Good News Mondays: Week Nine

Good News Monday is an online bulletin of Rotaract Club Madrid Capital whose purpose is sharing good news from Madrid and elsewhere in these challenging times. We have teamed up to share positivity all over our MDIO and beyond. Here are the highlights of the week between May 25 and 29.

Top three of the week

1. The statue of Apollo from the Place Massena in Nice, with a mask that reads “Protect us”

Photo: VALERY HACHE / AFP

Source: The Vanguard

The French Government made its objective for this summer very clear, and that is that citizens enjoy their holidays on their own national territory.

Yesterday, the imminent creation of vacation vouchers was announced, a kind of tourism subsidy to compensate the sectors most affected by Covid-19, which have endured harsh confinement conditions in small homes, and to reward groups that have been on the front line in the fight against the pandemic, such as health personnel, cleaning employees and workers in the food, transport and distribution sectors.

The details of the plan have yet to be finalized, but the idea is that it be financed, between the central government and the regions. The initiative was unveiled by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne.

2. YouTube’s father

Rob Kenney, a father of two, has been running a YouTube channel for the past month, where he teaches the young (and not-so-young) helpful, very basic practices for vital growth and development.

Influenced by a youth in which his father had a scant presence, he has set out to ensure that no teenager reaches adulthood without knowing things like tying a tie or changing the oil in a car. It could be said that, in a way, he is the father of all those young people he helps.

3. A long journey to surprise your daughter on her birthday

This enthusiastic father drove over 1,000 miles round trip just to be able to share a few minutes with his daughter and wish her a happy birthday.

Julio César Segura, 53, stayed for 17 hours on a trip from El Paso to Austin, Texas to be able to reunite with his daughter Diana for a socially distant lunch on her 19th birthday.

Humans of New York

“I remember noticing at a young age that my mom had two extra stones in her mother’s ring. They were two rubies. And she explained to me that they signified my twin brothers. She told me that she’d given birth to them when she was 22, but was unable to care for them. So she gave them up to another family. I wanted to know more – but it was a closed adoption. We’d receive photos every few years, and I could see the resemblance, which piqued my curiosity even more. But we had no other information. We didn’t even know their last name. And my mom was determined not to overstep her boundaries. She’d always say: ‘I’d love to meet them. And I know you would too. But that will have to be their decision.’ So I didn’t push the issue. But in 2017 my mom got very sick with cancer. And during this time a letter arrived from my brothers’ mom. She told us about their lives. Nothing too deep: what schools they went to, vacations they’d been on, stuff like that. And at the end of her letter, she wrote: ‘I wanted to thank you for the blessing you’ve given me. I couldn’t have kids. And you gave me two.’ My mom was very moved, but she still discouraged me from reaching out. ‘It’s not our place,’ she said. But then a few months later her condition worsened, and she was admitted to hospice. That’s when I said: ‘Fuck it.’ I sent my brothers a message on Facebook. I explained the situation, and told them that if they wanted to meet their biological mother, they had to do it now. Their response was immediate. A few days later, they were on a plane. We met in the hospice parking lot, and it was super awkward for two minutes. But then, it wasn’t. They were so nice. Their mother was with them and she was so sweet too. All of us went inside. My mom was very lucid that morning. She noticed them immediately. She said: ‘Oh my God, my boys.’ Each of them took one of her hands. She told them: ‘I always thought about you. And I always loved you. I just wanted the best for you.’ And they told her: ‘We know that. And we’ve always known that.’ It was a beautiful moment. A couple hours later mom started to feel tired, and she fell asleep. Then later that night, she passed away peacefully.”

Hero of the week

Michael Aaron Tiso of Estepona Rotary Club and Rotaract Countyhas taken part in three activities: with Sense Sostre, Caritas, and the Italian community in Barcelona. With Sense Sostre he helped as a cook preparing around 1200 meals for those in need. With Caritas, he worked in warehouses of Barcelona preparing boxes of non-perishable food, which families can collect once a week. Finally, with the Italian community he works preparing a bag of food for the most needy who can pick it up every day at the church of Sant’ Anna.

What makes you happy?

It makes me happy to share smiles and help; I am also happy to eat well and especially in good company.

An interesting hobby you have?

I have many, I cannot stop still. I really like sports, learning and social networks.

A fun fact about you?

I have a skeleton tattooed for my love to Andalusia.

What message would you send to the world?

We learn the most important lessons in difficult times like the one we are experiencing.

Instagram:@mikeaaronlife