Life has a beautiful way of reminding us that time is never a barrier to love, dreams, or second chances. Following are five wholesome short stories that not only restore your faith in humanity, but also remind you to celebrate the things that matter the most to you.
It was her 33rd wedding anniversary when Mary Strand was given a gift by her husband, Dave... "a beautiful wedding ring." But one day, Mary lost that ring when she was in her bathroom and it slipped off her finger, right into the toilet.
"It went right down the drain. I was thinking, 'He'll never buy me another ring'... I felt really bad because it was a gift," revealed Mary.
But a decade later, an employee named John Tierney, who was a mechanical maintenance manager at the Rogers, Minnesota, plant spotted something sparkly in the debris. Noticing the ring's unique design, the Metropolitan Council posted the lost-and-found ring on social media with its picture so that the rightful owner could identify it.
After hundreds of reshares, the ring alert reached Mary's feed. She immediately contacted the authorities with the photo of her lost ring. When jewelry examiners matched her photo with the ring, it was returned to Mary.
Mary has decided to reset it and make it ready for her 46th anniversary with her husband.
It could be a nightmare to lose the thing that is most dear to you in this world. But the universe has its own way of surprising us through unexpected reunions.
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Melissa Highsmith was just 22 months old when she was kidnapped by her babysitter from her parents’ apartment in 1971. It all happened when Melissa's mother was working as a waitress and put up an ad in the newspaper looking for a babysitter. When one of the potential candidates responded, the mother hired her without meeting her first. The woman then kidnapped the baby and never returned.
After spending five decades looking for Melissa, and even having a “Finding Melissa” Facebook page with no luck, the family was advised by a genealogist to use a DNA test, 23andMe. And to their surprise... it worked!
The test managed to match DNA samples from Melissa's kids and within three weeks Melissa, now 53, was reunited with her parents.
Melissa grew up believing her name was Melanie and lived all her life unaware that she had been kidnapped. Additionally, she fled home at the age of 15 after having a troubled relationship with the woman who supposedly raised her.
But the family is now grateful and overjoyed with the reunion. Shortly after finding Melissa, the family posted on Facebook, “We found Melissa!”
“Our finding Melissa was purely because of DNA, not because of any police/FBI involvement, podcast involvement, or even our family’s own private investigations or speculations. DNA WINS THIS SEARCH!”
Melissa has now decided to use her original name given at birth.
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3. 104-year-old Chicago woman skydives from plane in attempt to break the record for world's oldest skydiver. "Age is just a number."
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| Image credits: Daniel Wilsey via AP |
On Oct. 1, 2023, Dorothy Hoffner, 104 years old, was seen falling through the air with a tandem jumper at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa. She left her walker in the plane, a Skyvan, and joined others waiting to skydive. When her turn came up, she looked confident and leaped into the air, jumping from 13,500 feet (4,100 meters). Her dive lasted seven minutes, after which she landed on the ground.
When her friends rushed toward her to ask how it went, she said, "Wonderful! But it was wonderful up there. The whole thing was delightful, wonderful, couldn’t have been better!"
Dorothy had planned to take a hot-air balloon next. But just one week after her skydive, the Chicago Tribune reported that she had passed away peacefully in her sleep.
While the Guinness World Records is still reviewing the information to confirm whether Dorothy has made it to being the oldest skydiver in history, she has already set an example for others to live life to the fullest.
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Image credits: Georgia Gwinnett College |
Sam Kaplan last touched his books back in the 1960s. But this time, he has earned an undergraduate degree, more than 50 years later, reminding us it's never too late to achieve your goals.
Sam is the first of his seven siblings to achieve this goal. But what's more interesting is that he was seen with his 99-year-old mother cheering him on from the crowd when he crossed the stage for his graduation ceremony.
Her excitement may be beyond our imagination, as she last saw her son making an academic achievement in 1969, graduating high school.
Over the years, Sam worked multiple jobs, from running a cleaning service to working as a taxi driver and as a customer service representative for an electronic wholesale distributor. His decision to pursue an undergraduate degree came after he heard on his car radio that Georgia Gwinnett College was offering a degree that involved scriptwriting.
Upon graduating, Sam's classmates offered him the highest applause while he received his degree with a proud smile and his biggest fan, his loving mother, cheering him on among the public.
"She’s very excited,” Sam said. “She’s excited, happy and proud.”
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5. 77-year-old woman decides to celebrate her love by getting married... to herself.
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| Image Credits: Donna Pennington |
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| Image Credits: Donna Pennington |
Dorothy Fideli, 77, has been living in an Ohio-based retirement community, celebrating every occasion with her fellow residents, be it birthdays, anniversaries, or more.
But this time, she has come up with a special occasion: getting married to herself. She told others, "You know what, I've done everything else. Why not? I'm going to marry myself."
“I said, you know what, I’ve done everything else. Why not? I’m going to marry myself,” Fideli told TODAY.com. She went on to ask the property manager of her retirement home to perform the ceremony. "I came in here and I told Rob, I said, ‘Rob, you’re going to marry me.’”
“He said, ‘You’re what?’”
But after Dorothy explained what she was trying to do, he immediately accepted her request.
On the other hand, her daughter, Donna Pennington, supported her idea by offering to throw Dorothy a solo wedding. She bought her a wedding dress, did the cooking, and decorated around the retirement home. Dorothy also had a two-tiered cake on the day of her wedding.
Dorothy never had the big wedding she desired. She married her ex-husband in 1965. There was nothing special besides exchanging vows. "He went to work and I went home," said Dorothy. So this time, her daughter made sure that Dorothy had a good time.
Dorothy had a perfect, emotional wedding on May 13, surrounded by her friends and family. "I told my daughter, I said, ‘This is the best thing that I’ve ever had, outside of having you kids. This is what I’ve always wanted and I’m so happy that you gave it to me.’"
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Dorothy has proven, it's never too late to get married... again.
Our stories are for those days when you’ve lost a little faith in people. These feel-good, wholesome stories are here to remind you that kindness still exists, and that small moments can make the biggest difference. If you’d like more of these reminders, you can subscribe and never miss a story.
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