Good Stuff Thread

railfancwb · November 9, 2023

1 hour ago, pipedreams said:

Katharine Hepburn’s childhood, in her own words.
“Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus.
Finally, there was only one other family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me.
There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The way they were dressed, you could tell they didn't have a lot of money, but their clothes were neat and clean.
The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, animals, and all the acts they would be seeing that night. By their excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before. It would be a highlight of their lives.
The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say, "You're my knight in shining armor." He was smiling and enjoying seeing his family happy.
The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted? He proudly responded, "I'd like to buy eight children's tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family to the circus." The ticket lady stated the price.
The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man's lip began to quiver. Then he leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?" The ticket lady again stated the price.
The man didn't have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus?
Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and then dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."
The man understood what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking and embarrassing situation.
He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied; "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."
My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 that my dad gave away is what we were going to buy our own tickets with.
Although we didn't get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide.
That day I learnt the value to Give.
The Giver is bigger than the Receiver. If you want to be large, larger than life, learn to Give. Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything.
The importance of giving, blessing others can never be over emphasized because there's always joy in giving. Learn to make someone happy by acts of giving.”

Some things are special. Thanks for sharing

**minderasr** · December 12, 2023

103-Year-Old WWII Vet Shares Secrets To Life Along With His Story

Sam Avolicino is an American hero and World War II veteran who took some time to talk about his life as a 103-year-old and share some wisdom to younger people. When a person of that age, who has seen so much, offers advice, it is never a waste of time to tune in and see what they have to say. Avolicino lived an action-packed life and brought decades of life lessons to the table.

One thing that is often asked of centenarians, people who live to be 100 or more years old, is what diet tips they have for folks who seek more longevity. Avolicino tackled that question right away, jumping directly to his favorite meal when interviewed by Fox News Digital.

He kicked the interview off on a jovial note, saying, “I’m Italian, so pasta is the first thing that comes to my mind. I enjoyed my mother’s food for so long. As a kid, I grew up with good, homemade pasta and the Italian custom was you drank a little wine with water because it’s good for the blood. So, maybe that’s an excuse, but it’s OK.”

Avolicino arrived on the European front later on in the war, seeing no combat action, but that does not mean that he left without stories. He found himself working in the Nuremberg Opera House, entertaining troops alongside the likes of Mickey Rooney and Bob Hope. He said, “I landed in France one day before the war was over. So I got reassigned to special services and my CEO assigned me to the Nuremberg (Nürnberg) Opera House to entertain the troops while we waited to be shipped home.”

He even has stories of collaborating with the Germans to use the theater to entertain both the English-speaking and German-speaking folks in the area. He said, “I made arrangements with the Germans to have the theater on Wednesday afternoons to put on anything they wanted to play. Then they would present the same thing to the GIs if they wanted to see the opera or the ballet and things like that.”

Speaking about his father, both John and Steve Avolicino spoke highly of the man that raised them and the man that he is now in his later years. They say that Sam has not let his age stop him from enjoying life, adding that he stays active in the community and with hobbies to occupy his time and keep his mind fresh.

John said, “He just loves life and he loves living, That’s always stood out for me. He enjoys every day. Right now, he’s in three different football pools and he’s on the computer all the time. His newest thing now is he makes his own [greeting] cards with his own sayings.”

Additionally, during an interview with NBC Bay Area, Mr. Avolicino said that the secret to happiness is having “Wine, good pasta and no stress, and a good wife.” Watch him talk about that here:

It is imperative to hear what men like Sam Avolicino have to say at the ripe age of 103. What many consider to be America’s greatest generation is on its last legs, and this is our opportunity to immortalize and remember the lessons and rules that they lived by so that we may bring our generation to their level of greatness.