Did you see this?

It was under the ‘Good News’ section of an online news service.

A Royal Air Force veteran, in England, who served during World War II, died in a nursing home.

The 99-year-old had no surviving family members or friends to attend his funeral, 

so the facility posted a notice in a local newspaper, asking service personnel to attend.

Other local media picked up the story 

and the photo of the initial callout was widely shared on social media. 

It seems the Internet listened. 

Hundreds of strangers turned up at the service to show their support for the deceased veteran; 
standing in the rain when the chapel filled to capacity.

During the service, 

clergy told attendees they had "come in numbers surpassing anything that was expected. 

Not because you knew him, 

but because each of us has a common humanity," 

the Associated Press reports.

Don’t get me wrong.

I love Good News as much, if not more than anyone, 

however, this story doesn’t cut it as that for me. 

Lovely gesture, to be sure… 

but the person being ‘honored’ didn’t have a clue. 

It was too late. 

This wasn’t about him; 

this was to make his caregivers and the people who responded 

feel better about themselves. 

Would all those people have come if the nursing home had taken out a post saying, 

“Hey, there’s an old man here with no family to visit him. 

He sits alone day after day and feels forgotten. 

Come spend an hour with him; 

ask him to tell you about his life 

before age and infirmity robbed him of a purpose 
other than something he did 8 decades ago. 

Send him a card, bring him a treat - 

but more than anything, give him the gift of your time. 

Ask him about his childhood, his greatest love, his biggest adventure. 

Show him attention 
‘because each of us has a common humanity’ – 
and the same end waiting for us”. 

How long do you think the line would have been out the door
of people willing to do THAT?

Just asking.