Every once in a while I start to feel jaded and cynical about what's happening in the world. It's stories like this that remind me of the potential for good and giving that each of us carry around with us.
65 year old Bert Brumett has ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease). He can't talk, move, or even breathe on his own, but his mind is still sharp. To keep him stimulated, his wife Robin came up with a novel idea.
Knowing that Bert's keen intellect is alive and well, Robin decided if he couldn't go out into the world, she'd bring the world to him.
Not long ago she placed an ad on craigslist, the classified-advertising Web site, seeking people who would come to their home and spend an hour or so talking with Bert about any topic of mutual interest: travel, history, gambling strategies or medicine, to name a few. No rules, no pay, just an hour of conversation — or monologue, really.
In a short time, there were 50 responses, ranging from belly dancers to proponents of holistic medicine.
Thus was born Brumett U, which Robin calls her "college of conversation."
This story has it all. Love, reaching out for help, and complete strangers feeling moved to respond. We really do have an amazing capacity for beauty. This article gave me just the spark I needed today.
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