Marion Pellicano Ambrose
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After having the trouble erupt with my son over losing his Social Security, I asked
Barbara and Dawn not to print my “Life is Good” piece. I was too depressed and
disillusioned and felt like a hypocrite thinking of the positive things I said in the article.
But since I posted the story about Joe, the outpouring of empathy and support has been
astounding! Dear friends and perfect strangers alike have offered advice and prayers and
I’m SO grateful! I let myself forget that no matter how low the lows may get at times,
there are people who care. Life is indeed good! Thank you all for reminding me of that!
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I had never heard of the Life is Good company until a few years ago when a friend
gave me one of their t-shirts. A few of the teachers I worked with and I formed a
Kayak club and this friend bought us all the “Jake Kayaking” t-shirt with
their famous mantra “Life is Good”.
I loved the shirt but didn’t think much about the company or the saying.
Sometime later, my husband bought me a t-shirt with Sprocket the dog roasting a marshmallow over a campfire, again with the same saying. I wore the shirt as we set off on a trip to Chattanooga for the Coker Challenge, an antique car rally. We drove our truck and pulled a 1961 MG on the trailer behind us. As we flew down the interstate, somewhere in rural Georgia, not one but two tires blew. The truck swerved out of control and right into the path of a semi tractor trailer barreling towards us at 70 miles per hour.We looked directly into the eyes of the terrified truck driver who could do absolutely nothing. Miraculously, we continued to slide out of his way and off the road, over an incline and into a deep ditch seconds before what we believed was the imminent impact. People stopped their cars and came running, thinking we were surely dead or critically injured. I remember looking at my husband who, like me, was sitting in stunned silence, without a scratch or bump on us. I looked down at my shirt and thought “Life is good!” The truck and trailer were totaled, we never made it to the rally, and the ditch was filled with water, bugs and snakes. But we were together and we were alive!
