As we grasp to make sense of the devastation of the Manchester attacks, stories of incredible heroism have emerged.
In the hours after the blast at the Ariana Grande concert, people from all walks of life sought ways to help, to shelter, to comfort.
Against the bleakness of the deaths of 22 people, most of whom were teenage girls or parents collecting their children, we must celebrate the heroes.
Mostly to remind ourselves that one man's horrific actions do not speak for all of mankind - and despite the feeling that the world is an ugly place, we need to remember that people are fundamentally good.
Some of the inspiring people we know about so far include homeless people sheltering at the exit to the arena who have spoken about helping the victims in the aftermath of the attack.
Chris Parker describes to the Manchester Evening News the moment he comforted a dying woman:
"She passed away in my arms. She was in her 60s and said she had been with her family. I haven't stopped crying.The most shocking part of it is that it was a kids' concert. There were nuts and bolts all over the floor. People had holes in their back.
It's the screams I can't get over"
Another man who was sleeping rough, Steve Jones, told ITV news how he helped children who had been blasted with nails:
"It was children with blood all over them, they were crying and screaming. We were having to pull nails out of their arms and a couple out of a little girl’s face.
Just because I’m homeless doesn’t mean I’ve not got a heart."
Elsewhere, a brave aunt died while shielding her niece from the blast. 32-year-old Kelly Brewster was at the concert with her sister, Claire and niece, Hollie Booth.
According to the Mail Online, just a day before the attack she had put a deposit on a house with her boyfriend
Posting on Facebook, Tracy Booth said her granddaughter, Hollie Booth, had broken both of her legs and Hollie's mother had broken her jaw.
Ms Booth wrote: 'I just hope my granddaughter Hollie Booth, her mum and Kelly Brewster will be ok, I hope my Hollies legs r going to be ok (sic).'
A family friend commented on the post saying: 'I understand she [Kelly] was behind Hollie and shield her with her body (sic).'
Another moment of bravery has emerged from an ordinary member of the public, 48-year-old Paula Robinson was at a nearby train station when she saw a crowd of teenage girls screaming and running.
The couple led about 50 children, most of who had been separated from their parents to safety at a nearby hotel and she told Reuters how she shared her phone number on social media urging worried parents to contact her.
“Parents were frantic running about trying to get to their children - I did what I could to help."
There were many, many more stories of ordinary heroism after the horror of the attack - crowdfunding pages set up to help those affected, hundreds responded to the appeal to donate blood, and even the mother of Ariana Grande, who was in the front row of the concert, helped children to safety backstage.
Now, the details of the those who died in the attack begin to emerge and pictures of their faces across social media remind us that they are not just victims - they are people with families and relationships and hopes and dreams.
Our hearts ache for all the mothers saying goodbye at hospital bedsides, all the friends tweeting goodbye to classmates with words no young person should ever have to consider, and all the families who have to come to terms with the empty rooms, the lost dreams, the broken hearts and everything else that comes with such relentless grief.
(Written by Amanda Cassidy)
