【推荐1】On December 26, 2014, a fierce fire destroyed the home of Terry Harris, 60. Terry's grandsons Kenyon, 14, Broderick, 11 and Braylon, 9, were spending Christmas night with her. She and the three children died in the fire and following collapse of the house in Washington Court House, Ohio.

Sick with sorrow, Terry's son Ricky Harris and his wife, Traci, the boys' parents, welcomed friends into their home just down the street from where Ricky's mother's house had once stood. One of them was Michael J. Emmons Jr. who'd driven eight hours from Delaware, to comfort Ricky, an old high school friend.

"When I heard the news, I felt deeply sorry for him," Michael says.

On the garage floor of the Harris' house, a relative had laid out more than 200 charred and waterlogged   photographs, including shots of the boys wearing their basketball and wrestling uniforms or posing for class pictures, saved from the fire. Michael, a doctoral student in preservation studies at the University of Delaware, saw in the sad scene an opportunity to help. He called Debra Norris, chair of the university's art conservation department, for advice on how to save the photos.

"I thought she would recommend a restoration service," says Michael. Instead, she asked him to post the photos to her right away.

Every day for two weeks, Debra along with ten photo-preservation graduate students and dozens of other teachers and local conservators carefully cleaned dirt off the photos with tiny brushes. An alcohol solution removed tougher dirt.

Three months later, Debra and Michael delivered a box of restored photos to the parents.

"I would love to see my mom's face, knowing that all these people cared," Ricky says.

【推荐2】In our daily life, it’s the unexpected acts of kindness that often bring us the most joy. This is a story about one such act that occurred in the most unlikely of places — a crowded airplane. It’s a reminder that despite the chaos, there’s always time for sympathy, something Kelsey Zwick and her baby experienced in person.

The mom was traveling to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with her daughter, who required special medical attention due to her premature birth. The journey was filled with the extra luggage of medical equipment and the concerns of a caring mother. As they were settled into their economy seats, a flight attendant approached with the sweetest offer. Just at that time, a first — class passenger noticed them and wanted to offer his seat, hoping it would provide more comfort for them. On hearing that, Zwick was moved to tears by the gesture.

The flight proceeded smoothly with Zwick and her daughter enjoying the unexpected comfort of first class. However, upon landing, Zwick was unable to find the man, as they lost each other in the crowd. Determined to thank him appropriately, she detailed the encounter, from the struggles of traveling with a baby and medical equipment to the heartfelt exchange with the stranger. Then she posted online the message, expressing thanks and recognition of the man’s generosity.

The story, once shared, caught fire online, receiving over 579,000 shares. The viral nature of this post eventually led to the airline connecting Zwick with the benefactor, Jason Kunselman. In an interview, Kunselman humbly shared his perspective, stressing the importance of kindness. This encounter between Zwick and Kunselman serves as a powerful reminder of the impact a simple act of kindness can have. It’s a call to action for all of us to be more observant and considerate of those around us.

【推荐3】For ten years, Hingorani and I have shared a wall. In all these years, we shared nothing more than that wall.

Hingorani lost her husband around eight months ago. Now, the 82-year-old former headmaster of Mumbai’s Jai Hind College lives alone in the apartment next door.

Knowing it would be difficult for her to manage things without any help, I started dropping by. When I found out that she loves meat and chicken, I went with a plate of butter chicken and kulchas. And we started to talk of course.

As we started to talk, I realized how different she was from what I had thought. And that’s where our friendship really began. I found that she related to me in a lot of ways — both of us married of our own free will, and she, too, was a working mother, We spoke about her relationship with her two sisters who live abroad and how they connect with each other every day.

Her liberal thinking, the way she raised her daughter, her love for her culture and stories of her teaching days — including how the boys at her college gave her a hard time — all made for great conversation. I never felt we were generations apart. She, too, loves my company and looks forward to my crazy stories without judgment. I tell her about the challenges I face when raising a child. A chat with her is like a warm hug at the end of a bad day.

Hingorani has become part of my daily life. I look forward to either having a cup of tea with her on her balcony or enjoying a glass of wine on a Saturday night. Our connection is pure. Our friendship is not limited by age. Instead, it is strengthened by the circumstances.