# Inspiring

As Tornadoes Closed In, Air Traffic Controllers Stayed At Their Stations

Air traffic controllers at the Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center in Hampton, Ga., stayed at their work stations on April 27 to guide planes around tornadoes, even though the twisters were headed right at them and at the homes of their families.

# Inspiring

Penn Medical School Gets Record $225M Gift from Philly Couple

The University of Pennsylvania received a $225 million gift for its School of Medicine to create an endowment for providing more financial aid to students, recruiting more physicians and scientists and supporting innovative research. The Philadelphia Ivy League university described the gift by philanthropist Raymond G. Perelman and his wife as the largest in its history and one the biggest ever nationwide given to a medical school.

# Inspiring

San Francisco Project Places Mirrors Around City with Affirmations

The SF Mirrors Project is a public art project with one simple purpose at it's core - to spread a bit of random happiness. The idea is to create a public art installation overnight throughout the city of San Francisco spreading messages of inspiration, encouragement, and hope.

# Inspiring

Self-compassion May Matter More Than Self-esteem

A new book explains a decade of research by psychologists that finds that self-compassion may be the most important life skill, imparting resilience, courage, energy and creativity. It's also a skill many people lack.

# Inspiring

Daughter's Tweet Results in Kidney Donation For Mom

For 10 years, Kirti Dwivedi watched her mother suffer from kidney disease. When she reached out for help via Twitter, she said, "I never thought that we would be able to find somebody that would be willing to be a donor, let alone a match."

# Inspiring

Veterans Transition to New Battlefield, Helping to Clean-up Tornado Ravaged Towns (Video)

Returning veterans find new life as they transition out of war and into a different kind of service, helping homeowners hit by devastating disasters like the recent tornadoes, first in Alabama and now in Joplin, Missouri.

# Inspiring

Cookies, Potato Chips, and Clothing Help Inmates to New Life

A jail-based brand that includes crispy potato chips, crunchy cookies and formal shirts is transforming the lives of inmates and prepare them for a fresh start through vocational training in diverse fields, thanks to the successful launch of TJ'S brand (named for the prison).

# Inspiring

Forgiving Her Son's Killer: "He became human to me."

It would be easy — expected, even — for Mary Johnson to hate Oshea Israel. After all, he killed Johnson's only son, in 1993. He went to prison for that — and toward the end of his sentence, he become a man to whom Johnson could make peace.