29 Powerful Pictures With An Equally Powerful Backstory

Everyone could use a good cry every now and then, and these beautiful photos are sure to have you sobbing at their sheer sweetness.

The pictures certainly speak for themselves but exploring their backstories is even more heart-wrenching. So grab a box of tissues and dive in, these beautiful narratives are waiting for your discovery.

These soulmates that met each other as kids.

"Met her when I was 11, my first girlfriend, my first love, my first kiss, and now, my wife," writes user Mafeotul, who posted his charming love story to Reddit.

Naturally, other Redditors were quick to congratulate the couple whose relationship was clearly written in the stars and even reminisce about their own first loves. How sweet!

Embracing your body isn't always easy, but it is certainly worth your happiness.

When Redditor Martin21 posted this lovely photo of himself on the internet, he did so because he was tired of being afraid to swim.

But the root of this fear went beyond aquaphobia. It stemmed from the user being uncomfortable to show off his extra skin after losing a significant amount of weight.

"I have spent a lot of time up in my own head thinking I was still fat (which from looking at this photo is clearly not the case)," he shares.

But that state of mind is long gone. Martin is finally embracing all of his body and we're so happy for him!

A special graduation that made one parent incredibly proud.

Doctors told the father of this student who just graduated high school that his son wouldn't live past his first day on earth. But boy did he prove them all wrong!

"He was born in 2003 with zero functioning organs and has battled Autism and Epilepsy his whole life," his father, who posted the beautiful photo to Reddit, writes. "Proud is an understatement."

Indeed it is! We can't wait to see all the amazing achievements yet to come in his clearly bright future.

The moments before a lifesaving kidney transplant.

There really is nothing else like the love a mother has for her child. And this mother and daughter duo could definitely attest to that.

It all began when the daughter, Gulia, developed a rare disease in 2015 called Aplastic Anemia, a condition that results in a complete failure of bone marrow. She eventually received a transplant but experienced a severe reaction to the surgery months later that damaged her kidney.

Guilia's mother, Giovanna, didn't hesitate to do whatever was needed to help her daughter — even giving up one of her own kidneys!

Kindness from first responders who delivered a baby on the parent's driveway.

"The firefighters that helped deliver our baby in our driveway last week just dropped off flowers," writes the Redditor who shared the pic online.

And we're absolutely swooning at the sheer kindness of these first responders. After all, it was thanks to them that both the mom and baby are happy and healthy!

This sweet reminder that it's never too late to start something new.

Okay, this Redditor who decided to go back to school in his 30s to further his education is seriously adorable. Just look at his beaming smile!

But more than just his sheer happiness, the user is shepherding a very important life lesson — no matter your age, it's never too late to start a new path.

A landlord's heartwarming Christmas gift.

"Didn’t get any gifts for Christmas except from my landlord. Has no idea I’ve been struggling lately," says the Redditor who shared the sweet card with the internet.

Sometimes it's truly the most simple of presents that make the biggest impact on those who could use the reminder that they're loved and appreciated.

The thoughtful way one mother celebrated her child's sobriety.

Whether a person is 20 years sober or just a day into their sobriety, every moment deserves to be celebrated. And that's exactly what one mother did for her child who made it to 30 days clean.

The thoughtful surprise understandably garnered attention from other Redditors who are just as proud of their own sobriety.

"I have been clean and sober since 6/4/88. The last 30 years have flown by but I have always remembered one thing. The first 30 days were the hardest," writers user BipolarUnipolar in the comments. "Congrats. May you someday be writing this to another."

Meeting your hero can certainly make memories that last a lifetime.

"My childhood hero Tony Hawk got the privilege of meeting my adult hero today, My son Odin," writes this Redditor who captured the adorable meeting.

The user then did what anyone would do, share it on the internet so the rest of the world could swoon over the encounter. We sure are!

The bicycle that went to a truly deserving home.

When this father went to pick up a bicycle he agreed to purchase from a couple on Facebook, he was stunned to find out that they wanted to give him the bike for free.

Money was tight for the new bike owner who says the couple will never know how much he appreciated what they did for him.

Although, he tries to show his gratification by snapping a photo of every new place the bicycle takes him and sending it to the couple. If that's not the sweetest thing ever, we seriously don't know what is!

This moment a Redditor become a U.S. citizen was perfectly captured in a photo.

"I’ve lived in America for 17 years; over half of my life. Today, I finally became an American," writes this Redditor, who shared a photo of himself proudly holding his official documents.

And Reddit had the most wholesome reaction to the user becoming a U.S. citizen by both congratulating and welcoming him!

A grieving mother who received plenty of support from the internet.

Becoming a single mother to a newborn after the sudden loss of her partner was imaginably one of the hardest things this Redditor has ever had to do.

She posted her grief to Reddit and the internet seriously came through for the new mother in ways she could have never fathomed.

Five years later, the user decided to repost pictures of all the diapers, Amazon gift cards, and letters of support she received from literal online strangers. She recounts how grateful she still is for everyone who helped her realized that she would never truly be alone in raising her child.

The surprising union that took years in the making.

We totally see the resemblance between this sweet father and son duo. But here's the kicker, the father didn't even know he had a child until his son tracked him down. Wowza!

As the story goes, the Redditor was adopted at the age of two. His birth father was quite young when the user was born so his birth mother never informed him of the pregnancy.

It would be many years later that the Reddit user found his father in Russia, and by the looks of it, they're both enjoying each other's company.

This father's bittersweet keepsake of his son's remission.

"Big day for me. My son's port was removed after finishing his cancer treatment over the last 2 years," shares this parent who certainly does have plenty of reason to celebrate his child being cancer-free.

Of course, the port will be a bittersweet memento of a pretty terrible time. But we hope it reminds the user of his child's bravery and commendable strength!

A beautiful reminder of this newborn's guardian angels.

"Both my parents passed before my daughter was born. My wife gave me this painting for Christmas," shares one Redditor.

What a truly beautiful way to commemorate the passing of parents who although may not be able to physically be with their grandkids, will nonetheless still hold a place in their lives.

Identical honeymoon photos taken 43 years apart.

What are the chances of coincidentally taking an almost identical photo of the same honeymoon spot as your parents did 43 years prior?

For this Redditor, the chances were super high. But other users weren't so sure of the 'serendipitous' nature of these matching photos.

"This is clearly planned," shares one Reddit user. "I love this kind of thing, but the framing and angle of decline towards the subject, it's clearly not an accident."

Sure, it may not have been as much of a coincidence as the original poster suggests, but we still think the matching photos are super sweet.

Using art to cope with a life of substance abuse.

"My brother was living on the street, struggling with addiction," shares the sibling who posted their brother's stunning painting to Reddit. "Now he paints his experience."

It's not hard to see why the post garnered more than 600 comments from other users who expressed their admiration of this painter's strength and commitment to better his life.

"It's great to hear that he's getting better! Any success stories make the world a little more optimistic," writes Redditor tuxkaramazov.

Indeed they do!

This adorable friendship that's spanned decades.

Soulmates aren't always romantic partnerships; sometimes there completely platonic and just as written in the stars.

These two besties could certainly attest to this fated sense of friendship as they've been best friends since they were four years old. And if our math checks out, that's 22 long years of always being there for one another!

"This belonged to my grandma until she passed recently, and now it’s in my home," explains Redditor Misslasagna.

"It was lit every Channukah for eight days, through the depression, World War II, and so much more for at least 95 years. I’m so honored and I can’t stop smiling."

It's a beautiful piece, with an equally beautiful sotry.

Not just a lovely smile.

Redditor iago303 explained that they didn't have access to proper dental care for most of their life, and that made them afraid to smile.

Now, after so many years of embarrassment, they're finally able to grin.

A lovable pet portrait.

Reddit | corry26

"My 93 year old dementia patient painted my cat," wrote Redditor corry26, "I have no cat but I'm starting to fall in love with this one."

According to corry26, the patient is an artist and still loves to create.

"This photo of astronaut Charlie Duke's family has been on the moon for the last 43 years."

This is so cool and sweet, even if it is technically littering on the moon. Duke was part of Apollo 16, which landed on the moon in April 1972.

And before any of you comment: yes, the photo was probably bleached by the sun. This pic was taken in 1972, not now. It's amazing how many people in the Reddit thread tried to say it was fake due to the photo "surviving" 43 years.

Jellyfish stings are no joke.

Thankfully, the man whose injuries are featured in the image was lucky enough to survive. He got treatment in time.

Had he not, that amount of stinging would likely have been fatal.

This is not their dog.

Rather, it's a stray that not only let themselves into the Redditor's home, but also hopped right into the shower. No updates on whether the doggo was lost or actually in need of a home.

Some people questioned having your phone in the shower with you, but as someone with a water-resistant phone who's too cheap to buy a wireless speaker, I totally do this.

Add another example to the column: Why Grandparents Are The Best.

"My dog gets really anxious in the car, so my grandma asked to sit in the back with him. The whole car ride all I heard was 'it’s okay, we’re almost there brave boy'" said Redditor bex_yeah.

This sweet father that took his son-in-law on his first father and son camping trip.

"My husband was abandoned when he was three, and raised by foster families until he was adopted by a single mom (she passed away in 2012)," writes the Redditor who posted the charming photo of her dad and husband online. "He never went fishing until my dad took him, he never fixed a car, learned how to BBQ, and so much more."

Look how happy they both are. We're literally crying over the love that's radiating from this pic!

Is it getting dusty in here?

This is possibly the sweetest thing ever. It's the sort of thing that makes you cry and smile all at the same time. He must have been a wonderful neighbor.

A lost wedding ring found in the strangest place.

It would figure that they'd find the ring right after buying a replacement.

This isn't so strange a place for it to get stuck if you know that it's a bottle of nail polish remover.

A literal miracle baby.

After receiving radiation, this father was told that the chances of naturally having a child were slim to none.

Seven years later, his wife gave birth to a miraculous baby boy born, coincidentally, just 10 days after he turned 40 years old. Talk about a beautiful birthday present!