I was having a tough day.
I had just finished up creating a graphic celebrating the birthday of Tamir Rice. He should have been enjoying his 17th birthday today, but of course, he didn’t make it past 12-years-old. Shot and killed in cold blood, at the hands of police officers as he played with a toy gun in a park in Cleveland, Ohio.
Re-reading the details of his story had me holding back tears, but I came across something that brought some joy to the day.
A now-viral Instagram post by Aundrea Smith shows her daughter, a brand new Pre-K graduate, shedding a tear while getting a big embrace from her brother.
In the caption, Smith shares that after the graduation ceremony, her son told his sister “I’m just so proud of you,” during the hug. This led to the waterworks from his younger sister and now, probably thousands of social media users as well.
Check out the post below, which now has over 17,000 likes and take Smith’s advice from the caption: let people know that they are a blessing in your life, reach out to them and others, and share joy!