Landon, a 7-year-old boy with autism, was going to his first flight alone. He was about to meet with his father. His mother, Alexa, hoped everything would be just fine but she had her concerns because she was aware her son could easily get scared. In order to ease her fears, she decided to write a letter to the person who would be sitting next to Landon. She then gave the letter to her son and asked him to hand it to the passenger next seat.
Source: Facebook/ Alexa Bjornson
The letter read:
“Hello! This is Landon! He is 7 yrs. old and this is his first flight alone today.
“He has high functioning autism, which means he is very smart and loving, but he tends to get emotional when he is scared and can get hyper. He might ask you “are we there yet” a few times or get a little loud with his headphones on. If you could please find it in your heart to make him feel comfortable and safe I would be forever grateful!
“He might get scared on take off, But he has snacks packed and games to play. My Name is Alexa (Mom) and if you see anything on the flight I should know, please txt or call me. this is for you! ($10) Thank you so much and try to enjoy your flight! Alexa.”
Source: Facebook/ Ben Pedraza
The person who ended up sitting next to Landon was a man named Ben Pedraza. He was deeply touched by this mom’s honest words and her concerns so he made sure he kept Landon company. The two played rock-scissors-paper together, talked about school, and played video games.
Once the boy’s visit was over, he returned home and gave his mom a letter from Ben who wrote that she was a lucky mom for having such a great son as Landon. He also added that he didn’t want to take the $10 she enclosed at first, but he then decided to donate it to the Autism Society in honor of Landon.
This mom was very grateful to the perfect stranger who made her son’s fight comfortable.
True love is hard to find, so when you stumble upon it make sure you never let it go.
Floyd and Violet met when they were teenagers. They felt instant connection and somehow knew they were meant for one another, but after graduation, Floyd enlisted in the Navy and the two lost touch.
Some years later, their paths crossed again and they never let go of one another.
Floyd and Violet tied the knot on August 16, 1947, moved to a ranch in California, and welcomed three children together.
These two were in love with one another their entire lives. They never spent a day separated and stood by each other’s side through thick and thin.
Speaking of the beautiful union of her parents, the couple’s daughter, Donna, said: “I think what we think most of them is how hardworking they were. They worked side by side cutting cotton, feeding turkeys, supporting each other and supporting children. And you felt like they had a connection, and I think that connection came more and more, especially in the last months of their lives.”
When they reached old age, Floyd’s and Violet’s health started deteriorating. Although he had a hard time walking, Floyd always found the strength to help his loving wife.
Donna recalled that one day she brought her parents to the doctor’s and her father said: “I’m fine. I want her fixed,” referring to Violet.
Over time, Floyd experienced kidney failure and doctors told the family he only had weeks to live. Wanting him and Violet to spend the last days of his life together, they brought her to the hospital to see him. Floyd was in pain, so nurses placed Violet in the bed next to Floyd’s and joined the beds together. Floyd and Violet held hands when he left this world. Just a couple of hours later, she passed away, too.
“We felt blessed because that’s what they wanted,” Donna said in tears. “It was meant to be, and that’s the only way it could end.”
Floyd and Violet were married for 67 years before they both said the final goodbye in 2015.
Many people who came across this touching story couldn’t help but share their thoughts on the everlasting love between Floyd and Violet. “May they rest in peace. What a beautiful story. Respect…..isn’t this what we all aim for…?” one person wrote. “This is something I treasure about true love….it never ends, not even in death,” another person added.
For more go to the video below. If you loved this as much as we did please share it with your loved ones.
Were you touched by Floyd and Violet’s sad but sweet love story? So share this!
Few people have a huge heart like that of actor Gary Sinise. This incredible man has done so much for our military men and women throughout the years that we can never thank him enough.
Best known for his role as Lt. Dan in the film “Forrest Gump,” Sinise has spent his life helping others and spreading kindness and joy where they are needed the most. His non-profit organization, Gary Sinise Foundation, has raised $194 million for wounded veterans, first responders, and their families from 2011 to 2019. Among the rest, the foundation constructs specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans that are provided mortgage-free.
Source: Gary Sinise Foundation
It looks like Sinise is doing all in his power to ensure that his portrayal of Lt. Dan, who lost both legs during a military operation, has much more influence than just being a character in a film.
This time, Sinise changed the life of a veteran who suffered the same fate as Lt. Dan.
Marine Staff Sgt. Jonathon Blank, who served in Afghanistan, lost both his legs and suffered a head injury when an improvised explosive device detonated next to him in October 2010.
Source: instagram/jonathon blank
The custom built house Sinise’s foundation gave Blank is easy to navigate and has everything this man needs. It is energy efficient, has lights and blinders which are controlled remotely, as well as voice-activated technology. In addition to that, the house has a lift which helps Blank move from one floor to the other.
“He’s always dragging and carrying all of his belongings up and down the stairs,” Blank’s fiancée Brittney said. “No obstacle is too significant for him to overcome, but simply seeing cupboards that he can reach by pulling them down rather than having to hop up there can make a world of difference for him.”
Source: FOX 13 News
So far, Gary Sinise Foundation has helped built around 60 homes for the injured veterans.
When Isaiah Acosta was born on October 31, 1999, both doctors and his parents were shocked to say the least. His appearance was quite different than that of other babies. Believe it or not, Isaiah was born without a jaw. On top of that, he was born prematurely and was left without oxygen for around 15 minutes.
Doctors asked his parents whether they wanted to give their son a fighting chance or not. They were convinced Isaiah wouldn’t survive, but his mom and dad knew their baby boy was a fighter and begged doctors to save him. They agreed, but told the family their son wouldn’t be able to walk or speak. In fact, they said Isaiah would spend his life bed-bound.
Source: YouTube
Although he’s not able to speak, Isaiah lives pretty fulfilling life. He still uses a tube to breath and has never tasted food. Instead, he’s fed through a feeding tube on his belly six times a day. Despite everything, Isaiah, who is 22 years today, graduated from high-school and even became the first mute rapper the world has ever heard of.
In a documentary about her son’s life, Isaiah’s mother, Tarah, said: “Everything in his body is a mirror image flipped backwards. His stomach, his heart, I mean everything.”
One of Isaiah’s high-school teachers, Chris, said in the documentary which aired in 2017: “Isaiah comes to school every day energetic and ready to interact, he wraps his community together, people want to know his story, they want to be around him.”
Because he can’t breath through his nose or mouth, Isaiah gets sick more often than others, especially during the cold Arizona winters.
One of Isaiah’s greatest passions in life is music. Although he’s not able to sing with his own voice, he still makes music and writes lyrics. Thanks to rapper Tikey “Trap House” Patterson, who voiced Isaiah’s first rap, this young man got to “sing.”
Isaiah’s life story is as miraculous as it is inspirational and fascinating. He is very active on the social media where he has a huge number of followers.
In 2022, he shared on Instagram that he had undergone a nose procedure which would hopefully allow him to start breathing through his nose.
This young man has overcome a number of obstacles during his life and he’s proving doctors wrong with each passing day.
Life is unpredictable. We never really know what the future holds for each and every one of us and we usually take things for granted. Today we have it all, and in the next moment, we can find ourselves crashed from the situations and obstacles that suddenly came our way.
The Rodriguez family from Orlando, Florida was a happy one. But then, the mother of six, Lisa Smith, died of cervical cancer in 2013. It was then up to her husband, Alexander Rodriguez, to take care of the family. He gave his wife the word that he would always be there for their kids, but he couldn’t keep the promise, as he died of lymphoma just three years later.
All of a sudden, the six siblings were left all alone and only had each other. That’s when the oldest of them, Samantha, took the role of both a mom and dad.
Meet Samantha Rodriguez, the Florida 21-year-old who stepped up to raise her five siblings after both their parents died. https://t.co/4ndMjVMS8j
Samantha’s story is touching. She recently shared it with The View and spoke of the life after the loss of their parents.
“My reality [was] I’m 17 but these are my brothers and sisters, and when I looked at them, I knew that they’re children,” she said. “They’re vulnerable and they need an adult, so I became their adult.”
If she hadn’t done it, her brothers and sisters could easily end up in the foster care system. At the same time, it would mean that her dad’s promise to her mom would be broken, and she could never let something like that happen.
“I knew what I had to do,” Samantha told CNN, and added, “I learned so much from my mom. I was like her sidekick so I learned what it meant to raise a family. When we lost her, I knew that I wanted to be just like her in every way. That’s what I wanted to do for the kids.”
The Rodriguez kids lost both parents to cancer in recent years. Samantha, 20, has taken on the role of caregiver to her five younger siblings. The kids thought they were visiting the OCSO Aviation Unit for a tour. Instead, they received a Christmas none of us will ever forget! pic.twitter.com/1Bs4w6PQob
— Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) December 24, 2018
Today, 21 year old Samantha is attending college and is working as a waitress in order to be able to provide for the family. All of her siblings, Destiny, 7, Bella, 9, Michael, 12, Brenda, 15, and Milagros, 16, go to school regularly and have food and clothes all thanks to their brave sister.
Speaking of her decision to go back to school, Samantha told The View that in case she didn’t do it, she couldn’t explain it to her siblings how important it is for them to be great students and to graduate.
“When I [graduated] the kids were very proud of me and they came to my graduation and it was amazing. I didn’t know people who graduated high school or went college, and I didn’t have that direction so it was hard for me,” Samantha said. “When I realized that I wanted the kids to finish and that I wanted them to be successful, I was like I need to give them that example and show them.”
21-year-old Samantha Rodriguez opened up to the co-hosts about taking on the roles of mom and dad to her five siblings after both parents died from cancer. https://t.co/Xyvw8TSDUx
Whoopi Goldberg asked the young girl what is that she cherishes the most in life which her parents taught her, to what she answered, “They showed us not to take anything for granted. That’s something I try to teach the kids. At the end of the day, the material things don’t matter. What’s given can be taken away so fast. The only thing that really matters is family and love and support.”
He brothers and sisters are aware that Samantha had to give up her life in order to take care of them and are very thankful for that. She on the other hand says being there for her siblings is what makes her truly happy.
We hope this incredible family will have all their dreams come true because they deserve only the best in life.
Take a look at the siblings being guests at The View and the surprise they got in the video below.
The story this young Lyft driver has to share is just a proof how sometimes things fall into place simply because we happen to be in the right place at the right time.
Ashton Mazyck from Worcester, Massachusetts is a behavioral therapist who works with children by day and drives for Lyft at night, trying to earn some extra money. When this company first offered their services on the market, people were a bit hesitant whether it was safe for them to be taking peer-to-peer shared rides with complete strangers. However, over time, everyone realized how using Lyft’s services saves time and money and how all those drivers are trustworthy people who’ll go above and beyond for their customers’ safety.
Flickr/Tony Webster
It was a few days ago when Ashton called the night off and headed home. Pretty tired from the long shift, he just wanted to make it home and take some rest before he goes to his day job early in the morning.
However, just after he parked the car at the parking lot, he noticed a figure that resembled a shivering animal. He felt sorry for it and decided to get closer when he figured out it wasn’t an animal but a 2-year-old girl.
It was already 3 a.m and Ashton couldn’t understand what a child so young was doing outside on the cold, or how she got there in the first place. The first thing he did was to call his mother who happened to live in the same building and ask her to bring a blanket.
His mother, Vida Mazyck quickly rushed down. They took the girl inside and tried to warm her up before they contacted the police and reported the incident.
Vida said:
“Her feet were numb. I kept saying, ‘Does this hurt?’ And she couldn’t feel me rubbing her feet.”
The girl was taken to the hospital and provided with some help regarding her shivering.
The police later informed Ashton how the girl managed to run away from home while her grandma, who was supposed to babysit her while her mommy was doing late shift, fell asleep.
After she left her home barefoot and with light clothing, she got confused and didn’t know how to find the way back so she just huddled next to the building’s main entrance. And that’s when Ashton stumbled upon her.
This incident along with the story went viral. Ashton was contacted by many news outlets. He said:
“I don’t know how long she was out there, but I’m just definitely thankful, you know, that I was there when I was.”
Vida doesn’t like the idea of her son working late, but she is now grateful he worked that night and spotted the young soul in need of help.
YouTube
The toddler’s family is beyond grateful to both Ashton and Vida for stepping in for their little girl. These mother and son are real angels.
When a man named Harold passed away back in 2009, his niece and nephew embarked on a mission to clear his garage. There were rumors around town that Harold was the owner of a very special, and pretty rare, Bugatti. Little did they know that those rumors were completely true and that their uncle’s car was worth a fortune.
The Bugatti Type 57S Atalante, which is considered the crown jewel of Bugattis was covered in dust.
Source: Wikipedia
“It was a bit of local folklore that he had a Bugatti, but no one knew for sure, and certainly no one knew how much it was worth,” Harold’s nephew told The Mirror.
Source: Wikipedia
The car was one of only 43 ever produced and its history was well documented. As it turned out, it was first purchased by a member of the British aristocracy, parliamentarian Francis Curzon who nurtured passion for racing. He was known as a collector of exclusive and unique vehicles. This particular Bugatti, however, had a pretty low mileage which meant it wasn’t probably used for racing. What’s most, it was in a perfect condition for a car made during the 30’s.
Source: Wikipedia
Apparently, the Atalante was owned by a number of different people before Harold bought it in 1955. He, however, didn’t use it and not many people knew it existed.
Once they discovered it, Harold’s niece and nephew learned something that left them speechless. The car was valued at $8.5 million. However, once it was put up for sale, it was sold for $4.4 million. Never in their wildest dreams did Harold’s relatives imagine they would become millionaires.
Source: Wikipedia
Along with the famous Bugatti, Harold’s family found a classic Aston Martin too. Inside the car there were a number of letters from potential buyers who offered Harold enormous sums of money for his cars, but he never sold them.
If you are a lover of the minimalism and the unusual, you are bound to fall in love with this bus turned into a living space.
Jessie Lipskin of Asbury Park, New Jersey solved her housing issue in the most remarkable way. This isn’t however for those people whose soul strives for spacious homes, but for those looking for a place where only their ‘most valuable belongings’ would fit.
“I’ve always been very organized and love the idea of holding onto only what you really need,” she said in a piece for Apartment Therapy. “For me, that mainly includes things that hold sentimental value, particularly items that were handed down to me from my family.”
This lady considered many options before she opted for turning an old bus into what she could call a home.
Finding the right one was relatively easy as she only had to choose from the various that were offered for sale on eBay.
After the purchase was finalized, all she had to do was insure it and register it as an RV and start the jaw-dropping transformation.
The total amount of money she spent on the actual 1966 GMC Commuter Greyhound and the renovation was around $132,000, with the bus itself costing $7,000.
She left everything to her vivid imagination and her artistic soul and the final result has to be seen to be believed.
“When I walk in, it feels huge. It feels even bigger than my New York City apartment,” she said.
As she enjoys doing things on her own, Jessie did most of the work by herself.
“I love DIY, however, I don’t have experience with plumbing, electrical, carpentry needed for this project,” she said.
However, she also got help in turning the bus of around 400-square-feet into the coziest home.
“The big challenge was that it was very different from working on a home that’s fixed in one location. I constantly had to account for movement, on top of that the angles of the bus and slanted style windows made it challenging to design the best possible layout and curved woodworking. Levels were useless as the bus incline changes depending on location, it was all about calculating angles. This added a lot of time onto the project.”
Jessie first got rid of the bus’ seats by selling them to a restaurant. And now that she could see the empty space she could easily envision where each of the rooms would be placed.
The outside of the old bus also got some new, more modern look. Well, it had to fit the beauty of the inside, right?
The kitchen is pretty spacious and she can easily move around when preparing her favorite dish. The sink and the stove are just the perfect (normal) size and there are a bunch of cabinets for storing all the food and pots.
“Went with the IGLOO (33 in. W 5.5 cu. ft.) Side by Side Refrigerator in Silver, Counter Depth from Home Depot. It’s a fridge/freezer,” she said.
The closet is also the size that perfectly fits her needs and the bedroom which is placed at the back of the bus is tiny but lovely. It even has a hidden storage space and a cool bookshelf.
“The bathroom has mahogany wood slotted flooring that drains for drying off post-shower. The shower drain connects to the floor drain and they both lead to the gray water tank which is mounted under the bus,” she says.
However, as Jessie only got her driving licence before she purchased the bus, she says how she has difficulties navigating such a huge and heavy vehicle.
“I can’t drive it myself! I grew up in New York City and I finally learned how to drive in my mid-twenties. Unfortunately, I have yet to learn how to drive a stick shift!” she said. “I have made lots of friends with the ability to drive a manual 40-foot bus without power steering!”
It’s just sad, but that’s the reason why she’s now selling her dream home.
You can take a look at it in the video below and if you have an adventurous soul you may even consider getting it for yourself.
And the price? According to ABC News, this beauty will only cost you $149,000.
