--I WANT TO BELIEVE LOVE IS BIG ENOUGH TO BEAT AWAY ALL THE BAD NEWS

 

…Hey hi, happy Monday.

Lots of horrible news of late.  It makes you go numb to it, which is really sad and disgusting in and of itself.
Yesterday alone a suicide bomber in a Germany killed 10.  It was the number four story online in Google news.
Three stories down from that was an article about a Syrian refugee who used a machete, in Germany also (Munich) to kill a pregnant woman and wound two others.
Ten stories down from that was a brief article about a suicide bombing at a security checkpoint in Baghdad that killed 20.
That was all in one day, on top of everything else that has happened.

…So I thought I’d find a few good news stories to make us realize the world isn’t entirely horrible, that lots of good things happen all the time but sometimes we don’t see them, or get to hear about them.

Here are a few I like:
 

Mystery Man Hides Tons Of $100 Bills In Diapers And Toilet Paper

One mystery man is giving a whole new meaning to the term “giving back” — and it’s all about the Benjamins.

For the past three years, an anonymous person called “Benny” has been hiding hundreds of crisp $100 bills around Salem, Oregon. Each “Benny bill” is marked with the mystery man’s signature, scrawled on the side.
Since the bills started turning up all over the city, The Statesman Journal, a Salem-based newspaper, has been keeping track of self-reported Benny bill finds. On July 12, the newspaper announced that the number of bills reported totaled an incredible $50,000.
The $100 bills are commonly found in grocery stores, markets and superstores, tucked away into products such as baby supplies, food boxes and children’s toys. More Benny bills have been found in diaper packages than any other store item, with toilet paper following close behind, the Journal reported. 
 

The Unexpected Effect ‘Pokémon Go’ Had On A Boy With Autism

“Something is suddenly happening, and whatever it is, it is MAGIC.”

One boy with autism is catching ‘em all ― and discovering a new side of himself in the process. 

For Ralphie Koppelman, a 6-year-old who was diagnosed with autism, socializing can be uncomfortable. He has difficulty making eye contact and engaging in conversation. But the day he started playing Pokémon Go, the boy began opening up to other kids, making new connections, and finding common ground with his peers as a result of the game. 
His mother, Lenore Koppelman, who was overjoyed by the unexpected consequence from playing the game, shared her son’s experience on Facebook.
“MY AUTISTIC CHILD IS SOCIALIZING,” she wrote in the emotional post. “[He’s] looking up at them. Sometimes even in the eye. Laughing with them. Sharing something in common.”
The mom explained to the Huffington Post in an e-mail that her son has trouble with pragmatic speech. He also struggles with communicating his thoughts. 
“If a kid walks up to him and says ‘Hey! Want to play a game with me?’ he might squeal and flap his hands and shriek, and then want to run around in circles around them, laughing with excitement,” Koppelman said. 
Additionally, Koppelman said Ralphie has autism-related OCD and because of that, he has difficulty breaking routines. 
The day he started playing Pokemon Go, however, Koppelman immediately noticed some differences in her son. After catching some Pokéman at a bakery, the boy ran outside where another boy saw what he was doing and a connection was made. The two even high-fived over the game. 
Later on that night, Ralphie even chatted with his neighbor Jenny Lando about the game. When she informed him that there were more Pokemon for the taking at the playground, he begged his mother to go visit ― unusual for the boy since his routine doesn’t include going to the playground at night. While there, he further surprised his parents by hunting Pokemon with other kids and interacting with adults, who offered him some advice on the game. 
When she noticed the changes, the mom and her husband, Steve, had a myriad of thoughts going through their heads. 
“We were looking at each other with shocked and delighted expressions, sharing the same thought: something is suddenly happening, and whatever it is, it is magic,” she said.
It’s been a bit over a week and the proud mom says her son has continued to be more social and more comfortable 
“He seems far more relaxed about breaking his usual routines. He seems happier. He’s laughing more. He seems more confident. He struts around proudly when he catches a Pokemon, and brags about it to people in the cutest way,” she said. “His father and I are both proud of him and how far he has come in only a week’s time!”
 

Elderly Stranger Pays For Man’s Groceries In Beautiful Moment Of Solidarity

“Love does exist in the world.”

This is one moment that we all need to check out.

Comedian Sampson McCormick took to Facebook on Wednesday to share a story about an elderly man he met in a grocery store. The two became acquainted in the checkout line when the older man, whom McCormick calls Mr. Samuel, struck up a conversation about race relations in America and even offered to pay for McCormick’s groceries.
The comedian, who is black, was so touched by the experience that he snapped a photo of himself with Mr. Samuel, who is white, and shared it on the social network.
“[It was] just a random moment of solidarity and love that made my day,” the comedian wrote.
"I was at the grocery store today and this old, white man (Mr. Samuel) walked up to me in line, apologized for racism & police brutality in this country and paid for my groceries.. I was standing there like 👀 .. He handed me the receipt, gave me a fist bump and said "Black Lives Do Matter."
Just a random moment of solidarity and love that made my day.. Some white folks out here are "woke" too. 💜
“He handed me the receipt, gave me a fist bump and said ‘black lives do matter,’” McCormick, who lives in Oakland, California, also wrote.

The photo went viral this week, and McCormick said that he hopes it’ll compel others to stand united, especially following the killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and the attacks in Dallas and Baton Rouge. 

“Love does exist in the world,” he said. “It’s really important for us to come together and, however we can, extend acts of love toward one another because we really do need more love in the world.” 
Describing their conversation, McCormick addressed the importance of unity, which led to the generous act.
“He was like, ‘If we all came together I think we would live in a better world and ... I realize that I’m white and I realize I don’t have to deal with things that people of color have to deal with,’” McCormick recalled. “He put his hand on mine and said, ‘Let me do you a favor, just an act of love, and let me pay for your groceries.’” 
While the simple interaction made McCormick feel more positive, the comedian said that we all should make an effort to understand racial issues in our communities. 
“Sometimes it’s as simple as showing up at town hall meetings and really having concern for equality and love and justice,” he said. “Being present as human beings and holding each other accountable for love, I think, is most important.”
Later he jokingly added, “And if you want to buy somebody groceries and pay off their student loans ― whatever you want to do ― you can.”