Two Princes and a Princess
After all the bloodshed in the news lately, I want to focus today on a couple of stories that warmed my heart. "'Dad' Pulls Double Duty" by Gwendolyn Driscoll of The Orange County Register profiles Joseph Democko, a 21-year-old janitor who valiantly takes care of his sister's three small kids, including one who is severely disabled, while she battles drug addiction. Driscoll uses telling details to show us what Democko's life is like:
... after a night of mopping floors at Disneyland, Democko, a handsome young man with dark circles under his eyes, has just enough time to splash water onto his face before loading the three boys into the car for a trip to the grocery store.
Every parent knows the routine – wrestling small, wriggling bodies into sparkly Elmo sneakers, loading the stroller into the car, collecting snacks, wiping a snotty nose. Then the drive to the store, the dismount from car to cart. It takes nearly an hour.
After spending an exhausting day with Democko, we learn how determined and loving one young man can be despite the most difficult obstacles. www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1653106.php
Speaking of determination, Gracie Bonds Staples of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution describes in "Friends Make Teen Feel Like Royalty" how 18-year-old Melanie Barrett wanted to feel special for just one night. This is a wonderful Cinderella story with its own Prince Charming and a classic ending. www.ajc.com/search/content/living/stories/2007/04/17/0418lvreal.html