Remembering Stuart: What everyday act of an ordinary person in your community do you think should be honoured?

The death of Stuart McLean brought forth an outpouring of love for the man, his stories, and his approach to life. In his spirit tell us your stories of something he gave out the Arthur awards for: small acts of kindness by individuals in your community.

Long-time radio storyteller and journalist, Stuart McLean died on Wednesday after a long battle with melanoma cancer.

McLean welcomed listeners every Sunday into the world of The Vinyl Cafe, a radio program of essays, short stories and music, with his magnanimous voice and his keen ability to connect with strangers.

The name of the show comes from a long-running series of stories about "the world's smallest" record store, The Vinyl Cafe, and the lives of Dave, Morley and their family. The characters worked and lived their way through the comedy, embarrassment and tragedies of everyday life.

One member of Dave and Morley's family was their dog Arthur, who loved soft ice cream and stealing socks. In an episode that resonated with families across Canada, Arthur the dog dies. There were letters and comments from listeners across the country, and out of that one fictional dog's death came The Vinyl Cafe Arthur Awards.

The awards celebrated the little things in life... little acts of kindness and humanity. McLean introduced them as, "... the awards designed to honour things that ordinary people do... everyday things... both small and large things. Things that too often go unheralded and even unnoticed." 

The Vinyl Cafe received nominations for the people who did these acts, and on one program a year, McLean told Canada the stories of these everyday acts, and would give the award to honour these individuals.

In the spirit of the radio host and journalist who had a way of drawing stories from strangers, and connecting with them, this week on Cross Country Checkup, we'd like to hear your nominations for an Arthur Award. What is one everyday thing that an ordinary person has done in your community that you think should be honoured?