It seems we might be joining a powerful revolution, we might be weaving a new and compassionate tapestry for our world. That’s a new thought for me, but no less an authority than the New York Times says it might be true.

Several years ago, I inadvertently joined a community I didn’t really know existed: people who decide to help other people in an unofficial, disorganized but often powerful way. We called the group that formed around my blog, the Army Of Good, and we set out to help two vulnerable groups – new refugees to America and the advanced elderly in assisted care.

Since then, our work has deepened and grown in feeling and effect. We are helping refugee students get scholarship and helping the forgotten elderly fill some of the holes in their lives. We practice small acts of great kindness every day.

Whenever there is need, the Army Of Good responds. It seemed like a small revolution to me, but it turns out it may be a larger one.

In recent months, I’ve become aware that there many other groups and lots of people doing the same thing. Sometimes they ask me for advice – word about our work has spread a bit. Sometimes they ask for help in figuring out what to do. Sometimes they just want to talk and share the tensions and pressures and joys of the work.

We don’t have any official structure, but we share a lot of in common.

We want to do good rather than argue about it, we fill small parts of the void left by organized religion and government. We want to rise about the cloud of hate and argument and politics and soften the lives of people in need.

We are soldiers for compassion and empathy in a time when both have fallen out of fashion and been replaced by cruelty, selfishness and indifference.

I think we are doing important work, and keeping the idea and spirit of good alive. Yesterday, several readers sent me an article by David Brooks of th New York Times called “weavers,” and when I first saw it, I thought it was about fiber artists and I sent it along to Maria.

She sent it back to me and said “you ought to read this story. It is, in many ways, about you and the Army Of Good. And so it was. Brooks wrote about the fact that people all over America are reaching out to the needy and vulnerable to help them. The media, clustered in their studios along the coasts, has no idea this is happening of course, and almost never writes about it.

I thank whoever sent it.

I was glad to see the piece by Brooks, it made me proud and gave me hope. I am not in despair as so many others are, I see reasons to hope everywhere. I do feel like I am part of a revolution, and I am so grateful to the many people out there – most of whom I have never met and will never meet – for your trust and support.

I think you are all weavers too, and I love the idea that we are weaving together a tapestry that will become a revolution. Check it out.  Keep the faith.