1. 20
Powerful
Stories
Life Is Beautiful!!!

2. Today, as he squeezed my hand in his final moments of life, my dad stared into my teary eyes and said, “Please think of me. Please remember, death ends my life, not our relationship.” 

3. Today, on New Years Eve, at 11PM it will have been exactly 58 years since that night I was sitting at a beach watching the fireworks alone. I was crying because the father of my unborn child left me. A man walked up to me, sat down, and said, "I don't know who made you cry, but I would make them cry if I could." It was a corny line, and there was lots of other small talk. But we married a year later and lived a happy life together, until this morning when he passed away at the age of 78. RIP Richard.

4. Today, I waited on an elderly woman at the local restaurant where I work. She left me a $90 tip on a $10 tab with a handwritten note that said, "I'm 76 and I can't take this money with me. So please spoil yourself with it."

5. Today, I was walking along the boardwalk in Pacific Beach when I saw 4
teenagers heckling a homeless beach bum. He laughed and said, "I'm not
crazy! 'Crazy' is spending 40 years of your life hating 40 hours a week." 

6. Today, after spending the last 3 years viciously bickering with
the college kid who lives next door, I found myself crying in his
arms and thanking him repeatedly for saving my son's life. 

7. Today, I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe. He
said he hadn't eaten anything in over 3 days and looked extremely skinny
and unhealthy. Then my friend offered him the rest of the sandwich he
was eating. The first thing the man said was, "We can share it."

8. Today, one of my best friends, Charlie, shot himself in the head
at approximately 2PM. And I just noticed that I have a missed
call from him on my cell phone with a timestamp of 1:56PM. 

9. Today an old woman at the gas station came up to me and said, "I'm
so embarrassed, but could you help me?" I thought she was going to
ask for money, but she told me that last week her husband died and
she had never pumped gas before. She had no idea what to do. 

10. Today, at the train stop near the hospital a man and his 3 kids got on
Today, at the train stop near the hospital a man and his 3 kids got on. The kids were
loud and out of control. An annoyed passenger asked, “Is there a reason you’re
letting your kids go nuts?” The man sighed and said, “The doc just told me their
mother isn’t going to make it. Sorry, I’m just trying to think before I tell them.” 

11. wish I had picked her a fresh flower every day when she was alive.”
Today, like every day for the last 4 years, my father picked a fresh flower
from his garden and took it to my mother. This time I decided to go with
him to see her. And as he placed the flower on her grave, he said, “I just
wish I had picked her a fresh flower every day when she was alive.”

12. Today, my ex-wife didn’t invite me to her father’s funeral because
she didn't think I knew him very well. But I never told her that,
when she was out on business travel cheating on me, I would
spend two evenings every week playing chess with him. 

13. Today, my wife kissed me goodbye, got in her car, crashed, and passed
away. When the coroner called me at 9AM, I broke into tears and ran
into the restroom at work to wash off my face. When I looked in the
mirror, I noticed that my wife’s lipstick was still on my cheek. 

14. Today, I went ice skating
Today, I went ice skating. Everyone skating was young, except one guy in his
mid-80’s. He kept falling down and smiling. And all the kids kept laughing along with him. I asked him why he decided to skate today. He said, "I was
at work earlier and realized I had never been ice skating. So here I am." 

15. Today, my father told me, "Just go for it and give it a try! You don't
have to be a professional to build a successful product. Amateurs
started Google and Apple. Professionals built the Titanic."

16. Today, my neighbor's house burned to the ground. I told him that I
couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to have my whole
life burn to the ground. He looked at me, smiled and said, "My life
didn’t burn to the ground. If it did, I wouldn’t be standing here."

17. Today, I met an 85 year old woman who lives at the other end of my
neighborhood. I complained about how bumpy and pot hole covered
our roads are. She said, "Well I don't know, I think the roads are nice.
When I was a little girl, these roads were all dirt roads." 

18. Today, after 50 years, my husband suddenly quit smoking
cigarettes. When I asked him why he decided to quit, he said,
"I want to grow old with you."

19. Today, it's been exactly five years since I gave my daughter the best chance into this
world by giving her up for adoption. On my way to the post office this afternoon to send
her a Christmas gift (something her parents allow), her parents called me crying saying
me she was one of the kids killed by a shooter at her elementary school in Connecticut.

20. Today, I walked past a woman walking two dogs
Today, I walked past a woman walking two dogs. One dog was missing a leg, but
they were both limping. I asked what happened. She smiled and explained that the
injured dog had lost his leg in a dog fight before she adopted him, and that her
other dog oftentimes “mimics him so he won't feel alone and different.” 

21. Today, is my 85th birthday and I’m celebrating alone
Today, is my 85th birthday and I’m celebrating alone. Sadly, I outlived my brother, my wife, and my two sons by more than a decade now.
Thank You Very Much
Sompong Yusoontorn