The best prom date ever

Melissa Potter never attended her senior prom. After growing up in 23 different foster homes, the teenager was pregnant with her son Trey and transitioning out of foster care into a homeless shelter. She and her baby lived in a shelter for the first two years of his life. She was told her son could never thrive, because she came through the foster care system and "you can't give him what you don't have."

                                                                                                                                         YouTube
But Melissa proved everyone wrong. After turning her life around, she became a successful makeup artist and foster youth advocate. She was discovered as a magazine model, and took care of Trey all by herself. This spring Trey graduates from high school in Gahanna, Ohio. And who did he invite as his date to the prom? Out of respect and appreciation for all she's done for him, he invited his mom. And she accepted.

Another "police" story

Nine-year-old Bryce lives in Cleveland, and has been collecting Pokemon cards for three years. He's proud of his collection. Recently he was taking it to a friend's house when another boy grabbed his card binder and ran away with it. The Cleveland Police Department assigned officer Jimmy Grotenrath to the case. Other children identified the thief. Grotenrath went to the suspect's home and spoke with his parents. At this point, the suspect apologized and returned the heist. Bryce noticed most of the cards were there, but a few important ones were missing.

                                                                                                      Courtesy of Jimmy Grotenrath
Grotenrath, 26, felt Bryce's pain because he too collected Pokemon cards as a boy. He went home that night and found his old stash of cards, and gave them as a gift to Bryce. "He was grinning from ear to ear," Grotenrath said. "Anything we can do to put a smile on a citizen's face is a job well done in our book."

BC graduation "very emotional" for one janitor

Fred Vautour, shown below, never went to college. Now 62, he's been working since he was 14, and for the past 15 years he's worked the night shift as a janitor at Boston College. Why? Because BC has a policy that any employee's children can attend tuition free, if they are accepted. His oldest daughter was 14 when Dad began the night shift as janitor. She worked hard in high school and was accepted by BC. Since then, his other four kids were also accepted, and on Monday, May 23, his youngest daughter graduated with a degree in nursing.

                                                                                                                   Keith Bedford/Globe Staff
Because Dad kept polishing mirrors and cleaning toilets and mopping floors, his family's tuition costs, including room and board, fell from $66,000 per year to only $3,000 per year, as each child was also awarded scholarships. "It's kind of bittersweet," Fred said. "My oldest daughter started here in 1998 and now it's 2016 and my last one is graduating. I've always had a kid at BC." But even after his nest is empty, Fred plans to continue working as a janitor. Why? "Working here makes me feel young."

No tears in baseball?

On May 13 in Menifee, California, the Pony Baseball and Softball League hosted a scrimmage, but it wasn't about balls and strikes. One of the team moms -- Janet Brock -- knew her husband, Marine Master Sgt. Randy Brock, would be returning home earlier than expected after a six-month overseas deployment. Janet asked if she could reunite him with their children in a special way, and league officials agreed to sponsor the scrimmage for that reason. Ten-year-old A.J. Brock wasn't expecting his dad to come home from Japan for another month.

                                                                                                                                              ESPN
The surprise was the sole reason for the scrimmage, which explained why a larger-than-usual crowd gathered to watch. Master Sgt. Brock was disguised as the umpire, and called the balls and strikes until his son A.J. came to bat. With A.J. almost in the batter's box, the umpire paused to brush dirt from home plate and then removed his mask. The picture above shows what happened next. And yes, there are tears in baseball.

Christianity in a nutshell?

A video that will touch your heart

Is there something that really scares you? Is there someone you hate? Dr. Shamanie Thompson was afraid her breast cancer would return and she'd die young. And she hated her ex-husband. Their relationship had been toxic for years. Then another cancer survivor encouraged her to replace the fear that was paralyzing her with unconditional love. But how could she do that? It felt silly at first, but she and her kids made a sign that said, "I am giving unconditional love for $0 to heal my fear of cancer." They set up the sign in a nearby park and prepared zero dollar "receipts" with encouraging words for strangers. She gave (and received) hugs from 40 strangers in 30 minutes

Afterward, she said her heart felt so big it was outside her chest. She felt totally full of unconditional love.  Then she and the kids drove to a sports event where her ex- would meet them. To find out what happened next, watch this five minute video. It proves unconditional love can cure anything.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll05XL7O_Hs   Be sure you have a tissue handy.

Wedding photos briefly interrupted

Bride and groom Hannah West and Mark Jefferies had just gotten married and were posing for wedding photos on the grounds of Dumbleton Hall near Evesham in Gloucester, England. There was a lake in the background, and photographer Rosie Hardy had taken a few pictures when everyone heard a fearful squawking from the lake. A nasty black swan had stolen a gosling from two geese and had its beak around its neck, trying to drown it.  Without missing a beat, Faye West, sister of the bride, kicked off her shoes and marched into the lake.

                                                                                                    Photo by Rosie Hardy / Facebook
"She didn't break speed as she hit the water," Hardy recalled, "and within seconds the swan had gotten her message." After scaring off the swan, West scooped up the tiny chick and returned it to its mother on the opposite bank, and soon the geese swam off happily. Photographer Hardy posted her photos on Facebook, adding, "Shot my first wedding of the spring yesterday. I didn't expect a bridesmaid to jump into the lake mid-formals to save a baby gosling. Faith in humanity restored!"