STRICTLY POSITIVE

The good flowed from all fronts this week, thank you to those of you who sent me great stories. If they're not below this week, they're coming! Without further delay, let's get to it.

Exhibit A: I wasn't too worried about my family in Australia when I read this story, despite the bulk of this character. Particularly since they don't live in Brisbane, where this Dwayne Johnson-sized kangaroo has taken up residence in a suburb. Look at the size of him! (there's video at the site)

But then I learned the rest of the story. Apparently miffed at not being recognized as the buffest Aussie kangaroo, Roger at the Kangaroo Sanctuary at Alice Springs has launched a campaign of his own. He's known for crushing buckets (I so want to write Roger's personal ad.) Methinks Roger wins, and now I am worried:

This is one of the greatest pictures ever:

Proving even buff boys started out as little mama's boys, this is Roger as a wee lad, before all that jacked up Vegemite. Who knew?

Exhibit B: While I was worried about my Australian side in Exhibit A, now I'm just peeved. Victoria police answered the call of a McDonald's restaurant after a chicken had been thrown in the foyer (first of all, what ahole does that?). Restaurant workers put the chicken out on the street, where it tried to cross the road, only to be stopped by the coppers. This headline says it all: "Why did the chicken cross the road? Well, we’ll never know now that Victorian Police have cock blocked one while it was trying to get somewhere." In all seriousness, thanks to the Victoria Police for saving the chook they named "Nuggets."  Get it? Ah, gotta love that Australian sense of humor.

Exhibit C: Well, I think it's been all of two weeks since we've had an article about how great people in the Netherlands are. I'm a little late on this one, as it was published on our Memorial Day, but it still bears posting. For 70 years, the people in Margraten have adopted and tended to the graves of 8,300 Americans killed in World War II. There is a cemetery outside the small village where they hold a ceremony on Memorial Day, bringing bouquets for men and women they never knew but have adopted as their own. Every grave is tended to by a family, school, company, or military organization and there is a list more than 100 names long to become a caretaker.

This past commemoration, "6,000 people poured onto the 65-acre burial grounds just a few miles from the German border, including scores of descendants of American war dead who had traveled here from all over the United States. They were eager to pay tribute to parents or grandparents who had died to defeat the Nazis. But they also wanted to thank the Dutch families who had been tending the graves of their loved ones, often passing the responsibility from one generation to the next. For Arthur Chotin, 70, who had come from Annapolis, Md., to finally meet the couple caring for his father’s resting place, the devotion of the Dutch was a source of awe. 'What would cause a nation recovering from losses and trauma of their own to adopt the sons and daughters of another nation?” asked Chotin, the only American descendant to speak on Sunday. “And what would keep that commitment alive for all of these years, when the memory of that war has begun to fade? It is a unique occurrence in the history of civilization.”'" That's some pretty stellar stuff right there.

Exhibit D:  There are few better stories than those about hero animals in my book, and here's a great one. Golden Retriever service dog Figo jumped between his blind owner and a bus that didn't see the duo crossing the street. Figo threw himself at the bus, and although he and his owner were both hit, they're going to recover. Reading the article is heartbreaking, as it quotes owner Audrey Stone repeatedly and somewhat frantically asking after her dog. Imagine being hit by a bus and not being able to see if your dog is ok. Because of laws prohibiting transport of animals in ambulances, Figo had to be separated from Stone. Seems to me if you have a service animal that law should not apply. In any event, I'm glad this hero dog and his owner are going to be ok. I also just read someone is picking up all the vet bills. Huzzah.

Exhibit E:  This may be one of my favorite items ever, and it comes via my pal Chris Holm. Lots of articles about people fulfilling dreams have been featured here before, but none quite like this one. Walter Thomas is 90 years old, and he has always wanted to back through his garage door. Yes, you read that right, and Walter is my new hero. “Every time I back out of the garage, I think about backing through the door.” Haven't we all had that feeling before? Thanks to his supportive family and community, Walter's dream came true. A relative provided the garage (it was about to be torn down) and a local junkyard donated an Isuzu Rodeo. Go check out the video, it's a thing of beauty.

Exhibit F: My friend Emily sent along this link to the story of a 9-year-old girl doing fantastic things. Hailey Fort spends her free time building mobile shelters for the homeless.  Not only that, she grows food and provides toiletries as well.  Hailey asked her mother about helping a homeless man when she was 5, and the two have been working together ever since to help the needy. “It just doesn’t seem right that there are homeless people,” Hailey says. “I think everyone should have a place to live.” Hailey's goal for 2015 is to grow 250 lbs of food, build 12 shelters, and deliver thousands of toiletries and hygienic items. You can help her by buying items on her Amazon ‘wedding registry’ or by contributing to her GoFundMe campaign. Both programs can be found at the link above.

Exhibit G: Here's a chest-kicker, sent by my friend Bev. Garrett's autism is so severe he requires 24-hour adult supervision, due to his tendency to wander. His parents were afraid they would have to institutionalize him to keep him safe. Then they contacted Tender Loving Canines, which provided Garrett with a service dog through their new Leash on Life program. In came Ruby, a fabulous Golden Retriever, whose job is now to watch over Garrett and make sure he doesn't get hurt or lost. She's often tethered to him while they're out, and she braces in case he tries to take off. She also calms and grounds him, making life easier at home for all of Garrett's caregivers. "Our future is much brighter now that we've got Ruby in the family."  There are some great videos on the article page. Most of the people who visit this post know about the healing power of animals, this is just further evidence of their capacity to make us all better.

Exhibit H:  This next item made my day. I still remember going to see The Lion King when it opened on Broadway in 2000. I remember when the lights went down, the music and singing started and the animals started walking down the aisles from the back of the theater to the stage. Verklempt doesn't even come close. I still get those feelings every time I hear that music. So to have these fantastic actors/singers doing battle in an airport would have been an epic event in my view. So very cool. For those of you who don't know the story, a group of people were stuck at LaGuardia for six hours. The crowd included some of the cast of The Lion King and Aladdin. They got to singing and finally an a cappella sing-off broke out. Enjoy.



Exhibit I:  For Golden Retriever lovers such as me, this might be the greatest video ever.



Exhibit J: Hold the presses! Late addition from my friend Todd, who says THIS is the greatest video ever. I'm hard-pressed to find an argument in opposition. How do you top hippos saving a duckling? Again in the Netherlands. Seems even Dutch hippos are the nicest.



Running a little long this week, so you'll have to come back next week for more Bird and goats. In the interim, TGIF and have a great week to come.