One Amazing Thing on One Amazing Morning

Autumn weather is generally crisp, brisk, and tinted with unique scents. This amazing morning was sunny, exceptionally warm, and unbelievably colorful. Intending to read-walk with Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's One Amazing Thing, I found myself unable to focus on the story! The scenery was too bright. I walked back home, deposited the book on the counter, and went out again with my camera. I felt like Frederick (the mouse made famous by Leo Lionni), savoring images that will bring warmth in the winter.

Now I am back to the book, and I must stay awake until I finish it tonight. It is the story of nine people who are literally thrown together in the Indian consulate when an earthquake strikes. When their situation seems most dire, Uma, the story's narrator, declares they should each share a story about one amazing thing that has happened in their lives. Despite the initial protests, each person reveals a story that causes the others to consider him or her in a totally new light. From the Chinese grandmother whom everyone assumed could not speak English to the upper-class husband whose unlikely past sobers even his wife, their stories are filled with joy, light, angst, and perspective.