An unlikely combination of heroes

Rare is the day when I say something political here.  That's not the purpose of this blog after all.  We're here to talk about heroes and about making a difference.  How I wish there were more people in elected office who were true heroes, who were making a difference, but that's another matter.  Something happened last night in the US Senate that I simply must mention here.

Back when Barack Obama was President, the Affordable Care Act was passed and went into effect, controlling health care costs, creating expand access to coverage, and improving health care quality, among other things.  The law, often referred to as ObamaCare, is not perfect, but it does something important that had not been done before - it allows for health coverage for so many who would otherwise be without.  The current administration wants to do away with this law, which would result in millions of people losing their coverage.

Now I happen to think that everyone should be able to have basic health care and the battle in Washington, DC these past seven months has really exasperated me.  Last night in the US Senate, three Republicans, joined with the Democrats, and voted no on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, saving millions of Americans from the disaster of no health care.

Voting along party lines has become all too common, despite what constituents may say.  Sometimes I'm sure we must wonder if politicians are even able to think.  Last night though, two women and a man, voted in the opposite way of their 97 colleagues.  Three senators might indeed have been an unlikely combination of heroes, but their demonstration of bravery and integrity made a difference.  I'd certainly love to see more behavior like this!

In equal service

The whole idea of exclusion is a foreign concept to me, so when President Donald Trump announced yesterday that the US military will not allow transgender individuals to serve “in any capacity,” I immediately began shaking my head.  The military had excluded gays from service, even though many secretly served.  Other countries had gay men and women in their military and it just didn't make sense that we should say no, so I marched and protested with others, and I know this blog is NOT about me, but it is about justice and equality and it just is not right to exclude.

We finally won and gay men and women are now able to openly serve in the armed forces.  The earth did not stop rotating.  There were no ill effects.  Under President Barack Obama, a new policy allowing transgender service members to openly serve finally gave our military the equality that had been lacking.

Then came yesterday's announcement.

Now I cannot tell you how many transgender servicemembers there are, but the number is in the thousands.  I have seen no evidence that their service on the whole has been anything less than positive.  There are even some outstanding examples.  Although the White House said this is a military decision, I must disagree.  This is a political decision and it is a decision based in prejudice.  "Let's treat the other person differently."  NO!  That's not what America is about.

Why are so many people concerned about the gender identity of others?  What business is it of anyone?  Seriously.  Think about it long and hard.  How does the gender of another person effect you?  Even if you have a problem with someone else transitioning (which is really none of your business), at the end of the day only one thing is important here.  We are talking about human beings and every single human being deserves to be treated equally and fairly. 

Retired US Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling called President Trump's military ban on transgender troops "mean to people who have volunteered to serve their country."  I agree.  There is just no other way to describe it, but sadly there are those who are in agreement with the ban.  When did we become such a mean nation.  Let's get back to kindness and fairness and back to "liberty and justice for all."

Good cop Good cop

The other day, Stanley Roberts, a reporter at San Francisco tv station KRON4, told the story of two San Jose, CA police officers who did a wonderful kind act.  In the course of their day, they came upon an elderly man who according to Roberts was "distraught and visibly upset...nearly in tears."  After patiently questioning him, they found he had just lost a son and that earlier in the year, another son had passed away.  Pretty bad, huh?  To make matters worse, this poor old man could not afford to make the trip to his son's funeral. 

Now you might expect that these police officers would at this point, have wished the gentleman well and been on their way, but as Stanley Roberts tells the story, they went way beyond what might be expected.  Immediately they made reservations for the man to fly to the funeral, paying for his round-trip fare and also paying for his ride to the airport.  They apparently didn't even make mention of this deed.  It was someone else who spilled the beans, and the story continues now to be retold.

So many police officers go way beyond their job requirements.  The San Francisco police recently tweeted about two of their officers who rescued a Canadian Goose who had been spooked after stepping into traffic.  It was another heartwarming story about two cops.  I could fill page after page with such stories, because there really are a lot of good cops, despite the negative reports we too often hear.

Now, I'm not saying all cops are perfect and that there is never any abuse of power.  Sadly that simply isn't the case.  Let's hear more about those good cops though.  I know there are a LOT of powerful stories and I invite you to share ones that you know of, in the comments section below. 

Circle the Wagons

It was a few years back when a California woman received her cancer diagnosis and she was determined to beat it.  Early treatment was successful, but earlier this year the cancer returned and this time it had the upper hand.  Doctors were not optimistic. 

As this year began, a southern California man had a scary situation.  He suffered a brain hemorrhage and then was in a coma.  This vibrant young man lay helpless in a hospital bed with an unknown future.  Friends and family members came and were by his side.

Both of these stories are true.  In both cases a cry went out to circle the wagons - to unite for the common cause of helping a beloved person return to health.  People not only gathered in person but hundreds sent messages and posted on social media.  People cared.  As it became obvious that the woman would die, the love and the prayers continued to flow.  She passed away a few days ago, and her husband has already commented how helpful all of the prayers and concern have been.

The young man has a happier ending to his story.  Actually, it isn't an ending but a new beginning.  He was just discharged but now faces a lot of rehabilitation.  He was on the brink of death and for weeks he didn't walk or talk, but now he's on the mend.  A great encouragement along the way has been all the folks who came to visit and all the prayers.  Over 400 people kept tabs on him via facebook.  Wow!  He and his mother have said how grateful they are for all the concern, in fact at his discharge he wrote "Thanks for the thoughts, love, support and prayers."

When we circle the wagons, we can do incredible things.  Just our presence can be pretty wonderful to folks who need us.  Of course we don't have to wait for a crisis.  How wonderful it is to be there for others even when all is going well.

Let's keep walking

Over the weekend, the 30th annual AIDS Walk San Francisco, a 10k fundraising walk to fight the epidemic will take place with money raised benefitting Project Inform, Project Open Hand, a pilot program on HIV and aging at San Francisco General Hospital Ward 86, and more than 40 Bay Area AIDS service organizations.  It's a huge deal and one where you find lots of heroes.

The very first AIDS Walk was back on July 28, 1985 in Los Angeles where $673,000.was raised.  The next year was the first AIDS Walk in New York City and over 4,500 walkers raised $710,000.  It was 1987 when I got involved with the first event in San Francisco.  Now there are AIDS Walks in cities large and small, all raising funds for HIV/AIDS organizations in their area.

If I look for examples of people making a difference, here it is!  Volunteers doing all sorts of things, the walkers of course, and all of the sponsors and donors.  I've mentioned this year-after-year, because it's important, and I'll continue talking about it until there's a cure.  If you want to walk, you can still participate in the San Francisco event this Sunday morning.  If you would like to donate, I'd be thrilled to have you as a sponsor!  You can sponsor me HERE and also click the links to find out how to walk.  If you are in another area, find out about AIDS Walk near where you live and get involved!

I'm sometimes amazed that folks are less and less aware of AIDS than when these walks first began.  We need to share information.  Let's stay involved.  Let's end any suffering and any stigma.  Let's keep walking.

some summertime notes

First time here?  Well you are certainly welcome!  Usually I write here about those folks in our world who are making things better - the heroes in our lives - the people who make a difference.  Sometimes I write about how we can all follow their lead.  Every single one of us can make a difference you know.  Today, I have a few notes to share.

Apparently folks do read this.  Last week I wrote about a local bus driver and later in the week I received a lovely email from the superintendent for the transit system which read in part "We are all very saddened that her had to leave so abruptly, but it will be a good move for her. I appreciate your kind words and I’m certain that it will mean a lot to her to know that she made such an impact."  Well it meant a lot to me to hear these kind words.

Oh and speaking of kindness, I also write a blog about kindness and you can find that seven days a week at http://ofbeingkind.blogspot.com/ - feel free to leave some kind words there for me.  Oh you can do the same here as well.  Right below, there is a space for your comments.

Some of the people I have written about, I keep on hearing more from various sources.  I especially like hearing stories about Chieh Huang.  This guy is making a huge difference (he's the CEO of boxed.com) and I know we are going to keep hearing great things about him.  I'm sure some of you have heroes in your life.  Let me hear about them.  Seriously.  Let's tell the whole world about the wonderful things some people do.  I hope to hear from you soon.

Another driver made a difference

On Monday I wrote here about a local bus driver who made a difference and it got me thinking about this story that I have shared here before.  This is a taxi driver and I have no idea who the author of this is (it was floating around for awhile on the internet) and I don't even know if it's true, but since I was thinking about it again, I thought I would share it here once more.

A NYC Taxi driver wrote:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked..

'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'.

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.

They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said.

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one. 

Paying it forward at McDonald's

Did you hear about the kind act in Indiana that spread to 167 drivers? At a McDonald's Restaurant in Scottsburg, one random kind act last month sparked a whole series of followers!  This is such a wonderful story.

As you know, I was writing about lgbtq related places and heroes all through June as part of Pride Month, and it was during that time that this incident occurred, so you may have already heard about it.  (Several tv stations there picked up the story, and it is so heartwarming, that everyone has been talking about it).  I write a daily blog about kindness, and I mentioned it there too.

Sometimes it just takes a simple act, and that's apparently how this began.  It was Father's Day and a man with four children was in a van at this McDonald's drive-thru.  Up ahead of him was the woman who got the ball rolling with her kind gesture.  She paid for the man and told the cashier to tell him "Happy Father's Day." The man was so moved that he paid for the next two cars behind him.  The ripple effect continued and the restaurant says that in all it spread to 167 vehicles!  Wow!

This is living proof of something I have long said.  One person can indeed make a difference!  Imagine if this happened every day.