Can't wait for this to arrive!

Guideposts magazine is my all time favorite magazine. I have been a subscriber for over 10 years and always will be. On every issue under the title you will find the following: TRUE STORIES OF HOPE AND INSPIRATION. That is exactly what this magazine is all about. Each story is written by a regular person who has an experience to share, not a paid author. You never know what the next story will be about or how close to home it will hit. During my 5 year old daughter's recent battle with cancer this inspiring hope-filled book was a Godsend.
We found several stories dealing with similar illnesses during that time(most with positive outcomes).

Guideposts is a small magazine, about the size of a 5x7 picture. A great size to take with you to read while you are on the go. It has about 60 pages each issue. On the first two pages is the table of contents. There are two categories: Features and Departments.

FEATURES
Each feature(story) is listed along with the page number where you can find it, the author's name and location, and a brief summary of what the story is about.
For example:
15 BEYOND FORGIVENESS
An unlikely healing for two people joined by
tragedy.
BY LIZ PARROW, WEST FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA

Most of the stories are between 1 and 5 pages long. They start around page 10 and go to around page 50. These stories are real stories of relationships both good and bad, disasters(floods, hurricanes, fires, toronados, etc.), dreams coming true, battles with illnesses, etc, etc. You never know what will be in the next issue! They are full of hope and love and you will be inspired by the people and some of the things they go through. Sometimes I am laughing at one story and then bawling like a baby over the next. Many help you learn to work through your problems. All have a strong faith and belief in God. Many of the stories show how God has helped people work through the issues in their lives or at least come to terms with them. All are different. No where in this magazine does it ever "preach" the Bible or force religion on you. It does however show you examples of what prayer and faith can do. Pictures are usually included of the writers and their families. Famous people occasionally send in an article to be published. A few of the features in the Guideposts that I am currently re-reading include:(there are 12 total)
Friendship Beyond Forgiveness-see above
A Matter Of Choice-article by Danny Glover
Always Enough-sharing gifts you didn't know you had
A Dance To Remember-class of 2000 helping WWII vets
celebrate the prom they missed
Some Pig-how a runaway pig and a little girl helped
each other
Connected-weathering Hurricane Fran
A new section has been added to Guideposts. It too is from stories that people send in. It is called CAREGIVERS: A GUIDEPOSTS SERIES. Each month a different story is published about people taking care of other people. I've read of sons and daughters caring for elderly or disabled parents, grandparents raising their grandkids, families caring for other peoples' children, and many more. The one I am currently reading is called:
THE SECOND TIME AROUND
Being a mother all over again.

DEPARTMENTS
These are sections occurring each month. Each department features new articles every issue. These articles are much shorter than the stories, usually less than 1 page. They are as follows:
Editor's Note-usually talks of something special that has to do with one of the stories. Then he(Edward Grinnan) gives you something to think about.
What Prayer Can Do-incredible stories of how prayer has directly solved a problem or changed a life.
Pass It On-A section of very brief articles about people helping people.
His Mysterious Ways-Definetely my favorite department. Written stories of more than coincidence is what they call it. I call it a spiritual Twilight Zone. Tales with amazing twists and unbelievable endings. My favorite tale I have ever read in this column is about an earthquake(I don't remember which issue). A lady is at home and the ground starts violently shaking, the lights go out and their house is damaged. She immediately thinks of her daughter in the local elementary school. She grabs the phone and dials. Even though the phone never rings a calm voices answers and tells her all of the children are unharmed and waiting outside of the building. She rushes to the school and wraps her arms around her daughter. Amazingly, none of the children were injured even though the school was destroyed. Only later when the mother was thanking the principal for his calm reassurance on the phone, did she learn that the phone lines had been dead all over town from the moment the earthquake first hit. The section of the school where the phone was located was totally flattened, everyone was accounted for. Imagine!?
Yours Truly-stories of people and their faith.
Family Room-updates on some of the people and stories in the issue. Most include pictures.
Continued....-How some of the Guideposts stories have made a difference in people's lives.

One of my favorite things about this magazine is that there are no advertisements. Although they are still in the process of a few changes, as of yet I have not seen any ads. This is one of the very few magazines that I actually save and sometimes read again. The price is $12.97 for a year(12 issues) or $20.97 for two years(24 issues). This is a small price for all of the enjoyment you will receive reading the magazine each month. I love this magazine and recommend to all!