Secret Gifts

Download or read book A Secret Gift written by Ted Gup and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2010-10-28 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An inspiring account of America at its worst-and Americans at their best-woven from the stories of Depression-era families who were helped by gifts from the author's generous and secretive grandfather. Shortly before Christmas 1933 in Depression-scarred Canton, Ohio, a small newspaper ad offered $10, no strings attached, to 75 families in distress. Interested readers were asked to submit letters describing their hardships to a benefactor calling himself Mr. B. Virdot. The author's grandfather Sam Stone was inspired to place this ad and assist his fellow Cantonians as they prepared for the cruelest Christmas most of them would ever witness. Moved by the tales of suffering and expressions of hope contained in the letters, which he discovered in a suitcase 75 years later, Ted Gup initially set out to unveil the lives behind them, searching for records and relatives all over the country who could help him flesh out the family sagas hinted at in those letters. From these sources, Gup has re-created the impact that Mr B. Virdot's gift had on each family. Many people yearned for bread, coal, or other necessities, but many others received money from B. Virdot for more fanciful items-a toy horse, say, or a set of encyclopedias. As Gup's investigations revealed, all these things had the power to turn people's lives around- even to save them. But as he uncovered the suffering and triumphs of dozens of strangers, Gup also learned that Sam Stone was far more complex than the lovable- retiree persona he'd always shown his grandson. Gup unearths deeply buried details about Sam's life-from his impoverished, abusive upbringing to felonious efforts to hide his immigrant origins from U.S. officials-that help explain why he felt such a strong affinity to strangers in need. Drawing on his unique find and his award-winning reportorial gifts, Ted Gup solves a singular family mystery even while he pulls away the veil of eight decades that separate us from the hardships that united America during the Depression. In A Secret Gift, he weaves these revelations seamlessly into a tapestry of Depression-era America, which will fascinate and inspire in equal measure. Watch a Video

Download or read book The Secret of the Gifts written by Paul Flucke and published by Intervarsity Press. This book was released on 1992-06-01 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar arrive at the stable to present their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn king, something incredible and wondrous happens, and the reader learns the secret behind each gift.

Download or read book All Our Hidden Gifts written by Caroline O'Donoghue and published by Candlewick Press. This book was released on 2022-05-03 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Maeve Chambers doesn't have much going for her. Not only does she feel like the sole idiot in a family of geniuses, she managed to drive away her best friend Lily a year ago. But when she finds a pack of dusty old tarot cards at school, and begins to give scarily accurate readings to the girls in her class, she realizes she's found her gift at last. Things are looking up--until she discovers a strange card in the deck that definitely shouldn't be there. And two days after she convinces her ex-best friend to have a reading, Lily disappears. Can Maeve, her new friend Fiona and Lily's older sibling Roe find her? And will Maeve's new gift be enough to bring Lily back, before she's gone for good?

Download or read book A Secret Gift (Cornish Escapes Collection, Book 1) written by Amanda James and published by HarperCollins UK. This book was released on 2021-10-30 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Escape to Cornwall for an enchanting, heartwarming new novel about friendship, hope and second chances in this standalone novel... ‘A charming and original concept’ Sunday Times bestseller Katie Fforde

Download or read book The Happiest Life written by Hugh Hewitt and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2014-01-07 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What's the secret to a life of happiness? "In this delightful book brimming with humorous and poignant passages, radio personality Hugh Hewitt provides the answer. The starting place is generosity, he says, and there are seven gifts that are sure to improve the lives of both giver and receiver: encouragement, energy, enthusiasm, good humor, graciousness, gratitude, and patience. Anyone can give these gifts, but Hewitt shows that some people are particularly well placed to offer them: parents, spouses, family members, friends, teachers, coworkers, and fellow church members. Channeling his skills as a broadcaster, journalist, lawyer, and teacher, Hewitt weaves stories about these seven gifts and seven givers with inspiring and motivating observations to help readers become generous in the ways that matter most. "The Happiest Life is not simply a delight to read, and not merely a glimpse under the hood of a remarkable man. It’s a map to what Robert Frost once described as the road less traveled—the road that leads to a life of meaning and gratitude and joy.” —Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia "Reading this book is the next best thing to sitting down for a long conversation with my friend Hugh Hewitt.” —Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary “Wanna be a happier person? Know anyone else who does? What if this book could actually help with that? Cutting to the chase—it can. And it will." —Eric Metaxas, New York Times best-selling author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy and 7 Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness

Download or read book The Secret Gift written by Ian Somers and published by The O'Brien Press. This book was released on 2014-09-29 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Book three in in the Ross Bentley series Ross has spent the past twelve months in hiding in the west coast of Ireland. He has turned his back on the Guild and his gifts. In trying to escape his past and the dangers brought with his gifts, Ross has spiralled into a world of anxiety and depression and, with Cathy leaving for Paris, Ross is completely alone. Suddenly an unexpected visitor arrives. Hunter has come to call in his favour. Through loneliness and a sense of debt, Ross agrees to join Hunter for one day only. What first appears to be a simple task becomes so much more. Ross is dragged back into the world of the gifted where a supernatural war is about to break loose. Ross must choose which side to fight on. Will he turn his back on the Guild forever? Or will he fight to save the Guild members who have kept so much from him? Praise for Million Dollar Gift: 'fast-paced, riveting and insightful... a highly recommended gripping read' Fallenstarstories.blogspot.com

Download or read book Social Q's written by Philip Galanes and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-11-27 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A series of whimsical essays by the New York Times "Social Q's" columnist provides modern advice on navigating today's murky moral waters, sharing recommendations for such everyday situations as texting on the bus to splitting a dinner check.