Thanks

It's hard to explain the strangeness of writing an entry without much thought other than to tell the story well enough and finding that there were a few more people reading than you expected. I am a little overwhelmed by the comments, but mostly I am heartened by the absolute proof that the kindness of strangers is still what fuels every good possibility in this world of ours.

Most of you don't know me at all, but some of you do. I have as much reason to be cynical about the human race as a person could. When I was a felony prosecutor, I saw the end result of hatred and misunderstanding at its extremes...broken bodies, broken hearts, broken spirits. I also saw grace and bravery in the face of the worst circumstances imaginable, from the unlikeliest people. I always said that job gave me a window into the best and the worst that humans could be. Through everything, though, I always maintained an absolute faith in the ultimate goodness of people. I always believed that in more cases than not, we choose kindness over cruelty. You have all now provided me with irrefutable proof of this. You have transformed my faith into knowledge--and that is no small thing.

I wish I could respond to each and every one of you personally. I thank you for the comments, for the emails, for sharing small pieces of your lives with me. It might take me a while to catch up with everyone, but I will try my best. In the meantime, for those of you who have asked permission to link or reprint this somewhere else, the answer is yes. As a writer, I only ask that you give me credit for my words. My name is Cate Compton. I am the girl who grew up believing in the magic of love and honor. I became the woman who knows, without a doubt, that the magic is real.