Three Young Activists & Their Causes
Olivia, Madison, and Xiuhtezcatl are fierce love warriors who are fighting for causes they believe in -- and none of them are older than 13 years of age! Learn about the stories behind these powerful beings who are taking charge and making a difference in the areas of habitat restoration, voting rights, and environmental protection.... posted on Jul 4, 14096 reads

Eating Outside the Box
We love the convenience of a prepackaged meal. But, at what cost? Did you know that in the U.S. alone, packaging materials constitute 32 percent of the municipal solid waste stream? Sadly, school lunches contribute significantly to this problem -- generating between 45 and 90 pounds of Ziploc bags, foil pouches, and other packaging waste each year. That's roughly equivalent to the weight of an ave... posted on Aug 14, 15887 reads

How We Grieve: Learning To Live With Loss
John Updike wrote in his memoir, "Each day, we wake slightly altered, and the person we were yesterday is dead. So why, one could say, be afraid of death, when death comes all the time?" And yet even if we were to somehow make peace with our own mortality, a primal fear rips through whenever we think about losing those we love most dearly -- a fear that metastasizes into all-consuming grief when l... posted on Aug 18, 47488 reads

Look With Your Heart: Lessons From My Grandmother
Mia Tagano visits her 94 year old grandmother -- who now has dementia -- and discovers a whole new, less verbal, way of communicating her love through heart, hands and hugs. To her surprise, when she brings this approach to her grandmother's roommate who has suffered a stroke, it radically transforms their communication and opens up both women profoundly. This heart-warming story shares more...... posted on Jul 29, 0 reads

Elizabeth Gilbert On Big Magic
"Have you ever felt shivers on the back of your neck and goose bumps on your arms when you hear an idea that makes you want to follow it? Or felt as though something is laying a path for you? The sense that I have is that we live in a world that's constantly being swirled and encircled with ideas. Ideas are these non-embodied spirits that want nothing more than to be made manifest. And the only wa... posted on Sep 16, 24241 reads

A Guide To Love, Loss ... and Lucky Socks
As Mark Twain once said,"What is joy without sorrow? What is health without illness? You have to experience each if you are to appreciate the other. There is always going to be suffering. It's how you look at your suffering, how you deal with it, that will define you." With these words in mind, join author Shannon Hayes on her enlightening journey as she copes with a trip to a hospital, a friend's... posted on Sep 7, 18020 reads

Newtown Victim's Dream Becomes A Reality
"It was just in her soul," said Jenny Hubbard, describing her late daughter's love of animals. "She didn't care if it was fuzzy or slimy." Six-year-old Catherine Violet Hubbard was sadly one of 20 first-graders killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Before she died, young Catherine worked tirelessly towards her dream - a dream of one day opening her own animal refuge. At first,... posted on Sep 9, 16930 reads

Dad Invents Bionic Pancreas For Diabetic Son
Inspired by his son David's experience living and managing Type 1 diabetes, Ed Damiano, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Boston University, has invented a bionic pancreas that helps people with Type 1 diabetes manage their blood sugar. Read more to hear how the power of a parent's love has the potential to change the lives of millions of people living with diabetes.... posted on Oct 31, 5872 reads

The Giving Keys
When singer-songwriter and actress Caitlin Crosby got on stage with her hotel key conveniently draped on a makeshift chain around her neck, she had no idea that this would eventually open a door and lead to "The Giving Keys". This organization unlocks human potential through a circle of passed-on keys inscribed with inspiring words like "courage", "trust", and "love". Both givers and recipients o... posted on Nov 30, 19538 reads

Why a Culture of Compassion Matters
"What is companionate love?" To Sigal Barsade, a Wharton School management professor, it is when workers "who are together day in and day out, ask and care about each other's work and even non-work issues...They are careful of each other's feelings. They show compassion when things don't go well." Not surprisingly, Barsade and a colleague found that this important aspect of one's workplace ultimat... posted on Dec 2, 22466 reads

The Healing Power Of Joy
Laughter is a natural medicine - it lifts our spirits and makes us feel happy. Laughter is contagious. It brings people together and helps us feel more alive and empowered. Laughter therapy aims to use the natural physiological process of laughter to help relieve physical or emotional stresses or discomfort. There are over 70 organizations committed to the healing power of laughter around the worl... posted on Nov 4, 3892 reads

Finding Those Three Magical Words
How easy is it to "love your neighbor" when your intoxicated neighbor wakes you up in the middle of the night and insults you? For people dedicated to the path of nonviolence, like Arun Dada and his wife Mira Ba, it's not only the right thing to do, it's the only thing you can do. Instead of getting angry, they chose to try and transform the relationship through compassion. And in doing so they i... posted on Nov 27, 36732 reads

How One Woman's Love Is Transforming Delhi's Brothels
G.B. Road houses a total of 77 brothels. Home to 4,000 women, and 1,500 children, it is the largest red light district in Delhi, India. An area no woman would go voluntarily. Or so you'd think. But a few years ago, Gitanjali Babbar walked right in. She quite literally knocked on the brothel doors, walked up the narrow staircases, and talked to the people there -- sipped tea with the brothel owners... posted on Dec 12, 42638 reads

The Deaf & Blind Artist Who Never Gave Up
The story of Emilie Gossiaux, a native of New Orleans who now lives and works in New York City, is nothing short of extraordinary. At the age of 5, Gossiaux began to suffer from an untreatable disorder that caused her to start losing her hearing. Years later, in yet another cruel twist of fate, Gossiaux was in an accident that left her blind. Remarkably, she continued to follow her love of art and... posted on Feb 24, 19085 reads

Just One Thing: Be Amazed
Sometimes noticing the little things make us realize how truly amazing life can be. Showing love, being forgiving and taking time to be awed by things we take for granted, like the beauty of a butterfly or the power of a hug, can be powerful reminders to be grateful. Read further to be reminded of how beautiful life can be.... posted on Jan 13, 25871 reads

The Forgiveness Of Unforgivable Acts
As a child, Sujatha Baliga experienced repeated abuse at the hands of her own father. The deep pain and trauma of her experience would spur her towards victim advocacy. She enrolled in law school determined to become a prosecutor and help punish the perpetrators of such crimes. But a personal crisis in India followed by a serendipitous sit-down with the Dalai Lama himself, changed everything. "Ho... posted on Jan 27, 45053 reads

It Is Now That My Life Is Mine
Imagine beginning a practice of gratitude that would someday help transform another's world. In 2008, and in the midst of her own personal challenge, Hailey Bartholomew did just that -- snapping one photo each day of something she was grateful for. This simple act led to the creation of 365.com -- a site which would soon inspire thousands. Among them, a young mother named Amy Gill - who, in the mi... posted on Feb 14, 5708 reads

The Gift Of Invisible Kindness
With a deep recognition of the legacy of kindness her parents passed on to her, Audrey Lin has made a life out of creating and sharing her own random acts of love and generosity. It is an approach that she says creates, "some giddiness in my heart." Read more on Audrey and her ongoing journey, including stories about a meaningful conversation with a homeless man, a three-day walking pilgrimage, an... posted on Feb 17, 21402 reads

My Father's Gift
'Gift' is a short film that conveys a profound message on the importance of giving, and the true value of wealth. It illustrates how we touch others when we selflessly give of our time, love and kindness. 'Gift' is about a boy who grew up believing that his father was poor, unintelligent and unsuccessful. After his father's death however, the son discovers the true reach of his parent's generosit... posted on Mar 21, 6813 reads

Why We Love Music
What is our fascination with music? And, why is it that it sometimes invokes such a deeply emotional response? Scientists have been pondering this question for years, and now -- with fMRI technology they are able to visualize the brain's musical connection. "Music affects deep emotional centers in the brain," shares neuroscientist, Valorie Salimpoor. "It's very powerful." How powerful? In one stu... posted on Mar 6, 30805 reads

The Girl Who Gets Gifts From Birds
"Lots of people love the birds in their garden, but it's rare for that affection to be reciprocated. One young girl in Seattle is luckier than most. She feeds the crows in her garden - and they bring her gifts in return." Read on for more about 8-year old Gabi, her generosity toward her winged friends, and their sweet relationship!... posted on Mar 22, 26589 reads

Black Madonna: A Song of Forgiveness
"In 1981, two white supremacists brutally murdered an eighteen-year-old black boy in Mobile, Alabama. During the trial, there was an astounding moment: one of the men expressed true sorrow for what he had done. Everyone took a breath. And the boy's mother, Beulah Mae Donald, forgave him." The ability of human beings to love, even those who have deeply wronged us, is a recurring source of amazement... posted on Mar 26, 18660 reads

What Makes A Great Workplace?
How many of us truly love our jobs? With longer work hours, and less opportunity for creativity and personal advancement - it's no wonder so many of us dread that Monday morning return to work. But, what alternatives do we have? It turns out - there are plenty. In his new book, The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace psychologist Ron Friedman explores the... posted on Apr 21, 193160 reads

Stitches of Hope
"Kay Eva was travelling through rural Cambodia on the day she realized her life calling. She was with a group handing out supplies to those in need when they approached a devastatingly poor family living under sheets of tin." What she learned that day changed her life and the lives of several Cambodians whom Eva's non-profit Stitches Of Hope serves. In this article, the author describes Eva's fe... posted on May 17, 16150 reads

19 Uplifting Photos That Capture The Human Spirit
There are certain images which instantly bring a smile to all who see them. They are uplifting, heart-filling reminders of goodness, of love, of hope. Like this series of images that shows everything from a young blind woman experiencing 'horse' for the first time, to the everlasting bonds of sisterhood. Take a moment to enjoy these 19 special photographs here.... posted on Jul 13, 140640 reads

Saying Farewell To A Family Pet
There are many in life who walk beside us. Be they human or animal, we are touched by those beings who accompany us through the unfolding mystery of space and time. And even knowing that the spiral of life moves ever onward, from birth to death and round again, how, when the time comes, do we say goodbye to those we love? Shannon Hayes shares the story of Spriggan, and of holding sadness, joy, and... posted on Jul 23, 20773 reads

Martin Luther King on the 6 Pillars of Non-Violent Resistance
Non-violence is a term one often hears next to names like Martin Luther King and Gandhi. It may bring to mind boycotts and "passive"forms of resistance -- but when one digs deeper into the writings of Martin Luther King, we find so much more underlies the spirit and loving force of non-violence. Maria Popova of Brainpickings walks through six tenets of non-violent resistance, as outlined by Martin... posted on Jul 20, 22614 reads

The Art Pioneer Once Expelled for 'Doodling'
Adarsh Alphons rose to success from relative obscurity. After 'doodling' got him kicked out of one school,his diehard love of art soon led him to the chance of a lifetime: an opportunity to present his work to Nelson Mandela. It's no wonder then, that Adarsh has dedicated his life to giving other kids a chance to discover themselves and transform their world through art.... posted on Jul 17, 5151 reads

The Importance of Swapping Screen Time For Sunshine
In How to Raise a Wild Child, Dr. Scott D. Sampson asserts that topophilia, a love of place, is the key to restoring sustainability on our planet. As chief curator at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and host of the PBS KIDS television series Dinosaur Train, he argues that the current disconnect between kids and the natural world is a threat to their physical, mental, and emotional health. ... posted on Sep 3, 17575 reads

Love at First Sight: K9s Online
12,000 animals come through the doors of the Humane Society of Utah every year, all of which are in need of a new and loving home. Help has come in the form of an unlikely team member, a photographer who is working wonders at uniting man and his best friend. Guinnevere Shuster's "photo booth" style portraits do a much better job of capturing the personalities of the dogs than standard snapshots, r... posted on Aug 13, 4449 reads

Why Gifts Must Keep Moving
Physics tells us that energy can neither by created nor destroyed. Our hearts tell us the same is true of the love and intentionality that propels a gift from one human being to another. Here, Wayne Muller shares the story of Robert Montoya, and the many gifts that grew into a school in Mexico.... posted on Sep 19, 10971 reads

Icelanders Open Their Homes to Refugees
After the Iceland government announced that it would accept just 50 Syrian refugees, Icelandic author Bryndis Bjorgvinsdottir launched a Facebook campaign spurring 12,000 people -- 4% of the Icelandic population -- to pledge to welcome Syrian refugees into their homes. Bryndis shares, "Refugees are our future spouses, best friends, our next soul mate, the drummer in our children's band, our next c... posted on Sep 20, 11508 reads

What Women Can Teach Us About Compassion
It is said "[t]he road itself has power ... that suffering itself can have an inner door ... that there is a resilience even in the midst of it." In this conversation with Gitanjali Babbar, we get glimpses of the power of resilience -- both Babbar's, as well as the thousands of women and children whose lives she touches, and that touch hers. Babbar started a nonprofit named "Kat Katha" or "Puppe... posted on Dec 23, 9283 reads

Vegetable Seller to Reputed Oncologist
Dr. Vijayalakshmi Deshmane is one of India's most reputed oncologists who dedicates her life to service through medicine. But, when she was just a child, born into a "backward caste" and a socio-economically disadvantaged family living in the slums of India, with little access to food and basic amenities, leave alone educational opportunities, it was not obvious she would have such an illustrious... posted on Oct 3, 6383 reads

The Secrets to a Happy Life
What is the secret to a happy life? Ask anyone you know, and each will provide a different and widely varying response. In 1938, 268 men volunteered for a intriguing study conducted by Harvard University -- one in which their personal happiness might be measured throughout the years. Though no single study could ever predict the outcome of a man's life, there were some interesting revelations. Two... posted on Oct 25, 30352 reads

Desert Solitaire: A Love Letter to Solitude
In the late 1950s, Edward Abbey became a seasonal park ranger at Arches National Monument in Utah's Moab desert. Between April and September, between the canyons and the pages of his journal, he found a great many of the things we spend our lives looking for. His book maps the maze of the interior landscape as he wanders the expanse of the exterior.... posted on Nov 25, 11680 reads

Six Pillars of the Wholehearted Life
In what has been named as one of the best commencement speeches of all time, Parker Palmer, author, educator, and founder of the Center for Courage and Renewal, shares six pillars of a wholehearted life. The first, be reckless in matters of the heart: "Fall madly in love with life. Be passionate about some part of the natural and/or human worlds and take risks on its behalf, no matter how vulnerab... posted on Nov 3, 60515 reads

BJ Miller: What Really Matters at the End of Life
"At the end of our lives, what do we most wish for? For many, it's simply comfort, respect, love. BJ Miller is a palliative care physician at Zen Hospice Project who thinks deeply about how to create a dignified, graceful end of life for his patients. Take the time to savor this moving talk, which asks big questions about how we think on death and honor life."... posted on Nov 16, 70131 reads

One Man's Journey Back from the Brink
In late 2012, Brice Royer was lying on a bed in terrible pain. He had been diagnosed with stomach cancer -- and, in unbearable pain, was contemplating taking his own life. But something kept him going, long enough to find a purpose within his suffering. From the ashes of hardship, he realized the blessing of unconditional love. Read on to be inspired by one man's miraculous journey.... posted on Nov 15, 7724 reads

Choosing Suffering Over Safety
"Can you walk, sweetheart?" I say these words to our dog Stella who is dying. Its time for breakfast and if she walks from our bed to the kitchen, maybe that will be a sign. Maybe she will be alright. So I ask her again, Can you walk? As I ask, I remember eleven years of sleeping twisted like a pretzel so the dog could get a good nights sleep. I remember mornings, how she rose at dawn and stomped ... posted on Nov 23, 15635 reads

Debt As A Relationship Based On Love
For all that debt contains and constrains us, debts worth having are all around when we care to look for them. The debts that are worth having are those that allow us to be more fully ourselves, that we honor with our freedom rather than our servitude. This article presents a revolutionary way of looking at debt and provides a vision for a more compassionate and relationship-based debt system.... posted on Dec 7, 9062 reads

How to Move Beyond Pain
We will all feel pain in one form or another many times throughout our lifetimes, whether it be the heartbreak of lost love, or perhaps some sort of perceived humiliation at the workplace. And while the pain may be real and lasting, there are fundamental actions we can each take to help bring about healing. The following article offers three crucial steps that can help facilitate someone to "move ... posted on Dec 26, 17991 reads

Shelagh Was Here: An Ordinary, Magical Life
"Shelagh Gordon was another name in the obituaries, an ordinary woman who had died suddenly." Or was she? Here's what her passing revealed about Gordon: "Her relationships were as rich as the chocolate pudding pie she'd whip together...She was both alone and crowded by love...She was the interpreter, she made sure everybody understood each other's feelings...You could put your heart on the table ... posted on Jan 18, 110901 reads

The Pollination Project: The Power of Small & Philanthropy
The Pollination Project has a unique approach to philanthropy. It grants small donations of up to $1000 each day, to causes spanning all geographies, all unmet needs, and all issues. The common element for each grantee is that their work spread compassion. Founder Ari Nessel defines compassion, "being this ability to see yourself in others, and others in yourself. Wanting to reduce our collective ... posted on Jan 31, 11016 reads

The Quest for Control Over Our Own Lives
"The basic nature of life is that it is ever-changing, uncontrollable. When we think we have stability in life, something comes up to remind us that no, we don't. There is no stability, no matter how much we'd like it. And this kinda freaks us out. We don't like this feeling of instability, of loss of control. So we do things to cope, out of love for ourselves. These are strategies for control, se... posted on Mar 10, 15771 reads

To the Child Who Gets My Little Brother's Heart
On March 2, 2016, Jason Longhurst's 11-year-old brother Eric was hit by a truck while crossing the street. The trauma knocked him unconscious, the damage to his brain quickly stopped his breathing, and it was soon clear that Eric wouldn't survive. Eric's family decided to do that which Eric would have wanted -- donate a part of himself to help others. And what part of him would be Eric's greatest... posted on Apr 1, 10363 reads

Generosity: The Most Powerful Animating Force of Art
Annie Dillard notes, "People love pretty much the same things best. A writer, though, looking for subjects asks not after what he loves best, but what he alone loves at all...Why do you never find anything written about that idiosyncratic thought you advert to, about your fascination with something no one else understands? Because it is up to you. There is something you find interesting, for a rea... posted on Apr 15, 13089 reads

Living Reverence: There is a Spark in Everything
In a world that has been relentlessly primed to favor the myths of independence and certainty over the truths of interconnection and mystery, the practice of reverence can seem foolish and unfashionable. But no one exists independent of all others. And the vast complex of our knowledge, though impressive, is erected on the shores of an ocean of unknowns. Reverence is a glad acknowledgement of thes... posted on Apr 23, 18193 reads

The Disease of Being Busy
How did we get so busy that we no longer have time for each other? What happened to a world in which we can sit with the people we love so much and have slow conversations about the state of our heart and soul, conversations that slowly unfold, conversations with pregnant pauses and silences that we are in no rush to fill?... posted on Jul 17, 37897 reads

5 Life Lessons from My Specially-Abled Son
Global tech executive VR Ferose has been celebrated for his considerable accomplishments in the business world. The guiding inspiration and motivating force in his life? His five-year-old son Vivaan who was diagnosed a few years ago with autism. "My journey as a parent of a specially-abled son has been one of extreme emotions -- from disappointment to hope; from pain to joy; from love to anguish -... posted on May 2, 15319 reads