Sell - A Cup of Comfort for a Better World: Stories that celebrate those who give, care, and volunteer

for a
Better
World

Stories that celebrate those who
give, care, and volunteer

Edited by
Colleen Sell

Copyright 2010 by F+W Media, Inc.
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

A Cup of Comfort is a registered trademark of F+W Media, Inc.

Published by
Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com and www.cupofcomfort.com

ISBN 10: 1-4405-0210-2
ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-0210-1
eISBN: 978-1-4405-0686-4

Printed in the United States of America.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
is available from the publisher.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.
For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.

With gratitude to Copthorne MacDonald, whose erudite book Matters of Consequence, which I had the good fortune to edit, illuminates the path toward a better tomorrow and inspired me to do my part today.

Contents

Shelley Seale

Joan Watt

Wm. Scott Hubbartt

Lisa Ricard Claro

Michele Ivy Davis

Connie Rosser Riddle

Betsy McPhee

Jan Philpot

Grace Tierney

Lyndell King

Eloise Elaine Schneider

Marlena Thompson

Sue Dallman-Carrizales

Irene Martin

Susan Sarver

Tanya Ward Goodman

Sybilla A. Cook

Beth Levine

Stefanie Wass

Cristina Trapani-Scott

Linda Stork

Christina Suzann Nelson

Betty Johnson Dalrymple

Deborah Royal

Trudy Chun

Sharon Elwell

Linda Hudson Hoagland

Mary Long

Ann Vitale

Carol Tyx

Eleanor Roth

Lea Ellen Yarmill Reburn

Elizabeth Sharpe

John Forrest

Ava Pennington

Linda S. Clare

Beverly Golberg

Sue Fagalde Lick

Alaina Smith

J. K. Fleming

Mirish Kiszner

Suzanne Baginskie

Anne McCrady

Fran Roberts

Marcia Rudoff

Laura Bradford

Eloise Elaine Schneider

Samantha Ducloux Waltz

Christy Caballero

Acknowledgments

I was raised by two people who are so conscientious, so generous, so compassionate, and so honorable that, as a kid, I dubbed them Mr. and Mrs. Dudley Do-Right. So I must first thank my parents for teaching me, through their example, the importance of doing good.

As always, I am thankful to the terrific team at Adams Media for their good judgment in publishing a book about altruism in action and for all their professional and personal supportespecially Meredith OHayre, the captain of the Cup of Comfort ship, and Paula Munier, its creator.

I am most grateful to the writers whose inspiring stories grace these pages... and to you, dear readers, for your interest in reading about the good hearts and good works of others.

Introduction

... anybody can serve. You dont have to have a college degree to serve. You dont have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Ive always found it interesting that most religions and spiritual belief systems implore us to love one another, to love not only our family and friends but also our neighbors. Some ask us to love strangers, even our enemies. And some cast the love net even fartherto encompass all sentient beings, the Earth itself, and the vast universe beyond our telescopes and our imaginations. Many of these faiths (for lack of a better, all-encompassing term) also call upon us to nurture and protect children and nature, to care for those who cannot care for themselves, and to show compassion for the least among usthe sick, the poor, the lost, the fallen, the weary. It is a tall order. It is also, in my humble opinion, the key to making the world a better place.

Love alone is not the answer. Love is not all we need. Solving the worlds problems and righting the worlds wrongs also takes understanding, compassion, resources, and courage. But love lights the fire of loving-kindness (the desire to do good) in our bellies and fuses together all of those other components into a powerful force for good. For, when we truly love someone or something, we cant help but care. We strive to understand. We find the strength and the resources to help, to comfort, to heal, to give. We endeavor not to harm or hinder. And we do not, cannot, just look away or walk away; our heart and our conscience simply will not allow it.

While love is charitys catalyst, it seems that fear, greed, and ignorance are its inhibitors. It has been said that the confused mind says no. As it turns out, so does fearful or glutinous thinking. When someone doesnt recognize or understand someone elses problem (or a problem they think is someone elses but, in reality, also adversely affects them), they are less likely to care about and do something about it. Same goes when someone is afraid that there is not enough of whatever it isfood, money, medicine, good willto go around, that giving to others might deprive or somehow jeopardize them or theirs. And the greedy, well, if they cared about others, if they loved others as they love themselves, they would be giving rather than gobbling everything up with little or no thought to the world around them.

So it is up to the rest of us to do our parts, individually and collectively, to make a positive difference in the worldor in the life of a single other person or beingand to encourage others to do the same. One way to inspire kindness and charity is to share personal stories about random acts of kindness and about people who are helping to make the world a better place. And who knows? Maybe such stories will open the minds and hearts of some of those folks who say no to giving out of fear, ignorance, or greed. I hope so.

And I hope the stories in A Cup of Comfort for a Better World warm your heart and light the fire of loving-kindness in your belly.