Category: Compassion

  • How one school made its only deaf student feel heard

    New Hampshire first-grader Ben O’Reilly is only seven, but he understands all too well how isolating and lonely the world can feel. As the only deaf student in his school district, Ben relied heavily on his classroom aide, Cheryl Ulicny – the only person on campus he could truly communicate with. His classmates would tap…

  • The map to freedom began with a book

    As a kid, poet Reginald Dwayne Betts loved books and developed an early fascination of speed reading. He couldn’t afford formal lessons, so he checked out a book on the subject from his local library instead – the last book he borrowed before going to prison. But it planted a seed. At just 16 years…

  • Why these monks walked 2,300 miles from Texas to DC

    When Buddhist monks leave their monasteries and temples, it’s with good reason. So when about 20 monks with roots around the globe started walking in late October last year from Ft. Worth heading in the direction of Washington, D.C., people took notice. And by the time they arrived in our nation’s capital this week –…

  • It’s not (entirely) about the truck

    Mo Riles’ green ride was hard to miss. People were quick to give him the side-eye as he drove the dilapidated vehicle around town. Even more threw out insults as they posted pictures on social media. “Being held together by a thread. And duct tape!” “Talk about a fugitive from the salvage yard.” “Look like…

  • A stranger’s bold move in a Paris cathedral

    A friend told me a story recently that stuck with me. Would I make the same bold move a stranger did for my friend, for someone I had never met and would likely never see again? Would you? Hear the story and judge for yourself. During a wonderful trip to Paris the week before Christmas,…

  • What she did when immigrants moved into her house

    When Candace Cabrera found them, the couple’s options were limited. They had permission to reside in the United States through a work visa path to citizenship, but without a credit score, they struggled to find a place to live. Without a permanent address, they couldn’t get a driver’s license. And without a driver’s license, they…

  • Your lemonade stand probably didn’t offer this

    When their new teachers ask them to write about what they did over the summer, each of these kids will have a unique story to tell. Nine-year-old Ethan Wargo of Sycamore, Illinois, does what many kids do during summer break – he reads. In a Dog Man graphic novel, though, he saw something that struck…

  • The unexpected humanity I found in an airport restroom

    I darted from the concourse into the bathroom at the world’s busiest airport and quickly hit a long line of women waiting to get in as well. Ahead of me, an older gentleman dressed in a sport coat, button down and slacks stood patiently at the helm of a standard-issue airport wheelchair, looking ahead of…

  • Living while he’s dying

    When 55-year-old Texan Doug Ruch was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early 2021, he did what we’d all do. He fought it with everything he had. The former solar industry professional dove into research, went to the doctor’s appointments, and endured treatment that cost him his life savings, hoping he could send the cancer into…

  • Sometimes Grace is Louder than Outrage

    As a friend and I crossed a street in Manhattan this past weekend, a couple of young guys exchanged tense words on the opposite side of the intersection. Apparently, one of them had stepped off the curb close to the path of the other, who was riding a motorcycle through the green light. The motorcycle…