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  • Kindness Always Makes Things Better by Ross Reck

    Kindness Always Makes Things Better by Ross Reck

    Cash Register
    Pixabay

    I came across a story by Ryan Katz and Tara Boyle posted on npr.org that dealt with Stephanie Cole’s first day on her very first job as a teenager. It was the height of the Christmas shopping rush, and she was working as a retail clerk in a busy department store in Los Angeles during the 1960s. When a woman walked up to her cash register to purchase a Christmas tree ornament, Stephanie froze—she couldn’t remember how to operate her register. She was on the verge of tears when the woman looked at her kindly and said, “It’s all right. Take your time. I’m not in a hurry.” At this point, she felt a sense of relief an knew everything was going to be okay. She hasn’t forgotten that woman’s kindness after all these years and offers the following advice: “You know, you encounter somebody who’s . . . just having a bad day and…you can tell they’re in a bad place, you can say, ‘It’s okay. I’m not in a hurry. Take your time.’ And it always makes the situation better. Always, always.”

    References:

  • Sonoran Prevention Works (SPW)

    An Amazing Organization Helping Those Who Need Help

    Building a healthy Arizona with people who use drugs – Sonoran Prevention Works was founded by and for people who use drugs. We started with a singular focus: everyone should have access to the knowledge, tools, and community they need to be safe and healthy. Today we’re committed to making that a reality at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels through street-based outreach, organizational capacity building, and state-wide advocacy work.

    Visit Their Website

  • Debt Ceiling: Why the Republicans Want to Destroy the US Economic Recovery

    “If lawmakers fail to strike a deal to avoid default, experts say the shock could plunge the world into recession and a financial crisis. Even a prolonged showdown over the debt ceiling could rattle markets and derail a global economy already weakened by inflation, rising interest rates and the lingering scars of the COVID-19 pandemic.” 1

    • Rising recession risks
    • Global financial crisis
    • Americans could lose crucial federal benefits
    • Higher interest rates
    • Falling public trust

    The voters voted these Republicans in, now the voters will pay the consequences.

  • Cruz, Ted (R-TX) – White Christian Nationalist Hate

    Cruz, Ted (R-TX) – White Christian Nationalist Hate

    Love - Hate
    Pixabay

    Why Does the Church Promote Hate?

    “Not only did the well-known Christian nationalist senator praise the Court’s hateful ruling in 303 Creative v. Elenis, Cruz also offensively claimed that asking a Christian artist to serve LGBTQ people is like asking a Jewish business to promote antisemitism.

    Let’s be perfectly clear: Ted Cruz has no business distorting our faith this way. All people are created in God’s image, and Jesus commanded us to welcome and love our neighbors, no exceptions. Put simply, the Bible does not require Christians to discriminate against LGBTQ people. Ever.

    But the conservative judges on the Supreme Court — and the billionaire religious-right donors who wine and dine the justices — are twisting the Bible to create legal loopholes that allow bigotry and hatred to flourish. And social-justice Christians need to push back now.” 2

    • Republicans Vote Against Veterans

      “Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a bill to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits weeks after the measure initially sailed through the Senate with 84 votes, angering Democrats, veterans groups and comedian Jon Stewart, a leading proponent to aid the community.” 3

      “A bill aimed at protecting veterans exposed to toxic materials during their service was shut down yesterday in the Senate, in a 55 to 42 vote that failed to meet the 60-vote threshold necessary to advance the legislation. Of the 42 senators who voted against the PACT Act, 41 were Republicans.” 4

      ‘Republican lawmakers blocked passage of a bill in the U.S. Senate Wednesday that expands healthcare coverage for military veterans who were exposed to toxins and burn pits during their service.’ 5

      “He was among the veterans, military family members and advocates staged on the Capitol steps for the fourth night on Sunday, pledging to remain until Congress passes a bill that covers health care for those exposed to toxins while serving in uniform. Earlier that day, the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs warned that a new Republican proposal could leave the agency “rationing” veterans’ health care. GOP lawmakers blocked the aid from passing last week in what comedian Jon Stewart, a longtime veterans advocate, blasted as “a disgrace.”” 6

  • One Way to Tell What Kind of Day You’ve Had by Ross Reck

    One Way to Tell What Kind of Day You’ve Had by Ross Reck

    Arizona Sunrise
    Pixaby

    I saw the following quote on Facebook, and I think it’s an excellent way to determine what kind of day you’ve had: “If you can lie down at night, knowing in your heart that you made someone’s day just a little bit better, you know you had a good day.” It doesn’t take much to make someone’s day better—a smile, a kind word, a hug, a compliment or just listening to what another person has to say. If you do these simple but caring things, you’ll not only make the world a better place, but you’ll feel better about yourself and sleep better as well.

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