"A professional storyteller, registered nurse, and Buddhist, Payne applies all of her experience to present a comprehensive view of life and death. The book opens with an explanation in prose and poetry of why she calls death the ultimate wonder. Divided into two sections, themes and tellings. Teachers, parents, spiritual and hospice workers will find background information in themes on all of the stories to enable them to choose the best stories for specific situations. The tellings are grouped for the following audiences, women, veterans, lovers, and families. Written with the teller as a character, the reader receives an experience of attending a live storytelling performance. From the moment of birth, all share the same destiny few care to discuss or think about. Payne removes fear and encourages exploration and conversation through retold world stories and original stories. These stories offer a positive outlook on our ultimate wonder."-- Amazon.