Tag Archives: good news monday

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Good News Monday

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Daily Mail has kind of become my guilty pleasure. I check it up to 5 times a day, depending on how busy I am at work. I am pretty addicted to Investigation Discovery, a channel dedicated to real-life murder shows, and Daily Mail delivers hundreds of similar stories to me a week! Sort of a weird obsession… Of course, there are other things on there that I enjoy reading. Yesterday, my boyfriend and I came across a video of a couple of guys holding their prized catches- mahi mahi. All of a sudden, a seal JUMPS out of the water and grabs one of the guys’ fish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We watched it like 10 times, laughing harder each time. Clearly, I’m easily amused…

The point of this is that I came across an actual GOOD story on Daily Mail last week that I have been waiting for today to write about. I am a believer in karma, fate, and everything happening for a reason. I also believe in reincarnation which I’m told by some is foolish…. but anyway…

When Kyle Froelich was 19 years old, his kidneys essentially stopped functioning and he was in desperate need of a kidney transplant. With many friends and family offering kidneys to Kyle, he kept getting struck down as each one was not a match. Doctors believed he was in his last year of life.

On September 12, 2009, he attended a car show and that’s where he met Chelsea Clair, a 22-year-old friend of a friend, who was currently going through a divorce. This chance encounter led to a day of hanging out at the show and, when parting ways, an offer. Chelsea told Kyle she would donate her kidney. He took the offer casually- after all, each previous offer ended up as a dead end. She meant it though. She went and got some testing done to determine if her kidney would be a good fit. Turns out, the two were an “almost perfect match”!

Six months after meeting, the two friends drove to the hospital together to undergo the kidney transplant. Almost immediately, Kyle’s body accepted the new kidney transplant. While in recovery, the two had to be kept apart due to a risk of infection. This didn’t stop Kyle, who asked the nurses to wheel him past Chelsea’s room whenever they could, just so that he could wave hello. I can’t even handle how cute this is.

It wasn’t until after the transplant and subsequent recovery that the two realized this was more than a friendship, and the two began dating. ‘There’s a bond that no one else, unless they’ve  done it, can know. She’s my best friend,’ Kyle said.

Three years later, on October 12, 2013, the two tied the knot in what I’m sure was a very emotional and uplifting ceremony. The couple chose to replace the traditional vows of ‘in sickness and in health’ and, in its place said, “I offer you my hand, my heart and my soul, as I know they will be safe with you.”

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Photo found on Daily Mail

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Good News Monday

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In 2004, Carolyn Denson James made it her mission to track down her high school music teacher, Marty Hayes, and personally thank her. “She meant the world to me”, James told TODAY.com. “She made everyone feel special, that they brought something to the table.” It was for this reason that James decided to become a teacher.

When she finally tracked down her former teacher, the two became close again. James soon discovered that Hayes was driving on sidewalks, becoming disoriented and confused, and having a hard time with her day-to-day activities. After accompanying her on a trip to the doctor’s office, they learned Hayes was living with Lewy body dementia, the second most common form of dementia following Alzheimer’s.

At first, James and her husband helped Hayes out with a few bills and drove her to her increasing doctor’s appointments. Three years after reconnecting, Hayes moved in with James and her husband so that they could take better care of her. While her health has worsened, her spirit remains positive.

Carolyn James and Marty Hayes.

Photo from TODAY.com, provided by Carolyn James

She can no longer teach due to her condition, but she still believes in the power of music and the strong bond it helped her form with many of her students.

“She has no kids, her students are her kids,” James said. They have set up a fund to help pay for Hayes’ medical care, called We Are Her Kids. “The kids come back, you know, to see me,” Hayes said. “They’re like my family, so the music goes on.”

I find this story particularly heartwarming. While I searched for a great story to write about, I found several with “pay it forward” messages, which I love, of course. I am a strong believer in the phenomenon. Carolyn James took this a step further. What started out as a quest to track down a beloved teacher quickly became a much more powerful journey.

Teachers can really make all the difference to a struggling student. I formed some pretty strong bonds with a few of my teachers and I still think about them to this day. I often wonder what I would say if I came face to face with them again. While I didn’t grow up to become a teacher (a dream of mine when I was a child), I still value all the important lessons mine have taught me. My parents showered me with love. But there is something to be said for a teacher that recognizes you are having a bad day and does everything in their power to fix it. After having a fight with a friend of mine in high school- who tried to make it her mission to ruin my life- I was feeling pretty down and out. An English teacher noticed this all unfolding, and while she didn’t know the details, she saw that I was essentially being bullied. She wrote a note on one of my homework assignments- Illegitimi non carborundum. I remember her handing me back the assignment and she leaned down to whisper to me, “it means don’t let the bastards grind you down.” It was enough to know that she acknowledged that I was going through this, but that I was stronger than I seemed. It empowered me to stand up for myself, something I previously had trouble doing. I’m grateful beyond words for her kindness and encouragement.

That is just one of many stories I have. I am a firm believer that teachers are molding the minds of the future of this country and that they seldom get the credit they deserve. Over the course of their careers, they may teach thousands of students. What makes them all the more special is when those thousands of students can all say that that teacher made all the difference in their lives in school and beyond.

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Good News Monday

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This week’s Good News Monday comes from Atlantic City, New Jersey, where a newlywed couple was vacationing. Casey Brooks and his wife were enjoying a great day at the beach when he decided he wanted to take his boogie board out and ride the waves. The act was innocent enough, but as he paddled out further, he felt his almost-brand-new wedding ring slip off his finger. Instantly, he jumped off the board and started searching for it in the sand with his feet.

His wife, realizing what had happened, grabbed some goggles and joined him in the search. After scouring the ocean floor, they realized that the ring was gone forever. Having been married less than a year, this was a really hard pill to swallow.

Later that afternoon, they took a walk along the same beach where the ring had been lost. With each step, they checked for that piece of gold to reflect in the sunlight. Eventually, they came upon a woman with a metal detector. As if their afternoon stroll was not enough of a long shot, they went out on a limb and asked the woman to look for the ring. After determining the approximate location the ring slipped off Casey’s finger, the woman waded out up to her knees and less than 10 minutes later, she was hearing something over her headphones. She scooped one handful of sand, another handful of sand, and on the third scoop, she struck gold- literally. In her hand was Casey’s wedding ring.

The couple never ended up getting the woman’s name but Casey did manage to snap a pretty great picture with the woman.

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I’m not sure if I would go as far as to declare this a miracle. But it’s pretty dang close! Putting myself in this couple’s shoes, I would have been devastated if either of us lost our wedding rings. The chances are 1 in a million that you may find it again, especially in the ocean. 

I write Good News Mondays posts because they make me smile. I enjoy perusing the internet every day looking for news that continues to show that there are good people in this world and good things CAN happen! It’s important to stay up-to-date on current affairs but it’s nice to have some happy stuff thrown in. The good continues to shine! =)

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Good News Monday

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I started this blog to create a bright spot in my life- to cheer myself up despite the bummer life I was leading. Good News Monday was an idea by my mother, who was sick of hearing about everything that is wrong with the world. Why can’t we hear more of what is right?

I took a brief break from the blog to refocus my energy on finding a new job. I had convinced myself that the job I was at was toxic and it was time to leave. I’m not a quitter and I didn’t exactly want to leave my first job out of college after less than a year. I kept telling myself something else would come along eventually, and to just sit tight. However, it became painfully evident that this job was ruining me. I grew up with my mom always telling me to use my words. Confrontation has never been my strong suit and I’m not particularly used to fighting for myself and my well-being.

My previous supervisor was constantly putting me down. The power trip that girl was on was outrageous. I’m an emotional person, sure. But there were many days that I would leave there crying. If I didn’t cry on the way home, I would cry in my bed, while my boyfriend sat there helplessly. I can’t even begin to tell you the strain it put on our relationship. Men are born problem solvers. It is their natural reaction to fix it when they see someone they care about in pain. This situation I was in, however, was not fixable, at least by him. I knew that if I wanted to be happy, I had to remove any negativity I could. Therefore, I intensified my job search, I put the feelers out to everyone I knew and was applying like crazy.

When I came across my current job on LinkedIn, I knew it was a long shot. It seemed too good to be true that I could find something so perfect. But I said, why the heck not, and applied anyway. I literally heard back within an hour and scheduled a phone interview that same day. The phone interview went well and I was almost immediately introduced to my future boss over lunch. I wanted this more than I had wanted any job previously. I knew this was my ticket out of a nightmare and into my dream career. The day that I received an official offer, I quit my job. While initially, my decision to leave left everyone on cordial terms, it quickly turned sour and I was threatened with my last paycheck and accrued vacation time. That’s a different story for a different day…

I drove away from my last day of work crying, but for the first time, they were happy tears. I was finally free. I promised myself that I would no longer subject myself to that type of bullying again. “You took thirty-FIVE minutes for lunch?”, “The shipping boxes have crease in the tape. You need to be more careful.”, “I sacrificed myself for you and I will never do it again.”, “While you were sick yesterday, I had to do ALL your work, and my own, why didn’t you answer my call?” (oh sorry, I was having a colonoscopy, stemming from the stomach pain that the stress of this job caused), the list could go on and on. Not to mention, I was made to write daily long reports of each and every thing I did that day, and stay as late as I had to for no additional compensation. The stress of that job made me sick almost every day. I was on four different medications to help me get through the day. I was told I will never have a career in marketing because “it takes hard work”. I was essentially a secretary for a monster and every day, I was never doing enough for the company. They thought I would devote myself to the job, my whole life, my heart and soul. I won’t devote my whole self to a job, with no chance of growth, for $12/hour, especially when it’s not something I want to be doing for the rest of my life. If it was marketing, hell yeah I would have devoted myself to it. If it meant growth, knowledge, and advancement in the future, I will do what I have to do.

Many of the questions I asked myself were:

What’s more important? Relationships or a run-of-the-mill job?
Will staying here a year really help me all that much in my future?
Am I being too emotional?
What is better for my future?

The good news part of all of this is that I am now working at a job that may be mundane, but it the perfect foot in the door for a career in marketing and advertising. Every day, I’m regaining my happiness and I accomplished this all on my own. It’s the most gratifying feeling to know that I make my own happiness, I am in control of my life, and that I have the most supportive people in my life.

I urge anyone in a similar situation to do everything you can, in your power, to get out. I realize this may be more difficult the older you get, and the more responsibility you have. I’m extremely lucky that I’m young, college-educated, with no children to have to worry about currently. It’s okay to be a little selfish. If not now, then when? It makes me sad to think that anyone else would be stuck in the same situation. As someone who grew up being the pushover and the one who always puts others before herself, it’s nice to take the reins back a little bit and put my foot down. It’s liberating!

Thanks for reading. This has been quite the journey and I can’t wait to finally start MY life the way I want it! =)

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Good News Monday

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After a bit of a hiatus from the blog, I am back! This is truly something that makes me happy, so I hope to post much more regularly on here.

It’s Monday! And do I have a Good News story for you.

As I am sure everyone has heard, an 84-year-old woman from Florida named Gloria, has won the largest undivided lottery jackpot, $590 million. She accepted a lump sum and once taxes have been taken out, she is set to receive $278 million.

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While people win the lottery every day, except for me, it seems, what makes this story extra special is the fact that a man let her go in front of him at the supermarket to buy that ticket. Many are saying he deserves a cut of that jackpot. However, with the computer randomly generating those numbers, it is unlikely he would have received the same set.

It made me smile to read that her and her late husband met just after World War II and built a beautiful life together in Maine, before retiring to Florida. She currently lives in a small home with a tin-roof.

At her age, I am hoping she will spend some of the money to build herself and her family a beautiful, modest home in Florida to enjoy for years to come. She should be free to spend it however she pleases. She seems like the type of woman that will take care of her family first before spending it on herself, which I fully admire. But after 84 years, I’m hoping she will indulge herself a little bit to create a list of wants!

What would I do with $278 million? ….

+ I would pay off all my student loans and debt. What a relief it would be to start my life debt-free!

+ While I’m at it, I would help pay off any debts or loans my family has.

+ I would buy a fixer-upper with my boyfriend and renovate it to our hearts’ content. While we have been exhaustingly apartment hunting, we have both been able to build a list of our wants and needs from a home. Of course, our first apartment won’t be perfect, I have to keep reminding him of that… Separate post on this later!

+ I would help my parents build an addition over our garage. Whether it is an extra bedroom or another family room, we deserve it! Our house is so cramped right now, I thank God every day that my mother is such a saint.

+ While on the topic of my mother, she deserves a beautiful home down on Cape Cod, within walking distance to a private beach.

+ I would take a leave of absence from work and travel anywhere I have ever wanted to go, including re-visiting some favorites.

+ I would donate to several charities of my choice.

Along with all this, I would continue my shopping habits. Just because I have all that money doesn’t mean I need to be frivolous =) I wouldn’t even get rid of my car, I love my Honda Civic!

Gloria, you rock. I know you will continue to live your life humbly and honestly and I wish you and your family years of happiness!

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Good News Monday

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I love love. I’m obsessed with stories of reunited lovers- lovers that would stop at nothing until they are together. I enjoy fairy tales so much that I took a class on them in college. As my boyfriend tells me constantly, Disney is not real life. This story will prove him wrong, in more ways than one.

Once upon a time, two stray dogs met on the streets of Terre Haute, Indiana. Jade and Ben, both mixed German Shepherds, bonded instantly. Last summer, Jade became pregnant with Ben’s puppies.

After being discovered on the street, the Terre Haute Humane Shelter brought both dogs in to be cared for.

The dogs were inseparable during their time at the shelter, even sharing the same pen.

Enter the Lawlers, who went to the shelter to adopt a dog. They chose Ben, splitting the pair up.

He lasted about three weeks in their home before running away in search of Jade. The lovesick dog traveled 10 miles to the shelter – a 24 hour journey!

“He came out of nowhere and started licking her through the fence, like they were kissing”, Courtney Lawler told reporters.

The Lawlers soon realized that they couldn’t separate this pair again, so they adopted Jade as well.

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Ben and Jade “want to be together,” Debbie Floyd, the Humane Society board’s president, told reporters. “There hasn’t been a lot of human love in their lives. They found love with each other and that what’s make them happy … Hopefully, they will live their lives happily ever after.”

I hope so too. =)

 

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Good News Monday

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In high school, my best friend told me to sit down and watch Pay It Forward. He didn’t tell me the premise or really anything about it. I was initially drawn in by Jon Bon Jovi playing the bad boy.

SPOILER ALERT. I was sobbing by the end of the movie. Obviously, I won’t give away why. However, the primary message of the movie is to do one good deed and then the next person will do a good deed, and it will cause a wave of good deeds around the world. What a simple message. It is something I think of often, and I LOVE hearing stories of people “paying it forward”. Such an inspiration!

It just so happens that this Good News comes from my home state, Massachusetts.

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