A reminder for the holidays

One of the things that I admire most about President Obama is that he has such unwavering faith in the American people.

As we focus on all that is wrong in the world and get so angry at the hatred/ignorance on display, I often find myself questioning the wisdom of that faith.

And then along comes a story like this.

The holidays have been rough for the Newtown Police Department, which is why officers from across Connecticut joining forces, so that not a single Newtown officer has to work on Christmas Day. The plan has been kept on the down low for the past few days, since the various police departments are making the effort not for the press but as a gesture of solidarity with their fellow officers. After whispers of the touching gesture from local law enforcement emerged on Twitter over the weekend, however, the Newtown Police Department confirmed the news in an interview with The Atlantic Wire on Monday. "They've been actually non-stop with their aid. It's pretty amazing," said Newtown police spokesperson Sergeant Steve Santucci said of his fellow Connecticut officers. "And tomorrow, they'll be at our assistance so that Newtown [officers] can be home with their families."

But wait there's more. One of the only perks about working on Christmas Day is overtime and holiday pay. Just as they're not doing it for the press, though, many of the officers filling in at Newtown aren't interested in the money, so they're reportedly donating their paychecks to Newtown and Sandy Hill Elementary School charities. At least, those ones that are even accepting payment are. Santucci said that he knew some of the officers were volunteering their time on Tuesday but wasn't able to say who was making donations or how much money would be raised, since the Christmas Day pay would be coming from officers' hometown departments.

I think we tend to hear more of these kinds of stories after a tragedy and/or during the holidays. But it speaks to the goodness in humanity that is at direct odds with the stories we are so often told.

And so I want to say "thank you" to these Connecticut police officers for reminding me that in the midst of all that is wrong in the world - selflessness and compassion are still alive and well too.