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Teen with Down Syndrome hugging two women.
Uplifting News

Mom Moves Away and Leaves Teen With Down Syndrome Behind - So His Best Friend Adopts Him

When a teen with Down syndrome was faced without a home, his best friend stepped in with an unexpected but beautiful offer.

10-Year-Old Nobody Wanted to Adopt Is Sent to Live With Foster Family - This Would Completely Change Both Their Lives
Uplifting News

10-Year-Old Nobody Wanted to Adopt Is Sent to Live With Foster Family - This Would Completely Change Both Their Lives

Kids can change you, but sometimes the children that affect you most are the ones that you never expected to have. At least that’s the situation one Nashville, Tennessee couple found themselves in when they decided to foster.Extending Their LoveBack in 2018, Dominique and Kevin Gill decided to open their home to a foster child named Andrew. He was 10 at the time, and had been in state custody since he was six years old. His parents’ parental rights had long since been terminated, and although Andrew had four siblings, they had all been adopted right away.Not Andrew though, and after four years of trauma he had a pretty big road of healing ahead of him. “During his first week with us, he sat in his room with the door closed and looked at old pictures,” Dominique told Today. “He didn’t want to talk.”However, the couple’s son, Joc, asked Andrew if he wanted to play video games. The boys bonded over the games and their mutual love of PopTarts.They’ve been best friends ever since.Dominique GillThat didn’t mean it was an easy road, of course. According to the Gills, there were times when Andrew was still withdrawn, or when he would misbehave or even shut himself in his room. Eventually though, it seemed as though Andrew finally found a place where he could belong.“As the years went on, [Andrew and Joc] got pretty close,” Kevin said to WBIR Channel 10. “It’s good to see that bond they have grown over the years.”An Unexpected AdoptionFrom the beginning, the Gills’ plan was to foster and help as many kids as possible, but not adopt. They already had Joc and a little girl named Kynnedi, and there had been interest in another family taking Andrew in. However by the time Andrew was in seventh grade and a second adoption fell through, the Gills knew it was a sign.Our mindset was we'd help him until he found his forever home.But after the second adoption didn't work out, I realized God put Andrew in our lives for a reason. God made sure the adoption didn't work out so he could come back to us.Dominique Gill to TODAYThe Gills couldn’t just announce their intentions to this special little boy; they wanted to make him a part of their family with a big gesture. So they had Youth Villages Counsellor Molly Parker ask Andrew if he wanted to go for a walk with her.On the walk, Andrew saw the Gills and family friends he had met throughout his time with them. At first, he was surprised by the balloons and signs. But then the family popped the question, and Joc even had a shirt on for the occasion that said, “Will you be my brother?”According to WBIR Andrew agreed with a “yeah” and then his new parents gave him a shirt that said “yes” on the front.“From the beginning, Andrew has always said, ‘Thank you for accepting me,’ ‘Thank you for not giving up on me,’” Dominique also told TODAY. “People would read his file and get scared away. But I knew he was a good child who had experienced a lot of trauma.”A Happy FutureToday the Gill family feels complete. Not only do they have Andrew, Joc, and Kynnedi, but the family also recently welcomed another baby boy, KJ. The matriarch says that getting there has been a journey, but love is what got them through. Love doesn’t have a color. (Andrew) is our son just like Joc is our son. He’s a part of us.Dominique GillAs Dominique shared on Instagram in September 2020, the year was full of milestones. “Life has been totally great with a lot of hurdles,” Dominique wrote at the time. “With patience, love and more patience we still managed to adopt our son [and] celebrate every little milestone thus far with patience."Sharing Your LoveNot everyone is in a position where they can foster or adopt a child or change someone else’s life the way the Gills did with Andrew. But this family’s heartwarming story reminds us that families come in all shapes and sizes, and home is where you make it. It also reminds us that everyone needs love, and that’s especially true of children who seem to be on a bad path when you first meet them.There are smaller ways we can all help in our own lives. Volunteering time, money or items to local centres or organizations is one way. Becoming a Big Brother or a Big Sister to a child in need is another. Meanwhile, if you are interested in becoming a foster parent in Canada, the first step is to contact your local Children’s Aid Society or Indigenous Child and Family Well-Being Agency. You never know how it may change a life -- yours, or another child’s.More from Goalcast:Woman Has a Dream About the Same Baby for Months – Fights to Adopt Her Husband’s Dead Ex-wife’s Son6 Siblings Were Separated in Foster Care For Over 3 Years – Then 2 Dads Adopted Them AllMom Realizes There Aren’t Any Toys That Look Like Her Adopted Son – Ends Up Receiving an Unexpected Response

Young Boy Walks Up to Keanu Reeves and Makes One Simple Request His Response Makes Headlines
Uplifting News

Young Boy Walks Up to Keanu Reeves and Makes One Simple Request His Response Makes Headlines

Keanu Reeves is one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Pretty much everywhere he goes, people recognize him from films like The Matrix or John Wick, so you can imagine he has plenty of fans stopping him on a daily basis.That hasn’t stopped the actor from displaying amazing acts of kindness, though. From treating the homeless the way he’d want to be treated to stopping by weddings after an impromptu invite, Reeves always makes time for others.Still, his generosity took one family in Houston by surprise recently when they had a memorable encounter with the actor.Going FishingA woman named Annette Cruz has a particular hobby: fishing. Only this type of fishing doesn’t involve fishing for aquatic animals, but for Hollywood celebrities. When they come to town, she tries to meet them and has selfies with stars like Snoop Dogg and Rob Schneider as a result.When Cruz and her grandsons, Caleb and Elijah, found out that Reeves would be in town to play at the House of Blues with his band, Dog Star, they decided to wait outside with some memorabilia and try to meet the man.When he came out, the young boys didn’t quite recognize him.“He like came out, and I didn’t expect his hair to be like a little white,” Caleb told KHOU11. “I knew his hair was long but I didn’t expect it to be white.”Once the boys overcame their shock at seeing the actor in real life, they asked him for a signature and a selfie. But then Elijah had one other request.A Simple QuestionElijah had been holding a football and he wanted to know if Reeves would play catch with him.“I asked him the first time and he kind of mumbled something. But I didn’t hear him, so I asked him again, and he said ‘Yeah come on lets go,’” the nine-year-old recounted.For the next 30 seconds or so, Elijah and Reeves had a good old-fashioned game of catch right there on the street as fans looked on.“I was really nervous because I was playing catch with a famous superstar,” Elijah admitted.Still, the kid revealed it was the best 30 seconds of his life: “The top moment.” That was especially true when Reeves complimented him on his spiral throw.Meanwhile, it wasn’t lost on the crowd that the actor had once played a retired football player turned FBI agent for the 1991 movie Point Break.“This is the football I threw with him. I’m keeping it forever and ever,” Elijah showed the reporters. In other words, he's a newly minted Keanu Reeves fan for life.Remembering What MattersOften in life, we’re in such a rush that we forget to stop and take in the moment. Hearing this story about Reeves, one of the most famous and probably busiest guys around, stopping to play catch with a kid is a good reminder that we should all stop a little more.Playing catch only took 30 seconds out of Reeves’ day, but it meant the world to this kid. If he can stop and toss a football around, we can probably take a few minutes out of our day to play with our own kids, call our parents, or check in with a loved one.Time is the most precious gift any of us can give or receive. Reeves understands this. His kindness superpower is inspiring all of us to stop and take some time out of our own busy schedules to remember the things and the people who truly matter.More from Goalcast:Young Boy Walks Up to Keanu Reeves and Bombards Him With Questions – His Response Makes HeadlinesKeanu Reeves Surprises Entire Crew With $7000 Personalized Rolex Watches To Express His GratitudeMatthew Perry Was Shockingly Wrong—Why We’re Lucky Keanu Reeves Walks Among Us

Dad Dumps 80,000 Pennies in Child Support on Estranged Daughters Lawn - Her Response Is Absolute Gold
Family

Dad Dumps 80,000 Pennies in Child Support on Estranged Daughters Lawn - Her Response Is Absolute Gold

When a dad in Virginia decided to celebrate his final child support payment for his daughter by paying it in PENNIES and dumping all 80,000 of them on his ex-wife's front lawn, his daughter proved who really has the "cents" in the family.Dad Dumps $800 Worth of Pennies in Daughter’s Yard in Cruel StuntPhoto by PixabayAccording to News 6 Richmond, the unnamed father "acted out of 18 years of pent-up frustration" when he rented a landscape trailer, filled it with pennies, and proceeded to dump them all over the yard of the home his daughter shares with her mother.Perhaps he should have considered taking up yoga instead."I just turned 18. When I was in the middle of class, my dad came by. He had rented a trailer," Avery Sanford, a senior in high school, told the news station."He pulled up in front of the house and turned the trailer on so it dumped out all the pennies on the grass and my mom came out and was like, 'What are you dumping in my yard?' She didn't know who it was until he shouted, 'It's your final child support payment.'"The whole bizarre incident was caught on the home's security camera.Understandably, Avery was shocked and extremely hurt by her father's actions. Despite not having seen him in years, it still packed a painful punch. And not just for her, but for her sister as well. “It is really hurtful and damaging to your kids when you do things like that,” her mother said. “And it doesn’t matter how old your kids are — it doesn’t matter if they’re a young child or an adult. The actions of your parents will always have some effect on you.”And while he obviously thought he got the last laugh, he thought wrong. How a Daughter Transformed a Painful Act Into Something GoodTurns out that in this case, the apple DOES fall far from the tree. Far far away. Instead of letting the weight of the situation break her, Avery chose to turn one bad deed into a force for good. After picking up every last penny, she and her mother decided to pay it forward.Together, they donated the money to Safe Harbor, a local domestic abuse center that supports survivors of human trafficking and sexual and domestic abuse. "Turning around and donating that money to moms and children in need, I feel like that really turns this situation into a positive," Avery shared. "You can learn from it."But that wasn't the end. It was actually just the beginning. Their actions triggered a tidal wave of giving.When people learned about her father's appalling behavior and Avery's response to it, donations to the center flooded in. That $800? Turned into over $47,000. "Our online donation page just blew up. And we've gotten over $47,000 worth of donations from locally, nationally, internationally -- as far as England and beyond," said Mary Maupai, Safe Harbor's development director.Kindness Always WinsIt also seems that Avery's father may be feeling the full weight of his 80,000-penny decision. In a phone interview with WTVR, he shared that his "emotions got the best of him" and “the last thing he wanted to do” was push his daughter further away.Unfortunately, that's exactly what he did.The sad reality is that Avery is not the only child to get caught in the crossfire of her warring parents. When it comes to acrimonious divorces, there is almost always collateral damage. But despite the emotional toll her father's actions took, Avery somehow managed to channel all of her hurt and anger into an amazing act of generosity. Rather than fight fire with fire, she chose love. And in doing so, taught us all a powerful lesson in fighting anger with kindness. And kindness? Always wins.More from Goalcast:Exhausted Dad of 4 Doesn’t Notice a Stranger Watching Him Closely at Work – Is Shocked When He Finds This Note on a BillBoy With Autism Walks Into Restaurant to Pick Up a Menu – When He Doesn’t Come Back, His Dad Finds Out What’s Going On8-Year-Old Driving With His Dad Insists on Pulling Over – His Next Move Is Being Praised by Strangers

Woman Has a Dream About the Same Baby for Months - Fights to Adopt Her Husbands Dead Ex-wifes Son
Uplifting News

Woman Has a Dream About the Same Baby for Months - Fights to Adopt Her Husbands Dead Ex-wifes Son

Families don't always look like the typical family model some of us grew up seeing. But those who have experienced the joys of other family types, like chosen, blended, or adopted families, know the joy that those can bring too.A woman named Christie Werts knows all too well that family isn’t necessarily what you are born into, which is why she chose to share the unique story of her adopted son.Creating a Blended FamilyFacebook.com/christina.becerra.12Roughly five years ago, Christie and Wesley Werts fell in love. They married and brought their families together: she had two children named Megan and Vance, and he had two children named Austin and Dakota. Together they became a blended family and began the adoption process to make things official.Even with four kids, the couple still wanted to try for a baby of their own. But they knew it would be difficult given that Christie is in her late forties. So, babies were on their minds when they got the news that Wesley’s ex-wife had had a baby boy, reports Newsweek.Unfortunately, the ex-wife and her partner both struggled with addiction, and she had used drugs while pregnant. That led to the baby, Levi, being born at 33 weeks. The mother died four days later because of complications from her addiction and a COVID-19 infection.“When Levi was born, we had no idea his mother was pregnant,” Christie told the publication. “No one had heard from her for over a year. Her sister got in touch with us to tell us what had happened and that there was this baby with no one to care for him.”A Destined MeetingWhen Christie found out about Levi, she was convinced he would grow up in foster care. She herself had grown up in foster care, and she wanted to prevent that from happening to Levi. So she and Wesley made the decision to try and adopt the baby instead.“When my husband called me and told me about the situation, I think he already knew I was going to say we need to take him,” she explained. Somehow, she may have already known that this baby was going to be a part of their family, too.The couple flew from Ohio to Texas to meet with Child Protection Services and to meet Levi. They had no idea what to expect, but it didn’t take them long to fall in love.“For three months, I kept having this dream,” she said, explaining it was about a blue-eyed, blonde-haired baby. “Sometimes he was a baby, other times a toddler… But when I walked in and saw this blond-haired, blue-eyed baby, I immediately fell in love. It was a very surreal feeling. This was my son.”Plotting an AdoptionThe couple decided they would go ahead with an adoption, even though they knew the process could take a long time. They hoped that because they had already started the adoption process with their other children, it would help, but eventually, the whole family moved to Texas to make things easier.There was plenty of paperwork, court sessions, home visits, and other details to figure out, along with the fact that Levi’s birth father still had legal rights to decide and sort out. Finally, 16 months later, Christie and Wesley were able to adopt Levi for good.Now, Levi is two years old, and this blended family feels complete.“It's a lot to process for a lot of people, but honestly, it seems a lot crazier than it was. At the time, it just made sense,” Christie added.The Power of LoveSometimes things in life just seem meant to be, and that was clearly the case for the Werts family when they learned about Levi. They recognized that what truly bonds a family isn’t blood but love. And by sharing their love and fighting for Levi, they gave him a chance at a home life he might not have otherwise had.It’s a nice reminder to those of us who may be without a family or who have a difficult time feeling accepted or safe in the families we do have. If a situation or person isn’t good for you or your mental health, you do not need to continue the relationship. We all have the power to choose who we give our love and energy to.And if you are considering adoption or becoming a foster parent, perhaps this story is the motivation you need. Everyone deserves love, and if you have extra love to give, why not take that first step and reach out to a local organization? You never know what kind of a difference it could make in a child’s life, not to mention your own.More from Goalcast:18-Year-Old Single Mom Gives Up Son for Adoption – 58 Years Later, an Unlikely Source Brings Them TogetherTwo Sisters Reunited After 75 Years After Being Put Up for Adoption After World War II

Woman Visits Subway Station Everyday for Years - Just to Hear Three Words From Her Love
Love Stories

Woman Visits Subway Station Everyday for Years - Just to Hear Three Words From Her Love

Losing someone we love is the most unbearable grief. It is, as they say, the price we pay for love. There is little we wouldn't do for the chance to have just one more day with them or to hear their voice just one more time. For Dr. Margaret McCollum, it is this wish that kept bringing her back to a subway station in London. Every. Single. Day. For almost two decades.What makes this daily pilgrimage extraordinary is the simple yet profound reason behind it – the desire to hear her deceased husband's voice.A Voice Lives OnMargaret met Oswald Laurence while on tour in Morocco in 1992. He was working for the tourism company as a tour guide. It was the sound of his "most gorgeous voice" that first attracted him to her.It was a voice she would quickly grow to love. They stayed together until his death in 2007 at the age of 78.Back in the late 1960s, Oswald, an actor and voice artist, was hired to record the iconic "Mind the Gap" announcement for the London Underground's Northern line. The recording warns travelers to be careful of the gap between the train and the platform. For years, his voice played over the intercom, until eventually it was phased out of all of the stations except one: the Embankment Station.After Oswald's death and desperately missing him, Margaret started going to the station daily. She would sit on a bench and wait for the announcement to air. Just for the chance to hear the sound of his voice once again, saying "Mind the gap."To everyone else, they were just three simple words. But for Margaret, they held a lifetime of love. "Since he died I would sit and wait for the next train until I heard his voice," she told the BBC. "Knowing that I could go and listen to his voice was simply wonderful. It was a great comfort." For five years, this became her routine. Until November 2012. A Voice Is SilencedIn November 2012, Oswald's voice was silenced in the name of progress; his recording replaced by a new digital system.Margaret was devastated. She contacted staff at the Embankment Station, hoping to get a copy of Oswald's recording. The staff told her they'd see what they could do. And because apparently true love ISN'T DEAD, staff at the station, at London Underground, and at the Transportation for London office, all rallied together in the name of love and loss. And together they made the impossible possible.In an amazing display of humanity, archives were searched. Old tapes found and restored. A voice recording was digitized. An entire company-wide announcement system was altered. Reams of customary bureaucratic red tape were cut and in the end, eternal love prevailed. Margaret received a CD recording so that she could listen to Oswald in the comfort of her own home whenever she wanted. However, that wasn't the end of the line. At the time, London Underground director Nigel Holness, told the BBC, "We were very touched by her story, so staff tracked down the recording and not only were they able to get a copy of the announcement on CD for her to keep but are also working to restore the announcement at Embankment station."In March 2013, the restoration was complete.And Margaret once again heard the voice of her beloved announcing, "Mind the gap," over the loudspeaker of the Embankment Station.To this day, according to the London Transport Museum, Oswald's legacy lives on. The Northbound platform of the Embankment Station is the only platform along the Northern line that has a different, non-digital voice delivering the safety message — Oswald's. Three times for each and every train.A Beautiful Testament to Love’s PowerFor those among us who have lost a loved one, there is no greater wish than to be able to hold onto cherished memories. To have a piece of them live with us, long after they are gone. Margaret's enduring love for Oswald is inspiring. But so are the collective efforts of those who joined her in preserving Oswald's voice. A group of people who went so far out of their way to ensure that one person would still have a connection to the person she loved most. Loss is universal but so is love. And it was because of love, for a husband and for a fellow human being, that one man's voice lives on.More from Goalcast: 78-Year-Old Doctor Proposes to High School Crush After 60 Years Apart in an Airport – Proving the Power of True LoveWoman Is Forbidden by Dad to Marry Her Lover – Years Later, Her Daughter Discovers a Big Family SecretVeteran Spends 70 Years Searching for the Lost Love of His Life – At 91, He Finally Finds Her

Lifelong Bachelor Finally Gets Married at 93 - To the Woman He Met at His Sisters Wedding in 1959
Love Stories

Lifelong Bachelor Finally Gets Married at 93 - To the Woman He Met at His Sisters Wedding in 1959

Back in 1959, Frankie Avalon and Ricky Nelson were playing on the jukebox, Ben Hur was dominating the box office, and Joe Potenzano and Mary Elkind laid eyes on each other for the first time at his sister's wedding. Mary, now 83, was the groom's cousin and maid of honor. Joe, 10 years her senior, was the best man.Sixty-four years later, the duo is once again taking part in a wedding — only this time, it's their own. And their love story is finally coming full circle...six decades after it first began. The One Who Got AwayThe first time Joe and Mary met, sparks flew. "I thought he was cute," Mary recalls.They dated briefly but then life pulled them in separate directions. Mary, a professional dancer, went on to perform at Radio City Music Hall and toured Europe with a ballet company. Joe served in the army and graduated with an engineering degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey.In 1962, Mary got married. But not to Joe. And while he might not have been the groom, he did attend her wedding.Mary and her husband went on to have 3 children and stayed together until his death, nine years ago. Joe remained a bachelor. That is, until now."I was lonely, and I had very few friends left," Joe told NJ.com. "But I decided that being lonely was not an option I was willing to die with."The consummate bachelor was finally ready to make a move. Over the years, Mary and Joe would periodically see each other at various family gatherings. However, they always kept their distance.But then last year, while they were both attending a family christening, Joe finally summoned up the courage to ask Mary out. She said yes.A Romance RekindledThe two started dating; enjoying dinners and movies, and spending hours talking on the phone. "I say this unashamedly. I fell in love with her and she told me she fell in love with me," Joe said. "What else do you want?" You could say their love was written in the stars."I had actually wondered about Joe off and on — he'd attended my wedding, and we always saw each other at christenings and Christmas parties," Mary told the Washington Post. "I have even wondered a few times what life would have been like if I'd married him."She's about to find out.Joe proposed last month and for the first time in 93 years, he's going to be a groom.Lifelong Bachelor Finds the Love of His Life Proving It’s Never Too LateAs for leaving his bachelor days behind him? Joe is more than ready."Yes, this is all new to me, but I'm confident there won't be any problems," he said. "We're both in good health, and I haven't met anyone yet who's told me, 'You dummy — love is for the young.' That's simply not true.""Older people like us deserve love too," he added. "And we're going to give it our best in the years we have left." Their families agree. Mary's daughter, Sue Elkind, 55, says her mom is acting like a teenager again. "She has that giddy spirit that comes out when you're in love. We're really happy for both of them."The happy couple plans on tying the knot in October and will honeymoon in Cape Cod before settling into the rest of their golden years -- together. There's a saying, "Love is wasted on the young." But as Joe and Mary prove, this is far from true. Because when it comes to love? You're never too old and it's never too late. More from Goalcast:Homeless Couple Couldn’t Afford to Get Married for 24 Years – Then a Stranger Throws Them a Surprise WeddingBride’s Father Dies Before Wedding – So Her Mom Gifts Her the Ultimate Daddy-Daughter Dance SurpriseWedding of the Century: Grandparents Say “I Do” After 40 Years of Living Together

Womans Husband of 14 Years Leaves Her After She Was Paralyzed - Makes a Comeback in More Ways Than One
Uplifting News

Womans Husband of 14 Years Leaves Her After She Was Paralyzed - Makes a Comeback in More Ways Than One

Losing a loved one and being diagnosed with a critical illness would destroy someone's life. Yet, one amazing woman has bounced back stronger than ever. By all accounts, 37-year-old Riona Kelly of Halifax, Yorkshire got off lucky. While a car accident 18 months prior shook her up, she had her health and was able to walk.But one day would change all of that drastically in ways she couldn't imagine. Rushed to the hospital with a spinal stroke leaving her paralyzed from the waist down, she heard the words anyone dreads to hear. "Doctors told me I would never walk again," she recalled to the Sun.However in a cruel twist, she'd soon lose more than just her mobility. A Husband Deserts His WifePhoto by Karolina Grabowska Just five days into her hospital stay, Kelly says that her husband of fourteen years called it quits on their marriage. "It was the time I needed my husband the most."It left Kelly -- a mother of four -- alone to fend for herself in a scary new world in a wheelchair. Her lows were perilously low."The first time I went out in a wheelchair I thought everyone was looking at me, I hated it and hated myself," she recalled, adding that she considered the worst. "If someone had given me the choice I would have ended my life, I didn't want to live anymore.”She thanks her lucky stars for her friend Sarah and her kids for seeing through that dark period. Riona Kelly was not ready to go out without a fight. A Strong Woman’s Comeback StoryKelly did physiotherapy around the clock, determined to get strength and feeling back in her legs. Then one day, despite what the doctors told her, she took her first steps on her own.She says there are four great reasons as motivation to never give up. "It took me 25 minutes to get up 16 steps, and the same time to come back down again, but I was determined to do it for my children."Amazingly, that's just the first act of her incredible success story.During her rehab, she met personal trainer Keith Mason. The two instantly hit it off."After our sessions, Keith and I stayed in contact, he would ask me how I was getting on and our relationship blossomed from there."It's been a love song ever since. "We have now been together for 11 months, the children really like him and I finally feel like I'm living the life I deserve."How One Woman Reminds Us to Walk Our PathPhoto by Dominic SansottaKelly's ex-husband Richard maintains that he told her of the divorce the morning before her stroke. Kelly's just thankful that he's in the rearview. "Looking back, going through what I did was the best thing to ever happen to me."Against all odds, Kelly is literally walking away from her troubles. She only needs her wheelchair to walk longer distances. Like, for example, the two marathons she's completed. Who can imagine how lonely Kelly must have felt in that hospital in the weeks and months after her husband left her?Author Ryan Holiday talks about two choices we have when faced with adversity. We can wallow in the 'Dead Time -- where we are passive and biding.'Or, as Kelly chose, we can choose 'Alive Time,' where we are 'learning and acting and leveraging every second towards their intended future.'With friends and family as motivation, she chose life and is now living her best. Even at our darkest point, it's a path available to us all.More from Goalcast:Woman Marries the Love of Her Life – Then Finds Out She Shares a Crazier Connection With Her Mother-In-LawWoman Is Forbidden by Dad to Marry Her Lover – Years Later, Her Daughter Discovers a Big Family SecretWoman Diagnosed With Rare Genetic Disorder Wonders if She’ll Ever Find Love – Then One Man Steps in With the Answer

Strangers Call Mom a Whale in Front of Everyone - Instead of Getting Angry, She Buys Them Coffee
Uplifting News

Strangers Call Mom a Whale in Front of Everyone - Instead of Getting Angry, She Buys Them Coffee

Many of us may have experienced bullying firsthand but it's how we handle and respond to it that matters.When Dianne Hoffmeyer was ridiculed by two women for her appearance, she decided to take the higher road and perform an act of kindness instead. Dianne's story went viral and everyone praised the amazing way she handled a situation that could have easily gotten out of hand. Her response sets a wonderful example for all of us. Bullied for Being “Different”Photo by Clément ProustIt started off as a normal day for Dianne when she was waiting in line with her 22-month-old child at Tim Hortons in Fort Gratiot, Michigan. Suddenly, she heard two women making mean and hurtful comments behind her in the line."'Oh look at her hair! It's nasty looking, and the roots are coming through,'" she heard one woman saying. "'Oh, she's a whale, oh the whale needs to eat.'"Hoffmeyer then ordered herself a cappuccino, prompting one of the woman behind her to comment, "Oh, even the whale needs to have liquids. Maybe she should go back into the water.""I just instantly started to cry because it hurts," Hoffmeyer told WXYZ, an ABC-affiliate. "I don't know the women. I've never seen them or met them and I don't know why they would choose to say something like that."The Beautiful Reason Behind Her ActionsIt would have been very easy for Hoffmeyer to return that hate with more hate, but instead she decided to be a positive role model for her child and be kind."I told my cashier 'I'll pay for their coffee' and [the cashier] was like, 'What!'" Hoffmeyer said.The chain's manager, Brittany Sanders, told ABC News they were floored at what Dianne had done."The next day, we gave her a gift card and a Tim Hortons travel mug, and she was very pleased," Sanders said. "I felt she did the right thing by killing it with kindness and paying it forward. She handled it very well.”Always Choose KindnessDespite this incident, Dianne said that she would like to buy the women another cup of coffee if she met them again and would tell them how she felt when they had verbally attacked her. Dianne's story proves that no matter the circumstances, we can always choose to break the cycle of hate and instead put kindness back into the universe! One act of kindness can drastically change someone's day. More from Goalcast:Girl Is Bullied for Her “Cursed” Skin – Today, After Proving Everyone Wrong, She’s Become a Famous ModelBullied Boy Loses Hope After a Priceless Gift From His Grandmother Is Stolen – But His Best Friends Feel OtherwiseBullies Target 7-Year-Old in Horrific Hate Crime – Little Did They Know 20 Bikers Would Show Up at Their School Choose love over hate Spreading love always leaves a bigger impact.