Love and Loss

The Timeless Wisdom Series

Real-life stories that explore the depths of human experience

Every day, we hear striking real-life stories in the news that demonstrate the resilience of the human spirit. We felt it was time to hear more of these stories, so we launched an international short story competition, which resulted in the publication of a collection of books.

We were impressed by the diversity and richness of the hundreds of stories we received from around the world. Our final selection criteria were that the stories should reflect diversity in writing styles, blend humor with emotions of lament, and balance situations involving action and events with those of a quiet, contemplative nature.

Love and loss are two emotions that stand at opposite ends of the spectrum, from extreme exhilaration to profound sorrow. However, both emotions involve strong feelings of being moved, infatuation, tenderness, warmth, and courtship. In this book, mature authors share their life experiences with love and loss in a style characterized by honesty, humor, and unique insight, allowing all of us to learn from these experiences. From the story of a girl caring for her father with Alzheimer's disease, to the reflections of a man reminiscing about his youthful engagement to a girl of a different race; from a woman trying to cope with the aftermath of a horrific accident that resulted in the death of her close friend, to another contemplating the things she lost after emigrating from her homeland, these are stories of love and loss that happened unexpectedly and left a lasting impact on the protagonist of each tale. The stories include quotes about love and loss from famous figures such as Dr. Seuss, John Lennon, Ludwig van Beethoven, John Green, and Michael Caine. The result is a book that explores the best of human nature.