by Phoebe Farag Mikhail

This is my second installment of an occasional series where I share three (or four, or five) great things on the internet—something to read, something to listen to, something to watch, and occasionally, something to buy and something to donate. These range from the important to the fun to the frivolous. I hope you enjoy these as much as I have!

TLDR: I’m not crying, you’re crying: Watch how this school janitor help her school’s homeless kids. Read about this school principal who installed a free laundromat for students to wash their clothes. While you’re at it, read my brother Antony Farag’s blog about his experience visiting South Africa as a doctoral candidate and history teacher. Listen to author Heidi Grant talk about how to ask for help on either the Harvard Business Review Ideacast or the Best of Both Worlds podcast. Buy these fantastic nylon knives so your children can safely help you out in the kitchen. Donate a scarf to a women undergoing breast cancer treatment by emailing my friend Roseharubin@gmail.com.

TO WATCH: September’s back to school season included some unbelievably heartwarming stories of school educators, staff, and administrators going above and beyond the call of duty to help their economically struggling students. This video is about how this school janitor converted her closet into a “care closet,” providing her schools homeless students clothes, soap, sanitary napkins, and other necessities. Watch here and grab a tissue. (You can also read an article about her here). A school principal at a different school installed a free laundromat for kids to wash their clothes. You can read more about that here.

TO READ: Antony Goes to South Africa

My brother Antony Farag is a doctoral candidate in education leadership and a high school history teacher. He journaled his recent study tour of South Africa on an engrossing series of blog posts that include some amazing photographs and thought-provoking insights on racism and oppression in both South Africa and the United States. My favorite quote:

“Honoring heroes who kill and blaming villains who die is simply not an effective way to build a cohesive national identity for any state. A more nuanced narrative needs to become the history we teach that doesn’t blame the oppressors for doing what they could to survive, according to the mentality of their times, but neither should it honor them during our time.”

One of his posts describes the Amy Foundation, which I learned about many years ago after reading Mother to Mother, a novel by South African author Sindiwe Magona written from the perspective of the mother of the murderer of Amy Biehl.

Amy Biehl was an American who was volunteering in South Africa in support of the anti-apartheid struggle when she was mistaken for an Afrikaaner and killed during a riot. In an amazing act of forgiveness, her family started a foundation in her name to support the very same community where she was killed. Antony’s photos and description of this foundation’s work, decades later, sent shivers down my spine.

If you don’t have time to read the whole blog, at the very least, take a look at the photos. They are gorgeous, and they inspired my daughter to draw this beautiful picture:

TO LISTEN: On my reading list is Heidi Grant Halvorsen’s new book, Reinforcements: How to Get People to Help You. I heard her talk about this book on two podcasts – the Best of Both Worlds, and the Harvard Business Review Ideacast. I enjoyed hearing most about the fact that asking someone to help you actually increases the helper’s good feelings about you. This information seems counter-intuitive, as often we assume that we are burdening others when asking for help, when actually we are helping. In her book, One Beautiful Dream, Jennifer Fulwiler shares several amazing stories of how asking for help actually blesses the helper, too.

TO BUY: My kids BEG me to give them something to help with in the kitchen, but out of fear for their safety I’ve stuck to mixing and baking. As they have gotten older, the begging has decreased. It seems like children’s willingness to help in the kitchen and around the house is inversely proportional to their age, which is such a shame. Enter these wonderful nylon kids knives, which are a much safer way of having children as young as three help with chopping, the most exciting part of cooking for them. My kids can now chop most vegetables and fruits safely with these knives, and help out with meal preparation. I once came home from a full day outside to hear this music to my ears: “Momma, we made a salad!” my children showed me proudly. My three year old is chopping green peppers in this photo (with a little help). Best $9 investment ever.

TO DONATE: My friend Rose Harubin hopes to donate 50 scarves to women undergoing breast cancer treatment at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center. A $20 donation will buy a brand new scarf to pamper a woman going through a tough time. She is only accepting donations for a short period of time. For more information on how to donate, please email her at Roseharubin@gmail.com. Some readers will remember a similar campaign we did over the summer, when Rose delivered 100 toy and treat filled snackers to children staying long term at Colorado Children’s Hospital.

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Some of the links above are affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase via those links, I will receive a small commission for referring you at no extra cost to you. You are under no obligation to purchase the items through my links, but if you do, you will be helping support the cost of running this blog and providing you with the writing and reviews you enjoy. Your support is much appreciated!