Stories for parents children and grandchildren: Volume 2
By Paulo Coelho
5/5
()
About this ebook
Stories for Parents, Children and Grandchildren is an anthology divided into two independent volumes, which can be shared from generation to generation, encouraging us to reflect on each and every stage of our lives.
Wherever possible, Paulo has given the source of the stories, but most belong to the secret archives of the human heart.
So, let us go for a stroll through the traditions and legends of the world, drawn in by the power of the four magic words we heard as children and have never forgotten:
Once upon a time
This e-book includes illustrations by Christina Oiticica, as well as a glossary of some of the people and subjects referred to.
Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho is the author of The Alchemist, he was born in 1947 in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Being the author of 30 books that have sold over 320 million copies in 170 countries, he has become one of the most widely read authors in the world today. Paulo Coelho is the recipient of over 115 awards and honours, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the Grinzane Cavour Book Award and the Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur, to name a few.
Read more from Paulo Coelho
The Witch of Portobello: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Alchemist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alchemist: A Graphic Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Warrior of the Light: A Manual Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pilgrimage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Valkyries: An Encounter with Angels Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Aleph Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Supreme Gift Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Manuals Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Devil and Miss Prym: A Novel of Temptation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fifth Mountain: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stories for parents children and grandchildren: Volume 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Stories for parents children and grandchildren
Related ebooks
Stories for parents children and grandchildren: Volume 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Christmas Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Aleph Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Supreme Gift Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Manuals Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Valkyries: An Encounter with Angels Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Devil and Miss Prym: A Novel of Temptation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fifth Mountain: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Paulo Coelho: A Warrior's Life: The Authorized Biography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pilgrimage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Warrior’s Life: A Biography of Paulo Coelho Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Veronika Decides to Die: A Novel of Redemption Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Prophet Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Secret of The Alchemist: Uncovering The Secret in Paulo Coelho's Bestselling Novel 'The Alchemist' Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Alchemist: by Paulo Coelho | Conversation Starters Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Summary of The Warrior of the Light Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Prophet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Five People You Meet in Hell: An Unauthorized Parody Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Tear And A Smile - Parables, Stories, and Poems of Khalil Gibran Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Magic Strings of Frankie Presto: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ready Reference Treatise: The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bhagavad Gita Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Next Person You Meet in Heaven: The Sequel to The Five People You Meet in Heaven Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Short Stories For You
Little Birds: Erotica Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Stories of Ray Bradbury Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5100 Years of the Best American Short Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Things They Carried Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jackal, Jackal: Tales of the Dark and Fantastic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird: Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Good Man Is Hard To Find And Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Skeleton Crew Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Explicit Content: Red Hot Stories of Hardcore Erotica Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ficciones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Night Side of the River Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Four Past Midnight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Tower: And Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hellbound Heart: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Five Tuesdays in Winter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lovecraft Country: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Living Girl on Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas: A Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Stories for parents children and grandchildren
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Stories for parents children and grandchildren - Paulo Coelho
time...
Stories for Parents, Children
and Grandchildren
Volume 2
Translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa
Respect my wishes
On his deathbed, Jacob summoned his wife, Sarah, to his side.
‘Dear Sarah, I want to make my will. To my first-born, Abraham, I am going to leave half of my estate. He is, after all, a man of faith.’
‘Oh, don’t do that, Jacob! Abraham doesn’t need all that money, he’s got his own business; besides, he has faith in our religion. Leave it to Isaac, who is in such turmoil about whether or not God exists, and who has still not found his way in the world.’
‘All right, I’ll leave it to Isaac. And Abraham can have my shares.’
‘Like I said, dear Jacob, Abraham doesn’t need anything. I’ll have the shares and I can always help out the children as and when.’
‘You’re quite right, Sarah. Now about the land we own in Israel. I think I’ll leave it to Deborah.’
‘To Deborah! Are you mad, Jacob? She’s already got land in Israel. Do you want to make her into a businesswoman and ruin her marriage? I think our daughter Michele is much more in need of help.’
Mustering his last ounce of strength, Jacob sat up indignantly.
‘My dear Sarah, you have been an excellent wife, an excellent mother, and I know you want the best for each of your children, but, please show some respect for my opinion. After all, who’s dying here, you or me?’
Joy and love
Abeliever approached Rabbi Moche of Kobryn and asked:
‘How should I best use my days so that God will be contented with my actions?’
‘There is only one possible option: to live with love,’ replied the Rabbi.
Minutes later, another follower approached him and asked the same question.
‘There is only one possible option: try to live with joy.’
The first follower was taken aback.
‘But the advice you gave me was different!’
‘Not at all,’ said the rabbi. ‘It was exactly the same.’
Certainty and doubt
Buddha was gathered together with his disciples one morning, when a man came up to him.
‘Does God exist?’ he asked.
‘He does,’ replied Buddha.
After lunch, another man came up to him.
‘Does God exist?’ he asked.
‘No, he doesn’t,’ said Buddha.
Later that afternoon, a third man asked the same question: ‘Does God exist?’
‘That’s for you to decide,’ replied Buddha.
As soon as the man had gone, one of his disciples remarked angrily:
‘But that’s absurd, Master! How can you possibly give such different answers to the same question?’
‘Because they are all different people, and each one of them will reach God by his own path. The first man will believe what I say. The second will do everything he can to prove me wrong. The third will only believe in what he is allowed to choose for himself.’
The screwdriver
Shortly before he died, my father-in-law summoned his family.
‘I know that death is only a passageway into the next world. When I have gone through it, I will send you a sign that it really is worthwhile helping others in this life.’ He wanted to be cremated and for his ashes to be scattered over Arpoador Beach while a tape recorder played his favourite music.
He died two days later. A friend arranged the cremation in São Paulo and - once back in Rio - we went straight to the beach armed with a tape recorder, tapes and the package containing the cremation urn. When we reached the sea, we got a surprise. The lid of the urn was firmly screwed down. We couldn’t open it.
The only person around was a beggar, and he came over to us and asked: ‘What’s the problem?’
My brother-in-law said:
‘We need a screwdriver so that we can get at my father’s ashes inside this urn.’
‘Well, he must have been a very good man, because I’ve just found this,’ said the beggar.
And he held out a screwdriver.