Remember your first grade teacher?

Seniors at John Adams High School in South Bend, Indiana, will graduate on June 10. But they already have their caps and gowns, and wore them on May 30 for a traditional "walk through" the district's elementary schools. It gives younger kids a chance to come out into the hall and cheer the grads, and the seniors can thank their former teachers one last time.

Teacher Jan Henderson wrote on Facebook, "I was blessed today when I had eight former Perley Elementary School first graders come up to me and ask me if I remembered them. They had to help me with first names, but not with the memories I shared with them of our class together. I had not seen most of them for nine or ten years, but I remembered their faces and the love I felt for them. What a joy to hug them, get pics with them, and share the special talents they had when they were first graders. Congrats to my Adams Eagles, who will always be Perley Foxes to me."

"God left me here for a reason..."

Leo Kellner,  grew up on a farm in Dimock, South Dakota. His mom loved to cook, but when the 1930's drought turned their farm into a dust bowl, mom's baking vanished from the table. His dad, Tony, barely kept the family from starving by starting a new career laying bricks. "We hardly had nothing," Kellner recalls. "I knew what it was to be poor." Eventually he grew up and found Miss Right. They moved to Hastings, Nebraska, and their marriage lasted 72 years before she died. He retired from work at age 92, and remembers that "after my wife passed away, I sat there and didn't know what the hell to do with myself."

                                                                                                                            Laura Beahm
That's when he remembered how much his mom baked before the farm went under. And how it felt to be hungry, and how grateful he'd have been if someone had given him a pie in those hard times. So he asked himself, "Why can't I bake?" That year he baked 144 apple pies. Now 97 years young, he still bakes cakes and pies, but it's not a retirement income. He gives they all away free -- to priests at his home parish; to hospice workers who cared for his wife; to cancer patients; to families gathered for funerals, and many others. "I try to help everybody I can," he says. "God left me here for a reason and this is why I think He did. "

Flexin' My Complexion

"I've been bulllied a lot, like in the first grade," says 10-year-old Kheris Rogers of Los Angeles, California. "I went to a school with just four other black kids, and the kids used to bully me because they weren't used to my skin tone. There was an incident with a teacher. We had to draw ourselves, and she gave me a black crayon instead of brown, and I was really upset. Kheris' 22-year-old sister Taylor remembers how Kheris would come home and talk about the negative comments she heard. In March, Taylor showed the world how beautiful her sister is, in a tweet that went viral.

Kheris was surprised the tweet got 83,000 likes. Compliments poured in, and they boosted her confidence. So she created a new clothing line to empower others who face discrimination because of what she calls "colorism." She realizes other kids might also feel bad about themselves because of their skin color, so she produced a T-shirt called "Flexin' My Complexion," which costs $15 and has received a lot of fanfare.

Mom was praying for her boys

(Today's crumb comes from a faithful reader in Bloomington, Indiana.)  Recently Cameron Simmons, 13, of Sumter. South Carolina, decided to run away from home. He didn't want to live there anymore, since his mom yelled at him for using his older brother's gaming system. But before taking off, he stopped at a convenience store across the street and called 911 to let them know his decision. Officer Gaetano Acerra got the call and met Cameron at the convenience store. Why did he want to run away? Cameron answered by taking Officer Acerra into his house to see his room. Acerra explained, "It had four walls, two windows and a hardwood floor. His clothes were in a black garbage bag. Why? His mom, who is a woman of faith, had fallen on hard times after moving from Texas to South Carolina to care for a sick relative.  Officer Acerra convinced Cameron not to run away, and two weeks later he went beyond the call of duty.

                                                                                                                          Gaetano Acerra
He began collecting essential items for the family, and especially for Cameron's bedroom.  On May 6, he returned to their home with a new bed, TV, desk chair and a barely-used Wii game for Cameron. "The kid was in tears," said Acerra. "He was just in shock, so happy." Since then, Acerra has obtained a three-piece furniture sent, an end table and a dresser. And for Cameron's older brother, who is 18, he got a queen size bed with frame and headboard. Most recently, Sumter police dropped off a bicycle for Cameron, and an air-hockey table for the brothers to play together. Their mom is very grateful. According to Acerra, "She said she's been praying for her boys, and could not be more happy."

Some have never forgotten...

It was November, 1944, two months after the U.S. 30th Infantry Division freed 1,500 residents of Margraten, Netherlands, from Nazi occupation. The village is just a few miles from the German border, and the Americans needed a place to bury their dead. They picked a fruit orchard just outside Margraten.  Between 1944 and 1945, up to 500 bodies arrived each day. The village mayor went door-to-door asking villagers to help with the digging, and many volunteered. Since the Dutch loved their liberators, the town clerk made a proposal. Each of the 8,300 headstones should be adopted. Today each grave is still adopted by a Dutch or Belgian or German family. Some families have been grave-tenders for five generations, and more than 100 people are still on the grave-tending wait list.

Tenders periodically visit their chosen graves, delivering flowers on soldiers' birthdays, dates of death, Christmas and Memorial Day. Over the decades, about 40 percent of Dutch tenders and their American families have linked up. Sixty percent still remain strangers. If you'd like to honor these soldiers by visiting Margraten on Memorial Day, use this link.  www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9A9qhAr3-o

The best Mother's Day gift

Jessaka Clark and her husband Josh live near Savannah, Georgia. Jessaka has two brothers who were adopted, so she knows how important a family can be. She and Josh have a four-year-old son named Noah, and about a year ago they learned of a family of seven brothers and sisters who have been in foster care for almost four years. Jessaka and Josh decided to adopt the "Super Seven," shown here.

Their names are Maria, Elizabet, Guillermo, Jason, Kristina, Katerin and James. The oldest is 14. The youngest is five. Last August, Jessaka and Josh started the process of adopting all seven of them, and they became one family this month -- just in time for Mother's Day.

Do kids know right from wrong?

It happened recently in Clearfield, Utah, about 30 miles north of Salt Lake City. Seven-year-old Eli Squire and his five-year-old brother found some money on the lawn outside a neighbor's house. It wasn't a lot of money. Only a quarter. Nobody would miss it. Should they keep it?

What they did not know was that the yard is protected with a security camera. It caught the boys picking up the quarter and talking about what to do with it. Eli wasn't sure, but Bronx immediately said they should "do the right thing." So they knocked on the neighbor's door and gave it to her. Later, the neighbor emailed the security camera video to their Mom, Becky Squire. She's proud of them. They both say they'll do the same thing if they find money again. And they could have used that lost coin, because mom makes them give each other a quarter whenever they get in a fight.

"I hugged him and I almost cried"

It happened last winter at Greenwood High School in Greenwood, South Carolina, where a  student, Taylor Bates, calls himself Eazy E. He wants to be a rapper and his chasing his dream. But other kids bullied him because of the way he dresses. Another student, Tae Moore, decided Bates needed some support, and he gave it.

Most of the story appeared on Instagram, shown above, but after Moore gave Bates a new pair of Jordans and laced them for him. The grateful rapper hugged Moore and almost cried. "I cannot thank him enough," said Bates. "I said 'thank you so much.'"

First missing child ever found by Amber Alert

Since it began in 2014, this blog has shared and archived over 1,000 crumbs of comfort. And today's crumb is extra special. We all know what Amber Alerts are. News about missing kids used to go out over radio and TV. Now they pop up on our phone, unless we disable them. But please don't do that! In the last two decades, almost 1,000 American kids have been found by Amber Alert. It's in all 50 states, and other nations use it too. But who was the first child ever rescued by an Amber Alert? Here she is today.

It happened in 1998 in Texas. Rae-Leigh Bradbury, shown above, was only eight weeks old when she was kidnapped by her babysitter and went missing for two days. You can imagine how frightened her parents were. Then an Amber Alert went out on radio and TV. Someone heard the alert and spotted the babysitter's car, and 90 minutes later Rae-Leigh was home again, safe and sound. Now she's 18 and heading off to college. Her mom, Patricia, is sad to see her daughter leaving, but this time under much better circumstances.

Bringing smiles to children in the hospital

Imagine looking outside and seeing the Incredible Hulk cleaning all the dirt and grime off your window. That's what happened recently to patients at Akron Children's Hospital in Ohio. For the fifth year in a row, window washers from American National Skyline dressed  up as super heroes to dangle outside the hospital windows. Children watched from inside, while parents and families watched from the hospital playground below.

Wonder Woman and Spider-Man were close enough to put a huge smile on each child's face. One cannot deny the inspirational effect that posing for photos or smiling up at a favorite superhero can have on these brave youngsters.

God loves you and knows your struggle.

Photographer Richard Wah, 44, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has no pictures of his high school graduation because, when he was a teenager, he didn't have enough money to pay a photographer. Recently he was riding a public bus and saw some high school grads with caps and gowns, but no parents or family around them. He snapped these two photos of lonely grads and posted them on Facebook, offering a free graduation photo to any teen who can't afford it.

                                                                                                                                  Facebook
"I don't know what your story is and why you can't afford them, but if you TRULY can't afford high school graduation pictures and live in Philadelphia, we are allowing you to pay whatever you can afford," Richard wrote on Facebook. "You made it. You have graduated high school. God loves you and He knows your struggle." The photographer even hired a barber and two make-up artists to spruce up the grads. Since his offer was posted, he's reportedly been contacted by at least a dozen teens who are grateful for his generosity and kindness.

Why not give away your cookies? (encore crumb)

Rewind to the beginning of WWII. Ten days after the attack of Pearl Harbor, a train filled with young National Guard troops was expected to pass through North Platte, Nebraska, en route to war. North Platte was a "tender point" for all steam trains, where they paused ten minutes to top off water levels and lubricate wheels. Hundreds of relatives and friends of local servicemen showed up to meet the train with gifts of food, but when the train arrived, it carried soldiers from another state. Folks on the platform weren't sure what to do, until 26-year-old Rae Wilson shouted, "I'M NOT KEEPING MY COOKIES!" and passed them up to a soldier on the train.

Others followed her lead, but this was only the beginning. The next day, Rae wrote to the local newspaper suggesting local mothers meet every troop train with food and love. She offered to run the project for free, and the railroad gave her the station restaurant, which became the North Platte Canteen. President Roosevelt sent a personal check for $5.00, but no other federal funds were used. Canteen expenses averaged $225/week, donated from over 200 Nebraska farm communities. If hospital trains carried wounded veterans who were immobile, women would walk up and down the aisles distributing food. The canteen was open from 5 a.m. until midnight every day until the war ended, serving six million soldiers and sometimes meeting 32 trains per day.

If you want an unforgettable moment, watch this video. At the very end, a young woman calls her grandpa who served in WWII. Did he ever go through North Platte? He lives in a nursing home and has dementia. He often forgets her name. What happens next may cost you a tear. www.youtube.com/watch?v=07DGeLvDw8I

Words of wisdom

"When I go to farms or little towns, I am always surprised at the discontent I find. And New York, too often, has looked across the sea toward Europe. And all of us who turn our eyes away from what we have are missing life." (Norman Rockwell)

Another police "incident" you didn't see on the news

It happened this month at Boudins restaurant in Huntington Beach, California.  An elderly customer confessed to restaurant staff that she was lost, and could remember how to get home. They called the police, who they expected to find her address and escort her home. But the police did more.

                                                                                             Alison Zimmer
First, the officers sat down and chatted with her as she finished her sandwich. Then they got her a to-go container and boxed up her leftovers. They even let her finish her glass of wine before driving her home. According the the police department, "She was definitely flirting and probably loved riding in the front seat of the squad car. (That's right. One officer sat in the back so she could ride shotgun.) She's going to have a great story to share with her girlfriends."

What Albert Schweitzer learned from experience

One truth stands firm. All that happens in world history rests on something spiritual. If the spiritual is strong, it creates world history. If it is weak, it suffers world history.

(Albert Schweitzer)

Trust me, you'll LOVE this video

Can strangers on a New York City subway car come together and have a party between stops? The folks on this car only wanted to get to their destinations. Some were reading, a few were sleeping, when suddenly they were told that a 16th birthday surprise party would be held in their car. Young folks quickly decorated the car between two stops. At the third stop, birthday girl Jenny (who loves subways) boarded the car with an accomplice at the third stop. You can see her total surprise. Best of all, regular riders quickly joined the festivities.

But it was not a real party. It all was staged for regular passengers by a comedy collective called Improv Everywhere which performs unexpectedly in public places. The subway is one of their favorite "stages," where they've had pizza parties, talk shows, even a wedding proposal. Their goal is to delight random strangers through positive pranks. If you watch this three-minute video, you'll see how successful they were, and how happy they made the otherwise bored subway passengers.  www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejMZdtNReH4

The Gospel according to Andy

(Excerpt from the Feb. 24, 2001 Toledo Blade)

During The Andy Griffith Show's eight-year run on network television, only a handful of episodes depicted the amiable sheriff of Mayberry going to church. In nearly every show, however, Sheriff Andy Taylor emerged as a gentle moral leader, whether he was reining in his high-strung deputy, Barney Fife, or having a heart-to-heart talk with his son, Opie.

Fifty years later, the wisdom imparted by Sheriff Taylor as he kept the peace at home and on the streets of Mayberry is being applied to Bible lessons in churches around the country.

It all started when Joey Fann, a computer software engineer in Huntsville, Ala., used an old Griffith Show clip in the Sunday school class for young marrieds at Twickenham Church of Christ in Huntsville in 1996. To bring out a point about the hazards of taking each other for granted, he showed the class a segment on the relationship between Barney and his girlfriend, Thelma Lou.

“I was amazed at how captivated they were watching this situation on TV,” Fann said, “and the discussion we had afterward was more vibrant and more people participated.”

Other Griffith Show fans at the church tried the idea with a class of teens and got a similar response. About two years later, the church's education minister suggested starting a Wednesday night class based on the Griffith Show. Fann and fellow church member Brad Grasham went to work on the idea and came up with a series of one-page outlines containing scriptural references.  About the same time, Fann started a web site, www.barneyfife.com, and added the Bible study outlines to it. It turned out to be a means of sharing the Mayberry message with a wider audience.

For Fann, the character portrayed by Andy Griffith is central to the program's solid moral messages. Sheriff Taylor, he said, constantly has the other person's interest at heart, whether it's getting Barney out of a jam or resolving a town problem. But he believes all the characters teach some kind of lesson. “I don't think there's a bad character in Mayberry at all. We can learn from all the characters we see.”

Barney, for example, provides a perfect example of someone who takes himself too seriously or thinks he is a little more important than he is. “We watch him and laugh,” Fann said, “but if we're honest with ourselves, we act like him a little more than we think.”

The Andy Griffith Show Bible Study has been used in 30 states and Canada by a wide variety of denominational groups from Baptist to Catholic. Schools, military chaplains, and prison wardens have used the studies to convey the show's timeless messages.  Fann said he continues to be amazed at the growth that has come from just one church Bible study.

“One person or two or three people cannot be responsible for all that's happened ... This has really been a big event in my life, just to see how God can work through some very simple people like me and hopefully affect a lot of people for good. “Hundreds write or e-mail me and tell me that they appreciate this concept and that it's caused them to look at Scripture in a whole new light and get back in church. I don't take any credit for that.”

Here's the definition of parental gratitude

For the past five years, Teresa Stroble has driven a school bus for Spartanburg School District 5 in South Carolina. On the morning of May 9, she was carrying 56 children from Duncan Elementary, Beach Springs Intermediate, and Byrnes High school when she heard two 9th graders yelling that they smelled smoke.

                                                                                                                                    CBS News
Teresa immediately drove the bus off the road into a car wash parking lot. Keeping the children calm, she got all of them off the bus within 60 seconds. She took them to a safe location and called 911 as the empty bus burst into flames. Then, as shown above, it exploded. Firefighters arrived minutes later to contain the blaze. One passing driver said, "I saw a large black cloud ahead of me. As I drove by, the heat was so intense I could feel it in my truck." The school district immediately notified all parents that there were no injuries of any kind. Stroble is credited with saving 56 lives that morning. According to the school district, "she is a true hero."

You know who you are....

Delivering your paper to your doorstep

Yoda is an 11-year-old Labradoodle. She lives with her owner, Ann Szyjka-Pounds in The Villages, a giant golf community in central Florida. Many of the 100,000 retirees in The Villages subscribe to the Daily Sun, and it's delivered before dawn to the curb in front of each subscriber's home, wrapped in plastic. Each morning Ann takes Yoda for a walk, and Yoda notices the rolled up newspapers along the curb.  For the past ten years, she's picked up as many papers as possible from the curb, and carried them to the doorstep of the home where they belong. Ann gives her a treat after each delivery.

                                                                                 George Horsford / Daily Sun
"Some people have trouble getting around, and it's so nice that Yoda takes the paper to their door," says one of Ann's many friends. When their work is finished. Ann takes Yoda home and reads the paper on her patio swing. Golfers go by in their carts and yell, "Hi Annie, Hi Yoda." Afterward, Ann takes Yoda to the dog park, and then it's time for Yoda's nap. Morning comes early, and the Daily Sun has to be delivered.

A McMuffin wish for happiness

Mahomet is a small town (7,000) in east central Illinois. Locals and visitors rave about the food at the locally-owned  Henhouse Restaurant, but it's not the only eatery in town. There's also a McDonalds. And not just any McDonalds. Can you imagine entering the drive-through to place your order from your car and having someone recognize your voice over the intercom? That would be Trina Williams. She's been chatting up customers for about two years. "She's the nicest person I've ever met," says manager Heather Dick. She knows something about everyone who comes in -- maybe their kids, or their job, or what they're going to order.

"Trina can make your day," says one regular. "You only see her a few seconds, but she's always like "keep that smile' or "you're beautiful' or "I love your new hair color.'" Finally a handful of regulars decided to do something nice for Trina. Maybe buy her some flowers. Then they learned she lives in a motel and is helping support six kids while saving for an apartment. They quickly raised $1,000 for her and set a goal of $5,000.  Later this month they set aside a day when everyone at the drive-through can give Trina flowers and gift cards. How did she respond? "Don't get me wrong," she said, "I do need what they're offering, but that's not what I asked for. I want you to come through the drive-through. I want you to smile!"

"Dear Jesus, please let this baby breathe!"

Saturday, April 29, was Prom Night for students at Edgewood High School in Canton, Texas. It was held in an event hall called The Rustic Barn. Sandwiches were on the kitchen counter. A lobby mirror had a message written in blue cursive, asking, "Shall we dance?" But there was no dancing. Before the prom, when only 20 people including a baby had arrived, a tornado struck the barn and destroyed it. Everyone had crowded into a restroom. A father and his two sons pushed against the door to keep the wind from snapping it open. As the tornado roared, his daughter-in-law pressed toilet paper rolls against her head in the utility closet. Four others were in there with her, all praying aloud. She'd been married at the Barn two years ago, and thought, "This is my time to go." But after the wind stopped, nobody was hurt.

                                                                                                                                Tom Mitchell
The Barn wasn't the only place people prayed during the tornado. Just outside town, Philip Ocheltree and his wife Emily and their children Marshal (4 months) and daughter Addy (18 months) were looking for a storm shelter when their truck washed off the road and flipped over. "It was black. We couldn't see anything," said Emily. "I was just trying to find my babies." What she didn't know was that a group of strangers had gathered around the truck and were trying to open the doors. In the flowing water they found and rescued both babies, who survived, as did their parents. If you have six spare minutes, you can watch raw cell phone video of the brave strangers. You will hear the tornado warning siren in the background and see the water rushing past the truck. And you will hear one of the strangers praying aloud over the first baby brought from the truck, "Dear Jesus, let this baby breathe." The video is blank in places, but video and audio return near the end. Here's the link. www.facebook.com/sheckmo.news/videos/10155298598764516/

O Canada!

It happened last month in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. About 18,000 hockey fans, mostly Canadian, were gathered at Rogers Place to watch Game 3 of the Edmonton Oilers vs. the Anaheim Ducks. Singing national anthems is the most patriotic part of any sports event, and Brett Kissel stepped to the microphone to sing the United States anthem. He tried to start three times, but his mike did not work and he could not be heard.

                                                                                                                                          Twitter
Totally unfazed, Kissel stepped back from the microphone and raised his arms to conduct the anthem. Everyone sang with gusto. The Canadian crowd knew every word! "To hear the audience passionately sing both the Canadian AND United States anthems was inspiring and powerful," said Ducks owners Henry and Susan Sameuli. The Ducks won 6-3, but Edmonton proved how nice Canadians really are. If the game was played in the U.S., how many fans would know the words to O Canada?  To see this memorable moment in sports, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=v324_vjrDr8

The word miracle comes to mind

It happened last month in Highland, Illinois. Two paramedics, Todd Zobrist and Ty Barr, shown below, responded quickly to a 911 call about a car submerged in Silver Lake. Seconds after they arrived, Zobrist removed his sweatshirt and shirt and boots and socks. He swam to the vehicle and inspected it through the front window. The seat was empty, but in the back seat he saw something that looked like a doll. He could only see two feet and two hands, and assumed it was a kid's toy.

Just to be sure, he reached back as far as he could and grabbed the doll's foot. Then he knew it was an infant baby. Zobrist pulled the baby out and quickly went to the top of the vehicle (above the water) and gave it CPR until it began spitting up water. Then Zobrist dove back into the water and swam to shore with one arm, holding the baby above his head with his other arm. Once back at the ambulance, the baby was breathing and both men focused on warming its body. Barr said saving the baby was an unbelievable experience. "Unbelievable and miracle are the two words that come to mind," he said later.

Teens raise thou$ands to feed the hungry

As reported in The Christian Science Monitor, Aidan Ryan, 17, and his sister Erin, 13, of Vancouver, Washington, were recently honored for their charitable work. Over the past two years, they have collected $109,960 and 8,500 pounds of food for the Clark County Food Bank and St. Vincent De Paul. Aidan rallied fellow students at Seton Catholic College Prep School, along with King's Way Christian School. Erin got her peers at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School to contribute.

The teens' mother, Annemarie Ryan, bakes cakes to celebrate the birthdays of children staying in homeless shelters. When Erin delivered one of the cakes to a shelter, she saw a girl from her class. "It was kind of big to realize she stayed there," Erin said. With Aidan heading off to college, he's handing the reins to Erin. She'd like to expand the effort and help out the neonatal intensive care unit at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver.

Throughout the chaos, they prayed

Last month, about 45 attendees including children and toddlers met in the parish hall at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in the small town of Emory, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. They were there to honor high school graduates, when suddenly they learned a tornado was heading toward the church. Everyone gathered into the hallway connecting the hall and the church, and 30 seconds later, the tornado destroyed the outside of the building.

Everyone made sure to keep each other safe as they knelt in the hall, praying while struggling to keep the hallway doors shut against the wind. "We could see the beams bending and the aluminum roof being ripped away, said youth pastor Monica Hughes, adding that "everyone was perfectly calm and felt like it was going to be okay. As soon as the worst was over, we began to sing to keep the kids calm." Peyton Low, director of public affairs for the Diocese of Tyler, said the tornado was a direct hit. He said "people are using the word miraculous to describe what happened." No one was hurt.

Do you know anyone who expresses motherhood?

In case you forgot, May 14 is Mother's Day. There's still time to remember your mom with a card or email. Why not ALSO send a card or email to any of your friends who express the qualities of a mother, and tell them so. Even single or childless women (and some guys) could easily qualify. These cards or emails would be totally unexpected, and really touch their heart. In case you're wondering what qualities define motherhood, here's a list.

"Take me out to the ball game..."

Phil Coyne started ushering for Pittsburgh Pirates games when he was 18. And he still has no plans to retire, even as he turned 99 last week and was honored with a jersey numbered 99. "He's a great representative," said Pirates president Phil Coonelly. "Everybody who comes here has to say hello to Phil. Everyone knows Phil."

"It's the people that keep bringing me back," says Coyne. "The people in my section. I've been so close to everyone over the years. How many years? Well, Coyne still remembers seeing Babe Ruth hit three home runs, all in one game, in 1935. Although Coyne never married, the fans in his section are his family, and his nieces are very proud of him. "He is the kindest person in the world," says great-niece Simone Coyne. "We're already planning to get him to 100." Phil is also planning on 100. "On opening day, everybody would give me hugs and kisses when I come back," says Coyne. "I don't want to disappoint them."

May 4 -- National Day of Prayer

Ever since 1952, the first Thursday of May has been designated by the United States Congress as a National Day of Prayer. People are asked "to turn to God in prayer and meditation." Each year, the President signs a proclamation encouraging all Americans to pray on this day. The constitutionality of this event was challenged by the Freedom From Religion Foundation in 2011. Their case was unanimously dismissed by a federal appellate court.

In honor of this day, we offer a prayerful "crumb of comfort."  Dear Lord, may we, through Thy love reflected this day, bring some ray of sunshine into the lives of those about us. Make us obedient to the truth, and give us courage to do what we know is right -- thereby guided by Thy divine will.

Whole Foods protecting geese

It happened in Littleton, Colorado, where employees in a Whole Foods grocery story noticed a pair of geese hovering around the same little patch of grass in the parking lot. Employees kept watching for several days, and sure enough, three eggs appeared.

                                                                                                                       Tina Nelson / Twitter
The store called wildlife authorities who advised against moving the mother goose. So instead, Whole Foods became a babysitter for the Canada goose brood. They erected a barricade and posted signs to deter anyone from approaching the geese for feeding them. They added a kiddie pool with fresh water each day. The Whole Foods staff can hardly wait for the eggs to hatch. "We have the police and animal control on call," says team leader Tony Nemec, "so if she needs to cross Wadsworth Street with her little ones, they will guide her through."

A very special Girl Scout troop

Girl Scout Troop 6000 may look like most other troops, but it's not. All 22 young members of the troop live at the Sleep Inn, a 10-story homeless shelter in Queens, New York City. Troop 6000 is the first troop designed specifically for girls living in the New York City Shelter System.

The troop has become an invaluable part of raising the shelter girls. Since it began in February, it has served girls from kindergarten to high school. "Every girl in the five boroughs of New York City deserves a chance to reach her full potential; to have her eyes opened to the possibilities for college and careers, to make loving and supportive friends and learn from caring female mentors, and chart her own course and achieve her goals," say a Girl Scout representative. "That's what Troop 6000 is all about."