Compassion

I came across this article over at Kirtsy the other day and wanted to pass it along. It's about the U.S. under-17 girl's soccer team playing in the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football). They were going to be playing against a team from Haiti shortly after the earthquake had occurred there. They realized they would be playing against girls who were devastated, emotionally and physically. Instead of strategizing and focusing on how to win, they went to work gathering supplies to give to the Haitian team when they met in Costa Rica. When the U.S. won their game against Haiti, they comforted the other team as they dealt with the overwhelming emotion of their situations.

Abby Wambach, who plays on the U.S. women's national team, wrote to the girls saying, "It is rare to have moments like that show up, but even more rare to actually do the right thing when they arise. It takes people who think outside of themselves to do what you all did. I believe it truly shows one's character. And to do it in the way you did was simply one of the most gracious things I've seen in a long time."

So, I admit, this article made me cry, but I am a cryer. Episodes of Little Bill on Nick Jr. make me cry. This story is touching. I know there are countless stories out there of people who were willing to spend their time and effort and money to help people in Haiti, as well as people in other parts of the world who are suffering, but it is refreshing and comforting to hear about teenagers who are working to help. Teenagers get all grouped together as being lazy or self-centered or spoiled or whatever, but there are those who are more concerned with the needs of others and who are stepping forward to show compassion and be an example to everyone. I love hearing about those teenagers. I especially love this story because these teenage girls didn't just decide to do this one day in school, they did it during a sports competition and they did it without the urging of any adult or outside influence.