Young Man Invites 89-Year-Old Neighbor To Live With Him So She Is Not Alone in Her Last Days

It’s amazing how one small act of kindness can change someone’s life, and the most unlikely pairs can form the strongest of bonds. Such was the case with then 26-year-old Chris Salvatore and his 84-year-old neighbor Norma Cook. When Salvatore moved into his new apartment in West Hollywood, CA back in 2012, he had no clue that the curious elderly woman staring at him from her kitchen window in the complex’s courtyard would become one of his best friends. After a quick greeting through the screened opening, he asked if he could come inside and say hello. Once Cook agreed, the rest was history.

Cook lived alone with her beloved cat, Hermes, who she immediately introduced to Salvatore. And the two quickly bonded over her favorite champagne and neighborhood gossip. Over the course of their almost five-year friendship, they would share many precious memories. From pizza nights to lunches out on the town, birthday parties, holidays, and endless laughs. Over time, they grew to feel more like family as, for Cook, Salvatore became like “the grandson she never had.” And he too considered her a grandmother.

That’s why, when Cook’s health took a turn for the worse at 89, 31-year-old Salvatore did what any good grandson would do and stepped in to assist with her care. She had been battling leukemia for years, but towards the end of 2016, she became grievously ill and had to spend two months in the hospital fighting pneumonia and breathing complications. With her rapidly deteriorating health, the doctors determined that it would no longer be safe for the elderly woman to live on her own without 24-hour care. So, to help cover her medical expenses and the costs of her in-home care, Salvatore started a GoFundMe which raised more than $50,000. However, with no children of her own or any close relatives nearby, Cook's only other option was to go into a facility.

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“I just couldn’t do that to someone who is like my own grandmother,” Salvatore said at the time. Instead, he offered to have his ailing neighbor move in with him. Cook was absolutely thrilled by the invitation, and the transition seemed only natural since he would spend most days visiting her apartment anyway. “My apartment was the only place she would have moved. She has strong opinions about where she wants to carry out the rest of her days, and she wants to stay here,” Salvatore explained about the arrangement. “Moving her in…it feels as though it was meant to be all along. It’s really fulfilling to be there for her.”

Once Cook moved in, bringing along her dear Hermes, they quickly developed a routine. Salvatore would cook for her, and the two would spend time together on the couch watching the news, talking, drinking Champagne, and eating peanuts. Though the doctors had told them it would be a miracle if Cook lived past the holidays, the two were able to share a few more precious months, even ringing in the New Year together.

When Cook finally passed away in February of 2017, Salvatore was heartbroken. But the bond he shared with the elderly woman has stuck with him all these years. “I feel her watching over me and it is a happy feeling,” He expressed at the time of her death. “She is out of pain and in peace, probably drinking a glass of champagne, dancing, reunited with the many friends that she's had throughout her life. I am forever a changed man and I thank this magnificent lady for everything she has taught me.”

Years later, Salvatore added to the sentiment with a post commemorating the four-year anniversary of Cook’s passing in February 2021: “Over the years I have read so many wonderful messages about how inspiring my love for my neighbor Norma was, but what truly inspires me is the great capacity she had to love me. When we choose to love another, so many others feel it too. Beautiful, bountiful, blessings bestowed upon those you never knew.” And the love and care that Salvatore and Cook shared with one another is a truly shining example that just a little kindness really does go a long way.

When Chris Salvatore met his 84-year-old neighbor Norma Cook, the two quickly became best friends.

 

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A post shared by Chris Salvatore (@chrissalvato

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A post shared by Chris Salvatore (@chrissalvatore)

Woman Demands Thief Return The Money He Stole From Her, But She Never Expected THIS To Happen

Once upon a time, there was a man who was very helpful, kindhearted, and generous. He was a man who would help someone without asking for anything in return. He helps others because he wants to and he loves to. One day while walking into a dusty road, this man saw a purse, so he picked it up and noticed that the purse was empty. Suddenly, a woman and a police officer show up. They arrest the man on suspicion of theft.

The woman asked the man where he hid the money. He replied, “It was empty when I found it, Mam.”

The woman yelled at him. “Please give it back, It’s for my son’s school fees.”

The man noticed that the woman really felt sad, so he gave her all the money he had on him. He knew the woman was a single mother who was struggling.. The man said, “Take these, sorry for the inconvenience.” The woman left, and the policeman held the man for further questioning.

The woman was relieved that she recovered her money, but when she counted it, she was shocked. Her money had doubled. The man gave her twice the amount she had in her purse.

One day, while she was on her way to paying her son’s school fees, she noticed a skinny, frail man behind her. She thought that he may rob her, so she approached a policeman standing nearby. He was the same policeman, who she took along to inquire about her purse. The woman told him about the man following her, but suddenly they saw that man collapse. They ran towards him and were shocked to realize it was the same man they arrested a few days back for stealing the woman’s purse.

He looked very weak, and the woman was confused. The policeman said to the woman, “He didn’t return your money, he gave you his money that day. He wasn’t the thief but hearing about you son’s school fees, he felt sad and gave you his money.” Later, they helped man stand up, and the man told the woman, “Please go ahead and pay your son’s school fees, I saw you and followed you to be sure that no one steals your son’s school fees.” The woman was speechless.

Moral: Life gives you strange experiences, sometime it shocks you and sometimes it may surprise you. We end up making wrong judgments or mistakes in our anger, desperation and frustration. However, when you get a second chance, correct your mistakes and return the favor. Be Kind and Generous. Learn to Appreciate what you are given.

Please SHARE this important lesson with everyone you know.

The Oldest Man In The World 256 Years Breaks The Silence Before His Death And Reveals Its Secrets To The World!

According to a 1930 New York Times article, Wu Chung-chieh, a professor of the Chengdu University, discovered Imperial Chinese government records from 1827 congratulating Li Ching-Yuen on his 150th birthday, and further documents later congratulating him on his 200th birthday in 1877. In 1928, a New York Times correspondent wrote that many of the old men in Li’s neighborhood asserted that their grandfathers knew him when they were boys, and that he at that time was a grown man.

Li Ching Yuen reportedly began his herbalist career at the age of 10, where he gathered herbs in mountain ranges and learned of their potency for longevity. For almost 40 years, he survived on a diet of herbs such as lingzhi, goji berry, wild ginseng, he shoo wu and gotu kola and rice wine. In 1749, at the age of 71, he joined the Chinese armies as teacher of martial arts. Li was said to be a much-loved figure in his community, marrying 23 times and fathering over 200 children.

According to the generally accepted tales told in his province, Li was able to read and write as a child, and by his tenth birthday had traveled in Kansu, Shansi, Tibet, Annam, Siam and Manchuria gathering herbs. For the first hundred years he continued at this occupation. Then he switched to selling herbs gathered by others. He sold lingzhi, goji berry, wild ginseng, he shou wu and gotu kola along with other Chinese herbs, and lived off a diet of these herbs and rice wine

He Wasn’t The Only One

According to one of Li’s disciples, he had once encountered an even older 500-year-old man, who taught him Qigong exercises and dietary recommendations that would help him extend his lifespan to superhuman proportions. Apart from Qigong and a herb-rich diet, what else can we learn from this Master of Longevity?

How about this: On his death bed, Li famously said, “I have done all that I have to do in this world”. Could his peaceful last words also hint at one of the biggest secrets to a long and prosperous life? It’s interesting to note that in the West, we’re often taught to believe that aging is something that must be “beaten” with high tech infrared devices and state of the art medication.

HIS SECRET TO LONG HEALTH:

Li was asked what his secret was to longevity. This was his reply: “Keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, walk sprightly like a pigeon and sleep like a dog.” These were the words of advice Li gave to Wu Pei-fu, the warlord, who took Li into his house to learn the secret of extremely long life.

Teenager Thought He Was Only Helping A Man In Need. But Is Shocked When He Handed Him This.

"Today I went to Dunkin' Donuts and saw a clearly homeless guy sitting on the side of the road and picking up change. 

Eventually I saw him stroll into Dunkin, as he was counting his change to buy something I began to get super annoying and talked to him over and over again even when he didn't really want to talk. 

Since he had maybe $1 in change I bought him a coffee and bagel and asked him to sit down with me. He told me a lot about how people are usually very mean to him because he's homeless, how drugs turned him into the person he hated, he lost his mom to cancer, he never knew his dad and he just wants to be someone his mom would be proud of (along with another hours worth of conversation.)

This lovely mans name was Chris and Chris was one of the most honest & sincere people I've ever met. After realizing I really need to get back to class Chris asked me to wait so he can write something down for me. Handing me a crumpled up receipt he apologized for having shaky hand writing, smiled, and left. 

I opened his note and this was it. 'I wanted to kill myself today, because of u I now do not. Thank u, beautiful person.' 

Mom Writes Best Letter Ever To Daughter About Getting Old. This Is So True It Hurts.

There comes a time in a woman’s life when she has to pass on her wisdom to her daughter. When I read this letter it brought a tear to my eye and I knew I had to share it with you.

LETTER FROM A MOTHER TO A DAUGHTER:

“My dear girl, the day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through. If when we talk, I repeat the same thing a thousand times, don’t interrupt to say: “You said the same thing a minute ago”… Just listen, please. Try to remember the times when you were little and I would read the same story night after night until you would fall asleep.

When I don’t want to take a bath, don’t be mad and don’t embarrass me. Remember when I had to run after you making excuses and trying to get you to take a shower when you were just a girl?

When you see how slow I am when it comes to new technology, give me the time to learn and don’t look at me that way… remember, honey, I patiently taught you how to do many things like eating appropriately, getting dressed, combing your hair and dealing with life’s issues every day… the day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through.

If I occasionally lose track of what we’re talking about, give me the time to remember, and if I can’t, don’t be nervous, impatient or arrogant. Just know in your heart that the most important thing for me is to be with you.

And when my old, tired legs don’t let me move as quickly as before, give me your hand the same way that I offered mine to you when you first walked.

Difference between I Like You and I Love You

What is the difference between “I like you” and “I love you”? Beautifully answered by Buddha. Buddha’s answer was so simple. When you like a flower, you just pluck it. But when you love a flower, you water it daily.

A Box full of Darkness

Box full of darkness means a time full of trials and problems but time will come that this darkness will help you become better person, teaches you many lessons of life to have a better future. ~ Rona Peñaranda 

Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Light is meaningful only in relation to darkness, and truth presupposes error. It is these mingled opposites which people our life, which make it pungent, intoxicating. We only exist in terms of this conflict, in the zone where black and white clash. ~ Louis Aragon

In life you can go through hardships with someone and in the end be full of bitterness and resentments (darkness) but buried deep inside this box is a wealth of insight, compassion, forgiveness sand self-awareness. When you dig deeply enough to reach this layer, you’ve found the real buried treasure, the true gift that’s hidden in the darkness. You end up being a better person because of it. ~ Brigitte Nicole

There Are Two Kinds Of Forgiveness

There are two kinds of forgiveness. The kind when you forgive and you give them another chance or the kind you forgive but you move on without them. Use them both wisely. 

Whether you decide or not to keep contact with the person you forgive, you should forgive them not because they deserve it, but because you deserve peace of mind. Forgiveness is a pure selfish act, it’s not easy, but really worth trying. Anger only hurts you because most of the time the person you’re not willing to forgive is not even aware anymore of the pain, and grudge you hold against them. ~ Ana Hernández 

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.~  Martin Luther King, Jr.

Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness. ~ Marianne Williamson

I was being told that to forgive others is important for my healing. Instead, I found out that (in my case) to forgive myself was the underlying real thing I had to learn. You do not always have to come to the point to forgive everything in order to find peace, but to forgive yourself and give yourself another chance. ~ Persephone Gasoline

Sometimes it’s better to be kind

Sometimes it’s better to be kind than to be right. We do not need an intelligent mind that speaks, but a patient heart that listens.

For listening is the beginning of understanding and kind words uplifts the persons spirit and calms the soul. All ears! ~ Ace Lagasca 

Soft and kind hearted people are not fools. They know what people did to them, but they forgive again and again because they have beautiful hearts. ~ Unknown

One who is kind is sympathetic and gentle with others. He is considerate of others' feelings and courteous in his behavior. He has a helpful nature. Kindness pardons others' weaknesses and faults. Kindness is extended to all - to the aged and the young, to animals, to those low of station as well as the high. ~ Ezra Taft Benson

Be a good human being, a warm-hearted affectionate person. That is my fundamental belief. Having a sense of caring, a feeling of compassion will bring happiness of peace of mind to oneself and automatically create a positive atmosphere.

If you're truly a gentleman

IF you're truly a gentleman, you will NEVER have to say it. Your actions alone should prove that you are the one.

The final test of a gentleman is his respect for those who can be of no possible service to him.~ William Lyon Phelps

A real gentleman, even if he loses everything he owns, must show no emotion. Money must be so far beneath a gentleman that it is hardly worth troubling about. ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky

“We can’t be lovers because we both have mustaches. But since you’re a lady, and I’m a gentleman, I’ll shave mine off.” ~ Jarod Kintz

“Never rearrange your life in order to meet Mr. Darcy half way. If he couldn’t see your worth at the moment you met then he won’t two years later. May the halls of Pemberly be filled with his regrets and your life filled with thankfulness because of this revelation.” ~Shannon L. Alder

Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness

Don’t take my kindness for granted because after enough time of being walked on you get tired of being nice. Doesn’t mean you are thinking about killing them. Maybe it just means you will be walking away and anyone who ever had to just walk away knows its the furthest thing from being weak. It takes much strength to just walk away after generosity is immeasurably denoted. ~ Frances Özyurt 

'Don't mistake my kindness for weakness. I am kind to everyone, but when someone is unkind to me, weak is not what you are going to remember . - Al Capone 

Goodness is about character - integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people. ~ Dennis Prager

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. ~ Lao Tzu

One of my great regrets, and I don't have many, is that I spent too long putting people's status and reputation ahead of their more important qualities. I learned far too late in life that a long list of letters after someone's name is no guarantee of compassion, kindness, humour, all the far more relevant stuff. ~ Bill Nighy

How do you move on?

How do you move on? You move on when your heart finally understand that there is no turning back.

“You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could've, would've happened... or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move the fuck on.” ~ Tupac Shakur

“It happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people you've known forever don't see things the way you do. So you keep the wonderful memories, but find yourself moving on.” ~ Nicholas Sparks

Every experience, every person, every place we find ourselves in, is meant to be, for it leads us to the next persons, places things we are meant to experience. Also: Change is inevitable, growth is optional. ~ Kelly Stewart

Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself.~ Walter Anderson

Just because a person smiles all the time

Just because a person smiles all the time, doesn't mean their life is perfect. That smile is a symbol of Hope and Strength.

Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts. ~ Paramahansa Yogananda

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable. ~ Joseph Addison

You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world's problems at once but don't ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own. ~ Michelle Obama

“All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.” 

― J.R.R. Tolkien

How you can make a difference in someone’s life?

"To make a different in someone's life you don't have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful or perfect. You just have to care."

A smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside. ~ Denis Waitley

Nobody can predict the future. You just have to give your all to the relationship you're in and do your best to take care of your partner, communicate and give them every last drop of love you have. I think one of the most important things in a relationship is caring for your significant other through good times and bad. ~ Nick Cannon

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years. ~ Audrey Hepburn

Love is something you give and not expect anything in return enjoying the moment is best few hours of true love a thousand years living a lie.

I think there is no market for your emotions

I think there is no market for your emotions, so never advertise your feelings, just display your attitude.

“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” ~ Kurt Vonnegut

“There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under the jurisdiction. I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with. I can select what I can read and eat and study. I can choose how I'm going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life-whether I will see them as curses or opportunities. I can choose my words and the tone of voice in which I speak to others. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts.” ~ Elizabeth Gilbert

Positive feelings come from being honest about yourself and accepting your personality, and physical characteristics, warts and all; and, from belonging to a family that accepts you without question. ~ Willard Scott

Humans aren't as good as we should be in our capacity to empathize with feelings and thoughts of others, be they humans or other animals on Earth. So maybe part of our formal education should be training in empathy. Imagine how different the world would be if, in fact, that were 'reading, writing, arithmetic, empathy.' ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson

When you care for someone

Give yourself whatever gifts of time and rest you need to feel better and know that you're surrounded by caring thoughts and prayers and heartfelt wishes. Rest easy. Get well.

Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.~ Theodore Roosevelt

You cry and you scream and you stomp your feet and you shout. You say, 'You know what? I'm giving up, I don't care.' And then you go to bed and you wake up and it's a brand new day, and you pick yourself back up again.~ Nicole Scherzinger

Nobody can predict the future. You just have to give your all to the relationship you're in and do your best to take care of your partner, communicate and give them every last drop of love you have. I think one of the most important things in a relationship is caring for your significant other through good times and bad. ~ Nick Cannon

When you care for someone more than they deserve, you get hurt more than you deserve.

It has been said, “time heals all wounds.

It has been said, “time heals all wounds.” I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone” ~Rose Kennedy

“Time heals nothing, it merely rearranges our memory.”~ Gary Numan

Time heals nothing. It’s what you do with the time to help yourself to heal. Even then the scars remain making you into a different person. We are constantly growing and changing from life’s experiences. That’s why we’re here, to learn and grow and change. Some wounds are so deep that the most you can hope for is accepting that part of your history and moving forward to create a better history for yourself. ~ Shelley Flitcroft 

“The emotion that can break your heart is sometimes the very one that heals it...” ~ Nicholas Sparks

“They say time heals all wounds, but that presumes the source of the grief is finite” ~ Cassandra Clare

How to find one reason to hold on ?

The ones who love you will never leave you. Even if there are hundred reasons to give up, they will find one reason to hold on.

Never give up, and be confident in what you do. There may be tough times, but the difficulties which you face will make you more determined to achieve your objectives and to win against all the odds.~ Marta

When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.~ Harriet Beecher Stowe

Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. And don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines.~ Richard M. Nixon

If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds.~ Jesse Jackson

Thankful

Being happy doesn't mean you have it all, it means being thankful to the Lord for all you have.

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid, one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.~ Douglas MacArthur

The time you spend alone with God will transform your character and increase your devotion. Then your integrity and godly behavior in an unbelieving world will make others long to know the Lord.~ Charles Stanley

If one has the answers to all the questions - that is the proof that God is not with him. It means that he is a false prophet using religion for himself. The great leaders of the people of God, like Moses, have always left room for doubt. You must leave room for the Lord, not for our certainties; we must be humble.~ Pope Francis

Sometimes God Doesn't Change Your Situation

“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.”~ Søren Kierkegaard

“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” ~ Mother Teresa

“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.” ~ Abraham Lincoln