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    The Best Life Stories: 150 Real-life Tales of Resilience, Joy, and Hope-all 150 Words or Less!
    The Best Life Stories: 150 Real-life Tales of Resilience, Joy, and Hope-all 150 Words or Less!
    The Best Life Stories: 150 Real-life Tales of Resilience, Joy, and Hope-all 150 Words or Less!
    Ebook182 pages1 hour

    The Best Life Stories: 150 Real-life Tales of Resilience, Joy, and Hope-all 150 Words or Less!

    By Editors of Reader's Digest

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    About this ebook

    Carefully selected from more than 6,500 essays, this wonderful collection of more than 80 stories reveals pure, common wisdom at its best, shared by ordinary people who look at life in an extraordinary way. From heartbreaking accounts to amusing snapshots, The Best Life Stories will leave you feeling hopeful, resilient, and optimistic that happiness can be found even in the darkest moments. Born out of a Reader’s Digest Facebook contest that challenged readers to write their life stories in 150 words or less, this book features the editors’ Top Picks, such as the inspirational tale of . . .
    • one father’s desolation and the renewal he found in his family’s faith and love.
    • one woman’s ability to let go of her abusive past after rescuing an abused dog.
    • a mother’s pride in a life-changing decision made by her autistic daughter.
    • a breast cancer patient’s realization that her identity goes way beyond her diagnosis.
    • a free-spirited woman’s choice to live on her own terms.
    • a young girl’s proud recognition of her grandfather’s simple but profound legacy.

     Plainspoken and honest, The best Life Stories will help you discover the meaning of life, the simple joy in the every day.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTrusted Media Brands
    Release dateOct 25, 2012
    ISBN9781606525708
    The Best Life Stories: 150 Real-life Tales of Resilience, Joy, and Hope-all 150 Words or Less!
    Author

    Editors of Reader's Digest

    A trusted friend in a complicated world, Reader’s Digest is all about being real. Considered America's most trusted brand, Reader’s Digest simplifies and enriches lives by discovering and sharing fascinating stories, interesting ideas and exceptional experiences in addition to advice on health, home, family, food and finance. Looking for something to tickle your funny bone as well? Reader’s Digest has just what the doctor ordered. Our content is delivered in multi-platforms including print, digital, books, and home entertainment products.

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      Book preview

      The Best Life Stories - Editors of Reader's Digest

      BLS_cover.jpgTp_art.jpg

      A READER’S DIGEST BOOK

      Copyright ©

      2013

      The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.

      All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, in any manner, is prohibited.

      Reader’s Digest is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.

      Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

      The best life stories : 150 real-life tales of resilience, joy, and hope : all 150 words or less! / editors of Reader's digest.

      p. cm.

      Includes index.

      ISBN 978-1-60652-564-7 (alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-60652-570-8 (epub)

      1. Life--Anecdotes. 2. Conduct of life--Anecdotes. I. Reader's Digest Association.

      BD431.B443 2013

      818'.60308--dc23

      2012027441

      We are committed to both the quality of our products and the service we provide to our customers. We value your comments, so please feel free to contact us.

      The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.

      Adult Trade Publishing

      44 South Broadway

      White Plains, NY 10601

      For more Reader’s Digest products and information, visit our website:

      www.rd.com (in the United States)

      www.readersdigest.ca (in Canada)

      Editors' Note

      Introduction

      Let Him Go, Olivia by Alejandro Arbide

      Lazy Summers by Diane Archibald

      War Bride Runs for Congress by Flo Traywick

      Sometimes Life’s a Rodeo by Davalynn Spencer

      Picture Perfect Moment by Vickey Malone Kennedy

      Loving Middle School by Guida Detamore

      Homeward Bound by Jim Ruland (Grand-Prize Winner)

      First-Time Mom at Age Sixty by Nan McNamara

      Ninety-Day Wonder by Daniel Campion

      The Quality of Circles by Bruce May

      Do Angels Exist? by Steve Gaal

      Morning by Betty Goldstein

      Christmas in a Vending Machine by James Jennings

      With Each Breath by Leah Chandra

      An Old Soul by Amy Schaller

      Two Sets of Parents by Kimberly Harris

      Life’s Mysterious Buttons by Tamira Hartman

      Chase the Day by Audrey Hagar (Winner)

      My Funny Life by Barbara Nollman

      The Easy Path by Lauren Marino

      You Just Never Know by Judy Paton

      Night Blooming by Alicia Gifford

      Sometimes It IS the Destination by Hethyre Baez

      Your Officer by Jenny Christoforakis

      My Father’s Daughter by Amy Goss

      Nick’s Military Milkshake by Loretta Chadwick

      An Even Swap by C. A. Hamilton

      The Sweet Life by Lindsay Hunter

      A Meaningless Diagnosis by Brian Mayer (Winner)

      My Life, Your Life? by Jennifer Stimpson

      Crybaby by Joe Rhatigan

      Memento by Marni Kleinfield-Hayes

      Linda’s Shoes by Leslie Jones

      The Reunion by Brian Morris

      Angry Mother by Karen Dahl (Winner)

      The New Year’s Eve Lamppost by Ann Cardinal

      Pork Chops and Pop-Tarts by Jannie Holland

      These Parts of Me by Joe Dornich

      Lost by Jennifer Dykema

      I Have a Sister by Angela McGowan

      Making End’s Meat by Kit Vickery

      Can You Point Me to My Hometown? by Greg Grantham

      The Death Race by William Kearney

      Meeting My Father by Livia Pantuliano

      My Wealthy Life by Jim Moore

      The Choice to Love Unconditionally by Anissa Duwaik

      Dakota by Robyn Pasto

      Magical Moments by Carole Vakanas

      Life’s Trials and Trails by Linda Gerding

      Sorry, Mom. . . by Meghan Thompson (Winner)

      Letters by Gabriela Revilla

      A Lesson Learned by Ann Paden

      War Angel by Deanna Cisneros

      I Didn’t Know We Were Poor by Deborah Rowe

      Thirteen Things I’ll Tell My Daughter (Someday) by Aimee Harris

      A Foster Mom’s Life by Keri Riley

      Jumped Feet First Into Bucket List by Karen Baum

      The Power of Perspective by Brandy Harris

      A Moment That Lasts a Lifetime by William Aiello

      White Confetti by Sarah Mendivel

      Still Laugh, with Grapefruit by Kevin McCarthy

      Letters from Camp by Ashley Bias

      My First Love by Charlotte Counts

      A New Nurse by Michelle Dedeo

      I’ve Got Dirt: Memoirs of Your Housekeeper by Chely Roach (Winner)

      Ugh, the Job by Arthur Thomas

      Just Another Day by Jayne Shearer

      A Daredevil Nun by Lula Mae Gostley

      Balloons in the Morning by Gary Gaertner

      Baby by Lynda Ritter

      Dear Candace by Andrea McAllister

      Hand-in-Hand by Misty Cline

      The Father/Son Hug Chain by Lara Dillman

      The Ballad of Maren Kast by Tamara Christians

      Holy Water by Keith Hoerner

      Miracle on Eleventh Street by Dorothy Rickert

      Running Away by Katherine Kingsley

      EBing a Mommy by Courtney Roth (Readers' Choice Winner)

      Twenty March Seven by Ashley Cohen

      Arctic Explorers by Michael Roberto

      Heather Montana by Heather Montana

      Christmas Card Humiliation by Deborah Teeter

      Good Morning by Kaitlin Jandereski

      My Tattooed Arms by Brian Falk

      Love Letters by Chelsee Pengal

      I’m Like You by Valerie Zane

      Can You Love One Child More Than Another? by Katherine Doe Johnson

      Some Moms Shop, We Rock by Deanne Brown

      Snake Bite by Erik Zeidler (Winner)

      Dressing Down by Iman Mazioum

      The Older Sister Era by Sabina Vajraca

      Faking It by Kristin Goethals

      Second Chances by Josh Kilen

      Silence by Michele Weisman

      Snap Judgment by Dennis Jarden

      Don’t Ever Think You Didn’t Do Enough by Laura Guillot

      Worst Enemy by Greg Rohloff

      A Good Life by Julie de Lagarde

      The Twenty-Fourth of July by Linda Sumsion

      Invisible by Mary DeKok Blowers

      Lost Life, Gave Life by Casie Kelly

      Evolving Farmer by Julia Boyce (Winner)

      The Secret Life of Dog Catchers by Shirley Zindler

      Later by Katy Sulfridge

      Not Until It’s Time by Shereen Hart Greene

      My Mother’s Book by Carla Bravo

      We Love the Smell of Jet Fuel in the Morning by Isaac Cubillos

      Mother Nature’s Stage by Kathryn Preston

      Sunday Car Ride by Anne Cavanaugh-Sawan

      Following Directions by JoAnn Cohen

      My First Marathon…26.2 in 4:25 by Krista Selph

      My Littlest Friend by Sydney Turnbull

      Legacy by Katharine Hanschu (Winner)

      Out of the Blue by Julie Turner

      A Child’s American Dream by Betts Flores

      Blue Laundry by Teri Jones

      I Choose to Continue Living by Leslie Kimiko Ward

      Serenity and Hope by Dawn Wilkerson

      The Last Piece of the Puzzle by Amy Gravino

      A Few Words about My Wife by James McDonaugh

      From Broken Home to Mended Fence by Jeannie O’Sullivan

      The Sunny Side of Food Phobias by David Kuhn

      Sons and War by Dawn Endrijaitis

      All These Things Plus One by Nicole Malato (Winner)

      My Wedding Day by Darleene Hancock

      September 10 by Janie Zabala Mayer

      This Rings True. . . by Grant Hester

      Cancer, Faith, and a Pastrami Sandwich by Larissa Allen

      The Man with the Tattoos by Chance Steeves

      I Hated My Parents by Fran Samuelson

      Nothing Is Ever Free by Robin Lee

      It All Counts by Donna Jarvis

      Surf Soldiers by Caroline McCandless

      Story Time by Heather Farnath

      Primatology by J. J. Keith (Winner)

      Highway Sixty-Four by Ailene Everts

      The Beauty Blade by Elisabeth McKetta

      A Bonding Moment by Rebecca Jamison

      My Butterfly by Patricia Anderson

      A Real Love Story—Fairy Tales Do Happen by Elliot Levanthal

      Making Friends with My Kitchen by Dana Hinders

      Katrina and Magnolias by Cathy Suarez

      Microwave Toast by Barbara Gode Wiles

      Stitches in Time by Maureen Haggerty

      For Adrian, 150 Blessings Disguised as Words

      Documenting My Life by Joshua Hawker

      You Come and You Go by Cathy Cook

      The Summer Nights of My Youth by Becky Mantooth

      The Man with Cancer by Liz Deardorff

      This Thing. . . by Jodi Peppard-Latocki

      Credits

      Editors’ Note

      On our Facebook page in

      2011

      , we asked you to tell us your life story in

      150

      words or less, and your response was overwhelming. Not only in numbers (though an incredible

      6,652

      of you wrote in), but in the plain grace of your stories and

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