Sometimes news coverage provides a sense that there’s not much good in the world. But then, amid tragic events, touching stories emerge about selfless acts of kindness. And the good Samaritans behind them become humanity’s silver lining. This year, whether it was an act as small as nursing a kitten back to health after it was thrown from the window of a moving truck or whether it was an act as poignant as bystanders helping Boston Marathon bombing victims to safety, these everyday heroes and their good-hearted deeds accord us hope that there really are compassionate people in the world willing to help others.