Amid war and politics, everyday goodness also makes news
Ferguson in flames. Hecklers who are getting what they want assaulting the president of the United States. Tension in Washington. Tension in Springfield. Madness in the Middle East. The news can make the world seem very dreary and unappealing. But it can also humble you with inspiration, presenting stories of such routine kindness and decency that you are reminded that everyday goodness abounds in far greater measure than the confrontations, controversies and calamities that so often attract our attention not because they are commonplace but precisely because they are the exceptions.
Thanksgiving Day is the day to remember and celebrate this everyday goodness. It's worth remembering that it can be found in the news, every day. In that spirit, consider just a few examples from this week's Daily Herald.
Our Someone To Be Thankful For stories running today on the front page and in Neighbor are an excellent place to start. They're stories of individuals whose warmth and generosity of spirit not only make the world around them a little better, but also directly inspire others to do the same. But, blessings though they are, we don't need to focus solely on such extraordinary examples.
Let's turn to Streamwood, for example, where photojournalist John Starks told the story Wednesday of special needs students at Ridge Circle Elementary School who invited parents and teachers to a Thanksgiving meal they planned and helped prepare. Or, wander over to Eastview Middle School in Barlett, where writer Laura Stoecker told Wednesday of 60 students who competed for frozen turkeys and other prizes in games celebrating simply their exemplary behavior.
Are such events unique or exceptional? Perhaps not. Likely, similar events and activities are taking place in classrooms throughout the suburbs, every one an example of the positive zeal taking place in schools every day.
Nor, of course, are such things limited to churches or schools, though sometimes positive energies have a way of working their way into the educational bloodstream. On Saturday, photojournalist Mark Black told through video and print the story of how, as a young boy, Craig Hendee of Old Mill Creek worked with his dad to nurse back to health an injured hawk that had been delivered on their doorstep. The experience so energized him that, as an adult, he has devoted his career to protecting and preserving birds of prey around the world, and he shares his passions regularly with students in suburban classrooms.
Institutions also get into the act. Columnist Burt Constable told Sunday of the special treatment the Chicago Bears gave 14-year-old fan Daniel Isufi of Arlington Heights, who chose a visit to Halas Hall over a trip to Hawaii when he was granted a Make-A-Wish experience. And sports writer Bruce Miles told Saturday of the actions of the Chicago Wolves to celebrate Prospect High School graduate Matthew Young in order to raise funds and awareness in the fight against epilepsy.
I could go on, but I'm running out of space. Just remember on this special day that despite its many blemishes, this is still a beautiful world. And all of it is newsworthy.
Jim Slusher, jslusher@dailyherald.com, is an assistant managing editor at the Daily Herald. Follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/jim.slusher1 and on Twitter at @JimSlusher.