Quote of the Day: “Be mindful when it comes to your words. A string of some that don’t mean much to you, may stick with someone else for a lifetime.” – Rachel Wolchin
Photo: by Ed Yourdon, 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?
The Lesson: If you often find yourself complaining about other people and the things going on around you, it may time to seek happiness by trying to change yourself first. ‘The Four Agreements’ provide a great starting point, and the author talks about each one in the podcast below. The agreements revolve around how we use our words, how we take things too personally, and how we too often make assumptions.
Notable Excerpt: “Whatever we want to change, first we need to start with ourselves. Happiness only can come from inside of us; it does not really come from outside. If you make an agreement with yourself to be impeccable with your word, just with that intention alone, the truth will manifest through you and clean all the emotional poison that exists within you.”
The Guest: Don Miguel Ruiz is a medical doctor and renowned spiritual teacher and internationally best-selling author who has spent the past 30 years teaching students about personal freedom through his insights concerning the nature of human reality. He is also affectionately called a ”National Heirloom of Mexico”.
The Host: Oprah Winfrey is an American talk show host, actress, producer, author, philanthropist, and media tycoon. In addition to being the richest African-American person in history, she also hosted the highest-rated television show of its kind and has been called the most influential woman in the world.
Podcast: Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday Talks podcast is available for free on iTunes. The OWN television network series is also available on YouTube.
(LISTEN to the inspiring talk below)
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There may be plenty of other fish in the sea, but not for Lawrence Tufnel – which is why he orchestrated a very special proposal for his longtime girlfriend.
29-year-old Tufnel recently popped the question to 25-year-old Jasmine Robertson when they were both on an underwater tour of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
As the Perth couple was on a metal walkway overlooking the reef in Queensland, Tufnel turned to Robertson and pulled out the ring that had been secured inside the pocket of his swimming trunks. Their diving instructor then holds up a sign behind Tufnel saying: “Jasmine Robertson, will you marry me?”
Grinning, Tufnel indicated that she could simply give a thumbs up or thumbs down.
Needless to say, she gave a thumbs up.
Tufnel says that he chose the unique proposal spot because he and Jasmine had gone diving for their first date six years ago.
“We had done a lot of diving in the past, so when the idea came to me I knew it would be something special,” said Tufnel, according to The Daily Mail.
“Jasmine had no idea what was going on. I just told her we were going underwater to see the reef, so she didn’t know about all the planning behind the scenes.”
(WATCH the video below)
It’s Not Hard To Sea That You Should Share This Sweet Story With Your Friends – Photo by Caters News Agency
In a fitting farewell to one of the closing Toys “R” Us stores, an anonymous donor bought all of the remaining toys so they could be donated to local children.
A staff member at the Triangle Town Center location in Raleigh, North Carolina told CBS that a mystery philanthropist had bought $1 million worth of toys.
RELATED: Boy With Autism Sells Drawings to Buy Toys For Sick Brother
Instead of closing up shop on the same day as other Toys “R” Us locations, the employees spent their final day at the store boxing up all of the goodies and preparing them for delivery.
While the news outlet was not able to give further details on the compassionate gesture, it’s an inspiring silver-lining to the toy company’s closure.
Be Sure And Share The News With Your Friends
A mystery man is being credited for saving the life of a police officer who was involved in a near-fatal automotive accident earlier this month.
Officer Carlos Basurto of the San Mateo Police Department in California was driving home from work earlier this week when he dozed off at the wheel, resulting in his car turning off the road and flipping several times.
As Basurto was lying in the wreck, he knew that he was in grave danger and he had to stay awake long enough for paramedics to arrive. Luckily, he was soon joined by several good Samaritans who stopped their cars and rushed to help.
Basurto asked one of the helpers to tie a tourniquet on his arm to slow the bleeding. He then proceeded to instruct a man on how to tie off his arm as he was still entangled in the wreck.
WATCH: Migrant Pulls Off Incredible ‘Spider-Man’ Rescue That Earned Him Citizenship and a Job
The injured officer had only learned how to perform the life-saving technique himself during a police training course two months previously – and it’s a good thing that he did.
When emergency crews arrived on the scene, they managed to extract Basurto from the wreck and rushed him to the hospital.
“When he got to the emergency room the operating doctor said whoever placed that tourniquet on his arm saved his life,” Basurto’s brother Alfy wrote in a Facebook post. “[Carlos] had ruptured the major artery in his right arm and would have died at the scene.
WATCH: Police Officer Handles a Crisis With Toddler Wandering On the Side of Highway
“Had Carlos not attended that training, and had that caring man not stopped to help my little brother, he wouldn’t be here today. The nurses said Carlos arrived at the ER and told staff that he has 4 boys and a wife, and to please take good care of him.”
Though Basurto has undergone multiple surgeries, he still has a long way to go before he can return to a relatively normal state – although Alfy is quick to say that he is just glad his brother is alive.
“Thank you to that caring person that helped my little brother to remain on earth with us. We have no idea who that person is,” says Alfy. “They left the scene before police arrived.”
RELATED: Instead of Plane Making Emergency Landing, Engineer Fixes Medical Device Using Only a Pen
The San Mateo Police Department set up a GoFundMe campaign to care for the Basurto family and offset medical costs. It has already raised $63,000 of their $100,000 goal.
Alfy, meanwhile, remains optimistic for the future.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Carlos will recover from this and will defy all of the odds. He already has.”
Share The Incredible Story Of Fate With Your Friends – Photo by Alfy Basurto
In another bid to reduce their environmental impact, IKEA has launched a pilot program for taking back used furniture.
The Swedish retailer is offering to buy back customers’ used furniture in exchange for a voucher worth up to 50% of the original value of the product.
All customers have to do to sell their furniture is submit photos of their product to IKEA workers for appraisal. If the item is deemed to be in fair condition, they will buy back the furniture either for resale or for recycling.
RELATED: IKEA is Ditching All of Their Single-Use Plastics Throughout Stores
IKEA has even partnered with GoGet vehicle services to provide customers with a van for up to two hours so they have enough time to move and return the item without worrying about transportation or disassembly.
The initiative will not only save tons of furniture from ending up in landfills landfills, it is also an ingenious strategy for maintaining customer loyalty and return rates.
The take-back program is currently only running out of the Tempe location in Australia, but should it prove successful, it may expand to more of their stores around the world.
Make Sure Your Friends See The Good News By Sharing It To Social Media – Representational photo by Sunset Removals, CC
This crafty group of women is determinedly creating comfort for traumatized children one stitch at a time.
The Stitch and Chat sewing group of Rockhampton, Australia has made over 80 different “rescue quilts” that law enforcement officers can use to comfort children who may have endured a traumatic situation, such as a house burning down, domestic violence, or an automotive accident.
The gender-neutral patchwork quilts are made out of donated fabrics featuring everything from paisley prints to cartoon animals. Originally, the group only intended on creating enough quilts to put two in every police cruiser in the region – but according to Sandra McClelland, the organizer of the effort, the group doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.
They have already surged past their original goal of 48 quilts, and they hope to expand their project into the future.
RELATED: ‘Cuddle Crew’ Cops Comfort Premature Baby, Giving Relief to Parents
“When I read about how beneficial the quilts were to children, I thought it was a good idea to see if we could do something locally,” McClelland told the Morning Bulletin. “It’s a small way we can provide instant comfort to any child who is undergoing trauma.”
The oldest member of the Stitch and Chat group is 97, but they all put the same amount of care into their creations.
“There is a small label on the back of each quilt, that says ‘made with love’,” McClelland told the news outlet.
Patch Up Some Love And Positivity For Your Friends By Sharing The Good News – Photo by Stitch and Chat Rockhampton
Quote of the Day: “So long as there’s a bit of a laugh going, things are all right.” – D.H. Lawrence
Photo: by cheriejoyful, 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?
When a desperate independent bookseller tweeted about experiencing the “worst day ever” in sales, the community responded in full force.
28-year-old Georgia Duffy took to social media earlier this week saying that her book store, Imagined Things in Harrogate, England, had only earned $16.16 (£12.34) in sales on Monday.
LOOK: Woman Accidentally Buys the Same Book She Sold 5 Years Ago and Finds Mother’s Last Words
Duffy first opened up the store in July after she decided to quit her job as a radiographer and open a book shop. Though the shop has experienced some tough times here and there, the last few weeks have apparently been especially difficult.
“If anyone was thinking about buying a book, now would be a great time!” she wrote. “A card, a book, anything makes a huge difference to a small business like ours. We’d be very grateful for your support.”
We only took £12.34 today?...if anyone was thinking about buying a book now would be a great time! Things have been tough recently - today the worst day ever. A card,a book,anything makes a huge difference to a small business like ours. We'd be very grateful for your support.
— ImaginedThings Books (@ImaginedThings) June 25, 2018
Within a few days, Duffy became inundated with support. Book orders, donations, and messages of encourage started pouring in from all over the country.
According to the BBC, the store sold 70 books on Tuesday, compared to its average of 12.
Additionally, Welsh author and columnist Allison Pearson offered to stop by the store to do a book reading and signing.
“The response has been phenomenal,” Duffy told the news outlet.
Help Your Friends Read About This Sweet Piece Of Good News By Sharing It To Social Media – Photo by Georgia Duffy
Herman Gordon may simply work as a janitor, but his students affectionately know him as the “jolliest” man to walk their campus.
The youngsters at the University of Bristol in England have regularly praised the beloved custodian on their anonymous Facebook confessions group called “Bistruths”. Some of the group members have taken to the page specifically to call Gordon a “hero” and a “legend” of the school.
So when they found out that the Jamaican janitor had not been to see his family in four years, they decided to surprise him with a little gift.
Dozens of students donated to a crowdfunding campaign until they had raised roughly $2,000 (£1,500) – enough for a week-long vacation to Jamaica for Gordon and his wife.
WATCH: ‘Misbehaved’ Class Comes Together to Help Cash-Strapped Teacher
Once they had raised the money, one of the students put all the cash in an envelope along with a little note reading: “Dear Herman, on behalf of the students at Bristol, we would like to thank you for all the positive energy you have given to us throughout the years.
“You have brightened many of our days and we want you to know that we love and appreciate you.
“We have come together to give you a special gift as our way of saying thank you. Have a lovely summer.”
WATCH: Single Mom Pizza Delivery Driver Moved to Tears After Church Surprises Her With Massive Tip
The student then recorded a video of Gordon’s tearful reaction to the gift – and it was understandably emotional.
Afterwards, the video was posted to the Bistruths Facebook group where the members were able to rejoice in their accomplishment.
“We would like to thank everyone who contributed to this incredible gift,” reads the video caption. “It is truly amazing what we can achieve when we come together. It is thanks to your generosity that we’ve been able to raise about £1,500 – meaning both Herman and his wife will be able to visit Jamaica for the first time in 4 years!”
(WATCH the emotional video below)
Share This Sweet Story Of Student Kindness With Your Friends – Photo by Bistruths
There are now 30 million more trees in the world thanks to people who are casually surfing the web.
The environmental milestone is thanks to Ecosia, a search engine that uses all of their profits generated from internet searches to plant trees around the world.
It works similarly to any other search engine (like Google), except for the fact that since Ecosia started in 2009, their reforestation efforts have removed 1.5 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.
MORE: India Plants Record-breaking 66 Million Trees in 12 Hours
According to the organization, people make over 3.5 billion Google searches every day – and if just a fraction of those searches were made through their service, then the world would get a lot greener a lot more quickly.
The browser is easy to implement, too – all you have to do is download a web browser extension from their website (for free), and then you go about your business.
This way, when you’re searching for funny cat videos, you’re helping to passively plant trees around the world.
(WATCH the video below)
Plant Some Positivity With Your Friends And Share The News – Photo by Stanley Zimny, CC
Hero the dog has made international headlines for his skills before, but his most recent stunt takes the cake.
Hero and his owner, Sara Carson, just broke the Guinness World Record for most doggie tricks performed in one minute. The collie is capable of performing hundreds of tricks, but his final tally came to 49 tricks in 60 seconds, which is almost double the previous record.
Carson has been working with her canine companion since he was a 4-month-old rescue puppy. Now 5 years old, Hero and Carson have traveled around the world to show off his super skills.
Many people might recognize the dynamic duo as finalists in the 12th season of America’s Got Talent. Others might have seen them on The Ellen Show or The Late Show With David Letterman.
WATCH: This Four-Foot Cat is the Biggest – and Most Lovable – in New York City
Regardless, their career is clearly becoming more and more impressive.
“The pair have been best friends since the very beginning, even when Sara’s family and friends didn’t support her career choice as a dog trainer,” says the Guinness website. “She adopted him at a time when she really needed hope and someone to save her, which is how Hero got his name.
“Now after several television opportunities, a growing fanbase and a Guinness World Records title, the two have much to be proud of.”
(WATCH the video below)
Share This Pawesome Story With Your Friends – Photo by Guinness World Records
Quote of the Day: “Seek truth and you will find a path.” – Frank Slaughter
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?
Mark Clark may be the luckiest man in Michigan after winning a second $4 million prize in the state’s instant game lottery.
Clark, who lives in South Rockwood, Michigan, won the prize after using a coin given to him by his father who died last year.
“I scratched the ticket off in the store…and I can’t help but think maybe that lucky coin helped me win this.”
The first time Clark won a $4 million prize was in December 2017, when he played the Lottery’s Millionaire’s Club instant game.
“You don’t think you’ll win millions once—and you definitely never think it would happen twice,” said the 50 year old, who he kept playing the lottery, anyway.
MORE: Amateur Golfer Hits 3 Holes-In-One in “World’s Greatest Round”
“After the first win, I retired from my job and spent a lot of time fishing. My dad and I always used to fish together and have great memories of that, so this will help me keep fishing and enjoying time with my son and family.”
Clark chose to accept his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $2.5 million rather than annuity payments for the full amount.
CHECK OUT: See All GNN’s Stories About How Other Lucky Lottery Winners Did It
“I’ve had a lot of ups and a lot of downs in my life, but everything is pretty amazing right now,” Clark said. “It’s hard to put into words exactly what I am feeling.
SHARE the Amazing Luck on Social Media…
Not all principals have good relationships with their students, but Jeffrey Miller is definitely an exception.
Miller is the principal of Washington Park High School in Racine, Wisconsin. Despite being a figure of authority, he has quite an amiable reputation with his students. In fact, these two youngsters love him so much, they helped to get him a new pair of jeans so the three of them could all wear matching pants.
Back in March, Miller had teased 15-year-old Laron Franklin and 16-year-old Jaisjuan Brown for wearing the same pair of fashionable paint-splattered jeans.
“I saw them coming in and they had these pants on, and I started poking some fun at them,” Miller told TODAY Parents. “I said, ‘Aww, you guys look so cute! You guys match!’ Then they said they’d get me a pair and asked my size, but I thought they were joking.”
WATCH: ‘Misbehaved’ Class Comes Together to Help Cash-Strapped Teacher
True to their word, Jaisjuan and Laron collaborated with one of their teachers so they could get him the jeans the very same day. When the educator was on her lunch break, she went to the mall, got a pair of the pants, brought them back to the school, and had the two students present Miller with the special gift.
“He was so thrilled that we actually got him a pair, and that made us feel good about ourselves,” Laron told the news outlet. “We have a really cool relationship and he’s always laughing with us.”
Our principal told these two boys that their jeans was nice so they went back to the mall and got him a pair too... pic.twitter.com/Jqnhoch460
— Jayhawk (@jessecaaa24) March 30, 2017
Miller immediately changed into the pants and proudly wore them through the hallways alongside his two pupils. As the three of them paraded through the cafeteria and the classrooms, delighted youngsters took photos of the trio and posted them to social media. One such photo was shared over 25,000 times on Twitter.
LOOK: Teacher Carries 60-Pound Student on Her Back, Not Wanting Anyone to Be Left Out of Camping Trip
Miller simply says that he is happy to connect with his students.
“We didn’t intend to go viral,” said Miller. “I got into education because I wanted to make an impact in kids’ lives … the students know when you’re genuine and they know when you’re not. I’ve always believed that when kids really trust and believe in you, you can help them reach their full potential and that’s what we do here every single day.”
Teach Your Friends About Kindness: Share This Sweet Story To Social Media – Photos by Jeffrey Miller and Jessica Hawkins
This 730-acre patch of private land has been a well-kept secret for almost a century. Soon, however, it will be turned into a national park for the masses to enjoy.
The Harold Richardson Redwood Reserve, which is home to the oldest and tallest redwood trees in the area, was recently bought out by the Save The Redwoods League for $18.1 million.
The owner of the land, 96-year-old Harold Richardson, had spent his entire life watching over the land in Sonoma County. When he died in 2016, he bequeathed the land to his heirs, who contacted Save the Redwoods about permanently protecting the property for the years to come.
There are over 1,450 ancient redwood trees on the reserve that tower as high as a 32-story building. Some of the largest trees on the property are over 1,000 years old and taller than the 305-foot Statue of Liberty in New York City.
RELATED: Farmer Returns 700 Acres of California Coast to Native American Tribe
“It’s as if we’ve discovered an ancient civilization; an oasis of towering redwoods hidden from public view for over a century,” said Sam Hodder, League President and CEO.
After three years of conducting research and environmental surveys, the conservational group says that they plan on opening the reserve to the public for free.
“We are grateful for the Richardson family’s foresight in stewarding this forest with such care and allowing us the opportunity to save it,” said Hodder. “The League envisions stewarding this property as a public park in the future for all to enjoy — the first new old-growth redwood park in a generation. Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve, named to honor the legacy of the family’s patriarch, will be the newest gem on California’s crown of redwood parks, providing inspiration, recreation, and clean air and water.”
(WATCH the video below)
Plant Some Positivity With Your Friends And Share The Good News – Photo by Mike Shoys / Save the Redwoods League
These fishermen were not looking for anything other than crabs when they set sail on Friday, but then they saw a small dark shape on top of an iceberg.
Alan Russell and his crew from Labrador, Newfoundland were roughly 4 miles (7 kilometers) away from shore when they spotted the critter perched atop of the makeshift raft. When they sailed closer, they found that it was a little Arctic fox, soaking wet and shivering from the cold.
Initially, the fishermen tried to pluck the fox from the ice, but it was too skittish to let them get close enough. The team then resorted to breaking the ice pan with their boat and fishing the fox out of the water with a net.
The crew looked after the fox, but it refused to eat anything that they offered it.
WATCH: Audacious Arctic Fox Persuades Ice Fisherman to Share His Precious Catch
Russell’s boat eventually stopped for supplies at a nearby harbor where they bought a package of sawdust to help the fox dry off. Not only that, they finally found a treat that appealed to their rescued friend: Vienna sausages.
The crew managed to nurse the fox back to health by keeping it warm and feeding it sausages. By the time it was strong enough to be released back into the wild, it had developed a friendly bond with its human companions.
“He wasn’t aggressive at all,” Russell told CBC’s Labrador Morning. “After a while, when he was coming around, he liked us more, because we were feeding him. And he didn’t mind us after.”
Russell guesses that the critter had been hunting for food on the ice pan when it broke off from the mainland and floated out to sea.
WATCH: Owl That Broke Wings Flying Into Car Window is Enlisted to Teach Orphan Owlets to Hunt
“He probably only had another day or so on the ice floe, or it would have foundered,” he said. “And the way that the wind was, the ice was probably never going to go back into land. He’s a pretty lucky guy.”
Share This Sweet Story Of Animal Friendship With Your Own Companions – Photos by Alan Russell
In a “landmark” win for privacy, the US Supreme Court ruled that police will need a warrant in order to access a person’s cell phone location data.
The motion, which was passed in a 5–4 majority on Friday, is a definitive stepping stone to setting up a framework that protects Americans from law enforcement and government officials taking advantage of our technological lives.
“This is a landmark privacy case,” said Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, according to NPR.
“It’s also a very significant case for First Amendment freedoms — that is, for the freedoms of speech and the press and association. A government that can track your every movement without a warrant is a government that can freely monitor activist political associations, or monitor government employees’ contacts with the press.”
RELATED: In Landmark Case, South Korean Court Rules That it is Illegal to Kill Dogs for Food
Up until now, the technological right to privacy has been blurry. When consumers sign up for certain cell phone services and websites, it has been assumed that using these services means that the consumer is implicitly agreeing to cell phone companies being allowed to share their data with third parties.
While these cell phone companies have mainly collected location data for the sake of better service, police have gained access to the data in order to track certain people, the most notable incident being the recent arrest of Timothy Carpenter, who was captured because law enforcement officials used cell tower information to gather evidence against Carpenter in his trial. Carpenter was able to appeal to the conviction by arguing that police had invaded his privacy without a warrant.
The ruling, which was written by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, will require further clarification, though he was quick to emphasize that the ruling will not apply to typical means of surveillance or law enforcement, such as security cameras and matters of national security.
MORE: California Becomes First State to Feed Chronically Ill With Specially Prescribed Meals
However, he did state that the authors of the Constitution would have found the blatant invasion of privacy in direct violation of the Fourth Amendment.
American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Nate Wessler said: “Today’s decision rightly recognizes the need to protect the highly sensitive location data from our cellphones, but it also provides a path forward for safeguarding other sensitive digital information in future cases – from our emails, smart home appliances and technology that is yet to be invented.”
(WATCH the interview below)
This team of firefighters is dedicated to serving their community in more ways than one; in addition to caring about the safety of their neighbors, they’re also concerned about people’s bellies, too.
The firefighters from Engine 642 in West Henrietta, New York answered an emergency call about a driver who had gotten into a car collision earlier this week. When they arrived on the scene, they discovered that the driver was a pizza delivery driver.
The crew made sure that the driver was taken care of and safely loaded onto the ambulance before they took it upon themselves to finish the job.
With mischievous smiles on their faces, the team arrived at the customer’s house with pie in hand and explained the situation.
LOOK: Hero Cop Holds onto Van Dangling Over a Bridge Until Man Inside is Saved
“If its not delivery its Di… Fire dept?!” joked the Henrietta station Facebook page. “Just down the road from the call they delivered the pizza and thanked the customer for deciding to order out and not risk burning food and setting off the fire alarm!”
While the customer was initially confused by the unusual delivery, he was grateful for the pizza.
This is not the only time that the Henrietta Fire Department lent a helping hand to their community, either – just days after pictures of the pizza incident were published to Facebook, the department page posted photos of their firefighters changing a tire for a senior couple.
“Our kind gestures continue with crews stopping and changing a flat tire for an elderly couple stopped on the side of I-390 this evening,” wrote the station.
Be Sure And Share This Hot Story Of Kindness With Your Friends – Photo by Henrietta Fire Department
Quote of the Day: “Everything has to do with loving and not loving.” – Rumi
Photo: by Infomastern, 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?
