"The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by O. Henry first published in 1905. The story tells of a young husband and wife and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been popular for adaptation, especially for presentation at Christmas time.

A New York Times bestseller! A pioneering and timely study of how to navigate life's biggest transitions with meaning, purpose, and skill Bruce Feiler, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Secrets of Happy Families and Council of Dads, has long explored the stories that give our lives meaning. Galvanized by a personal crisis, he spent the last few years crisscrossing the country, collecting hundreds of life stories in all fifty states from Americans who’d been through major life changes—from losing jobs to losing loved ones; from changing careers to changing relationships; from getting sober to getting healthy to simply looking for a fresh start. He then spent a year coding these stories, identifying patterns and takeaways that can help all of us survive and thrive in times of change. What Feiler discovered was a world in which transitions are becoming more plentiful and mastering the skills to manage them is more urgent for all of us. The idea that we’ll have one job, one relationship, one source of happiness is hopelessly outdated. We all feel unnerved by this upheaval. We’re concerned that our lives are not what we expected, that we’ve veered off course, living life out of order. But we’re not alone. Life Is in the Transitions introduces the fresh, illuminating vision of the nonlinear life, in which each of us faces dozens of disruptors. One in ten of those becomes what Feiler calls a lifequake, a massive change that leads to a life transition. The average length of these transitions is five years. The upshot: We all spend half our lives in this unsettled state. You or someone you know is going through one now. The most exciting thing Feiler identified is a powerful new tool kit for navigating these pivotal times. Drawing on his extraordinary trove of insights, he lays out specific strategies each of us can use to reimagine and rebuild our lives, often stronger than before. From a master storyteller with an essential message, Life Is in the Transitions can move readers of any age to think deeply about times of change and how to transform them into periods of creativity and growth.

Subtitle on cover: The story of a divine encounter.

Have you loved and lost before, yet struggled with how to recover and move forward? Are you looking for inspiration to give you strength to persevere? Have you faced the inevitable eternal rest of a parent, struggled with how to say good-bye? Have you questioned your faith and let fear take over in times of loss? In The Gift of Goodbye, Rebecca Whitehead Munn relates how she drew strength from her faith and optimism as everything she knew to be constant in her life was changing. She inspires readers through her natural writing style to believe that they too can persevere and build resilience through the seasons of loss in life. Rebecca opens her heart on each page as she walks us through her story of living through two major life transitions within a three-year span, and the resulting shift she made in the process—due to the lasting gift of love from her now-deceased mother, her courage, and the choice she made to expand into more of who she was at her core.

The telling of several interlinked stories to illustrate the theme that love can triumph over loss. This book guides the reader to the realization that of all the gifts that people can give to one another, the most meaningful and long-lasting are strong love and the gift of story. Clarissa Pinkola Estes is the author of Women Who Run With Wolves.

Liam loved his father’s stories of life at sea. But one day, his father’s ship doesn’t return, and Liam’s love of stories fades. Then the Traveler, a mysterious old man who spins stories with a magical beard like a tapestry, arrives, reminding Liam of his father. They embark on the Traveler’s final voyage together, and before the journey ends, the Traveler passes on his magical gift to Liam. Woven with themes of loss, discovery, and friendship, this poignant tale captures the unexpected magic of shared stories and refound hope.