Have you ever noticed that during the last part of each year, we get lots of feel-good stories?

Several years ago I decided to look for good-news every day. I decided to clip an article and paste it into a scrapbook. Do scrapbooks still exist?

Anyways, I only got about a month into the project when I either lost hope, or became distracted. I ended up with thirty articles, not 365.

I decided to revive the idea by posting a Good News Monday.

Here’s what I found today:

On a local level:

Coach Nolls, who took Illinois Richard-Burton football team all the way to win the State Championship, was honored by the local paper. Former players asked him questions like:

• What would you do differently?
• What historical figure would you most like to question?
• What do you focus on outside of football?

I’m not a big football fan. Still, I found the article heartwarming.

On an environmental level:

New England Aquarium and Draper of Cambridge teamed up to create Counting Whales from Space. Draper of Cambridge is an engineering firm.

Together they are using data from sources such as satellites, sonar and radar to keep a closer eye on how many whales are in the ocean.

The Associated Press

Hopefully, this will help prevent whales from becoming extinct. It will also help keep marine biologists safe. Right now, aerial surveys are the most frequent way of tracking whales. This can be dangerous because of frequent hostile weather conditions.

On a Personal Level:

Treasure House, Luna Azul, and Main Street are communities that focus on inclusion for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

When CoCo was still a girl, I went to an estate planning meeting for parents of children with disabilities. The speaker said that every parent’s dream is that they will live one day longer than their disabled child.

I never had that dream.

That said, I want CoCo to live as independently as possible. Lucky for her and for me, she is doing that. She, like many other people with a cognitive disability, has lived her whole life in the “real world.” I could never envision her in an institutional setting. I understand how a protective environment might give many parents peace of mind, and in some cases, I’m sure it’s the best environment.

Not for CoCo. She loves interacting with people. She loves to shop. She loves to make her own decisions. She just needs a little loving guidance. She and I are lucky that she lives in a community that recognizes her needs and appreciates her strengths.

I hope Treasure House, Luna Azul, and Main Street are just the beginning of continued inclusivity for people with disabilities.