Nice Story Of the Day

[Tennesseer]

CHANCE ENCOUNTERS
He helped her connect with her birth family. They became best friends for life

(CNN) — Linsay DeBates was adopted from South Korea by an American family when she was six months old. She didn't return to the country of her birth for almost two decades.

"I struggled a lot with identity and cultural identity," says DeBates, now 42, of her time growing up in the American Midwest in the 1990s.

In her late teens, DeBates received a letter from her adoption agency: Her birth family was interested in making contact; did she want to connect with them?
DeBates figured hearing from her birth parents might provide her with some answers to the questions she'd agonized over for years. She agreed to contact. Soon, she was writing letters back and forth to South Korea.

A few months later, an opportunity arose for DeBates to travel to Seoul along with a group of South Korean adoptees from across the world, on a government-sponsored trip. She jumped at the chance.

It was 2000, and DeBates was 19. Her adopted parents wanted to come with her, but DeBates wouldn't let them. Returning to South Korea felt like something she had to do alone.

While DeBates enjoyed meeting the other adoptees on what she calls a "crash course into the country" -- she also felt isolated and confused.

"I always had this fantasy of going back to Korea, and I would instantly think I'd be at home, I would belong," she tells CNN Travel. "And as soon as I stepped off that plane in the year 2000, everyone was looking at me -- just like they look at me here."

When the two-week tour came to an end, DeBates met her birth parents for the first time. She'd been under the understanding that they lived in Seoul. In fact, they lived some two hours south, in the city of Daejeon.

"They put my suitcases in their car, put me in their car and we drove two hours down, where I spent 10 days with them, immersed in this new family," says DeBates.

DeBates didn't speak Korean and her family didn't speak much English. There was a lot of emotional trauma to unpack and no real means by which to do it.

"I was very lost," says DeBates.

Fast friends
Needing time alone to process, DeBates started traveling by train to the Seoul suburb of Itaewon, known for its international community.
"I could go there and just kind of feel comfortable," says DeBates.

One evening, walking past Itaewon's bars and restaurants, she heard some American voices echoing down the street.

DeBates looked up, searching for the source of the sound, and spotted a group of young American guys.

"They're just talking about what bar they're going to next," recalls DeBates. "It was so awesome for me to hear people just chattering in English."
Without thinking twice, DeBates bounded up to the group.

"So what bar are we going to?" she said, smiling.

They were a group of American military personnel, stationed in South Korea. A bit taken aback by DeBates boldness, the men nevertheless welcomed her into the fold. Most of them started flirting with DeBates almost instantly.

But one of the group, Doug Gist, then 27, recognized DeBates was in a vulnerable space, and needed friendship above anything else.
"I could understand why she was very, very elated to be able to talk to somebody," Gist tells CNN Travel.

"Immediately, Doug kind of swooped in on me, in a very different way than the other guys were," recalls DeBates.

"Doug kind of had this big brother presence about him and let him everyone know, 'Hey, she's with me.'"

Rest of article here:  He helped her connect with her birth family. They became best friends for life

[Tennesseer]

Woman Finds Out Her Dad Would Buy Seashells And Throw Them On The Beach For Her To Find When He Does The Same For His Grandkids

One of the great joys of having kids is introducing them to the world. Child, this is world, world – child. Is that how it goes? I wouldn’t know. But stories like the one I am bringing you today make us recall how magical life seemed back in the days when we were little.

A grandpa revealed his age-old secret to making the everyday a bit more magical for his children and now grandchildren in a TikTok video captured by his daughter. This will be one tale that the sea cannot take hold of!

A video posted on TikTok shows Mikki’s dad and her two kids, Anastasia (10) and Maxwell (5), walking along a seafront, dunking their toes in the cold, salty water. The children seem to be finding something hidden in the sand.

The little treasures are shells in varying shapes and sizes; however, they’re not necessarily gifts from the sea itself, but a very creative grandparent.

The captions in the video say that her dad would always take them seashell hunting when they were little and only at 32 years old did she find out his secret.

“He went to the souvenir shop to purchase a bag full of beautiful shells and planted them for us to find. And now he does the same for his grandkids,” read the caption.

Mikki recalled her dad making their adventures fantastical and wondered how many more secrets were up his sleeve. She told Bored Panda that as dad was part of the Marines, “growing up was hard on us at times.”

“He was deployed a lot but always tried to make special memories for us when he came back. He would say ‘let’s go on an adventure!'”

She recalled a time when they lived in Southern California, “in the desert and never saw snow.”

“One Christmas he made sleigh prints and deer tracks in the sand, used his combat boots to look like Santa had been there, and blended up some ice to put next to the marks to make it look like snow fell off the sleigh. It was so sweet and even though some may look at it as ‘lying’ it’s nice to look back and see the effort he made into making us happy.”

Mikki told Bored Panda that they “had not been able to visit my dad for a few years due to COVID. I’m a nurse practitioner and have been working through the pandemic.” However, now they’ve been able to enjoy each other’s company once more and the kids absolutely love the beach, especially after this trip.

She brought us closer into their lives and told us about her two children: “Anastasia is a natural artist and just won her school district art show for a sculpture she made! Maxwell is a little jokester and also enjoys coloring/painting. He tells me he loves me a thousand times a day and picks dandelion flowers for his sister and me.”

Mikki was incredibly honest, saying ” I’m a single mom and sometimes I wonder if I’m enough, then I realize how such simple easy things made life so magical.”

So let’s dive a bit deeper into the magical realm of childhood and the importance of parents making it so.

What is magic? How does our understanding of it change over time? Well, to children under the age of 9, literally anything can seem magical, even understanding it as a plausible mechanism rather than make-belief.

When we start learning about how things work, magic turns into physics, chemistry, or trickery of the eye, yet even with that understanding, we can still feel a sense of wonder. A rainbow is still as magical whether we know that it’s the cause of sunlight reflecting in rain droplets or not.

Ashley Jones discussed the benefits of kids believing in magic, stating that experts have shown it to encourage creativity and feelings of empowerment. There are even some benefits of kids believing in magic that carry over into adulthood.

However, it’s not just making children believe in a mythical character like Santa or the Tooth Fairy. It can be much simpler, such as wishing on a star, throwing a penny in a wishing well, or finding glorious seashells on the seashore.

Woman Finds Out Her Dad Would Buy Seashells And Throw Them On The Beach For Her To Find When He Does The Same For His Grandkids

[Opti]

Your first story was nice but sad that her identity of choice is Korean adoptee. 

[Tennesseer]

New nice story of the day.

Retired kindergarten teacher’s former students surprise her on high school graduation day: ‘A teacher’s dream’

This retired kindergarten teacher got the surprise of a lifetime when some former students dropped by.



TikToker Kim Hamilton‘s mother retired from her job as a teacher years ago. But it’s pretty clear the former educator made a huge impact. Students from the teacher’s last graduating class before she retired left her stunned when they came to visit her. This time around, they were graduating again — from high school. It was a full-circle moment.

Retired kindergarten teacher’s former students surprise her on high school graduation day: ‘A teacher’s dream’

[Tennesseer]

May 22, 2022 8:32:02 GMT -5 Opti said:

Your first story was nice but sad that her identity of choice is Korean adoptee. 

If you have time and access to it, give this book a read. I enjoyed reading (and learning from) it.

[toomuchreality]

Jun 11, 2022 11:10:11 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

New nice story of the day.

Retired kindergarten teacher’s former students surprise her on high school graduation day: ‘A teacher’s dream’

This retired kindergarten teacher got the surprise of a lifetime when some former students dropped by.



TikToker Kim Hamilton‘s mother retired from her job as a teacher years ago. But it’s pretty clear the former educator made a huge impact. Students from the teacher’s last graduating class before she retired left her stunned when they came to visit her. This time around, they were graduating again — from high school. It was a full-circle moment.

Retired kindergarten teacher’s former students surprise her on high school graduation day: ‘A teacher’s dream’

There are 2-3 teachers I had in school that I wish I could visit and tell them how much they meant to me and impacted my learning. They were exceptional at their jobs.

[Tennesseer]

Jun 12, 2022 2:37:31 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Jun 11, 2022 11:10:11 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

New nice story of the day.

Retired kindergarten teacher’s former students surprise her on high school graduation day: ‘A teacher’s dream’

This retired kindergarten teacher got the surprise of a lifetime when some former students dropped by.



TikToker Kim Hamilton‘s mother retired from her job as a teacher years ago. But it’s pretty clear the former educator made a huge impact. Students from the teacher’s last graduating class before she retired left her stunned when they came to visit her. This time around, they were graduating again — from high school. It was a full-circle moment.

Retired kindergarten teacher’s former students surprise her on high school graduation day: ‘A teacher’s dream’

There are 2-3 teachers I had in school that I wish I could visit and tell them how much they meant to me and impacted my learning. They were exceptional at their jobs.

Me too.

[Tennesseer]

These clips of orchestras pranking their conductors is solid gold

Sometimes you come across something that makes you smile out of sheer uncontrollable delight. Oftentimes when that feeling takes over, it’s about something small but sweet. These world famous orchestras pranking their conductors on their birthdays is the wholesome dose of serotonin you need right now.

In this short video clip from British classical radio station Classic FM, three separate orchestras prepare like they’re about to play the piece when their conductors—maestros Sir Andrew Davis, Sir Roger Norrington and Lahav Shani—come onto the stage. But what each of the three conductors is expecting is not what the orchestras play, delighting all with surprise renditions of "Happy Birthday." One orchestra, the SWR Sinfonieorchester, got very creative with its birthday serenade, masterfully remixing it with the first movement of Beethoven's Eroica Symphony. It was an incredible mashup, and the 84-year-old Norrington looks truly impressed and moved to a few tears.

Music moves people in a way that not many things can. It connects with a piece of our soul that requires closed eyes to get the full effect. Hearing these professional musicians play their instruments just as beautifully when playing "Happy Birthday" as when they play the classical masters is a delight. The crowds cheered when the orchestras completed their tributes, just as loudly as they would’ve with a masterfully executed symphony.

Life can be hard sometimes and a little levity can lift just about anyone’s spirits. Seeing the audience join in on the birthday fun added to the joyful atmosphere. May all of these conductors enjoy their birthdays, and have many more to come. This was such a sweet moment to be captured on film and shared with others.



These clips of orchestras pranking their conductors is solid gold

[Tennesseer]

Dad Hides Secret Room While His Wife Is Pregnant. 7 Years Later, Daughter Finds The Key

When a husband learned his wife was pregnant with their first child, he started hatching a plan that wouldn't come to fruition for years — but he was willing to be patient and unleash it at just the right time.

He built a hidden room full of secrets in the wall of their unborn daughter's nursery and sealed it back up.

After the little girl was born, she spent years in that bedroom with no clue what hid behind her walls.

About seven years later, the man's daughter asked for some pocket money. So, he instructed her to clean out an empty old window box and she reluctantly agreed. He knew the time had come to reveal his big surprise.

She opened the window box and discovered it wasn't empty at all. In fact, pulled out a collection of strange brass items.

And there, at the very bottom of the window box, the little girl found a tattered treasure map. She looked closer and realized it was a map of their home — leading her towards the secret opening in the bedroom wall.



Dad Hides Secret Room While His Wife Is Pregnant. 7 Years Later, Daughter Finds The Key

[dondub]

Jul 7, 2022 10:57:08 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Dad Hides Secret Room While His Wife Is Pregnant. 7 Years Later, Daughter Finds The Key

When a husband learned his wife was pregnant with their first child, he started hatching a plan that wouldn't come to fruition for years — but he was willing to be patient and unleash it at just the right time.

He built a hidden room full of secrets in the wall of their unborn daughter's nursery and sealed it back up.

After the little girl was born, she spent years in that bedroom with no clue what hid behind her walls.

About seven years later, the man's daughter asked for some pocket money. So, he instructed her to clean out an empty old window box and she reluctantly agreed. He knew the time had come to reveal his big surprise.

She opened the window box and discovered it wasn't empty at all. In fact, pulled out a collection of strange brass items.

And there, at the very bottom of the window box, the little girl found a tattered treasure map. She looked closer and realized it was a map of their home — leading her towards the secret opening in the bedroom wall.



Dad Hides Secret Room While His Wife Is Pregnant. 7 Years Later, Daughter Finds The Key

What a cool idea!

[toomuchreality]

Because orchestras tend to be very structured, having them break into a rendition of Happy Birthday, would be a wonderful surprise! Well done!


I don't think I could keep a hidden room secret for 7 years.
Good job, dad!


Personally, I am not a fan of surprises. But clearly, these were enjoyed by their recipients.
SO GOOD! 😁

[Artemis Windsong]

What a loving idea for this family adventure with their daughter at the center.  (Most) Dad's are heroes.