We have so much to learn from children. They are always honest to the core and see the world through different eyes than us adults. Their hearts are pure and their love for those around them is profound.
The following story took place back in 2019, but it is so great that we couldn’t help but re-share it with you.
Twin day was just around the corner and a preschooler named Myles told his mother how there was a boy at the school who would be his twin for the day because apparently, the two looked exactly the same. The boy in question was Myles’ classmate Tanner. The two boys were really close. They were in fact best friends, and although Myles’ mom, Britney Tankersley, was aware of that fact, she had never met Tanner in person. So, when her son told her that Tanner looked exactly like him, she decided to trust his word and pictured a white boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, just like Myles.
What she didn’t know was that in fact, the boys weren’t alike at all, but her son didn’t see their differences.
Britney stopped by Walmart the previous day and bought matching outfits for the “twins.” The following day, when the teacher sent her a photo of Myles and Tanner, Britney was deeply touched.
“Their teacher sent me this picture today,” his mom, Britney wrote next to the photo she shared on her Facebook. “My heart melted. Obviously two very different children, but Myles didn’t see that. Wouldn’t the world be such a better place if we could all view it through the eyes of a couple 5yr olds♥️“
Needless to say, her post attracted the attention of thousands of people who wished for the same; us grown-ups to be able to see the world through the eyes of children.
I hope that when you’re reading this story you have some tissues to hand because you’re going to need them; I really cried real tears for this little boy and you will too!
This lovely little boy, called Leland Shoemake, wanted his mommy and daddy to have this lovely sweet message from him before his time came to leave this world.
At only the tender age of six-years-old this little boy died of his condition on September 25th, he was undergoing treatment for Balamuthia mandrillaris, a brain-eating amoeba.
His parents returned home without their son to find a note, it was special and it’s something that they will treasure and cherish for all their days!
Source: The Leland Shoemake Foundation
His mom was in his room, she was organizing and preparing for the funeral, it was Tim who found the note, it was in their living room in a place that he liked to draw and do art.
Time burst into tears as soon as he set his eyes on the note, he ran towards his wife, keen to show her the note he had found…
The note simply ready this:
“Still with you. Thank you, mom and dad. Love mom and dad.”
Source: The Leland Shoemake Foundation
Amber said:
“To say I lost it was an understatement …We cried together for the longest time.”
Their little boy frequently wrote notes to them, and pictures too, but this one was really so much more special than any of the others, they decided to frame it and have it on the wall in the living room.
Source: The Leland Shoemake Foundation
Mom says in her Facebook past that Leland was a clever and very curious little boy!Amber wrote about him:
“He knew his abc’s, numbers, colors, shapes and 20 sight words by the time he was a year old. He was our little nerd and we loved that about him. He loved school and loved to learn. He loved the history channel, the weather channel, documentaries and anything about history …He had a hunger for learning.”
Source: The Leland Shoemake Foundation
Leland wasn’t just a clever little boy, he also was really sociable too and enjoyed talking with his parents and other people too, every single person who came into contact with him recognized his lovely kind personality, his parents even made new friends because of him.
Source: The Leland Shoemake Foundation
He was just a really lovely child, but taken way too soon, before he flourished!
This note he left behind, it was simply beautiful, something that everyone should see, words are really not enough to describe what it means to any parent to find something like this in these circumstances.
Amber said about Leland:
“He was our little nerd and we loved that about him. He loved school and loved to learn.”
“He loved the history channel, the weather channel, documentaries and anything about history.”
“He loved ships like the Titanic and learning about things like WWII. He was perfect. His favorite movie was jaws.”
“His favorite director was Steven Spielberg. And his favorite actor was Adam Sandler.”
“He loved his brother and his family so much. He was the life of every party. His smile could light up a city.”
“He was the smartest, most caring, loving little boy there ever was.”
This little boy will be sadly missed by all that knew him, his parents especially and we send our love and prayers to him!
Please SHARE this touching story with your friends and family.
They say you can’t escape fate, and these two beautiful children from our story, who have been destined to spend not only their childhood, but hopefully their lives together, are just another proof of that.
Sharon Sykes from Plano, Texas, adopted a little girl, whom they named Hannah, from an orphanage in China. The process took some time but Sharon knew Hannah belonged with her family the moment she saw her.
One night, as she was going through her daughter’s adoption information, something caught her eye. Namely, in all the photos of Hannah, she was pictured together with a boy her age. They could be seen kissing, holding hands, and playing together.
Source: Flickr/ Andy Eick
Upon further inspection, Sharon learned that the boy was Hannah’s best friend at the orphanage. They spent every minute of every day by each other’s side, and now that she was getting adopted, the two would be forced to be separated.
“When we went to the actual orphanage to get her, she was hugging him and they were giving each other kisses,” Sharon shared with Inside Edition. “That was her little friend, how could I leave him there?”
Further, she told Good Morning America, “They just shared such a sweet and special bond. They were so close we just couldn’t imagine leaving him in China and him not having a forever family himself.”
Source: YouTube Screenshot/ CBSDWF
Sharon then made it her mission to find the boy a loving home. She shared his story online hoping someone would take a notice of how sweet and loving he was. Luckily, that’s exactly what happened.
Amy Clary, who lives five minutes away from Sharon, came across the story of the boy and she showed interest in adopting him. “Look at his eyes and his smile,” Amy told ABC News. “How could you deny that? He’s just so sweet. We had to bring him home.”
The Clary family filled the adoption papers and prayed for the boy to be brought to them. Around a year later, the adoption was finalized and the little guy, whom his new family named Dawson, was finally in America. He was about to embark on a new journey and someone familiar was at the airport to welcome him, his friend Hannah.
Source: YouTube Screenshot/ CBSDWF
“They must have hugged 400 times! They kept hugging and getting so giddy that they would fall over,” Amy shared with KTVT.
The footage of the two best friends reuniting after such a long time was shared online and it touched the hearts of thousands of people who got to witness the beautiful moment.
“My heart just burst into joy. It’s a miracle. He’s adopted by such a great family that lives so close to us, and Hannah gets to have him as a little friend. I’m overjoyed,” Sharon told Inside Edition. “Every since we’ve met the Clarys, we’re now like best friends.
“(Hannah and Dawson will be seeing each other on a regular basis— at least weekly, if not more.”
Source: YouTube Screenshot/ CBSDWF
What a beautiful story of friendship. For more got to the video below.
The quick-thinking of one young lady proved a lifesaver in what could easily turn into a life-threatening situation.
Josie Bowers, a young woman who could easily become a victim of robbery or even kidnapping, shared with her TikTok followers how she avoided a potentially dangerous situation while on vacation with her family some four years ago.
Namely, Josie and her parents stayed at aHilton hotel inOceanCity, Maryland and at one point, she was all by herself in the room. Just as she was getting ready to take a shower, Josie heard strange noises coming from behind the door. She got scared and needed to act quickly.
Source: TikTok Screenshot – JosiesBowers10
“Before I could shower I heard these noises, I went to go see what it was and it was this contraption. I was just standing there in my towel and this man opened the door,” the now 19-year-old Josie shared in one of her TikTok videos.
“My main thought was holy s*** I’m in a towel right now and someone is about to break in and get me. So the door opens a crack, and I just slammed it back shut and put the deadbolt on.”
At that point, she tried to think of all the tricks her police officer stepdad taught her.
Source: TikTok Screenshot – JosiesBowers10
The two men behind the door started talking to her and explained how they were hotel employees who were there to fix her door.
“So they tell me ‘your keycard is broken and we need to get into the room and fix your keypad for you,’” Josie continued. “And so I open the door a tad bit, to see if it was a worker. It clearly wasn’t, they were in jeans and a T-shirt. Hilton keeps it pretty classy, not the attire.”
At that moment, she knew she needed to pretend she wasn’t in the room all by herself and yelled, “Hey dad, there’s someone here to fix the door.” This worked and she could hear the men running. “As soon as they thought that I wasn’t alone – and potentially my dad was there – they ran, they were gone,” she shared with her followers.
Source: TikTok Screenshot – JosiesBowers10
“I’m glad I had this experience so I can teach people about it. Obviously, I’m safe but it could have ended up a lot worse,” she said. “Be safe, you can get door stoppers, always put on the deadbolt.”
The video of Josie was seen more than 12 million times and people thanked her for this useful tip.
It’s truly incredible how small acts of kindness can influence a great number of people to do good themselves. This is the story of officer Brian Dougherty, a truly compassionate man who brought smiles on the faces of the many people who stumbled upon his good deed towards a young boy whose family was involved in a car accident.
In fact, the accident involved three vehicles, and fortunately, no one was injured, but it was obvious that the boy was in distress from the whole situation.
It was then that officer Brian stepped in. He took the boy with him and then both sat at a street curb. In order to cheer him up, officer Brian started talking to him and asked him about his favorite Disney character. The boy calmed down and felt secure by his newly made friend’s side.
One of the people who was in the other car which took part in the accident was Janet Balestriero. She took notice of the officer and couldn’t help but snap a photo and share it on Facebook. This is what she wrote, “Car Accidents can be scary… especially when it’s your first. I found myself smiling at that scene wondering if anyone else even noticed this Officer’s kindness.”
Source: Facebook – Janet Balestriero
Soon after, the photo, along with Janet’s post, was shared thousands of times. People praised officer Brian’s action. One person wrote, “Thank you officer for your act of kindness, although you probably thought nothing of it. Just calming and reassuring a little boy! A compassionate heart you have sir!”
Coral Springs PD wrote that officer Brian has been with the department since 2016 and that he’s also part of the department’s SWAT team. Clyde Perry, Coral Springs Police Chief, humbly said, “[We’re] so proud of our officers. Things like this happen often, but are rarely reported on.”
Source: Facebook – Coral Springs Police
Janet decided to do something for the kind officer herself.
Namely, she’s part of the organization Kindness Rock Project which writes inspirational messages on rocks and then places them at different locations so that random people can find them. This time, she painted a rock with officer Brian’s badge number on it and left it at the Coral Springs PD.
Source: Facebook – Janet Balestriero
“A single act of kindness can have a ripple effect,” Janet says, and we can’t agree more.
Many actors struggle to find their place under the film industry sky until they land a role that helps their career skyrocket overnight. For actress Linda Kozlowski, the role that changed both her professional and personal life was that of Sue Charlton in the action comedy trilogy Crocodile Dundee.
Before landing that role, Linda played both in Broadway productions and numerous films, including Death of a Salesman. Unfortunately, after the movie wrapped up, offers didn’t come pouring in and she turned to being a waitress for some time. She even considered leaving California, but it was actor Dustin Hoffman, her co-star in Death of a Salesman, and his wife who decided to do something for Linda and help her out. Namely, they offered her to stay in their Malibu house until she decided what to do next.
Source: Youtube/ABC News
It was during that stay that she was given the script for Crocodile Dundee after Hoffman recommended her for the role. However, she didn’t get it because of it, but because the producers really liked her.
“There was a feeling in that room that was so positive,” she recalled of the audition. “I never once thought, ‘Oh, my God, this might not work.’
“Dustin asked me, ‘Who are these people? What are their names, and where are they staying?’,” she recalled. “And I told him. So just as they were calling me to say I had the part, they got a phone call: It was Dustin Hoffman. At first they thought it was a friend doing a bad impersonation.
“Once they realized it was Hoffman, they were just beaming. It was a sign they’d made the right decision.”
Kozlowski’s longtime friend William DeAcutis added: “Dustin’s call was like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, but Linda got the movie because they liked her.”
Source: Youtube/60 Minutes Australia
The movie was a huge success and Linda became star in Australia, where it first premiered, almost overnight. “It was a bit like being Cinderella,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “In Australia, I’d be riding about in limos, whereas here I was still running around in my old Toyota trying to see casting directors.”
Speaking of the fame she later gained in the States and her hometown of Fairfield, Connecticut, Linda recalled: “But I’ll tell you where I was a big star. In Fairfield, Conn., where I grew up. My parents, Stanley and Helen Kozlowski, still live there, and when the movie opened they saw it again and again.
“What’s funny is the local paper never referred to me as ‘Linda,’ always as ‘Stanley’s daughter.’ It was ‘Stanley’s daughter says this…’ and ‘Stanley’s daughter says that’…”
Source: Youtube/ABC News
After the movie, she didn’t really do much acting. Linda married her co-star Paul Hogan with whom she has her only child, Change Hogan. After 23 years of marriage, the couple divorced back in 2013 because of “irreconcilable differences.” According to Sydney Morning Herald, Linda received $6.25 million in a one-off payment following her divorce.
“I lived in Paul’s shadow for many, many years and it’s nice to feel my own light right now,” she told New Idea. “Honestly, we just naturally grew apart. One of our problems was we really had nothing in common and, over time, that happens to a lot of people.”
Source: Youtube/60 Minutes Australia
Today, Linda is in a relationship with Moulay Hafid Baba, a tour guide she met during a trip to Morocco. The two are now co-owners of a Marrakesh-based luxury travelling business, Dream My Destiny.
“We knew in a flash that we had known each other for a thousand years, which was a magic moment in both our lives,” Linda told Luxe Beat Magazine. “As business partners, we plan all our guests’ trips together.
“He’ll look after the men when the ladies need to shop for shoes! He knows the country inside out, including the Sahara Desert. You feel safe with him wherever you are.”
Shutterstock
Linda, who is 63 years old, says she doesn’t plan on going back to acting as it’s been a long time since she’s last been on set.
“I don’t miss acting because my life is so full now. Reality is better than make believe.
“One thing I always hated about acting was that it got in the way of having an adventurous life,” she added.
“You had to stick around LA and wait for work. Now I’m rejoicing in my freedom. I definitely think acting helped develop my intuition, which is essential to my new endeavor, as so much of what I do is based on reading people and instinctively catering to their needs.”
Going through a divorce has to be tough, no matter if the ex-spouses remain in good relationship or not. It’s stressful, exhausting, and many times painful too. This is also true for celebrities. We may think they have it easy when splitting because of their money and fame, but that’s rarely the case.
Country music legend Reba McEntire went through a divorce back in 2015, and had a hard time moving on. She once admitted how divorcing her now ex-husband of 26 years wasn’t her idea. She and television producer Narvel Blackstock met when he was a guitarist in her band and tied the knot in 1989. They have a son together, and Reba was a stepmother of Narvel’s three children. One of them is Brandon, who was married to the America’s sweetheart Kelly Clarkson.
Shutterstock
Giving some insights about the split in an interview with CMT’s Cody Ala, Reba revealed, “I didn’t want it in any shape, form or fashion. It was really hard to make the adjustment when someone’s not happy. I just want everybody to be happy in their lives because our lives are too short to be miserable. I just thought it was the best thing to take my marbles and go play somewhere else, is what Daddy used to always say.”
Recently, Reba revealed how the divorce affected her business and her career, having in mind that she and her ex-husband founded Starstruck Entertainment together, a company created to help manage her career. Blackstock also produced songs and award-winning songs for his now ex-wife.
Reba McEntire and Narvel Blackstock / Tyler Michaels/FilmMagic Getty Images
In Apple Fitness+ series “Time to Walk,” the 66-year-old singer said, ”Things started going south with my marriage. Narvel Blackstock, my manager and husband at the time — we got a divorce, and the shocker of it all was, there were four people who were taking care of all my business.
”I had my production manager who left, I had my CEO who left, my manager and husband, and my father had died. So four men who were rock and pillars of my world were gone.”
Being a devoted Christian, she turned to God. ”Everything that I was dealing with privately, personally — I had to run it all through God. I had to say, ‘OK big boy, I can’t handle this. This is way over my pay grade — I don’t know what to do. And I would wait, and He would guide me. And so without my faith, I have no idea where I would be or my career would be, at this time today,” she said.
Shutterstock
Rumors were that Narvel was dating Reba’s longtime friend Laura Putty Stroud, which only added to the already painful heartbreak this country singer faced. She says, however, that her music and her faith helped her get through that dark period of her life. Now she put everything behind and embraced love once again.
When asked about those hard few years after the split, Reba told CMT Radio, “I’ve prayed every day to help me have the strength to move one foot in front of the other, to continue on with what I’m supposed to be doing and why he put me on this Earth in the first place.”
Shutterstock
For a while, Reba dated former businessman and photographer Anthony “Skeeter” Lasuzzo. During a visit of Jackson Hole in Wyoming, Reba’s friends suggested that Lasuzzo be her tour guy, and after a couple of months later, the romance started. In 2018, they appeared at the Grammy Awards together.
Instagram
After two years, the couple split and Reba said they remained good friends. Currently, she’s dating actor Rex Linn, 64, best known for his portrayal of Sgt. Frank Tripp on CSI: Miami.
“We’ve been talking during the pandemic. We had dinner with Rex, was it in January? And then February on, it was the COVID pandemic,” Reba said in her own podcast.
“We were talking, texting [and using] FaceTime — and that’s a really good way to get to know people. … It’s good to have a person to talk to, laugh with, get into subjects about what’s going on. Discussions about our past, our family, funny stories. Him being an actor, me being an actress. He’s very into my music, I’m very into his career. It’s just great getting to talk to somebody who I find very interesting, very funny, very smart and is interested in me too.”
Instagram / Rex Linn
We wish this country music legend all the happiness in the world. Reba we are very glad for you.
Extremely skilled in music and with a vocal control like no other, Freddie Mercury remains until this very day one of the greatest musicians who have ever walked this Earth. His extraordinary vocal range of nearly five octaves along with his precision placed him on the pedestal and the magic he produced with each of his performances is almost impossible to be replicated by anyone.
Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar on September 5, 1946. At a very young age, his parents sent him to boarding school in Mumbai, India. This period of his life was tough because he was away from his family, but it was also the time when he first got into close contact with music, something that would remain a crucial part of his being until the rest of his life.
Freddie lived FOR music and THROUGH music. It was who he was. Music represented a huge part of his identity.
Source: Youtube/Lilaaloo
In 1964, during the bloody revolution of Zanzibar, he and his family moved to England where Freddy attended the Ealing College of Art. At the same time, he was part of a band named Wreckage. Some time later, Freddie met two people who changed his life forever, Roger Taylor and Brian May, who were part of the band Smile which changed its name to Queen after Freddie joined it.
In the book Is This The Real Life? The Untold Story of Queen, author Mark Blake writes that Freddie Mercury suggested the name, saying that “it’s wonderful, people will love it.”
Queen went on to become one of the best and most famous bands in the history.
Source: Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images
Their debut album Queen was released in 1973, and people got hooked. In 1974, they had their first big hit with Seven Seas of Rhye, and a year after, the legendary and everlasting Bohemian Rhapsody was released.
“I remember Freddie coming in with loads of bits of paper from his dad’s work, like Post-it notes, and pounding on the piano,” Queen guitarist Brian May recalled in 2008. “He played the piano like most people play the drums. And this song he had was full of gaps where he explained that something operatic would happen here and so on. He’d worked out the harmonies in his head.” Freddie then explained that this piece of music was something he dreamed of writing and producing for a long time.
The song reached incredible success and people from all over the world tried to understand the true meaning behind the lyrics. Freddie, however, never revealed what he had on mind while working on the song. Instead, he believed everyone should interpret it the way they wanted.
“I think people should just listen to it, think about it, and then decide for themselves what it means to them,” he said.
“I don’t like to explain what I was thinking when I wrote a song, I prefer people to put their own interpretation upon it – to read into it whatever they like,” he added, saying it would be “awful” to do otherwise.”
Source: Youtube/QueenOfficial
Bohemian Rhapsody was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 2004, and readers of Rolling Stone magazine named Freddie Mercury’s vocal performance the best in rock history. In 2018, it was named world’s most-streamed song of the 20th century, with more than 1.6 billion listens across all major streaming services.
Unfortunately, great Freddy Mercury passed away in November, 1991, at the age of just 45. The news of his passing took the world by storm and left millions of people mourn the loss of the greatest singer of all time.
Just 24 hours before saying the final goodbye, Freddie revealed he had AIDS. “It was announced before he died, but he did not want to be the object of pity or scrutiny, and within 24 hours, it was gone. It was probably perfect timing. Bloody good move, I thought,” Brian May recalled.
Freddie kept the illness a secret. Only few of his closest friends knew what he was going through, among which his band mates and Elton John. They visited him frequently and spent with him the last days of his life.
Elton John shared what Freddie’s last year of life was like in his book Love is the Cure: On Life, Loss and the End of AIDS.
“He knew death, agonizing death was coming. But Freddie was incredibly courageous. He kept up appearances, he kept performing with Queen, and he kept being the funny, outrageous, and profoundly generous person he had always been,” Elton John wrote.
“As Freddie deteriorated in the late 1980s and early ’90s, it was almost too much to bear. It broke my heart to see this absolute light unto the world ravaged by AIDS. By the end, his body was covered with Kaposi’s sarcoma lesions. He was almost blind. He was too weak to even stand.”
“By all rights, Freddie should have spent those final days concerned only with his own comfort. But that wasn’t who he was. He truly lived for others.”
Source: Youtube/YouTubetest
Peter Freestone, Freddie’s PA and dear friend, revealed that the singer spent the last few weeks in bed. However, he once asked if he could be carried downstairs.
“Freddie was downstairs in Garden Lodge on November 20, as he wanted to see some of his artworks for one last time,” Peter recalled. “Terry carried him down the stairs, but he walked around the sitting room and Japanese room, with one of us supporting him.”
“He commented on how and when he had acquired a few of the pieces. Of course, there was a quiet atmosphere in the house during those last days, but Freddie remained the Freddie we knew until the end.”
Source: FG/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images
His close friends opened up about Freddie’s life in the new BBC documentary Freddie Mercury: The Final Act.
Wife of Queen guitarist Brian May, Anita Dobson, said that Freddie looked fragile at the end. The last words he shared with her touched her deeply. “I remember he said, ‘When I can’t sing anymore darling, then I will die. I will drop dead.”
Freestone revealed in the documentary, “Joe [Fanelli]called me at about 5:30 am, and Freddie had basically gone into a coma, and we made Freddie sort of comfortable. You could see Freddie had moved a bit, and then as we were changing his T-shirt, we just looked and saw his chest had stopped moving.”
Source: Shuttterstock/Emanuela Vigna
More than a year after Freddie Mercury left this world, his friends organized a concert in his honor at Wembley Stadium in London. The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was attended by around 70,000, but was streamed and watched by over half a billion people worldwide.
Besides Elton John and the members of Queen, other famous names who honored Freddie Mercury, among the rest, were David Bowie, Annie Lennox, and George Michael.
“When George Michael sang ‘Somebody To Love,’ there were moments where he had that crystal clear razor-edge just like Freddie. It was a real ‘chills up your spine’ moment for all of us,” Brian May recalled in the new BBC documentary Freddie Mercury: The Final Act, as reported by Mirror.
“Freddie lived for his music and loved his music, and he was proud of himself as a musician above everything else.”
Freddie Mercury was unmatched. He is still living through his music. May he rest in peace.
God works in mysterious ways and hears our prayers when we least expect. This is the incredible story of two people who desperately wanted another child and a baby named Gracie who became part of their loving family.
Marc and Beth Hadden had two sons, and doctors told them that having another child would be too risky for Beth. Working as a firefighter and a teacher, two jobs which require hearts of gold but are not paid enough, they weren’t able to be register for adoption at an adoption agency. And just when they lost hope of ever having another child, something surprising happened.
Source: YouTube Screenshot – Inside Edition
Namely, Marc was called to assist a woman with severe abdominal pain. However, the moment he arrived in her home, he realized she was about to give birth. As there wasn’t time for her to be rushed to the hospital, Marc helped deliver the baby himself. And that is how baby Gracie was born.
“I was tasked with everything to do with Gracie… I helped her take her first breath,” Marc told CBS News.
When he took the mom to the hospital, he overheard the doctors and the nurses saying that the baby girl would be put up for adoption. Without hesitating, Marc asked for his name to be put on the list.
Source: YouTube Screenshot – Inside Edition
He then talked to the mother and told her everything about his family. After that, he sent a photo of Gracie to his wife and she joked that it would be nice if they could adopt the baby, not assuming that would really happen.
It only took a few days for the adoption process to be completed. The family was thrilled, but at the same time, they were not prepared for a baby in terms of the things needed such as a baby bed, diapers, and more. Thankfully, the entire community stepped in and soon, the Haddens’ home was filled with baby stuff.
Source: YouTube Screenshot – Inside Edition
When Garcie turned five, Marc gave an interview for Inside Edition and said: “Gracie has me wrapped around her finger. There’s no doubt about it.”
This beautiful family is now complete and it’s all thanks to that emergency call Marc answered to some years ago.
Source: YouTube Screenshot – WSB-TV
If you want to learn more about the Haddens and their incredible life story check out the video below.
Each of the roles great Sir Anthony Hopkins has ever landed is iconic in a unique way. His passion for acting can be felt by the audience and that’s something that makes him one of the greatest actors that have ever walked this Earth.
Among the huge number of roles he played throughout the years, that of Hannibal Lecter is probably one of the most prominent and most powerful ones. It brought him an Academy Award and helped his career skyrocket.
Shutterstock/ Bart Sherkow
Speaking of the time he was offered to be part of The Silence of the Lambs, Hopkins recalled in an interview with Variety:
“I’m thrilled that the movie worked. I’m proud to be in it. I was in the theater, in London, and my agent phoned me— Jeremy Conway, his name was— and he said, ‘I’m sending a script over to the theater called The Silence of the Lambs‘.”
“I said, ‘Is it a children’s story,’ I didn’t know. ‘No,’ he said. ‘It’s with Jodie Foster.’ I said, ‘Oh.’
“I think Jodie just won the Oscar for The Accused, actually. So I came to the dressing room and I started reading it, and I got through about 10 pages. When [the FBI agent] Crawford said, ‘You don’t want Hannibal Lecter inside your head,’ I thought, ‘Ooh, that’s it’,” he added. “I phoned my agent, and I said, ‘Is this an offer? This is the best part I could ever…’ He said, ‘Well, it’s not a big part.’ I said, ‘I don’t care’.”
In 2006, Hopkins was awarded the Golden Globes lifetime achievement award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and in 2021, he won another Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for the film The Father.
When it comes to his private life, Hopkins was married three times. He and his first wife, actress Petronella Barker, tied the knot in 1966 and two years later, they welcomed daughter Abigail, Hopkin’s only child. However, he and his daughter are not on good terms and haven’t spoken to each other for over 20 years.
“I accepted it years ago. It’s her choice and she must live her life,” he said about his daughter.
“I say to young people, ‘If your parents are giving you trouble, move out.’ You’ve got to let go. You don’t have to kill your parents, but just leave if it’s holding you back.”
Youtube/drhanniballecter1
In 1973, a year after he divorced his first wife, Hopkins married Jennifer Lynton. They stayed together for almost thirty years, and a year after they finalized their divorced, he married his current wife, Stella Arroyave, who is 18 years his junior.
Their first encounter was a serendipitous one. Namely, she owned an antique shop and he happened to enter her place in hopes of finding some furniture. Instead, he found love.
Stella grew up in New York but moved to California to pursue a career as an actress. However, she wasn’t lucky enough to find her place in Hollywood at the time and quit her dream. When she met Hopkins, that all changed. Stella got the opportunity to stare alongside him and Nicole Kidman in The Human Stain as well as other films, and today, she is a successful director and screenwriter.
“I took a lot of course at UCLA, writing, directing, filming. I did some music videos,” Stella told Yahoo. “When I married Tony, I produced the [2007] film Slipstream. I always wanted to produce, direct, write. It was something I nurtured, studied.”
She had her directorial debut in 2020, with the film Elyse, starring her husband.
Shutterstock/Kathy Hutchins
Speaking of working with Hopkins, Stella told Variety: “He’s a consummate professional. He treated the set and me and the actors as he treated any other film production. He knew his lines and asked me what I thought and we had a few good exchanges and ideas.”
Before the film, Stella revealed she spoke to Hopkin’s grammar school teacher who told her something interesting about the actor.
“He said that of all the students in the school, he wouldn’t have guessed that Anthony would achieve this level of success because Anthony was a loner,” she said.
“The only thing he saw was that he was interested in drawing and piano. It confirmed to that Tony is a private man who enjoys being alone. But he’s a genius.
“His focus is his passion — art, music, film and theater. He’s living his life fully, being himself to the full extent of his passion,” she added.” I think you get it.”
Shutterstock/Jaguar PS
Anthony Hopkins has given so much to the world of film. In 1993, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the arts.
Queen Elizabeth, the longest-reigning monarch, has had quite a turbulent year.
Back in 2020, her grandson, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down from their royal duties and caused quite a stir. Few eyebrows were raised as all eyes were on the Royal Family. Reports claimed that Prince Charles was the one least happy with the decision by the Sussexes to leave Britain and settle in California.
The Queen herself wasn’t glad either, but she received the news with dignity, pretty much as always, and issued a statement which read that Harry and Meghan will always be much loved members of the family.
Source: Shutterstock – Lorna Roberts
And as everyone believed the family solved the issues that arose from the “departure,” Harry and Meghan went on to give the infamous Oprah interview. They came forward with a number of allegations, including that a senior royal was concerned about how dark the color of then unborn Archie would be. The Firm didn’t answer to the allegations, except for Prince William who said during an occasion that they are not a racist family.
Further, Meghan claimed she was rejected help when she spoke up of her mental struggles and Harry said his father and brother were “trapped” in the system but were not aware of that.
In April, the Queen faced a huge tragedy. Her beloved husband, Prince Philip, passed away. She always spoke of him as of her “strength and stay.”
“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the Royal Family tweeted.
His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.”
The funeral was watched by 13 million people in the U.K.
Now, reports are that the Queen, who is now 95, has been given some news that made her upset. Namely, her doctors advised her to lower her alcohol intake, according to Vanity Fair.
A source told the magazine, “The Queen has been told to give up her evening drink which is usually a martini.
“It’s not really a big deal for her, she is not a big drinker but it seems a trifle unfair that at this stage in her life she’s having to give up one of very few pleasures.”
The source added, “The alcohol has gone, her doctors want to make sure she is as fit and healthy as possible.”
Source: Shutterstock – Shaun Jeffers
Apparently, the Queen, same as her son, enjoys dry martini every now and then. She also loves to have a glass of wine during lunch occasionally and a glass of champagne shortly before bed.
The Palace revealed that Queen Elizabeth has quite a tight schedule up until Christmas and next year’s focus will center largely around her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Recently, she has been seen using a cane, which of course doesn’t come as a surprise considering her age.
What one man did for his younger brother is melting hearts all over the Internet.
Todd Burkemper has always been there for his brother Alex. Their connection is strong and they love and respect each other unconditionally, just like most siblings out there. In fact, despite the 6 year age gap between them, they are also best friends.
When Todd graduated back in 2011, he found a well-paid job as an app designer and senior software developer at Buildium so he was able to buy his own car and a home in Wentzville, Missouri.
In 2017, when Alex graduated from college too, Todd invited him over to live with him. During the first six months, or until Alex started earning his own money, he lived at his brother’s place rent-free. However, once Alex landed a job, Todd asked from him to pay rent. What Alex didn’t know was that Todd never spent that money. Instead, he put it in a savings account.
Time passed by and Alex felt it was the time for him to find his own place. He got interested in a nice house located in the same neighborhood as Todd’s, and that’s when Todd revealed the huge surprise.
Source: YouTube Screenshot/ goodnewsnetwork
Their parents knew about the secret savings account all along, so Todd invited them over when he showed a screenshot of the account balance to Alex and said, “That’s yours.”
Alex had no idea what was going on. He was confused at first, but once he realized his brother wasn’t joking, he just couldn’t stop tears from rolling down his cheeks.
Source: YouTube Screenshot/ goodnewsnetwork
The brothers’ mother, Barbara, then said, “He didn’t just save your money. He put some money in, too.” It turned out that Todd contributed with $150 of his own money each month. That, along with Alex’s rent money, was enough for a down-payment for Alex’s dream home.
“After posting this story on my Facebook page that evening, and reading all of the heartwarming responses, I felt compelled to share this story of brotherly love with a wider audience,” the proud mother wrote in an email.
“The generosity shown by Todd is just one of many amazing facets of his character. We are so very humbled by the awesome human being he has grown into,” she added.
It’s true when they say that “you can’t choose your siblings, they are God’s gift to you as you are to them.”
If you want to learn more of this heartwarming story got to the video below.
6-year-old girl named Cara from Londonderry, UK, was playing with her friends one day at the Waterside area of the city when she stumbled upon a hole in the ground. She was curious enough to inspect it and the moment she got closer she noticed a dog inside. She was aware the poor soul was stuck there and unable to climb out so she rushed home and told her father about it.
Source: The Rainbow Rehoming Centre
Her father, Kenny, who turned to be as compassionate and as caring as his little girl, went to check up on the dog. Together, they helped it get out and that’s when they realized the animal didn’t fall there by itself. It was emaciated, blind, and scared.
In an attempt to provide better care for it, they contacted the staff at The Rainbow Rehoming Centre, who determined that the dog was female. Someone used her for excessive breeding before she became too old and too week to give birth again so they dumped her like an old piece of furniture.
Source: The Rainbow Rehoming Centre
This organization, which helps old and abused animals find home, named the dog Bella. They provided her with the so much needed medical help and made sure her sad life story went viral.
Luckily, they soon found a family willing to make the rest of Bella’s life worth living. She felt love for the first time and was well taken care of before she passed away a year later. At least she left this world knowing she meant something to someone.
Life is hard sometimes. We often face obstacles that we are unable to overcome no matter how much we try, and during such desperate situations, we can’t help but wonder why it is us who are forced to experience and go through tough times.
Diane and Mark Aulger from Texas had a picture perfect life. They had four children together, with their fifth on the way. Mark ended up winner in his fight against cancer, but sadly, the chemotherapy treatments he had to undergo destroyed his lungs and left him with pulmonary fibrosis.
Source: YouTube
The family had hopes that he would continue living with the condition with the help of steroids and oxygen, but those hopes crushed when doctors told them Mark only had a week to live. At the time they received the devastating news, Diane was pregnant with their fifth child. Not wanting her husband to leave the world without meeting their bundle of joy, this brave woman made the decision to be induced two weeks early so that sweet Savannah could have a photo of her and her daddy to hold on to.
Source: YouTube
Mark was able to hold his daughter in his arms the day she was born. Sadly, the following day, he tried holding her again, but slipped into coma.
Mark, who was 52 years old, died just days after Savannah was born.
“The kids go on as if dad is really still here,” Diane told ABC News. “Mark was a very funny guy. My kids still tell jokes how they would when he was around. He would have been a wonderful daddy to Savannah.”
Source: YouTube
Life has taken Mark away from his family way too soon, but the memory of him will live forever.
Giving birth is a miraculous process all by itself. Welcoming a baby into the world is always accompanied by genuine joy and excitement, but at the same time, with a little dose of fear. Many parents-to-be can’t help but wonder if everything was going to be alright and whether their bundle of joy would be born healthy. The same goes for animals.
Recently, a breathtakingly beautiful footage of a Sumatran tiger giving birth to two cubs at the Australia Zoo was shared online.
Source: YouTube/ BBC Earth
Sumatran tigers are on the list of endangered species and humans do all in their power to prevent their extinction. Recent figures estimate that the number of these tigers in the wild is around 400 to 600.
That is one of the reason why the caretakers at the Australian Zoo closely monitored first-time mom Kaitlyn giving birth. They were ready to jump in in case of an emergency, but it looked like they didn’t need to because this mother’s instincts kicked in the second she realized her first born baby wasn’t breathing properly.
Source: YouTube/ BBC Earth
In order to help open his lungs, Kaitlyn started licking the tiny cub as he struggled to gasp for air. Her licking stimulated the baby to start breathing on his own. Even after a couple of unsuccessful tries, she didn’t give up. Luckily, some few seconds later, the bundle of joy started breathing properly.
Despite the rocky starts, everything turned out for the best for this new mother and her little ones.
We are so glad we got to witness such a miracle ourselves. For more got o the video below.
The relationship between one of the most famous names in the music industry, TV personality and record executive Simon Cowell and the mother of his son, Lauren Silverman, has raised a few eyebrows over the years mainly due to the fact that she was once married to Cowell’s good friend Andrew Silverman.
Cowell, the judge of some of the best music talents shows in the world, confessed that he and Lauren had an affair while she was still married.
Lauren Silverman and Simon Cowell arrives at the “America’s Got Talent” Season 14 Live Show Red Carpet at Dolby Theatre on September 17, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)
The couple started dating back in 2004 and have a son together. Eric Cowell is 7 years old. He was born while Lauren’s divorce was still not officialized. Back then, Cowell spoke to Mirror about being a father and said he was extremely proud, however, he added that what he wasn’t proud of was the affair. “It is not something I am proud of or wanted to happen in terms of hurting anyone. It just happened,” he said.
Over the years, it has become evident that the two were meant for each other. They love one another so very much and complement each other perfectly.
“They have fun together, as well as being each other’s rock. They are both passionate [about one another], but really do bring out the very best in each other. As a family, they all have such an incredible bond,” a source told People.
Steve Vas/Featureflash/Shutterstock
As reported by People Magazine, Cowell popped the question while on vacation in Barbados, the place they first met. The two were taking a walk at the beach when he got on one knee and asked her to marry him. Both Eric and Lauren’s son from her previous marriage joined the couple on the vacataion.
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock
Cowell has always spoken of Lauren with much affection. Back in 2018, when he was presented with a star on the Walk of Fame he said, “Lauren, you’ve been my rock for the past few years, put up with everything I put up with.”
Marriage is all about the love, affection, and trust two people share. Still, there a lot of people who see this union through a prism of money. They believe that a relationship should be based on gifts and material things.
It is not unusual to come across situations in which many women are shamed because of how small or inexpensive their wedding ring is. The sad reality is that this so-called ring-shaming grew into a trend and now everyone believes they are entitled to comment on other people’s wedding band.
These rings may cost thousands of dollars, but not every woman dreams of getting such expensive piece of jewelry.
One woman named Ariel Desiree McRae shared how she and her boyfriend Quinn went to a jewelry store to find the perfect ring. Although she had one pear-shaped ring in mind, she didn’t mind her and Quinn getting a simple but very attractive set of matching rings created out of sterling silver and cubic zirconia. She was aware he only had $130 to spend, and she was perfectly fine with it.
However, one person who though the ring was cheap and unattractive was the woman behind the counter at the jewelry store. Believe it or not, she dared to call Ariel’s ring “pathetic.”
Ariel was shocked and offended, but she didn’t want to get into an argument with the saleswoman. Instead, she went home and took to Facebook to share the story. In a matter of days, Ariel’s response attracted a huge number of comments and her story was eventually picked up by media outlets and shared even further. This way, Ariel believed she got her revenge. This is what she wrote.
“My husband doesn’t have a lot, neither of us do. We scrape and scrape to pay bills and put food in our bellies, but after almost two years of dating we decided that we couldn’t wait anymore, so we didn’t.
“I wasn’t even thinking about rings, I just wanted to marry my best friend, but he wouldn’t have it. He scraped up just enough money to buy me two matching rings from Pandora. Sterling silver and CZ to be exact. That’s what sits on my ring finger, and I am so in love with them.
“While we were purchasing my rings however, another lady that was working there came over to help the lady selling them to us. She said, ‘Y’all can you believe that some men get these as engagement rings? How pathetic.’
“When she said that I watched my now husband’s face fall. He already felt bad because he couldn’t afford the pear-shaped set that so obviously had my heart and covered my Pinterest page. He already felt like a failure, asking me again and again, ‘Are you sure you’ll be happy with these? Are you sure this is okay?’
“He was so upset at the idea of not making me happy enough and of me not wanting to marry him because my rings didn’t cost enough money or weren’t flashy enough.”
Facebook/Ariel Desiree McRae
“Old Ariel would have ripped that woman a new one. Mature Ariel said, ‘It isn’t the ring that matters, it is the love that goes into buying one that is.’ We bought the rings and left.
“Y’all, I would have gotten married to this man if it had been a 25-cent gum-ball machine ring. When did our nation fall so far to think the only way a man can truly love a woman is if he buys her $3,000 jewelry and make a public decree of his affection with said flashy ring?
“Sure they are nice, sure the sentiment is wonderful, and I’m not trying to cut down any of your experiences, but when did it come to all that? Why do material possessions equate love??
“My husband was so afraid of me not wanting him because he couldn’t afford a piece of jewelry. He was afraid that the love I have for him would pale because he couldn’t afford the wedding set I wanted. The world has made it this way and it is so sad.
“Here I am though, court-house married, $130 ring set, the love of my life by my side and happier than I could ever imagine.
“Update: This post keeps growing (much to my surprise), and I’ve been asked a thousand times how we met. So here is the short version!
“My husband and I met online at the age of 20, talked on the phone (and I mean actually talked not text) for [more than] 6 hours a day for two days. He then drove an hour out of his way to take me on a date. I wore a tacky Christmas sweater (if you think I am lying, ask him).
“We ate wings, had a burping contest, and drove around listening to music and singing. I fell in love with him on the first date. If he had asked me to marry him the first time we met, I probably would have said yes.
“To be honest, we had wanted to elope three months into dating, but decided to take some extra time to get established beforehand. Ultimately we couldn’t wait any longer.. so we eloped. I’ve never been this happy in my life and I couldn’t imagine spending it with anyone else ever.”
Ariel handled her insult with grace and dignity!
Facebook/Ariel Desiree McRae
For Ariel, it was never about the size of the ring. She is happy she has found someone who loves her unconditionally and is there for her through thick and thin. Not every marriage is about the rock on the top of the finger.
Being born into royalty means enjoying lavishing lifestyle, owning mansions, and basically, having the world in the palm of your hand. The world’s fascination with the royal babies starts even when they are still in their mother’s womb. In the first hours of them being welcomed into the world, millions of people are eagerly waiting for their first photos to be printed in magazines. In a word, royal children are privileged from the moment they are born and their lives are carefully followed by the press and the media.
The news of the birth of Prince George on July 22, 2013, who is third in line of succession after his father, Prince William, and his grandfather, Prince Charles, took the world by storm. His arrival was celebrated not only in Britain, but in every part of the world. Some two years later, the royal family welcomed Princess Charlotte, who was born on May 2, 2015. The youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Louis, was born on April 23, 2018.
Comic Relief/BBC Children in Need/Comic Relief via Getty Images
In early January 2016, Prince George started school at the Westacre Montessori School in Norfolk. Then a year later, he transferred to Thomas’s Battersea School, the same school his sister Charlotte attends.
The fee for their education at this educational institution is around $20,000 for the upcoming year, according to the school’s website.
Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty Images
When Prince George and Princess Charlotte accompany their parents on their official duties, they are referred to by their royal titles. That, however, isn’t the case at school.
According to Hello Magazine, Prince George and Prince Charlotte are called George Cambridge and Charlotte Cambridge by their teachers and their classmates, nod to their parents’ titles. George’s friends sometimes call him “PG,” his initials.
When they were at school and in the military, William and Harry also went by their parents’ titles and were called William Wales and Harry Wales, with their father being the Prince of Whales and their mother, late Diana, the Princess of Whales.
UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
William and Kate do all in their power to provide for their children a normal childhood. The children do take on official visits to other countries and attend royal duties together with their parents, but they are still not fully aware of what awaits them in the future. Royal commentator Neil Sean claims that George is “protected” from the future burden of being King.
“When you look at Prince George, it’s so weird, isn’t it? To look and think he has no idea what’s coming for him,” he said on his Youtube channel Neil Sean’s Daily News Headlines, as quoted by Express.
“He’s mighty protected at that age, but for him, he’s born into this. He doesn’t really know exactly how the Monarchy operates even at that young age.”
Shutterstock/Isaaack
In 2016, William and Kate spoke openly of the protection they provide for their children.
“I love my children in the same way any father does, and I hope George loves me the same any son does to his father,” William told BBC. “We are very normal in that sense. There’ll be a time and a place to bring George up and understand how he fits in, in the world.
“But right now, it’s just a case of keeping a secure, stable environment around him and showing as much love as I can as a father,” he added.
Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty Images
We are happy the Cambridge’s children enjoy their young age to the fullest.
We tend to perceive celebrities as people who have it easy in life. They are surrounded with glamour, luxury, and money, but as they say, sometimes there is more than meets they eye. The truth is that most of these individuals worked really hard to get to where they are today, and as everyone else, they experience struggles.
When they speak openly, however, of their problems and the issues they face, they help raise awareness of the problem in question.
Donny Osmond, 64, a famous household name we all love not only because of music, but also because of his personality, started his career as a very young child. He reached fame early in life and performed all over the country, which made him miss on his childhood. He would feel homesick and tired, but he never blamed his parents for that.
“It’s easy to blame the parent,” Donny Osmond told The Guardian. “I got over that quickly and realized my father is not perfect but he did the best he could.”
Source: Youtube/Dave’s Osmond Videos
He was considered a teen idol, but it was when he started performing along with his sister Marie that they rose to international stardom. All of a sudden, all eyes were on them. As their immense popularity grew bigger and bigger, so did the pressure.
“I remember times on stage where I physically got ill. I thought ‘what is going on here? I’m going crazy,’” Donny Osmond shared with CBS.
“There were times where I had the choice to walking on stage or dying, I would’ve chosen death. It’s that scary,” he said. “Ever since I started in the business, I knew that someone is looking at me all the time, I had to be perfect.”
Source: Instagram/DonnyOsmond
The initial collaboration between the brother and sister resulted in the hit singles, “Morning Side of the Mountain” and “I’m Leaving It All Up to You.”
Donny’s face was all over the media and the newspapers. He was dubbed an icon with millions of fans who were interested not only in his music, but his personal life as well.
In 1976, when Donny and Marie transitioned into television with the show Donny & Marie, she could feel something isn’t right with her brother.
“There were times when he was in his dressing room and he would have really difficult times,” Marie Osmond recalled. “I just thought it was stress. I don’t think he knew [what the problem was].
Source: Youtube/Dave’s Osmond Videos
At the time he was about to pursue a solo career, Donny faced a hard time again. From being dubbed teen idol, he now neded to turn to adult audience.
He had his big breakthrough with the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and although he received great critics, stakes were higher than ever before and he faced mental struggles yet again.
He put pressure on him to be even greater than he already was by giving incredible performances every single night. During one occasion, while in Minneapolis, he suffered a panic attack. At the time, he was already married to his wife, Debra, with whom he has five sons and 12 grandchildren. She got scared for him and took him to the hospital.
“I collapsed. [I was afraid of] failing, of making a mistake,” he told CBS, recalling the event with tears in his eyes.
Source: Instagram/DonnyOsmond
Donny received help from JerilynRoss, President of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. She taught him how to relax and how to organize his thoughts through exposure therapy. Three days later, he was ready to perform again. “I don’t think you’re ever cured. I think it’s something you learn to deal with, learn to handle,” Donny explained.
Opening up about his struggles, he helped break the stigma, and that helped many who face the same struggles. For his contribution in the fight against panic attacks and his advocacy about mental health, he became an honorary member of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America’s Board of Directors back in 2004.
“I’ve talked with so many people who were unwilling to do anything about their anxiety disorder because they were too embarrassed,” Donny said, as per ADAA. “I want to let people know that they are not alone and that help is available.
“ADAA is a terrific organization and a tremendous resource. I am proud to join the ADAA board and to help in their efforts to educate people about anxiety disorders.”
Source: Instagram/DonnyOsmond
Today, Donny is still very active and loved by many. Throughout his life, he had ups and downs, but he tends to remember only the good that has happened to him.
“I look back at my life as all these peaks and valleys, and Donny & Marie happens to be a peak,” he told Closer in 2015.
“The bad times dissipate and you only remember the good. When I see those old clips, sometimes I cringe, but it still brings a nice big smile to my face.”
Thank you Donny Osmond, for your music and your courage.
Those who have the least give the most, they say. I believe it is like that because those people who don’t have much know just how harsh life can be and they don’t want anyone to experience that feeling.
One man from Bucaramanga, Colombia, stole the hearts of thousands of people recently. Choco has been homeless for a couple of years, and as we all know, life on the street is far from easy, but that didn’t prevent him from throwing a birthday party for one of his four-legged companions, Shaggy.
Some passersby noticed him putting birthday hats on Shaggy and his other dog, Nena, and bringing a cake, so they couldn’t help but stop and take a video of the joyous occasion.
Little did Choco know that the love and compassion he offered to his canines, who are his companions and stay by his side through thick and thin, would make him a well-known name in the neighborhood.
Once the video of the birthday party was shared online, many showed their appreciation for Choco. Positive comments came pouring in and people who lived nearby paid this kind-hearted man a visit and brought a bunch of things for him and the dogs in an attempt to ease their life.
The reason why Choco is homeless is because he escaped abusive household. However, after many people learned of his life, we truly hope he would receive help and find a place to stay together with his dogs.
Having good neighbors means having more peace of mind. They are the people who can watch over your property when you are not around and become your friends over time.
They say that you can choose your friends, but not your neighbors, and that is why it is very important to treat your neighbors with respect, because we all know that at the end of the day, we get what we give. The girl from our story got a lot more than she ever anticipated when she moved into a senior living facility without even being aware of it.
Source: TikTok
19-year-old Madison Kohout has been living by herself since she was 17. A serendipitous encounter with a woman named Mrs. Parker she met through TikTok, however, changed her life a great deal. Namely, Mrs. Parker and Madison, who goes by Madi Ann on social media, became close friends and she invited her over to spend Thanksgiving with her family. That plan failed, and they met in February instead. The friendship grew even bigger and stronger, and Madi decided to move to Piggott, Arkansas.
Source: TikTok
Once there, Madi was about to find a place to live. The offer was quite limited, but she eventually stumbled upon a two-bedroom apartment that was affordable and signed a month-to-month lease. The apartments were designed for senior citizens, but they didn’t discriminate for age, so the landlord didn’t mention that to Madi although she knew she was way younger than the rest of the residents. Madi believed it was the home of people from all ages. Not long after, she realized that no one around was younger than 65.
Madi, who is very active on TikTok, shared the story of what she did with her followers who found it extremely cute.
“I was looking around at my surroundings to see what there was I could do here, and I saw the sign that said ‘Senior Living Apartments,’ and I realized I moved myself into a retirement community,” Madi explained in one of her videos. “Once I saw the sign, all the things clicked. I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe I did this.’”
Source: TikTok
Well, it turned out that her choice of apartment was a great one. She got to bond with her neighbors who offer her home-cooked meals on a regular basis.
“I’ve never had so many home-cooked meals in my life,” Madi said, and added, “It’s like having extra sets of grandparents.”
Source: TikTok
This young lady loves her new life very much. For more on this beautiful story watch the video below. You can check Madi’s TikTok here.
People gave lives and sacrificed all they had so we can spend our lives in freedom and prosperity.
If that kind of sacrifice was not given by the defenders and military personnel, the freedom of movement, work and travel would have been impossible. Are people aware of the things the veterans did for the nation? Some people who personally witnessed that kind of sacrifice know and believe the difficult moments and terrible memories that the veterans have to struggle with.
Being aware or not, one thing is certain – we cannot find any way of repaying the veterans who put their lives at risk for the freedom’s sake. The physical and the emotional damage that they suffer from cannot be healed with any money in the world. However, paying attention to these people, helping them on regular basis and even reaching their families can be enormous expression of gratitude.
Source: YouTube
Lou Zezoff’s story may give us some ideas how we can express our gratitude to the veterans.
He recalls one situation that touched him very deeply. Lou and his wife went out in the town in order to have a nice dinner. The dinner and the couple’s conversation was interrupted by a young man. The young man and his friends turned out to be Marines. This interruption was unexpected and what they said left him stunned. Apparently, the Marines’ intention was expressing appreciation and gratitude for the veteran’s services. Lou says:
“They wanted me to know how much they appreciated me.”
Lou and his wife were very surprised by the event. However, the surprise didn’t end there. As soon as Lou and his wife finished the dinner, they called the waiter and asked for the bill. The waiter told them that it was their lucky day since their bill was paid by the young Marines. This shocked the couple even more. Upon hearing this, Lou went to the Marines’ table and expressed his gratitude regarding that pleasant surprise.
Source: YouTube
“They filed in front of my table, stood in line, and each one of them again put his hand out, shook my hand, thanked me, hugged me, and walked to my right.”
Source: YouTube
Lou’s story is a good illustration of how veterans feel. Even small act of gratitude means a lot to them.
This reminds them that we, the people, have not forgotten them, that they are respected and they take a special part in out social existence. Things like this should happen more often and we have to let veterans know that we do care about them and appreciate all what they have done.
At the start of his acting career, charming Kevin Costner only landed small roles, but as he always knew acting was his calling, he never stopped pursuing his dreams. After his first major breakthrough, the movie Silverado, 1985, critic Joe Leydon wrote in a review for The Moving Picture Show, “Costner, a relative newcomer, gives an ingratiating performance that should mark him for bigger and better things.” Well, he was so right, because soon after, the name Costner became known not only in the States, but worldwide, and he’s until this day one of the most successful actors of Hollywood.
Shutterstock
At the time he was finally finding his place in the world of film, another rising star was finding hers in the world of music.
In January of 1985, talented singer Whitney Houston released her self-titled debut album. It was a huge success, with three songs reaching number one. Saving All My Love for You, How Will I Know and Greatest Love of All topped the Billboard top 200 list for 14 weeks in 1986. The album is one of the best-selling debut albums of all time.
Youtube/ichiban2592007
These two stars working together resulted in one of the best movies in the history of film, The Bodyguard, 1992.
“I didn’t realize in Bodyguard when I wanted Whitney to play that that was such a brave move,” Costner told US Magazine. “It didn’t seem to me to be a brave move at all. I thought she was the cutest girl I’ve ever seen.”
Many were surprised by the choice of an African-American woman to be romantically involved with the character of Frank Farmer played by Costner, but he answered back saying, “It just seemed like she was the best person. It didn’t feel like I was trying to cross ground. I couldn’t imagine anybody that didn’t want to kiss her.”
Shuttertock
Once the movie saw the light of the day, people went crazy over it. In a blink of an eye, The Bodyguard became the second-highest-grossing film of the year globally, and 10th of all time at the time.
“I don’t know what it is about that movie,” Costner told Beach Palm Post. “Maybe it was the relationship, which was a very real one as written by Lawrence Kasdan. Maybe it was that (his bodyguard character) was not into her bulls. She was a diva, and as he tells her, ‘I’m here to keep you alive, not help you shop.’ And there’s some good man/woman stuff in there, that’s really pretty healthy. The idea that someone is willing to protect you is something very special that we all want to know in our lives. And maybe it’s that last kiss,” Costner says.
Youtube/DonGiller
The movie’s song, I Will Always Love You, became a worldwide smash-hit and is very much popular up until this day. Originally recorded by Dolly Parton, the song won Whitney Houston three Grammy Awards, including the Album of the Year and Record of the Year in 1993.
Throughout the filming, Costner and Houston became very good friends and nurtured that friendship until 2012, when the singer passed away. The news of Houston’s death broke the hearts of millions of fans, as well as that of Costner.
Whitney turned to drugs and her addiction destroyed her life. Costner said he was writing her letters throughout the years. “She would always be close to me, she would always be somebody I appreciated. When someone says, will you write a letter to someone who you know is having trouble… I did. I don’t know if those letters were ever read,” the actor said.
Youtube/ViM Official
Houston was found drowned in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California. She was only 48.
Shutterstock
Costner spoke of their friendship at her funeral.
“Whitney returns home today to the place where it all began, and I urge us all, inside and outside, across the nation and around the world to dry our tears, suspend our sorrow – and perhaps our anger – just long enough, just long enough to remember the sweet miracle of Whitney. I was your pretend bodyguard once. And now you’re gone too soon.”
Costner blamed himself for not being there for her when she needed it the most and said he would live with that pain forever. “She was my one true love. I still have I Will Always Love You as my ringtone and I count it as a badge of honour every time I get mocked for it.”
From Lou Grand and beyond, legendary actor Ed Asner had given the world of film more than any actor can ever wish for.
Unfortunately, his family announced on Sunday, that great Ed, who won the most performance awards of any male performer in the history of the Prime-time Emmy Awards, passed away at the age of 91 on August 28.
Ed will be greatly missed by his family and his huge audience.
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock
The Mary Tyler Moore Show star led quite a life. And even at the age of 91, he believed he had so much more to do and to give to the world. Speaking to Closer earlier this year, Ed said: “If the good Lord is in a generous mood, he can give me another 91 years and I can show the world what I can do.”
Ed was born in Kansas City, Missouri on November 15, 1929. His parents were Jewish immigrants. Ed served with the U.S. Army Signal Corps during the war, and once his service was over, he could completely devote his time and energy on doing what he always loved to do; acting.
At the beginning of his rich career, Ed was part of the theater scene in Chicago and New York, both on Broadway and off. Later, he landed roles in prominent shows such as The Outer Limits and Mission Impossible, and the movies Kid Galahad and El Dorado.
Wikimedia Commons
He was working on making a name for himself when he was offered the role which helped shape and skyrocket his career, that of Lou Grand in the smash hit-series The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He played the boss of the series protagonist Mary Richards.
At first, he was hesitant whether to take the role because he wasn’t sure if he could manage to channel his comedy the way he wanted, but he eventually agreed to be part of the iconic show. “I didn’t really put my toe into the water of comedy until I went up to read for ‘Mary Tyler Moore.’ I was afraid of it,” Ed recalled in a 1995 interview, according to Reuters. “Not that I couldn’t do an initial spark of humor but I didn’t know how to maintain it.”
Wikimedia Commons
With each episode, Ed’s character was capturing the audience’s hearts more and more.
“He was a beautiful actor,” the show’s creator James L. Brooks told Variety. “He was an able team player. He was just as deeply a good guy as everybody sensed he was.”
Besides being an incredible actor, Ed was also the President of the Screen Actors Guild for two terms. Speaking of his commitment, Brooks said: “He really cared about the causes he got involved in. People respected that someone at his level cared to get involved at all.”
Other movies Ed was known for are Rich Man, Poor Man and Roots, both of which earned him Emmy awards, Dead to Me, Cobra Kai, Modern Family, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, Elf, in which he played Santa, and the Pixar film Up, among the rest.
Ed was a father of four and a grandfather of 10. He had three children with his wife Nancy Sykes whom she cheated on in the past with the mother of his fourth child, son Charles Edward Vogelman. In fact, Ed only reconnected with Charles later in life.
Speaking of his affair, Ed dubbed it his biggest regret in life. It cost him his marriage and the wife he loved. “I cheated on my wife and I lost her. I will always regret that loss,” he confessed in an interview with Closer.
We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully. Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight dad. We love you.
