We’ve all heard and seen stories about kids and the pressures they grow up around, and lately, there seems to have been an increase in bullying. But every once in a while, you come across a story where a kid does something to pause, smile, and send a silent thank you out to the universe for continuing to create stand up human beings who make the world a better place. Last week, a co-worker sent along a story that did exactly that.
I have a co-worker that is super happy-go-lucky, extremely pleasant, really sweet, and just an all-around awesome person. So what do I do? I try to make her cry. Happy tears or touched tears that is! We’re both saps and love a good heart-warming story, so we’ve gotten into the habit of sending each other videos or stories that make you feel all warm and fuzzy. She has four children and is extremely active in the community and is the Chair of the Forest Grove School District Board, which is how she came upon this story about the 7B Basketball Team at Neil Armstrong Middle School.
A few weeks ago the team played the last game of the season vs. French Prairie. It was a typical game for most of the players, but special for one of them. Mikey, a student with special needs, had spent the year on the team, but primarily acted as a manager. Since it was the last game of the season, they decided to let Mikey play. The French Prairie team kept passing Mikey the ball to give him the opportunity to score, and then something amazing happened: the players of the opposing team (Neil Armstrong) started passing Mikey the ball!
Just reading the emails made me tear, and then I watched the video. What an amazing story! And it needed to be shared so it could impact others too. So I sent a message to a gal I met via social media who is a local news anchor. Through a confluence of factors (myself included, I think), the story got picked up and was shared. Check out the links below to get the full story from KPTV and OregonLive!
How’s that for reaffirming your faith in people? Thank you for the reminder to do the right thing.
