Featured posts – Lumin Story https://luminstory.org It is to shine light where it is dark Mon, 10 Jan 2022 19:30:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 https://luminstory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-lumin_story_favi-32x32.png Featured posts – Lumin Story https://luminstory.org 32 32 Sharing Bread During a Snowstorm https://luminstory.org/2022/01/10/sharing-bread-during-a-snowstorm/ Mon, 10 Jan 2022 19:30:14 +0000 https://luminstory.org/?p=10375 After almost 21 hours of being stuck on 95 South, sleeping here over night, not having access to food or water, and all of the...]]>
After almost 21 hours of being stuck on 95 South, sleeping here over night, not having access to food or water, and all of the nearest towns being out of power we were tired, frustrated, and hungry. Many of the people stuck out here had small children, were elderly, had pets in the car, and hadn’t eaten in almost a whole day.
We reached out to Schmidt Baking Company and begged them to open their truck that was stuck out here with us. We didn’t think it would actually work, but less then 20 minutes later we got an incredible suprise. We received a personal call from the owner of the company Chuck who contacted the driver. This driver Ron Hill opened the back of the truck and with the help of some people close by passed out bread to more than 50 cars who were all incredibly thankful.
This was one of the kindest moments I have ever witnessed. Thank you Schmidt.
Source: Casey Holihan Noe / Facebook
]]> The Jewish Waiter Who Taught Sidney Poitier How to Read https://luminstory.org/2022/01/10/the-jewish-waiter-who-taught-sidney-poitier-how-to-read/ Mon, 10 Jan 2022 19:09:45 +0000 https://luminstory.org/?p=10372 We never know which seemingly small act of kindness can transform a life, and through that life, the lives of countless others. Listen as Sidney...]]>

We never know which seemingly small act of kindness can transform a life, and through that life, the lives of countless others. Listen as Sidney Poitier recounts how a Jewish waiter invested the time to teach him how to read…

]]> Saving a Choking Woman https://luminstory.org/2022/01/10/saving-a-choking-woman/ Mon, 10 Jan 2022 19:00:48 +0000 https://luminstory.org/?p=10369 Her parents feared that Sydney’s autism would be a challenge she would have to overcome. They never imagined it would be an asset that would...]]>

Her parents feared that Sydney’s autism would be a challenge she would have to overcome. They never imagined it would be an asset that would give her gifts and skills that would one day save someone’s life!

 

]]> Dads On Duty https://luminstory.org/2021/10/26/dads-on-duty/ Tue, 26 Oct 2021 18:01:30 +0000 https://luminstory.org/?p=10365 After a violent week of fighting at a Louisiana high school, parents knew something had to change. So, a group of dads decided to show...]]>

After a violent week of fighting at a Louisiana high school, parents knew something had to change.

So, a group of dads decided to show up not just for their kids – but for the whole student body – to help maintain a positive environment…

]]> Loving the Game You Can’t See https://luminstory.org/2021/10/26/10360/ Tue, 26 Oct 2021 17:49:55 +0000 https://luminstory.org/?p=10360 Mike Kearney is a Liverpool fan who rose to fame for a special reason: despite being blind, he attends every Reds game while his cousin...]]>

Mike Kearney is a Liverpool fan who rose to fame for a special reason: despite being blind, he attends every Reds game while his cousin narrates the action in his ear. He was once recorded at a Mo Salah goal, and the video went viral immediately, thrilling the Egyptian striker who didn’t hesitate to give him a lovely surprise.

]]> More than Just Coffee https://luminstory.org/2021/10/21/more-than-just-coffee/ Thu, 21 Oct 2021 14:35:04 +0000 https://luminstory.org/?p=10356 “This is Daniel. He sells the Big Issue outside Hillhead library. Each week, I stop and have a chat, give him a couple of quid,...]]>
“This is Daniel. He sells the Big Issue outside Hillhead library. Each week, I stop and have a chat, give him a couple of quid, if I have it, and buy him a coffee from the place I go to for a breakfast. Then, when I finish my breakfast I’ll usually take him over another coffee and pay for a few in advance (or suspended, as some folk call them) so he can get warmed up when it gets chilly.
Today, I did the same as usual but when I went to pay for my breakfast, the girl in the cafe told me it had already been paid for……..by Daniel.
He’d won £20 on a scratch card and decided he was going to treat me for a wee change. As I took a coffee over to him, his face was an absolute picture and he told me that it had made him happy that I’d had a nice surprise and it was his way of showing his appreciation for the coffees and the chats.
If you’re over Byres Road way, take a minute to say hello to him, even if you don’t buy the magazine.”
Credit: Joe Wilson
]]> Heroism from United Flight 93 https://luminstory.org/2021/09/12/heroism-from-united-flight-93/ Sun, 12 Sep 2021 02:33:06 +0000 https://luminstory.org/?p=10351 This is the transcript of the 911 call made from Todd Beamer from United Flight 93… Todd: Hello… Operator…listen to me…I can’t speak very loud....]]>
This is the transcript of the 911 call made from Todd Beamer from United Flight 93…
Todd: Hello… Operator…listen to me…I can’t speak very loud. – This is an emergency. I’m a passenger on a United flight to San Francisco.. We have a situation here….Our plane has been hijacked…..can you understand me?
Lisa: (exhaling a deep breath to herself) I understand… Can the hijackers see you talking on the phone?
Todd: No
Lisa: Can you tell me how many hijackers are on the plane?
Todd: There are three that we know of.
Lisa: Can you see any weapons? What kind of weapons do they have?
Todd: Yes…. they don’t have guns….they have knives – they took over the plane with knives.
Lisa: Do you mean…like steak knives?
Todd: No, these are razor knives…like box cutters.
Lisa: Can you tell what country these people are from?
Todd: No…..I don’t know. They sound like they’re from the mid-east.
Lisa: Have they said what they want?
Todd: Someone announced from the cockpit that there was a bomb on board. He said he was the captain and to stay in our seats and stay quiet.
He said that they were meeting these men’s demands and returning to the airport… It was very broken English, and… I’m telling you…it sounded fake!
Lisa: Ok sir, please give me your name.
Todd: My name is Todd Beamer.
Lisa: Ok Todd….my name is Lisa…Do you know your flight number? If you can’t remember, it’s on your ticket.
Todd: It’s United Flight 93.
Lisa: Now Todd, can you try to tell me exactly what happened?
Todd: Two of the hijackers were sitting in first class near the cockpit. A third one was sitting near the back of the coach section. The two up. front got into the cockpit somehow; there was shouting. The third hijacker said he had a bomb. It looks like a bomb. He’s got it tied to his waist with a red belt of some kind.
Lisa: So is the door to the cockpit open?
Todd: No, the hijackers shut it behind them.
Lisa: Has anyone been injured?
Todd: Yes, ..they…they killed one passenger sitting in first class. There’s been lots of shouting. We don’t know if the pilots are dead or alive. A flight attendant told me that the pilot and copilot had been forced from the cockpit and may have been wounded.
Lisa: Where is the 3rd hijacker now Todd?
Todd: He’s near the back of the plane. They forced most of the passengers into first class. There are fourteen of us here in the back. Five are flight attendants. He hasn’t noticed that I slipped into this pantry to get the phone. The guy with the bomb ordered us to sit on the floor in the rear of the plane……….oh Jesus.. Help!
Lisa: Todd….are you ok? Tell me what’s happening!
Todd: Hello…..We’re going down….I think we’re going to crash……Wait – wait a minute. No, we’re leveling off….we’re ok. I think we may be turning around…..That’s it – we changed directions. Do you hear me….we’re flying east again.
Lisa: Ok Todd…. What’s going on with the other passengers?
Todd: Everyone is… really scared. A few passengers with cell phones have made calls to relatives. A guy, Jeremy, was talking to his wife just before the hijacking started. She told him that hijackers had crashed two planes into the World Trade Center……Lisa is that true??
Lisa: Todd…..I have to tell you the truth…..it’s very bad. The World Trade Center is gone. Both of the towers have been destroyed.
Todd: Oh God —help us!
Lisa: A third plane was taken over by terrorists. It crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC. Our country is under attack….and I’m afraid that your plane may be part of their plan.
Todd: Oh dear God. Dear God…….Lisa, will you do something for me?
Lisa: I’ll try….if I can….Yes.
Todd: I want you to call my wife and my kids for me and tell them what’s happened. Promise me you’ll call..
Lisa: I promise – I’ll call.
Todd: Our home number is 201 353-1073…….You have the same name as my wife…Lisa….We’ve been married for 10 years. She’s pregnant with our 3rd child. Tell her that I love her…….(choking up)..I’ll always love her..(clearing throat) We have two boys.. David, he’s 3 and Andrew, he’s 1…..Tell them……(choking) tell them that their daddy loves them and that he is so proud of them. (clearing throat again) Our baby is due January 12th…..I saw an ultra sound…..it was great….we still don’t know if it’s a girl or a boy………Lisa?
Lisa: (barely able to speak) I’ll tell them, I promise Todd.
Todd: I’m going back to the group—if I can get back I will…
Lisa: Todd, leave this line open…are you still there?……
Lisa: (dials the phone..) Hello, FBI, my name is Lisa Jefferson, I’m a telephone supervisor for GTE. I need to report a terrorist hijacking of a United Airlines Flight 93….Yes I’ll hold.
Goodwin: Hello, this is Agent Goodwin.. I understand you have a hijacking situation?
Lisa: Yes sir, I’ve been talking with a passenger, a Todd Beamer, on Flight 93 who managed to get to an air phone unnoticed.
Goodwin: Where did this flight originate, and what was its destination?
Lisa: The flight left Newark New Jersey at 8 A.M. departing for San Francisco. The hijackers took over the plane shortly after takeoff, and several minutes later the plane changed course – it is now flying east.
Goodwin: Ms. Jefferson…I need to talk to someone aboard that plane. Can you get me thru to the planes phone?
Lisa: I still have that line open sir, I can patch you through on a conference call…hold a mo…..
Todd: Hello Lisa, Lisa are you there?
Lisa: Yes, I’m here. Todd, I made a call to the FBI, Agent Goodwin is on the line and will be talking to you as well.
Todd: The others all know that this isn’t your normal hijacking. Jeremy called his wife again on his cell phone. She told him more about the World Trade Center and all.
Goodwin: Hello Todd. This is Agent Goodwin with the FBI. We have been monitoring your flight. Your plane is on a course for Washington, DC. These terrorists sent two planes into the World Trade Center and one plane into the Pentagon. Our best guess is that they plan to fly your plane into either the White House or the United States Capital Building.
Todd: I understand…hold on……I’ll…….I’ll be back..
Lisa: Mr. Goodwin, how much time do they have before they get to Washington?
Goodwin: Not long ma’am. They changed course over Cleveland; they’re approaching Pittsburgh now. Washington may be twenty minutes away.
Todd: (breathing a little heavier) The plane seems to be changing directions just a little. It’s getting pretty rough up here. The plane is flying real erratic….We’re not going to make it out of here. Listen to me….I want you to hear this….I have talked with the others….we have decided we would not be pawns in these hijackers suicidal plot.
Lisa: Todd, what are you going to do?
Todd: We’ve hatched a plan. Four of us are going to rush the hijacker with the bomb. After we take him out, we’ll break into the cockpit. A stewardess is getting some boiling water to throw on the hijackers at the controls. We’ll get them….and we’ll take them out. Lisa, …..will you do one last thing for me?
Lisa: Yes…What is it?
Todd: Would you pray with me?
They pray: Our father which art in Heaven
Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive our trespassers,
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory
Forever…..Amen
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…
He makes me to lie down in green pastures
He leads me beside the still waters
He restores my soul
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil, for thou art with me…..
Are you guys ready?
Let’s Roll…
]]> Remembering Rick Riscorla https://luminstory.org/2021/09/12/remembering-rick-riscorla/ Sun, 12 Sep 2021 02:23:53 +0000 https://luminstory.org/?p=10348 While he tried to get everyone else out…he went back in to save as many lives as he could.  ]]>

While he tried to get everyone else out…he went back in to save as many lives as he could.

 

]]> Becoming a Cook Against the Odds https://luminstory.org/2021/08/12/becoming-a-cook-against-the-odds/ Thu, 12 Aug 2021 20:42:53 +0000 https://luminstory.org/?p=10339 When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. And when one of your best employees comes to you and says that in spite of all...]]>
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.
And when one of your best employees comes to you and says that in spite of all obstacles, they want to be a cook…you find a way to make it happen. You move a couple pieces of equipment around so she can reach. You take some wood, screws and the skills of a local craftsman ( her grandfather) to make her a perch. And you step back to watch her live out a dream. Angelina’s Reubens. Nothing any better.
This is who we are.
This is what we do.
Source: Facebook / Jordyn’s Deli
]]> Special Treats https://luminstory.org/2021/07/28/special-treats/ Wed, 28 Jul 2021 16:28:02 +0000 https://luminstory.org/?p=10335 Was staying at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Tifton, Georgia. When we arrived the kids saw some cookies for guests at the front desk....]]>

Was staying at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Tifton, Georgia. When we arrived the kids saw some cookies for guests at the front desk. The kids asked if they were kosher. They were not which was fine of course and we all went to our room. About an hour later I was asked to come to the front desk. When I arrived, there was a basket of kosher treats for the kids. The person who checked us in went to the local Publix and put this together for them. Beyond unexpected! She said, “I just felt bad for the kids and wanted them to have something special.” Amazing customer service! Amazing human!

Source: Facebook / Eliezer Jones

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