Today is a very sad day for someone close to me, as it marks the anniversary of the day their mother passed away. I never got to meet this woman, but by all accounts (and I mean all) she was someone special and I genuinely regret never having the chance to talk to her.

I have been told of her kindness, generosity, wisdom and strength. It shows in her children, both of whom I know, in the way they’ve taken after her.

The reason I’m posting this is twofold. Firstly to just say a few words about someone that even I regard as special, and secondly to say that good people like her still exist in this world. As most of you should know by now, I did some work for a charity in Hanoi called the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation (including building that web page!). Today, the guy who runs it updated his blog with this post about fundraising.

People he has never met and organisations he has had the slightest of contact with have donated time, money and goods to the charity without even being asked. To be picked by the Thai embassy in Hanoi as the sole recipient of donations originally intended to buy flowers for the King is a huge honour and reflects the regard with which BDCF is held in Vietnam.

So I have two messages today:

Mike and everyone else at BDCF – congratulations and keep up the good work. You’re a credit to humankind.

Kate – I wish I’d had a chance to meet you, but instead thank you for two great kids who are doing you proud. And isn’t it nice to know there are other people just as caring as them elsewhere in the world?

You know, sometimes I have hope for this place.

[now may also be a good time to remind people who usually/were going to send me an xmas card to donate a small sum to BDCF instead. There’s a PayPal button on their web page – thank you]