We all have "why me?" days and wish we’d stayed in bed. Then, we have those marvelous days that make life special. An old proverb tells us, "life is like a Zebra. One day a white stripe, the next day a black stripe, and it is always in motion."

When life seems parked on a black-stripe day, the heart-warming stories in this book will remind you that a white stripe is not far off. Then when you get there, celebrate with another story. In minutes, you will find yourself shaking your fists at the heavens and joyously proclaiming "This is my day and I?m unsinkable!"

This book is rooted in America’s Great Depression. In such times, life is powerfully hard, but unconditional love can overpower it. This is when a young girl from a struggling immigrant family in New York learned that no depression imaginable, can trump the magic of unconditional love. These are the joyous and life-affirming stories of her childhood.

[DOI: 10.1572/yowbooks.when]

I don't think Papa was unhappy to have an only child—and a daughter at that. There was no son to carry on the name, but adjustment was no problem. God gave Papa a girl and who argues with God? Papa told Mamma when I was born: "Rose, we don't have a child, we have an angel."

Being an angel only meant I was not responsible for religious matters. I became Papa's sidekick in the cellar, learning how to splice wires, saw wood and tin, repair plumbing, drive a nail straight, and how to straighten a bent nail.

The cellar was a cold, damp place, but Papa always sang and told stories, and I loved to be with him, and loved working together. It didn't matter t...