When we turn on our televisions or smart phones we are bombarded with news that brings us down. Where are all the good stories? They’re still there. Here’s one that we hope will bless you.

Just over a year ago in Waukesha, Wisconsin, a red SUV sped along a Christmas parade route and deliberately ran down members of the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies, a group of older women who danced along to music. Ultimately, the driver murdered six people — four from Dancing Grannies, including their leader, Virginia Sorenson — and injured dozens more. 

It was a tragedy, and one they’ve all dealt with over the past year. Still, the grannies haven’t let that tragedy derail them from their mission to put smiles on people’s faces.

“We’ve got to get back out there,” Jeannie Knutson, one of the Dancing Grannies, said.

“Ginny always had this saying before parades: ‘If you make a mistake, if you get off kilter, if you drop your pom poms, no matter what, you keep on dancing,’” Jan Kwiatkowski, one of the Dancing Grannies, told the Associated Press. “And that’s the mantra we all grabbed on to.”

This year, they will dance again. The Waukesha Christmas parade will be held on Sunday, December 4, at 4:00 p.m. The group is number 15 in the parade lineup.

Nancy Flory, Ph.D., is a senior editor at The Stream. You can follow her @NancyFlory3, and follow The Stream @Streamdotorg.