When the Lights Went Out
Never underestimate the power of caring, creativity and collaboration. During a presentation in India, one woman finds herself in total power shutdown. Complete darkness! But then, a spark of light from an audience member's phone glimmers. That spark ignited a chain reaction of lights from the crowd, illuminating the whole venue -- a reminder that even in the darkest moment, we're not alone.... posted on May 14 2024, 1,782 reads

Significance of the Seemingly Ordinary
In the 1995 film, Smoke, Auggie Wren takes a picture of the store across the street every morning at exactly eight o'clock. "He has four thousand consecutive daily photographs of his corner all labeled by date and mounted in albums. He calls this project his "life's work." One day Auggie shows the photos to Paul, a blocked writer who is mourning the death of his wife ... Flipping page aft... posted on Mar 12 2024, 3,316 reads

Connecticut Plans to Cancel Medical Debt for Many Residents
Imagine opening an envelope in your daily mail and finding out that your medical debt has been completely wiped out. That's the reality for around 250,000 residents of Connecticut, as the state announces it will become the first to cancel $650 million in medical debt. In the U.S., medical debt is now the largest source of debt in collections; nearly 1 in 10 American adults have more than $250 in m... posted on Feb 29 2024, 1,210 reads

Meet The Fanciful Wooden Trolls of Pacific Northwest Forests
Venture out to the U.S.'s Pacific Northwest for an extraordinary encounter with trolls -- not the kind that fits in your pocket, but immense, fanciful wooden sculptures scattered across the forests. The creator, long-standing Danish artist Thomas Dambo, spent a decade carving over 100 of these enchanting creatures out of recycled materials, materializing his environmental activism into art. "I wan... posted on Feb 08 2024, 2,492 reads

These Uplifting Photos of 2023 Are Guaranteed to Make Your Eyes
"A great news photograph can be many things, but its core quality is that it tells you a story and lives on in your memory," says picture editor Jon Mills, who prepared the Good News Network's list of best photos of 2023. From an image of Mars' surface that closely resembles a bear, to a friendly lion cub... posted on Dec 31 2023, 4,659 reads

The Modernization of Finnish Lament Singing
Lamenting is an ancient way of releasing emotions through a type of singing when one is feeling overwhelmed by grief, sadness, pain, anger, or other negative emotions. Before laments were sung at times of loss and upheaval, the practice was about connecting to one's ancestors, and was often focused on helping move people from one world to another. In Finland, lamenting is rife with symbolism and r... posted on Nov 11 2017, 12,852 reads

The School that Replaced Detention with Meditation
A Baltimore school has come up with a brilliant way to curb kids from acting out in class. Instead of sending children to detention, they send kids to a Mindful Moment Room for meditation. In partnership with the Holistic Life Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes wellness, Robert W. Coleman Elementary School introduced a meditation room to help its students "calm down and re-centre.... posted on Nov 10 2017, 33,509 reads

The 'Magic Strings' of Mitch Albom
"Ever since I wrote Tuesdays with Morrie, I've had people who have said to me, 'That book changed my life.' You actually said it to me not too long ago. I have to say, the first hundred times that that happened, I probably internally rolled my eyes and said, 'Well, that's nice, but a book doesn't change your life. It's a book.' Having heard it so many times at this point, I started to think, well,... posted on Dec 21 2015, 15,289 reads

Unpacking a Gift from 21 Years Ago
While cleaning out her dresser, a woman stumbles across a beautiful handwoven purse that was gifted to her by a special teacher more than two decades ago. A question from her husband leads her to reflect for the first time on what prompted that teacher's thoughtful gesture. What followed was a beautiful insight on the ways in which our lives are supported by the kindness of countless people. Read... posted on Dec 22 2014, 22,814 reads

Slomo: The Neurologist Turned Slow Motion Skater
Dr. John Kitchin was a successful neurologist who, on the surface seemed to have it all. But underneath the trappings of his material success he was ill-at-ease and unhappy. There was a haunting emptiness inside. After a serendipitous interaction with an elderly man in a cafeteria line, Kitchin decided to trade in his career and luxurious lifestyle (that included a Ferrari, an exotic animal farm a... posted on Jul 14 2014, 6,169 reads