DEAR ABBY: I would like to contribute the enclosed clipping from my local newspaper. Add it to your collection of good deeds; I cried when I read it. We see so many stories about bad kids in the media, such as children killing other children. This proves there are good kids out there, too. Sign me ... A BIG SOFTY IN EUGENE, ORE.
DEAR SOFTY: The article brought tears to my eyes, too. And I'm pleased to share it with my readers:
"We took four of our younger children to the Sheldon Community Center for an Easter egg hunt. Jessica is 9 1/2 and totally blind. She felt it was more fair to hunt with kids her age, rather than with younger kids. At first I wasn't sure this would work; there were many 9-, 10- and 11-year-old kids, gathered in a group, anxiously waiting for the horn to sound. Two girls went out on the field ahead of time. It took a little convincing by the head guy to get them back to wait with the others.
"The horn sounded, and the kids all ran out, picking up eggs like a huge street cleaner. Jessica had her cane ready, but it's hard to slide a cane back and forth on wet grass 'looking' for eggs. There weren't any eggs left for my daughter.
"A father and son were nearby. The boy reached into his small bag, took out a plastic egg and placed it near my daughter. She felt all around her and found the egg. Her face lit up as she placed it in her bag. The little boy then took out two more eggs and placed them around her. One could see the joy he felt in sharing with my daughter.
"Soon, more kids came along, each placing an egg near Jessica. It was hard for me to even thank the kids because my throat was tight and tears tried so hard to escape from my eyes.
"One child came along with a huge bag of eggs and reached down to grab one of the eggs Jessica hadn't found yet, one that was about two inches away from Jessica. Two of the other kids quickly said, 'They are hers!' She gently put the egg back within Jessica's reach. That young girl learned a little that day -- a little about herself, a little about sharing.
"As kids learn to reach out to others, at this young age, they acquire a habit that will last a lifetime. This warm feeling will spread from child to child and will truly help to make this a better world." -- LAHNA RASMUSSEN