Current Events: The $20 from Heaven

Amidst all this sadness and terror and death and despair, we wanted to write something about the happy things on this Earth, and remind you all that the world is still an extraordinarily beautiful place and that being happy is crucial. We hope this story will bring a smile to you , as it did to us.

When eight-year-old Myles Eckert found $20 in the parking lot of a restaurant in Ohio, his first thought was to buy a video game. But when he saw a soldier in uniform sitting at a table eating his lunch, he changed his mind. Myles wrapped the precious bill in a note and gave it to the soldier, Lt. Col. Frank Dailey. Dailey was blown away. He couldn’t help himself from tearing up, which he doesn’t do regularly.

'Dear Soldier - my dad was a soldier. He's in heaven now. I found this 20 dollars in the parking lot when we got here. We like to pay it forward in my family. It's your lucky day! Thank you for your service. Myles Eckert, a gold star kid.'

You see, Myle’s father, Army Sgt. Andy Eckert, was killed in Iraq five short weeks after Myles was born. He never knew him, but he imagines him as “a really nice person, and somebody that would be really fun,” he said.

Since this story aired, swarms of people have wanted to give him $20 back. But instead of using the money to buy more video games, he has donated the money to Snowball Express, an organization that helps kids who’ve lost a parent to war. The donations have added up to more than a quarter of a million dollars.

We think Myle’s father is very proud up in heaven.

Sources: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-8-year-old-turns-20-into-priceless-gift/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-boys-20-investment-in-kindness-yields-big-return/

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