It’s hard to imagine a day when there’ll actually be nothing worth writing about or talking about in the news. It seems like no matter where we look, something newsworthy always happens. Unfortunately, most of the time, the events can be grim and heartbreaking. But as we approach the end of 2017, we decided to focus on the pros and not the cons. So here are some of happiest, light-hearted, and in some cases, inspirational stories of this year. Hopefully, this puts a silver lining in your cloudy day, so you can close the year right. It might even inspire you to do great things in 2018.His bill was only $82.60, but he added a $2,000 tip, and even gave the employees backstage passes and front-row tickets to an upcoming “New Kids on the Block” concert, which Donnie was a member of decades ago. As to why he did it, his folks used to wait on people, so he wanted to return the favor.
Talia needed a liver transplant soon, and Kiersten was a good match, so in January of 2017, the babysitter decided to donate her liver. The two underwent surgery and are both expected to live a normal life. Who knew someone who’d only been babysitting for 3 weeks could be this selfless?
On July 8 in Panama City Beach, Fl., a family of six and four other swimmers, got pulled into the sea by rip currents. That’s when beachgoers came up with a heroic idea to form a human chain starting from the shore until it reached the swimmers, allowing everyone to be rescued just in time.
An elderly man decided to help families in need every year by setting up a Christmas tree outside his home. But in lieu of ornaments, he hangs supplies that the needy might find useful, like shoes, clothing, anything else they might need. Now that’s a true Santa right there.
Alcantara was going to graduate from Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, but a brake malfunction on the New York City subway he was on caused him to miss the event. So, Alcantara’s friends and strangers struck on the train threw him a makeshift ceremony and passengers recorded the ceremony.
Miguel Juarez and his neighbors from the Texas Rio Grande Valley set up make-shift aid stations, where people could pick up supplies like cereal and hygiene products. Juarez even filled the back of his truck with water and started distributing it to people free of charge.
29-year-old Brennon Jones from Philadelphia started the “Haircuts 4 Homeless” charity in January, which offered free haircuts to the homeless. But boy was he surprised when Sean Johnson, the owner of Taper’s Barber Shop, gifted him a fully-furnished barbershop so Jones could continue his great work.
Duchess “the Miracle Kitty,” overcame a car accident thanks to Dr. Meyer and Dr. Gearheart of Adobe Animal Hospital in El Paso, Texas, who removed most of her teeth, wired her jaw shut and had her on a feeding tube for a month until she recovered. Then Crystal Tate, a clinic employee decided to adopt her.
Cole Hamels, a Texas Rangers pitcher, and his wife, Hedi, donated 100 acres of land in southwest Missouri, and their $9 million 32,000-square-foot mansion to a charity that will turn the property into camps for kids with chronic illnesses and special needs.
He pressed on the puppy’s belly, and tried holding him upside, but the puppy wasn’t breathing. So, he continued giving him CPR. Finally, the dog came back to life, but was having a tough time breathing, so he grabbed a bottle and started blowing on it to fill the puppy’s lungs with air, and it worked!
Jessica’s son Justin Rozier was only 9 months old when his dad was KIA, so he never got the chance to know his dad. That’s why Jessica used Facebook to search for her hubby’s car’s owner, so she could buy it back for her son’s 16th birthday. Fortunately, the owner agreed to sell her the 1999 Toyota Celica.
Marie Havenga’s mother needed to get an eye injection to treat her wet macular degeneration every 4 weeks. Without out it, her eyes would bleed, leading to blindness. So, the amazing Dr. Yosef Gindzin of Grand Rapids Ophthalmology opened his office on Saturday and carried her through a snow-filled parking lot.
Lucky the dog was almost put down, but was rescued at the last minute. This was awesome because she ended up in a good home where she loved to greet trash collectors Orlando and Otis. In return, they’d give her organic doggy treats. But on Christmas, they gave her a card and an ornament with Lucky’s name on it.
Whimpering from a pooch stuck 200 feet below at the bottom of a well brought the people of Beykoz, Turkey together on February 2017. While firefighters and rescue teams figured out how to get the pooch out, people gave the dog food, and made sure rainwater wouldn’t flood the well for the next 11 days.
In February, Rhiannon Giddens and Carnie Hall’s Musical Connections program create a music-education workshop called Sing Sing Prison. Giddens also performed with the inmate students who wrote a song about domestic violence. Now that’s a great way to turn things around behind bars.
Audrey Doering’s adopted American parents did a little digging into their child’s past and discovered that she had a twin. So, they tracked down Gracie Rainsberry and her adoptive family, who were also Americans. Then they brought the long-lost twins together on “Good Morning America” for a tearful reunion.
After a moment of insecurity and shock, one of the subway passengers used Purell hand sanitizer and tissues to wipe away the Nazi graffiti, and in just two minutes, the hateful symbols had vanished… hopefully forever.
The restaurant chain is known for not being open on Sundays as they consider that a day that’s destined to rest and pray. But when Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport underwent a major power outage, thousands of passengers were left stranded. Some of them were even stuck on planes. So, after learning of the outage, Chik-Fil-A cooked up some chicken sandwiches on a Sunday to feed hungry travelers.
In November, Elmer Alvarez was wandering Church Street in New Haven, Connecticut and found a $10,000 check made out to Roberta Hoski, the Outreach Realty Services owner. Alvarez tracker her down and gave her the check. In return, she gave him free admission to her real estate school and housing. She used to be a homeless teen and now has a successful career in Real Estate.
As Jean’s condition worsens, she needs help doing everyday things like applying makeup. So, with the help from the staff at a cosmetics store, he decided to learn how to put makeup on his wife’s face. Now isn’t that the most romantic thing you’ve ever heard of?
The Bowen State School teacher placed a note that not only welcomed them, but provided them with a goodie bag full of puzzles, stickers, bookmarks, and smarties. In the note, she added things like “I’m so glad that you’re here,” and remember to aim far.”
Tricia Belstra was still grieving the loss of her son. In fact, she was on the flight to go bury her child. That’s when a flight attendant noticed how upset the woman was and decided to hand her a note, which talked about how his mom dealt with the death of his brother, which restored Belstra’s faith in humanity.
“I was shopping for jeans one day and I was having no luck. Every pair I tried on looked awful on me and made me feel worse about my body. But I decided to try one last store, where the saleswoman came up and asked me how I was. I told her that I felt awful and fat because everything looked good on the mannequins but not on me. After two hours of her helping me, I left the store with three pairs of beautiful jeans and renewed self-confidence. Later at home, I found a note in the pocket of one of the jeans: ‘You’re more beautiful than any mannequin’.” Kailing
In Green Bay, Wisconsin, a boy was forgotten at his elementary school on his birthday. One of the boy’s parents was in prison, and no one else who could pick him up. So, Officer Deryl Robinson took the kid to McD’s and allowed him to ride in his patrol car, saving this young kid’s birthday from being a bust. Thankfully, there are many heroes walking among us.
