Top Five Favorite News Stories of 2010

As a former journalism student, I used to think of myself as a news junkie.  Frankly, I don't have time for that anymore.  I do well to glance at an AP headline as I'm scanning the internet for homework or church information.  I watch the news when I can, but I have to filter it so that my children don't get a headful of doom, gloom and smut that makes the news these days.  There's always bad news, but I want to focus on the good things, the news items that made my heart smile and gives me hope in the future and my fellow man.  Here's what caught my attention this past year....

5.  New Orleans Saints winning the Super Bowl
This is something that this city desperately needed after the horrors of Hurricane Katrina.  It's taken so long for them to recover, and it will take years still until they're fully functioning.  But this was a fairy-tale story for a group of people who needed the boost.  Good on them, I say.

4.  The Winter Olympics in Vancouver
I always love watching the Olympics, beit Summer or Winter games; from curling and speed skating in the Winter Games, to the marathon and gymnastics of the Summer Games.  I'm a sucker for the backstories of the athletes and I root for underdogs and cheer for the USA (sometimes those are the same things!).  My favorite sport this past Olympics was watching the snowboarders fly through the air, twisting and turning and challenging gravity.  Simply awesome, dude.

3.  Chilean Mine Rescue
When I first heard that these miners were trapped this past summer and that they would be stuck underground for months, I was convinced that they couldn't possibly survive that long down there.  Either the mine would collapse, or they would run out of supplies, or they would just drive each other crazy and kill one another.  Miraculously, none of those things occurred.  So, as each miner was brought to the surface, it was another evidence that God is in control and that our time to meet Him is appointed by Him and no one else.

2.  World Cup Soccer in Africa
Our house LOVES World Cup soccer, and now that we have a big screen TV to watch it on, it was even better.  I love the sportsmanship, and the goodwill that seems to flow at the matches.  We rooted on the US as they took on the manky Brits and although we lost, it was a fun match to watch.  I hate that it happens only once every four years....couldn't we do something like what they've done with the Olympics?  Every two years?  (And yes, I did download a vuvuzela app just to fit in with the crowd noise.  Absolutely irritating, but fun.)

1.  Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case
I realize that this is a case about something terrible and horrible that happened to a little girl, but to see her stand up with grace and dignity and determination that this will not define her is nothing short of amazing.  She is proof that you can survive unspeakable things and not turn out bitter and angry.  She chose to be better, and not bitter.  She is truly an example to me and I hope the Lord blesses her as she continues to deal with these issues in the future.