your willingness to face the uncomfortable. And if you haven't felt strong enough to do what you think you need to do, know we are behind you supporting you and silently cheering you on. Here's to a new today. Not tomorrow. We really shouldn't wait any longer. Here's to a new today.

Oh, and p.s., for inspiration, Matt had a fundraiser while he lost weight. For every pound he lost, he raised money and donated the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity. A little pressure and a good deed all in one.

Just Believe

I'm one of those Secret junkies, choosing to believe that what I believe can change my reality. If you've seen the movie, you'll understand. It's part of why I'm spending time finding positive news. Because I believe all of the negative news fills our head with negative thoughts which in turn leads us into a pile of quicksand that sucks us down into a negative spiral. Lots of news lately about burglaries? Well everyone watches these reports, they start thinking about burglaries, they start believing burglaries are possible, and they start drawing in burglars to match their thinking. More burglaries. More thinking. More worrying. More burglaries. Vicious cycle. You get the picture.

So, keep on comin' back and I'll try to put a slighty different spin on what is going on around us. More great stuff is going on than we ever know. Unfortunately those in charge of the news think we don't want to see it. I do. And here's a story to boost my belief.

Here Rich Fritsky had an ugly rare disease that put him in the hospital for 441 days. The disease cuts off your circulation, and he was put in a medically induced coma. They didn't know if he would come out of it, and the odds were stacked against him. But of course he did. Watch his story and see what you think.

Never, ever, ever stop believing in yourself and all that is possible. Just believe. (There are forces out conspiring to bring you everything you've ever wanted.)

Martin Luther King

Yesterday was Martin Luther King day -- officially "Human Rights day" and I somehow didn't make the connection with him and what I'm trying to do here.

Today at school (I'm an elementary school principal) we talked about who Martin Luther King was and what he did to change the world. My school is very multi-ethnic and in a very low, socio-economic area. An area where many blacks and hispanics live. So many kids had no idea who Martin Luther King was.

Today I learned he had been stabbed by a black woman and was hospitalized. He was at a book signing for one of his books and a black woman came up, asked him if he was Martin Luther King, then stabbed him in the chest with a letter opener. He was rushed to a Harlem hospital and endured a three hour operation before beginning his recuperation at the hospital. He asked that the woman not be put in jail, but instead be placed in a psych ward where she could get the help she needed. (If you read the beginning of her statement you can see she was certain MLK and his cronies were after her and were stopping her from getting work). If you read MLK's statement from the hospital, you can see he is a man of peace...and a man on a mission. His closing line shows his commitment to the cause.

"Finally, although my thoughts have never left the Freedom struggle, I am intensely impatient to rejoin my friends and colleagues to continue the work we all know must be done regardless of the cost."

Regardless of the cost. He knew. He knew what he was doing was pushing the envelope and putting himself at risk. And yet he could not rest.