Warm Fuzzy Websites Part 1 of 4: Gives Me Hope

In the past few days, some pretty awesome websites have been discovered.  How awesome?  Warm fuzzy feelings awesome.  Over the next week and a half, Alice and I will each shed some light on these websites.

So by now, I’m sure we all know about FMyLife (FML).  And thanks to this, we also know about MyLifeIsAverage (MLIA).  Now, not to hate or anything, but stories on FML can be rather depressing; we don’t like being downers all the time.  MLIA stories are more neutral, but it lacks…the warm fuzzy feeling.  Today, I bring you something that not only gives you this warm fuzzy feeling, but also completes this spectrum of stories: GivesMeHope.

It’s like Chicken Soup for the Soul – the 21st Century, Twitter-style version.

GivesMeHope (GMH) was founded in May 2009 (by Gaby Montero, founder of DailyCute.net, and by Emerson Spartz, founder of MuggleNet.com—yes one of the best known HP sites out there) as a response to FML.  The stories found on GMH are inspiring and moving.  These stories, shared by people all over the world, are stories about the most hopeful and uplifting moments in life that give strength and faith to others.  Whenever you’re down, one visit to this hearfelt site will bring you right back up.

My mother worked two jobs when I was growing up but still often there wasn’t enough money for food or heat.  A couple years ago she died of cancer.  I found out later that during the time she was sick she’d been saving money to make up for the years when we had nothing. It was over $20,000.  If only she knew that her love had been enough.  This GMH.

Now, if you’re like me, and you a) cry easily, b) have no self-control whatsoever when you find something amazing like this, or c) like to put off other tasks, I do not recommend that you open the GMH website in the evening or late at night. 😉 I actually went through the entire site in one sitting, bawling my eyes out…which resulted in puffy, dark eyes the next day. (But it was totally worth it. <3)

My family & I got seperated in New York City when I was little.  Scared, I sat crying on the sidewalk as tons of people passed by.  A homeless man picked me up, comforted me, & carried me to a police officer, who found my parents.  He had a long beard & I asked if he was Jesus. He laughed so hard he cried. He GMH.

If this daily dose of optimism is your type of thing, GMH has an email list where they will send you the best GMH’s every one or two weeks.  They also have a blog and a youtube channel you can subscribe to!

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A few years ago I was at the boardwalk with my cousins, one of which is autistic.  He liked the music that was on so he was dancing outside of the food court area.  A group of girls took out their phones and started video taping him and laughing.  His sister immediately jumped in and danced as crazily as he was dancing.  Her lack of inhibitions GMH.

I’m a mailwoman, and today was cold, wet and disgusting.  When I was putting the mail in someone’s foyer, a woman opened the door and handed me a thermos of hot chocolate with marshmallows.  Thank you for brightening my rainy day!  GMH

Seriously, do these just make you smile or what?  It’s really nice to know that the little things a person does are appreciated by other people. 🙂

On Wednesday of next week, another Warm Fuzzy Website will be there to brighten your day.  Between now and then, I challenge all of you to inspire someone or to help brighten someone’s day.  It might be something special, it might be something random, or it might be something else.  But whatever it may be, I assure you that the warm fuzzy feeling will be there.  See you next time!