Coming together: Community unites to help paralyzed football player

From the tiny mountain town of Oakley, the word is spreading: People are building a house for a local boy who was hurt on the football field, and the only two things they don't want for their efforts are money and recognition.

The response has been unbelievable," says Kent Woolstenhulme, another of the workers and a cousin to the injured boy's mother. "Almost everyone you talk to wants to help."

The idea began not long after Porter Hancock was injured while making a tackle for the South Summit High football team on Oct. 7. He is paralyzed from mid-chest down. There is reason to hope that he will regain the use of his lower limbs, but at the very least he faces a long road to recovery.
Family members and neighbors realized the Hancocks' home would not be suitable for a kid in a wheelchair, with its narrow doorways and halls and its split entry and steep stairs. The phone calls began. This is a community of contractors, men who make a living in construction. They rallied to help.

About two weeks ago, they began building a house on property owned by Hancock's grandfather. They plan to have the new house ready by the time Porter leaves the hospital, which is scheduled for mid-December.

"It's what life's all about, helping people in need," says carpenter Ray Peterson.

To read the full story click HERE

Week 26--Kindness Challenge--Nov. 28

Find a good news story in the newspaper, online, t.v., radio, etc., write it down or print it out so you can see it every day.

You'll be amazed at how much it lifts your spirits to hear about the good that others do.  You have to really search to find these stories among all the negative ones, but they are there.

Being a Part of Someone Else's Miracle

This was written by a Metro Denver Hospice Physician: I was driving home from a meeting this evening about 5, stuck in traffic on Colorado Blvd., and the car started to choke and splutter and die - I barely managed to coast , cursing, into a gas station, glad only that I would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhat warm spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn't even turn over. Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the quickie mart building, and it looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a gas pump, so I got out to see if she was okay When I got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobs than that she had fallen; she was a young woman who looked really haggard with dark circles under her eyes. She dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to her. It was a nickel. At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 in a car seat), and the gas pump reading $4.95. I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept saying 'I don't want my kids to see me crying! ,' so we stood on the other side of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to California and that things were very hard for her right now. So I asked, 'And you were praying?' That made her back away from me a little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, 'He heard you, and He sent me.' I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so she could fill up her car completely, and while it was fueling, walked to the next door McDonald's and bought 2 big bags of food, some gift certificates for more, and a big cup of coffee. She gave the food to the kids in the car, who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by the pump eating fries and talking a little. She told me her name, and that she lived in Kansas City . Her boyfriend left 2 months ago and she had not been able to make ends meet. She knew she wouldn't have money to pay rent Jan. 1, and finally, in desperation, had called her parents, with whom she had not spok en in about 5 years. They lived in California and said she could come live with them and try to get on her feet there. So she packed up everything she owned in the car. She told the kids they were going to California for Christmas, but not that they were going to live there. I gave her my gloves, a little hug and said a quick prayer with her for safety on the road. As I was walking over to my car, she said, 'So, are you like an angel or something?' This definitely made me cry. I said, 'Sweetie, at this time of year angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people.' It was so incredible to be a part of someone else's miracle. And of course, you guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got me home with no problem. I'll put it in the shop tomorrow to check, but I suspect the mechanic won't find anything wrong. Sometimes the angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the flutter of their wings.... Psalms 55:22 ' Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved'

Week 25--Kindness Challenge--Nov. 21

Write 3 things you are thankful for everyday this week.

I started a thankful journal about 5 years ago on my birthday because I was really depressed.  I have tried to write faithfully 1-3 things every day that I am thankful for that day.  It has been amazing to see the little things that have happened during the day that normally I would never have noticed if I hadn't taken a couple of minutes to just think about the day.  This practice has greatly blessed my life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Man helps motorist who then saves his life miles later

A Canadian man who had just helped a motorist change a tire in western Wisconsin had his good deed quickly repaid when, just minutes later, that same motorist helped to save his life.   

This story was amazing to read about and really emphasizes the importance of helping others because you never know when it will turn around and end up helping you later.

This is the link to read the full story http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45200023

Week 24--Kindness Challenge--Nov. 14

Find out someones favorite color and give them something in that color.

Week 22--Kindness Challenge--Oct. 31

Give out a compliment everyday this week.