Michael,

Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful story! What a great testament of how God works through each of us to accomplish his work. If people only realized the positive difference that we make to each other's lives on a daily basis, I believe they would talk sweeter, laugh longer, and smile more daily.

Great Job!!!!

That's a wonderful story! I'm going to share it with my teachers.

These God stories are most inspiring and create a need in me to experience these for myself. I have found that effective listening is the (or one of the) best methods to receive an experience with God. When another is hurting, they need someone to listen to their situation and this kind act on our part will give them an opening to spill their woes. And always remember that it is impossible to not feel better when you help someone else feel better. Thank you for your work.

I do not believe in the existence of God and find it sad that rather than appreciating people and natural events, so many events are attributable to a non-existent entity. There is so much to appreciate about the world and the people in it. I wish the need did not exist to cling to fairy tales.

The old man and boy in the story are precious, in and of themselves.

I am truly impressed by your views about the importance of character counting in our society. I agree wholeheartedly that this is something I would like to share with my students and their families beginning this school year. I read on the Internet how some teachers are using your materials (books) in their primary classes. Working in an urban school district with many low socioeconomic families (98% free/reduced lunches) I see a great need to raise the level of awareness about positive character traits and their many benefits. I hope to be notified of the availability of materials soon via e-mail. Thank you for your insight! Is the parent guide included in the kit?

Michael, you dropped the ball on this one. In showing how people can help each other, which is a character story and the point of your organization, you attribute the result to God. Oops! That diminishes the contribution we can make as people and side lines those of us who believe in good character but not necessarily a god. Character Counts should surely appeal to all, atheists, agnostics, and religious alike and encourage us to believe we can make a difference as individuals because what we do is right. I don't think it should imply that divine intervention is responsible. I'm sure this was an oversight. Please stick to people demonstrating good character for your motivational stories and leave the faith-based ones to church and temple. Thanks.

Doesn't make any difference if you believe in God or not, He believes in you and uses other people to take care of you. If it weren't for absolutes (right and wrong), we wouldn't have guidelines for our character. God provides those absolutes for us because we can't come up with them on our own.

I want to respond to John Daykin's comment if I may.
One of the problems with those who do not believe in God is they feel it necessary to make sure no one speaks of God other than at church, certainly not in any public way. My question is why? if you're offended by public displays of God or faith, then you can always turn it off, put it down, or not listen to comments made as free speech in a free society by people who have every right to mention God in public, just like you have the right not to!!

I would like to say that I agree with John Daykin in that so often the religious among us tend to believe that all morality springs eternal from religion (like when LB said "because we can't come up with [right and wrong] on our own." I would never ask that the religious people stop talking about their religion. I would only ask that they stop assuming that those of us who are not religious do not have any morals or values. And although I find it sad that the atheists tend to lash out at religious people, I can certainly understand that given the amount of persecution and condescension that has been heaped upon us for so many years.

This story was great and well intended, I feel it accomplished what it was supposed to accomplish in all who read it. For those who are atheist, agnostic or religious, we should attempt to look at this story from a spiritual connotation. So many of us get caught up in the religious rant that we take our eyes off of the true essence of what man is made of, which is the spirit that operates within. Let us allow us to be in tune spiritually with ourselves to the point that it drives us to be of a good character and allows us as a whole to develop the desire to spread that which is good so it becomes inherent once again in the majority of if not all of our society.

It is certainly the right of everyone in this wonderful country to believe or not believe in God. I was touched by this story and it is good for all of us to feel a tender pull at our heartstrings once in awhile. I took this story home with me and have shared it with several people and they have all loved it. So if you do not believe in God, just go to the next story and leave the rest of us to enjoy these tender stories. By the way, God bless and keep you.