It’s Independence Day. Happy birthday, America!
Before you start up your grills and get your fireworks ready, check out these inspiring stories that will remind you what this great holiday is all about.
To those who don’t live in the U.S., celebrate with us! These patriotic acts will brighten anyone’s day, no matter where you live on the globe.
Patriotic Stories That Will Brighten Your Day
1. This flash mob gave grocery shoppers a happy, star-spangled surprise:
2. This homeless man displayed his love for his country during a frightening storm:
3. As well as this garbage collector:
4. This one gets us every time. Check out these dogs welcoming soldiers home:
5. Need to wipe away those tears? This will help. Our kids are inspiring. This young American Olympic athlete, Missy Franklin, turned down millions of dollars after winning a gold medal for swimming…so that she could finish high school:
6. This one is a doozy. Taylor Morris was hit by an explosive device when he was a soldier in Afghanistan, injuring him gravely. He became one of the few surviving quadruple amputees. His girlfriend, Danielle Kelly, helped him through recovery:
…to the point where they were able to dance together at a wedding:
Though this happened about two years ago, Taylor’s blog shows that they’re still going strong.
7. The American dream is real. Michael Tubbs was elected councilman in California at the age of 22, making him one of the country’s youngest elected officials. However, that’s not all. He was born into extreme poverty and overcame a ton of obstacles that he illustrates in his TED Talk:
8. Former investment banker Thomas Morgan, from North Carolina, is now a documentary filmmaker. He and his daughter inspired an international kindness movement. Check out his TED Talk, too:
9. So…many…feelings!
10. And hate exists in our country, but there’s always someone to stand up against it:
Have a Happy 4th, no matter where you are on the globe!
********************************
Sammy Nickalls is the former content manager of Inspiyr.com and is a freelance writer for various sites, including HelloGiggles, YourTango, Quickbooks, and TWLOHA. Follow her on Twitter @sammynickalls.
Featured photo by Nathan Congleton
Story photos by Buzzfeed and Scripps London 2012
