Ken Wallace went to the Starbucks in Nashville, Tennessee as usual to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. This morning when he went to the café, he noticed that something was wrong.

A black man was in the store’s parking lot shouting at Leonessa Ward, the general manager of the Starbucks. The manager said, “A waiter told me that you are asking the customers for money, so...” “I just locked my keys in my car! And I didn’t have the money to hire a locksmith (锁匠)! How can you say I’m asking the customers for money?” the black man shouted at the manager angrily.

Wallace, who is also a black man, approached the two people in the hope that he could help clear the air. But Ward went inside to call upper management to ask how to deal with the situation. Then, she came out and said to the man, “I’ve gotten permission from our company; we’ll pay to open your car. We just want you to know if you think we’re attacking you, we’re not. That’s not who we are.” Hearing this, the black man just looked down and said, “Ma’am, if you would allow me the chance, I’d like to apologize to you.”

The general manager finally bought the man breakfast and chatted with him before hugging the man, calling him a friend, and saying that he was free to come back any time.

Wallace called it one of the most powerful experiences of his life. “You are only going to move misunderstanding away if you calm down and listen to others,” said Wallace.

Preschool Girl Lifts Old Man’s Spirits

When Tara Wood brought her daughter to a grocery store to buy the four-year-old some cupcakes, she had no idea that would be a life-changing experience.

As Tara pushed her daughter Norah around the store last month, she passed an old man who was by himself. The old man looked cold, until Norah shouted to him, “Hi! It’s my birthday today!” The man stopped and his demeanor changed from distant and serious to warm and friendly. “How old are you today?” the man asked. After some time talking together, Norah asked her mom to take a picture of her with her new friend “Mr. Dan”, Dan Peterson, 82. They hugged and after ten minutes went their separate ways. That could have been the end of the story. But it is actually the beginning of a special relationship.

Tara posted the picture of her daughter and Mr. Dan on Facebook and someone who recognized him reached out to her with his contact information. It turned out that Mr. Dan’s wife died in March and he had been suffering from depression and anxiety ever since. The person on Facebook told Tara that it was the first time they had seen Mr. Dan smile since the death of his wife. Knowing that, Tara contacted Mr. Dan, and ever since Norah and the 82-year-old have developed a friendship unlike any other. “She has shown me a depth of love, a depth that I didn’t know existed,” Mr. Dan told the reporter.

Mr. Dan told Tara that before meeting Norah, he hadn’t had one night of uninterrupted sleep. Anxiety kept him up at all hours and made him restless. After meeting Norah, he said he now sleeps soundly. For Mr. Dan’s 82nd birthday on October 20, the mother and the daughter brought balloons and presents — and, of course, cupcakes. Mr. Dan will also spend a day around Thanksgiving with Norah and her family. “If you don’t take the time to notice people, you will never know how you can positively impact a life,” Tara Wood said.

The sign on the librarian’s desk read: “Readers Wanted for Project Read Aloud.” Sherene stared at it as the librarian stamped the book that she had selected for her weekly reading fare with a return by date.

“What is Project Read Aloud?” Sherene asked.

“Here’s the brochure about it. There’s a form inside to fill out if you want to become a reader. There is no pay, by the way,” the librarian said with a smile.

Sherene walked home. She loved living within walking distance of her town’s public library. She loved to sit in one of the overstuffed reading chairs in the reading room with the smell of books all around her and lose herself in a book. She had moved away after high school and had recently moved back. The library and fond memories of her childhood had drawn her back to this small town.

Once home, she sat down to read the brochure, which said, “Project Read Aloud seeks to provide the opportunity of hearing stories read aloud in a comfortable setting.” That is a fine goal, she thought.

Sherene filled out the form. She loved reading aloud. When she was a child, she read aloud to her teddy bear. Later, when she grew up and became a teacher, she read aloud to her students many times throughout the day. Since her retirement, she read aloud only to herself and Boots, her cat. It would feel so good to have a human audience once again to share stories with.

A couple of days later, Sherene sat in the now empty small theatre in the library, preparing the first story she was going to read. Soon, the audience began to wander in and find their seats. The theatre was half full in half an hour. Sherene stepped to the edge of the stage and introduced herself. She explained the origin of the story, opened the book and began to read. She wove the tale masterfully creating voices for the characters, pausing for emphasis, and taking the listeners into another world.

When Sherene read the last words of the story, there was a momentary silence as it all sank into the listeners and then a burst of enthusiastic applause. At that moment, understanding did grow in the town through the sharing of stories.