No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted
Vol. 4, Issue 15
THE GOOD NEWS
An abundance of happy
It's always wonderful to see someone's wishes come true.
On the eve of his 100th birthday, Gaston Pettigrew gathered with friends at the Maison Paul-Triquet home in Quebec City. Looking dandy in his Royal Canadian Navy uniform, he received a wooden box containing an abundance of happy.
The World War II veteran had wished for 100 birthday cards to celebrate his centennial on April 11. He received more than 1,700 -- and they just keep coming.
Passionmilitaria, a community group dedicated to military history, heard about Pettigrew's wish and put out the call to its members on Facebook. Not only did the post receive hundreds of likes and comments, but within just a few weeks, birthday cards started to arrive from all over the world.
More than two dozen freshmen from a high school in Whitecourt, Alberta, sent cards to Pettigrew after learning what he had experienced during the Battle of the Atlantic. So did more than 100 sophomores from a high school in Toronto. An elementary school class in France also sent him cards.
Bon anniversaire, Monsieur Pettigrew!
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Back and forth
It's been 81 years since Pat DeReamer and Mary Kroger first exchanged the card.
In 1944, the pair were in middle school, and one gave the other a birthday card. The front of the card, which features a cartoon dog wearing a red and black polka-dotted bow tie, reads: "Here's wishing you a BIRTHDAY that really is COLOSSAL." On the inside is an illustration of a large dinosaur skeleton with the message: "’Cause it’ll be a long, long time before YOU’RE an old fossil!"
Since it was so many decades ago, neither of them remembers who first sent the card. But when the other friend's birthday rolled around, she sent back the same card. And so, a tradition was born:
Each year, they add their signature and the date to the card and put it in the mail. Now the card is filled with signatures, their years of friendship embedded inside the ink.
Today, DeReamer and Kroger in their 90s, and it's not easy to travel and see each other. Yet, with each passing birthday, the card continues to arrive in the mail.
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The greatest gift
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THIS WEEK IN (POSITIVE) HISTORY
On April 16, 1964, The Rolling Stones released their debut album.
On April 17, 1964, the Ford Motor Company unveiled the Mustang to the public.
On April 18, 1956, actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco.
On April 19, 1919, Leslie Irvin made the first successful Army test jump with a free-fall parachute.
On April 20, 1841, the first detective story -- "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe -- was published in Graham's Lady's and Gentleman's Magazine.
On April 21, 1956, Elvis Presley's record, "Heartbreak Hotel," became his first hit.
On April 22, 1979, Earth Day was first observed.
On April 23, 2005, Jawed Karim uploaded the first video to YouTube.
THIS WEEK’S FUN HOLIDAYS
April 16 is World Semicolon Day, National Eggs Benedict Day, National Librarian Day, National Orchid Day, National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day and Save the Elephant Day
April 17 is International Bat Appreciation Day, International Haiku Poetry Day, International Pizza Cake Day, World Circus Day, National Banana Day, National Cheeseball Day, National Crawfish Day, Celebrate Teen Literature Day, Espresso Italiano Day, Herbalist Day and Palm Tree Day
April 18 is International Day for Monuments and Sites, International Jugglers Day, World Amateur Radio Day, National Animal Cracker Day, National High Five Day, National Lineman Appreciation Day, National Newspaper Columnists Day, National Piñata Day, National Poem in Your Pocket Day and Superman Comic Day
April 19 is National Cat Lady Day, National Dog Parent Appreciation Day, National Garlic Day and Poetry and the Creative Mind Day
April 20 is International Climate Fiction Books Day, National Cheddar Fries Day, National Look-Alike Day, National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day, Husband Appreciation Day, Record Store Day and Volunteer Recognition Day
April 21 is World Creativity and Innovation Day, World Curlew Day, National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day, National Kindergarten Day, National Tea Day, Go Fly a Kite Day, Thank You for Libraries Day and Welsh Corgi Dog Day
April 22 is Earth Day, National Jelly Bean Day, April Showers Day and Girl Scout Leader Appreciation Day
April 23 is International Creator Day, World Book Day, World Table Tennis Day, National Cherry Cheesecake Day, National English Muffin Day, National Picnic Day, National Take a Chance Day, National Talk Like Shakespeare Day, School Bus Driver Appreciation Day and Take Action for Libraries Day
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HOW TO SPREAD JOY/KINDNESS
* Plant flowers for bees and butterflies
* Add a bird bath to your garden
* Plant a tree. It’ll provide beauty, a home for creatures, cleaner air and shade for all.
RECOMMENDED SUBSTACK
MY LITTLE ONES - PAST & PRESENT
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"I had always planned to make a large painting of the early spring, when the first leaves are at the bottom of the trees, and they seem to float in space in a wonderful way. But the arrival of spring can’t be done in one picture." --David Hockney
MOMENT OF GRATITUDE
Thanks to Sara Cottle, Unsplash, Passionmilitaria, Facebook, The Canadian Encyclopedia, St. Michael's College School, CBC News, CBC Radio, WLKY News Louisville, YouTube, The Washington Post, Undue Medical Debt, The End Files, History.com, This Day in History, Britannica, Time and Date, On This Day, the Library of Congress, IMDb, Famous Birthdays, This Day in Music, National Today, National Day Calendar, Holidays Calendar, MovieScenes4U, the USO, Jonathan Edward Durham’s Substack, GiveForms, Emily Charlotte Powell, While I Was Drawing, Counting Beans, Canva and Deposit Photos for art and story suggestions.
The title quote is by Aesop.
KEEP IN TOUCH
Read a positive/uplifting news story lately? Have an inspiring quote you want to share? Or do you just want to let me know about some of your favorite simple pleasures?
Happy-making, as usual. But you left out that April 16 National Banana Day, and also National Health Care Decisions Day! I'm busily celebrating International Bat Appreciation Day - what a week!