Feel Good Friday

There’s so much good stuff going on in the US this week that I had trouble finding only 5 articles!  I ended up with six today, but I could have gone on and on.  Enjoy!

22 year old graduates valedictorian from college after dropping out of high school.  After Michael Moubarek had an accident that could have killed him, he decided to make some changes, went back and finished high school, and now intends to be a doctor.  Great article, and it just goes to show that no matter what, life can change anytime.  Never give up!

5-year-old invites homeless man for a meal at the Waffle House after learning what “homeless” meant.

Police in Farmington, NH have started stopping people to praise and reward them for following laws.  Police said they feel like it’s helping them to get to know the community, and also nice to be able to have positive interactions with people.  They reported that they thought of the program after seeing a man go out of his way to use the crosswalk after heavy snow.

Teens take service dogs to prom.  Neither of them planned to go to prom, but then they met because of their service dogs, and decided to go together.  Cutest double date ever!  This is a video.

Update.  Last week, I posted about a veteran who has prostate cancer and was released from the hospital to a home with no food.  He called 911, and since then, he’s continued to receive food donations and is now getting Meals on Wheels.  It’s nice to see how much people care.

America’s oldest park ranger advocates for people of color, and she hopes, opens options to little girls.

Feel Good Friday

Hello!  It’s Friday again, many people’s favorite day of the week (second only to Saturday).

I’ve summed up the stories I’ve posted, but these aren’t the complete stories.  Click the link to read the entire articles, see the pictures, or watch the videos.  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope these stories make you smile, the same way they did for me.

911 operator buys food for an elderly vet who needed help.  He was in the hospital, and when he was discharged, he had no food at home, no family to help, and no way of buying groceries.  The 911 operator and police bought him food and took it to his house.  He is now receiving assistance from social services.

A Phoenix police officer helped a homeless man by taking him to the hospital and making sure he had a plan to care for himself after surgery.  These things weren’t his job, but he did them anyway.  If he didn’t do them, they might not have gotten done, and the man obviously needed the help.

A school sends home an uplifting letter before a big test, to remind children that the test does not measure everything that’s important.  The original letter was apparently written in 1999, and it occasionally goes viral.  It just goes to show that we’re all hungry for positive feedback and that tests measure very little of who we actually are.

A teenaged boy took his great-grandmother to prom because “she’s the prettiest woman.”  The month before (linked in this article), another teen took her grandfather to prom.  Proms have come under fire for being superficial and girls wearing inappropriate dresses, so it’s nice to see this newer trend with teens taking family members or friends to prom.  (I’m a sucker for these stories.)  Here’s a link to another one where the high school quarterback took his friend, a girl with Down’s Syndrome, to the prom.

Shelter dog scheduled for euthanasia is adopted by a veteran, and is now in the running for hero dog of the year for helping the vet manage his PTSD and traumatic brain injury.

That’s all I’ve got for this week, but that’s obviously not all the news.  Remember, there’s a lot of good things in the world.  It’s what you focus on that matters.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Feel Good Friday

Desert Botanical Gardens
Phoenix, AZ
Photo Credit: Doree Weller

When I started Feel Good Friday posts over 6 months ago, there were weeks when I had trouble finding 5 news stories to feature here.  It would take me about an hour of searching to find things current and worth sharing.  These days, I find way more than 5 news stories easily.  Keep the positive focus, and good things will come.

A photographer takes pictures of her grandmother as a way of showing that her grandmother is the epitome of beauty.  Beauty has no age.

Smiley, a puppy mill rescue born without eyes, goes on to be a therapy dog.  It took love and training for him to learn not to be fearful, but once he did, his joy for life affected everyone else.

99 year old woman finished her 1,000th dress for little girls in Africa.  Her goal was to get 1,000 before her hundredth birthday.

When a cheerleader with Down’s syndrome is bullied at a basketball game, three of the players walked off the court to defend her.

New Hampshire police are giving out tickets for following the law.  Actually, they’re not tickets… they’re gift certificates.  Police have been given gift cards to hand out to people walking their dogs on leash, using the cross walk to cross the street, that kind of thing.

“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!”
-Anne Frank

Go forth and have a wonderful weekend!

Feel Good Friday

On Feel Good Fridays, I post good news stories. Remember that you find what you look for, so if you look for the good in your fellow man, you’re likely to find it.

Oh look, a fish!
Photo Credit: Doree Weller

This is seriously the best thing I’ve ever seen on the internet.  If you haven’t seen the Unworthy video of skeletons dancing, you should take a look at it.  It made me cry and gave me a feeling of wanting to hug my fellow man.

Here’s a bunch of fun pictures with cops acting goofy.

7 positive trends with teens.  We all hear about all the bad stuff kids do, and how selfish they are, but studies indicate that teen drug use and pregnancy is down, and volunteering is increasing.

Seniors “prank” the school principal by giving him letters of gratitude.  Saying “thank you” to someone is seriously the best gift you can give anyone.

This is a true story about the power of noticing others.  I love the point that it makes, that taking a few moments to notice someone else, especially when you don’t have to, can have a powerful impact.  Take a few minutes and read it; you’ll be glad you did.

I generally only share 5 positive things, just to keep it manageable, but I see far more than that most weeks.

What kind of things do you see that warm your heart?  Has someone done something kind for you?  Have you gone out of your way to show kindness to someone else?  I know you’re out there, so tell me in the comments.

And as always, go forth and be kind today.  Have a great weekend!

Feel Good Friday

Better late than never, right?  Welcome to your weekly dose of good news.

Photo Credit: Doree Weller

When no one showed up for her autistic son’s birthday party, Mom posted on Facebook.  Strangers showed up bearing cards and gifts, along with the Osceola Sheriff’s Department.  I’m really glad that this story had a happy ending.  Kindness goes a long way.

When a bus driver loses consciousness while driving, kids react, stopping the bus, calling 911, and starting chest compressions on the driver. 

A man who was living in his car in Colorado Springs spent time helping push other people’s stuck cars out of the snow.  When the news caught him in action, strangers offered to put him up in a hotel and started a GoFundMe page for him.  That’s what it’s all about: people helping people.

You may not recognize the name John Unger, but almost everyone will recognize the picture of him helping his elderly, arthritic dog to float in the water.  Shoep (the dog in the photo) died in 2013, but the photo is still viral, making its way around the internet.  Dog lovers will rejoice as this sweet man has adopted a new friend who will no doubt get amazing loving care.

Photographer captures people from 1 to 100, showing their dreams.  The photographs are in Russia, but the people could just as easily be living next door to us.  Take a few minutes to look at the photos, as they’re lovely.  You were just going to spend that time looking at LolCats anyway, weren’t you?

As you go into the weekend, here’s a thought:

“Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true.”

~Robert Brault

We only have one another in this world, so be kind to someone today.

Feel Good Friday

Why is it that whenever I say I don’t watch the news, whoever I’m talking to feels the need to update me on current events?  I have a purpose in not watching the news; I believe in putting my attention on what I want to see more of, which is why I share good news.

Welcome to Feel Good Friday, where I share positive news stories.

“Get off the computer and pet me!”
Photo Credit: Doree Weller

109 year old man, the oldest man in Australia, knits sweaters to help injured penguins.  Click the link.  You have to see the pictures of the penguins in their sweaters.  You’ll say “awwwww!”

A woman gets to hear her deceased son’s heart in a woman’s chest 20 years later.  The mother donated her son’s organs, and when the recipient contacted her to thank her, it was an emotional moment for both of them.  The mother said she feels like she’s gained a daughter.  Sometimes, beautiful things come from loss.

Teenage boy tells mom to pull over so he can shovel an elderly man’s driveway.  The teen said that when he saw the man in the walker struggling, he knew he had to help him.  He said in the article that anyone would have done the same thing… but I don’t think so.  I’m glad he did though.

7-year-old boy wears a superhero cape as he passes out food and water to homeless people in Detroit.  He says it makes him feel good to help others.  Other community organizations, like the Boy Scouts, have gotten involved.  It just shows that one person can make a difference.

Soul Pancake has couples (and one pair of strangers) look into one another’s eyes for 4 minutes to see what happens.  An experiment has previously showed that it increases the level of intimacy people experience.  I can’t sum up the results, so take a look at the video.  It’s interesting, and may make you think about your own relationships.

That’s it for this week’s Feel Good Friday.  Help me be the change.  If you liked one of these articles or like what I’m doing here, let me know in the comments.

Feel Good Friday

TGI Friday, right?  Start your morning off right and take a look at these articles.

A Texas police officer responded to a call about an “aggressive” pit bull, and instead of jumping to conclusions, he saw that the dog was friendly, and got it to a shelter, where it was then reunited with its owner.  The story isn’t over.  That same police officer was called again about the same dog.  This time though, the owner didn’t want him back, so the officer decided that he was meant to adopt the dog, and he did.

 Green graffiti.  This is a how to tutorial (and has some cool pictures) about how to graffiti up your home or fence using moss.

Inspirational stories of forgiveness.  These are 10 very brief stories (1 paragraph each) about people who chose to forgive in the worst of situations.

Pittsburgh police detective adopts boys after getting them out of an abusive foster home.  This is a nice video, about 2 minutes long telling the story of how he met and adopted the boys.

A teenager invents a device to help injured vets.  The device assists physical therapists with exercising the vets and speeding their recovery.

Go forth and be kind today.

Feel Good Friday

On Fridays, I post about good news that happens in the world.

Bird of Paradise in San Diego
Photo Credit: Doree Weller

I’ve been doing Feel Good Friday for over 6 months now, and what I’ve found is that it’s getting easier and easier for me to find positive news stories.  I’d like to think that it’s because the world has become a better place in the last 6 months, but I think that’s even beyond my optimism.  I think what’s really happened is that because I’ve trained myself to look for positive news stories, I see them more often.  People know I do this, so they send me good news stories to be featured here.

The fact that I see what I look for just proves what I keep saying: you find what you look for.  Keep expecting to see all the bad stuff, and that’s what you’ll see.  Expect the good stuff though, and the world opens up in unexpected ways.

So, welcome to this week’s version of Feel Good Friday.

Eva Mozes Kor is a woman who survived the Holocaust.  She talks about the power of forgiveness, and has forgiven the Nazis for the Holocaust.  She’s even “adopted” as a grandson the man who is the actual grandson of the former SS commander of Auschwitz.  Forgiveness is powerful; it had the power to release you from what imprisons you mentally.  It doesn’t excuse or justify; it’s simply a gift you give yourself.  This is a powerful article.

Charlie walks his dogs every day, but when he got leukemia, it became harder for him to complete his walk.  Some neighbors noticed, and so they put chairs on their lawn so that he could rest if he needed to.  It’s a simple gesture, but it made him feel cared about.  Remember, sometimes the simplest things we do for others have the largest impact.  Putting chairs on the lawn is not a big deal to most of us, but to Charlie, it meant that others cared, and that he could keep doing something he loved.

Vivian Boyack and Nonie Dubes have loved one another since 1942, and they finally got married last year.  They said that they weren’t sure, even after 72 years, that they wanted to go public with their relationship, and that “we’ve always been married in our hearts.”  I can’t help but cheer for marriage equality, even while thinking how unimaginably difficult it must have been for them to love one another for so long but hide their relationship from others.  I’m so glad that they finally had the choice to marry; they deserve their commitment to be acknowledged and applauded.  72 years is an amazing milestone for anyone.

The UK did a survey on why women don’t work out, and found that it’s because of fear of judgement.  More people die from inactivity than obesity.  That’s right, kids: it’s better to be an active fat person than a sedentary skinny person.  So, instead of just telling people to work out, they made a video of real women sweating, jiggling, showing off love handles and stretch marks.  And guess what?  In my opinion, it’s beautiful.  Watch the video, and then go out and do whatever you love to do.  Be fearless and confident, because that, more than your weight or perfect hair or makeup, makes you beautiful.

Do a good deed.  Smile at someone.  Thank someone.  Tell someone what they mean to you.  Be the unique and wonderful you that you are.

Go forth and be amazing today.

Feel Good Friday

On Feel Good Friday, I post about positive news stories.

Cedar Park, Texas
Photo Credit: Doree Weller

Taylor Swift sends personal Christmas gifts to some of her fans.  I like Taylor Swift.  I like her music, but I especially like how she treats her fans.  She obviously hasn’t forgotten who supports her.  She’s not a perfect person (none of us are), but she makes people feel good, feel loved, and feel special.  I think the personal connection that she has with her fans makes her someone really special.

Facebook suggested friend leads a Belgian student to Texas to friend a stranger.  When a Belgian student got a friend suggestion for a man in Texas, he decided to fly halfway around the world to meet the guy in person.  He didn’t tell him he was coming, but showed up in Texas one day, found him, and introduced himself.  The man took the news with grace and welcomed the Belgian student.

A kid makes awesome toys from twist ties.  You just have to see them.  They’re like action figures, and are pretty much art.

Feel Good Friday

Mama said there’d be days like this…

On Fridays, I post about positive news.

Honestly, today I’m just happy to be back from the dead, so to speak.  I haven’t had the flu in a very, very long time, and I can tell you– I didn’t miss it.  Wow, for three days, I just kind of laid on the couch, sleeping and not doing much else.  Well, I read, but for me, that’s like saying “I breathed.”

But never fear!  In between all the coughing and Motrin and gripping my head in pain, I still managed to find positive news stories for your Feel Good Friday enjoyment.

In Philadelphia, at Rosa’s Pizza, homeless people can go for a free meal.  It all started when a customer asked to buy a slice of pizza for someone who couldn’t afford one, and it started a major trend.  Because of the generosity of others, 30-40 people a day get to eat.  Super cool.

Asia, a Great Dane, foiled two burglary attempts in one week and ended up being partly responsible for four arrests.  She’s getting honored by Austin police.  Good doggie!

A woman in Mexico City rescues an injured dog stranded in the middle of the highway.  This is (scary) video of a woman crossing traffic and coaxing the dog to come to her.  Even though I knew it had a happy ending, my heart still leaped into my throat when the dog started to run away from her.

So, the thought of the day for your Feel Good Friday is this:

“Gratitude is an art of painting an adversity into a lovely picture.”

~Kak Sri

What do you have to be grateful for or happy about today?