As a writer, I am reading all the time. Recently, my entire library waitlist came in at once and I found myself picking up fifteen books – all due back in three weeks. Geez, Louise, I better get busy.

What fills me with amazement is how the right book always lands in my palms at the right moment.  The universe just seems to know what we need and when we need it.

Let me share an example.

Last month, I traveled to Michigan to spend the week with my 86-year-old grandmother to hear any story she was willing to share with me about her life. I brought the two books that arrived at the library the day before I left, Moonglow and The Rainbow Comes and Goes.  I had no idea their premise but reserved them based on a recommendation. “Coincidently”, both stories were about characters spending time with an elder in their family. I can’t really explain it, but that’s just how these things work.

With a generous selection on my shelf, this week, I grabbed All These Wonders, a compilation of short stories previously performed at The Moth storytellers series. And wouldn’t you know it, the subtitle is, True Stories About Facing the Unknown. An especially relevant subject since I was dealing with facing some unknown myself this week.

So, I’ll share a few stories from the compilation that I think cancer survivors and/or anyone impacted by illness might appreciate. What I love about these stories is not the common theme of disease, but what happens before, between and after the character’s confrontation with disease. Reading these reminded me, it’s not illness what makes our stories wonderful and interesting and worth reading and hearing – it’s the moments in between and after illness enters our lives. However, the irony of it all is that without those bitter moments of illness, the moments in between and after would not be as sweet.

Ugh, it’s a double edged sword, people.

I hope you enjoy these wonderful stories and that they come into your life when you need them the most.

FAVORITE: It Matters A Great Deal by Kevin McGheehan
A son plans the party of a lifetime for his mother.

SUPER COOL: Who Can You Trust by Mary Claire-King
A doctor battles through heartbreak to make a breakthrough in cancer research.

SWEET: Kidneys and Commitments by Gil Reyes
A man receives the best gift ever from the love of his life.