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10 things that made us smile this week

This week's roundup of joy includes 1,000 generous knitters, two impressive dancers, a thoughtful magician, a costumed Brendan Fraser and more.

magic, dancing

Kevin Li/TikTok, @affinityswing/Instagram

This week's roundup of joy.

Happy tears are a weird thing, aren't they?

Like, why do humans cry when we're sad and when we're happy? How can something touch our hearts in such a joyful way that our eyeballs start leaking saltwater? (And why does it totally ruin it to refer to crying as "eyeballs leaking saltwater"?)

Scientists don't know exactly why people cry happy tears, but according to VeryWellMind, they have a few best guesses. One is that we cry for balance—to manage our intense emotions or help regulate our body and mood. Another guess is that we cry when we're overwhelmed with happiness because we feel helpless and powerless over our emotions. A third theory is that crying signals vulnerability, which triggers empathy in others, therefore creating a social connection between people.

Whatever the reason, invoking tears of joy is one of our favorite pastimes here at Upworthy. We love it when readers make "cutting onions" jokes because the emotions behind them are pure, genuine and so very, very human.

Some of this week's roundup of joy will make you smile, some will make you laugh and some may just make you cry those happy tears. So have a tissue handy and enjoy!

1. You'll 100% want the sound up for this baby sea lion, I promise.

\u201cThis is URGENT. Stop what you\u2019re doing this very second and look at this baby sea lion and listen to its little voice right now!!!\u201d
— Jennine (@Jennine) 1674559526

Be right back, gotta Google how to adopt a dozen baby sea lions.

2. Over 1,000 volunteers finish the knitting projects of people's loved ones who have passed.

Knitting, yarn

The volunteers at Loose Ends finish knit projects and mend broken hearts.

Photo by rocknwool on Unsplash

Two knitters founded Loose Ends, which connects the unfinished knitting projects of loved ones who have died or become disabled with knitters who finish their projects and send them back to their families. The project has more than 1,000 volunteers in 19 countries. Isn't that just so lovely? Read more about this heartwarming project here.

3. Brendan Fraser thrilled moviegoers by showing up to a screening of 'The Mummy' in full costume.

Pure, sweet Brendan Fraser, who couldn't be more endearing if he tried. Read the full story here.

4. This one's for all the introverts who have no interest in being out after 10:00 p.m.

@subradioband
send this to your favorite introvert #fypp #indieband #alternativeband

The indie pop band, Sub-Radio, is behind this bit of parody genius. Read the full story here.

5. A woman helped out a man with some bus money. He surprised her and her son with Eagles tickets.

That kid's face. Too sweet. Read the full story here.

6. Sometimes the seemingly insignificant moments turn out to be the most significant of all.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Upworthy (@upworthy)

Childhood is fleeting at every stage, so we have to cherish those moments while they last. Find more of Clint Edwards' musings on parenting here.

7. A magician changed his act so a visually impaired man could experience the magic.

@magickevinli
One of my most memorable performances. There’s always a way to experience magic ❤️ Thanks for having me @Google #magician #kevinlimagic #google

Most magic tricks rely on sight to work, but Kevin Li wants everyone to be able to experience the wonder and surprise of magic. Read the full story here.

8. A heart-to-heart conversation that everyone should have at least once with the people they love.

See on Instagram

This is where that tissue comes in handy. Phew. So beautiful.

9. Watch these dancers improvise to a song they didn't know they were going to dance to.

See on Instagram

These two dancers have only danced a few times together and all of that was improvised on the spot. Like, whoa. Very, very impressive.

10. Let's hop into the weekend with the energy of this happy little goat.

\u201cHappy goat.. \ud83d\ude02\u201d
— Buitengebieden (@Buitengebieden) 1674406608

Hope that brought a few smiles—and maybe a few happy tears—to your faces!

If you enjoyed this post and would like to see more of them in your inbox, subscribe to our free newsletter, The Upworthiest, here.

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via MyHeritage

David Rossler returns to the place where he hid from the Nazis during World War II.

David Rossler, 84, and his mother were taken in by Georges Bourlet and his four young adult children in 1944 and allowed to hide in their home in Brussels in the waning months of World War II. Rossler and his mother were Jewish, and Belgium was occupied by Nazi Germany. If caught, they’d be taken to a concentration camp.

Rossler had already lost his uncle and grandfather after they were taken to Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland and he would lose his father, hiding elsewhere, to an illness.

Bourlet and his family were also in danger if they were caught hiding the mother and child from the Nazis. "People who protected Jews were simply risking their lives. You wouldn't end up in jail, but in Auschwitz—and Auschwitz, you didn't end up anywhere but in the crematoria," Rossler said in a video produced by MyHeritage.com.

After Allied forces liberated Belgium in 1945, Rossler, who was born Daniel Langa and later took the name of his stepfather, moved to Austria and lost touch with the Bourlets.

As Rossler entered his 80s and was in declining health, his final wish was to thank Bourlet’s family for the incredible bravery and humanity he showed him and his mother during the war.

For years, Lionel Rossler, David’s son, did everything he could to find the family, including putting ads in the paper and posting on social media. After one such post, he received a message from Marie Cappart, country manager for MyHeritage in Belgium, who wanted to help.

MyHeritage is an online genealogy platform with 90 million family trees. Rossler's story hit close to home with Cappart.

"My husband lost his grandfather during the war. He died at the concentration camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau," Cappart told Newsweek. "My own great-grandmother also died in the camp at Ravensbrück. She was British and was in Belgium as part of the resistance. Sadly she was caught by the Nazis and deported. She never came back."

\u201cDavid Rossler, center, with members of the Bourlet family. A Belgian genealogist recently helped the 83-year-old man reunite with the family that saved him and his mother during World War II.\n\nhttps://t.co/CVWQ3SLbH0\u201d
— Stephen Uzzell (@Stephen Uzzell) 1653404305

“After browsing records and cross-referencing data, Cappart found an Anne-Marie Bourlet, born in Auderghem in 1929,” Lionel said, according to SWNS. “She discovered that Anne-Marie married someone with the surname Dedoncker and had five children—all of them possibly still alive.”

“After a bit more research, Cappart found Xavier, one of Georges Bourlet’s grandsons, and managed to contact him,” he continued.

Finally, after 75 years, David Rossler returned to the place where he hid in 1944 and 1945 and thanked Bourlet’s five grandchildren.

\u201cA man has returned to the home he and his mother hid in from the Nazis nearly 80 years ago - while his uncle and grandad died in Auschwitz. David Rossler, 85, was just five years old when he and his mother, Haja Sura Zoltak, were hidden by the Bourlet\n\nhttps://t.co/jmFZsupNaJ\u201d
— Times of Bristol (@Times of Bristol) 1675784891

“It was an incredibly emotional day for us,” Lionel explained. “I was able to see, with my own eyes, the place where my father was kept safe from the Germans all those years ago.”

“If I had Mr. Bourlet in front of me, I would want to kiss him,” said David. “To say thank you with all my body, with all my life, I am alive, I have a family of which I am very, very, very proud. To tell him that my life is thanks to him.”

Bourlet didn’t know it then, but his bravery saved the lives of nine people.

“Because of his heroic action, Georges was able to save the lives of my father and grandmother,” Lionel said. “Nine people were saved thanks to what he did; my brother, myself and our children would not be here today if not for his courage and kindness.”

As a final “thank you” to Bourlet and his family, the Rosslers want him to be recognized as Righteous Among The Nations at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. This honor is for non-Jews who risked everything during the Holocaust to save Jewish people.

The medal given to honorees has an inscription with the Hebrew saying: "Whosoever saves a single life, saves an entire universe.”

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