Hope & Faith

One woman found a unique and sweet way to include her newborn as she accepted her college diploma from a Michigan school. 

Graduating from college is a huge life accomplishment. It’s a moment that deserves to be recognized and celebrated. Earning a college degree requires hard work, dedication and long and painstaking hours of concentrated study. 

Being a dedicated and loving mother is also something to be recognized and applauded. Grace Szymchack, a recent Ferris State University graduate, is both - a college graduate and a loving mother -  and she included her newborn child in her graduation ceremony.

Grace, while wearing the classic cap and gown, silently and patiently stands in line, waiting for her name to be called during her college graduation. It’s a monumental, life-changing moment for sure. 

However, as the clip posted on YouTube shows, there is something unusual about Grace’s outfit. It appears that a tiny little hand is poking out from her blouse, and that’s exactly what it is!

Grace has tucked her newborn daughter into her gown. 

As the video points out, Grace was originally scheduled to give birth to Annabelle three days after graduating from college. It was always going to be close. But as any parent knows, nothing with children is predictable. Annabelle arrived earlier than expected.

“I was hoping to make it until after graduation,” Grace said. “But my doctors had made it sound like they thought she would come a little early.”

Despite Annabelle’s earlier-than-expected entrance into the world, Grace was thrilled to be able to share that special moment with her newborn bundle of joy.

“It felt nice to have her by my side and to have her there with me,” Grace said.

That’s a special moment that Grace and her daughter Annabelle will likely cherish for the rest of their lives. Who else can say that they went through a college graduation before they could even walk or talk? 

Psalm 127:3 “See, children are a heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”

It was tears, smiles and hugs when a man who went into cardiac arrest and the two nurses who saved his life reunited following the scary episode.

Life is the most precious, valuable and delicate item on the face of the Earth. As such, it must be cherished and protected in every way imaginable. Loved ones can be here one moment and gone the next. No one is promised tomorrow.

Tim Wright, an Iowa man who went into cardiac arrest, is all too familiar with the precious nature of life. He nearly died after enjoying a meal with his girlfriend at a restaurant and likely would have if not for two people being in the right place at the right time.

“Finishing up the meal and getting ready to go, and all of a sudden, I just kind of felt warm and dizzy,” Tim said. 

Tim’s girlfriend, Jayda Hollander, immediately spotted Tim acting peculiarly and screamed for someone to help her. Luckily, God had placed two women, who are both nurses, in the restaurant. They had entered only moments before Tim’s health emergency.

Amber Burke and Wendy Rockey immediately sprang into action, performing CPR, switching off as the two women worked furiously to save Tim’s life. 

They continued to work on Tim until an ambulance arrived. 

The clip adds doctors stated Tim would have not survived if not for Amber and Wendy’s quick-thinking and lifesaving maneuvers.

The two women wiped tears from their eyes as they hugged Tim, the man who likely would have died if not for them being in the right place at the right time.

“Very happy that we were there and very happy that it turned out this way,” Wendy said.

Praise God for making sure that Wendy and Amber were where they needed to be at the precise moment.

Jeremiah 17:14 “Make me well, O Lord, and I will be well; be my savior, and I will be safe: for you are my hope.”

A young woman who was diagnosed with, battled and beat cancer was gifted a trip to the most magical place on earth, Walt Disney World.

Cancer, in every single form, is a horrible, awful disease that only hurts and destroys. Families have been ripped apart by cancer. So whenever someone beats that life-threatening illness, it is a cause for celebration and a reason for joy.

Jessica Love, a 6-year-old, was diagnosed with Leukemia in August 2020. Hearing the word “cancer” from a trusted medical professional is a frightening and life-changing experience. But for a parent to hear that their child has been diagnosed with cancer has to be especially gut-wrenching.

Jessica’s mother, Laura Smith, explained what it was like knowing her daughter had cancer but feeling powerless to do anything about it.

“As a parent, where you want to protect and cure all the ‘owies’ and do all the things for your kiddos, and not being able to do that is really hard,” Laura said, fighting back tears. 

Nearly two years after she was diagnosed, Jessica was cancer-free. Praise God!

After beating that horrible disease, Jessica was taken to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, to hang out with Mickey, Minnie and all their pals.

Laura stated it was the perfect trip and a fitting ending to the scary ordeal.

But Jessica’s time at the parks in Florida was not the only magical thing that happened on the trip. On their flight back home, Jessica received a special message from a member of the flight crew.

“We have a very, very special guest on board here today that we wanted to recognize,” a flight attendant announced to the plane. “She, are y’all ready for this – has just beaten cancer. From all of your crew at Southwest, and I’m sure all of your fellow passengers, we want to welcome you home. We want to wish you a very healthy, happy, prosperous and long life ahead.”

3 John 1:2 “My loved one, it is my prayer that you may do well in all things, and be healthy in body, even as your soul does well.”

Open Air Street Preaching and Evangelism. Please Like, Comment, Subscribe.

My images tells me that whatever we are going through, God has us in the palms of his hands. He has the Whole World 🌎 in his 🙌

Doctors predicted that one young man would not survive following a handful of brain surgeries as a high school student, and now he is a college graduate.

Anyone who says life is fair has no idea what they are talking about because they are incredibly wrong. Every day, people, sadly, have their lives turned upside down in one way or another. It may be the unexpected death of a loved one or receiving a frightening and debilitating medical diagnosis. 

Blake Cox knows what it means to have your life upended and changed dramatically. When he was a senior in high school, he started experiencing massive headaches and blurry vision. He was then diagnosed with Arteriovenous fistula, according to the video posted on YouTube.

The condition is described as having abnormal connections between arteries and veins. As a result of the diagnosis, the 17-year-old underwent several brain surgeries. At one point, the video states Blake was placed in a medical coma. 

Doctors did not have high hopes for Blake. They believed he would not survive. However, the young man defied doctors' predictions and survived the ordeal. Praise God!

However, he faced a long road to recovery. The young man had to relearn how to talk, walk and eat – simple, everyday activities everyone takes for granted. 

Blake was not willing to let that situation hold him back from achieving great things in life. Blake recently walked across the stage at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Texas, where he received his college degree – five years after being placed in a medical coma, which doctors did not think he’d survive.

Blake is a resilient and determined young man who has already been through a lot in his life. He was forced to learn how to walk, talk and eat again and is now a college graduate! 

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, said the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

Check out this truly beautiful video of residents in an assisted living facility as they help raise a precious baby. It will make your heart swell!

Sunny Skyz shared the TikTok video, which was originally posted by user @raineyerinturner. User @raineyerinturner is a “dedicated” caregiver at the assisted living facility shown in this touching video, and she has been bringing her precious baby girl to work for many months—as observed by the sweet infant’s growth in the video. 

Abba’s 1981 song “Slipping Through My Fingers,” performed here by Meryl Streep and Amanda Siegfreid in the 2008 movie Mamma Mia!, plays throughout the poignant video as a series of heartwarming snapshots demonstrate the interaction of baby girl and the elderly residents living at her momma’s workplace.  

While it is often not appropriate to take your child to your job with you, @raineyerinturner made a wonderful decision to bring her sweet bundle to work. Can you imagine how many bonus hours her baby received from all those experienced grannies and grandpas! What a blessing for her to have all that lovin’ and cuddlin’ from folks who aren’t in a hurry, stressed, or handling a dozen other tasks at the same time. Undivided attention!

Not only is the arrangement great for the infant, but it is also a treat for the residents. The joy on their faces is evident. They do puzzles and watch television with their sweet pea. They feed her, push her in their wheelchairs, and patiently allow her to touch their faces and try on their glasses. A couple even get down on the floor with the little miss. That’s love! And, flexibility!

Clearly, the seniors are delighted to dote on the primarily pink-clad baby girl. Their days are surely brightened and enriched by her presence, and her first year has been made more special by spending much of it in the arms and attention of so many loving people.   

What a perfect pairing! Good call, Mom!

“If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:3

romans 13:14 reminds us that we must be intentional about becoming more like Christ.

Angels come in all forms. Could this possibly be one?

Images of realistic animals that I took in the clouds. God is truly amazing!!

I took these images in the clouds. The man in the clouds could be the face of Jesus. I took these images when I was depressed and needed God to reveal himself to me. I hope that you enjoy them. Remember, Heaven is for Real 😇

This video I took is spirts going to heaven. You can’t see it on the image, but my original you can see Jesus next to the man going to heaven. I know that it’s him because he’s wearing a crown….its truly amazing!!!

One father had a sweet and moving reaction after hearing that his son had been offered a college scholarship.

Parents want nothing more than for their children to be happy and healthy and to succeed in life. That’s why nothing causes a mother or a father more pain than to see their child going through hardships and trials. Moms and dads would do anything and everything in their power to alleviate their child’s pain. 

Similarly, nothing brings a parent greater joy than when their child succeeds. Parents want to see their children experience joy and happiness, no matter the occasion or situation. A clip posted on YouTube shows how much one father was overwhelmed, breaking down in tears after being informed that his son had been offered a scholarship to college.

The short but moving clip begins with a young man, wearing football gear, informing his dad, who leans against a chain-link fence, about the good news. He starts by telling his father he’s going to update his wardrobe.

“You might as well buy some TSU shirts to rep at the games,” the young man says.

However, his father does not immediately understand what his son is trying to tell him. The dad responds that he will continue wearing what he has because it has his son’s nickname.

The young man comes clean with his good news, telling his dad what he was trying to get at with his t-shirt suggestion.

“I know, but now you got a reason to rep TSU,” the son tells his father. “Because I’m on scholarship.”

Immediately after those words exit the young man’s mouth, the father reacts emotionally. He reaches over the fence and gives the young man a massive hug, picking him off the ground.

During the loving embrace, the father breaks down in tears, crying on the young man’s shoulder. 

It’s a sweet and tender moment that both will likely remember for the rest of their lives.

Psalm 103:13 “As a father has pity on his children, so the Lord has pity on his worshippers.”

Bible reading

Two new words emerged in my daily scripture reading recently. These informed my thinking and encouraged me about God's confidence in what can be accomplished in my life.

One family went to extraordinary lengths to help care for and nurse a struggling barnyard animal back to health by letting it live in their house.

Animals are cute, cuddly and precious beings placed on Earth by the good Lord above. Some creatures – dogs, cats and even rabbits – are commonly kept indoors and allowed to move about the house as they please. However, others, given their size and need for space, are usually best left outdoors.

However, one family was so concerned about the health and progress of a baby horse that they let the animal take up residence in their home, according to a video posted on YouTube.

As the clip points out, the animal was born a month early. The baby horse had not eaten following its birth, and anytime the baby horse approached its mother, the animal would kick its feet at the small animal. The situation was dire.

“And within a few hours, we knew that she had to eat or she wasn’t going to make it,” the woman narrating the clip said.

So, the family started giving the animal bottles every 30 minutes, hoping to build up its strength. 

Days later, the family saw a big change in the animal’s behavior. It started getting to its feet all on its own. The horse even started sprinting across their yard. 

The animal also started to leave its mark on the family’s kitchen, where it was placed in the house. There was essentially nothing in the kitchen that did not pique the horse’s attention. The horse would chew and bite on everything. 

“Every noise I hear, I jump up to see what she’s destroying,” the woman said. 

The sweet baby horse connected with canines, becoming fast friends with two of the family’s adopted dogs. The baby horse and one dog, Marlin, became extremely close, almost inseparable. 

Proverbs 12:10 “An upright man has thought for the life of his beast, but the hearts of evildoers are cruel.”

Audiobook narration of the short story, "A Christmas Legend" by Florence Scannell, performed by J.D. Sutter and also featuring the vocal talents of Bethany Baldwin. Editing and post-production by J.D. Sutter. www.jdsutter.me Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) 1. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear 2. Magistar 3. What Child is This 4. Wish Background Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Tribute for my Mom who I lost on Thanksgiving Day and my son who I lost on his first birthday! We pray that this brings healing, comfort and joy to those who are hurting this Holiday Season!

Prayer For 2024 poem for anyone who needs comfort and healing as they struggle with world events this Holiday Season... Angelique & Dan Dee singing their healing Holiday Hit!

Joy!