101 Inspirational Stories About Good People

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At my friendly, local public library I found and have enjoyed reading a 2024 book by Gabriel Reilich and Lucia Knell titled Good People: Stories from the best of humanity. It has six chapters with 101 inspirational stories divided as follows:  

 

The Kindness of Strangers - 16

Learn by Heart - 20

It’s the Little Things - 21

The Kids Are All Right - 14

When I Needed It Most - 16

Away From Home - 14

 

These stories might be the basis for inspirational speeches, like for Toastmasters club meetings. Two stories you can read in the preview at Google Books are Do it for Peggy on page 22 and Hallelujah (about Leonard Cohen’s music) on pages 112 and 113.

 

In Chapter 2, Learn by Heart, on pages 105 and 106 there is a story by Sara C. titled Reading Out Loud:

 

"Reading out loud in class is a literal hell for a kid with dyslexia.

 

Whenever I had to read something, I would shield my face with my hands to hide the bright red embarrassment underneath. Some kids have a gift for sensing weakness in others, so I got made fun of. A lot.

 

In the sixth grade, I had a new teacher: a huge bear of a man with a heart of gold named Mr, Cook. He was a legend in our little town – a veteran teacher who could use his big voice to instantly stop a fight or wrap a crying child in his burly arms. During my elementary school years, a lot of kids didn’t have a dad at home, and Mr. Cook was what every kid aspired to.

 

When my mom struggled to make ends meet or had trouble with my older sister acting out, Mr. Cook lent a listening ear and made sure we had school supplies. When I knew I smelled a gas leak by the oldest part of the school, he believed me and had it checked out. (There was a gas leak, and because he was the one adult to believe me, it was found!)

 

Even though I knew Mr. Cook and was excited to be in his class, I’d never had the experience of being a student in his classroom. So when time came for the awful ritual of reading aloud, followed be requisite mockery from my peers, I expected him to ignore it, like so many teachers had before.

 

I was wrong.

 

Instead, Mr. Cook gently stopped me to deliver a message to the class. In the most solemn voice I’d ever heard him use, he said, ‘Listen to me. We do not make fun of anyone practicing reading out loud. We are all here to learn.’ Then he looked right at me and said,’ You read well. Slow down, and don’t ever be embarrassed to make a mistake.’

 

After that, the teasing stopped. In Mr. Cook’s shielding presence, I was finally able to feel calm in my pursuit of knowledge, an equanimity I hadn’t known before. I began practicing reading aloud to my little sister every night. Eventually, I overcame my dyslexia when I read aloud, because Mr. Cook gave me a safe space to do that.

 

Thanks to this huge bear of a man, my confidence finally came out of hibernation. His is the voice in my head that reminds me I don’t ever need to be embarrassed for making mistakes while I’m learning a new skill.”

 

The community image was adapted from one at OpenClipArt.