1 . Terrie Mitchell, 34, from Sheffield, received an unexpected present when she was finally reunited with her beloved cat — 11 years after she first went missing. Chloe, who only has one eye, was discovered living in an overturned wheelie bin just a few streets away from where she was last seen.

Chloe was first brought into her family home as a kitten, when Ms. Mitchell was aged 21 and still living at home with her mum, Jean. When she moved out with her partner, she let the long­haired black cat stay in the house she was used to. But when Ms. Mitchell’s mother died unexpectedly at the age of 60, Chloe disappeared and could not be found anywhere.

Despite searching for her, she all but gave up hope of ever seeing her cat again until she spotted a Facebook post featuring the long­haired cat. Postwoman Andrea Hurst had been delivering a parcel to an elderly lady, when she spotted the cat living in the wheelie bin. On her next round, she asked about the cat and was told she had been staying there for more than six years as the woman had been feeding her. The kindly woman asked a local cat shelter to collect Chloe, before using the social media site to locate the original owners. She wrote, “This is probably a long shot,but does anyone recognize this beautiful cat?”

Ms. Mitchell noticed the post by chance and commented, “Omg, this is my cat!!!!! I can’t stop shaking!!!!! Her name is Chloe!!! Please whoever knows contact me...”

The vet, who confirmed Chloe was more than 10 years old, told her owner it was nothing short of a miracle. Today Chloe is settling in well at her new home and even responds to her original name. Her delighted owner added, “Now I feel guilty that I didn’t search for her better, because she was obviously around. It could give hope to people who haven’t seen their pets for years.”

3 . A recent story on TikTok showed how two neighbors found companionship during the lockdown because of the pandemic (疫情), thanks to a shared love of the piano.

The story started when Giorgio Lo Porto heard his neighbor playing the piano through their dividing wall. Lo Porto, an Italian living in London, decided to reach out to his neighbor and left a note asking him or her to play My Heart Will Go On. The mystery neighbor agreed, leading Lo Porto to send another note suggesting they play a duet (二重奏) together from the comfort of their own homes. The mystery neighbor started playing the piano at 2:00 pm, and when he stopped after finishing a part of a song, Lo Porto continued. Over time the duets between the two complete strangers became a regular weekend appointment.

Weeks later, the pair finally met and it was better than expected. The mystery pianist happened to be a 78-year-old Polish man named Emil, who was living in temporary accommodation until his house was sold. He lost his wife in December due to COVID-19 and all he had left was the piano. And the reason why he played at 2: 00 pm every weekend was that he and his wife used to do that.

The pair finished a final duet together — Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata — before Emil moved out at the end of February.

While this is heartwarming in itself, the story has a heartbreaking ending: On March 14, Lo Porto shared that his old neighbor had passed away in his sleep. He said, “Now he is reunited with his wife.”

While saying goodbye to Emil, Lo Porto wrote, “Dear Emil, I knew very little about you, but you changed my life. You gave me back my passion, and we shared that with the world. You’ll be in my heart. I’ll keep playing, thinking of how powerful music can be. You said I was your light, but you’ve been mine, too. Bye, Emil.”

4 . Chen Yuzhu, a 29-year-old young man, opened his first Chinese beef rice noodles restaurant in 2014 in the neighborhood of New York City’s Queens borough. He then took the flavor of his childhood memory to three other states in the US, building a recognized brand.

Actually, he started his own catering (餐饮) business after he lost his job and found noway out. It was at that time that beef rice noodles of his home village flashed in his mind.

However, the early days of setting up his business were not that easy. He frequently worked 18 hours a day, transported food at 2 am and promoted (推销) the restaurant near the New York City subway entrance by yelling, “Special noodles from my hometown, Guizhou!” But it didn’t work well. During the first two weeks. daily sales were only $200 at most, which wasn’t enough to pay the rent. He felt so anxious that he tried every possible means. Two months later, his Chinese beef rice noodles finally gained great popularity. His store has become hot spots for vloggers (视频博主) and he has made himself famous among locals as the“Rice Noodle Prince”.

“At first, running restaurants was for survival, but then I felt a sense of achievements. I became more open, inclusive and made a lot of friends. And the process to learn, make efforts and get inspired was really cool.” Chen said.

5 . From the heartland to urban parks, school kids were released onto the baseball diamond. There was a time when baseball was the only summer game. But with competition from soccer and lacrosse, the clap of leather gloves is not as omnipresent as it used to be. Still, America’s game is a place for young boys to prove themselves.

Some boys were born athletic but Tim seemed to be growing in the opposite way: thin shoulders and no meat on his bones. But he loved baseball. And game after game, strikeout after strikeout piled up in the stat sheet. The desire was there, but the body doesn’t respond to dreams and wishes. The strikes continued.

Tim practiced his swing every day. His teammates encouraged him. His coach worked with him. Even opposing teams wished for a hit, just one hit for a boy who seemed to deserve it more than any other kid in the world.

What teammates and even the coach never saw was a gray van that pulled up each game in the parking lot adjacent to left field. Inside was Tim’s father, too weak from cancer to get out of the van. It’s a tough to watch your kid strike out, even tougher when you don’t have the strength to pitch to him.

At the end of the season, Tim stood at the plate as determined as ever. On the first pitch, the bat fell from his shoulder in a downward swing and somehow made contact. The ball dribbled down the third-base line, and Tim galloped to first. He stood on the bag wearing a smile as big as the outfield. He didn’t have the chance to advance, and when the pitcher retired the final out, Tim ran straight into left field, climbed the fence and dove into the front seat of a gray van, into the arms of a frail father whose wish for his son had finally materialized.

Sometimes it is more than a game.

7 . When Byron Thanarayen and his wife Melissa returned to their home recently, their 13-year-old dog named Chucky was completely wet. The couple assumed the dog had splashed around in his water bowl and made a mess in the house. When no evidence could be found inside, they turned to their security footage (录像).

What they saw made the blood freeze in their veins. Chucky was walking near their backyard swimming pool when he stumbled (绊倒) and fell in. Since the dog is so tiny, he was unable to get a purchase on the slick sides of the pool.   Instead, he paddled around, searching in vain for a way out. After a few desperate moments, the couple's other dog appeared on the scene. Jessie is a 7-year-old dog who became noticeably upset when she saw her friend struggling to keep his head above the water. She began circling the pool's edge, following Chucky as if she was encouraging him not to give up.

For 34 minutes, Jessie worked to rescue her friend. She repeatedly tried to grab hold of the smaller dog with her mouth, but Chucky kept slipping out of her grasp. Finally, after several failed attempts, Jessie succeeded in grasping Chucky's neck and dragging him out of the pool.

When Byron and Melissa realized Jessie was a hero, they were unspeakably grateful for their sweet girl! “We still struggle to watch that video today, just thinking of what could have happened if Jessie was not there,” Byron said. “I'm really proud of her, considering she is the youngest.” The family now plans to install a pool cover to keep their pets safe. Thankfully, they have a wonderful life-dog on duty just in case anything ever goes wrong!

8 . The past few years have been difficult for 13-year-old Adeola Abraham. In 2020, the teen was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder, and he survived a successful bone marrow transplant (骨髓移植) and rounds of chemotherapy (化疗). Thankfully, Adeola is now out of the hospital. During his recovery, he found out that he had qualified for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ask for a dream wish from Make-A-Wish Mississippi. While many teens would choose a memorable Disney trip, meet a favorite figure or get a PlayStation, Abraham instead chose to feed the homeless in his local community.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is famous for brightening the lives of children suffering from critical illnesses by meeting their wishes. A wish typically falls into three categories: a wish to have something, go somewhere or meet someone. Abraham’s charitable wish to give came as a surprise to the organization. Linda Sermons, a Make-A-Wish Mississippi representative, said that Abraham’s generous wish was the first of its kind in the organization’s 35-year history. She was impressed with the teen’s maturity and sense of sympathy.

Make-A-Wish Mississippi approved of the teen’s wish in a big way. They created a service named after the teen, called Abraham’s Table, which would provide free meals to the homeless every month for the next year. Local businesses generously donated food and supplies, and receivers gathered in Jackson’s Poindexter Park for the meals. Abraham and his proud mom personally attended and handed out the food. Abraham’s Table fed more than 80 people at its first event. Abraham said it warmed his heart when the receivers came back to thank him for the meal he provided.

Abraham now wants to inspire other teens to get more involved in local charities. He also wants to continue his mission of helping others by starting his own nonprofit that helps those experiencing food insecurity.