“Puppy Live,” a round-the-clock livestream of a litter, has become a national phenomenon. “Nothing bad happens in the puppy box,” one fan explained.

© Julia Kiiskinen/Yle, via Associated Press

Rhenda Strub invited strangers to accompany her to Seattle Mariners games this season to help overcome the loneliness of grieving for her son’s death.

© Chona Kasinger for The New York Times