I’ve joined in a yearlong monthly event called We Are The World Blogfest.
The purpose of this event is to highlight positive news stories, presenting them on your blog on the last Friday of the month.
This being the last Friday of April, I have a story to share with you, my gentle readers.
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THE NEWS STORY:
Did you know that in the Jewish religion when visiting a loved one’s grave it’s customary to leave a stone on the grave? These stones are called visitation stones.
I wasn’t aware of this tradition until I read about a girl who took it upon herself, in response to cemetery vandalism, to create some pretty hand-painted lady bug and heart visitation stones.
The complete story [found here with video] tells of 6-year-old Ayel’s response upon learning that vandals had damaged her great-great-great-grandmother’s tombstone in a St. Louis cemetery. Ayel decided to paint some stones for herself, and for all the other families who had experienced this vandalism, as a way of showing kindness to the living– and respect to the deceased.
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MY COMMENTARY:
If you took the time to watch the video, then you’ve already realized that Ayel is cuter than the bee’s knees. I mean, how could you not love her?
That smile!
But beyond that fact I like this kid’s spirit. She understands what happened in the cemetery and that it was a lousy thing for anyone to do. However, instead of ignoring what happened or giving in to helplessness, she’s opted for kindness.
Ayel intuitively gets what many adults have forgotten. She understands that creating something healing and meaningful doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to come from the heart.
Which, as anyone with even just an ounce of kindness in their soul knows, is a great place to start.
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Oh wow! My heart is so softened by this little angel. Thank you Ally Bean for sharing.
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Susan, I agree that she makes my heart melt. So sincere, so sweet.
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Great story – and as the kid shows, step past the anger or wringing of hands and do something positive to make it better. Have a terrific weekend
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philmouse, you said it! She stepped right over the bad feelings, and went straight to doing good for the right reasons. Gotta love this kid! And happy weekend to you, too.
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I didn’t know about that tradition either and this kid saw straight through to its core. Beautiful!
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bobcabkings, she sure did! The point of this monthly blogfest is to find a positive news story that demonstrates that there’s good in the world. I don’t know when I’ve seen a child who embodies this idea more. Love her!
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This custom is new to me. I think it is lovely. And I think the idea of handpainting beautiful or special stones to leave at the gravesite is inspired and inspiring.
Kindness is a commodity which only grows when shared. Ayel personifies this truth.
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nance, I’d never heard of visitation stones, but now that I have I want to make them a part of my tradition, too. Ayel’s kind spirit is my inspiration– on many levels.
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I love it. I was reading up on other happy stories this morning as well and came across a pizza chain in Philly which allows you to pre-pay for a slice at $1 and then stick a post-it on the wall which can be claimed later by anyone who is hungry and in need. Seems like a wonderful practice to me!
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Alli P, that’s a great idea. I’d add a post-it note to the wall every time I was in there. Happy stories are out there, if you only look for them. Thanks for sharing one here.
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I love that there was no mention of money, either. She is doing it for love and the parents are letting her. Such cute little rocks too! Thanks for finding and sharing this, Ally! Happy Friday to you.
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Good point, Janet. I hadn’t thought of the possible money angle to this story. I agree that the rocks are so cute, and the joy of it all, when faced with tragedy, made my heart sing. Happy weekend to you. 🙂
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Love that she feels kindness matters. Good job by her parents. Great story! Thanks for posting it.
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Kathryn, I thought the same thing about her parents. They did a good job raising her and instilling the idea that kindness and creativity matter. Thanks for stopping by to comment.
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I’m at http://www.healingwriter.com if you have time. Today was my first #WATWB post.
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Just found you via Twitter! 😉
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What a fabulous story – Ayel is a bright light indeed. With such love and understanding present in the little ones, how can we not be hopeful and inspired?
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Deborah, exactly! She embodies hope and concern in a practical way. Plus those lady bugs are darned cute. Kindness never looked so good.
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Too sweet! Thanks, Ally.
I knew about visitation stones + I like rocks + I like to paint + I love ladybugs . . . so, tell me, why didn’t I think of doing this???
Oh, right, because a video featuring me would not have been as cute as a ladybug!
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nancy, obviously you missed your calling by not becoming a renowned ladybug painter. However, considering how good Ayel is at it, maybe it was all for the best. Love this kid!
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Ayel + Kindness = Perfect!
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Clever!
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Oh, the kindness of children! This little girl has a place in God’s heart that I hope will grow as she becomes a wonderful, caring adult. Thanks for sharing this beautiful story, Ally, and participating in #WATWB
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bikerchick57, I want her to become a caring adult, too. She’s off to a good start– both with her ladybugs and her ability to see a problem, find a solution.
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Excellent choice! Look at the big heart on Ayel! Love it.
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joey, I adored this girl from the minute I saw her on the news. Big heart, indeed.
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Kids are great like that. So cool. Thank you for sharing.
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Betsy, so true. Ayel has it going on. 🐞
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What a beautiful story! This little girl is adorable and she has a lot to teach the world! 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing this! #WATWB 🙂
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BWitzenhausen, I was charmed by this story & this little girl. Her cuteness & kindness made me smile. Her story just needed to be part of #WATWB.
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Aww, she is a little doll! What a beautiful child, inside and out. This is such a great response to the idiocy of vandalism.
So nice to meet you thanks to this blogfest. 🙂
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Julie Flanders, Ayel is cute as can be, isn’t she? And with such a smart idea about how to deal with the destruction. Let the children lead the way! Nice to meet you, too. Thanks for stopping by to comment.
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A perfect story!
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Thanks, Kate.
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How cute was that!!!?? I love that she picked up her paints and brushes and DID something. Many adults (including me) could learn from her example. Thank you for sharing this inspirational story.
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Janis, I felt the same way. Ayel did something to help– and I liked that about her so much. She reminded that small gestures are the essence of kindness. Pity more news stories don’t focus on that point of view.
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Although the people in those graves don’t care that they have been vandalized, the rest of us are healed by acts like this.
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Margaret, so true. And don’t you love that it’s this little girl who’s making it so? She gets it– and I hope always will.
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Her decision to share kindness in the face of such senseless destruction is a wonderful lesson in sharing love. Thank you also for sharing this story. Love the ladybug rocks.
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Gail, you said it! Sharing love when faced with senseless destruction is such a mature response to the situation. Then to make the pretty rocks is such a perfectly little girl response. So much going on in Ayel.
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Leave it to a small child to really focus on what’s important. We would do well to learn more from her example ❤
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Joanne, I agree. This little girl knows what’s important. She made my day when I saw this story.
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OMG – Ayel is cuter than the bee’s knees!!
I’m loving your ‘We are the World Posts’! Thanks for the positive lift!
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Donna, Ayel’s spirit shines through. Glad you enjoyed this story.
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Such a wonderful story. Instead of breaking down, she decided to find the problem and fix the problem. The world needs more people like that.
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Eric, that’s exactly what I liked about this story– Ayel did something to help. I agree, the world needs more people like her. Thanks for stopping by to comment.
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Happy May! I nominated you for The Mystery Blogger Award. I do hope that you’ll participate as it was a good experience for me to write my post. https://w1nt3l.com/2017/05/01/mystery-blogger-award/
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Andrew, I appreciate you thinking of me for this award… but I no longer do bloggy award things. I stopped a few years ago when I revamped my blog template + purpose. I will, of course, checkout what you wrote & what all the other nominees write. Sounds like fun, just not for me. 🙂
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No worries and it certainly makes sense. This was actually my first, so took the time to write it. 🙂
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This made me smile. We could all learn from her!
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Damyanti Biswas, so true. She’s a good kid.
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Love this story. We need more Ayels.
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Kate, it’s good to know that there are kids like her around. 👍
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What a great act of respect and simple, colourful acts of love. Ayel has been here before! Thanks for sharing and joining in our blogfest 🙂 Simon’s Still Stanza #WATWB
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Simon, I agree! The simplicity of her gesture makes it perfect. Thanks for stopping by to comment.
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You’re welcome. Glad I did.
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Well, this just warmed my heart. Thanks so much for sharing it.
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Akilah, I felt the same way. Ayel knows what’s what.
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