One doesn’t need to be a firm believer in order to know deep down that sometimes things happen because God wants them to be that way. And even if you don’t believe in angels in a form of divine creations that lead us through life and through difficult situations, you still have to agree that many times, they appear in a form of another human being who crosses our path when we need it the most and restores our faith in humanity and in doing good.
The song Angels Among Us, speaks of such encounters, and that is why it is considered one of the best Christmas songs of all time.
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Randy Owen, the lead singer of the country band Alabama this song was written for, once said how the group received “hundreds of letters from all over the world saying that the song was a blessing.” Honestly, we can’t agree more. It is a piece of music that brings a touch of magic and warms the soul.
This time, a rendition of it was recorded by a group of incredible musicians, among which Scotty McCreery, Carly Pearce, Hunter Hayes, and Brennley Brown. It is a product of the cooperation between Radio Disney and Radio Disney Country with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, whose goal was to raise awareness as well as money for all the children who are being treated in the hospital.
The final result is breathtaking. Check the rendition of Angels Among Us below.
Most child actors who were somehow forced to be under the spotlight from very early age get tired of the life that comes along the status of being a celebrity, so many of them decide to pursue a totally different career later in life.
If the name Mary McDonough sounds familiar, then you were probably a fan of the first ever family show of that type, The Waltons. In fact, this show is considered to have paved the way to similar series, such as Little House on the Prairie.
“The Waltons kind of paved the way for others to come on the air. We were a large family living in the depression and Little House was a small family living on a prairie. There are some similarities. They both have morals and lessons that they teach in their storylines. Having three generations living under the same roof is a little bit different. Their storekeeper had a kooky wife and so did ours. We both have similar fan bases also,” McDonough said of the series which represent her huge breakthrough.
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She played the role of Erin Walton for ten years. Her characters was adored by many, so McDonough became a famous name. The then 10-year-old girl enchanted millions with her acting and people loved her so very much.
The actress recalled the time she auditioned for the role that changed her life. She says that the line was the longest she had ever seen as it looked like every girl from California was there, hoping to be part of this new project. McDonough was asked to read a scene from The Waltons The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, and it was more than enough for her to be picked for the role of Erin among the hundreds of other girls.
“My dad said It was like buying your first ticket to the Irish Sweepstakes and winning,” she said about getting the job.
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Speaking of the time of the filming of the series, McDonough remembers how being a young girl she was under a lot of pressure to always look flawless.
Speaking to Oprah, she said: “When I was 15 I had an ulcer, my hair started to fall out, I had these rashes on my head, and I remember my parents took me to the doctor. And the doctor said, ‘Well, is she under any pressure?’ And my parents said, ‘No, she’s the luckiest girl in the world — Are you kidding me?’”
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From the beginning of the series, McDonough turned from a young girl into a woman, and that transition wasn’t easy for her. She often starved herself in order for the clothes to fit her, although she wasn’t really getting fat, but maturing.
It was actor John Ritter who helped her overcome that period of her life when he advised her to start writing a journal and put down her thoughts and her struggles. According to McDonough, writing a journal saved her life. She learned how to love her body again.
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After The Waltons, McDonough had a hard time finding a job in Hollywood. One reason, according to her, was that she wasn’t “large enough.” This “forced” her to undergo a breast augmentation surgery. That, however, didn’t go as planned and McDonough was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and collagen disorder Sjogren’s Syndrome.
“My hair fell out and I would be tired all of the time,” she told Smashing Interviews. “Of course, everybody kept saying, ‘Well you’re crazy. You’re depressed. Go to therapy!’ So it was 10 years of being undiagnosed and finally I got to the point where I was in so much pain I couldn’t even lift my daughter.”
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Once The Waltons was over, McDonough worked as a waitress and a bartender for some time. She also landed some smaller roles in several television series, Will & Grace, The Love Boat and ER, among others.
Today, she is a public speaker and a workshop leader. She “helps people change, create life balance, and return to a sense of self” according to her web page. She also has a YouTube channel and is an author of many books.
“I’m not alone and I never was alone, and none of us are,” she told Oprah. “And now I can help people, and the reason I do almost everything I do is so that no one feels as alone and terrified as I did. And it’s pretty rewarding.”
The woman killed in the shooting at Capitol Hill was identified as 35-year-old veteran Ashli Babbitt.
According to her husband, she was a strong Trump supporter and among the hundreds of protesters seeking to overturn Trump’s election loss.
Her husband Aaron Babbitt spoke to KUSHI-TV and said his wife was “a high-level security official throughout her 14 years in the Air Force service,” and “a great patriot to all who knew her.”
After arriving in Washington D.C., now late Ashli Babbitt posted on Twitter. “Nothing will stop us…. they can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours….dark to light,” she wrote.
BREAKING: Family confirms woman shot & killed at Capitol is Ashli Babbit. She owned a business in San Diego w/ her huband who did not come to DC. “I really dont know why she decided to do this,” her mother-in-law tells me. Police have not confirmed circumstances of shooting pic.twitter.com/OOYpNWpMLg
What started as a protest, soon turned into a riot, and as protesters advanced and tried to break through the glass and wood doors into the Speaker’s lobby at the Capitol building, the security personnel drew their guns at Ashli and those around her. In a moment of chaos, a plainclothes Capitol police officer fired a single shot. Ashli was hit in her neck and later died.
An eyewitness described the scene. “We had stormed into the chambers inside, and there was a young lady who rushed through the windows. A number of police and Secret Service were saying get back, get down and get out of the way,” the New Jersey man said. “She didn’t heed the call. As we kind of raced up to grab people and pull them back, they shot her in the neck. She fell back on me. She started to say she was fine, it’s cool. Then she started moving weird and blood was coming out of her neck and mouth and nose. I don’t know if she’s alive or dead anymore,” he added.
Nothing will stop us….they can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours….dark to light!
We, as a nation, always make sure we pay our tributes and respect to those who sacrificed their lives for the country. But that feeling of patriotism and the desire to show our appreciation for the fallen soldiers grows bigger on Memorial Day.
Rolling Thunder/Ride for Freedom has been held in Washington, DC, to raise awareness of the Prisoners of War–Missing in Action of all wars and it’s happening ever since it first took place back in 1988.
United States Marine Corps Veteran Staff Sergeant Tim Chambers takes part in the Rolling Thunder in a very unique way; by standing at attention for hours. This brave man is filmed doing that even while his wrist was broken in 2013. The bikers zipped and passed around him and he felt honored to be standing there. Now everyone recognizes Sgt. Chamber as the Saluting Marine.
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He stands with boots, a rifle, flack jacket, and Kevlar displayed at his feet. Families of fallen soldiers appreciate his act and they even donate personal military items of their loved ones to Sgt. Chambers.
To be part of the Rolling Thunder is an incredible experience.
“Try standing at Salute for more than ten minutes…..this Marine does it for hours…incredible devotion and discipline. One hell of a man,” one person wrote. Honestly, we can’t agree more.
Among the bikers who salute him back was a female soldier who took her time to stop and pay her respects for what the Saluting Marine does. Take a look at the video below, it’s truly awesome.
Some people are simply born for certain professions. They have it in them from very early age and never stop pursuing their dreams, so maybe that is what makes them a bit more special than the rest of the people.
Ever since he was a 4-year-old boy who stood on stage for the very first time, Gavin MacLeod knew he would become an actor.
It was both the loud applause from the audience and the excitement he felt that made him never let go of the thought of making a name for himself in the theater and film industry.
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During high school, MacLeod starred in a number of plays which brought him a lot of awards and a scholarship from Ithaca College. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts and was later awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from Ithaca.
Speaking of his 1956 Broadway show A Hatful of Rain, MacLeod told The Flaming Nose: “My first night on Broadway was a momentous time in my life – a goal realized. I was very confident and humbled to be included on stage with some of the best actors in the business.”
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Once he moved to Los Angeles from New York, MacLeod starred in the series The Untouchables, Manhunt and Mr.Lucky. He was also part of McHale’s Navy and Mary Tyler Moore Show before he landed the role he’s probably best known for; that of Merrill Stubing in Love Boat.
When he was offered the role and given the script, his agent told him: “’Aaron Spelling [producer] wants you to do this thing called The Love Boat. I think it sucks but do you want to read it’.”
MacLeod said: “I read it and thought ‘this thing could work’’. It was very commercial kind of thing, I had my wife read it and she thought the same thing.”
Well, the rest is history. Love Boat quickly became one of the most popular shows out there. It ran for nine seasons and many of the episodes were filmed on the cruise ships ThePacific Princess and Island Princess, with guests starring as extras. Considering the popularity of the show, it didn’t come as a surprise that the ticket sales doubled.
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Being under the spotlight and probably one of the famous names in Hollywood at the time put a lot of pressure on MacLeod who turned to alcoholism. He also battled depression, but over time, he managed to get on his feet again.
“I was friends with Ted Knight when I was doing McHale’s Navy [from 1962 to 1964], and he said, ‘Why are you doing this show? You’re a glorified extra.’ I heard that over and over in my head and started drinking. I thought I wasn’t worth anything, that my wife and kids would be better off without me,” MacLeod told Closer Weekly.
In 1985, he remarried his wife Patti and the two published the book Back on Course together.
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In 2009, MacLeod became part of the project called Character Classics. Speaking of it with The Flaming Nose, the 89-year-old actor said: “Young children need to learn character. Obedience, respect, truthfulness, kindness and thankfulness are what they need to be taught.”
“This content will change lives. That is why I wanted to be a participant in the Character Classics Project. I hope sales go through the roof, because it will bless everyone and enhance the chance to bring morality back into the daily lives of our children.”
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Gavin MacLeod gave his fans a number of memorable roles throughout his career which spans basically his whole life.
When it comes to wedding, we all want to share the joy of the reunion with those we love the most, our closest friends and family. That was exactly what the bride from the video wanted as well. She knew all too well how her nieces and nephews could misbehave during her wedding, but according to her brother, who posted the video on YouTube, she still wanted them there as her flower girls and ring bearers.
As the guests were waiting for the little ones to complete their duties, the flower girl started screaming at the top of her lungs because she hated the idea of walking down the aisle with her brother.
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He, on the other hand, wasn’t happy with wearing a tux and couldn’t wait to get those rings to their final destination.
We are sure that neither the bride nor the groom got angry with the kids. On the contrary, they only made the wedding ceremony more memorable.
You can take a look at the video below. It has been seen more than 2.5 million times.
Joey Wittkugle is a man with Down Syndrome who continues defying the odds and proving doctors wrong.
When he was born, 62 years ago, his mother Bobbi was advised to leave him in an institution. She recalls the doctors saying to her: “You have to put him away. He’ll never talk and he’ll never walk. He’ll never know who you are. He will live to the age of 11 and that will be the end of it,” according to WBTW.
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Bobbi is 90 and she still takes care of her son. She says that back in the day, people had a completely different perception of people with Down Syndrome and those with certain disabilities. Today, these people are better accepted by the society thanks to individuals like Bobbi and her son who try to raise awareness about this condition. “Sixty-two years ago, nobody knew about them and they kept them in the house. I mean, you did not have them out walking or one thing or another,” she said.
For Joey’s 62nd birthday, his mom and his family organized a car parade.
“I want people to start understanding, when you see one of our children, don’t turn your back at them like they did years ago. They are human, they are special from God and please learn to love them as much as they love you,” Bobbi added.
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We are very glad that things started to change and now those with Down Syndrome are treated as completely normal people, because they are exactly that. They are able to function on their own and are valuable part of the society.
As for Joey, we wish him a very happy birthday and many more to come. Take a look at his story in the video below.
Elephants always line up for hugs whenever they see her..
David Sheldrick and his wife, Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick, a celebrated author and conservationist, have worked together to care for the wildlife in Africa for many years. They worked hard in order to raise awareness and stop the illegal poaching of elephants for the ivory trade.
However, in 1977, a year after the couple had moved to Nairobi National Park, David Sheldrick passed away suddenly due to a heart attack.
Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick decided to continue her late husband’s legacy by establishing the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, one of the only three organizations on the continent that rescues, rehabilitates, and releases orphaned elephants.
Some of these baby elephants were found ensnared in man-made traps, while some were found after they fell into abandoned wells. However, the majority of these baby elephants were orphaned after their mothers were killed by poachers for their ivory tusks.
These orphaned baby elephants have no chance of survival as they are very dependent on their mother for milk during the first two years. It then takes another two years before they are fully weaned.
Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick soon developed a special formula which consists of baby formula infused with vegetable fat and coconut oil. Due to the success of her formula, she became the first person in the world to successfully raise a baby elephant.
As most of the baby elephants were severely distressed when they arrive at the sanctuary, they are all each assigned a keeper who accompany the baby elephant inside the sleeping stall to provide them with comfort.
When the baby elephants have reached a certain age, they will be moved to a relocation center in Tsavo National Park. There, they continue to be cared by a keeper and will eventually be released to join the wild elephant communities in the park.
Here is Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick’s opinion of elephants: “They’re not corrupted. Their sense of family is as strong as ours. Their memories are amazing and their convoluted thinking and reasoning is equal to that of a human.
The caring and nurturing is far greater in elephants than it is in humans, and loyalty and friendship endures.”
You can watch a video of this amazing story below.
