2020 has been a year of many ups and downs for everyone worldwide. The ongoing pandemic was only the tip of the iceberg of the varying storms and obstacles we have all been facing together. But no matter the obstacle one thing has remained the same we are all standing together and helping each other as we can. Doing what we can for each other to lift not only our own spirits but also reignite the optimism in the world for each other.
These 50 photos are only a glimpse into some of those examples.
Many of us know how busy and overcrowded a subway or train ride can get and have learned over time when it is right to give up our seats. One little boy demonstrated this when he gave up his seat next to his mom for a woman who entered the train with a baby and a stroller. As the little boy was standing, he takes her bags and carries them on his shoulders while his tired mom decides to take a nap leaning her head against the railing. He then puts his hand in between his mom’s hand and the railing to be used as a soft pillow. The perfect picture to document a truly good son.
One mom and her little boy had a heartwarming moment as they were walking through a Target department store one day. On Facebook, his mom writes in her post
“Today Oliver stopped me dead in his tracks and turned back around to see this picture he spotted! He just stared at it in awe! This was amazing! I am so happy that other kids that pass through here with their parents, will see this! There is a lot of focus on representing diversity, but representing people with disabilities is just as important!”
In life sometimes we can be dealt a tough hand but it is how we grow from those obstacles that show our true grit. When one little boy was just 12-years-old his father walked out on him. Now as a father to two (adult) kids, he’s created a Youtube Channel that he called “
Dad, How Do I?” where he shows how to maintenance videos for people with no Dads. Turning the tough lesson he learned at such a young age and sharing it with the world for the better.
Sometimes we can become close friends with our neighbors whether we are sharing ingredients, watching eachothers pets or children or even just hanging out with one another our neighbors can become some of our greatest friends. For one girl she truly didn’t know how much her neighbor cared for her until the day she was going to move out. She shares in a tweet what her neighbor said to her writing, “
I’m going to miss you. I used to stay up every night when you would go out with your friends and I wouldn’t go to sleep until I heard your door close and I knew you made it home safe.” A very wholesome old lady doing her own neighborhood watch that just warms the heart.
#5 A Flex Worth Celebrating
Graduation days are one of our most exciting days. We get to reflect on all our achievements and be praised for them too. One girl decided to take to twitter to post her flex when she graduated and it is one that leaves us speechless in awe of what she’s overcome. She writes in her tweet, “
I was born addicted to heroin, my dad was killed when I was 3, and I tried to kill myself when I was 11 and again when I was 16. Somehow I’m alive and graduated with 3.8, honors, and a semester early.”
#6 Sometimes The Littlest Things Can Have The Biggest Impact
It is moments such as these that help us realize just how big of an impact our actions can have on those around us…even when we are doing the littlest things. For one hair stylest she received the most touching letter from a client a little over a year after she cut him and his wife’s hair who was suffering from dementia. When his wife died he decided to finally write the stylest to let her just how big of an impact she made that day,
“Sadly, she died in March. And that haircut was one was one of the last, best moments of her life. She felt so pretty. She visited the mirror in her bathroom several times during the day and would come out beaming. To see her so happy was priceless.”
#7 Teaching Someone Old Something New
We are never too old to learn something new. One girl showed this as she took to Twitter to share a special moment she had with her Uncle when she tought him something new. That something new was teaching him how to write since he never went to school. A special moment when he got to write the names of his grandkids for the very first time. Just look at how happy he is!
The star of Liverpool, Sadio Mane, who earns around $10.2M per year was spotted carrying a cracked iPhone and the world was shocked! When prompted as to why he was carrying a cracked iPhone his response was humbling. He writes,
“Why would I want 10 Ferraris, 20 diamond watches and 2 jet planes? What would that do for the world? I starved, I worked in the fields, I played barefoot, and I didn’t go to school. Now I can help people. I prefer to build schools and give poor people food or clothing. I have built schools & a stadium; we provide clothes, and food for people in extreme poverty. I give 70 euros per month to all people from a very poor Senegalese region in order to contribute to their family economy. I do not need to display luxury cars, luxury homes, trips, and even planes. I prefer that my people receive a little of what life has given me.”
#9 Picking Up The Brush Again
No matter how much time passes the lesson remains the same, we can always begin again. For one man who is now settling into his retirement, he decided it was time to pick up an old hobby again. Now after 30 years, he is picking up the paint brush again and in the picture we can see just how talented this artist is! Proving to us all once more no matter how much time has passed we can always begin again.
#10 Heartwarming Gamer Talk
One mom was absolutely touched when she overheard what her son had to say to his friends while gaming online. As mothers do when her son was gaming with his friends she decided to bring him a snack. When she did her son responded, “
Thanks, Love you” and laughter had erupted over the headset. Her son responded without hesitation, “
What? You don’t love your mothers? I’m sad for you.” The most heartwarming moment for a mother to realize she is raising her son right.
We see thousands of stickers whenever we are out and about exploring in the world. Many times we don’t stop to take a look at them or what they could say. When one pedistrian was walking through Manchester they took special notice to a cover up sticker. The sticker reads “
There was some racist rubbish here but I covered it up with this picture of a cat.”
One grandchild finally decided it was time to tell their Grandma that they were Bisexaul. A few weeks later their Grandma showed up with a gift to show her loving support. That gift was the most adorable rainbow weather with Grandma donning the biggest smile. The cutest hand knit sweater made by the cutest supportive Grandma.
One user decided to share a touching moment documenting a transformation of their room. But the reason behind it makes all the difference. The user shares that after almost 2 years of dealing with trauma and depression they finally got the motivation to clean their entire room. They state it took them about 9 hours with 2 trash bags full of plastic bottles, pizza boxes and various other trash collected over the years. Their last words of their post are “
I’m proud of my work” and we would say we are pretty proud of it too!
So much of our world has changed because of the pandemic. In Mexico and many other places around the world have had to close schools due to the pandemic. So one teacher decided to transform her pickup truck into a classroom on wheels. Each day she drives two hours to teach her students with autism who don’t have access to books or the internet.
One restaurant owner noticed people had been eating out of his trash so he decided to leave them a note. Frankie’s East Aside Restaurant left a message on his window addressed to all the people eating out of his garbage which let them know that he actually has more love for them then they may have thought. He writes, ”
Please just come in and tell me your hungry. I will forever give you a fresh slice of pizza + fresh water to drink. God Bless.” This restaurant owner showing us all that we can each do our part to help those in our community who may need it.
#16 Single Father Going Above & Beyond
For single father’s all around the world it can be tough when there are events specific to only mother’s and their children. Many times children are left feeling sad and left out. So one single father in Thailand decided to wear a dress to a Mother’s Day event for his sons so that they didn’t feel like they were left out. Now they get to spend this day giggling with happiness instead of feeling left out and sad. Now that’s a truly great Dad!
#17 Perception of Time & The Words of Love
One user on Reddit inquired to the millions asking them if they have ever been in a coma and if so what was their perception of time while in it. One user decided to share their experience in a comment that happened to come full loop. They write when they were in a coma for a week their mother talked to them about memories she had of raising them, the funny things they did, etc. Shortly, later their mother passed away but she first fell asleep at first. So they took that moment to talk to her about how amazing she was as a mom until she took her last breath.
#18 Sharing Moments With 12
For many of us who use social media we have only a few followers to share our thoughts and moments with. One user, katyheland, on Twitter decided to share an extremely special moment for her with all of her 12 followers. On Jan 30, it was the day of their final chemo session and they wanted to share it with everyone. The tweet pretty quickly went viral and now it has over 963K likes. This users wish was granted in telling everyone and celebrating this day.
#19 Showing Resilience Since Birth
When this sweet little one was born she was born with gastoschisis which is when your intestines are outside of the body. Then she contracted viral meningitis and hydrocephalus while in the hospital. The doctors told the family to make prepartions for losing her. But after 5 brain surgeries and 9 months in the ICU this resilient little girl got to take her first trip to Disney at 3 years old.
Dr. Mohammed Mashali once found a child that was suffering from diabetes and needed an insulin shot but couldn’t afford it. Since the mother couldn’t afford the insulin either the child passed away. This impacted Dr. Mashali so much that he moved to one of the poorest countries to treat medical patients free of charge. For doing so he was awarded the title “Doctor of the Poor” for serving his community for over 50 years. It is said days before his death he was still fulfilling his life’s goal of helping everyone he could.
A bird and a dog can be some unlikely friends at first due to the difference in species and the birds being possible prey. When an owner found a bird with a broken wing under their truck they weren’t sure what the next steps were in order to help. But it seems their dog did! This loving pup decided to lay their with the injured bird guarding it for four days before it could fly off. The owner had to bring them both food and water since he refused to the leave the side of the injured bird day and night.
#22 Letter To A New Friend
One day a person who was living in their van came back to a surprising note left on their windshield from an unknown friend. The neighbor writes that it was not hard to recognize the signs of someone living in their car since he’s experienced it too. He writes, “
If there is anything you need, food, water, etc. Please feel free to knock at my door…I see you out there and I feel for you.”
As we live with our families we come to realize as we grow up just how many things we disagree on. Despite the many arguments and opinions we have usually since we are family we come to the resolution of agreeing to disagree. Despite having anti-vax parents, one user decided to share their excitement with the world of finally getting their last immunization shot. Many commented to agreeing and many commented disagreeing. Seems we all may be one big family!
Whenever we are working out, hiking or just enjoying a night out sometimes our most prized possessions seem to have a way of growing legs and walking away. When one jogger went running on the rail trail at some point during her job her car key fell to the ground. Once realized she went back to look for it and stumbled upon. Now there was no way she could miss finding her keys thanks to a fellow trail blazer. She writes on her facebook post, “
I owe my whole soul to whoever did this.”
#25 Imitation: The Highest Form of Flattery
They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. One brother stumbled upon the most heartwarming form of flattery when he walked into his little brother’s room one day. On the left we see the original drawing with extreme detail and conturing. On the right we see the one little brother drew in homage to the older brother. Each excellent in their own ways.
#26 Appreciating Grandma’s Extra On Those Special Days
Our Grandma’s know how to spoil us on the special days, holidays and every day in between. But we need to remember on those special days to send our beloved Grandmothers some appreciation too. One user shared on her Twitter a touching conversation she overheard when a teenage boy was purchasing a Valentine’s day card. When a shop assistant came over to the boy to help him they asked if this was for his girlfriend to which the boy responded, “
No, it’s for my Grandma.”
#27 1st Grade Pre Surgery vs. 2020 Several Surgeries
After being born with birth defects one user decided she wanted to post her transformation throughout time. The first picture she posts is from first grade pre surgery comparing to her in 2020 several surgeries later. The most recent photo she notes is her just having completed the dental treatment which she writes included having her jaw wired shut for several months. She states she is very happy with the results. Since the post went viral she’s received hundreds of wonderful comments.
Sometimes big companies can step up in big ways and use their space to do something good that helps the community. For on Ikea branch in Germany local Muslims asked if they could use their parking lot to gather for prayers in order to maintain distancing per regulations. The Ikea said yes. Something so little that once more makes a huge difference.
One user decided to take to Facebook to share just how proud he is of his son. He and his son decided to take a nice sunny to be outside and grill up some good food. He writes, “
Autism be damned my boy can work a grill.” Just look at that warm smile, it’s contagious! Not to mention the food looks delicious too.
#30 First Day of School vs. Graduation
Side by side comparison photos have the power to tell the most powerful stories. For these two boys, who are best friends, at birth their families were told their survival rate was 2%, they will never walk, and live in a vegetative state if they made it past 7 years. The picture on the right is from the night they both walked the stage for their graduation! Best buds for life there for each other through it all.
Mom’s seem to have a super hero quality as they juggle all of lives obstacles and obligations. One daughter decided to take to twitter to show appreciation for her mother and role model. When one of this mother’s students couldn’t find a babysitter she choose to put the back on her back and feed all while teaching a three hour class. Talk about super hero mom!
#32 Coming Home From Work To A Note
After long days at work it can be the best to come home to a sweet note. This was the case for one brother when he came home from work and found the sweetest note from his little brother with autism who just turned 17 that day. The note reads, “
When you get inside the house here please come into your little brother’s bedroom and tuck him into bed and tell him happy birthday and goodnight and give him a hug. love you little brother … ps. please read this note.”
When graduating we celebrate all the achievements and obstacles that we’ve overcome in the process while receiving our degree. For this family, a brother took to social media to share this photo from his brothers graduation day. He notes that his brother was the first to graduate with a master’s degree in his family. Which in turn made his father so proud he was overcome with emotions and could not stop crying.
The world is a brighter place when we show one another compassion, kindness and empathy. Which is what one babysitter demonstrated when she showed up to work for a new client. When she got there she found out that she was single mother with little to no furniture and water turned off. Without hesitation, the daughter said she would babysit the kids for free and asked her father if they could get the water turned on. His response “
Yes, we can.”
A smile is worth a thousand words. In this photo that smile shows the pure joy and happiness when one man decided to give a homeless man on the street his spare ticket. That smile shows what that man says was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for him. Another story that shows just how our littlest moments or actions can have the biggest impact on others.
#36 Celebrating 100 Years
It was an exciting day for one 101-year-old man to celebrate his best friend Bob turning 100-years-old. So he threw a big birthday party and to welcome him as a fellow centarian. Even wearing a special hate that says “
100 Years Never Looked So Good” and we couldn’t agree more. Looking great gentlemen!
#37 Always Be Her Little Boy
When the pandemic hit a lot of people took to their sewing machines to start creating face masks for their families, friends and those in need. For one 40-year-old man when he asked his mom to make him a facemask he was taken back by what he received. He received a facemask full of tiny dinosaurs! A sweet reminder that in her eyes he will always be her little boy.
#38 Same Place, Same Bike, Same Girl…71 Years Later.
Comparison photos can also show just how much we can stay the same no matter how much time has passed. Take this photo for example, showing the same place, same bike and same girl the only difference is 71 years have passed. If you take notice even the same house in the back! Only minor difference is no dog but we are sure the pup is there in spirit.
#39 From a 10% Chance To Surviving to 6 Months Old and Thriving
Some babies are truly little living miracles overcoming the slimest odds. For this sweet little one the doctors gave him only a 10% chance to survive his CHD. In the comparison photo we now see him 6 months old and absolutely thriving. Just look at that big sweet smile!
When loved ones pass we can be reminded of them in many different ways. Reminders that let us know they are there with us always. One user sharing a touching moment on Twitter when her family took their first vacation after the mother passed and she overheard her sister talking to a butterfly stating, “
I’m so happy you could’ve made it mama. I knew you wouldn’t miss it.” Reminding us that they are always with us in the best of times and the worst of times throughout our lives.
For parents one of the biggest moments of raising their child is the first words they speak. For one father, he shared that his son rarely speaks a word. But the few words he does say are when his father tucks him into bed are the words “
love you dad“. Although a child of few words he chose some pretty meaningful words speak.
When one family hired buiders to build them a new patio, they had an unknown builder join them on location. That builder was the family’s little 6-year-old boy. Every time they showed up to the build the patio the little one loved going out to help build. So when they were finished the builders made sure to give the little one his much deserved pay packet.
#43 Born Without An Arm So He Built One
3D printers have been changing and transforming our world today as we know it. Building and printing things that take our reality as we know it beyond what we once thought before. For one user he shared that although he was built without an arm he was able to 3D print a new one. Sharing his new arm in all of its glory gently holding an egg!
#44 Do Anything For Our Loved Ones
We’ll do anything for the ones we love. One Grandma demonstrates this unconditional love when their cat ripped open his favorite toy one day. So Grandma sat down with the furry friend gently stitching the toy back to together. With the cat keeping a close eye doing quality inspection.
#45 In Memory Of My Father
In order to pay respects to our loved ones who pass many of us get tattoos to remember them. Allowing us to be reminded of them each and every day. One user decided to show her new ink in memory of her father comparing the tattoo side by side with the original photo. The photo paying a beautiful homage to the original photo.
#46 During Her Battle With Cancer Vs. After She Beat It
Another photo showing just how impactful comparisons photos can be. Especially, when shown side by side the true transformation can be seen. One woman decided to show photos of her during her cancer battle and after she beat it. Both photos documenting a beautiful warrior, whose smile is now beaming.
#47 Healing In Ways Never Imagined
Sometimes we find ways to heal in ways we could have never imagined. When she was a teenager she had a domestic accident that left her chest, neck and arms severely burned. The photos 10 years apart show major transformation and healing. From her eyes to her smile she radiates more than ever.
When getting off of a plane everyone tends to get antsy and be the first one off. But when one father needed to get to his twin daughters’ first father daughter dance a whole entire flight came together to help him. When the flight landed everyone remained seated so the man in the last seat in the very back of the plane could get off and make a run for it to his next flight. As he got off the plane everyone clapped and rooted for him!
#49 What Do You Say? I love you.
Kids say the darndest thing some times. Even sometimes like confusing when to say I love you. After one worker gave a little child some frozen yogurt while working the mother questioned the child about what to say and instead of saying thank you the child respond by saying, “
I love you.” Whether thank you or I love you they both do the trick in expressing gratitude.
#50 Working For The Same Doctor That Delivered Me
Sometimes life has a funny way of coming full circle. For one girl it just so happened that the same doctor who delivered her as a baby she would be working for just 21 years later. Now not only does she get to learn from him but also they can become friends. Two coworker with a very cool backstory of how they first met!
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