Sappy Stories

The Rich Family In Church

2010-10-11T07:10:00.000-07:00

What defines a rich person or a poor person?

Is it what's in your bank account, or what's in your heart?

Back in 1946 a young girl named Eddy learned the true answer to that question. She came from a monetarily poor family, as her father had passed away and left her mother with three young girls to raise with no money.

One day the church announced that they would be collecting money for a poor family. Eddy and her family thought of ways to try and save up just a little bit of money, anything they could do. They ate potatoes for a month, made potholders to sell, tried to reduce their electricity... and in the end they saved up $70 to donate to the poor family.

The only thing was, of course, that they themselves were the poor family. After the collection at church, the pastor came to their house and delivered them the envelope containing their $70, and another $17 from the rest of the congregation. Eddy and her family were shocked. They had never thought of themselves as poor!

In the end her family ended up donating the money to a missionary who was building churches in Africa. When the missionary saw the money they put in, he exclaimed that they must really have some rich people in the church! It was then that her family realized the true nature of wealth, that richness comes from within, not from your bank account.

Read the whole story over at Mikey's Funnies:
The Rich Family In Church by Eddie Ogan
and The Real Eddie Ogan

The Emperor and the Seed

2010-10-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

Sometimes sappy stories are ages old.

There is an ancient Chinese tale about a group of young boys who are among the chosen few who may be emperor.

They are all brought before the current emperor and given a seed, and are told to plant the seed in a pot and grow it.

One boy goes home, plants his seed in fresh clean dirt and waters it every day. After a week, there is no progress. Two weeks, no progress. After a month there is still no progress and the boy thinks to himself that surely he has failed because all of the other boys have excellent growing plants to show the emperor.

When the boy arrives, the emperor announces that he is to be the chosen one!

But the boy is confused, how can this be? All the other boys have grown plants?

The emperor then reveals the truth... all of the young boys were given boiled seeds that could not grow.

Every boy who brought a plant to the emperor replaced their boiled seed with another, to try and fool the emperor.

Honesty and integrity are incredibly important traits for all children, not just emperors, so why not share this story with your little boys and girls!

Read the full story at Unveiling: The Emperor and the Seed

One Percent

2010-09-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

Elliot Mealer was a successful football player at the University of Michigan.

On Christmas Eve 2007, he went for a drive with his father Dave, his girlfriend Hollis, and his brother Brock.
In a tragic twist of fate, his father and girlfriend were killed in a horrific car accident, and his brother was paralized from the waist down.

Brock was told he had a one percent chance of ever walking again.

Almost three years later, after intense physical training at the University of Michigan, Brock found his legs.

And not only that, U of M coach Rich Rodriguez asked him to WALK on the field and lead the Wolverines out for their first game of the 2010 season!

Read more of the story at AnnArbor.com: From 'never' to walking: Brock Mealer will lead Michigan football team onto field Saturday

Puppy Love

2010-08-27T10:43:00.001-07:00

Would you cross a busy highway to try and save another person?

Some say we're too concerned about our own safety, but this little pup put his own life in danger to drag another dog to safety.

Watch the video if you have tissues handy!

Huffington Post: Dog Saves Other Injured Dog Lying On A Highway (VIDEO)

Left walking, came back in a chair

2010-02-24T06:56:00.000-08:00

Life for kids can be tough in the gang infested areas near LA. Sometimes it's hard to get kids to listen, since parents and teachers aren't exactly considered "cool", so the Coachella Valley Gang Task Force decided to try a new approach.

Bringing reformed gang members in to talk with the kids about reality.

Former gang members are visiting local classrooms, sharing their emotional stories in hopes of deterring teens from making bad decisions.

The situation couldn't be more dire, with the increasing violence getting closer to home.

"I see it getting worse," said Carmona. "Now we see kids getting shot in broad daylight in front of their homes."

One of the former gang members Fernando Carmona was shot by a rival gang member when he was only 20. When he was in middle school he walked through the halls of La Quinta Middle School. Now because of the gang violence, he visits those same halls in a wheelchair.

Carmona says he was shot by a rival gang member at age 20. Fourteen years later, and he's volunteering his time to talk to local students, at an age when they can be easily influenced.

Sometimes it takes a person speaking to kids from their own experiences for them to listen. In the case of gang violence it could mean the difference between life or death.

Link: New Approach To Keeping Kids Out of Gangs (Local 2 KPSP)

Dan Jansen

2010-01-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

The 2010 Winter Olympics are coming up, and VISA has started a few inspirational new commercials to help promote it.

This one is enough to melt anyone's heart!

Dan Jansen, a speed skater for USA, promised his sister he would win the gold in 1988.
His sister died before she could see him perform in 1988, and unfortunately he did not win.... that year.

Six years later in 1994 he won the gold and set the world record for 1000 meter speed skating, and took a victory lap with his daughter who he had named after his sister.

Since then Dan Jansen has retired, and he set up the Dan Jansen Foundation to help fight leukemia.

Preggo Stories

2010-01-07T14:08:00.000-08:00

We all love the preggos, but we know that when you're pregnant your emotions can be quite a roller coaster!

A few ladies posted some of their favorite crying or crazy preggo stories on the CafeMom site.

Here are a few samples:

When I was pregnant, I was making my DH super. He wanted fishsticks. So when I was taking them out of the oven, I spilled them all over the floor and BUSTED out crying!

We were at the grocery store, and i wanted ice cream. we went to the dairy aisle. o must have spent 20 minutes trying to decide what flavour to buy. i just couldn't do it. i broke down sobbing, and we went home with 9 tubs of ice cream.

Click Here to read the rest!

Miracle Christmas Baby

2010-01-06T09:43:00.000-08:00

You may have heard about the miracle Christmas baby this past month.

On Christmas Eve, Mike Hermanstorfer was in the hospital with his wife, anxiously awaiting the birth of his newborn son.

He had a little more time and a heart wrenching experience to endure first!

As he held the hand of his wife, her vital signs disappeared.
No heartbeat.
No breathing.
No blood pressure.

Doctors rushed to do an emergency C-Section and get the baby out, only to discover that his newborn was not breathing either.

But then... after holding his lifeless newborn son in his hands, the baby started to breathe.

And then... miraculously his wife's heartbeat and breathing returned.

In only a matter of minutes this man lost his wife and child and was given them back again.

Talk about a Christmas miracle!

MSNBC: Mother, baby revived after 'dying' in labor

Unlikely Companions

2009-12-15T15:00:00.000-08:00

Normally on the internet if you read about a tiger, lion and a bear all in the same place, it's tied to a gruesome fight video or something horrible.

In this case, it's something wonderful!

Eight years ago police raided a drug cartel to find a lion, tiger and bear cub in captivity all together. They were trophies in the eyes of the drug baron.

In the eyes of the zoo keepers that rescued them, they were 3 unlikely companions that somehow had formed a bond during a rough situation.

When the zoo received the two month old little bundles of fur, they decided that it would be for the animals benefit if they were kept together since they had already formed an emotional bond.

Now, eight years later they are fully grown, but still pals out at the Noah's Ark Animal Rescue Center

An amazing story of a few fuzzy creatures sticking together.

Urlesque: Lions And Tigers And Bears, Oh My! They're Roommates
DailyMail.co.uk: Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! The Jungle Book predators who have forged a lifelong friendship

Vote for Hamlet

2009-12-07T14:03:00.000-08:00

Picked this one up in an email from a friend.

There is a Hallmark contest for a special Christmas dog going on right now, and the sappy story below must be the best story of them all!

Vote for Hamlet!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

We have entered our dog Hamlet in the Hallmark Hall of Fame contest for a great Christmas dog. We would be grateful if you could click the link below and vote for Hamlet and pass this on to as many people as you know.

His story is that we had 2 dogs, Taz and Roxy. Taz got very sick and died and Roxy was dying of sadness. John had Beagles when he was a child and he really wanted another Beagle and this was around the time that all the animals were being brought up to Michigan after Hurricane Katrina so we had been looking at many shelters and Humane societies for a Beagle, and...seriously,...totally not kidding....Hamlet came up to our front door on Christmas day and sat in front of our door. We opened the door and he sat there and looked at us, so we talked to him for a bit. He had a collar on but no tags, so we made up flyers and put them up at all local restaurants, grocery stores, vet clinics and gas stations and no one ever called to claim him so he has been with us ever since. In this picture....he just jumped up in the chair by the tree and sat there for the longest time just staring at the tree...it was the cutest thing. We love him and think he is the perfect dog of Christmas!!!

Please vote! Thank you and I hope you have a Christmas miracle of your own!!!

Vote for Hamlet!

Icee the frozen cat

2009-12-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

With the weather chilling our bones, you can imagine the difficult times that befall stray and homeless animals.

Here is a sappy story about a little cat that is brought into an animal shelter, and is nearly frozen solid.
It's up to some very caring volunteers to save her!

From the article:

"Whatcha got there?" ... "A cat, ... I'm not sure if it's still alive."
... pulls the black and white cat, so cold it's rigid, out of the carrier.
The eyes are closed. There's no movement. This is an awful moment for anyone who loves animals.
She steels herself. And then hears the tiniest squeak.

I won't spoil the ending, but I can tell you it's a sappy one! :)

Story here:
Neatorama - Meet Icee: Tale of a Frozen Cat That Will Warm Your Heart
USA Today - Pet Talk: Tale of half-frozen cat named Icee will warm the heart

British Soldier sneaks into Holocaust Concentration Camp

2009-12-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

World War II is full of amazing stories, and this one is no exception.

While imprisoned in a nearby concentration camp, this British soldier Denis Avey snuck into Auschwitz, the infamous Holocaust Concentration camp.

He tried to communicate with the Jewish prisoners there, and even managed to help one of them out.

He was determined to help, especially when he met Jewish prisoner Ernst Lobethall.
Mr Lobethall told him he had a sister Susana who had escaped to England as a child, on the eve of war. Back in his own camp, Mr Avey contacted her via a coded letter to his mother.
He arranged for cigarettes, chocolate and a letter from Susana to be sent to him and smuggled them to his friend. Cigarettes were more valuable than gold in the camp and he hoped he would be able to trade them for favours to ease his plight - and he was right.
Mr Lobethall traded two packs of Players cigarettes in return for getting his shoes resoled. It helped save his life when thousands perished or were murdered on the notorious death marches out of the camps in winter in 1945.

Read the full story:
Neatorama: Sneaking Into Auschwitz
BBC: The man who smuggled himself into Auschwitz

Doggie Paddle to Safety

2009-11-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

I think we'd all like to think we could be heroic in an emergency situation, but if you were stranded in a boat miles from land would you risk your own life for some puppies?

This girl did!

Laura Hughes was sailing near the Greek island of Rhodes when her boat's engine stopped working. She was with her friend John Cochrane, her two dogs and nine newborn puppies.

An experienced sailor, she took the puppies in a basket and swam over 100 meters to shore, saving every one!

Via Neatorama and Telegraph

Good Doggy Makes It Home

2009-11-24T12:38:00.001-08:00

On a mission in Afghanistan, a black labrador "Sabi" was being employed by some Australian soldiers when they encountered a battle situation.

In the scuffle nine soldiers were wounded, and the the dog was nowhere to be found.
After months of searching they officially declared the dog Missing In Action.

You can never count a good dog out though, and over a year later Sabi turned up at a remote base!

More info at Neatorama, and BBC News

Three Year Old Saved by a Stranger

2009-11-24T06:48:00.001-08:00

Last week a man and his young child were getting off the train.
The child exited, but the door quickly closed on the father before he could get out with his son!

A nearby woman watched in horror as the subway train sped away leaving the child on the platform.

This wonderfully kind hearted stranger sat and stayed with the young boy until his father returned.

After hugs and tears the father is reunited, thanks to this Good Samaritan.

Video from BuzzFeed, more details from Katu.com

Kids & Strangers

2009-11-23T13:31:00.000-08:00

It's amazing the mental pictures that kids come up with for things that parents have tried to explain to them.

From BuzzFeed we have an old PSA featuring some young kids talking about what they think a stranger looks like, and how to be safe.

Best Marriage Proposal Ever!

2009-11-20T13:30:00.000-08:00

From Neatorama today, we have a story of a guy who proposes to his girlfriend.

For this extravagant feat, he went and had a custom movie made with a proposal at the end.

Then he rented out a movie theater, filled it with friends and family, and brought her in there for the surprise.

Just watch!

Dogs & Soldiers

2009-11-11T14:05:00.000-08:00

We all love dogs right? At least most of us do!

And we all support the troops, right?
Especially on and around Veteran's Day.

Well it's a little known fact that dogs love soldiers too.

Mental Floss has compiled a list of videos of soldiers coming home and being greeted by their puppies.

Click Here to watch all the videos at Mental Floss

Below is a preview of one of them:

Retirement Wedding Party

2009-11-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

After her groom backed out on her wedding, Teane Harris was unable to get her money back for the reception.

So instead she turned it into a party for the localy retirement community, how sweet is that?

Jilted Bride Turns Wedding Into Party

"It made me feel good," Harris says. "We didn't want anything to go to waste."

Alex's Lemonade Stand

2009-11-08T18:28:00.000-08:00

A young girl named Alex was diagnosed with cancer at age 1. Doctor's doubted she would ever walk. By age 2 she was walking with leg braces.

On her 4th birthday, she told her parents she wanted to start a lemonade stand to raise money to help fight the cancer. In the first year of her lemonade stand she raised $2,000, and she continued to run a lemonade stand for charity every year.

Sadly she passed away at age 8, but not before she raised over 1 million dollars for charity!

Her family is continuing her vision through a charity founded in her name, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.

10 Year Old Girl - Surprised on Halloween

2009-11-06T12:16:00.000-08:00

This one is the sappy story of a young girl who was at school one day, thinking her Daddy was still off in Iraq.

Surprise!

You can just see from the tears in her eyes how much she truly loves him and missed him.

Tricked On Halloween

Notes Left Behind

2009-11-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

Ready for a good cry? Here's one for ya...

A six year old girl named Elena was diagnosed with brain cancer... she passed on in less than a year.

After she was gone, her parents began to find little love notes that she had hidden throughout the house. "I love you Mom & Dad" or a page full of little hearts.

I'm getting teary eyed just typing up this blog!

They are selling the book about her story and the notes, and the profits are going to charity to help fight the cancer that Elena died from:

www.notesleftbehind.com