All is well in a rose-colored world
You know when the subject line of an e-mail says, “We need must meet” it’s probably not worth opening anymore than the ones that promise to grow body parts that you don’t even possess by one to three inches. But I’m a sucker. So I opened it and this is what it said, “Hello, I’m from Poland and I found your address in an dirtosrk listink. I must have been searching for man like you.”
Now, I haven’t a clue what a “dirtorsk listink” is though it sounds somewhat exotic, but I’m fairly certain that I’m not a man, so it stands to reason that this reached me in error.
The sender must be a member of the global lonely-hearts club searching for love or a physical equivalent. Judging by the number of trashy e-mails I receive along with the come-ons and find-a-mate links that pop up on so many Web sites, I’m beginning to think there are far too many desperate people searching for love or maybe just a chance to shake the feeling of loneliness and form connections.
Even those of us with hardened, skeptical hearts realize the joy found in connecting with others, regardless of whether we have met.
Look last week at how uplifted our spirits became when nine coal miners beat tremendous odds and after three tense days of painstakingly slow rescue efforts were pulled alive and well from far beneath the earth. That same week we couldn’t help but heave a tremendous sigh of gratitude when the little Philadelphia girl chewed her way out of duct tape and escaped from kidnappers.
In much the same way that calamities pull us together, joyful stories connect us and leave us with a sense of hope that all will be well.
That type of connection is what Kendall Bell is aiming to chronicle. Bell, the weekend editor of the Beaufort Gazette in Beaufort, S.C., also sent an e-mail this week looking for assistance.
“In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, it seems all we’ve heard is bad news. Everyday there seem to be suicide bombings, murder, rape, kidnapping, wildfires, floods and even earthquakes. I’m ready for some good news!”
Bell is compiling a book of love stories from across America. He has found a publisher, Coastal Villages Press, and wanted to know if we would run a blurb asking our readers to submit love stories.
Intrigued, I called him.
He’s looking for feel-good stories, tearjerkers, the kind that make you want to pull out a hankie.
“I want this book to be something if people are feeling down or blue it’s like putting on rose-colored glasses and the world looks like a better thing,” he explained.
He was looking to include stories from across the United States and has about half of the 50 love stories already, including one from Greece which surprised him.
Bell isn’t just interested in romantic love, although those will most definitely be in the book, including the story of a World War II soldier who left his sweetheart behind. They went in separate directions, married others, raised families and by happenstance decades later encountered each other again as a widow and widower and finally married.
If all this sounds like a happily-ever-after tale, that’s because it is. But guess what Cinderella, nowhere is it written that fairy tales can’t come true.
Bell’s book also includes stories of estranged families who reunite; a mother’s love for her son that pulls him through drug addiction and those afflicted with life-threatening diseases that discovered what truly matters in life.
As the editor assigned every year to read through the Why I’m Thankful letters at Thanksgiving, I know that we have our fair share of love stories in our circulation area. If you are ready to share your love story with the world, why not write it down and send it along to Bell to consider.
He asks that stories be wholesome, uplifting and true. They should be about 2,000 words or less. And they should be sent to him soon, as he is looking at an Oct. 31 deadline to have the stories edited and to the publisher. The book is due out around Christmas and should be available in national bookstore chains and online through Amazon.
Those writers whose stories are selected will receive a complimentary copy. Stories should be sent to Love Stories, P.O. Box 168, Beaufort, S.C. 29901.
Luanne Traud is the Herald-Standard’s editorial page editor. E-mail: ltraud@heraldstandard.com.