All News - Page 798 of 1761 - Good News Network
Home Blog Page 798

Woman Scours the Web For Years to Find Sister She Never Met – Until Her New Neighbor Moves In

By
McKinley Corbley
-
Photo by Hillary Harris

LISTEN to this Good News Guru story here, which was broadcast on the radio with Ellen K and Geri, GNN’s founder, on KOST-103.5 — Or, READ the story below… (Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes – or for Androids, on Podbean)

Hillary Harris spent years searching the internet to find Dawn Johnson — until fate stepped in, in a big way.

Adopted as a baby, Harris only found out she had a half-sister after reading her adoption file as an adult. There, she discovered that her sibling’s name was Dawn Johnson.

For years, Hillary trawled the internet, and hundreds of Facebook pages hoping to find any Dawn Johnsons who might look like her, but found no one.

Last year, the 31-year-old was amused when, coincidentally, a woman named Dawn moved next door to their home in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Harris joked to her husband that –even though the new neighbor was 20 years older— the woman living next door was her long-lost sister.

RELATED: Search for Cat Litter Led Woman to Fateful Encounter With Stranger Who Adopted Her Beloved Persian

“I’m, like, Lance! Her name is Dawn!” Hillary told The Washington Post. “He was, like, ‘No’.”

They had a good laugh, but Hillary was still curious, and couldn’t shake the feeling that it might be her. After two months of peering through the window to catch glimpses of the curly-haired blonde, the universe interceded.

A large shipment of roofing shingles was left in the shared driveway between their homes. A big red, hand-scrawled label said JOHNSON – and Hillary was stunned!

MORE: In Twist of Fate, NFL Star’s Organs Go to the Ailing Sports Hero Who Inspired Him

“I was floored,” Hillary recalled to the Post. “I called Lance right away and said: Her last name is Johnson. That’s Dawn Johnson. It’s got to be her. It’s got to be.”

Introverted, and afraid of prying open any family secrets, it took an entire day for Hillary to muster the courage to say something. She finally texted Dawn for the first time, and she asked about a tidbit that was in her father’s obituary: “Were you the Loyal Corn Fest queen in 1983?”

When Dawn texted back, Hillary started screaming, her husband was screaming. “It was insane!”

After sharing a phone conversation filled with laughter and tears, Johnson showed up at the Harris house the next day with flowers in hand, and photos of their shared father, saying: “Hi sis.”

CHECK OUT: Routine Traffic Stop Uncovers Birth Connection Between Driver and Officer From 27 Years Ago

Since the two made the connection last year, they have been virtually inseparable. In addition to talking every day and living only a few yards apart, Harris’s 5-year-old daughter often goes over to her new aunt’s house for sleepovers and playdates.

Harris says that they decided to share their story with local reporters because they want to show people that anything is possible, and it’s never too late to search for family.

Photo by Hillary Harris

“I love sharing it because it’s such a beautiful happy story,” Harris said. “I know a lot of people struggle with adoption things and finding their biological family. But I want to tell them to not give up. Keep looking. Look everywhere. Go look next door. You don’t know what you’ll find.”

Share This Sweet Story Of Sisterly Fate With Your Friends – Photo by Hillary Harris

“There’s always another level up… More grace, more light, more generosity, more compassion, more to shed, more to grow.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

By
Good News Network
-

Quote of the Day: “There’s always another level up… More grace, more light, more generosity, more compassion, more to shed, more to grow.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

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?

Woman Scours the Web For Years to Find ‘Dawn Johnson’ and Fails – Until She Meets Her New Neighbor (Podcast)

By
Good News Network
-
Photo by Hillary Harris

Hear the amazing tale of a woman who searched for years for a sister she’d never met, only to find a red shipping label in her driveway that blew her mind! Listen to The Good News Guru tell the inspiring story (from the July 6, 2018 Ellen K. Morning Show on KOST-103.5 radio).

READ the full story, on Good News Network…

[CORRECTION: We reversed the ages of the two women in the audio version of this story, and incorrectly stated it took two months for Ms. Harris to reach out. We apologize for the oversight.]

Maybe You Aren’t Succeeding Because You Aren’t Setting the Right Goals

By
lindsaywigo
-

The Lesson: Setting the right goals can be the deciding factor between success and failure – and our leaders and institutions are not leading us to the right objectives. Learn more about Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) in this talk so you can use them to help you achieve your largest goals.

Notable Excerpt: “Now, I think of OKRs as transparent vessels that are made from the ‘whats’ and ‘hows’ of our ambitions. What really matters is the ‘why’ that we pour into those vessels. That’s why we do our work. OKRs are not a silver bullet. They’re not going to be a substitute for a strong culture or for stronger leadership, but when those fundamentals are in place, they can take you to the mountaintop. I want you to think about your life for a moment. Do you have the right metrics? Take time to write down your values, your objectives and your key results. Do it today.”

The Guest: John Doerr is an engineer, acclaimed venture capitalist, best-selling author, and chairman of Kleiner Perkins. In addition to being an original investor and board member at Google and Amazon, he also uses his online platform, What Matters, to share some significant lessons from the world’s most creative innovators.

Book: John Doerr’s handbook, “Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs” is a guide to all things related to OKRs and the achievement of goals.

(LISTEN to the inspiring talk below)

Good Advice? SHARE It – Or Check Out More On Our Good Talks Page…

Train Passenger Uses a Twitter Post to Help Rescue 26 Girls From Traffickers

By
Good News Network
-
File photo by Phil Richards, CC

A quick-thinking train passenger is being hailed for rescuing 26 Indian girls from the clutches of two human traffickers

Adarsh Shrivastava was on a train that was traveling through Uttar Pradesh last week when he noticed something strange about his fellow passengers. His train cabin was filled with girls between the ages of 10 and 14 – and almost all of them were visibly distressed. Some of the youngsters were even crying.

Sensing that something was afoot, Shrivastava pulled out his phone, created a new Twitter account, and sent several messages detailing the situation to railway and law enforcement authorities, saying that he suspected the girls to be victims of human trafficking.

RELATED: 6,000 Sex Trafficking Victims Rescued Thanks to Ashton Kutcher’s Organization

Upon writing out his cabin and train number, the Good Samaritan only had to wait thirty minutes before the Ministry of Railways Twitter account responded to the message. A few stops later, several police officers boarded the train and arrested two men who had been transporting the girls for a human trafficking scheme.

“Their parents have been informed and the men have been taken into custody,” a statement from the Railway Protection Force said.

Many social media users are calling Shrivastava a hero and asking the Prime Minister of Indian to honor him for his actions – however, Shrivastava has simply responded by saying: “Thanks, but as a citizen of India, it’s our responsibility to help people.”

Save Your Friends From Negativity And Share The Good News To Social Media – Representative photo by Phil Richards, CC

Starbucks is Largest Retailer Yet to Pledge a Phase-Out of Single-Use Plastic Straws

By
McKinley Corbley
-

Starbucks has just announced that they will be phasing out single-use plastic straws from all 28,000 of their stores worldwide by 2020.

The initiative has made Starbucks the largest retailer yet to join the global movement against the wasteful plastic utensils. McDonald’s, which is the world’s second largest fast food chain, made headlines back in March for implementing a paper straw pilot program in their UK stores.

Starbucks, on the other hand, is estimated to give out over 1 billion straws every year, since roughly half of their yearly sales are made from iced drinks that are distributed with straws. Today’s announcement of the plastic straw ban is part of the company’s $10 million campaign to be more environmentally responsible with their packaging.

RELATED: Heartfelt Letter From 5-Year-old Causes Restaurant Chain to Swap Plastic Straws for Paper

Starting in Vancouver and their home city of Seattle, Starbucks stores will begin giving customers a new kind of strawless lid for iced espresso, coffee, and tea beverages. Blended ice drinks will be distributed using biodegradable straw replacements.

The changes are expected to start being implemented in the fall.

“This is a significant milestone to achieve our global aspiration of sustainable coffee, served to our customers in more sustainable ways,” Kevin Johnson, president and chief executive of Starbucks, said in a statement, according to The Washington Post.

Be Sure And Share The Tasty Tidbit Of Good News With Your Friends – Photo by Jerry Lai, CC

The Sight of Legless Girl Walking With Tin Cans Spurs Good Samaritan Doctor to Make Sure She Walks Tall

By
McKinley Corbley
-

The tenacity and plight of an 8-year-old refugee girl from Syria caught the attention of the internet when she was photographed using tin cans as makeshift prosthetic legs. Now, thanks to social media, she has been given a leg up on her disability.

Maya Merhi has a rare congenital disorder that caused her to be born without legs. As a means of keeping her off of the hot dusty ground, her father – who has the same disorder – constructed prosthetics for his daughter out of tunafish cans and PVC pipe.

After her family was forced to flee their home in Alello, the contraptions allowed Maya to attend school and maneuver her refugee camp in northwestern Idlib without having to crawl on the ground from place-to-place, as she was previously accustomed to doing.

When the striking photos of Maya’s predicament started being shared on the internet, however, a Turkish prosthetics specialist named Dr. Mehmet Zeki Culcu reached out to the Turkish Red Crescent so he could fit Maya with proper prosthetics.

RELATED: Refugee Selling Pens Saw Huge Outpouring, Now Owns Bakery, Hires Refugees

Thanks to the help of the humanitarian organization, Maya and her father were flown out to Istanbul, Turkey for medical help. Culcu then fitted the youngster with a new set of prosthetics earlier this week – and he provided the life-saving treatment free of charge.

According to news sources, Maya couldn’t help but shed tears of joy after she was fitted with her new legs. Though it may take her several months to adjust to the prosthetics, she is already excited to be taking her first steps on her new appendages.

“She is smiling, in good health and learning to walk,” Culcu told Al Jazeera.

(WATCH the video below)

Be Sure And Share This Sweet Story With Your Friends – Photo by Al Jazeera

HIV Vaccine Inspires Hope After ‘Promising’ Results in Human Trials

By
McKinley Corbley
-

A new HIV vaccine is inspiring “cautious” hope in scientists after it passed human trials with “promising” results.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed that the vaccine evoked an anti-HIV immune system response in all 393 of the patients who received the treatment.

The research team developed the treatment as a “mosaic” vaccine, meaning that it was created using immunity properties against multiple strains of HIV in order to maximize protection. The mosaic vaccine was then delivered to healthy patients between the ages of 18 and 50 who did not already have the disease. The participants were given a series of four vaccines across 48 weeks at HIV clinics in US, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, and Thailand.

In addition to showing successful immune responses in the human patients, the vaccine was also shown to fend off a similarly dangerous immunodeficiency virus in 67% of monkeys who received the treatment.

RELATED: Alzheimer’s Gene is Neutralized in Human Brain Cells for the First Time

“These results represent an important milestone,” said Dan Barouch, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and lead author of the study, according to the BBC.

Now that the vaccine has been proven successful in the trials, the results of which were published in The Lancet, the next phase of testing will deliver the vaccine to 2,600 African women who are at-risk of contracting the disease.

While there have been HIV vaccines that have been approved for human trials in the past, only one was shown to provide protection against the disease, and it’s rate of protection was considered too low to be implemented more widely.

Cure Your Friends Of Negativity And Share The Good News – Representative Photo by Simmons.Kevin4208, CC

JetBlue Crew Praised for Saving Dog’s Life When It Was Struggling to Breathe on Plane

By
McKinley Corbley
-

These flight attendants are being hailed for looking after their passengers – no matter their species – during their time of need.

Steven and Michelle Burt were on a JetBlue flight from Orlando, Florida to Worcester, Massachusetts last week when they noticed that something was wrong with their 3-year-old French bulldog named Darcy.

Darcy, who was safely tucked into her carrier under the seats in front of the couple, was breathing heavily. When Michelle checked on her little companion, she noticed that Darcy’s tongue and gums were turning blue, which is a sign of oxygen deprivation.

Michelle pulled her dog out of the carrier and into her lap with the hopes that it might help Darcy calm down. Unfortunately, she continued to breath heavily and frantically.

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

“The flight attendant came and politely told me that regulation is that that the pet was remain under the seat in her carrier,” Michelle wrote in a Facebook post. “I apologized and explained that she appeared to be in medical distress … I gave her some water and just let her sit on my lap hoping she would be okay.”

“We all are affected by cabin pressure and oxygen fluctuations, human, canine and feline, etc., but the fact that the attendants were responsive and attentive to the situation may have saved Darcy’s life,” Michelle wrote.

Two flight attendants named Renaud Fenster and Diane Asher brought bags of ice to help the pup cool down. Not only that, they later returned with a small oxygen tank and mask.

RELATED: One Month After Med School, He Was the Only Doctor Aboard Overseas Flight to Save Woman’s Life

“I placed the mask over her face, and within a few minutes she became alert and after a short time she didn’t want the mask,” says Michelle. “I believe Renaud and Diane saved a life, [and while] some may reduce the value of the life because Darcy is a canine, I do not.”

Michelle later wrote a thank you note to JetBlue in which she praised the actions of their flight crew. JetBlue responded in a statement saying: “We all want to make sure everyone has a safe and comfortable fight, including those with four legs. We’re thankful for our crew’s quick thinking and glad everyone involved was breathing easier when the plane landed in Worcester.”

Michelle says that she will be taking Darcy to the vet before taking her on any more flights in the future.

Fly The Good News Over To Your Friends: Share To Social Media – Photo by Renaud Fenster

“I lose sight of us at times; the way that fish can’t see the ocean; the price of lovers swimming in their love.” – Mark Nepo

By
Good News Network
-

Quote of the Day: “I lose sight of us at times; the way that fish can’t see the ocean; the price of lovers swimming in their love.” – Mark Nepo

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?

The Only Thing Crazy About This Cat Lady is the Number of Felines She’s Rescued: 28,000 (Video)

By
Good News Network
-

Lynea Lattanzio is a certified (un-crazy) cat lady who would “rather have 800 cats than another man.”

“Been there. Done that— bought the tee-shirt.”

Instead of living with a roommate, she began welcoming cats from kill-shelters and taking in kittens that needed a home, until she ended up with wall-to-wall felines.

She now oversees The Cat House on The Kings, a 12-acre sanctuary in California with close to 800 adults and 300 kittens lounging among the trees and in the large home on the property.

POPULAR: When Woman is About to Give Up On Lost Cat, She Feels ‘Invisible Hands’ Guide Her to Him

After living with the cats for years and ‘trying to make it work’, she moved out.

Forty-five volunteers are currently dedicated to the care and feeding of the cats as they roam free in the 4200 sq-ft home in Parlier.

“We have saved over 28,000 cats in 24 years,” she proudly told Great Big Story.

Wait. What?

“We have too many cats.”

RELATED: Cat Running Across a Baseball Field Triggers a Movement That Saved 38,000 Animals

(WATCH the video below from Great Big Story)

Pass This Around to Your Cat-Loving Buddies…

23-Year-old Invents Method to Break Down Unrecyclable Plastic Film into Valuable Liquids

By
McKinley Corbley
-

There are over 6 billion tons of plastic waste languishing on the planet, unable to be recycled – but this 23-year-old college student may have come up with an ingenious way to reuse all of that trash.

Miranda Wang is one of the co-founders of BioCellection: a company that uses a chemical process to break down plastics and turn them into an essential ingredient for nylon, which otherwise uses petroleum.

Wang’s method specifically targets polyethylene, a cheap kind of plastic that is only recycled less than 3% of the time. Despite being the most used plastic in the US, much of this plastic is rejected from recycling plants because it’s covered in dirt, food, or grime.

“Film is the worst type of plastic because it’s so easy to catch surface contamination,” Wang told WIRED. “You can have such a small amount by mass, by weight of plastic, and its entangled and wrapped around everything in the waste bin and it just catches all the liquids and the oil.”

RELATED: Instead of Tossing it Back, 5,000 Indian Fishermen Now Collect Ocean Plastic to Build Roads and Prosperity

After building on research they did in high school, Wang and her co-founder Jeanny Yao started their company in 2015. They had originally planned on using a specific kind of soil bacteria (which works similarly to the enzyme that made headlines in April) to eat these plastics. However, the bacteria would always prefer to eat the surface grime, rather than the plastic, and it digested the polyethylene too slowly to be effective.

The young Canadian researchers then adopted a catalyst that can destabilize and break down the plastics into liquid chemicals without causing surface contamination to react. Additionally, the process is completed much more quickly—it takes only three hours for the plastic to break down.

The resulting liquid chemicals can then be used to make materials like nylon, which is commonly used in the fashion and automotive industry. This way, single-use plastics can be effectively recycled while simultaneously replacing the need for petroleum.

MORE: Researchers Have Finally Created Simple Eco-Friendly Machine That Recycles Used Diapers

The catalyst can also be boiled off and reused by BioCellection’s technology so that it can continuously convert more plastic.

The company will be conducting a pilot demonstration of their process in October by converting 17 metric tons of plastic waste into 6 tons of valuable chemicals over the course of 3 months. After that, the team plans on building a larger machine to continue recycling the materials, and expanding their research to include recycling other forms of plastic as well.

(WATCH the video below)

Pass On This Groundbreaking Discovery With Your Friends – Image from CNN via Tomorrow’s Hero

Firefighter Finishes Yard Work for the 90-Year-old Man Who Collapsed in the Heat

By
Good News Network
-

A compassionate firefighter is being hailed for an act of kindness towards a local senior who had a medical emergency last month.

Rance Pringle of the Plano Fire Department in Texas was one of the first responders who answered a call about a 90-year-old man who collapsed from the heat while he was outside doing yard work.

With temperatures climbing into the 100’s, the sweltering June day was one of the hottest days so far in that region.

While his colleagues escorted the man to the hospital, Pringle stayed behind in uniform to finish the yard work in the heat.

RELATED: Family Was Filling Up Swimming Pool Using Only Pots and Pans Until These Firemen Came Along

The fire department posted a picture of Pringle at work to their Twitter page, saying: “This is just one example of the fine men and women who serve our great city everyday.”

When asked why he felt compelled to do it, he says that he simply wanted to be kind – and hopefully inspire others to do the same.

“Just help someone,” Pringle told CBSNFW. “If you see someone in need or if they need help if they’re having a bad day, just try to be a bright spot on someone’s day. It doesn’t take much effort. It’s pretty easy. I think just the effort alone… makes all the difference in the world.”

(WATCH the quick interview below)

Plant Some Positivity On Your News Feed And Share This Sweet Story Of Kindness – Photo by Plano Fire Rescue

Farmers Stay Silent During Auction So Young Man Can Win the Bid on His Long-Lost Family Farm

By
Lauri Gwilt
-

“I’ve had two profoundly humbling days in my life. The first was the day my son was born. The second was that unforgettable day at the Auction House.”

This is how David, one of the participants in a session I recently facilitated, answered the question I had just posed to the group: “When in your life have you set a big goal and had no idea at the time how you were going to make it happen?”

Generations before David was born, eighty acres of their small family farm in Nebraska had been separated out and willed to a distant relative. Coming from a long line of farmers David heard this story over and over as a child, and it fueled a passion within him to make the farm whole again.

In 2011, David and his family learned that the precious eighty acres was going to be sold at auction within a couple of weeks. Suddenly at the ripe old age of twenty-something David needed to figure out how to find an extraordinarily large sum of money. “Even though I dreamt of getting the land back for as long as I could remember, when the day came, I wasn’t ready.” He knew in his heart he had to give it his very best effort – and after two weeks of meticulous planning, creative thinking and sleepless nights, he and his father came up with their ‘best number’, and headed for auction.

WATCH: Man Living in a Shack is Saved By ‘Worthless’ Blanket That Spurs $1.5 Million Bidding War

When they walked through the door of the Auction House that night, their hearts immediately sank. The place was packed with over 200 farmers, most of whom had much larger farms, more resources, and could outbid him and his father many times over. The Auctioneer called the session to order and asked for the first bid. David and his dad looked at each other, took a deep breath, and made theirs. The Auctioneer acknowledged their bid, and then called for a second.

Silence fell over the room.

After many attempts to solicit another bid, the Auctioneer took a break. When they reconvened, a second bid was once again called for; silence. Three times they took breaks, each time the room remained completely silent. Finally, the Auctioneer had no choice but to award David and his father the winning bid. David and his father were stunned – the family farm was once again complete.

AWESOME: Husband Digs a Well in 40 Days For Wife Who’s Denied Water, and Whole Town Benefits

The emotion on David’s face and in his voice as he told us the story was powerful, and had the other participants and me leaning forward, hanging on his every word. After David finished his story, I asked him what he thought had occurred in the Auction House that night, and without missing a beat, he looked at me with even more emotion, and said, “Respect.”

Like the farmers in the Auction House, the participants and I sat silent for many moments as we contemplated David’s answer. I remember my first thought was, “There it is, there’s another example of what’s right with our world; community.”

MORE: Once Mocked for Constantly Raising His Hand in Class, Former Homeless Kid Overcomes Odds to Live Harvard Dream

There are enough people out there collecting stories of what’s going wrong with our world, but I want to be a collector of stories like this one; stories that remind me of how there is far more going right out there than what’s going wrong.

There is a saying, ‘If we believe it, we’ll see it.’ I think this is not only true for David and his farm, but also for us when we focus on what’s right with the world.

Since 1997, Lauri Gwilt has centered her career on assisting people from across North America to discover the connection between how they’re thinking, and how their lives go. She is co-author and co-host of The Habit of Celebration, an e-course from the Celebrate What’s Right initiative developed with former National Geographic Photographer, Dewitt Jones.

Plant Some Positivity And Share What’s Right With Your Friends – Photo by Lauri Gwilt

“Happiness is an attitude of mind, born of the simple determination to be happy under all outward circumstances.” – J. Donald Walters

By
Good News Network
-
Sheila in Moonducks, CC license

Quote of the Day: “Happiness is an attitude of mind, born of the simple determination to be happy under all outward circumstances.” – J. Donald Walters

Photo: by Sheila in Moonducks, CC

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?

Police Officer Finally Gets Ice Cream Truck So He Can Give Away Free ‘Copsicles’

By
Good News Network
-

These sweet police officers are redefining the phrase “protect and serve” now that they’ve got their own ice cream truck.

Thanks to the efforts of Officer Darren Derby of the Pittsfield Police Department in Massachusetts, the county’s law enforcement recently purchases their own ice cream truck so they can give away ice cream and popsicles to the community.

Derby first got the idea for the initiative after he read about Boston and St. Louis police officers doing something similar. While Pittsfield is a relatively small city, he believed free ice cream to be a good way for law enforcement to build ties with the people.

This is not the first time that Derby has taken a hands-on approach to serving Pittsfield, either – according to iBerkshires, he and a fellow officer have built basketball courts and given away free toys in the past.

RELATED: Routine Traffic Stop Uncovers Birth Connection Between Driver and Officer From 27 Years Ago

Thanks to a slew of donations from community members and local businesses, the county cops can now volunteer their free time with “Operation Copsicle”. Derby envisions it being utilized during community events, and for reaching out with compassion after a distressing event.

“It’s just another tool,” Derby told WNYT. “I look at it as another tool to create a relationship, building trust in the community not just with the kids, but with the adults.”

“They (then) realize there is something behind the badge, there’s a heart, there’s love, there’s a connection to everybody. We live in this community. Our children grew up here, we grew up here,” he added.

(WATCH the video below)

Don’t Freeze! Share This Sweet Story With Your Friends – Photo by WNYT

Holocaust Survivor Explains How an Unlikely Reunion Helped Him to Love Humanity Once More

By
Lauri Gwilt
-

The day 81-year-old Romek “Robbie” Waisman boarded the plane and sat next to me is a day I will remember forever. He had a kind face and a gentle way about him.

As we settled in for the long flight I noticed his boarding pass said Vancouver, which was unusual to see in Omaha, Nebraska. I was curious to know what brought him to the Heartland – and his answer was the furthest thing from what I expected.

“I am a Holocaust survivor,” Robbie replied. “I was in Buchenwald concentration camp from ages 11 to 14, and we were in Nebraska talking to school children about that story in hopes of inspiring them to choose peace, tolerance and acceptance.”

For the next two flights and eight hours Robbie told me story after story, and we cried together. I listened, contemplated, and absorbed this firsthand account of what it was like during this time – which is a story I have been personally connected to since I was a child.

RELATED: When Widow Carries On Husband’s Kind Tradition of Filling a Cooler, People Pay It Forward

I was raised by a single mother who worked during the day as a teacher, which is why I was cared for by a woman named Ella who had been a nurse in Germany during the war – and t the impact of her experiences was evident. She passed away when I was just 12 years old, long before I could ask the questions I now have as an adult. Robbie generously shared his experiences with me and patiently answered every one of my questions. I hung on his every syllable as he explained what this was like to live through, and more importantly, how he learned to love humanity again.

“I was 14 years old when we were liberated from Buchenwald on April 11th, 1945,” Robbie continued. “It was late afternoon when I saw some black American soldiers.”

He told me he approached one of those soldiers, 18-year-old Leon Bass. He remembers reaching out to touch him, recalling “I had never seen a black person before. I wasn’t sure if Leon was real, or if I had died and this is what angels looked like.”

MORE: 95-Year-old Holocaust Survivor Has a Roommate – a 31-Year-old Granddaughter of Nazis

At the time Robbie’s only language was Polish, and Leon’s was English, which meant they didn’t speak to each other that day – but they would later discover how they both vividly remembered their encounter.

Following liberation, Robbie found his way to Canada and in 1983, while working at UBC, a colleague showed him a picture from that day in 1945. There, before Robbie’s eyes, was a picture of Leon Bass. They now shared the same language and Robbie was eager to reconnect with Leon. What I would later come to learn, is that it was Leon who had traveled to Nebraska with Robbie. Leon was now 85 years old and Leon had many stories of his own to share from that time, including what it was like to be a black man who was in the military in the 40’s.

CHECK OUT: 14 Years After Receiving Shoebox Gift, Filipino Girl Marries Idaho Boy Who Sent it

Robbie added, “Since we’ve reconnected, Leon and I have toured all over the world sharing our stories, promoting peace, tolerance and acceptance. The resilience of the human spirit is unbelievable.”

Robbie found the capacity within himself, after such horrific experiences, to offer care and love for humanity. He was given the worst the world had to offer and yet he continues to make the conscious choice to celebrate what’s right with it. He doesn’t ignore the bad, but he also doesn’t stay focused on it. Robbie demonstrated to me that it’s not the circumstances that determine how we look at the world, but rather how we choose to respond – and it is our choice every single day.

Since 1997, Lauri Gwilt has centered her career on helping people across North America to discover the connection between how they think and how their lives go. She is co-author and co-host of The Habit of Celebration, an e-course from the Celebrate What’s Right initiative developed with former National Geographic Photographer, Dewitt Jones.

Share This Emotional Story With Your Friends – Photo by Lauri Gwilt

Watch the Joyous Reaction of 4-Year-old Girl With Cerebral Palsy Taking Her First Steps

By
McKinley Corbley
-

A 4-year-old girl with cerebral palsy is melting hearts all over the internet after her parents published a video of her taking her very first steps without a cane.

Maya Tisdale was born as a micro preemie weighing only 1 pound back in 2013. She was then diagnosed with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy at 2 years old.

“Maya’s type of CP causes the muscles in her hips, legs and feet to be tight or spastic,” says the family’s YouCaring page. “Because of her CP, Maya is currently unable to stand on her own for more than a few seconds, or walk without the use of walker.

“Despite these challenges, Maya gives it her all every day. If her brothers play baseball, she plays baseball; if her friends are climbing a snow bank, she’s right behind them in her walker. She has an incredible will and a tenacious attitude.”

LOOK: Teacher Carries 60-Pound Student on Her Back, Not Wanting Anyone to Be Left Out of Camping Trip

Because the youngster has always wanted to walk on her own, she underwent a special surgery seven weeks ago that was meant to reduce the pain of walking and increase her mobility. The doctors said that with intensive physical therapy, she was expected to start walking independently within six months to a year following the procedure.

So when she finally took her first steps at the Tisdale’s home in Traverse City, Michigan, it was an emotional moment for the entire family.

Maya’s parents and brother can be heard encouraging the youngster as she finally stands up – and after she takes a shaky step, Maya’s face breaks into a beaming smile.

RELATED: Once Mocked for Constantly Raising His Hand in Class, Former Homeless Kid Overcomes Odds to Live Harvard Dream

“I’m walking! … I’m walking!” cheers Maya. “Yes! … I even took a big step.”

The achievement has been called a “dream come true” by her family.

“Now that her spasticity is gone (or nearly gone) she is able to do so many things that we never thought possible and is clearly more comfortable and happy,” says Maya’s parents. “She loves sitting criss cross on the floor, walking with her canes, flexing her feet, wiggling her toes and most of all dancing.”

If you would like to help pay for Maya’s medical bills and health-related expenses, you can donate to their YouCaring page.

(WATCH the video below)

Share The Sweet Example Of Tenacity With Your Friends

Husky Saves Deaf Hiker After She Tumbled 700 Feet – and It’s Not the First Time He’s Saved a Stranger in Alaska

By
McKinley Corbley
-

A dog is being hailed for saving the life of a deaf student who was struggling through the Alaskan wilderness – and after news of the rescue was shared on the internet, more people came forward with news of the pup’s heroism.

21-year-old Amelia Milling had been on a solo 3-day hike through the Alaskan wilderness in June when she slipped in the snow and started to fall. After falling for roughly 300 feet, she crashed into a boulder and tumbled down another 300 feet. When she finally came to a stop, she was dazed, bruised, and bleeding.

That’s when Nanook the husky showed up.

Milling says that she thought the 7-year-old dog was a wolf until she saw that he had a collar and dog tag stating that he was a “Crow Pass Guide”. The injured Tennessee college student inferred that the dog was there to help her – and she was correct.

LOOK: Fishermen Save Starving Fox That Was Stranded on an Iceberg at Sea

Nanook led Milling back to the trail and hiked with her until it got dark and she pitched camp. The husky then stayed with her through the night until she continued her journey the next day.

“He gave me the motivation to get up and walk another seven miles,” Milling told CBC. “If he didn’t show up, I probably wouldn’t have gotten back up and kept walking.”

Nanook – also known as “Nookie” – came to Milling’s rescue again when they came across a freezing, fast-moving river. After watching Nookie cross the water, Milling gauged the situation and believed that she could follow suit. She tried to cross it once, only to fail. When she tried to cross a second time, she lost her footing and got pulled into the current.

MORE: Dog Waits With Missing 3-Year-old in Cornfield Overnight Until Help Arrives

For 15 minutes, she struggled against the water until finally Nanook grabbed a strap of her backpack with his teeth and started pulling her to shore.

Continue Reading The Incredible Story Below…

“In exchange for the promise of security, many people put a barrier between themselves and the adventures in consciousness that could put a whole new light on their personal lives.” – June Singer

By
Good News Network
-

Quote of the Day: “In exchange for the promise of security, many people put a barrier between themselves and the adventures in consciousness that could put a whole new light on their personal lives.” – June Singer (Boundaries of the Soul: The Practice of Jung’s Psychology)

Photo: by Dawn Huczek, CC license

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?

1...797798799...1,761Page 798 of 1,761
© Copyright 1997–2026 GNN, LLC