"You Have Thousands of Angels Around You"

The reading "You Have Thousands of Angels Around You" is a beautiful article following the struggles and triumph of a young immigrant's life. I think what struck me so deeply about this article is how so many people and events in life are intertwined.

It really is a small world, and our actions can make a difference. The little actions we do on a daily basis that do good, or help others, or bring a smile to someone's face can add up to something wonderful and good in the long run. In the article one woman's life is impacted by so many singular events leading to a beautiful ending. One phone call, one answer to an e-mail, one kind word, one open heart all led to making the difference in her life.

I have a philosophy to try, sometimes unsuccessfully, to do one small thing every day that brightens someone's day. Whether it is a big gesture or a simple smile to someone having a rough day, I really try to do one little thing that brings good to the world on a daily basis. I may not be able to change the world or bring world peace but hopefully the small things I do will make a positive impact.

While in Europe, last spring, I met someone who really helped shape my world view. He spoke with quiet courage of how he works with Israeli and Palestinian youths one person at a time to change a centuries old hatred between both nations. The task seems so daunting and yet he explains how he focuses his attention to a single youth, a single problem, a single task in the hopes of ultimately bringing peace one step at a time. The way he spoke with fortitude and courage gave me insight and spurred a desire in me to make a difference. To look beyond my own problems and help others. Right now I'm not really sure what that means for my life, or how I will bring about change, so I focus on little, positive steps each day.

Sometimes we can be so lost in our own problems that we forget others are dealing with huge, stressful life issues too. By giving a little sunshine to others we can show kindness and not only impact the lives of those around us but help us realize that our actions do make a difference.

From more of a technical perspective I like how this article is written in a way that it takes you back and forth in time. The timeline is not particularly continuous but rather jumps around a little making the reading more of a challenge to follow and at the same time logical and straightforward. When writing articles sometimes we can spice them up a bit by changing the format, switching the timeline, or changing who is narrating. William's style of being very informal and writing in a conversational tone set this article apart as a definite magazine style. I think when I write a feature article I would like to use some of the same ideas and format I noticed in this article. Perhaps changing the timeline a little to better tell the story and using a rather informal voice will be an interesting way to make my feature more tangible to my reader.