A fourth-grade teacher beautifully explains what grief is to her students using a vase

"Grief takes up space, not just in your heart, but in your brain."

By Emily Shiffer

Grief is a universal experience that touches everyone—from kids to adults. And for fourth grade teacher Ryan Brazil, she used her own recent loss to help educate and open up to her students about grief.

In a touching video, Brazil tenderly explained what grief is to her students after they finished reading A Kids Book About Grief by Brennan C. Wood. She tells her class, "More than half our class is in tears and is being vulnerable and brave and sharing stories of their own grief."

She then pulls out an empty vase that she explains represents her "brain and her heart," before adding: "I normally have more space for patience, focus, and calm. I showed them how little things that happen during the day like noise, questions, mistakes are like colorful pom poms filling up the vase. Normally, there’s plenty of space to handle those things."

🎃 3 tips for a Halloween visit to senior living homes that kids and adults both will cherish

It can be a big pick-me-up for seniors, but there are some guidelines to make it a positive experience for all.

By Cecily Knobler

What's better than combining eager Halloween-celebrating kids with the elderly who could use some visitors? Why trick-or-treating of course! This idea has been making the rounds and many are sharing their cute TikTok videos to prove the joy.

Just this week, Upworthy shared the heartwarming story about a mom who took her daughter (dressed head to toe in princess pink) to a senior care facility, delighting many of the residents. She pranced around with her pumpkin Halloween bucket, into which senior citizens joyfully dropped candy. It inspired many to take part in this wonderful win/win for the elderly and the youth.

Unexpected friendships are some of the best. ♥️

✒️ 20 common names that never existed until a writer created them

Without Shakespeare, we'd never have Jessica.

By Heather Wake

We know names like Katniss, Daenerys, Arwen, and Atticus come from fantastic works of fiction. But what’s surprising is how many ordinary, everyday names we use now were once just as made up.

In fact, some of the most familiar names in the world—Jessica, Fiona, Vanessa, and Holden, for instance—didn’t exist at all until an author invented them.

And with the recent boom in literary baby names, it’s fun to look back at the authors who dreamed up monikers we all recognize and appreciate.

The Bard, of course, has quite a few notables.

🤩 11 celebrities I've met who turned out to be even kinder than their legendary reputations

Some of these people were just shockingly cool

By Cecily Knobler

For many of us, we've hit a point where the "stars are just like us" trope has become cringe-inducing. The world has much more on its delicate plate than what sushi an A/B-list movie star ate at Nobu.

That said, hearing that fellow humans (famous or not) act especially kind to others can be uplifting. Sure, it's something we all should do, and no one should get a medal for being "nice." But there's still a little magic in movies, music, and art in general, and there's definitely some inspiration to be had from the people who create that magic.