Some of the comments received unsolicited about my book ‘Feeling Good: Life lessons from my friends’

I was sitting alone in my living room feeling kind of blue and I picked up Feeling Good (I was about to mail a copy to a friend). I was uplifted and inspired and delighted all over again. It is such a special book - each story touches my heart. Your idea for the book is so simple but the stories are so profound.” Delighted reader, Michigan

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“I'm laughing and crying my way through your book. It's funny how the smallest thing can be so important - how just a few words can change the way someone feels about themselves. (Like someone telling you, as a child, that you have beautiful eyes.) I love these small, beautiful stories. They make me want to be a better person. Honestly, Jennifer Cook made me want to take a dance class! Maybe I will. Thanks for doing something so beautiful and so inspiring. Ingrid Tuomey, Florida

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“I am really enjoying your book. I have it on my bedside table, and I pick it up every night and read one or two stories. It’s an uplifting way to end my day.” Arlene Smith, Ottawa

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“ha ha ha ha Just looked at the cover! I LOVE it!!! It's very happy-making. It's not often we see a book geared to making the reader feel good about themselves and about the world.” Sherrill, Ottawa

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“Reading this book was an affirmation of my own view of life, that the most valuable asset we own is our own human spirit. These people all made a difference by their choices- to society, to their families and colleagues, and to their own lives. Bravo to Louise Rachlis for this wonderful initiative. It is an uplifting and readable exemplar of how to make your life count. This is a terrific little volume to give as a gift to those who are looking for their own positive path through life, and to those who have already found it.” “Contentedgranny”, Toronto, reviewed on amazon.com

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Louise, I have just read the front & back cover , the intro and the first log by Stacy.... The warmth, the care and friendliness is overwhelming .... I am going to the gym then "I'll be back" for more. Thank you for being you ! Jacques Séguin Envoyé de mon iPad

Friends contribute to inspirational birthday book

Louise Rachlis didn’t want a party for her 65th birthday last February, and so she wrote a book instead.
“I wanted to create a book to help others,” says the writer who spent 25 years at the Ottawa Citizen. “I asked 65 friends to join me in compiling an inspirational log for travelling through life. My three categories were Feeling Good, Making Good and Doing Good.”
Her friend and longtime Citizen co-worker Chris Macknie designed the book, which contains a selection of those submissions.
As she says in her introduction, “When I sent out the invitation a few months ago to contribute to this book, I wondered what would follow. Would anyone send anything? To my delight, there were plenty of enthusiastic ‘count me ins’, and several submissions within a day or two. The very first to contribute was my 91-year-old friend Val Willis, who could certainly fill a book of her own on motivation. Another efficient contributor was Elana Cherry, who has five children under 10, and a busy government job. Both Val and Elana are role models for organization and positive thinking.”
Several of the contributors mention the supportive camaraderie of the “Rice Pudding Runners.” “The group name Rice Pudding was launched a few years ago after fellow-runner Lynn Campbell and I ended a two-hour-long snowy run with a bowl of rice pudding at the Green Door Restaurant,” says Louise. “It tasted so good - what wouldn’t, after a long winter run - that we thought we should share the experience. We invited other women to join us the next time, and long after we’d stopped eating rice pudding, the name still stuck, and we still get together.”
Containing 40 inspiring life stories, the 148-page book is now available for $10 on the CreateSpace e-store at www.createspace.com/3830323 and on amazon.com.
Proceeds are being donated to Parkinson Society Ottawa in honour of daughter Diana Rachlis.