Last Saturday, I witnessed a scene in real life that reminded me of the great old movie –It’s A Wonderful Life.

The only differences were, instead of Christmas time, it was a hot and steamy July afternoon. Instead of Bedford Falls, it was Locust, North Carolina, and instead of George Bailey, it was a young lady named Hayley and her 2-year-old son, Joel who is battling a very rare form of Leukemia.

Dr. Jason Martin generously donated his business parking lot for a fundraiser to be held for Joel. People came from all over to help, donate and offer kind words to the family. There were so many people there; it was hard to find a parking place.

“You get what you give.” “You reap what you sow” “What goes around comes around.” However you like to say it, the sentiment behind that statement is true, and it is obvious that Joel’s family gives out a lot of love and kindness because it came back to them in a big way.

Folks, regardless of what the media tries to feed you, the world and the people in it ARE good. If you don’t believe it, just come on over to Locust and see for yourselves. I felt like I was on cloud nine, just from being there and witnessing the outpouring of love from the community!

The next time you are out, smile at or compliment a stranger, heck, give ‘em a hug if they look like they could use one. You do indeed “get what you give” and I guarantee if you purposefully give out kindness, you will start to notice that the world is most certainly a gentle, beautiful, & happy place.

That’s the news from the homestead, see you next week!