In these twenty short stories, people face challenges with optimism, determination, and the confidence all problems can be handled. Creativity, perseverance, and connection to others let the characters prevail and grow. In one, a man reluctantly attends a memorial service for an unremarkable colleague, only to discover he wasn't so ordinary after all. In another, a boy with Asperger's dreads disruption to his routine on the first day of school but finds his new teacher is similar and those fears might be unjustified.

From the woman who finds unexpected support when told she has inoperable, terminal cancer to the boy who overcomes a classroom invader, the stories range from heart-warming to inspiring. All are uplifting as they show ordinary people surmounting life's difficulties.