Positive Stories

When flight attendant Monique Harris noticed an exhausted mother traveling alone with her infant son, she offered to hold the baby so the mom could finally get some rest. The simple gesture later touched thousands online and offered a beautiful reminder of what it means to notice when someone needs help.

Twenty farms across the United States and Canada are honoring Dolly Parton with elaborate corn mazes featuring her famous smile and curls. What began as a fun fall tribute has become even more meaningful after her passing, while also supporting the Imagination Library and Dolly’s lifelong mission of putting books into children’s hands.

Retired firefighter Chris Monroe found a new way to serve his community by carving handmade wooden swords for children. The donations he receives go toward paying off student lunch debt, turning a simple hobby into a meaningful act of kindness.

At just 24, Grace Yockey moved in with her 83-year-old grandmother, Valerie, after dementia made daily life more difficult. Their home is now filled with coffee dates, singing, dancing, laughter, and a touching reminder to cherish the ordinary moments we still have with the people we love.

After a devastating childhood accident left Bensten Schone in a coma and doctors unsure whether he would walk again, he spent years fighting his way back one step at a time. Now 18, he runs cross-country, hopes to compete in college, and is considering a future helping others through physical therapy.

Best friends Marie Forrestal and Lori Talbot turned an old ambulance into a rolling message of hope and took it down Route 66 to raise awareness about blood donation. Their “Miles of Kindness” journey shows how friendship, generosity, and a small investment of time can make a life-saving difference.

Eleven-year-old Nehemiah Turner has spent more than two years reading aloud to dogs at the Jacksonville Humane Society. After becoming the first child in the program to reach 100 volunteer hours, he is proving that sometimes a good book, a calm voice, and a little time can make a frightened shelter animal feel deeply loved.

When her mom suffered a seizure at home, 3-year-old Emi remembered exactly what her family had taught her. She used FaceTime to call her grandparents, stayed beside her mom, and even helped first responders find their apartment.

Five-year-old Harvey Wetterlund has turned his daily walks through Hastings, Minnesota, into a mission to spread joy. With cookies, hugs, dandelions, and plenty of “I love yous,” he is showing his community just how powerful simple acts of kindness can be.

Eileen and Gordon Bitely have spent 80 years building a marriage rooted in faith, forgiveness, honesty, and commitment. Their advice to younger couples is refreshingly simple: put Christ first, give 100 percent, forgive quickly, and keep choosing each other through every season.

After spending an incredible 2,094 days waiting in a shelter, 12-year-old Nyla finally got her “freedom ride.” The senior dog now has a soft bed, toys of her own, plenty of affection, and the loving home she deserved all along.

Best friends Leslie and Alexis were pregnant together 25 years ago, never imagining how closely their families would one day be connected. After their children Macy and David grew up, fell in love, and married, the longtime friends received an especially sweet gift: becoming grandmothers to the same baby girl.

Here is a baker’s dozen of selections that will start you off on creating your own long drive or road trip worship playlist.

After 13-year-old Lainey Scroggs died unexpectedly, her friends found a heartfelt way to honor her memory. Their “Lemonade for Lainey” stand raised more than $1,000 for her grieving family and showed how even a simple act of kindness can bring comfort during profound loss.

Truck drivers are remembering Dolly Parton not only for her music, but for the kindness she showed ordinary people. At Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee, travelers are honoring a woman who made sure even weary truck drivers knew there was room for them.