The Human Spirit

Three summers ago, maybe it's four now, I interviewed a number of people of the small ways people make huge differences in others' lives. Note to self; I need to start posting the findings of the research and interviews from that summer. I digress for a second. This morning I was checking Facebook and I noticed my former department chair Vanessa posted a link to an article about a young man who survived devastating injuries from a fire that destroyed his home this past December (10 days before Christmas). This change in his life has forced him to give up on some high school dreams but not on life and what his future can hold. The article also shows the impact of others' kindness. My friend Vanessa and her students started a club based upon the movie, Pay It Forward. The club raised 17,000 dollars to help this young man and his family get back on their feet. This article from the Austin American-Statesman is truly inspirational from the standpoint of the resiliency in the human spirit, and in the kindness of people. Here's the link to the article. http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/highschool/2009/06/28/0628bakos.html.