Hello everyone and welcome back to another edition of Weekly Uplifting Stories!
“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” —Barbara De Angelis
This week, we have collected some heartwarming stories to lift your sprits and fill up your cup again.
Leon Logothetis was once a London broker. But as he says,
"On the outside, I had pretty much everything you could ever want, but on the inside I had pretty much nothing you would want."1
He was struggling with depression and anxiety.
Then he watched, "The Motorcycle Diaries," a movie about a man who travels around South America relying on the kindness of strangers. So Leon did exactly that, going from LA, around the world and back again - with no money.
The book he wrote about his experience is called, "Go Be Brave," and he geared it toward teens, who he hopes to help through empowerment.
He remembers feeling very lonely and purposeless when he was growing up. But there was one teacher who always made him feel that he had value. He wants other people to feel that way too.
"People remind themselves about their humanity. That the most beautiful thing that we can do is connect with each other." - Leon Logothetis
His book includes ideas around 'The Truth Diary', where you pour out every uncensored thought and emotion into a journal and 'A Treasure Hunt for "Yes,"' where you find ways to say 'Yes" to people. After all, you never know where a "Yes" leads!
In Perth, Australia, salon owner Stevie Vincent started a sensory-friendly salon for her autistic clients. Stevie herself lives with ADHD and PTSD, so she fully understands how overwhelming a visit to the hair salon can be for people.
She set out to create a space where more attention is paid to providing options for her clients.
My average experience with hairdressers is generally places that come with a lot of sensory overload. - Bee Strike, client2
Many people may not notice, but the buzz of a salon, which can be set up in open spaces can prove very overwhelming.
With loud music playing, multiple people talking, machines turning on and off and even the way products feel in your hair or on your hands can have a stressful impact on neurotypical and neurodivergent clients alike.
I've spent so much time being uncomfortable. I don't want anyone else to be uncomfortable. I want people to feel as comfortable as they possibly can. - Stevie Vincent, salon owner
She will offer clients face shields, scissors instead of loud clippers and even let them smell the products before she applies them. She'll even describe the texture of some of the products before applying, to ensure her clients feel comfortable.
In Parappanangadi, Kerala, India, 11 hardworking sanitation workers made an impulsive decision to pool their money for a lottery ticket - and hit the jackpot.
The 11 women, with ages ranging from in their 20s to some in their 70s, all pitched in the equivalent of a day's wages to buy a single ticket. They were surprised and delighted to find they were the winners of a $100 million rupee prize! (About $1.2 million US.)
While some were relieved to be able to pay off debt and put their children through school, others were grateful to be able to rebuild homes destroyed by floods, and pay for surgery for family members.
“These are extremely hard-working people who go to great lengths to make ends meet. It’s very surprising but I am very happy for them.” - Sheeja, chairperson of the waste collection group the women work for3
Despite the huge windfall for theses hardworking women, all stated they would continue in their sanitation work.
In Lexington, Kentucky, thousands of children in need get to pick out their own clothes for the school year, thanks to the Lexington Women's Club. Since 1948, the group has been clothing kids in Fayette County. In their first year, they outfitted 125 kids out of an elementary school closet with a budget of just $250.
Now, they help 1,600 kids every year!
“I had a little boy that only had the clothes on his back when he came. That was all he had. He didn’t have anything else at home. So he just couldn’t believe somebody was doing this for him,” said Renea Dixon, the club’s president.4
The group works with family resource counsellors at the elementary school figure out who has the need for the service. Once that's sorted out, the kids get to come to the clothing center to pick out their own clothes, a toy and a book.
This is all put together by volunteers. They say seeing the excitement on the kids' faces when they come for their shopping spree is the best part. Each child has the opportunity to pick out their own outfits, including new underwear, socks, pants, shirts and a hat, as well as gently used coats and winter gear.
If you want to know more about this program, you can visit their website.
Did you see someone making a difference in the world?
As always, if you have an uplifting story of your own to share, please comment below the article, or message us on our Instagram account.
Take care, and see you next week!
Photo by Husna Miskandar on Unsplash
4 WKYT.com
LATEST
CATEGORIES
Wake up to dailymotivation!
Get Motivational Quotes, Affirmations, and insightful content delivered to your inbox every morning!
Session expired
Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.
