Tales Of A Fourth Generation Textile Executive: There IS Hope

October 9, 2017 /

As I delve deeper and deeper in to Scott’s Free Sewing Machines, I have had a lot of time to reflect.  I am realizing a lot of things about myself, people, life and the world.  In spite of all the crappy, pathetic and sad stuff going on in the world right now:  the hate, the terrorism, the bullying, the hypocrisy, the politics, the tragedy, the stupidity, the depression, the meanness, the insensitivity, the lack of respect, etc., I am hopeful.  Call me foolish.  Call me overly optimistic.  Call me blind.  There are still lots of good people out there. Allow me to provide some examples all from this past week.

As you know, I have been announcing contest winners lately.  One of the winning applicants was requesting a machine for her grand niece.  I have been so inspired by people who are nominating others to get a machine. Not for themselves, but for a loved one or friend who is deserved.  This is inspiring and makes me realize people are good.  Anyway, after her grand niece was announced as a winner, she emailed me to let me know that their machine was fixed and she no longer needed it.  She didn’t have to say anything, but she chose to let me know so I could share the sewing machine with someone else who didn’t have one.  In Yiddish, there is a word “mensch” which means a person that is a true gentlemen or woman with integrity or honor.  There is hope people.

After announcing some winners on Facebook recently, I started to get a bunch of personal messages and emails.  The ones that I was most focused on were where people didn’t want a machine, but rather they wanted to help me share the love.  People are sending me money. In fact, I was at a quilt shop and a woman handed me $20 and said use this for a machine. Also, people are asking for the addresses of the winners so they can send them fabrics from their stash.  To me that is shocking because I know no one wants to part with their stash.  Lol!   Then there are the people that are offering me machines to give away.  The outpouring is unreal and inspiring.  Hear me out people, there is hope.

The other day after the tragedy in Las Vegas, I was looking at a friend’s post on Facebook.  She said that her kids were scared about the tragic and sad events in Las Vegas.  So she shared with them a quote from Fred Rogers which many of you may know and I believe Jimmy Kimmel referenced it too one night.  The gist of the quote was to not focus on the tragedy, but rather to focus on the people running around and helping those who were in trouble.  You always see people helping.  Keep that in mind the next time you are watching the news.  Flip it around and focus on the good and try not to let the badness bring you down.  And I shall repeat, there is hope people.

Just the other day, I was traveling through Kansas with my sales rep in that territory and we made a pit stop.  As I proceeded to the checkout to pay for my protein bar, a young lady came in and inquired about the cost of a soda and whether the store accepted a certain type of payment which I never heard of.  The woman behind the counter advised they don’t take that form of payment.  The young lady was disappointed, but the clerk said she would buy it for the young lady.  So let me get this straight, the woman working the register is going to start buying things for customers?  Wow!  That blew my mind.  Of course, me being nosey and all, I asked the cashier what that was all about.   She told me the young lady was going through a rough time.  And I shall repeat yet again, there is hope people.

Spread the love and kindness and it will shine through all the tragedy and make the world a better place.  Amen!  Have a great week.

Spread The Love Scott

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13 Comments

  • Lynne Hannant

    October 10, 2017 at 1:12 pm

    This is my favorite blog post from you yet, Scott. It really brought me to tears. I’m so grateful for this country we live in, but especially mindful executives and companies like yours. In a time when all businesses seem to be money-driven at all costs, you and yours seem to be trying to make a difference. Hats off and thanks so much for the reminder today “There is Hope!”.

  • Barbara Esposito, The Quilted B

    October 10, 2017 at 12:20 pm

    Hey Scott, there is an old Hawaiian tale of a boy tossing starfish back into the sea after a terrible storm. An old man stops him and basically asks why he is wasting his time as he will never get to all of the many starfish washed up on the shore. “Look at them all,” the old man says. “It won’t make a difference. You will never get to them all!” “It makes all the difference in the world to this one” The young boy replies, tossing a starfish into the sea.

    Keep making all the difference Scott. You are a kind and generous soul.

  • Sandy E

    October 9, 2017 at 7:22 pm

    Good News for Today!
    I am fortunate to have 2 sewing machines. One is a Featherweight 221 same age as I am. Works so well.
    Blessing to you for sharing the joy of having a sewing machine.

  • Joanne Hubbard

    October 9, 2017 at 6:51 pm

    Thanks for sharing your experiences. What a wonderful message at a time when it’s so easy to be negative, gloomy, and pessimistic. It really does help to hear about all the positive things happening, even if we don’t see them ourselves. Hope is the key, and I’m just not ready to give that up yet. Even though my name is Joanne, my husband often calls me “Positive Polly” and I’m ok with that. 🙂 Have a great week!

    • Scott Fortunoff

      October 10, 2017 at 6:29 pm

      I like that positive Polly. On the flip side of that, I call my dad the negative pessimist. That is really a double negative that equals a positive, but in his case, it’s a double negative that is in fact a negative. There is an exception to that rule.

  • Renee Bednarczyk

    October 9, 2017 at 3:07 pm

    Scott, thank you for spreading hope! Your blog today was heartwarming. I was in Aransas Pass TX this weekend helping a family member rebuild their home. Everywhere you look, there is debris lining the streets, downed trees, abandoned property, etc. Photos don’t do it justice. I thought, Where’s all the help? Where’s all the people? People need hope and love all the time, but especially now with all the negativity going on. Maybe I never noticed just how much “bad” was going on, maybe I chose to ignore it. My heart gets a little lighter when I see people helping people. The way it should be. Many blessings.

  • Jeannie Z

    October 9, 2017 at 9:54 am

    Keep the faith. My husband calls me a hopeless Pollyanna. I feel good because he says it with humor and pride.
    Life is basicly good. Love your newest project.