Sunday 10 June 2012

The Russian Debutante’s Handbook”

In his first two novels, “The Russian Debutante’s Handbook” and “Absurdistan,” Gary Shteyngart sent his gentle, nebbishy heroes (Americanized Russian Jews) on a rough ride through post-Soviet Eastern European wonderlands teeming with gangsters, hustlers and religious fanatics. That madcap, semi-Slavic milieu — with its unstable mixture of sentiment and brutality, fatalism and parvenue initiative — really got his satirical genius percolating. In Shteyngart’s third novel, “Super Sad True Love Story,” he saves himself the trip, making an Absurdistan of America itself by imagining the near-future disintegration of our nation under a combined load of foreign debt, plutocracy and delusions of personal exceptionalism.
Also, it’s a love story, and as super-sad as the title promises. Sometime in the next decade or so, Lenny Abramov, an indifferently effective sales representative for an outfit called Post-Human Services, meets Eunice Park, a Korean-American recently graduated from Elderbird College (the equivalent, I’m guessing, of Andover) with a double major in Images and Assertiveness. He’s 39 and preoccupied with the bodily decay he hopes to correct if he can ever afford his own company’s services: They sell “life extension” and “dechronification,” but only to HNWIs (High Net-Worth Individuals — this is an acronym-crazed world we’re talking about). Lenny is instantly smitten, bewitched by Eunice’s blend of youthful beauty and surly attentiveness. She calls him “nerd face” and “old,” but kindly adjusts his shirt cuffs and shows him how to properly brush his teeth.
Lenny and Eunice’s rickety affair unfolds in a New York City smartening itself up for a visit from China’s central banker, “unofficially the world’s most powerful man.” In this economy, the most desirable commodities have prices pegged to the yuan. Something called the Bipartisan Party has taken over the government, and the hardline policies of Secretary of Defense Rubenstein are applauded by Lenny’s parents — Soviet émigrés from way back who watch nothing but FoxLiberty-Prime and FoxLibertyUltra in the sanctity of the Long Island enclave Lenny describes as their “vibrant right-wing habitat.”
The most slicing satire in this novel, however, is reserved for the technologized culture of everyday urban life; Shteyngart is the Joseph Heller of the information age. His characters carry networked devices called äppäräti wherever they go, emitting (willingly or not) such data as their cholesterol and stress levels, credit rankings, self-esteem and relationship history, as well as their off-the-cuff evaluations of friends and strangers. “Learn to rate everyone around you,” a co-worker admonishes Lenny: The instantaneously broadcasted metrics include such categories as Personality, Sustainability and Fuckability. When a friend suggests that they “FAC” while hanging out in a bar, clueless Lenny has to be told that this acronym means “‘Form A Community’ … It’s, like, a way to judge people. And let them judge you.” (Lenny, by the way, comes in last place among 40 in the category of “Male Hotness.”)
Shteyngart’s future America is a land of run-on corporate monikers (“LandOLakesGMFordCredit”) and capitalized yet disturbingly vague careers: middle-class people work in either Retail, Credit or Media. Journalism as we know it has been replaced by “streaming” narcissists, whose “shows” consist of a mishmash of political commentary, health tips, celebrity gossip, nostalgia, porn and discussions of such Seinfeldian trivia as “the ‘wah-wuh’ sound of the doors closing on the 6 train versus the resigned ‘sheesh’ sound on the L.” One of Lenny’s best friends dates a woman “who spends about seven hours a day streaming about her weight” (her show’s signature line is “Hey, girlfriend, gots muffintop?”) Another friend streams critiques of U.S. foreign policy “intermixed with his own hardcore gay sex.”
The peril in writing about satire this accurate is that it’s tempting to list every clever little dart that lands right in the bull’s-eye. I could go on about how perfectly Shteyngart captures the poignant, adolescent crudity adopted by Eunice and her girlfriends; their pet names for each other include “ass hoo-kah,” “slut” and, of course, “betch.” (They also shop for sportswear in the JuicyPussy line on a website called AssLuxury.) Since the narrative is divided between Lenny’s old-fashioned diary entries and Eunice’s e-mails and IMs, we know that behind all that pornographic faux swagger these girls are perilously vulnerable.
That’s the difference between Shteyngart and the average literary satirist (or even an above-average one, like Martin Amis): his warmth. I almost attached the “mercilessly” to the word “accurate” in the first sentence of the paragraph above, but had to stop myself, because “Super Sad True Love Story” is in fact overflowing with mercy. In Eunice, Lenny sees two elements: the tough, family-first immigrant fiber inherited from her parents, which is what the two of them have in common, and a history-free American optimism manifested as commodity worship. He loves both. Watching her shop for clothes, he marvels at, and pities, her “attempt to extract meaning from an artifact that contained mostly thread. If only beauty could explain the world away. If only a nippleless bra could make it all work.”
It’s a high-wire act, pulling off a novel that’s simultaneously so biting and so compassionate, and in his earlier books Shteyngart, while unfailingly shrewd and funny, wasn’t always this tender. “Super Sad True Love Story” is indeed a sadder, and also a better, book. Perhaps it’s the setting that brings it out in him: an America he could only truly love now that he thinks it’s melting away. (He can make you feel the loss of Lenny’s co-op apartment as a muted Chekovian tragedy, the passing of an era in 750 square feet.) That’s what slips through Lenny’s fingers in the personified form of Eunice Park, the fleeting, hopeless dream of escaping the universal fate of humankind. “Forget it, Lenny,” you want to whisper in his ear. “It’s Absurdistan.”

Sunday 20 May 2012

Love Marriage Relationship


Love is the most beautiful feeling that has been created by God and those who have true love in their life are the most fortunate people in this world. Those people are truly the blessed children of God, who are lucky enough to have that special person of their life, without whom their life is incomplete as their spouse. The Love Marriage Relationship adverts to the relationship of love that exists between married couples.

For a relationship to last long or to survive till the last, one should give importance to the feeling of love, as without love there can be no relationship . It should be noted that a Love Marriage Relationship is based on the foundation of belief and trust.

Marriage is the most important event in the life of man or a woman and people make the best of their efforts to make their marriage work. It would be better to say that a couple leaves no stones unturned to have a successful marital relationship.

It often happens that after a few years of marriage, the couples take each other for granted and gets so involved with their professional life that in no time their relationship goes stale. To imbibe the freshness of love and back into their life one must find time to reinvent their passion for each other. Therefore to make a Love Marriage Relationship work make use of the slightest opportunity that you get to express you gratitude to your lover or make her/him special in your own way.

Marriage is a union of two hearts. You usually decide to get married after you have fallen in love with your partner. There are times you are not sure whether your marriage will work or be a happy one. You have to be confident about yourself and also keep faith in your partner. Love Marriages have a story of their own. It is interesting to know how you both met and developed the thing called "love" and the courtship period before marriage.

The Concept of Love Marriage is about tying a knot after realizing the mutual admiration, attraction and affection. The decision of getting married is taken by you and your partner after a lot of thinking and discussions.

A marriage without love is unthinkable, yet there are countries where the concept of arrange marriage is prevalent. If you take the example of India, the parents generally oppose the concept of their child choosing their life partner. Nowadays, the young people are breaking the norms and opting for Love Marriages.

There are many Aspects of Love Marriage. You can make your love marriage successful if you follow few aspects of love. You should not neglect your partner after marriage. When you are in a love marriage, you need to nurture your relation with your better half. Just because you have known your partner before marriage, does not mean that you know every aspect of your partner. Try and understand your partner's need and requirement. Do not think that life after marriage will be same as it was before it. In a love marriage you need enough love, patience and effort to grow properly. Everyday of marriage is a new day. You have to work for your marriage.

In case of Love Marriage you do not face the initial awkwardness and you are aware of your partner's liking and disliking. As you are aware of your partner, you do not have to pretend. Since a love marriage is a marriage of choice, it can last as long as there is the bond of love between the couple. There is no pressure to be in love with your partner because your love already exists. It existed before marriage and also after marriage.

Friday 18 May 2012

How to choose your Life Partner


Choosing your life partner is the most difficult task. Whether you do it or your parents, the task is equally pressurizing for both. The person thus chosen will be a part of your life. It’s thus, not a matter of a day or two. It’s the most important decision to make, which partly depends on destiny and partly on the measures that you take.

It’s a life’s decision and you must take it seriously. Choosing the person who will stay by your side for life is a big responsibility. Do it with care. Some of the steps involved and tips for how to choose your life partner are:

Know your needs:
It is very essential to identify the kind of person you want to spend your life with. First step in searching the right mate for yourself is to know your needs. You must know first what kind of person will entice you for life and keep you happy.

Reciprocate your needs:
After identifying your needs, you must reciprocate it to your family and friends, so that they can help you find your kind of mate. Incase you are approaching a marriage portal, you must tell them about your choice. This will help them scan the profiles and pick out the best ones for you.

Research well on the person and his/her background:
Before proceeding on the profile or profiles you need to check on the background of the person. If it’s a love marriage, you still need to check on the background to be sure that the person doesn’t turn out to be fake. It may not an emotional thing to do but indeed a practical option. You must know at least something about his/her past record before proceeding with the person for life.

Fix a meeting or a date:
Your next step is to fix your first meeting with the person. This may be a casual date or a serious meeting where you get to know about the person. The first meeting is important as this is where you get the first impression of the person. In case of love marriage, you must have done it already and wont need it again.

Have a first impression:
First impression is indeed the last impression. The impression you get after meeting him/her during the first date is the best one. Hence, make sure to notice everything about the person and have an opinion too.

Talk openly:
Talking helps you to open up with the person. This also brings out the real person in the prospect as he/she talks to you. You will get to know more and more about the person and also know if the person is interesting or boring. Talking will actually help you get the first impression of the prospect.

Check if the person maintains an eye contact:
While you talk, notice if the person is maintaining an eye contact with you. A genuine person will always maintain an eye contact while he/she talks. This is the first sign of knowing the person and a vital sign that needs to be noticed.

Notice his/her actions:
Notice if he/she is fidgety or nervous. There are different other sign that may impress you or put you off. Depending on these, you can choose your life partner.

See if he/she pays respect:
Respect is an important part of any relation. In a marital relationship, this is perhaps very important. During the meeting you must check if the person respects you. Notice the way he/she addresses you or talks to you.

Take time to form an opinion:
Do not jump into a conclusion. Take enough time to analyze all aspects, match him/her with your requirements and see if this is the perfect person to spend your life with.

If all goes well, you can fix another meeting and know more about the person’s likes and dislikes and other choices. Following all the above tips, you will get your answers for how to choose your life partner.

Love Advice for Teens


Falling in love is one of the sweetest things that can happen to anyone. The feeling of falling in love would remain forever beautiful, whether you are old or young. If you are in your teens and have fallen in love it sure is cute cuddly feeling. We present some simple love advice for teens.

These teen love guidelines are not a serious discipline table. They are small love suggestions that would be of help.

General love advice for teens
  • One of the important advices here is to stay lighthearted and enjoy your affair. Since you are in your teens it's important that you take small steps when it comes to your relationship.
  • Don't loose focus on other things. It's good if you are in love with someone, but that should not stop you from other goals that you have set for yourself.
  • Career is important. Whilst in an affair keep your academic goals important as well. This is important as when you are in your teen years academically the times are crucial.
Romantic love advice for teens

Having discussed about the serious aspects of teen love it is now time to get all romantic and mushy. You can read through the teen love tips given below and follow the ones that you think are important.
  • Be casual and light-hearted: Be casual, simple and fun loving with your partner. Don't make it too serious and give your partner any pressure. Make plans to meet up, go for movies, lunch and other outings and have a great time together.
  • Have less expectation: The best way to keep your love healthy is to have less expectation. Know that you people are young and are just getting to know each other better. Focus on spending on good moments and at the present.
  • Take care of yourself: You should always take care of yourself. Simple things like good dressing and health regime will make you even more attractive to your partner. Do not get slack about yourself ever. When you take care of yourself your partner takes care about you.
Economical Love Advice for teens

This is one of the most crucial parts. When you are in love then you have to take care of the outings, movies, gifts and the like. Since you are in your teen years you would not be having huge money at your end. Therefore it is advised that you follow some important love tips and plan accordingly.

We have suggested the following economical love guidelines for lovers:-
  • Try and dutch the bill often. This is also a healthy way of maintaining a balanced relationship. Sharing the bill helps in reducing the stress from one end.
  • With regards to gifts don't go all flashy and expensive. Get something simple and reasonably priced. You can then personalize it as per your choice.
  • It would be good if you do any kind of part-time work. Whilst spending save a part of pocket money. It would be helpful later when you want to give your partner any surprise gifts.
These would be some of the easy love advice for teens that are always helpful.

Love Advice


I love you! These three words create magic on your heart. The thing is that it should be uttered by the person with whom you want to spend your entire life. Choosing a real partner is not so easy. You have to apply both the heart and the brain. When these two organs permit you to fall in love, then only you should commit yourself for a relationship. But the heart does not understand such serious words. It only knows to live in so much love. The language of the heart is all about love and romance. You should get some love-advice to take your love life to the right direction.

How to fall in love?

Meet a number of People

Before you are going to decide who will be the right partner in your life, find a lot of people. Judge them properly. Control your heart and try not to fall in love at first sight. May be its so much romantic but not at all a wise idea.


Take enough Time

Don't be in hurry. Take time and then choose the person. If you would decide to select him/her as your partner, it should be done in smart way. May be the person is beautiful or dashing, don't judge only with his/her outer features. Try to know what that person loves to do, try to realize his/her nature. To know that new person in a better way, take more time. If possible meet the person again and then decide whether he/she is applicable for you or not.

Try to Read him/her

Its a good idea to analyze the person in your own way. You may try to read the person. His/her body language will tell you many things. You may ask some simple but intellectual questions and the replies will help you to decide what is his/her intention or thoughts. Try to know whether he/she believes in love or not, how well he/she can respect the partner. All these things would help you a lot.

Go for a Formal Dating

Dating does not mean you have already committed for love. Going for a date, with a new person, you can analyze him/her so perfectly. Know about his/her family members, his/her interests and so on. You may share your dreams with the person. Express your principles and ethics of life. Know how he/she takes it and how much value the person gives it. This thing is so much important for a successful love life.

Open your Heart

If you think that the person is best for you, then only proceed for the relationship. Allow yourself to get his/her love. Try to do little sacrifices for the person. Judge yourself and realize how much you love that person. During such moment, you both can share the best time together.

Trust and Love

One of the most important advice is to learn how to trust the special person of your life. This is the most important thing which runs your love life in a successful direction. Without trust no love life can last longer. In addition, you should also know that trust is so precious and must not be broken. Remain 100% honest and loyal to your partner. Never break his/her trust.

Let's Celebrate Love

Celebrate your love together. Good adjustment and understanding make a love life happy. Always innovate new romantic ideas in your relationship. Exchanging small but thoughtful gifts, you can share a happy moment forever.

Love Advice for Men

Given below are some of the love guidelines for men that they can follow. This will help in maintaining the spark and love in the bond.
  • Pay attention to your partner's need and feelings. If she wants to speak to you regarding something then listen to her. If she says she needs your advice then help her with your thoughts as much as possible.
  • Appreciate her and make her feel special by small gestures. Cook her a meal one day or go for a candle night dinner together.
  • Surprises work best in romance. Plan out a sudden weekend getaway and spend some lone time together in the nearby beach, farmhouse or hill station.
  • Tell her "I love you" in simple and subtle ways. It doesn't matter if you get more romantic through your gestures. It will keep the charm and spark in your bond always.

Love advice for Women

Similarly there are certain love advices that women should follow as well. Some of the important ones are given below:-
  • Be affectionate to your man. No matter how strong he might seem or appear to be, men always crave for affection. Be it loving words or gestures, they would surely make him feel special.
  • Give him his space when required. Men when worried needs to be on their own. Sometimes they need their space more than anything else. The best advice here is let him be. Respect his desire to be with his male friends or by himself once in a while.
  • Encourage and motivate him always. Men love to be admired and encouraged. When you encourage him for his work and other projects he would feel that your are involved with him. This would certainly be a feel good factor for him.
  • Plan a surprise candle light dinner or weekend luncheons. Cook him his favorite platter.
These would some of the easy and simple free love advice for lovers that would keep their relationship strong.

Love - Poems , Quotes and Sayings

No matter what, one thing is always certain: being in love is the most wonderful and amazing feeling on this earth. Love is the ultimate illustration of all the best things in humanity.

It’s kindness, tenderness, selflessness, and happiness all rolled up into one. That’s why mydearvalentine.com is here to help you to express your feelings of love to whomever you consider priceless.
Creating Romance

Romance is not love in and of itself, but it is one of the primary ways we can show how much we love one another. When people commit to a long-term relationship, romance is what keeps the spark alive and reminds them why they’re in love. Romance creates a mood, excites us, and keeps our love lives interesting.

Relationship Advice

A great relationship is a journey, not a destination. With so much that we need to invest in our relationships, it’s no wonder that there’s oodles of wisdom and advice available to help us figure out the next step. Falling in love is a fantastic experience, but with enough nurturing, it can grow into a relationship that will help define the rest of our lives.

Poems & Quotes

The finest poets can pour out words that capture the purest emotions and feelings, drawing others near them and melting their hearts. Of course, not all of us are capable of writing this kind of poetry, but there are various tips and hints that can help us to write meaningful Poems to our significant other. And if you don’t fancy yourself to be much of a writer at all, why not use some of the classic words that have enraptured people throughout the ages .These Quotes about love can rekindle romantic feelings in every heart.

Love Songs

A great Love Song is a key for opening up the heart and soul. The tender, romantic lyrics connect with our emotions, while at the same time the soulful rhythms make our bodies want to move. There can truly be no better expression of love, with all its depth and meaning, than a good love song.

Love Letters

The Love Letter is one of the oldest and most heartfelt ways for us to express how we really feel about the object of our affection. It gives us a chance to say what we simply cannot in person, to pour out all the deepest secrets of our heart onto the page. Even when two people are miles and miles apart, a love letter can create an intimate experience between them.


Love Messages

We now live in the modern age, and pen and paper are no longer the only ways we have to write romantic messages for one another. From email to instant messaging to Facebook, the ways we have to communicate are growing and growing with each passing year. Love can still be expressed in a short medium such as Text Message , especially if it is carefully crafted and sincere. Our words of love can have even greater power the fewer of them there are!

Romantic E-Cards

For that sweet, playful stage in a relationship, there are adorable romance Cards to create an upwelling of emotion in the recipient. Whether you’re sending your crush a card for Valentine’s Day or just to let them know you’re thinking of them, picking out just the right cute little card should be enough to make the object of your affection melt into a puddle, wherever they might be.

Fun & Games

Even though love is very important, there’s no rule that says it has to be perfectly serious all the time. And what if you’re single, musing over your chances at finding the perfect boyfriend or girlfriend in the future? Well check out our Love Horoscopes to see what your chances for romance might be in the coming year! Or if you have that special someone in mind, but aren’t sure how it’s going to turn out, give the Love Calculator a whirl to get a glimpse of where it might go. Indulging your playful side is one of the best ways to prepare yourself for a future of fun and romance!

Monday 14 May 2012

60 Tiny Love Stories to Make You Smile


60 Tiny Love Stories to Make You Smile
Here’s a selection of 60 tiny love stories recently submitted to our sister site, Makes Me Think, that not only made us think, but warmed our hearts and made us smile too. We hope they do the same for you.
  1. Today, my 75-year-old grandpa who has been blind from cataracts for almost 15 years said to me, “Your grandma is just the most beautiful thing, isn’t she?” I paused for a second and said, “Yes she is. I bet you miss seeing that beauty on a daily basis.” “Sweety,” my grandpa said, “I still see her beauty every day. In fact, I see it more now than I used to when we were young.” MMT
  2. Today, I walked my daughter down the aisle. Ten years ago I pulled a 14 year old boy out of his mom’s fire-engulfed SUV after a serious accident. Doctors initially said he would never walk again. My daughter came with me several times to visit him at the hospital. Then she started going on her own. Today, seeing him defy the odds and smile widely, standing on his own two feet at the altar as he placed a ring on my daughter’s finger MMT.
  3. Today, I walked up to the door of my office (I’m a florist) at 7AM to find a uniformed Army soldier standing out front waiting. He was on his way to the airport to go to Afghanistan for a year. He said, “I usually bring home a bouquet of flowers for my wife every Friday and I don’t want to let her down when I’m away.” He then placed an order for 52 Friday afternoon deliveries of flowers to his wife’s office and asked me to schedule one for each week until he returns. I gave him a 50% discount because it made my day to see something so sweet. MMT
  4. Today, I told my 18 year old grandson that nobody asked me to prom when I was in high school, so I didn’t attend. He showed up at my house this evening dressed in a tuxedo and took me as his date to his prom. MMT
  5. Today, when she woke up from an eleven month coma, she kissed me and said, “Thank you for being here, and telling me those beautiful stories, and never giving up on me… And yes, I will marry you.” MMT
  6. Today, I was sitting on a park bench eating a sandwich for lunch when an elderly couple pulled their car up under a nearby oak tree. They rolled down the windows and turned up some jazz music on the radio. Then the man got out of the car, walked around to the passenger side, opened the door for the woman, took her hand and helped her out of her seat, guided her about ten feet away from the car, and they slow danced for the next half hour under the oak tree. MMT
  7. Today, I operated on a little girl. She needed O- blood. We didn’t have any, but her twin brother has O- blood. I explained to him that it was a matter of life and death. He sat quietly for a moment, and then said goodbye to his parents. I didn’t think anything of it until after we took his blood and he asked, “So when will I die?” He thought he was giving his life for hers. Thankfully, they’ll both be fine. MMT
  8. Today, my dad is the best dad I could ask for. He’s a loving husband to my mom (always making her laugh), he’s been to every one of my soccer games since I was 5 (I’m 17 now), and he provides for our family as a construction foreman. This morning when I was searching through my dad’s toolbox for a pliers, I found a dirty folded up paper at the bottom. It was an old journal entry in my dad’s handwriting dated exactly one month before the day I was born. It reads, “I am eighteen years old, an alcoholic who is failing out of college, a past cutter, and a child abuse victim with a criminal record of auto theft. And next month, ‘teen father’ will be added to the list. But I swear I will make things right for my little girl. I will be the dad I never had.” And I don’t know how he did it, but he did it. MMT
  9. Today, my 8-year-old son hugged me and said, “You are the best mom in the whole entire world!” I smiled and sarcastically replied, “How do you know that? You haven’t met every mom in the whole entire world.” My son squeezed me tighter and said, “Yes I have. You are my world.” MMT
  10. Today, I have an elderly patient who is suffering from a severe case of Alzheimer’s. He can rarely remember his own name, and he often forgets where he is and what he said just a few minutes beforehand. But by the stretch of some miracle (perhaps the miracle of love), he remembers who is wife is every morning when she shows up to spend a few hours with him. He usually greets her by saying, “Hello my beautiful Kate.” MMT
  11. Today, my 21 year old Labrador can barely stand up, can’t see, can’t hear, and doesn’t have enough strength to bark. But it doesn’t stop her from wagging her tail a mile a minute every single time I walk into the room. MMT
  12. Today is our 10th anniversary, but since my husband and I are both recently unemployed we agreed not to get each other any gifts. When I woke up this morning, my husband was already up. I walked downstairs to find beautiful wild flowers brilliantly arranged all over the house. There must be 400 flowers total and he didn’t spend a dime. MMT
  13. Today, my high school boyfriend, who I thought I’d never see again, showed me the pictures of the two of us he kept in his Army helmet while he was overseas for the last 8 years. MMT
  14. Today, my 88-year-old grandmother and her 17 year old cat are both blind. My grandmother’s guide dog leads my grandmother around the house, which is normal. But lately, he’s been guiding her cat around the house too. When her cat meows, he walks up and rubs against her, and then she follows directly behind him to her food, to the litter box, to the other end of the house for a nap, etc. MMT
  15. Today, I watched in horror through the kitchen window as my 2-year-old slipped and fell head first into the pool. But before I could get to her, our Labrador Retriever, Rex, jumped in after her, grabbed her by her shirt collar and pulled her to the shallow steps where she could stand. MMT
  16. Today, my older brother has donated bone marrow 16 times to help treat my cancer. He communicates directly with my doctor and does it without me even asking or knowing when he has an appointment. And today my doctor informed me that the treatment appears to be working. “Cancer cells have been drastically reduced in the last few months.” MMT
  17. Today, I was driving home with my grandfather when he suddenly made a u-turn and said, “I forgot to get your grandmother a bouquet of flowers. I’ll pick up one from the florist at the corner down here. It’ll only take a second.” “What’s so special about today that you have to buy her flowers?” I asked. “There’s nothing specifically special about today,” my grandfather said. “Every day is special. Your grandmother loves flowers. They put a smile on her face.” MMT
  18. Today, I re-read the suicide letter I wrote on the afternoon of September 2nd 1996 about two minutes before my girlfriend showed up at my door and told me, “I’m pregnant.” Suddenly I felt I had a reason to live. Today she’s my wife. We’ve been happily married for 14 years. And my daughter, who is almost 15 now, has two younger brothers. I re-read my suicide letter from time to time as a reminder to be thankful – I am thankful I got a second chance at life and love. MMT
  19. Today, and every day for the last two months since I returned to school with burn scars on my face after being hospitalized for nearly a month for injuries I sustained in a house fire, a red rose was taped to my locker when I got to school in the morning. I have no clue who is getting to school early and leaving me these roses. I’ve even arrived early myself a few times to try to figure it out, but each time the rose was already there. MMT
  20. Today was the 10 year anniversary of my dad’s passing. When I was a kid he used to hum a short melody to me as I was going to sleep. When I was 18, as he rested in his hospital bed fighting cancer, the roles were reversed and I hummed the melody to him. I haven’t heard that melody since, until last night. My fiancé and I were turned on our sides looking at each other in bed when he started humming it to me. His mom used to hum it to him when he was a kid. MMT
  21. Today, a woman who must have her voicebox removed due to cancer is enrolled in my sign language class. Her husband, four children, two sisters, brother, mother, father, and twelve close friends are also enrolled in the same class so they can communicate with her after she loses her ability to speak aloud. MMT
  22. Today, my 11-year-old son speaks fluent sign language because his best friend, Josh, who he grew up with from the time he was an infant, is deaf. Seeing their genuine friendship evolve and grow over the years MMT.
  23. Today, due to Alzheimer’s and dementia, my grandfather usually can’t remember who my grandmother is when he wakes up in the morning. It bothered my grandmother a year ago when it first happened, but now she’s fully supportive of his condition. In fact, she plays a game every day in which she tries to get my grandfather to ask her to re-marry him before dinnertime. She hasn’t failed yet. MMT
  24. Today, my dad passed away from natural causes at the age of 92. I found his body resting peacefully in the recliner in his bedroom. In his lap, facing upright, were three framed 8×10 photographs of my mom who passed away about 10 years ago. She was the love of his life, and apparently the last thing he wanted to see before he passed. MMT
  25. Today, I am the proud mom of a blind 17-year-old boy. Although my son was born without his sense of sight, it hasn’t stopped him from being a straight A student, a guitarist (whose band just surpassed 25,000 downloads of their first album), and a loving boyfriend to his long-term girlfriend, Valerie. Just today, his younger sister asked him what he likes about Valerie, and he said, “Everything. She’s beautiful.” MMT
  26. Today, I waited on an elderly couple. The way they looked at each other… you could see they were in love. When the husband mentioned that they were celebrating their anniversary, I smiled and said, “Let me guess. You two have been together forever.” They laughed and the wife said, “Actually, no, today is our 5 year anniversary. We both outlived our spouses and then life blessed us with one more shot at love.” MMT
  27. Today, my father found my little sister alive, chained up in a barn. She was abducted near Mexico City almost 5 months ago. Authorities stopped actively searching for her a few weeks later. My mom and I laid her soul to rest. We had a funeral for her last month. All of our family and friends attended the ceremony except my father. Instead he kept looking for her. He said he “loved her too much to give up.” And she’s back home now because he never did. MMT
  28. Today, there are two senior boys at my school who have an openly gay relationship. They have experienced verbal humiliation on a daily basis for the last two years, yet they continue to hold each other’s hand in the hallways. Despite threats and vandalized lockers, they showed up to prom this evening wearing matching tuxedos. Seeing them on the dance floor, smiling from ear to ear in spite of all the haters MMT.
  29. Today, my sister and I were in a bad car accident. My sister is Mrs. Popular at school – she knows everyone. I’m a bit of an introvert – I hang-out with the same 2 girls all the time. My sister immediately posted a comment on Facebook about our accident. And while all her friends were commenting, my 2 friends showed up independently at the scene of the accident before the paramedics arrived. MMT
  30. Today, my fiancé returned home from his last tour of duty overseas. Yesterday he was just my boyfriend, or so I thought. Almost a year ago, he mailed me a package. He told me I wasn’t allowed to open it until he got home in two weeks. But then his tour got extended for another 11 months. Today, when he got home, he told me to open the package, and just as I pulled the ring out of the box, he got down on one knee. MMT
  31. Today, my 12-year-old son, Sean, and I stopped by the nursing home together for the first time in several months. Usually I come alone see my mother who’s suffering from Alzheimer’s. When we walked into the lobby, the nurse said, “Hi, Sean!” and then buzzed us in. “How does she know your name?” I asked. “Oh, I swing by here on my walk home from school all the time to say hi to Grandma,” Sean said. I had no idea. MMT
  32. Today, I found an old hand written note my mom wrote when she was a senior in high school. On it is a list of qualities she hoped she would someday find in a boyfriend. The list is basically an exact description of my dad, who she didn’t meet until she was 27. MMT
  33. Today, I’ve been chemistry lab partners with one of the most beautiful (and popular) girls at our school since the beginning of the school year. And although I never would have had the courage to talk to her otherwise, she’s totally down to earth and sweet. We spend our time in the lab chatting, laughing, and getting A’s (she’s smart too), and just recently we started talking a little bit outside of class too. Last week when I heard that she didn’t have a date to our homecoming dance, I desperately wanted to ask her, but chickened out every time I was about to. Then this afternoon, at lunchtime, she ran up to me and formally asked me to ask her to the dance. So I did, and she kissed me on the cheek and said, “Yes!” MMT
  34. Today, on our 10th anniversary, she handed me a suicide note she wrote when she was 22, on the exact day we met. And she said, “For all these years I didn’t want you to know how foolish and unstable I was back when we met. But even though you didn’t know, you saved me. Thank you.” MMT
  35. Today, my grandpa keeps and old, candid photo on his nightstand of my grandma and him laughing together at some party in the 1960’s. My grandma passed away from cancer in 1999 when I was 7. This evening when I was at his house, my grandpa caught me staring at the photo. He walked up, hugged me from behind and said, “Remember, just because something doesn’t last forever, doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth your while.” MMT
  36. Today, I sat down with my two daughters, ages 4 and 6, to explain to them that we have to move out of our 4 bedroom house and into a 2 bedroom apartment for awhile until I can find another job that pays well. My daughters looked at each other for a moment and then my youngest daughter turned to me and asked, “Are we all moving into the apartment together?” “Yes,” I replied. “Oh, so no big deal then,” she said. MMT
  37. Today, I met the prettiest woman on a plane. Assuming I wouldn’t see her again after we made our connections, I told her how pretty I thought she was. She gave me the most sincere smile and said, “Nobody has said that to me in 10 years.” It turns out we’re both in our mid-30’s, never married, no kids, and we live about 5 miles away from each other. We have a date set for next Saturday after we return home. MMT
  38. Today, I’m a mother of 2 and a grandmother of 4. At 17 I got pregnant with twins. When my boyfriend and friends found out I wasn’t going to abort them, they turned a cold shoulder to me. But I pressed forward, worked full-time while attending school, graduated high school and college, and met a guy in one of my classes who has loved my children like his own for the last 50 years. MMT
  39. Today, on my 29th birthday, I returned home from my 4th and final tour of duty overseas. The little girl who lives next door to my parents (who isn’t so little any more - she’s 22 now) met me at the airport with a long stemmed rose, a bottle of my favorite vodka, and then asked me out on a date. MMT
  40. Today, my daughter accepted her boyfriend’s marriage proposal. He is 3 years older than her. They started dating when she was 14 and he was 17. I never liked the age difference when they were kids. When he turned 18 a week before she turned 15, my husband insisted they break-up. They maintained a friendship, but went on to date other people. Now at the ages of 24 and 27, I’ve never seen two people more in love. MMT
  41. Today, after I heard that my mom stayed home from work with the flu, I stopped by Wal-Mart on my way home from school to pick her up some canned soup. I ran into my dad who was already in the check-out line. He had 5 cans of soup, NyQuil, tissues, tampons, 4 romantic comedy DVDs and a bouquet of flowers. My dad makes me smile and MMT.
  42. Today, I was sitting on a hotel balcony watching 2 lovers in the distance walk along the beach. From their body language, I could tell they were laughing and enjoying each other’s company. As they got closer, I realized they were my parents. My parents almost got divorced 8 years ago. MMT
  43. Today, I’m only 17, but I’ve been with my boyfriend, Jake, for 3 years, and last night was the first time we spent the night together. We’ve never ‘done it,’ and we didn’t last night either. Instead, we baked cookies, watched two comedies, laughed, played Xbox and fell asleep in each other’s arms. Despite the warnings from my parents, he’s been nothing but a gentleman and a best friend. MMT
  44. Today, when I tapped the side of my wheelchair and told my husband, “You’re the only reason I want to be free from this contraption,” he kissed me on my forehead and said, “Honey, I don’t even see that thing.” MMT
  45. Today, my grandmother and grandfather, who were both in their early 90’s and married for 72 years, both died of natural causes approximately one hour apart from each other. MMT
  46. Today, my dad came to see me for the first time in 6 months since I told him I’m gay. When I opened the door he had tears in his eyes and he immediately gave me a huge hug and said, “I’m sorry, Jason. I love you.” MMT
  47. Today, my autistic little sister spoke her first word at the age of 6 – my name. MMT
  48. Today, at the age of 72, nearly 15 years after my grandfather passed away, my grandmother remarried. And since I’m only 17, I’ve never seen her so happy in all my life. It’s inspiring to see two people so in love at their age. MMT it’s never too late.
  49. Today, at a jazz club in San Francisco I saw a man and woman enjoying a drink together. The woman was a dwarf and the man must have been 6 feet tall. Later in the evening they went out onto the dance floor. The man got down on his knees so they could slow dance together. They danced the rest of the night. MMT
  50. Today, as I was sleeping, I woke up to my daughter calling my name. I was sleeping in a sofa chair in her hospital room. I opened my eyes to her beautiful smile. My daughter has been in a coma for 98 days. MMT
  51. Today, exactly 10 years ago almost to the minute, I stopped at an intersection and a car rear ended me. The driver was a student at UF, just like me. He was cordial and apologetic. As we waited for the cops and the tow truck we chatted and started laughing together about all sorts of stuff. We exchanged numbers and the rest is history. We just celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. MMT
  52. Today, I was working in a coffee shop when 2 gay men walked in holding hands. As you might expect, heads started turning. Then a young girl at the table next to me asked her mom why 2 men were holding hands. Her mom replied, “Because they love each other.” MMT
  53. Today, after 2 years of separation, my ex-wife and I resolved our differences and met for dinner. We laughed and chatted for almost 4 hours. Then just before she left, she handed me a large envelope. In it were 20 love letters she wrote me over the last 2 years. There was a post-it note on the envelope that said, “Letters I was too stubborn to send.” MMT
  54. Today, I was in an accident that left me with a gash on my forehead. The doctors wrapped a bandage around my head and said I have to keep it on all week. I hate wearing it. Two minutes ago my little brother walked into my room wearing a bandage on his head. My mom said he insisted that he didn’t want me to feel alone. MMT
  55. Today, my mother passed away after a long battle with cancer. My best friend lives 2000 miles away and called to comfort me. While on the phone, he asked, “What would you do if I showed up at your house and gave you the biggest hug in the world?” “I would surely smile,” I replied. And then he rang my doorbell. MMT
  56. Today, as my 91-year-old grandfather (a military doctor, war hero, and successful business owner) rested in his hospital bed, I asked him what his greatest life accomplishment was. He turned around, grabbed my grandmother’s hand, looked her in the eyes, and said, “Growing old with you.” MMT
  57. Today, as I watched my 75-year-old grandmother and grandfather being silly with each other and laughing in the kitchen, I felt like I got a short glimpse of what true love feels like. I hope I find it someday. MMT
  58. Today, exactly twenty years ago to the hour, I risked my life to save a woman who was drowning in the rapids of the Colorado River. And that’s how I met my wife - the love of my life. MMT
  59. Today, on our 50th wedding anniversary, she smiled at me and said, “I only wish I had met you sooner.” MMT
  60. Today, my blind friend explained to me in vivid detail how beautiful his new girlfriend is. MMT