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 September 18, 2021

Missing someone is never easy. And let's face it, as well-meaning as most advice is, it never seems to resonate in those moments when you're feeling really low. But one recommendation I heard recently really stuck with me. When you're missing someone -- when you wish you could have one last breakfast in bed with them, one last phone conversation, one last hug -- try your best to turn that thought into gratitude. Think about all of the moments you did have together, and how wonderful they were. It doesn't work all the time, but when it does, I've found it really brings a sense of peace, and reminds us that their presence meant so much more than their absence. People leave our lives, often far too soon. But memories never do. 

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Our favorites this week

Get going with some of our most popular good news stories of the week

The ties that bind
It's amazing how near-strangers can somehow become deeply connected to our lives. In 2013, Jacqui Webb spent three weeks at Tufts Medical Center in Boston after suffering life-threatening wounds in the Boston Marathon Bombing. Webb says she was deeply grateful for the caring staff there, and the thought crossed her mind that if she ever had a baby, she would want to be back at the same hospital. Sure enough, in August, Webb returned to the same hospital to deliver her first child. Nichole Casper, one of the nurses, recognized Webb and her fiancé, Paul Norden, on the list of incoming patients. (Norden and his brother, J.P., each lost their right legs in the bombing.) Casper had cared for them in the aftermath of the attack. The nurse made sure she was there to greet the new parents, and they shared a touching reunion. Webb said it was comforting to be treated by someone who knew what she had been through. And for Casper, it was a rare and precious moment to be able to see two people, whom she had helped through the worst moments of their life, find a new happiness. 

MVPs

I'm a huge sports fan, so I always love to see some good groundbreakers and record-makers. We had a trio of them this week: 

Maia Chaka, who made history last Sunday during the Carolina Panthers-New York Jets matchup when she became the first Black woman to officiate an NFL game. 

Carl Nassib (above), a defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders, who became the first openly gay NFL player to feature in a regular season game when he took the field against the Baltimore Ravens. (Oh, and the Raiders won.) 

Diede de Groot, who became the first player to complete the golden slam in wheelchair tennis after winning all four majors and the Paralympic gold medal. She clinched the feat with her US Open final win last weekend. 

Putting her best braids forward
A nice hairstyle can mean so much more than fashion. For kids, it can give them the confidence to take on the challenges of a new school year. That's why Brittany Starks, a single mom in Nashville, Tennessee, started offering free hair braiding services.  Despite knowing plenty of struggles herself, Starks was moved to share her skills with struggling families in her community so their children could go back to school looking their best. Starks didn't think she'd receive a big response, but she was shocked at how many people were in need of such a service. Now, she has braided the hair of more than 35 children, and has enlisted the help of fellow hairstylists. She's also launched a GoFundMe for supplies, and it's smashed her initial goals. "As a single parent who has gone through so much of the same struggles they did, I know what these parents are feeling," Starks said. "And if I can help in any way, even if it's just putting a smile on their faces and easing this burden, I'm going to do it."

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A round of applause for...

Lawrence Brooks, the oldest known living World War II veteran, who just turned 112! Brooks celebrated his birthday with a socially distanced, drive-by celebration at his home in New Orleans. He was honored with a Jeep parade, cake, and performances from the National WWII Museum's "Victory Belles" and other local musicians. Brooks served in the predominantly African American 91st Engineer Battalion, which was stationed in New Guinea and the Philippines during the war.

A bright idea

Photo Credit: CNN

Did you know that Hong Kong's waters have more hard coral species than the Caribbean? But, like all reefs, the coral there is under threat from pollution and urban development. Enter ArchiREEF, a spin-out company from Hong Kong University, which has designed a unique solution:  3D-printed terracotta tiles designed to help the corals grow and restore ocean life. The tiles mimic the natural shape of platygyra, known as brain coral, and act as a "base" for new coral formations. The ArchiREEF team attaches baby coral to the structure, and marine life can hide in the tiles' twisting paths. Groups have used 3D printing to help grow reefs before, but this idea is unique because it uses non-toxic clay, which has a similar chemical makeup to real reefs. 

You gotta see this

Photo credit: Courtesy of Sotheby's

Ooh, fancy! These 17th Century glasses are one of two pair expected to fetch millions on the auction block next month. What makes them so special? Their lenses are made of pure emeralds and diamonds. The pair above, dubbed the "Gate of Paradise," are believed to have been cut from a Colombian emerald weighing over 300 carats. The other pair features diamond lenses believe to be cut from a single  200-carat diamond found in India. The spectacles are a, well, spectacular example of Mughal jewelry craftsmanship (the Mughal Empire once ruled over the Indian subcontinent), and they are purported to help the wearer reach enlightenment and ward off evil. 

Wanna get away?

Photo credit: Courtest WSP

No place does "big" and "spectacular" quite like Dubai. The glittery Emirati city is home to the world's tallest tower, the world's highest restaurant, the world's highest infinity pool, the world's largest fountain show, the world's fastest roller coaster, and the world's largest indoor theme park. Now, yet another record-breaking spectacle is set to open there next month. Ain Dubai, the giant observation wheel, has been in development for six years, and when it opens on October 21, it will be far and away the largest observation wheel in the world. The wheel is roughly 820 feet tall -- twice as tall as the London Eye over the River Thames. It looks so cool! It looks so exciting! It looks like something I would never ever set foot on! But all of you non-acrophobic people have fun and report back. 

Hear, hear!

Whenever I read a poem that moves me, I know I'm not alone in the world.

- Gregory Orr, from NPR's "The Making of Poems."

Who knew?

Bread has a long, fascinating history. Humans first started making the stuff about 10,000 years ago in the form of flatbreads. But it took a few thousand years to figure out how to make dough rise. That type of bread first reached ovens about 6,000 years ago, and it took even longer for people to figure why, exactly, flour and water bubbled up into the delicious, doughy substance. That credit goes to French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur, who discovered the fermentation process in the mid-1800s. 

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