I think the occurrence of good news is so seldom in society anymore that when we see it, we actually feel a bit of emotion. Usually with bad news, which we see and hear everyday, the effects do not immediately stick with us. Sure, in the moment we might feel a sense of sadness, remorse or even guilt. We might think, "What is this world coming to?" But we don't truly act upon what's happening.
Good news comes so rarely that, when it actually does turn up, we can actually soak it up and appreciate what's at its core — happiness.
There's no doubt the feeling of good news was felt the most it has been in a while for many people Friday when, at around 2 p.m., local news stations began to report that a missing boy had been found alive in a quarry less than a mile from where he went missing. With whereabouts unknown for six days, nine-year-old Robbie Wood, Jr. was found safe.
A man who wishes to remain anonymous found Robbie in a small creek, shivering and surrounded by damp leaves. Reports say his clothes were soaked when the boy was found. He was then taken to a Richmond hospital for medical evaluation.
Throughout this whole ordeal I was hoping to see the story turn out the way it did. When I saw the tweet from NBC12-TV (Richmond, Va.) that afternoon, I could hardly believe it.
It seems like all too often stories like this end in tragedy. Small children are often simply headlines in tomorrow's paper with a sad story to go along with their name. The 2002 Jennifer Short case in Southside, Va. comes to mind. At first there is hope that Short will be found and that she fled from the person who murdered her parents. However, it was the same sad story. Short was found dead not too far from her Virginia home, just across the North Carolina border.
Thankfully, we didn't have to see that headline again. Instead, it was a happy story. Robbie Wood, Jr. found alive and safe. So inspiring, many probably didn't believe it the first time they heard.
Something else struck me while watching the coverage of Robbie's finding. It is nice to see the commitment of the community in helping during the search efforts. Thousands of volunteers — strangers — took time out of their days to try and find the lost boy. At the same time, they never gave up hope that Robbie would be found alive.
One of the most striking pieces of video is searchers scaling a fence near the battlefield where Robbie went missing. What looked like some 100 searchers went over the same fence at the same time all on the same mission to find a lost boy alone and scared in the Virginia wilderness.
I think it would be wrong to say the power of prayer didn't play some role in this situation. Whether you believe in God or not, certainly something or someone had to be watching over this boy. He was able to survive the bitterness of the wild, most likely without any food for nearly a week. It was cold, wet and dark at times, and he was still able to brave the conditions. Some people much older than nine years old couldn't even do that.
I think it was the fact that so many people prayed for Robbie that helped in his survival, as well as his discovery. Prayer is a very strong tool when used in times of hardship. This was one of those times.
Another thing I find amazing is the fact that the Good Samaritan who found Robbie wants no recognition, which is common in these types of instances. Instead, the man said he wants to give all the credit to the man upstairs for keeping Robbie safe over his woodland venue.
So far, it seems that Robbie suffered only bug bites and some slight bruises. Luckily, there seem to be no injuries. And to take the cake, little Robert will be celebrating his tenth birthday in just a few short weeks.
