In these weeks before Christmas, during which it has been all too easy to become hardened and shaken by unspeakable events in the world, it is important to look for the smaller things, even within our own community, that indicate common humanity is not dead.
Our letters from readers often remind us of these acts of inexplicable kindness, such as when someone helps out after a car accident, randomly buys a stranger lunch, or returns lost keys and wallets.
Then there is the heart-warming story of Tucker, the pampered puppy that recently escaped from a grooming parlour and then apparently spent cold weeks shivering through St. Albert neighbourhoods before ending up in Glynn York’s front yard. Another man might have ignored the scrawny pooch, but not York. He took Tucker into the warmth of his home, fed him ham and cheese and called the dog’s grateful owner.
Today we feature the story of Salvation Army pastor Peter Kim, a man who turned a troubled past into a life of service to others. Certainly, he has slipped and fallen on his imperfect journey, but with his belief that there exists a basic goodness in people, he carries on. Perhaps there’s evidence of that same goodness in all of us. We see the sadness and horror, yet we also bravely carry on, helping where we can, if for no other reason than that is what so many people do. As you look around the dining table over these holidays, remember that, and have a Merry Christmas.
