Why Good Things Happen to Good People defies the myths that drive so many of our ideas about success and the good life. This book shows that the real secret of happiness and success lies in giving of yourself to others, and presents striking new science that shows that giving boosts both our physical and emotional health—across an entire lifetime.

1. Where there is a desert, plant a rose. In the preface, Reverend Otis Moss, Jr. uses the images of a desert and a rose to describe times of hardship and joy. What different kind of deserts does he describe? How did Sister McNair plant a rose in her desert? Can you think of a desert and a rose from your own past? What rose can you plant now in another person’s life–a rose that will bring joy to both you and the other?

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