The past year has had its share of negative and heart-wrenching stories, but there have been many heartwarming ones that can be an inspiration. Here are our top five inspirational stories of 2015.
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1. Mom apologizes for her ‘obnoxious’ kids on Facebook, finds woman they offended
An Alabama mother became an Internet sensation after she apologized for her misbehaving children on Facebook, and the post went viral.
Kyesha Smith Wood said she was upset to learn that her daughter and stepdaughter had been rude and obnoxious at a movie theater earlier this year.
Smith Wood posted on Facebook that her son, who was with her daughters at the theater, said the girls ruined an evening for a mother and her daughter.
She said that the girls were punished, but she wanted to offer another apology.
Smith Wood said the girls wrote an apology letter and offered to pay for the woman’s next movie with money from their allowances.
The Facebook post quickly spread, and eventually the mother from the theater, Rebecca Boyd, saw it. The two sides connected, and the story reached a happy conclusion.
2. Arrested teen helps save police officer
Teenager Jamal Rutledge was being booked after his arrest when the officer processing him collapsed and clutched his chest in pain. Apparently, there were no hard feelings on Rutledge’s part, because he immediately did all he could to alert officers nearby.
He kicked the facility’s security fence to make noise and yelled for help. Officers quickly responded by cutting off Officer Franklin Foulks’ vest, performing CPR and using a defibrillator to stimulate Foulks’ heart.
Rutldege’s actions in September helped save Foulks’ life. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department honored him and the other officers for their actions.
3. Detroit man walks 21 miles to work each day, until…
Each day, James Robertson, 56, walked 21 miles each day round trip just to get to his job. No matter the weather, Robertson hiked to work ever since his car broke down 10 years ago, he told the Detroit Free Press.
“By the time Friday comes, you’re mentally and physically drained,” Robertson told the Free Press, saying that he was “extremely tired” from the grueling commute that left him only a couple of hours to sleep each night.
His job at a factory paid $10.55 an hour, so he said he couldn’t afford a car and the bus took him only so far to work. He had to walk the rest of the way. He said he loves the people with whom he works, so he made it work.
His story reached millions, prompting 19-year-old Evan Leedy to set up a GoFundMe page to help Robertson.
The crowdfunding page raised over $149,000, according to People.
The funds were expected to be managed by a board of professionals who would make sure the donations went toward the cost of having and maintaining a car, including the high auto insurance rates that Detroit motorists pay.
4. After this waitress gave a free meal to two tired firefighters, she found her kindness rewarded in spades
A New Jersey waitress picked up the check for two firefighters after they spent the night putting out a warehouse fire. In turn, the firefighters stepped up to return the favor in a huge way.
According to Today.com, Liz Woodward was talking to the firefighters about the blaze when she waited on them. She said she had seen the fire on the news.
“This was their first meal in over 24 hours,” Woodward told Today.com. “The least I could do was buy it for them for all they do every day.”
Instead of a bill, the firefighters got the following note:
“Your breakfast is on me today. Thank you for all that you do; for serving others & for running into the places everyone else runs away from…fueled by fire and driven by courage — what an example you are. Get some rest.”
The pair was so moved that one of them posted her message to Facebook as soon as he got home, urging friends to eat at her diner and tip her well.
The firefighters learned that she was trying to raise money to get her quadriplegic father an accessible van. The pair put her crowdfunding campaign on full blast, raising $67,000 to get the van and far surpassing the original $17,000 goal.
5. Restaurant owner leaves message for ‘dumpster diver’
A restaurant owner in Oklahoma went above and beyond to help someone apparently in need of a meal.
According to KFOR, the owner of P.B. Jams noticed that someone had been going through the trash, specifically food containers.
The woman says it broke her heart to know someone was “dumpster diving.” So instead of ignoring it, Ashley Jiron told KFOR that she decided to do something about it.
So Jiron put a sign outside her restaurant offering a free meal to whoever was eating food from the dumpster.
The sign read:
“To the person going through our trash for their next meal, you’re a human being and worth more than a meal from the dumpster. Please come in during business hours for a classic PB&J, fresh veggies and a cup of water at no charge. No questions asked. – your friend, the owner.”
Jiron told KFOR that a free meal is the least she can do for someone who is obviously down on his or her luck.
“I think we’ve all been in that position where we needed someone’s help and we just needed someone to extend that hand and if I can be that one person to extend that hand to another human being, then I will definitely do it,” she said.
JUST ONE MORE: Bride’s father stops wedding so stepdad can walk her down the aisle, too
Weddings can be touchy subjects when parents of the bride and groom are no longer married to their child’s other parent.
It can be especially difficult when there are stepfamilies involved.
One father found a way not to exclude, but include his daughter’s stepfather and few, if any, guests were left with tears in their eyes.
Brittany Peck was ready to be walked down the aisle by her father, WKYC reported.
But right before they took the first step, Todd Bachman told the wedding photographer that something special was going to happen and to be ready to capture the moment.
He left the bride at the back of the aisle and grabbed Brittany’s stepfather, Todd Cendrosky, telling him that they were both going to escort their daughter to her groom, WKYC reported.
“For me to thank him for all the years of helping raise our daughter wouldn’t be enough. There’s no better way to thank somebody than to assist me walking her down the aisle,” Bachman said.
“He came and grabbed my hand, and said: ‘You worked as hard as I have. You’ll help us walk our daughter down the aisle.’ I got weak in the knees and lost it. Nothing better in my life, the most impactful moment in my life,” Cendrosky said.
Delia Blackburn got the photos that have now gone viral.
Both fathers, both named Todd, gave their daughter Brittany away.
They admitted that blending two families hit some tough times over the past 14 years, but they never imagined that their happy ending would go viral, with more than 12 million views, more than 1 million likes and nearly 475,000 shares of the original post.