A "miracle" is defined as an extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers. The Seventeen Second Miracle
, by Jason F. Wright, is a story about tragedy, forgiveness, hope, love, healing....and miracles. The theme of this book is that it only takes a few seconds to change another person's life....for the good or for the bad.
The title of the book refers to the 17 seconds it took for a young girl to drown. Seventeen year old Rex Conner was swimming with his girlfriend "Sparks" and her sister "Flick" on Flick's 8th birthday. Flicks mother left Rex responsible for watching the young girl while she played in the water. When Rex turns his attention away for only those few seconds the girl drowns. He tries to revive her but to no avail and the mother holds him responsible.
Rex was overcome with grief and guilt. He gradually started noticing others and their needs. He started doing small acts of random kindness. He also noticed nice things that others did for him. When he shared this with Sparks she told him to write these things down in a daily journal. He would let Sparks read his journal regularly. Then Sparks started her own journal, writing down all that Rex was doing to help others, his "Seventeen Second Miracles".
Rex passed his journals and his legacy of doing good down to his son, Cole. Cole's father taught him that "love is a verb" and that "doing good" is not the same as being a "do good" person who has self-centered motives. Cole led a "Seventeen Second Miracle Discussion Group" with high school students that were hand-picked by the school principal. You see, the principal had been profoundly touched by one of Rex Conner's "seventeen second miracles" when he was a young man.
Miracles are all around us if we open our eyes and our hearts to see them. It might take 17 seconds or five hours to reach out and make a difference in another life. Love is a verb and the time spent doing good is not wasted.
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
About The Author
Jason F. Wright, New York Times bestselling author of The Wednesday Letters 
and Christmas Jars
, is also a speaker and political commentator whose editorials have appeared nationwide. He has been seen on CNN, FOX News, and C-SPAN. He lives with his wife, Kodi, and their four children in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.
During my years of working as a school librarian, I read thousands of children's picture books. This is one of my very favorite read-aloud books. It just happens to be about Valentine's Day. Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch (paperback), by Eileen Spinelli, truly illustrates the power of love. 
"Mr Hatch was tall and thin and he did not smile. Every morning at 6:30 sharp he would leave his brick house and walk eight blocks to the shoelace factory where he worked. At lunchtime he would sit alone in a corner, eat his cheese and mustard sandwich, and drink a cup of coffee. Sometimes he brought a prune for dessert." So begins the story of Mr Hatch, a lonely, quiet man that no one really ever noticed. That is, until the day the big box arrived in the mail. Mr Hatch had never received a package before. He excitedly ripped open the wrapping to find a large heart-shaped box filled with candy, and a special note that said, "Somebody loves you." "And then he did something he had never done before: He laughed. He laughed and danced and clapped his hands." He went out for a walk and met and helped his neighbors. He brought his big heart-shaped box to work and shared it with all his co-workers. He baked brownies and made lemonade and had a big party for all the neighborhood children in his backyard and played his harmonica. Mr Hatch bloomed! But all his newfound joy was about to end when the embarrassed postman knocked at the door.....The package had been delivered to the wrong address! But by this time he has made many new friends who care very much and inspire him with the message that somebody does love him after all!
We all know Mr. Hatch--he's that grumpy old man down the street or the weird guy who catches the bus on the corner. Not only do we know him, but odds are, we have all felt like a Mr. Hatch at some point in our lives--slightly outcast, a little unloved or forgotten. What we discover is that although Mr. Hatch WAS unloved and forgotten, it was truly his own behaviour that isolated him from his world. For the Hatch in us, we learn the power of positive action; for the side of us that looks at the Hatches of the world and judges, it's a reminder that we don't really know them, and that simple acts of kindness can mean so very much. The impact of kind gestures, accidental or intentional, have far-reaching ripple effects.
This book is a wonderful story to share with children of all ages. It has been used by pastors to inspire their congregations to reach out to the unloved and unlovely. It's message is appropriate on Valentine's Day and everyday.
