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Uplifting News

Poor Boy Couldn’t Afford to Bury His Mom - So He Takes Matters Into His Own Hands

A week ago, 11-year-old Kayden Ely experienced the devastating loss of his mother, Shannon Mount. Her unexpected passing didn't just leave Kayden and his four siblings without their mom, it also left the family in dire financial straits.Desperate to raise funds for his mom's funeral, Kayden took to the streets of his small town in Georgia begging for help. For two days the heartbroken little boy stood next to the railroad tracks, holding a sign that read, "Please help me bury my mama!"

What Chadwick Boseman's Widow Teaches Us About Letting Go Of Someone You Love
Celebrities

What Chadwick Boseman's Widow Teaches Us About Letting Go Of Someone You Love

After Chadwick Boseman, star of The Black Panther, died in August at the age of 43 from stage III colon cancer, it felt like there was nothing positive that could come from such a sad, senseless loss – but his widow Simone has shared a message of love and perseverance that may be the greatest lesson of all.A tear-jerking tributeSimone Ledward Boseman paid tribute to her late husband this week at the 30th annual IFP Gotham Awards, and she said a great lesson she learned from him was that he "made a practice of telling the truth.""He is the most honest person I'd ever met," she said during the speech, which was her first time speaking in public since Chadwick's death. Seeking truth and meaning The truth, was something he actively searched for both himself and those around him. “The truth can be a very easy thing for the self to avoid. But if one does not live in truth, then it's impossible to live life."According to Simone, this quest for the truth “became how he lived his life, day in and day out. She described her husband and his mission as imperfect but determined. “He was blessed to live many lives within his concentrated one. He developed his understanding of what it meant to be the one, the none and the all. 'A vessel to be poured into and out of,' he'd said."Live with purpose For Chadwick, says his wife, it was about the power of just letting go and letting God’s love lead and shine. "He realized that when one is able to recognize that when their strength does not come from themself, they rarely mess up. That's what he was doing when he was acting. Modeling for us a path to true fulfillment."Simone told the audience not to let “his conviction” be in vain. “May our spirits be fertile soil for God's wisdom to fall upon. So thank you. Praise God," Ledward Boseman added.She finished: "Chad, thank you. I love you. I am so proud of you. Keep shining your light on us. Thank you."What a beautiful lesson that we can all learn and gain guidance from as we pursue our own unique paths, overcome challenges and seek to live more purposeful lives. Keeping the bigger picture in mind and focusing on purpose also provides us some solace during the difficult moments when we have to say goodbye to someone we love. More inspiring celebrities:What Chrissy Teigen’s Post About Pregnancy Tells Us About Moving ForwardSharon Stone’s Deadly Wake-Up Call Taught Her To Love AgingAt 50, Jennifer Lopez Proves That Women Can Age and Continue to ThriveAfter Surviving Abuse Twice, Rihanna Is Ready To Have Kids With Or Without A Man

Which Life Event Would You Remove? Viral Reddit Thread Offers Raw Lesson About Gratitude
Family

Which Life Event Would You Remove? Viral Reddit Thread Offers Raw Lesson About Gratitude

The last few months have given us all plenty of time to reflect on ourselves and our lives. What am I proud of?What changes do I have to make?What new skill can I learn?What do I want my life to be defined by?Recently, someone on Reddit tossed out a hard-hitting hypothetical question that went viral and racked up over 31,000 comments:If you could remove one event from your life, what would it be?A pretty intense question. Expectantly, it garnered some pretty intense answers. Yet found even within the most unimaginable trauma are lessons of gratitude. (Editor's note: Trigger warning -- the following content might be difficult to read and contains references to sexual abuse and other traumatic events.)Loss of a loved oneTo visit the page is to scroll through some of life's greatest suffering imaginable. Few life-wounds fester like losing a loved one. For many of us, the souls on the planet who will love, embrace or accept us as much as family or cherished friends are rare. My wife passing away. Let's just remove that part and have her sitting next to me right now talking about the ham she's going to make for Thanksgiving-LollipopdreamscapeMany wondered how different (read: better) their life would be if their mother, brother, sister or father was still around.RegretGuilt and regret -- the first cousins of loss. It was a pervasive theme in the thread, with many of those wounds still very fresh for some users.In one case, one user didn't have the chance to bury the hatchet with his grandfather before he died. "I'm sorry grandpa, I shouldn't have been so harsh on you. You were just trying to pass down your beliefs to me.. I'm sorry."Another Reddit user was mourning from losing her sister to brain cancer one month before her 18th birthday: "I feel constant guilt that she didn't get to be here but I am, and shame that I'm wasting it"Suffering abuseFrom physical, sexual to mental abuse, including one person whose father would tease him about his weight as a child which "absolutely ruined his sense of self", there were many humans broken at the hands of other humans sharing their experiences on Reddit. Other life events people would remove included being robbed by a good friend, witnessing a murder and "my first cigarette".The human spirit shines throughBut there is beauty to be found in the darkness. As moving as reading the many tragic events was the sheer outpouring of empathy and support from the Reddit community in practically every post. "Good friend of mine had this happen to him. He was the nicest and coolest guy and still is. Keep your head up mate, and know your friends and fellow redditors are here for you""I lost my dad and sister both in 2019. Hugs to you."Inspiring still was the ability for some, despite going through unspeakable tragedy, to focus on the positive in their lives.I would say my marriage but it brought me my best friends that helped me after it ended. Also she got me to volunteer with her to help rehabilitate baby song birds at the university. Something I never would have thought of doing on my own.-GrimmlanI lost my dad when I was 3 so I really didn’t have any memory of him but I always wonder what my life would be like if he was alive. I used to get really down about it but I’ve found that it’s helped shape me into the man I am now along with my amazing mother and that it’s better to turn it into something positive. I hope you’re doing well.- WumbopowerLook for something positive each day, even if somedays you have to look a little harderThere's no getting around it: Some of the events described were horrifying, and unfathomable to imagine.However, just like a flower sprouting through the crack of a cement sidewalk, there was also something special taking place. By coming together, many complete strangers managed to cultivate an attitude of gratitude -- despite their difficult life experiences. By not only having gratitude, but also expressing it to others, we can help each other heal. More uplifting news:Brooklyn Landlord Cancels Rent For Hundreds Of Tenants, Setting An Unprecedented Example For OthersA State Trooper Pulled Over A Doctor For Speeding But Gave Her N95 Masks InsteadLandlord Saves Family From Homelessness After Father Lost His JobDoctor Couple Cancel Their Wedding to Keep Fighting Coronavirus Together