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Jump into Your Fear: The Act of Conquering It Releases a Rush of Joy and Reinvention

By
Ryan Morris
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The Lesson: We typically think that those who overcome fear, or participate in fear-inducing activities, must be naturally courageous – but the very act of participating in an activity that induces fear is what makes us courageous, and while we may have trained ourselves to avoid jumping into fear, there is a very tangible process of ecstasy and reinvention that comes from diving into the things that scare you.

Notable Excerpt: “All courageous people have fear. They just do things anyway, hollering with a combination of joy and fear, like Butch and Sundance jumping off the high cliff into the water below. You will find, as you descend toward the water, there is a joyful rush. You’re feeling your fear while you are in the action of conquering it. And as you continue in action, the fear dissolves, like a fist full of salt in the river. What remains for you is pure joy. It’s the joy of being someone you were not.”

The Speaker: Brian Johnson is a philosopher and founder of Optimize.me, a website, app, and free video series that help people to optimize their lives so they can be their best selves. He studies self-improvement books, then breaks them down into bite-sized chunks and “Philosopher‘s Notes” for busy people who want “more wisdom in less time”. He also offers Optimal Living classes and online training for your Hero’s Journey.

Podcast: Brian’s podcast, OPTIMIZE with Brian Johnson, features the best big ideas from the best optimal living books. More wisdom in less time (between 4-19 minutes each) to help you live your greatest life. Subscribe: Stitcher — iTunes — Podbean.

Books: In this talk, Johnson refers to a book by Steve Chandler called “Reinventing Yourself.”

(LISTEN to the intriguing talk below) – Photo by Steve Hall

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Child With ‘Nothing to Give’ Sacrifices the ‘Best Part of Her Breakfast’ as Gift for Her Teacher

By
McKinley Corbley
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This elementary school teacher received several gifts and trinkets from her adoring students before winter break – but there was one gift in particular that melted her heart.

Rachel Uretsky-Pratt works as a teacher for the Kennewick School District in Washington. Before her students left for their holiday vacation, they showered her with little gifts of chocolates, jewelry, and handwritten notes.

The 24-year-old teacher’s most notable gift, however, was a small package of Lucky Charms marshmallows wrapped in plastic.

While repackaged cereal treats might seem like an unusual Christmas present, Uretsky-Pratt posted a photo of the marshmallows to Facebook in order to explain their significance.

LOOK: Sixth Grader Leaves a Note for Vehicle Owner After Seeing School Bus Driver Pull a Hit and Run

“You see, 100% of my school is on free/reduced lunch,” wrote Uretsky-Pratt. “They also get free breakfast at school every day of the school week.”

If you haven’t guessed already, the free breakfast that was served on the last day of school was Lucky Charms.

“This kiddo wanted to get me something so badly, but had nothing to give,” Uretsky-Pratt continued. “So rather than give me nothing, this student opened up her free breakfast cereal this morning, took the packaging of her spork, straw, and napkin, and finally took the time to take every marshmallow out of her cereal to put in a bag—for me.”

LOOK: When Teacher Asks Students to Share Supplies, Boy Offers Up Pencils With Sweet, Personal Messages

The school teacher hoped that the sweet story would help her social media followers gain some perspective and appreciation for the abundance that they may have in their lives – because even when this youngster had nothing to offer her teacher, she was still willing to sacrifice “the best part of her breakfast”.

“No one likes Lucky Charms without the marshmallows,” Uretsky-Pratt mused to USA Today.

The post ended up being shared over 100,000 times, which spurred hundreds of readers to offer up gifts and donations for the school teacher. Uretsky-Pratt later published a Facebook response in which she encouraged her followers to contact the school principal about making donations.

MORE: Watch Deaf Janitor’s Emotional Reaction to Children’s Birthday Surprise

“It makes me so proud of my kiddos that they have touched your hearts along with mine,” she wrote. “Your generosity in offering gifts for both the student and I, donations to our school, and our classroom have not gone unnoticed.”

“My wish for all of you is to remember this kind and simple gesture of love from one of my school babies and carry it with you and continue to spread love and kindness to everyone you meet – not just during this holiday season. ”

Be Sure And Share This Sweet Story Of Kindness With Your Friends On Social Media

Nigerian ‘Angel’ Has Secretly Been Paying for the Hospital Bills of Poor and Uninsured Patients

By
Ryan Morris
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In Nigeria, a nation in which only 5% of the population has health insurance, an “angel” has taken it upon himself to cover the costs of patient treatments.

In most countries, hospital patients who cannot immediately pay for their treatment or have their insurance cover the cost will generally just be billed at a later date. Nigerians, on the other hand, are required to stay at the hospital until the payment is received, which results in hundreds of patients being forced to stay in the hospital for weeks.

Fortunately for these patients, Zeal Akaraiwai, a Nigerian financial consultant, has focused his attention and income on anonymously paying for the release of the poor and uninsured.

RELATED: Instead of Paying for Advertising, Church Abolishes $10M in Medical Debt For Local Families

Whenever Akaraiwai arrives at the hospital, he is greeted by a team of social workers who detail the conditions and stories of patients in need of Akaraiwai’s help. After being handed a list of the individuals who are unable to leave the hospital due to financial difficulties, Akaraiwai visits the patients to assess their condition and confirm their stories with the nursing staff.

According to an interview with BBC, the Christian businessman calls his labor of love “The Angel Project” because he wants to be an example for how we should all strive “be the angel you hope to meet.”

LOOK: Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins Pay $2 Million to Bring Hundreds of Therapy Dogs into Children’s Hospitals

Although the citizens of Nigeria must deal with the tumultuous conditions of their socio-economic landscape, hundreds of ex-patients have already found comfort in the compassion of those like Akaraiwai, who are willing to show kindness when it is needed most.

In the meantime, Akaraiwai hopes to rally awareness for the desperate need for healthcare reform in his country.

“There’s no reason why we cannot have proper health insurance. We have clever people who can think of schemes that can work,” he told BBC.

Pass On The Positive Story Of Compassion To Your Friends On Social Media – Representative photo by Staff Sergeant Stephen Lynch / U.S. Air Force

The Joy of Holding a Book Will Never Go Out of Style: Sales Improve for Fifth Year in a Row

By
McKinley Corbley
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While some zealous literary fans may have been worried about the declining popularity of printed books in the face of e-readers entering the market, these reports say that you have nothing to fear.

Research from the NDP Bookscan, a system that records over 80% of American book purchases, shows that printed book sales rose by 1.9% last year, followed by a further increase of 2% during the first half of 2018.

The data continues the 5-year trend of improving book sales, with a collective increase of 10.8% more books being sold since 2013.

LOOK: School Installs Vending Machine That Dispenses Free Books to Kids Who Read

Additionally, book sales are projected to continue improving every year. In 2022, consumers around the world are expected to spend roughly $50.3 billion on printed and audiobooks – which is $2.5 billion more than what was spent in 2017.

Some studies show that people are maintaining their love of printed books because they don’t contribute to excessive screen exposure; people prefer having physical ownership of something they value; and readers are also more likely to remember information from printed sources, rather than screens.

Other consumers also feel that it sets a good example for kids, as growing up surrounded by books has been shown to have positive lasting effects on the mind.

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This Inspiring Couple Made It Their New Year’s Resolution to Go On 52 Dates – and They Are About to Succeed

By
McKinley Corbley
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This married couple is about to complete their New Year’s resolution – and they are going to do it simply by having dinner together at a restaurant.

That’s because Justin and Sarah Breen’s resolution was to go out to dinner with each other once a week without their two kids.

Sarah was a 22-year-old medical student when she started dating Justin, a 27-year-old assistant sports editor, in 2004. With his long hours and her rigorous coursework, their “date nights” mostly consisted of studying on the couch with the TV volume turned down.

They eventually got married and settled down – and while the couple from Chicago, Illinois is quick to emphasize that they love being parents and spending time with their sons, raising the youngsters can often be quite stressful, and the Breens wanted to ensure that they were paying enough attention to each other.

RELATED: Customers Keep Buying Up All of Donut Shop’s Pastries So He Can Go Home Early to Be With Ailing Wife

Justin then suggested that they use their 2018 New Years resolution as a commitment to having at least one date night every week for a year.

They also used the opportunity to go to a different restaurant every week, although it was definitely not required of their resolution.

“It was never about the food for us. Even if the service was slow, great. We got more time to spend with each other,” Sarah told the Chicago Tribune, with Justin adding that they “never get bored of talking to each other.”

After a few months, they started posting their date night photos to social media. Other couples expressed their admiration and encouragement for the Breens, hoping that they would be able to complete their resolution. Though there were some weeks that were harder than other, due to babysitter cancelations, sickness, and sudden plan changes, Justin and Sarah have successfully gone on 51 wonderful dinner dates.

LOOK: Stranger Helps Lonely Widower Celebrate After Seeing Flowers and Cake in Shopping Cart

Now, after 51 dates, they will be finishing their New Year’s resolution tonight.

“We are very excited for our last dinner of 2018,” Justin told Good News Network. “Not only [are we going to] one of the best restaurants in Chicago, but it marks a really neat accomplishment in our lives to finish this resolution. And we have inspired many other couples to begin their own date nights.”

The Breens don’t plan on stopping their romantic resolutions in 2019, either. Justin says his 2019 resolution is to surprise his wife once a month with an extra special date night, and he and Sarah are both open to further suggestions from other couples.

When asked whether he had any tips for couples wanting to complete similar New Years resolutions, he told GNN: “Marriage is not magic. It’s about commitment to each other. Much like becoming a doctor or building a successful business or keeping a resolution, it takes time, patience and commitment.”

Share This Sweet Story Of Romance With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Justin Breen

“Life is mostly froth and bubble; Two things stand like stone; Kindness in another’s trouble, courage in your own.” – Adam Lindsay Gordon

By
Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Life is mostly froth and bubble; Two things stand like stone; Kindness in another’s trouble, courage in your own.” – Adam Lindsay Gordon

Photo: by Barry Thomas, CC license on Flickr

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

Animal Activists and Staff From Slaughterhouse Eat Vegan Christmas Meal Together: ‘Good things are happening’

By
Good News Network
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As a means of reaching out to each other across idealogical barriers, animal rights activists joined together with slaughterhouse workers to sit down and share a vegan Christmas feast earlier this week.

Photos of the dinner were posted to the Friendsnotfood Facebook page, where the activists explained the unlikely event by saying that “only light can dispel darkness” and “only love can dispel hate.”

“We are not there to have a fight with slaughterhouse workers or drivers,” they added. “We are there for the animals and the planet. If the demand stops, the slaughterhouse will stop.”

The activists regularly visit the Tulip Slaughterhouse in Bristol, England on Mondays and Tuesdays to “show love, kindness, comfort and compassion to the pigs” before the animals are led to the butcher’s block.

RELATED: Animal Activist Makes Historic Deal With Meat Market to Close All Slaughterhouses

The group members hope that by raising awareness for vegan lifestyles and animal rights through their visits, more people will opt for plant-based diets.

Though their post about the meal received some controversy, the advocates simply said that they would rather enforce change through compassionate outreach and kindness.

“As always, there are various people trolling and criticizing,” the page wrote in a comment. “My advice to them is to focus their energies on positivity rather than negativity. Good things are happening.”

Be Sure And Share The Inspiring News With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Friendsnotfood

After Cheerful Young Walmart Cashier Pays for Stranger’s $110 Grocery Bill, Community Repays Him Ten-Fold

By
McKinley Corbley
-

A 19-year-old Walmart cashier was more than happy to pick up the tab for a distressed woman who was unable to pay for her groceries – so his community decided to thank him for his kindness.

The young man’s good deed was captured by Laci Simms, another shopper who was waiting to check out from the store in Princeton, Texas.

A woman ahead of Simms became frantic when she realized that she did not have enough money to pay for her $110 grocery bill – but her cashier, John Lopez Jr. volunteered to pick up the tab.

Simms was so impressed by his kindness, she snapped a picture of the youth and posted it to Facebook – although this is apparently not the first time that John has inspired his customers.

RELATED: Homeless Veteran Asks for Nothing, But Town Insists On Helping Him Anyway

“I just witnessed this ‘kid’ pay for a cart of merchandise for a woman in obvious distress about her inability to pay,” wrote Simms. “She was a few people ahead of us and when she had trouble paying her bill, he stepped in and told her if she’d wait, he would pay her total. Ya’ll, it was $110 dollars!”

“If you have never had the pleasure of going through John’s checkout line at the Princeton Walmart, please seek him out on your next visit,” added Simms. “He is always singing, upbeat, courteous, joyful and efficient.

“He just renewed my faith in humanity and the generation we are raising! Everyone share this so the world knows what a blessing John is to our community!”

As more and more people shared the photo, fellow shoppers contributed their own stories of praise for the young cashier. One local user, Brandon Weddle, recognized John in the photo and was particularly touched by the story.

“I’ve been through his line a couple of times, my wife has too, and we’ve spoken about him, how he touches people on a daily basis,” Weddle told Inside Edition.

After reading all of the other testimonials to John’s characters, Weddle says that he could not stop thinking about how he finally wanted to do something to thank John for his kindness. “It just resonated with me the whole next day,” he said. “I’d asked on Facebook if anyone had set up a [crowdfunding] page for him, but there wasn’t one. With it only just being a few days before Christmas, I decided to set up a page for him.”

MORE: Mom Brought to Tears When Airline Stranger Gives Up First Class Seat for Her Sick Daughter

Within a few hours, the GoFundMe page reached its goal of $1,000. Over the course of the last nine days, it has raised over $34,000.

In addition to being honored by his manager and the town mayor, John also had the bulk of the crowdfunding donations transferred into his bank account this week – and the emotional youngster says that he plans on using the money for college.

“He was very excited and you could tell it meant a lot to him and his family. You know it’s going to a good family,” Weddle told Inside Edition. “I’m just glad that he got recognized this year, and I’m glad the community stepped up to help him.”

Be Sure And Share This Sweet Story Of Kindness With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Laci Simms

Wrinkles May Soon Be a Thing of the Past Thanks to New Skin Cell Discovery

By
Good News Network
-

This new scientific study may lead to wrinkled skin becoming a thing of the past – and it might also spell the end of a common skin infection.

Researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine identified a specialized kind of cell located deep in the skin which generates connective tissue and helps the skin recover from injury.

The cells, which are called dermal fibroblasts, have the ability to convert into fat cells residing under the dermis, giving the skin a plump, youthful look and producing a peptide that plays a critical role in fighting infections.

In a study published in Immunity earlier this week, the researchers show how fibroblasts develop into fat cells and identify the pathway that causes this process to cease as people age.

RELATED: Want to Stop Eating Junk Food? New Research Says You Should Get More Sleep

“We have discovered how the skin loses the ability to form fat during aging,” said Richard Gallo, chair of the Department of Dermatology at UC San Diego School of Medicine and senior author on study. “Loss of the ability of fibroblasts to convert into fat affects how the skin fights infections and will influence how the skin looks during aging.”

But that doesn’t mean that you should reach for the donuts – since obesity also interferes with the ability to fight infections, gaining weight isn’t the path to converting dermal fibroblasts into fat cells. Instead, a protein that controls many cellular functions, called transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), stops dermal fibroblasts from converting into fat cells and prevents the cells from producing an antimicrobial peptide which helps protect against bacterial infections.

“Babies have a lot of this type of fat under the skin, making their skin inherently good at fighting some types of infections. Aged dermal fibroblasts lose this ability and the capacity to form fat under the skin,” said Gallo. “Skin with a layer of fat under it looks more youthful. When we age, the appearance of the skin has a lot to do with the loss of fat.”

MORE: Scientists Develop Molecule That Can Finally Help Stop Arthritis From Wearing Down Joints

In mouse models, researchers used chemical blockers to inhibit the TGF-β pathway, causing the skin to revert back to a younger function and allowing dermal fibroblasts to convert into fat cells. Turning off the pathway in mice by genetic techniques had the same result.

Understanding the biological process that leads to an age-dependent loss of these specialized fat cells could be used to help fight off skin infections like Staphylococcus aureus – a pathogenic bacteria that is the leading cause of infections of the skin and heart and a major factor in worsening diseases, like eczema.

When staph infections becomes antibiotic resistant, it is known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus or MRSA, which is a leading cause of death resulting from infection in the United States.

The long term goals and benefits of this research are to understand the infant immune system, said Gallo. The results may also help understand what goes wrong in other diseases like obesity, diabetes and autoimmune diseases.

(Source: UC San Diego)

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Body Cam Footage Shows Police Officer Saving Clucking Chicken From a Burning Shed

By
McKinley Corbley
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Stereotypes say that “chicks dig a guy in uniform” – and based on this police body cam footage, there might actually be some truth to that.

The Ossining Police Department of New York recently published a video from a dispatch call in which their officers were responding to a local shed fire.

As Officer McGovern was assessing the interior of the burning shed, he smartly took action by first removing several tanks of propane in order to avoid exacerbating the fire.

Except as he was moving one of the propane tanks, he was stunned to look down and see a lone chicken hiding inside of the burning shed.

MORE: Rescuers Pull Car From Frigid Water, Find a Driver Who Survived for 5 Hours Using an Air Bubble

The police department later posted the footage to Facebook, saying: “Somewhere around the first day of field training, some salty cop usually hits you with, ‘Kid, you wouldn’t believe what goes on around here if I told you.’ Saturday, Officer McGovern had his ‘aha’ moment.”

McGovern was not about to chicken out of his duties, however – the courageous New York cop gingerly pursued the bird up a set of stairs before he was finally able to get his hands around it and safely pass it on to rescue workers who were on the other side of the homeowner’s fence.

The family who lived on the property was reportedly overwhelmed with relief upon hearing that their fowl was okay – and although the police department praised Ossining for his actions, they also couldn’t help but lovingly ruffle his feathers a little bit.

LOOK: Fearless Uber Driver Stops Mid-Trip to Scoop Up Injured Hawk and Save It From the Highway

“Now, it’s not that we don’t love chickens. They’re just fine and certainly deserve our assistance,” said the department. “It’s just that, if you ever wanted to get a hard time from your coworkers, be a hero… to a chicken.

“Congratulations, Officer McGovern. Since the ‘Lifesaving Award’ doesn’t specifically prohibit the subject of your bravery from being poultry, we will put you in for an award because, well, this is a story that’s too good to let go of.”

Some Facebook readers were quick to scold the department for teasing a cop’s compassion towards an animal, but the department responded by saying: “It’s not really like that. Officer McGovern has a great sense of humor so we’re having a little fun with this, but he’s well respected by his coworkers. He’s a good cop and we’re grateful for his quick thinking and positive attitude.”

(WATCH the police footage below) – Photo by Ossining Police Department

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When Flight Attendant Had to Work on Christmas, Her Dad Booked Seats On All 6 of Her Flights to Spend Time With Her

By
McKinley Corbley
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While there is no place like home for the holidays, flight attendant Pierce Vaughan was unfortunately scheduled to work through Christmas Eve and Christmas.

However, her devoted father Hal was not about to miss out on spending the holidays with his daughter – so he booked seats on all six of her flights.

Hal’s sweet Yuletide gesture was first brought into the limelight after he was seated next to fellow passenger Mike Levy on a flight from Fort Myers to Detroit.

When Levy heard about Hal’s flights, he snapped a photo with the dad and posted it to social media, praising the family for their heartwarming adoration for each other.

RELATED: Dad Confronts Bully by Treating Him Like a Son – Now the Homeless Boy Has Money and Friendship

“I had the pleasure of sitting next to Hal on my flight back home. His daughter Pierce was our flight attendant who had to work over Christmas,” Levy wrote on Facebook. “Hal decided he would spend the holiday with her. So, he is flying on each of her flights today and tomorrow around the country to spend time with his daughter for Christmas. What a fantastic father! Wish you both a very Merry Christmas!”

The post was shared thousands of times until it was eventually republished by Pierce, who was delighted to see her and her father’s story on social media.

“Dad’s first trip using his benefits was a success!” wrote Pierce. “A special thanks to all of the patient, wonderful gate agents around the country and my perfect crew. He made it on every flight and even got first class RSW-DTW (Christmas miracle).”

Since Pierce works for Delta Airlines, the company later released a statement in response to the story, thanking their flight attendant for her hard work.

LOOK: Internet Falls in Love With Wholesome Dad Who Hides $20 Whenever He Visits Daughter’s Home

“We appreciate all of our employees for working during the holidays to serve Delta customers,” wrote the airline, “and [we] love seeing this awesome Dad having the chance to spend Christmas with his daughter – even while crisscrossing the country at 30,000 feet.”

Be Sure And Fly This Story Over To Your Friends By Sharing It On Social Media – Photo by Mike Levy

“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.” – Benjamin Franklin

By
Good News Network
-

Quote of the Day: “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.” – Benjamin Franklin

Photo: by rebecca anne, CC license on Flickr

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

If You Do What You Love for Fun, Your Peers Will Be the First to Hire You (Then Companies Will Follow)

By
Ryan Morris
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The Lesson: When we think about starting our professional career, we typically find the most successful companies in the field and then scheme up ways to work for them; however, many incredibly successful producers, artists, engineers, and writers started doing their work simply for the pure fun of it – and then they got their first paid gigs from friends, peers, and acquaintances.

Notable Excerpt: “…a friend of mine loved making videos. Because she found it so fun, she volunteered to make a video for the end-of-year party for her son’s kindergarten class. A fellow parent was so impressed, that he hired her to do a trailer for his book – and that became her first gig in professional video production.

The Host: Dubbed a “Happiness Guru”, best-selling author Gretchen Rubin started her career in law and was clerking at the Supreme Court when she realized she wanted to be a writer. To date, the Manhattan-based speaker has written several biographies, self-help guides, and indexes on the happiest places and practices in the world.

Podcast: Her top-ranking, award-winning podcast, “Happier with Gretchen Rubin,” which discusses happiness and good habits.

Books: Rubin is the author of “The Happiness Project”, which spent two years on the New York Times bestsellers list. Her books, including “The Four Tendencies”, “Happier at Home”, and “Better Than Before”, have sold almost three million copies worldwide in more than thirty languages. Additionally, Rob Lowe has published an autobiography called “Stories I Only Tell My Friends” and a collection of romantic memoirs called “Love Life”.

(LISTEN to the inspiring talk below) – Feature photo by Bryan Van Wagner

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Bus Driver Saves Money From Every Paycheck to Buy Christmas Presents for All 70 of His Students

By
McKinley Corbley
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A compassionate school bus driver went above and beyond the call of duty to show his students how much he cares.

Curtis Jenkins has worked as a bus driver for his school district in Dallas, Texas for seven years. This year, however, he wanted to do something special for his little passengers during the holiday season.

Originally, Jenkins wanted to host a gift exchange, but his wife remarked on how some of the students’ parents might not be able to afford a gift.

So instead of facilitating an exchange, he simply started saving money from his pay checks to buy gifts for all 70 of his students from Lake Highlands Elementary School.

RELATED: Dying 86-Year-old Bought 14 Years Worth of Christmas Gifts for His 2-Year-old Neighbor

After asking each student what they wanted for Christmas, he waited until the last school day before winter break to load up his bus with wrapped gifts and dole them out to the kids.

“When I opened that door, one of the kids asked me, ‘Are you Santa?’” Jenkins told KXAS. “Seeing those faces on the kids was more than anything I could ever do with the money.”

Though Jenkins was happy to fulfill his labor of love on his own, he says that he also received some financial contributions from a co-worker and a compassionate parent who was touched by his gesture.

Drive Your Friends To This Sweet Story By Sharing It To Social Media

Smart Caption Glasses Allow Deaf Audience Members to Watch Live Theater Performers Directly

By
McKinley Corbley
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Deaf people can now enjoy live theatrical performances more than ever before thanks to these new “smart caption glasses”.

The Royal National Theater in London has been piloting the glasses with their audience members who may be deaf or hard of hearing.

While sign language interpreters are often made available for certain performances, they are not always present for some of the shows. The glasses, on the other hand, use lighting, timing, and stages cues to display the scripted dialogue on the inside of the lenses. Even if an actor skips a few lines of dialogue, the glasses will be able to detect the change and display the correct scripting.

This way, spectators can watch the actors while reading the dialogue.

LOOK: 15-Year-old Melts the Hearts of Airline Passengers When She Befriends Blind and Deaf Passenger

After several months of testing the glasses, the National Theater will be making the glasses available for all of their performances starting in 2019 free of charge.

Additionally, the manufacturer of the glasses hopes that the technology will soon be made available in theaters around the world.

“This new technology allows the deaf and hard of hearing to have complete access,” Sarina Roffé, the former president of the National Cued Speech Association, told CNN. “It’s really amazing how far we’ve advanced and how it has positively affected the quality of life for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.”

(WATCH the explanatory video below)

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When Man Finds Balloon With Girl’s Christmas List, He Travels to Mexico to Deliver

By
McKinley Corbley
-

Despite being separated by an international border, an American man was able to make a Mexican girl’s Christmas wish come true after he found it tied to the string of a balloon in the desert.

Randy Heiss had been out on a walk with his dog in Patagonia, Arizona when he saw a deflated red balloon trapped in some shrubs. More peculiarly, there was a little note attached to the string.

The note, which was written in Spanish, was a Christmas list that was addressed to Santa from a little girl named Dayami. The sweet youngster simply said that she wanted some paints and new clothes for Christmas.

Heiss was moved by the letter, not just because of its innocence, but also because he used to send letters to Santa the very same way – so he became dedicated to fulfilling the child’s Christmas wish.

RELATED: Dying 86-Year-old Bought 14 Years Worth of Christmas Gifts for His 2-Year-old Neighbor

“It really touched my heart to find it and I said well how in the heck am I going to be able to figure out how to make contact with this little girl and make her wishes come true,” Heiss told KVOA.

He took to social media, hoping to find someone who could put him in contact with the family. With Christmas looming ever closer, Heiss eventually approached a Mexican radio station for help, and within one hour of them broadcasting his story, he was connected with Dayami’s family in Nogales, Sonora.

Delighted for an opportunity to bring some holiday magic to the family, Heiss ditched work to go shopping for Dayami’s gifts at Walmart and bring them down to Nogales.

LOOK: Family Accidentally Transforms Weed Growing From the Sidewalk into a Beloved Charlie Brown Tree

Dayami’s family was extremely grateful for the gesture, and Heiss and his wife were careful about telling the kids that the gifts were from Santa.

The gesture didn’t just bring an immense amount of joy to Dayami’s family, either – Heiss says that it meant a great deal to him and his wife as well.

“We lost our son nine years ago,” Heiss told the news outlet. “So we don’t have grandchildren in our future and so really getting to share Christmas with kids was something that’s been missing in our lives.”

Furthermore, Heiss has stayed in touch with Dayami’s parents through social media, and they are quickly becoming extensions of each other’s families – all thanks to his act of Christmas compassion.

(WATCH the video below) – Photos by Randy Heiss

Be Sure And Share This Sweet Story Of Kindness With Your Friends On Social Media

Man Donated Hundreds of Thousands of Miles to Strangers, Reuniting Families for the Holidays

By
Ryan Morris
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For the past 5 years, motivational speaker and frequent traveler Peter Shankman has donated his flyer miles to those in need – this year his donation exceeded 200,000 miles.

After realizing he had no use for his flyer miles, and no desire to use them, Shankman started giving his miles to close friends, family, and colleagues.  Once he saw how many remained in his account at the end of each year, he started a contest in which the miles were gifted to people in need.

After his contest became popular on the social media site Imgur, others began donating their miles as well, collectively totaling 300,000 miles for this year’s contest.

In order to win a portion of the miles, individuals who need to fly home for the holidays, but have no means to do so, write a post detailing why they’d like to fly home.  This year 5 families were reunited after writing in for the contest.

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“I can’t think of a better way to use [frequent flier] miles,” Shankman told The Washington Post. “The moon is almost 250,000 miles away, and I travel more than that annually.”

Sarah Latham, a winner of this year’s contest, was struggling to find a way to New York so she could visit her ailing grandfather. With his condition worsening and doctors claiming there wasn’t much time left, Latham knew she wanted to see him at least one last time. Prior to winning Shankman’s contest, purchasing a round-trip wasn’t possible without sending her family deeper into debt. 

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“I’m happy I won because now I have the opportunity for one last memory,” she told The Post. “After my dad died, the relationship I have with my grandfather became even more important than I have words to describe. This is my trip to say goodbye.”

In addition to sending Latham to New York, the miles were also gifted to a couple in Los Angeles so that they could be with their family in Utah, and to send two brothers in San Diego to North Carolina, where they will be visiting their mother for the first time in years.

Fly This Sweet Story Of Kindness Over To Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Ira Shankman

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” – Norman Vincent Peale

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Quote of the Day: “Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” – Norman Vincent Peale

Photo: by Can Pac Swire, CC license on Flickr

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.” – Andy Rooney

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Rjcox – CC license

Quote of the Day: “One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.” – Andy Rooney

Photo: by rjcox, CC license on Flickr

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

7 Ways to Navigate Uncomfortable Conversations at the Holiday Dinner Table

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Good News Network
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Credit: Didriks

Oh the holidays!

We may love our family and enjoy seeing them, but we may also have very differing perspectives on the world. Family gatherings seem to be a catalyst for uncomfortable conversations with family members, whether it be about politics, religion or just having to update the entire family on your life. After a challenging political season and vastly differing views on certain topics, some may consider sitting out the holidays all together. Although the holidays are a time to be grateful for the people you’re bonded with for life, it can sometimes be difficult. The holidays bring together a lot of opinions and personalities which pave the way for awkward moments. Fortunately, we have 7 tips to help you survive the uncomfortable conversations you may be about to have with family.

1. Ask the Host for a Debate Free Zone. Whether you’re the host of the family gathering or someone else, ask that “hot” topics not be discussed during the gathering. This could pertain to politics, religion or known differences in opinion. Family will be more likely to come and with a good attitude if they know controversial topics will be avoided.

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2. Realize You Probably Can’t Change Opinions of Others. You can avoid arguments by realizing something you’ve probably figured out in life on your own already—trying to change someone’s opinion (especially an older family member)—is just about useless. People don’t change their mind by arguing with them. Attempting to change your uncle’s mind will only get you both more defensive of your opinions.

3. Be Ok With Silence. Maybe the conversation is uncomfortable because you have nothing in common with a relative. If this happens, don’t try to say something for the sake of talking. Be okay with the silence and use it to plan something intelligent to say. Too many awkward moments happen when we feel the need to blurt out something, to realize a moment later we just stuck our foot in our mouth.

4. Change the Subject. Sometimes tricky, sometimes smooth, changing the subject is almost a conversational art. You can deflect an uncomfortable question by responding vaguely or look at others around you to join in so you’re not alone handling a response. Don’t be afraid to mention something random either. Like you just remembered something cool you wanted to share. You’d just need to think of something on the spot.

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5. Plan Indoor Activities. Where there’s entertainment, there’s little time for debate. Keep the party going by planning activities for everyone to enjoy. Bring out the board games, plug in the karaoke machine, plan a craft table, and have family bring instruments if they play one and get a sing-a-long going. Who doesn’t love a good holiday movie? Play a good movie family can watch together like Miracle on 34th Street or Home Alone. This will insure the guests have sweet memories about the holiday vs. negative ones.

6. Plan Outdoor Activities. Fresh Air and exercise are good for everyone’s mind, body and spirit. If the weather is cooperative, organize an outing for ice skating or snow shoeing. If there’s snow, gather the troops for a snowman building contest. At the very least, get those who are interested out for a quick walk or a drive to view holiday lights.

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7. Stay Confident. Our families are often our biggest critics. A family gathering may bring with it a smorgasbord of opinions and advice from aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. And they all like to put in their two cents about what you should be doing in life. In situations like this, remain confident. They don’t live your life and although you’ll listen to their advice, you don’t have to follow it.

Don’t let the anticipation of uncomfortable conversations with family bring you down this holiday season. Keep your chin up, go with a good attitude and enjoy the holidays!

Justin Lavelle is Communications Director at PeopleLooker. PeopleLooker is the fast, affordable, and easy way to access public records and search for people. Find out ages, marital status, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, criminal records, and more. PeopleLooker is a popular tool for online daters who use the app to check the background of potential dates.

Click To Share These Helpful Tips With Your Friends – Photo by Didriks, CC

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