May 8, 2021 Mother's Day is tricky. If you're a mother or have a mother figure in your life, you know it's nearly impossible to distill the full importance of motherhood down to one day. Flowers and gifts are great. Brunch is fun. But the most meaningful celebrations of motherhood can't be planned. They're found in between those everyday moments, during an impromptu phone call that lasts for hours, an exhausted evening with a new baby, or that first big hug after months spent apart. You can only hear "Happy Mother’s Day" one day a year, but "Mom, I love you" hits home every time. If there's something you'd like to see here, send us an email. Know someone who could use a little Good Stuff? Send them a copy! We hope you love it as much as we do. Our favorites this week Get going with some of our most popular good news stories of the week Surprise delivery Made by hand
A well-earned retirement Raise a glass to... Sapir Berman, an Israeli soccer referee who made sports history when she officiated at a soccer match in Israel's Premier League for the first time since coming out as transgender. "This is the first step in a long and wonderful journey. Sapir, we are proud to do it with you," the Israel Football Association tweeted as she took the field. At 26, Berman is already a top referee in Israel's leading soccer league, and says she's gotten support from players, reporters and fans. Outside the stadium in the northern city of Haifa, one fan carried a banner that hailed Berman as a "super woman, incredible, brave." Berman is not the only transgender referee in the soccer world. A British soccer referee, Lucy Clark, came out as transgender in 2018. Heroes among us Being a teenager is tough, especially if you're facing other hardships in your life. Sometimes, the best way to work through it is to, well, write. CNN Hero Keren Taylor started WriteGirl, a creative writing and mentoring program for teenagers, to empower girls through creativity and expression. Since its inception in 2001, WriteGirl has grown to include all genders, and offers academic mentoring as well as opportunities for young people to explore special interests like journalism and public speaking. Earlier this year, WriteGirl graduate Amanda Gorman delivered her poem, "The Hill We Climb," at the inauguration of President Joe Biden. A group of WriteGirl volunteers, staff, and mentors gathered for a virtual watch party to support Gorman when she took center stage. "We are always encouraging our girls to share their own story," Taylor said. "What was really exciting to know was that she represents not only every girl that's ever been in WriteGirl, but she also represents every young woman in this country." Wanna get away? After more than a year of being moored by the pandemic, it’s time to start dreaming about travel again. But don’t be ashamed if your thoughts and plans drift toward some repeat destination rather than a new, far-flung adventure. Sociologist Karen Stein says, because everything is all out of whack right now, we may want to relive the comfort of familiar places that we enjoyed before the pandemic. For me, that’s Key West. I’ve taken in this exact view from Mallory Square more times than I can count -- as a little girl snuggled between my parents, as a lost twentysomething looking for meaning, as a newlywed in a crumpled gown, sharing a midnight slice of coconut pie with my new husband as we laughed and swung our feet over the water. The profound peace it brings never changes. Hear, hear! There's no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one. Who knew? When you wish upon a star … do you ever wonder why? There is evidence of cultures looking to the stars for answers dating back millennia, according to Nicholas Campion, a professor in cosmology and culture at the University of Wales. The ancient Egyptians believed that your soul ascended to the stars when you died, and that when your soul reached the stars, you gained absolute wisdom. The Greeks, Babylonians, and generations of astronomers across the world also found a deep connection to cosmic bodies. Then, along came Christianity, cementing stars as an important piece of religious symbolism. Add in all kinds of wishful star-related songs and stories through the ages (thanks, Disney), and it’s no wonder that, thousands of years after our ancestors first looked up to the sky and wondered, we’re still doing the very same thing. Tell us something good When nine-year-old Noa was given a school assignment on Amelia Earhart, she decided there was someone else she’d rather spend time getting to know. Bessie Coleman was the first African-American woman (and the first Native American woman) to ever hold a pilot license, and while Earhart is great, Noa saw something special in Coleman: herself. Determined to learn more about this fascinating historical figure, Noa and her mother contacted the National Aviation Hall of Fame, where Coleman is honored. Amy Spowart, NAHF President and CEO, helped provide Noa with information to ace her project. Spowart said when she saw Noa dressed like her hero, proudly sharing her love of science and aviation, it was like seeing the future. “This is it,” Spowart said. “This is the whole reason the National Aviation Hall of Fame exists. How lucky are we to get to inspire the next generation of aviation greats?”
Thank you to Greg P. for recommending this story! Are there people in your community doing great things who deserve a shoutout? Drop us a line with a photo and a short description and they could be featured here. Rec of the week
Brought to you by CNN Underscored 24 products we tested in April (and totally loved) We try dozens of products each week, and it would be selfish for us to keep all the best items to ourselves. So to help you out, we've curated a list of our favorite products we tested last month. Shameless animal video
There's always time for cute animal videos. That time is now. The Cincinnati Zoo recently welcomed a new baby wallaby, and they absolutely nailed the name: Zip! The zoo's Facebook page has some cute video, and below you'll find his sibling, Pocket (another incredible wallaby name), peeking out of their mom Ava's pouch last year. Thank you, Clare S., for this great news! (Click here to view) A newsletter for the good in life
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