Here’s a selection of 25 short stories recently submitted to our sister site, Makes Me Think, that not only made us think, but made us smile too. We hope they do the same for you. Enjoy.
- Today, my son turned 7 and I turned 23. Yes, I had him on the day I turned 16. The choices I made when I was a teenager were foolish, and sometimes I get worried I’m bringing my son up wrong. But today I took him to the park to celebrate our birthdays. He played for hours with a girl who has burn scars that cover most of her face. When my son took a break to eat, he pointed to her and said, “She’s so pretty and cool!” Which left me thinking, “I must be doing something right as a mom.” MMT
- Today at 1AM, my grandma, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, got up, got into my dad’s car and drove off. We contacted the police. But before the police could find her, two college kids pulled into our driveway with my grandma. One was driving my dad’s car and the other was following in their car. They said they overheard her crying about being lost at an empty gas station 10 miles away. My grandma couldn’t remember our address, but gave the kids her first and last name. They looked her up online, found our address, and drove her home. MMT
- Today, my 8-year-old son hugged me and said, “You are the best mom in the whole entire world!” I smiled and sarcastically replied, “How do you know that? You haven’t met every mom in the whole entire world.” My son squeezed me tighter and said, “Yes I have. You are my world.” MMT
- Today, my dad turned 91. He barely has enough strength to speak. But every time my mom (she’s 84) walks into the room to check on him, he says, “Hello beautiful.” MMT
- Today, when I went to pick-up my daughter from preschool she was sitting on the ground in the corner of the after-care area with 3 blind students. All of them had smiles on their faces. The after-care instructor told me my daughter has been spending time with these 3 students every afternoon this week, answering questions and explaining to them in vivid detail what different objects, people and animals look like. MMT
- Today, when she woke up from a six month coma, she kissed me and said, “Thank you for being here, and telling me those beautiful stories, and never giving up on me… And yes, I will marry you.” MMT
- Today, I found an old hand written note my mom wrote when she was a senior in high school. On it is a list of qualities she hoped she would someday find in a boyfriend. The list is basically an exact description of my dad, who she didn’t meet until she was 27. MMT
- Today is my 18th birthday. Just over 18 years ago a woman was faced with the harsh fact that she had already had 4 miscarriages and 1 stillbirth. As she was pregnant for the 5th time, doctors informed her that her pregnancy was risky. They said there was a good chance either the baby or her wouldn’t make it. She chose to give the baby a chance anyway. My mom and I both made it and are still healthy to this day. MMT
- Today, my grandpa keeps and old, candid photo on his nightstand of my grandma and him laughing together at some party in the 1960’s. My grandma passed away from cancer in 1999 when I was 7. This evening when I was at his house, my grandpa caught me staring at the photo. He walked up, hugged me from behind and said, “Remember, just because something doesn’t last forever, doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth your while.” MMT
- Today, a week after I donated three bags of clothes to a local homeless shelter, I saw a homeless woman sitting on a park bench wearing a tye-dye shirt I made when I was a teenager. I walked by her and said, “I love your shirt!” She smiled and said, “Thank you! I really do too!” MMT
- Today, I sat down with my two daughters, ages 4 and 6, to explain to them that we have to move out of our 4 bedroom house and into a 2 bedroom apartment for awhile until I can find another job that pays well. My daughters looked at each other for a moment and then my youngest daughter turned to me and asked, “Are we all moving into the apartment together?” “Yes,” I replied. “Oh, so no big deal then,” she said. MMT
- Today is the 14th day in a row that my nursing home patient’s grandson has come to visit her. Two weeks ago I told him that the only time I see his grandmother smile all week is when he visits her on Sunday mornings. MMT
- Today, as I pulled into my apartment complex I noticed my neighbor, who’s about 8 months pregnant, struggling with her groceries. I stopped and helped her bring them up the stairs into her apartment. This evening, when I got home from the gym I found a freshly baked apple pie sealed in Tupperware sitting on my doorstep with a note that said, “I used the ingredients you helped me carry to bake this. Enjoy!” MMT
- Today, a man came in to apply at my restaurant. He seemed charismatic, kind, knowledgeable, and friendly. Later, when I went to call him to extend a job offer, I noticed he had written “ask for me” under his number. The number belongs to a homeless shelter. But I’m gonna take a risk and hire him anyways. MMT
- Today, I found out that my mom and dad have been working second jobs at night so they can continue to financially assist my twin sister and I who are both sophomores in college. My dad said, “You two will be the first in our family’s history to receive college diplomas. Two jobs is nothing! I’d work three if I had to to see you two graduate.” MMT
- Today, my 12-year-old son, Sean, and I stopped by the nursing home together for the first time in several months. Usually I come alone see my mother who’s suffering from Alzheimer’s. When we walked into the lobby, the nurse said, “Hi, Sean!” and then buzzed us in. “How does she know your name?” I asked. “Oh, I swing by here on my walk home from school all the time to say hi to Grandma,” Sean said. I had no idea. MMT
- Today, my mom has been blind for 15 years. She lost her vision in the same car accident that took my dad’s life. I am 18 years old now. She has raised me as a single mom since I was 3, without her vision. And yes, she did a heck of a job! MMT
- Today, I met the prettiest woman on a plane. Assuming I wouldn’t see her again after we made our connections, I told her how pretty I thought she was. She gave me the most sincere smile and said, “Nobody has said that to me in 10 years.” It turns out we’re both in our mid-30’s, never married, no kids, and we live about 5 miles away from each other. We have a date set for next Saturday after we return home. MMT
- Today, my mom received the surgery she needed to remove a malignant tumor. My family has been struggling without medical insurance since my dad lost his job last year. My sister and I have been openly discussing my mom’s medical dilemma on Facebook. Last week, a friend of a friend, who’s a veteran cancer treatment surgeon who owns his own practice, saw our comments on Facebook and volunteered to help my mother for free. MMT
- Today, I’m a mother of 2 and a grandmother of 4. At 17 I got pregnant with twins. When my boyfriend and friends found out I wasn’t going to abort them, they turned a cold shoulder to me. But I pressed forward, worked full-time while attending school, graduated high school and college, and met a guy in one of my classes who has loved my children like his own for the last 50 years. MMT
- Today, as I was sleeping, I woke up to my daughter calling my name. I was sleeping in a sofa chair in her hospital room. I opened my eyes to her beautiful smile. My daughter has been in a coma for 98 days. MMT
- Today, on our 10th wedding anniversary, she handed me a suicide note she wrote when she was 22. It was dated the exact day we met each other. And she said, “For all these years I didn’t want you to know how foolish and unstable I was back when we met. But even though you didn’t know, you saved me. Thank you.” MMT
- Today, at 8AM this morning, after four months of lifelessness in her hospital bed, we took my mom off life support. And her heart continued beating on its own. And she continued breathing on her own. Then this evening, when I squeezed her hand three times, she squeezed back three times. MMT
- Today, the homeless man who used to sleep near my condo showed up at my door wearing the business suit I gave him nearly 10 years ago. He said, “I have a home, a job, and a family now. 10 years ago I wore this business suit to all my job interviews. Thank you.” MMT
- Today, when I opened my store at 5AM there was an envelope sitting on the floor by the door. In the envelope was $600 and a note that said, “Five years ago, I broke into your store at night and stole $300 worth of food. I’m sorry. I was desperate. Here’s the money with 100% interest.” Interestingly, I never reported the incident to the cops because I assumed that whoever stole the food really needed it. MMT
And, of course, be sure to check out Makes Me Think for more stories like these.
Photo by: Garry Wilmore
InspiringAlways says
This is what life is all about. Love it. Thank you for sharing.
farouk says
you were right, i am smiling now 🙂
in fact i started smiling after reading the first story 🙂
Saurabh Banerjee says
Just amazing… I enjoyed reading each and every one of them.
INTERNAZIONALE says
All stories are good, but you saved the best for last. The 25th story stands apart.
Me says
What a motivating and inspiring post! Thank You!
Rebecca says
All of these were inspiring. It goes to show us that there is ‘good’ in the world and we don’t always have to focus on what we label ‘bad.’ It’s one of the reasons why I watch very little news. I’m on the internet so I’m still informed.
marc van der Linden says
I definitively choose for story 25!
(although I like many of the other stories too)
🙂
Vincent says
Hi Marc,
I really liked these wonderful stories.
THANK YOU for making me smile this morning.
Galen Pearl says
What great stories. I’m printing this one and keeping it in my files!
Ganesh says
Thank you for reminding me that I am human. 🙂
Ken Wert says
A lump in my throat, a smile on my face and hope in my heart.
Thank you!
Clare says
You’ve made my day. Thank you!
Giles says
Made me smile, but I cried a little also.
Tazz says
Read some of them before (avid reader of MMT) but yes, they made me smile still! Thank you for sharing, you MMT 🙂
Jaky Astik says
Brilliant tiny stories. As always, thank you Marc and Angel.
Marc says
I’m glad you all enjoyed these inspiring anecdotes.
And I hope you all are having a fantastic week!
PS: Remember, in the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take, relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make. So get out there this week and make something amazing happen!
Stephen Guise says
I appreciate you sharing those – they are all interesting and inspiring.
I can’t believe the one about the coma! Wow.
Abby says
Such an inspiring post. I loved it and it brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing.
Tia says
Truly inspiring! Thank you =]
tommy says
Thank you for this inspiration. I’ve been working and floating around in a retail chain store for the past 3 years, and I’ve worked from the ghetto to gated communities. Everywhere I go I am treated like dirt and belittled on a daily basis. Stories like these keep me from being (completely) jaded and help remind me that there are good people out there in the world.
doug_eike says
I particularly like #11. It’s always about the people. Great morning read! Thanks!
Kim Davies says
Wow!
Hi, Marc.
I already forget now where I saw your name. I just remembered that when I did, I rushed right over to this blog and added it to my Reader. But, it took a while for me to get here and I deeply regret not getting here sooner. I bet you have more posts that could touch my heart. This one surely did.
I am going to print this and show this to my family. The stories here are what makes life beautiful despite all its challenges. Every day brings something amazing if we just care to unearth them.
If you don’t mind, I may even mention this post on my upcoming article. This has touched me so much.
Thank you.
The Yoga Effect says
This post is so wonderful. Thanks for the gentle reminders to value and cherish each day with our loved ones. Life is precious and so are those we share it with.
Namaste,
Tyla
Cristian says
I smiled. I cried. Amazing!
Andrea says
Hi Marc
Tears are rolling down my face with these touching stories. I think all of them are beautiful, but if I had to mention two of my favorites, I’d choose 4 and 6.
Thank you for sharing!
Andrea
A Happier Self
Lady says
Just found your website from a friend’s post in Facebook. All stories posted here really, really inspire me. They are all great reminders of what is good in this world. Definitely will come back to your site often. Thank you so much.
Bryce Christiansen says
Where do you find the stories and pointers you share with us generously each week? It’s hard enough for me to come up with one fascinating story, let alone 25.
Excellent work.
Adam says
Aren’t these these just the sweetest stories that you ever did hear? Thanks for the pick-me-up!
John Sherry says
Marc I congratulate you – not just for airing these poignant and moving and inspiring stories, but chiefly for creating a resource site for people to share them in the first place. I managed to read only 6 before I had to stop and go back and re-read them to take the emotion and stunning messages in. They’re that special. But not as special as the people themselves. And I applaud you most for this feature because it proves that the planet is indeed in good hands of good citizens being great humans every single day.
Anastasiya says
Made me cry (in a good way). Thank you.
Ansel:) says
You, guys!
Can I translate this to Spanish and post it to my blog, so all my latin friends can cry as much as I did? Puhleeeease! 😀 (Btw, you rock!)
Michelle L says
Started crying at #3… thank you so much for sharing. It’s nice to read about good people for a change 🙂
Bárbara says
The stories are so simple, and at the same time so incredibly inspiring… I cried with a smile upon my lips. People like this make the world a better place.
Thank you.
Amy says
Reading these stories, I have tears in my eyes and a smile one my face. Thank you for posting them.
Pankaj Patel says
Yes, it made me smile!( with little tears) Thank you!
zaldy says
It was just 25 short paragraphed stories, but each tells of a lifetime filled with hope and love.
Alessandro Echols says
This made me cry. Life is full of many beautiful stories.
Living the Balanced Life says
Thank you for sharing these stories! Each of our lives have awesome and amazing stories, we just may not see them because we are too close. May we all take a deeper look into our own lives each day and find the wonder!
Bernice
I have a swiss cheese brain
trish says
These inspiring stories not only made me smile, they also made me cry. So very touching…
Inna says
I’m bawling right now! But it’s truly wonderful to read these stories.
Aj Banda says
Simple, inspiring stories like these remind me to appreciate the simple things life has to offer us. Usually they are the things that I am too busy to notice… nice collection! 🙂
kamlesh says
Very much inspiring. My thanks to emma taylor for the link.
Good day !
gaurav says
These real life incidents shows that the world is a beautiful place to live on and it becomes even more beautiful with such loving, caring and dedicated people around
Jenna says
Nice article. Inspired me. I am a woman and will only speak for women in my comment here. Women are the reason human race still continues. I hope every woman in this world has good education, good health when she is ready to give birth to a new successor to the human race and a good husband in her life. The human race thus perpetuated should have the compassion, love and caring to understand the sufferings of the unfortunate ones. No matter how progressive science has been over the years we still are mortal.
Its good to make difference in the lives of the unfortunate ones once in while. What goes around comes around.
Vanessa Vee says
This brought tears to my eyes. This was beautiful. From the very first to the very last. I love it. It was truly what I needed today. It put me in a wonderful mood to know that wonderful, amazing people do exist. 🙂
Nitish gupta says
These stories made me cry and feel more happier than before… thank u for posting it… life is too beautiful.
Stephanie says
These stories are wonderful, I could not stop reading them. I love your webpage it is very inspiring and it makes want to keep being a better person.
Sophia says
These stories are amazing. I’ll be smiling all the way back home because of this.
elbalero says
Thank you for these inspiring stories. Wow, each of those stories touched me especially the ones featuring children and young people making great choices.
lhean says
Wow! Very touching stories!