Reading is important.

And as we move further and further into a technologically-driven world, finding the time to read can be challenging.

We are constantly distracted by our phones, televisions, and computers, leaving little time for books.

But for one boy, reading took precedence over all other forms of entertainment.

Twelve-year-old Mathew Flores had only junk mail to read–which he figured was better than nothing.

So when the postal carrier, Ron Lynch, came by to deliver Mathew’s family their mail, Mathew jumped on the opportunity to ask Lynch if there was any more junk mail that he could have to read.

When Lynch heard this, he knew that he could get Mathew something better than junk mail to read–he would get him actual books.

So he put a post up on Facebook, encouraging others to send Mathew their favorite books for him to read.

Lynch had this to say about Mathew in an interview he did with Denver7, “This young man, he just wanted to read, you know, and that touched my heart. There’s a Mathew in every neighborhood, in every city, in every state, in every country in the world.”

Thanks to Lynch, there is no shortage of things to read for Mathew now.

People from every corner of the world have sent him books, helping him accrue a collection numbering in the hundreds.

Mathew is very grateful, of course, and is planning to send some of these books to his cousins in Mexico.

This story is great on multiple levels.

For one, it’s awesome to see a kid who is still interested in books and reading.

So much of our society is geared towards screen-use these days.

There are many advantages to technology, however, and those shouldn’t be overlooked.

But there are many advantages to reading as well.

And in many cases, reading is a much better use of your time than staring at screens.

Another awesome part of this story is Lynch’s desire to help out a kid who just wanted to read.

He could have just as easily given Mathew some more junk mail to read and left it at that.

But Lynch knew that reading junk mail was a far cry from reading actual books.

And the final part of this story that makes it great is the response from others on Facebook to send Mathew their books.

This is one of the benefits of technology–the ability to connect billions of people from all over the world at the same time.

Without their support and effort in sending Mathew these books, his collection wouldn’t have grown to the size that it has.

Check out the video below to see the entire story and be sure to share it with someone else who you think would enjoy it.

And if you find yourself in the position to help someone in need, make sure not to pass up the opportunity.

If a postal carrier can influence hundreds of strangers to send books to a kid that they don’t know, then just imagine what kind of impact you can have in someone else’s life.

So don’t hesitate, change always starts with you.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Article Sources:

Denver7 – The Denver Channel

ABC News

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By B.T. Swezey

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B.T. Swezey is a contributor at SBLY Media.