The Simple Touch of Fate:
How the Hand of Fate Touched Our Lives Forever
Edited By Arlene Uslander and Brenda Warneka
IUniverse, Inc.
ISBN: 0-595-30283-1
176 Pages
Do you believe in
fate? Fate, “the supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines
events,” as defined by the dictionary, is known under many names¾destiny,
kismet, predestination, foreordainment, foredoom, luck, or just coincidence¾and
is often described by individuals around the world. Arlene Uslander and
Brenda Warneka have experienced acts of fate in their lives. In The
Simple Touch of Fate: How the Hand of Fate Touched Our Lives Forever,
they share not only their own stories but have gathered over fifty real
stories by real people, in a thought-provoking anthology, that leaves you
with one question: if it weren’t fate, how and why did these events
happen?
As a lover of suspense
and mysteries, I enjoy reading or hearing about events or activities that
leave us wondering and questioning. I especially enjoy “little” acts that
happen. For instance, was it a coincidence that one of the authors chosen
for this anthology, Patricia Patteson, had also been included in an
anthology, Mist on the Mon, that had sat on my bookshelf for many
years, unread, but was immediately pulled and enjoyed when it was included
in this book?
Or was it fate that a
daily newsletter I read before I began to write this review, covered a
mysterious life-saving event, but in that story, the writer attributed her
story to guardian angels? Personally, I no longer question such things. In
fact, based upon a book, As You Wish by Christine Massot Simpson, a
resident of Canada, for whom I had the privilege to help edit and publish
her book, I now use her phrase, “A God Incident” whenever I confront such
events.
Let me share a little
about my favorites from The Simple Touch of Fate. If you don’t
believe in fate, then these short stories just may force you to
reconsider—is there something or someone, somewhere that controls events in
our lives?
Jacob! Jacob! Reborn.
The date was September 11, 2001. Jacob Herbst often traveled by plane;
however, work-related activities prevented his taking a scheduled flight
from Boston’s Logan Airport at 8:45, American Airlines, Flight 11, to
Los Angeles. How do you thank a man who could not make an important
meeting, causing an unexpected delay, for saving your life?
Desert Boomerang.
Two soldiers meet in Iraq; one is standing guard at a barren traffic control
point and helps the other by giving him directions. Months later, the same
two soldiers meet at the site of an accident on a deserted road and the
favor is returned. Only this time, lives are saved! For the man just
happened to be part of a medical unit...
We all Cross Paths for a Reason.
A birth mother and her now-grown daughter are reunited through an automobile
accident and a woman’s willingness to work overtime. Just a coincidence?
Time for Life.
A man and a woman, members of one family, but located in different
places—both trying to catch the train—fail in their efforts due to various
reasons. They missed the most disastrous train crash in the United Kingdom
in 42 years.
“Honor, Courage, and Commitment”: Saving
Jack Roush. When a small plane
is in trouble, it happens to hit near the home of an ex-marine,
specifically trained “to save a pilot in an upside-down plane from a watery
grave.”
Grandmother Spirits.
In a time of family distress, a woman prays to the spirits of grandmothers
for the needs of a family. Was it a
coincidence or a direct response to prayer that allowed a son just arriving
in Hiroshima to be able to make a free call to his mother?
The Angel That Couldn’t Fly.
My favorite! A wonderful answer to why the chicken crossed the road...
Uslander and Warneka have created an
excellent, well-diversified anthology that provides heart-warming, happy,
life-saving and sometimes-unbelievable tales. They are presented with an
interesting continuity, yet broken with small offerings of people’s own
definitions of fate. I found it informative, flawlessly presented to allow
readers to form their own conclusions regarding these stories from “real
people.” For those who continuously wonder... and search... I found this a
must-read!
G. A. Bixler
For Independent Professional Book Reviewers
10/21/06
The book can be purchased through the Fate website:
www.thefatesite.com , Amazon.com and other online bookstores or by
calling the publisher's toll free number: 1-800-288-4677; international
number 001-288-4677.
