Seeing Good in the World

The last few years have been tough for so many people, me included, that it becomes easy to fixate on all the negatives. But there are still good things happening every day. On Friday, I had the good fortune of seeing one of those good things first hand with some of my Peace friends.

It took place at the Metropolitan Community College (MCC) Chancellor’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon. I work at MCC, and was happy to buy a table and invite some friends from Peace to attend. It was for a great cause – scholarships for students.

When community treasure Karen Daniel received the 2023 Alvin Brooks Kansas Citian Inspiration Award, she said she wanted to support our student scholarship efforts. What a nice thing to say, I thought. Minutes later during the Fund-A-Need portion of the Luncheon, the sold-out crowd was asked if anyone would like to give a special amount. Ms. Daniel calmly stood up and quietly donated $50,000 to our scholarship funds.

People were stunned; the person asked Ms. Daniel to repeat that number again. Members of the audience came to hug and shake Ms. Daniel’s hand during the program. The surprise gesture inspired a record number of people to make bids. We ended raising nearly $90,000 for student scholarships from the Fund-A-Need portion alone.

During the program, we saw videos from MCC students talking with gratitude on how their scholarships gave them a chance for a better future. The sparkle in their smiles was a reaffirming reminder of why I work in education. Thanks to the generosity of Ms. Daniel and many others, we’ll be able to help more people in the future.

It was nice to have a smile on my face as I left the Luncheon. There’s so much we can accomplish when we work together to help others.

Dearest Lord: 

Thank you for the reminder of all the good that is in the world and what we can do to contribute to it. As Dr. King once said, only when it’s dark enough can we see the stars. Help us to remember the power we have within us to help people shine.

Amen

Josh is a Springsteen disciple and University of Oklahoma sports fan who is grateful for Peace Church every day.

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