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10 things from this week that’ll warm your heart and bring a smile to your face

Though the holiday festivities from last weekend have waned, there’s plenty to enjoy as we head into the peak of the summer season. Here are ten of the best things we’ve seen this week that are sure to bring joy to your heart and a smile to your face.

1. British footballer Mason Mount gives a superfan his jersey—and her face is everything.

Though “football” (err, soccer) is not quite as big a deal on this side of the pond, England’s winning streak has U.K. fans jumping for joy. And this young fan, Belle, got the surprise of a lifetime when England’s Mason Mount walked into the stands and handed her a jersey. That face screams pure joy.

2. Is there anything cuter than a baby saying “Mama” in his sleep? No, there is not.

Sometimes joy comes in big, celebratory packages and sometimes it comes in tiny, sweet ones. Watch this wee one talking in his sleep about his favorite person in the whole world. Babies are seriously the best.

3. Recovered addict offers to pay for woman’s rehab after she stole his dog.

Image by style81 from Pixabay

After Brayden Morton’s Shar-pei Darla was stolen from his yard, he posted a plea to help find her on Facebook, with a reward of $5000. Ultimately, a woman called weeping, admitting to taking the dog. When Morton met with her, he recognized immediately that she was a drug addict. Morton himself has been in recovery for six years and works as a Drug and Alcohol Interventionist, so he gave her a hug and offered to help her into rehab.

Read the fortuitous story here.

4. 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde became the first African-American champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Zaila Avant-garde is a wonder. Not only is she the first African-American to win the national spelling bee title in its 96-year history, and the first student from Louisiana to take home that crown, but she also holds three Guiness World Records for the most basketballs dribbled simultaneously, the most basketballs bounces, and the most bounce juggles in one minute. Watch out, world. This girl is going places.

5. Minnesota is putting an end to lunch debt shaming, and we are here for it.

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

No student should ever be made to feel bad that their family is struggling to afford food, and they certainly shouldn’t be shamed for something they have no control over. Yet in some places, kids with school lunch debt are given jelly sandwiches instead of a hot lunch, some are given a stamp on their hand that says “I need lunch money,” and some even have their lunches thrown away in front of everyone. Absoluetly appalling. Minnesota is ending allllll of that, with the state education commissioner saying, “Our lunchrooms are an extension of the classroom and set students up for academic success.” Read the story here.

6. 12-year-old Mi’kmaw boy walks 200km (124.2 miles) and raises more than $40,000 in response to residential school tragedies

With the discovery of hundreds upon hundreds of Indigenous children buried in unmarked graves at Canadian residential schools has come a great deal of pain and trauma. Landyn Toney, a Mi’kmaw boy whose great grandmother spent her childhood at a residential school, decided to channel his anger over that history into something positive. “I’m not the kind of person that just wants to let my anger go,” he told CBC News after five days of walking. “I wanted to show my anger by doing something good.” He held a 200-kilometer fundraising walk to raise money for Indigenous causes.

7. When the pandemic canceled graduation, this teacher brought the stage to every graduating senior to walk.

Dedicated educators are a gift to the world, and this Canadian P.E. teacher is clearly dedicated. Not only did he create a portable graduation stage, but he personally drove it around to each graduating senior’s house and had their families present their diplomas as they walked the stage. Love seeing such creative and innovative solutions to pandemic limitations.

8. The doggy-dancing duet that never gets old.

It’s not a new video, but it also never gets old. Buddy Mercury playing the piano and singing (seriously, what the heck) and his little friend dancing along is the epitome of awesome. The simultaneous tail wag and butt wiggle really put the cherry on top of this delight sundae.

9. Kiddo putting his “personal best” fishing catch back in the water with such a sweet heart.

Somebody please give this kid his own nature show. The way he’s so proud and awed by her, and then how gently he puts her back in the water. “She’s so big and beautiful…” Gracious, it doesn’t get any sweeter.

10. Finally, here’s a triple dose of seratonin to push you through the weekend.

“Dogs and cats living together—mass hysteria!” Or maybe it’s just exactly the world we all want to live in. It’s not possible to not love these clips of kitty-puppy love.

Have a great weekend, everyone!