“I took the kids to meet the Paw Patrol characters when a kind elderly man approached us. He smiled and told me how beautiful my girls were — then, with tears in his eyes, he apologized.
He said he wanted to say sorry for the anti-Muslim sentiment in our society today.
He told me it must be hard to turn on the news sometimes, and that he felt terrible about the bigotry my kids might one day face.
Then he shared that he’s Jewish — that his own parents didn’t speak any English when they came to this country — and that he knows what it feels like to be rejected or misunderstood.
I asked if I could give him a hug. Honestly, I think we both needed it.
He wanted to reassure me that most Americans are good people — that most don’t hate, and that the kindness we share matters more than the noise we hear.
Before leaving, he told me he’s turning 90 this Friday. He insisted on buying each of my kids a present — as a gift to himself, he said — so they’d have something to remember him by.
I told him a photo would be enough, so they could remember the story one day.
He agreed to the photo… and then went and bought them gifts anyway.
Happy birthday, Lenny. ❤️
You reminded me today that love and decency are still louder than hate.”
Credit – Leena Al-Arian~
