Everyone loves a good story--one with interesting characters, an intriguing plot, lots of twists and turns, and a surprise ending. Storytelling is an entertaining art, but it is also instructive and essential to intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth. Literature, as all art, is a gift of divine grace, a pathway to mystery. Each literary experience is slightly beyond our horizon of understanding. What a gift literature is! When it enhances spirituality, each literary moment confounds in order to keep us going and growing. The restoration of wonder is the beginning of the inward journey toward the awaiting God. Soul Food contains stories that are both entertaining and inspiring, wholesome and heart-warming. Some are humorous, others are tragic or sad, but all are memorable. The collection is divided into five sections: (1) personal stories, (2) biblical and faith stories, (3) classic stories, fables, and tales, (4) literary and historical stories, and (5) inspirational stories. Some of these stories come from personal experience, my own and that of family and friends. Others, including myths, legends, fantasies, and tales, come from folklore and oral tradition, while others are taken from the public domain. As you read these stories, sequentially or randomly, I trust they will aid you in your quest for meaning, direction, and stability. Enjoy these stories, and may they enhance your journey through life and its manifold seasons. I hope you will return to this collection repeatedly, finding in these stories courage, wisdom, and inspiration.
