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Real Life Stories

You’ve got to read it to believe it! These true stories seem almost too good to be true, but we promise that we couldn’t make these up. From love to loss and from survival to unbelieavable coincidences—we’ve got the wildest stories to keep you informed, entertained, and inspired.

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The Importance of Men’s Friendships—and How Poker Could Make Them Stronger

People who make time to hang out with friends have all the luck

Nicest Places in America 2023

Nicest Places in America is a nationwide search for places where people are kind and do amazing things to improve...


Readers Share the Incredible True Stories of Their Hero Pets

We're pawsitive you'll love these stories of courageous animals


Instead of Going to College, I Read These Books

For a woman whose life took another path, a teacher’s reading list taught her everything she needed to know.


“Trash Walker” Anna Sacks Finds Treasure in New York City’s Garbage

New York City's trash is this woman's treasure, and she's using her platform to fight our culture of excess waste.

The Stray Cat Who Brought Home a Stray Cat

People used to say that during the Great Depression, the needy would mark the doors of sympathetic households. I believe...


Meet the Woman Who Turns Chip Bags Into Sleeping Bags for the Homeless

How one environmental justice advocate is helping the most vulnerable while also diverting trash from landfills

I Was Stalked with an Apple AirTag—Here’s What I Wish I’d Known

Tech aimed at making our lives easier is now the perfect stalking tool—and it's terrifying


30 Stories About the Touching Kindness of Strangers That’ll Make You Tear Up

We asked readers for firsthand accounts of compassion. Here are 30 stories on kindness that touched your lives—and our hearts.


18 True Christmas Miracles That Will Restore Your Hope for the Holidays

These true stories prove that a well-timed letter, a handful of pennies, or a single gust of wind can make...


13 Sweet Vintage Letters to Santa—from Almost 100 Years Ago

Sweet, vintage letters to Santa from Texas farm kids recall a simpler, more generous time.

This Man Fulfilled a Child’s Christmas Wish After Finding Her Balloon to Santa

A balloon breaks at just the right moment to bring two faraway families together.


This Expert Skier Survived Two Avalanches After Hitting the Slopes

Caught in a massive avalanche and buried alive under a blanket of snow, Ken Scott knew death was just a...


This Barbecue Restaurant Owner Donates Cars to Those in Need

“He handed me the keys and didn’t ask for anything.”


This Elementary School Teacher Pledges to Donate One Million Books

“I wanted to do something that’s going to stretch my faith, my work ethic, my everything.”

Here’s How a Group of Strangers With the Same Name Started a Virtual Band—And Friendships to L...

Four men with the same name who all love making music? Baltimore Paul had an idea. Wouldn’t it be funny,...


This Man’s Homemade Ice Rink Brought Manton, Michigan Together During a Dark Winter

When the pandemic forced Manton, Michigan to shut down, resident Scott Chittle decided that the community needed a safe place...


When COVID-19 Struck, One Woman Turned Her Horse Ranch Into an Oasis the Community Needed

“I had a vision for the space being therapeutic for whoever the universe sent our way—horses or people.”


Taking in the Community During a Christmas Blizzard, the Quality Inn in Kodak, Tennessee Is the Nice...

When the residents of Eastern Tennessee went to bed on Christmas Eve of 2020 dreaming of a white Christmas, they...


Kindness, Delivered: Restaurant Owner Drives Six Hours to Make Terminally Ill Woman’s Favorite...

A Baltimore restaurant goes above and beyond to make a delicious dish for a special customer.


A Child Lost Her Beloved Baseball Cards in a Wildfire, So a Stranger Stepped Up to the Plate to Help

A longtime baseball card collector seizes the opportunity to do good after a destructive wildfire.


A Deep Sea Diver Went Out on a Routine Job—Then His Air-Supply Cord Snapped 300 Feet Down

It was supposed to be an easy job for a team of men who repair underwater pipelines.


This Veterinarian Helps Pets of Homeless People Out of His Own Pocket

A California veterinarian makes house calls to pet owners who have no place to call home.


Meet the Women Who Catch Python Snakes in the Everglades Every Night

Invasive Burmese pythons are squeezing the life out of the Everglades. An unlikely sisterhood of the swamp is taking...

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Mitch Albom on What It Means to Be a Real Father to a Special Orphan

What is a real father? An orphan in Haiti teaches ­­bestselling author Mitch Albom a wonderful new definition.


The Boot Texan Kitchen in Houston, Texas

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut Houston down, Angeline Latchley and her fiancé found themselves unemployed and bored, like so many...


Manton, Michigan

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the town to shut down, Scott Chittle decided that the community needed a safe place...


The Quality Inn in Kodak, Tennessee

When icy temperatures this past winter froze Kodak, Tennessee, shutting power down and freezing pipes, Sean Patel, owner of the...


Renton, Washington

For most people, a free Christmas cheesecake would be a welcome surprise. But for Diane Dobson of Renton, Washington, it...


Nina and Doug’s House in Austin Hills, Texas

Chelsea Timmons was going through a year of transition: She quit her teaching career to deal with mental health issues...