1.
Today,
it’s been ten years since my abusive ex-fiancé sold my favorite guitar. He sold
it on the day I left him. When I went to claim my belongings, he was proud that
he had sold it to a pawn shop. Luckily, I managed to track down the guy who
bought it from the pawn shop. He was really sweet, and gave it back to me for
free, on the condition that I accompany him on his front porch for an hour to
play guitar with him. He grabbed a second guitar and we ended up sitting there
on his porch for the rest of the afternoon playing music, talking, and smiling.
He’s been my husband for nine years now.
2.
Today
would have been the 127th day in a row that I visited her at the hospital as
she rested in a coma. But last night I had a dream that she died, and I woke up
in tears this morning and couldn’t bring myself to drive to the hospital to see
her lying there like that. So I stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling, and
thinking of how I was going to have to learn to live without her for the rest
of my life. And then my phone rang, and it was her.
3.
Today,
about an hour after I lost my wallet, a man showed up at my front door with it.
Everything was intact including the $200 in cash. As I expressed my gratitude,
he explained to me that he hopes doing the right thing pays off for him. “Oddly
enough, I lost my wallet sometime this morning too,” he said. “I had about the
same amount of cash in there that you have and all my cards and IDs.” Without
thinking about it, I pulled out $100 and handed it to him. “Take this, I insist,”
I said. “Just in case you don’t find your wallet, we’ll split the cash.” He
gratefully accepted the money and left. This evening he knocked on my door
again. “Here’s your $100 back,” he said. “A woman found my wallet and returned
it and all my cash about an hour ago.”
4.
Today,
while I was browsing in a secondhand bookshop, I found a copy of a book that
had been stolen from me when I was a kid. I opened it and saw, on the first
page, in familiar hand writing, my own name. It had been a gift from my (now late)
grandfather. Next to my name my grandfather wrote, “I hope you rediscover this
book someday when you’re older, and it makes you think about the important
things in life.”
5.
Today,
a week after I donated three bags of clothes to a local homeless shelter, I saw
a homeless woman sitting on a park bench wearing a tye-dye shirt I made when I
was a teenager. I walked by her and said, “I love your shirt!” She smiled and
said, “Thank you! I really do too!”
6.
Today
at 7AM, I pulled over on my way to work to help a lady change a flat tire. At
4PM, she saved my life when she randomly saw me downtown and yanked me backward
out of a crosswalk as a car ran the red light.
7.
Today,
it’s been five years since my mom was in a car accident that resulted in her
losing all of her long-term memory from before the crash. When I was little, my
mom and I used to quote a ‘Winnie the Pooh’ book as an inside joke. One of us
would ask, “Have you ever seen a dragon fly?” And the other would reply, “I
have, I have seen a dragon fly!” This evening I was sitting with her while we
were watching TV and I randomly asked, “Have you ever seen a dragon fly?” And
she responded with, “I have, I have seen a dragon fly!” We stared at each other
for a prolonged moment, and then she jumped out of her seat and exclaimed, “Oh
my god, I remember!”
8.
Today,
I have a disorder which frequently makes me faint for a few seconds, making it
hard for me to be independent and hold down a steady job. I used to be really
depressed about it, but my family and friends turned my illness into a game,
seeing who could make me laugh the hardest when I returned to consciousness.
They have also turned catching me into a sport. Believe it or not, I haven’t
hit the floor once in the past two years. Someone has always been there to
catch me.
9.
Today
was my first day back on the job after more than a year on disability leave due
to a freak explosion in the plant that, among other injuries, left me legally
deaf in both ears. When I walked into the plant this morning several of my
colleagues signed me phrases like “Great to see you,” “Welcome back,” and “We
missed you.” It turns out that nine of my colleagues got together and took a
sign language course, just like I did, over the last several months. They did
this so they could easily communicate with me when I returned. Their compassion
.
10.
Today,
I am an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran. Upon arriving home three years ago from
my final tour to Afghanistan I found out that my wife had been cheating on me
and had spent/stole almost all of our money. I had nowhere to stay and no phone
and was suffering from severe anxiety problems. One of my close friends from
high school, Shawn, and his wife, seeing that I was in need of help, took me in
and let me live with their family of five. They helped me deal with my divorce
and get my life together. Since then, I’ve moved into my own place, opened a
fairly successful diner, and my friend’s kids call my Uncle Jay when they see
me. The way they adopted me into their family in my desperate time of need will
always .
11.
Today,
I have been a counselor for foster care children for almost 15 years. This
afternoon I ran into one of my previous foster children I hadn’t seen in over 5
years. About 10 years ago, on a day he was really upset and mad at life, I drew
him a sketch of a superhero and wrote him a note on an index card about how he
is a superhero and that superheroes always rise up and win in the end. I saw
him today as I walked past the local fire station. He’s now a fire fighter. He
recognized me as I walked by and ran up to me. We talked for about a half hour,
and then before we parted ways he took his wallet out of his pocket and pulled
out the superhero index card I made for him when he was a kid.
12.
Today,
I have diabetes. Two years ago, after my mom passed away, I inherited her cat,
Kita. At 3AM this morning Kita woke me up by sitting at the foot of the bed and
meowing VERY loud over and over again. I had never heard her sound that way, so
I sat up in bed to see what was wrong. As soon as I did, I realized I felt
extremely lightheaded and weak. I grabbed my glucose meter and tested myself.
My level was down to 53. Normal, according to my doctor, is between 70 and 120.
My doctor told me that had Kita not awakened me, I may have never awakened at
all.
13.
Today,
we live in a lower-middle-class neighborhood. My wife was just diagnosed with
breast cancer, so my 14-year-old son decided that he wanted to raise money to
help pay for some of her miscellaneous medical expenses. His idea was to go
door to door around the neighborhood with battery operated hair clippers and
let people shave a part of his head for a small donation of their choosing. He
asked me whether a $100 goal would be too much. I told him not to get his hopes
up. He came back home ten minutes ago with a totally bald head and $1,223. Two
people gave him $100 bills.
14.
Today,
it’s been ten years since my best friend became ill and needed a kidney
transplant. As I was a fitting donor, I chose to donate one of my healthy
kidneys to her even after doctors said her chance of survival was only 30%, and
that there would be inherent risks to my health as well. But here I am at 10AM,
getting ready to drive to her wedding venue where, in just a few short hours, I
will be her maid of honor as she marries the love of her life who she happened
to meet at the hospital ten years ago.
15.
Today,
I was buying food at the grocery store for my family, but at the checkout
counter my debit card came back declined for over-withdrawal. (I’ve been laid
off from work for awhile now and am barely making ends meet.) As I quickly explained
myself to the cashier and started putting back some of the food I had picked
out, the man in line behind me stepped forward and paid for all my groceries. I
thanked him, and he said, “Someone did the same thing for me several years ago.
This is my opportunity to pay it forward. I hope you can do the same someday.”
16.
Today,
exactly 10 months after suffering from a severe stroke that nearly killed him,
my dad got up from his wheelchair without any help for the first time, and slow
danced with me during the father/daughter dance at my wedding.
17.
Today,
a big stray dog randomly followed me from the subway on my walk home. For about
six blocks he followed just a few paces behind me. And just as this began to
freak me out, a guy came out of nowhere, held a knife up to my face, and
yelled, “Give me your purse!” Before I had a chance to react, the stray dog
lunged at the man and bit his leg. He dropped the knife and fell to the ground
as I ran away. I am now at home, safely, because of that dog.
18.
Today
my son, who I adopted eight months ago at the age of seven, called me ‘mom’ for
the very first time.
19.
Today,
I’m a police officer stationed at the state court house. This afternoon the
judge finalized a case in which a 3-year-old boy was officially adopted by his
late mom’s best friend two years after the boy’s parents and grandparents died
in a car accident. The boy has been living with his mom’s best friend ever
since the accident, and he treats her as if she is his real mom. Once the
adoption was approved, everyone in the courtroom was smiling. But before the
judge had a chance to slam the gavel and dismiss everyone, the boy ran up to
the judge and asked if he could do it. The judge laughed and nodded yes. So,
smiling ear to ear, the boy sat on the judge’s lap, looked up at everyone in
the courtroom, slammed the gavel, and finalized his own adoption.
20.
Today,
my 17 year old autistic brother, Kevin, played guitar and sang every single
word, flawlessly, to the Lifehouse song ‘Hanging by a Moment’ for his
girlfriend (who is also autistic) on their one year anniversary. His
girlfriend’s smile lit up the room. Although he struggles with a severe speech
impediment, he has been practicing for this every single day since they first
started dating.
21.
Today,
at the local convenience store where I work an elderly man with a guide dog
came in, went to the aisle with the greetings cards, picked up a card, held it
up extremely close to his face, and struggled to read it. Just as I was about
to walk over to help him, a big truck driver asked him if he needed assistance
reading, and then proceeded to read him almost every single greeting card out
loud until the elderly man smiled and said, “That’s perfect! My wife will love
that one!”
22.
Today,
when I landed at J.F.K. for a business trip, I turned on my phone and was
inundated with several voicemails and text messages from family and close
friends back in Seattle. “Call home. Your mom had a severe stroke and is
currently in intensive care,” read the first text message to pop-up on my
phone. My boss was with me, told me she’d handle things herself, and insisted
that I catch the next flight back home. As I stood in line at the ticket
counter, talking to my brother about my mother’s condition, crying, and
explaining that I was going to try to make a flight that leaves in 30 minutes,
the twelve people in line in front of me overheard my conversation and let me
skip to the front. Then after the Delta rep quickly issued me a ticket, she
walked around the counter, handled me a box of tissues, and before I had a
chance to react, gave me a big hug. I made my flight. And my mom is now in
stable condition.
23.
Today,
a deaf-mute child I have been caring for 5 days a week for the last 4 years
looked up at me this afternoon after I fed him his favorite lunch and spoke
aloud to me for the first time. He said, “Thank you, Monica. I love you.”
24.
Today,
the man that saved my life 28 years ago when he singlehandedly fought off three
other men who were trying to rape me, walks with a cane due to the leg injury
he suffered by doing so. And he looked so proud today when he put down his cane
and slowly walked our daughter down the aisle.
25.
Today,
outside the doctor’s office, approximately 15 minutes after we received the
discouraging news about my incurable cancer, she got down on one knee and asked
me to marry her.
26.
Today,
my dad is the best dad I could ask for. He’s a loving husband to my mom (always
making her laugh), he’s been to every one of my soccer games since I was 5 (I’m
17 now), and he provides for our family as a construction foreman. This morning
when I was searching through my dad’s toolbox for a pliers, I found a dirty
folded up paper at the bottom. It was an old journal entry in my dad’s
handwriting dated exactly one month before the day I was born. It reads, “I am
eighteen years old, an alcoholic who is failing out of college, a past cutter,
and a child abuse victim with a criminal record of auto theft. And next month,
‘teen father’ will be added to the list. But, I swear I will make things right
for my little girl. I will be the dad I never had.” And I don’t know how he did
it, but he did it.
27.
Today,
I have an elderly patient who is suffering from a severe case of Alzheimer’s.
He can rarely remember his own name, and he often forgets where he is and what
he said just a few minutes beforehand. But by the stretch of some miracle (perhaps
the miracle of love), he remembers who his wife is every morning when she shows
up to spend a few hours with him. He usually greets her by saying, “Hello my
beautiful Kate.”
28.
Today,
I’m a teacher in a low income neighborhood in greater Detroit. Because their
parents don’t have enough money, some of my students come to school without
lunch, or without money for lunch. So I lend them a few dollars here and there
to buy a school lunch when they are short on cash. I’ve been doing this for
several years, and other teachers think I’m crazy. But of the few hundred
dollars I’ve lent students over the years, I have received every single cent
back. Sometimes it takes them a few weeks, but every one of my students has
paid me back without me asking.
29.
Today,
when my wife showed up to do a 5K walk in support of her breast cancer, over
200 of her current and past students (she’s a high school English teacher) and
several of her colleagues showed up, unexpectedly, wearing pink shirts with her
photo and a caption that read, “We’re going to beat this together.” I’ve never
seen my wife so overwhelmed with joy before in my life.
30.
Today,
my cat got out of my downtown condo and got lost. I was sad because I figured
I’d never see her again. About 24 hours after I posted flyers on telephone
poles in the city I received a call from a man who found my cat. It turned out
the man was homeless and used 50 cents to call me from a payphone. He was
insanely nice and even bought a can of food for my cat. I gave the man all the
cash I had on me as a reward.
31.
Today,
my brother spends most of his free time at school hanging out with the football
team – he’s actually been working out with the team and everything. My brother
has a mild case of autism. About a year ago my mom was ready to pull my brother
out of school and have him home schooled due to excessive teasing from peers.
One of the popular football players, who had stood up for him in the past,
heard about this, explained the situation to his teammates and friends, and
stood by his side until the teasing stopped. Now, a year later, he’s just ‘one
of the guys.’
32.
Today,
almost 5 years after I stopped volunteering at the suicide prevention hotline,
the new manager gave me a call. She said this afternoon they received a $25,000
anonymous donation to help fund the support line. Along with the donation they
received an email that read, “Thank you Claire. You saved my life.” Apparently,
I’m the only Claire who ever volunteered there.
33.
Today,
a homeless man whom I recognize from around the neighborhood came into my
bakery and purchased a large birthday cake (I gave him a 40% discount). I
curiously watched as he walked the cake across the street to another homeless
man. The other man started laughing and then the two men hugged.
34.
Today,
I watched a teenage boy help an elderly woman with a cane onto the city bus I
was riding. He was so careful with her, assisting her every step of the way.
The woman had the biggest smile on her face. They both sat directly across from
me, and just as I was about to compliment her on having a wonderful grandson,
the boy looked at her and said, “My name is Chris. What’s your name, ma’am?”
35.
Today,
I stopped on the side of the road to help an elderly man who was struggling
with changing a flat tire. It turns out he was the firefighter who pulled my
mom and me out of our burning apartment when I was a kid. Even though I hadn’t
seen him in 30 years, it only took me a few seconds to recognize him. We
chatted about it for awhile, and then as soon as I had the spare tire secured
to his car, we looked at each other, shook hands and said, “Thank you,”
simultaneously.
36.
Today,
my grandmother and grandfather, who were both in their early 90’s and married
for 72 years, both died of natural causes approximately one hour apart from
each other.
37.
Today,
my father had a serious heart attack in the waiting room at the hospital as my
wife was giving birth to our first child. My father was waiting to welcome his
first grandchild into the world. The doctors say he likely would have died if
he wasn’t already at the hospital with medical care a few seconds away. But
based on the lucky circumstances, he’s expected to make a full recovery.
38.
Today,
I witnessed a bad car accident at an intersection. An older drunk male with no
headlights ran a light and hit a teenager’s car. The drunk driver’s car caught
fire. Then the teenager, covered in blood, struggled out of his car, jogged to
the burning vehicle and pulled the drunk driver to safety just before the cab
of the vehicle burst into flames.
39.
Today,
I texted my supervisor to tell him I wouldn’t be able to come into work today
due to the fact that I’m in the emergency room with my dad after he had a heart
attack. I got a response saying I had the wrong number. But then a few minutes
later the person called me, told me her prayers are with me and my dad, and
then told me a story about how her dad made a full recovery from a heart attack
last year. We spoke for a half hour and she made me feel better. People like
her who convey unrelenting compassion and goodwill .
40.
Today,
after my daughter’s funeral I was going through my phone deleting all the
condolence messages. There were so many of them that I simply selected ‘delete
all,’ but one message didn’t delete. It was the last message my daughter left
me before she passed and it was marked as ‘new.’ Sometimes my voicemail forces
me to listen to messages before I can delete them, so played it. She said, “Hey
dad, I just wanted to let you know I’m okay and I’m home now.”
41.
Today,
I walked up to the door of my office (I’m a florist) at 7AM to find a uniformed
Army soldier standing out front waiting. He was on his way to the airport to go
overseas for a year. He said, “I usually bring home a bouquet of flowers for my
wife every Friday and I don’t want to let her down when I’m away.” He then
placed an order for 52 Friday afternoon deliveries of flowers to his wife’s
office and asked me to schedule one for each week until he returns. I gave him
a 50% discount because it made my day to see something so sweet.
42.
Today,
my high school boyfriend, who I thought I’d never see again, showed me the
pictures of the two of us he kept in his Army helmet while he was overseas for
the last 8 years.
43.
Today,
a 9-year-old patient of mine will be undergoing her 14th surgery in the past 2
years to combat a rare form of cancer. Even after all the surgeries I’ve never
seen her frown. She’s still 100% sure she’ll survive. And I’m certain her
attitude is the primary reason she has survived to this point. She still laughs
and plays with her friends and family. She has intelligent goals for the
future. A kid like her who can go through everything she’s been through and
come out smiling .
44.
Today,
during a fire evacuation at school, I ran outside to find one of the thugs at
our school, who is notorious for being a tough guy, holding my little sister’s
hand (she’s a special needs student) and telling her, “You’re okay. You’re
safe,” and calming her down as she slowly stopped crying.
45.
Today,
in the background over the phone, I heard my 7-year-old son ask my wife, “If
daddy’s job is going so well, how come he’s never home here with us?”
46.
Today,
when the chief ordered the firefighters to evacuate the building due to
“extremely hazardous conditions,” I began to panic even more. My daughter was
still trapped inside. But one fire fighter didn’t listen to the orders. Instead
he ran around to another apartment unit that borders the other side of our
unit, went out onto the balcony, jumped over to our balcony, smashed through
the sliding glass door with an axe, and brought my daughter out alive.
47.
Today,
I was one of the paramedics on the scene where a professional skydiving
instructor died due to a parachute failure. As we loaded the man’s body into
the back of the ambulance, I noticed his t-shirt. It said, “I died doing what I
love.”
48.
Today,
six months after his passing, I flew from Austin, Texas to Melbourne, Australia
to clean out my brother’s overseas condo and finalize its sale. As you might
imagine, the entire experience was a sad one. But one thing that jumped out at
me was my brother’s desk planner. Two weeks before he passed he crossed out a
9-day vacation on his calendar with a note saying, “Not enough time, maybe next
month.”
49.
Today,
as my grandpa rested in his hospital bed, desperately fighting pancreatic
cancer, he squeezed my hand tight and said, “Promise me, no matter how good or
bad you have it, you will wake up every morning thankful for your life. Because
every morning you wake up, someone somewhere else will be desperately fighting
for theirs.”
50.
Today,
after an 11 month tour of duty in the Army, my husband has been home from
Afghanistan for 9 days. During a heavy rain storm this morning at 4AM,
following a loud crack of thunder, my husband jumped out of bed, half asleep,
and onto the floor and screamed, “Get down! Get down!”
51.
Today,
I told my 18 year old grandson that nobody asked me to prom when I was in high
school, so I didn’t attend. He showed up at my house this evening dressed in a
tuxedo and took me as his date to his prom.
52.
Today,
I watched in horror through the kitchen window as my 2-year-old slipped and
fell head first into the pool. But before I could get to her, our Labrador
Retriever, Rex, jumped in after her, grabbed her by her shirt collar and pulled
her to the shallow steps where she could stand.
53.
Today
I turned 10. Yes I was born on 9-11-2001. My mom worked in the World Trade
Center but wasn’t at work that day because she was giving birth to me.
54.
Today,
after several kids teased a less fortunate girl (who lives in a poorer
neighborhood) this morning for always wearing the same clothes, seven students
in my class went home at lunch time, emptied their drawers and closets and
brought this girl 16 pristine and beautiful outfits to wear. I found out about
this after I asked her why she changed her clothes after lunch today.
55.
Today,
I was sitting on the steps of a church waiting for a bus when I saw an old
Catholic nun being assisted up the steps by a young man wearing a Muslim
turban. Once they were at the top, the nun turned to the young man and said, “I
can see both of our gods raise beautiful children. Thank you.” The young man
smiled and nodded.
56.
Today,
our high school basketball team has a senior player who uses a wheelchair. He
lost both of his legs from the knee down in a car crash when he was a
sophomore. He was one of the best basketball players on the team at the time,
so the coach insisted that he stay on the team to help coach the other players.
He’s now the assistant coach, but he’s also the designated free throw shooter
for injured players. When a player gets injured during a foul and can’t
immediately shoot the foul shots, he rolls out to the foul line and takes the
shots for the injured player. I’ve never missed a home game, and I’ve never
seen him miss a shot.
57.
Today,
I paid my landlord back in full. Ten months ago I lost my job and couldn’t
cover my rent for two months. Instead of putting my son and I on the streets,
my landlord said, “You’ve been a good tenant for ten years and I know times are
tough. Take your time, find another job, and pay me back as soon as you can.”
58.
Today
at 5AM, I asked an elderly man in the city where the nearest train stop was. He
walked me to it and then waited next to me for 15 minutes. When the train
finally arrived, he smiled and said, “Be safe out there, miss.” and then walked
away without boarding the train.
59.
Today,
I was in a taxi on my way to work in Chicago when my blood glucose level
suddenly dropped and I passed out. The taxi driver used all the tricks of his
trade to get me to the hospital as quickly as possible. Apparently, he cut through
a small park and drove over a median to get me there before it was too late. I
know this because after I woke up, my nurse told me that my taxi driver “saved
my life” and “physically carried me into the emergency room waiting area,”
followed by a police officer who was after him for the said traffic violations.
But then, my nurse said, “After the taxi driver explained himself, the police
officer shook his hand and left.”
60.
Today,
two Orphan children (a boy and a girl) I used to care for years ago when they
were teenagers are now married, are the owners of a successful marketing firm,
own the home across the street from me, and have two beautiful children. And
although I never officially adopted them, their two children call me ‘Grandma.’
61.
Today,
I re-read the suicide letter I wrote on the afternoon of September 2nd 1996
about two minutes before my girlfriend showed up at my door and told me, “I’m
pregnant.” She was honestly the only reason I didn’t follow through with it.
Suddenly I felt I had a reason to live. Today she’s my wife. We’ve been happily
married for 14 years. And my daughter, who is almost 15 now, has two younger
brothers. I re-read my suicide letter from time to time as a reminder to be
thankful – I am thankful I got a second chance.
62.
Today,
and every day for the last two months since I returned to school with burn
scars on my face after being hospitalized for nearly a month for injuries I
sustained in a house fire, a red rose was taped to my locker when I got to
school in the morning. I have no clue who is getting to school early and
leaving me these roses. I’ve even arrived early myself a few times to try to
figure it out, but each time the rose was already there.
63.
Today,
as we were eating lunch at a diner my boyfriend leaned over and gave me a kiss
on the cheek every few minutes when someone walked by. When I noticed what he
was doing, I asked why. He said, “I want them to know you’re my girl.” We’re
both in our mid-70’s and lost our spouses to cancer about 10 years ago. Second
chances at love .
64.
Today,
my sister, who has Down Syndrome, followed through with her plan to sing at the
school talent show. She’s been practicing her song diligently every afternoon
for the last month, but it still worried me. I was terrified by the thought of
how the students in the audience would respond to her. I just felt like there
was a strong chance they would be mean. But they weren’t. In fact, she was the
only act that received a standing ovation the entire night.
65.
Today,
two years after I was told I would never walk again, I got up out of my
wheelchair and took my first few unassisted steps into my wife’s arms.
66.
Today,
one of my regular customers, an elderly man who has been eating in our diner
every morning for the better part of 5 years, left me $500 in cash for his $7
breakfast. With the money, he left a small note that said, “Thank you, Cheryl.
Your smile and hospitable service over the years gave me something to look
forward to every morning after my wife passed. I’m moving to Long Island this
evening to live with my son and his family. May the rest of your life be
magical.”
67.
Today,
I unbuckled my seatbelt (I’m passionate about wearing my seatbelt) for two
seconds so I could reach a printed map and directions sitting on the other side
of the passenger seat. Just as I leaned over to grab it, I hit a big bump in
the road and then my windshield shattered as a steel pipe that was hanging on
the work truck driving in front of me shot, like a missile, through my
windshield and directly into the center of the driver’s seat. I slammed on the
brakes and crawled out of the passenger door. The cops that arrived at the
scene couldn’t believe it either – there was an 8 foot steel pipe embedded into
the driver’s seat, and it didn’t touch me.
68.
Today,
one of the football players at our school (who stands about 6’5) broke out in
tears of joy and exclaimed, “Dad!” as he ran into his father’s arms in the
middle of our Algebra II class. His father just returned home from Afghanistan
early and came over to the school to surprise his son.
69.
Today,
I am a corporate accountant for a privately held chain of restaurants in the
mid west. Our company employs several hundred people. The economic downturn has
had a noticeable effect on the number of customers eating in our restaurants,
but not a single employee has been laid off. But what our employees don’t know
is that the owner hasn’t written himself a paycheck in six straight months.
70.
Today,
I was sitting on a park bench eating a sandwich I made myself for lunch when an
elderly couple pulled their car up under a nearby oak tree. They rolled down
the windows and turned up some jazz music on the radio. Then the man got out of
the car, walked around to the passenger side, opened the door for the woman,
took her hand and helped her out of her seat, guided her about ten feet away
from the car, and they slow danced for the next half hour under the oak tree.
71.
Today,
I took a cab ride 16 blocks in Manhattan and when I got to my destination I
realized I forgot my wallet at home. As I fumbled through my purse, trying to
explain things to the cab driver and scrounge up enough cash, a man walked up
behind me and handed me a $50 bill. “Thank you!” I said. “Let me have your
address. I will pay you back.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out an old
receipt and wrote down an address. “You can drop off my money here,” he said.
This afternoon I went to the address he gave me and found myself standing in
front of a soup kitchen that had a sign out front that said, “Accepting cash
donations to feed the hungry.” I walked in and donated the $50.
72.
Today,
I’m a 3rd shift IT guy for a finance company in NYC. This evening I was
updating our VPN server at 3AM when I noticed an employee was actively logged
in. I got suspicious and I accessed their account on the backend to see what
they were doing. They had just sent a suicide note in an email entitled “Thank
you and goodbye.” I immediately looked up their home address in our corporate
directory and called 911. This person’s son called me at 7AM, just before I got
off my shift, to thank me and inform me that his mother is in stable condition
in the hospital.
73.
Today
was the 10 year anniversary of my dad’s passing. When I was a kid he used to
hum a short melody to me as I was going to sleep. When I was 18, as he rested
in his hospital bed fighting cancer, the roles were reversed and I hummed the
melody to him. I haven’t heard that melody since and almost completely forgot
about it until last night. My fiancé and I were lying in bed. We were turned on
our sides looking at each other when he started humming the melody to me. He
said his mom used to hum it to him when he was a kid.
74.
Today,
after my dad ran out of options to come up with enough money to pay our
mortgage he decided to sell his pristine 1969 Camaro that he restored and has
babied for as long as I can remember. A wealthy local collector came to look at
it this afternoon. When he realized how passionate my dad was about the car, he
asked, “Why are you selling it?” My dad told him and then the collector handed
my dad cash for the car and said, “Here’s $5k in cash. I have the rest in my
trunk. I’ll be right back.” The collector walked out our front door, got in his
car and drove away.
75.
Today,
my little brother’s internet start-up was purchased for $12,000,000. My brother
is 17 years younger than me. Our parent’s passed away in a car accident while I
was babysitting him 17 years ago. I was 18 at the time and he was 1. I took
legal guardianship of him and worked two jobs for 16 years to make sure he had
every opportunity in the world. He started his company at 18 just after he
graduated high school. It took off like wildfire. This evening, he transferred
$1,000,000 into my retirement savings account.
76.
Today,
a young teenage boy was in line in front of me at Target. He used a gift card
to buy two video games. The cashier, an older woman probably in her late 60’s,
rang him up and informed him that he had $12 remaining on his gift card. “Oh,
wait then,” he said as he ran two isles over and grabbed a $10 bouquet of
flowers. As the cashier added the flowers to his order the boy handed them to
her and said, “These are for you.” The cashier could not wipe the smile off her
face, even after he left.
77.
Today,
it’s been almost four months since my son’s seven-year-old dog, Grover, got
lost at a crowded fair on the outskirts of Orlando, Florida. We were on a
family vacation visiting my husband’s parents. We searched for him everywhere,
put up flyers all over the city - the whole nine yards. Nothing. My son was
devastated. This afternoon, Grover showed up at our front door in Austin, Texas
all by himself.
78.
Today,
a woman in my line at McDonald’s noticed the uniformed Marine in line behind
her, and when she handed me $20 to pay for her meal, she said, “Keep the extra
$12 and use it to pay for the Marine’s meal.” When the Marine got up to the
counter and ordered his food, I informed him that it was already paid for by
another customer. He stared at me for a second, then turned his head and
glanced out the front window, handed me his cash anyway and said, “Okay, make
it two #4 meals then.” On the way out of the restaurant he handed the second
meal to a homeless man who was resting on the sidewalk.
79.
Today,
losing my infant son was the worst pain I have ever felt. But the phone call I
just received from the doctor telling me my baby’s organs instantly saved two other
baby’s lives .
80.
Today,
my father found my little sister alive, chained up in a barn. She was abducted
near Mexico City almost 5 months ago. Authorities stopped actively searching
for her a few weeks later. My mother and I laid her soul to rest. We even had a
funeral for her last month. All of our family and friends attended the ceremony
except my father. He swore she was still alive. He looked for her all day,
every day since she disappeared. And she’s back home now because he never gave
up.
81.
Today,
I walked my daughter down the aisle. Ten years ago I pulled a 14 year old boy
out of his mom’s fire-engulfed SUV after a serious accident. Doctors initially
said he would never walk again. My daughter came with me several times to visit
him at the hospital. Then she started going on her own. Today, seeing him defy
the odds and smile widely, standing on his own two feet at the altar as he
placed a ring on my daughter’s finger .
82.
Today,
due to Alzheimer’s and dementia, my grandfather usually can’t remember who my
grandmother is when he wakes up in the morning. It bothered my grandmother a
year ago when it first happened, but now she’s fully supportive of his
condition. In fact, she plays a game every day in which she tries to get my
grandfather to ask her to re-marry him before dinnertime. She hasn’t failed
yet.
83.
Today,
at 4PM I pulled over to help a man (who turned out to be a paramedic) push his
car out of the road. After looking under the hood for a few minutes we both
agreed his radiator needed to be replaced. He told me he was running late to
work, so I used my AAA card to get him a free tow and ride to a repair shop
next to the hospital. Exactly an hour later I called 911 when my son’s best
friend fainted and stopped breathing after an asthma attack. The same
paramedic, Jake, showed up at my house, performed CPR on my son’s friend until
he was breathing again, and took him to the hospital.
84.
Today,
it’s been 10 years that our office janitor/maintenance man has been working at
our company. Ever since he started, even as our small company grew from 12
people (when I started) to 118, he has given a small gift and card to every
single one of his coworkers on their birthday. I actually just received my 10th
gift and card from him last week. Today, for his birthday, the owner and CEO
gave him a $25,000 bonus and threw him an after-work party.
85.
“Today
is your funeral,” my mother said to me over the phone as she cried hysterically
from joy. I’ve been MIA overseas for the last few months after a mission I
can’t speak about backfired. I was rescued this morning – the day of my
funeral.
86.
Today,
I came across a Facebook page with 89 fans that’s dedicated to making fun of a
kid at my school. It made me sick to my stomach. So I wrote this on the page’s
wall: “Read your cruel words, and then get up and look in the mirror, all of
you! And say, ‘I like torturing others! I am proud of myself!’” I just checked
the Facebook page again, about 7 hours later. No one responded to my post. But
the page now has 26 fans.
87.
Today,
I was sitting on the subway, exhausted, in a horrible mood. Lately I just
haven’t been happy. I’ve been struggling with my weight, my job, and life in
general. About 15 minutes into the subway ride, the elderly lady across from me
got up, moved next to me, and said, “You’re beautiful. I’m not joking. I was
thinking it, and I wanted you to know.” I smiled, thanked her and asked, “Do
you usually complement strangers?” “When I was your age, a woman my age sat
next to me on a train. Her compliments saved me from doing something stupid.
And today, I’m returning the favor.”
88.
Today,
I operated on a little girl that was in a car accident. She desperately needed
O- blood, which is a bit rare. We didn’t have any available, but her twin
brother was at the hospital who had O- blood. I explained to him that it was a
matter of life and death – that his sister needed his blood. He sat quietly for
a moment, and then said goodbye to his parents. I didn’t think anything of it
until after we took the blood we needed and he asked, “So when will I die?” He
thought he was giving his life for hers. Thankfully, they’ll both be fine.
89.
Today
at the beach, I ran into my old boyfriend from high school who I haven’t seen
in 8 years. We broke up because his dad was in the military and had to move to
the east coast. They moved away during our junior year in high school, and we
kept in touch for awhile, but eventually lost touch. I recognized him from a
distance because he was wearing a tye-dye shirt we made together for a summer beach
party when we were sophomores. The kicker: I was wearing my matching tye-dye
shirt, which I haven’t worn in years. We hung out the entire day and have a
date this evening.
90.
Today,
my son turned 7 and I turned 23. Yes, I had him on the day I turned 16. The
choices I made when I was a teenager were foolish, and sometimes I get worried
I’m bringing my son up wrong. But today I took him to the park to celebrate our
birthdays. He played for hours with a girl who has burn scars that cover most
of her face. When my son took a break to eat, he pointed to her and said,
“She’s so pretty and cool!” Which left me thinking, “I must be doing something
right as a mom.”
91.
Today
at 1AM, my grandma, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, got up, got into my
dad’s car and drove off. We contacted the police. But before the police could
find her, two college kids pulled into our driveway with my grandma. One was
driving my dad’s car and the other was following in their car. They said they
overheard her crying about being lost at an empty gas station 10 miles away. My
grandma couldn’t remember our address, but gave the kids her first and last
name. They looked her up online, found our address, and drove her home.
92.
Today,
a young woman and her toddler knocked on my door. The woman stared at me in
silence for a second and then smiled and said, “I was just visiting the area
and I couldn’t help but look-up your address. Your son carried me out of the
World Trade Center on 9/11/2001 before he went back inside to save others. I think
about you and your family almost every single day.”
93.
Today,
I met the prettiest woman on an airplane. After some small talk, and under the
assumption that I wouldn’t see her again after we made our connections in
Atlanta, I told her how pretty I thought she was. She gave me the most sincere
smile and said, “Nobody has said that to me in 10 years.” It turns out we’re
both in our mid-30’s, never married, no kids, and we live about 5 miles away
from each other in Dallas. We have a date set for next Saturday after we return
home.
94.
Today,
the only reason I’m alive is because of my little brother. 7 years ago I
swallowed a bottle of prescription pain killers. No more than 30 seconds later
my brother called me from Iraq and told me how much he hates it there and that
the only thing keeping him going is knowing that in a few months he’ll be back
home hanging with his favorite person – me. I vomited up the pills and never
told a soul. My brother and I are now roommates.
95.
Today,
because of my older brother, I’m a high school grad, I’m healthy and I’m alive.
I’m 18 and my brother is 29. When we were 7 and 18, he got an apartment of his
own on the good side of town and moved us out of the crack house our late drug
addicted mother was living in. He worked 2 jobs to pay the bills and always
made sure I was safe, fed and at school on time. He basically saved my life.
96.
Today,
as I was sleeping, I woke up to my daughter calling my name. I was sleeping in
a sofa chair in her hospital room. I opened my eyes to her beautiful smile. My
daughter has been in a coma for 98 days.
97.
Today,
through extensive charity work, we helped move a street family that has never
lived in a house or slept on a clean bed into a house of their own. As he
stared around his new bedroom in awe, the youngest boy in the family exclaimed,
“I have a bed! My own bed! My very own bed!”
98.
Today,
at 8AM this morning, after four months of lifelessness in her hospital bed, we
took my mom off life support. And her heart continued beating on its own. And
she continued breathing on her own. Then this evening, when I squeezed her hand
three times, she squeezed back three times.
99.
Today,
my 8-year-old son hugged me and said, “You are the best mom in the whole entire
world!” I smiled and sarcastically replied, “How do you know that? You haven’t
met every mom in the whole entire world.” My son squeezed me tighter and said,
“Yes I have. You are my world.”
No comments:
Post a Comment