The Comfort Zone... Review on A Cup of Comfort - Colleen Sell

It is only the story . . . that saves our progeny from blundering like blind beggars into the spikes of the cactus fence. The story is our escort; without it, we are blind.

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A Cup of Comfort:

As I leafed through the book, the first line I happen to read was ''It was my 28th birthday & I was seriously depressed. My whole world looked dark, my future dim''.... I couldn't keep the book down without finishing off the story titled: Make a wish, Mommy; a young divorced mom disillusioned by her life, is miserable on her birthday but she is shown the blessings of life by her six year old son. This has now become my favourite story among the 50 short stories that brew this cup of comfort.

Another story The Crying Chair tells of a teacher's compassion for her students & their need to express pain. Yet another story is that of a young couple who cannot afford their dream house but are able to do so with the generosity of total strangers. This story beautifully explains the much heard ''Strangers are friends we haven't met'' and the rest of the stories are of extraordinary events with a powerful message of moral fiber! Each story usually starts with misery but ends with that the golden nugget of humility & inspiration that reaffirms our belief is life.

The stories in this inspiring collection are a mix of varied themes; of life's blessings & miracles, of triumph over difficulties & tragedies, of extraordinary achievements & life-defining experiences of ordinary people, of simple people who find the silver lining in a dark cloud, of courage & achievement, of love & good deeds done, of others with hopes & hurts just like ours. Each of these stories are bound to give comfort in difficult times.

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The Book/Author(s):

This unique Cup of Comfort concept is brought to us by editor Colleen Sell who has long believed in the power of storytelling to heal, guide, enrapture & transcend the human spirit. She has worked as an author, book editor, journalist, magazine editor, copywriter, publicist, novelist, essayist & screenwriter [phew!]. As a little girl Collen was in love with words & pondered the mysteries of the world...for her stories were a lifeline. Through her book ''A Cup of Comfort'' she wanted to give people a warm & wise cup of comfort within the pages of a book, filled with powerful, creatively told stories that would make the reader think, lifted their spirits & inspired them to embrace this journey called life. After months of searching & reading & fine-tuning thousands of stories Colleen gathered together true stories about the extraordinary experiences of ordinary people.

The contributors of these evocative & engaging stories are people from all walks of life who have created story with an event that had a profound & positive impact on them.

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My Word:

This book, a gift from a very special friend, arrived at a time when I badly needed a dose of comfort, which came in form of these stories that are very uplifting without being too syrupy. They come across as sincere straight from the heart stories & one can almost relate to the pain & misery the story teller has been through. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for some hope & comfort for their heart n soul.

Lie back & relax with a nice warm Cup of Comfort!

Happy Reading :o)