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“Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life.” --Rumi
Hello everyone! Shoveling snow for neighbors who can’t, protecting endangered birds, and helping families with autistic children travel with greater ease are a few of the stories we are highlighting this week. Kindness, respect for others, and loving actions are alive and well in our world! May we remember to focus on what is working and keep our spirits nourished and well supported as we move more fully into 2024. Wishing you well this week!
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Concord California
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With roughly 1 in 36 children on the autism spectrum in the US in 2020, the travel industry is working to help families with autistic children -- from hotels
offering free "practice stays" and registering as autism-friendly destinations, and airports offering check-in and boarding "rehearsals" and sunflower lanyards to visitors who might need additional help. Funded by a $50,000 American Rescue Plan grant, the 'practice stay' program gives hotels insight into the best ways to provide inclusive, accessible hospitality. In 2020, San Francisco airport partnered with MagnusCards to create the Ready Set Fly app, providing step-by-step directions for checking in and navigating the airport. Alan Day's 'Autism Double-Checked' trains hospitality staff and certifies hotels, resorts and airlines at levels ranging from "autism aware" to "autism ready."
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Peace Islands Institute Pennsylvania
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Friendships among various religious leaders and groups in Philadelphia have helped to sustain ties at a time when its Jewish and Muslim communities are suffering a spike in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents, as this long story shows. A group of about 15 Jewish and Muslim community leaders composed of both clergy and laypeople has held conversations that are personal and emotional. Another interfaith group has brought together Jewish people and Black Christians to share, learn and advocate on important issues together. On Dec. 10, the fourth night of Hanukkah, 50 clergy and laypeople from Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist Jewish congregations and Baptist, Mennonite and Lutheran churches joined together to sing, pray and eat. "No matter what happens in a region far from here, that is near and dear and important to all of us, we need to be neighbors, and we want to be neighbors, and we need and want to live in community together," says Rabbi David Straus, co-convener of the Religious Leaders Council of Greater Philadelphia.
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Franco Mendoza
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In 1997, when the ground-dwelling bird Jocotoco Antpitta (Grallaria ridgelyi) was first found in southeastern Ecuador, it was immediately recognized as critically endangered due to its small range and threats to its habitat. Since the Jocotoco Foundation was created in 1998, it has established a network of 15 reserves across Ecuador which safeguard 10% of the world's bird species. Each reserve protects areas that are globally significant for bird conservation. Jocotoco's conservation strategy integrates ecotourism, community engagement and education, and scientific research and monitoring. It works closely with local communities to promote conservation awareness and sustainable practices while its ecotourism programs create employment opportunities and revenue for people living around their reserves.
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Israr Ahmed
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Snow can be magic until you have to shovel it. That's why some Whitehorse, Yukon residents are offering to shovel driveways, porches, and sidewalks for elders, pregnant people, or residents living with health issues for free. About 20 volunteers are ready to do the work, says Israr Ahmed, a member of the group. "It's grounded in our Islamic tradition which is to care about your neighbors." He got a good response when he posted on social media, calling for volunteers as well as those who need help with shoveling. Ahmed, who moved from India to Whitehorse three years ago, works full time at the Canadian telecommunications company Northwestel. He and his volunteer group plan to do the shoveling jobs on their days off, or during spare time when not at work.
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Meet the "Welsh Tidy Mouse," a resident of Builth Wells, who's stirring quite a buzz with its unusual behavior. This industrious rodent has been caught on camera repeatedly collecting an assortment of objects and neatly stashing them in a tray -- a nightly ritual that's gracing your screen as "mousekeeping." While mice are known for their meticulous grooming habits, this take-charge approach to housekeeping is unique. Sure, bees, ants, and even songbirds engage in cleaning activities, but no one thought, "Hey, this is messy. I need to tidy it up," was in a mouse's repertoire. Yet according to Dr. Megan Jackson from the University of Bristol, the mouse's actions may not be as much about tidying its environment but rather a delightful display of its curiosity. Regardless, watching the mouse relish its idiosyncratic chore is undeniably enjoyable, reminding us that life's simple pleasures aren't just for humans. As Jackson puts it, "It's actually quite nice to see a mouse engaging in behavior that isn't completely necessary."
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