Reading in a second language

https://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/gpg/1420

Author: H. Catherine Walter

© Dr H. Catherine Walter

Abstract

Reading in a second language calls for fast, automatic word decoding and access to the mental lexicon (dictionary); this means working on building speed and fluency and on learning to recognise at least 10,000 words in the new language. Learners can build speed and fluency by learning vocabulary systematically and by doing lots of easy (‘extensive’) reading. Learners will also read better in their second language if they learn about text characteristics, and if they know how to handle a variety of strategies for getting meaning from texts. Background knowledge about the second-language culture will make comprehension easier as well.

Table of contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Basic cognitive issues
• 3. Reading fluency and vocabulary acquisition
• 4. Higher-level skills
• 5. Concluding observations
• Bibliography
• Related links

1. Introduction

In order to understand how L2 learners handle reading, one must first establish how they may be considered to process text at a cognitive level. After establishing that reading depends on parallel 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' processing, we go on to consider the main factors that contribute to reading fluency and vocabulary acquisition; and we also cover the related aspects of teaching and learning practice that may contribute to developing these aspects of L2 reading skills. We then consider the role played by top-down factors: self-monitoring, awareness of text types and background knowledge.

2. Basic cognitive issues

'Top-down' models of reading were popular from the 1970s, the most frequently cited example of this approach beingGoodman (1967): 'Reading: A Psycholinguistic Guessing Game'. In classroom practice, this widely replaced the 'bottom-up' models that had been in use, and in which the reader deals with letters, words, and sentences in rank order, each step depending on the preceding one (see for example Gough 1972). Top-down models assume that the reader interrogates the text rather than processing it completely, getting meaning by comparing expectations to a sample of information from the text.

Exclusively top-down models have been definitively falsified by empirical studies showing that skilled readers do not sample portions of the text, but rather process the entire text, rapidly and automatically. In currently accepted evidence-based models of reading, bottom-up processes (like word recognition and lexical access) and top-down processes (like integrating background knowledge) proceed in parallel (Rumelhart 1977, Stanovich 1980). Both sorts of processes are vital to skilled reading. The degree to which lower- and higher-level capacities may come into play in this interactive process may well differ, according to the purpose for reading. Looking quickly over a text, either to decide whether to read it or for gist (skimming) or looking for specific information in a text (scanning), will not require the same mix as reading for general understanding or pleasure (q.v. below). Intensive reading (i.e. critical reading, or reading to learn) will require yet a different balance between the two processes (Urquhart & Weir 1998:46). Higher-level processes may be best developed through intensive reading, for this focuses on aspects of the text and on the conscious use of strategies. The typical intensive reading text will be just above the level at which the reader can easily read.

However, for all types of reading, the reader needs automaticity both of word recognition and of lexical access (recognising the word so as to find its meaning in memory, and silently activating its pronunciation). When a word is recognised, it enters the phonological loop of working memory, becoming available for consultation and integration into a mental representation of the text (Gathercole & Baddeley 1995). The faster a reader's speed of retrieval from the mental lexicon, which is linked to their level of vocabulary knowledge, the more proficient their reading comprehension will be. These features are treated below in terms of fluency and vocabulary.

3. Reading fluency and vocabulary acquisition

Fluency

Many students of languages at university level will have years of experience of L2 reading, but some will be starting ab initio; and some of these will be learning a non-Roman writing system (alphabetic or logographic - to be treated elsewhere in this Guide). However, even most students doing single honours courses in European languages will probably not have had enough exposure to L2 text to have acquired sufficient fluency in basic decoding and word recognition.

Optimal rates for processing prose are around 300 words per minute; and for fluent adult readers this is constant, regardless of the difficulty of the text (Carver, 1982, 1983, 1990). Even advanced bilinguals (see Segalowitz, Poulsen & Komoda 1991) read as much as 30% slower than this in L2, employing cognitive resources that would otherwise be used for higher-level processes.

Effective means of building reading fluency are timed- and paced-reading activities, word recognition exercises,read-aloud group and pair work, re-reading activities, and extensive reading in and out of the classroom (seeGrabe & Stoller 2001 for clear descriptions of these activity types).

Extensive reading - abundant exposure to printed materials at or just below a comfortable level of comprehension - is vital for the development of automaticity in low-level processing, providing as it does repeated exposure to frequent vocabulary items. Extensive reading means reading unproblematic self-chosen materials, for information and enjoyment; reading texts easy enough for dictionaries to be unnecessary; and giving feedback to the teacher only about how much was read, about general meaning and about enjoyment, not about the structure or language of the texts. Ideally, this will include sustained silent reading in class. See Day & Bamford (1998) for a clear rationale and procedures for extensive reading, and a list (page 34) of studies showing some of its benefits, both focus-oriented and collateral.

In several studies, L2 students who engaged in extensive reading over a period of time showed significantly more improvement in L2 writing skills than control groups who did not practise extensive reading (see for example Hafiz & Tudor 1990; Tudor & Hafiz 1989; Mason & Krashen 1997). A speculative explanation for this effect relates to the hypothesized unconscious acquisition of the rhetorical conventions of L2 written genres, but this has not been tested.

Vocabulary

In order to read comfortably, skilled readers need to have receptive mastery of 95% or more of the words in a text, recognising them rapidly (Grabe & Stoller 2002:186). (Receptive mastery does not require that learners be able to use all of these words productively in their speaking and writing.) Contrary to previous assumptions, good readers do notuse context to infer meaning so often as less-skilled readers do; they do not need to, because they know the words (Juel 1999). Moreover, guessing word meanings is a low-yield strategy: in Parry's (1991) study, L2 university students only guessed meanings correctly 50% of the time.

It has been shown that L2 vocabulary difficulty cannot be compensated for by topic familiarity (Freebody & Anderson 1983). So how many words do L2 readers need to know? Hazenburg & Hulstijn (1996), in a careful study of L2 Dutch university students and their reading needs, demonstrated that a minimum of 10,000 headwords was necessary to understand 90% of the vocabulary needed in university study in Dutch L2, proper names accounting for another 5%. (A headword, e.g. communicate, is assumed to give access to derivatives, e.g. communication, uncommunicative.)

How can we help university L2 learners to gain mastery of the 10,000 or so words they will need to become fluent L2 readers? One way is by overt targeted teaching. Grabe & Stoller (2002:79) recommend focusing on the 2,000 to 3,000 most common words in a language 'as an essential foundation for word-recognition automaticity, and then [focusing] on vocabulary that is appropriate to specific topics and fields of study'. To determine which are the most common words, computerised corpora are now available for a number of languages; the European Corpus Initiative's Multilingual Corpus 1 (1994) contains 27 languages, mostly European; and an email query to the LINGUIST Discussion List (linguist@listserv.linguistlist.org) will yield information about corpora of other languages. (For further discussion see the article Linguistics via the Web in this Guide.) Cooper (1984) found that what distinguished skilled from less-skilled L2 academic readers was vocabulary, and notably their level of knowledge of (1) sub-technical words used in academic discourse, and (2) common sentence connectors. These therefore merit overt teaching, as do other devices that signal the structure of a text - teaching of conjunctions and other discourse markers has been shown to be productive (Grabe & Stoller 2002, 80-81).
(On targeted vocabulary teaching in generic or specialised language programmes, see the article on IWLPs in this Guide)

There is an argument for spending some class time in every lesson on vocabulary activities, e.g. making students aware of the value of learning the most common and useful words of the language and helping them to plan how to do so; exploring various ways of recording vocabulary (in lists or networks; with translations, antonyms and synonyms, contextualised in sentences, in sense and/or function categories); studying patterns of word formation such as using common suffixes and prefixes; teaching effective use of monolingual and bilingual dictionaries (see also the articlesDictionaries and Vocabulary Acquisition in this Guide).

4. Higher-level skills

Schoonen, Hulstijn & Bosser (1998) studied Dutch learners of English: increasingly, as proficiency grew, metacognitive knowledge made a stronger contribution to L2 reading comprehension skill. '[K]nowledge of text characteristics, knowledge of reading strategies, and, to a lesser extent, knowledge of reading goals [are] important domains' (page 98). On this basis Grabe & Stoller (2002:148) assert that 'metacognitive instruction in text structure and reading strategies is likely to ... support more advanced reading'.

Less-skilled L2 readers do not necessarily have fewer strategies than skilled readers, but they are less able to choose the appropriate strategy for the problem at hand. Teachers can help learners to become aware of what strategies they use when reading, of what other strategies are available to them, and of how to use strategies selectively (Anderson 1991). Kucan & Beck (1997) successfully helped L1 readers work with 'inconsiderate texts' (texts that were difficult for any reason, from poor organisation and difficult vocabulary to unfamiliar cultural assumptions) by giving them tools for addressing the text and the author's purpose critically.

A 'think-aloud' technique, in which the teacher goes through the text demonstrating the dialogue between the critical reader and the text, is an excellent means of introducing students to new strategies. Students can then do think-aloud demonstrations for one another in pairs or groups. (See Brown et al. (1996) for an account of think-aloud techniques for developing strategy use.)

The L2 reading comprehension threshold and metacognition

In fluent L1 reading the metacognitive ability to monitor one's own comprehension is somewhat automatic, though skilled readers do tend to monitor reading consciously more often than less-skilled readers (Block 1992). Even skilled L1 readers, however, fail to monitor their reading in L2 successfully until they have crossed the 'L2 reading comprehension threshold'. This is a well-documented phenomenon in which literate L1 readers do not transfer their higher-level reading comprehension skills to L2 until they reach a certain threshold of proficiency in the new language (see a meta-analysis of findings in Bernhardt & Kamil 1995). The threshold, which has been described for several pairs of languages, occurs somewhere in the intermediate proficiency range. What seems to get transferred when the threshold is crossed is the ability to build reliable mental representations of text (Walter forthcoming).

The value of translation

Translation, previously seen as an unhelpful strategy, has been revalidated: Kern (1994) showed that, when reading difficult texts, skilled L2 readers used mental translation into L1 to help maintain concentration and to keep information active while addressing a textual problem.

Background knowledge

Background knowledge has an effect on comprehension. The idea that this knowledge is codified into mental schemata (as proposed by e.g. Carrell 1983) lacks empirical confirmation. Nonetheless, 'it has been shown that even across passages on the same general theme, which had identical structure and syntax and very similar vocabulary, the more familiar version is better recalled' (Alderson 2000:43). This is true a fortiori when the text is situated in an unfamiliar culture: Steffensen et al. (1979) gave texts about weddings to L1 readers from India and North America and observed that cultural familiarity or the lack thereof led the readers to make numerous inferences about the events and situations in the text. Giving L2 readers access to information about the L2 culture can be an important way of helping them with reading comprehension.

Text types

Knowledge about the rhetorical organisation of various L2 text types will also influence comprehension. Different text types are organised differently, and fluent L1 readers know, often unconsciously, what sort of information to expect, and where it will occur, in each type. The rhetorical conventions governing the organisation of a text type can be very different from one language to another, and while these might be acquired unconsciously by voracious L2 readers, being taught the new conventions explicitly can facilitate L2 comprehension for all readers (Carrell 1985, 1992).

5. Concluding observations

This article has described aspects of L2 reading for which classroom practice can be informed by empirical evidence: for example, vocabulary and fluency work, including extensive reading, to promote automaticity of word recognition and lexical access; instruction in deployment of strategies; provision of background knowledge and of the conventions of L2 text types. However, many questions remain to be answered. For example, the language teaching community would benefit from knowing in detail which aspects of skilled reading can be taught explicitly and which are most efficiently learnt through extensive exposure to L2 texts.

Much valuable information about L2 reading has come from the language assessment research community. One interesting discussion in that field is whether to base reading assessment on the operationalisation of a construct of reading; or on a target language use perspective (Bachman 1999; see the discussion in Alderson 2000:138-201).

Further reading

The literature on reading is vast, and this article has given only a brief overview of main areas of possible interest. For clear and more extensive accounts of the state of the art, see Grabe & Stoller 2002, Alderson 2000, and Urquhart & Weir 1998. For a well developed account of good instructional practices in L2 reading (focused on English L2 but easily transferable), see Grabe & Stoller 2001.

Bibliography

Alderson, J. C. (2000). Assessing Reading. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Anderson, N. J. (1991). Individual Differences in Strategy Use in Second Language Reading and Testing. The Modern Language Journal, 75:460-72.

Bernhardt, E. B. & M. L. Kamil (1995). Interpreting Relationships between First Language and Second Language Reading: Consolidating the Linguistic Threshold and the Linguistic Interdependence Hypotheses. Applied Linguistics16, 1:15-34.

Block, E. L. (1992). See how they Read: Comprehension Monitoring of L1 and L2 Readers. TESOL Quarterly 26, 2:319-43.

Brown, R., M. Pressley, P. Van Meter & T. Schuder (1996). A Quasi-experimental Validation of Transactional Strategy Instruction with Low-achieving Second-grade Students. Journal of Educational Psychology 88:18-37.

Carrell, P. L. (1983). Some Issues in Studying the Role of Schemata, or Background Knowledge, in Second Language Comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language 1, 2:81-92.

Carrell, P. L. (1985). Facilitating ESL Reading by Teaching Text Structure. TESOL Quarterly 19:727-52.

Carrell, P. L. (1992). Awareness of Text Structure: Effects on Recall. Language Learning 42:1-20.

Carver, R. P. (1982). Optimal Rate of Reading Prose. Reading Research Quarterly 17, 1:56-88.

Carver, R. P. (1983). Is Reading Rate Constant or Flexible? Reading Research Quarterly 18, 2:190-215.

Carver, R. P. (1990). Reading Rate: A Review of Research and Theory. New York: Academic Press.

Cooper, M. (1984). Linguistic Competence of Practised and Unpractised Non-native Readers of English. In J. C. Alderson & A. H. Urquhart (eds), Reading in a Foreign Language, 122-35. Harlow: Longman Group Ltd.

Day, R. R. & J. Bamford (1998). Extensive Reading in the Second Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Freebody, P. & R. C. Anderson (1983). Effects of Vocabulary Difficulty, Text Cohesion and Schema Availability on Reading Comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly 18, 3:277-94.

Gathercole, S. E. & A. D. Baddeley (1995). Working Memory and Language. Hove and Hillsdale NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Goodman, K. S. (1967). Reading: A Psycholinguistic Guessing Game. Journal of the Reading Specialist 6:126-35.

Gough, P. B. (1972). One Second of Reading. In F. J. Kavanagh & G. Mattingly (eds), Language by Ear and by Eye, 331-58. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Grabe, W. & F. L. Stoller (2001). Reading for Academic Purposes: Guidelines for the ESL/EFL Teacher. In M. Celce-Murcia (ed.), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language (3rd edition), 187-203. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

Grabe, W. & F. L. Stoller (2002). Teaching and Researching Reading. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.

Hafiz, F. M. and I. Tudor (1990). Graded Readers as an Input Medium in L2 Learning. System 18, 1:31-42.

Hazenburg, S. & J. H. Hulstijn (1996). Defining a Minimal Receptive Second-language Vocabulary for Non-native University Students: An Empirical Investigation. Applied Linguistics 17:145-63.

Janopoulos, M. (1986). The Relationship of Pleasure Reading and Second Language Writing Proficiency. TESOL Quarterly 20, 4:763-68.

Juel, C. (1999). The Messenger may be Wrong, but the Message may be Right. In J. Oakhill & S. Beard (eds),Reading Development and the Teaching of Reading, 201-12. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Kern, R. G. (1994). The Role of Mental Translation in Second Language Reading. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 16:441-61.

Kucan, L. & I. Beck (1997). Thinking Aloud and Reading Comprehension Research: Inquiry, Instruction, and Social Interaction. Review of Educational Research 67:271-99.

Mason, B. & S. Krashen (1997). Extensive Reading in English as a Foreign Language. System 25, 1:91-102.

Parry, K. (1991). Building a Vocabulary through Academic Reading. TESOL Quarterly 25:629-53.

Rumelhart, D. E. (1977). Toward an Interactive Model of Reading. In S. Dornic (ed.), Attention and Performance6:573-603. New York: Academic Press.

Schoonen, R., J. Hulstijn & B. Bossers (1998). Metacognitive and Language-specific Knowledge in Native and Foreign Language Reading Comprehension: An Empirical Study among Dutch Students in Grades 6, 8 and 10. Language Learning 48:71-106.

Segalowitz, N., C. Poulsen, & M. Komoda (1991). Lower Level Components of Reading Skill in Higher Level Bilinguals: Implications for Reading Instruction. In J. H. Hulstijn & J. F. Matter (eds), Reading in Two Languages.AILA Review, 8:15-30. Amsterdam: Free University Press.

Stanovich, K. E. (1980). Toward an interactive compensatory model of individual differences in the development of reading fluency. Reading Research Quarterly 16:32-71.

Steffensen, M. S., C. Joag-Dev & R. C. Anderson (1979). A Cross-cultural Perspective on Reading Comprehension.Reading Research Quarterly XV, 1:10-29.

Tudor, I. & F. Hafiz (1989). Extensive Reading as a means of Input to L2 Learning. Journal of Research in Reading12, 2:164-78.

Urquhart, S. & C. Weir (1998). Reading in a Second Language: Process, Product and Practice. London: Addison Wesley Longman Ltd.

Walter, H. C. (forthcoming). The L2 reading comprehension threshold is linked to mental representations of text and to L2 working memory. Forthcoming in Applied Linguistics.

Related links

The LINGUIST List.
http://www.linguistlist.org/

European Corpus Initiative (1994). Multilingual Corpus 1.
http://www.elsnet.org/eci.html

Referencing this article

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ENCUENTRO DE MADRE E HIJO

Weird News

Bearded Lady Reunites With Long-Lost Son

Sep 16, 2010 – 7:36 AM

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Marc Hartzman Contributor

(Sept. 16) -- Every adopted child wonders who his biological mother is. Movie star? Rock star? Maybe a big-shot CEO? For Richard Lorenc, she turned out to be the last thing he ever imagined: a sideshow bearded lady.

The 33-year-old Kansas man had always been curious about his birth parents, but with a wife and two young daughters, he was busy making a life of his own. After a recent back injury led to multiple medical exams and many questions about his family medical history, he decided it was time to start digging.

His search began this past spring, when he filed a request with the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services to find his biological parents.

Courtesy of Richard Lorenc

After 33 years, Richard Lorenc has reunited with his biological mother, a bearded woman named Vivian Wheeler, in Bakersfield, Calif.

Six weeks later he received a letter from the department saying it had the identity of his mother: Vivian Wheeler, now 62.

It also informed him that both his mother and his maternal grandmother had hypertrichosis, known as werewolf syndrome. Each had facial hair, even as children. The letter further stated that his mother was born a hermaphrodite, with both male and female reproductive organs.

Wheeler's facial fuzz had appeared at birth with an inch and a half of light hair covering her cheeks and chin. She says her mother wanted a daughter, and doctors were instructed to remove the male parts.

Wheeler claimed her father was humiliated by his bearded little girl, but it didn't prevent him from capitalizing on her condition. She began working in sideshows at an early age, earning money to send home to her family.

Between tours, she would return home and reach for a razor.

"My dad said to shave because people wouldn't understand why I had facial hair, saying, 'This is what you'll have to do to fit into society,'" Wheeler told AOL News.

As she grew older, she would shave sometimes to placate the men she dated, "because of their low self-esteem. It didn't bother me."

Wheeler stopped shaving her beard entirely in 1990 shortly after the death of her mother.

"I let it grow back to be myself," she said. "Without my beard, I'm not me. I'm pretending to be someone I'm not."

Since then, her beard has grown to 11 inches in length, leading to appearances in Ripley's Believe It or Not! and in the Guinness World Records book.

Courtesy of Biff Yeager

Vivian Wheeler keeps her beard trimmed at 11 inches, though it has been longer in the past.

According to Wheeler, doctors examining her for Guinness said she has a male bone structure, with half her hormones being male. Doctors thought it would be impossible for her to give birth, but she became pregnant, and baby Richard was delivered by cesarean section in 1977.

For Wheeler, a Seventh-Day Adventist, it was a miracle. But she says the father, a carnival ride operator she had met in Nebraska, took the baby away from her soon after the birth.

Lorenc didn't learn all this until later. After learning his birth mother's name, he set out to find her. He started by looking her up on the Internet.

"I knew it was her as soon as I saw the picture online," he said. "We have a resemblance."

He still didn't have an address for her, but his online search revealed his mother had a sideshow background. Lorenc then turned to me and some other members of the sideshow community for help in tracking her down. I featured Wheeler in my book "American Sideshow," and I've been in touch with her on and off for the past seven years.

I gave Lorenc the phone numbers I had for her, including one for a friend of hers where I often reached her in the past, but none of the numbers was still in use. I even contacted others who had worked with Wheeler, but they had lost touch with her.

Fortunately, Lorenc had luck on his side.

He had also reached out to George "The Giant" McArthur, who at 7 feet 3 inches is the world's tallest sword swallower. McArthur lives in Bakersfield, Calif., where as far as I knew Wheeler also resided.

Several weeks after we began the search, Wheeler just happened to turn up at the same local park where McArthur was performing fire manipulation for a music video shoot.

For Wheeler, it was a spiritual moment.

"The Holy Spirit told me to go. He told me George had something to tell me that was very important," she explained. "I hollered at him from behind, and he turned around and told me my son was looking for me."

With Wheeler located and contact information in hand, it was time for Lorenc to introduce himself. Of course, after 33 years, that's no easy task. So he enlisted the help of his wife, Jessica, who made the first call and put Wheeler on a speakerphone.

Courtesy of Richard Lorenc

Vivian Wheeler has exhibited her beard in sideshows for most of her life. Her income supported her family -- even paying for her mother's bypass heart surgery. Photo circa 1992.

"She said she might be married to my son, Richard William Chambers Jr. -- that was the name on his birth certificate," Wheeler said. "He wanted to find out if I was his mother. I told her I had a son named Richard William Chambers Jr."

She considered the chance meeting with McArthur and the sudden connection with her son another miracle.

"I told God I wanted to know if I had grandchildren and if my son was alive. Then, like snapping your fingers, his wife called me," Wheeler said.

Encouraged, Lorenc called her himself the next day. Each wanted to verify the relationship. "Once that connection was made, we had a good idea we were in fact mother and son," he said. "There are still tests that people want to do, like a DNA test and such, which I'm fine with."

A DNA test would prove that Lorenc is in fact the Richard William Chambers Jr. born in Nebraska in 1977 -- the same Richard William Chambers Jr. who was taken away by Richard Sr. shortly after Wheeler gave birth.

"We got into an argument, like people do, and he took my son and vanished with him," Wheeler said.

Wheeler says she spent years searching for her son but never contacted the authorities about the disappearance. "I wanted to believe he was with his father," she said.

Yet she desperately wanted her son back. The mental toll it took on her caused her to collapse onstage during one of her sideshow performances. After the nervous breakdown, she says doctors recommended she stop thinking about her son or "I'd lose my mind completely."

But Wheeler's hope that her son was living happily with his father was far from the case.

"I was found in a motel in Atlanta, that's all I knew of my life," Lorenc said. "I think I was maybe 3."

He moved into an orphanage before his father regained custody of him and headed to Kansas. Teachers noticed abuse marks on his body, and young Richard was placed in foster care. At 7, he was adopted and became Richard Kevin Ryan. When he married, he took his wife's surname, Lorenc.

At the end of June, Lorenc flew out alone to Bakersfield for two days to finally meet his mother.

He found her living in the industrial part of town at an old motel converted into Section 8 housing for people drawing Social Security or Supplemental Security Income. Wheeler meets with counselors, takes classes at the complex and stays active in the community with her church.

Rather than have their long-awaited reunion in her small room, they met on the other side of town at the apartment of one of Wheeler's friends. There, they began the long process of becoming acquainted and discussing the past.

"A lot of my questions were answered," Lorenc said. "I think one of her biggest wishes was fulfilled that day."

Now he hopes his newfound mom will move closer to his family in Kansas. Wheeler suffers from osteoporosis, doesn't have a primary physician and needs better living conditions.

"She was not given opportunities we take for granted," Lorenc said. "She wasn't given an education or a healthy environment, and it shows. I feel for her, and I want her to know that there's a place for her here near us where we can give her the things she was never given."

Wheeler is apprehensive about disrupting his family life, but she is considering moving to Oklahoma, right near the Kansas border, where her maternal grandparents were born. There, she hopes to learn more about her own past.

Since their meeting, Lorenc and Wheeler have spoken every few weeks and plan to see each other again soon. Wheeler hopes their next meeting will be on "Maury." She hopes host Maury Povich will help her obtain a DNA test to prove Lorenc is her son.

"I want to share the story, and I want to know for sure if it's my son," she said. "Even if not, I still love him."

As for Lorenc, he's accepting the entire situation and looking forward to developing a stronger bond.

"My whole life growing up, I thought my mom was Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane, but that was just my fantasy. This is kind of better," he said.

"Whatever happens, I want to be there with her. It's a great adventure. It's an unbelievable story, and I just want to be there for the ride with her and spend time with her."

SONREIR, LLORAR Y PENSAR

Marc and Angel Hack Life

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post written by: Marc Chernoff

101 Short Stories that Will Leave You Smiling, Crying and Thinking

Makes Me Think

Since its inception eighteen months ago, our sister site Makes Me Think (MMT) has truly evolved into a remarkable online community.  Every day, users share their thought-provoking life stories and vote on stories that other users have shared.  Some are happy, some are sad, and others twist your emotions, pulling them in several directions at once.

As stated on the MMT About page, sometimes the most random everyday encounters force us to stop and rethink the truths and perceptions we have ingrained in our minds.  These encounters are educationally priceless.  They spawn moments of deep thought and self-reflection that challenge the status quo and help us evolve as sensible individuals.

I believe the 101 stories listed below perfectly fulfill that description.  Of the thousands of stories that have been submitted to MMT in the last eighteen months, these are my personal favorites.

What do you think?

1.       Today, after a 72 hour shift at the fire station, a woman ran up to me at the grocery store and gave me a hug.  When I tensed up, she realized I didn’t recognize her.  She let go with tears of joy in her eyes and the most sincere smile and said, “On 9-11-2001, you carried me out of the World Trade Center.”  MMT

2.       Today, at the age of 70, my grandfather graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in business studies.  He’s been a successful business owner most of his life, but he told me he earned his degree to fulfill a promise he made to his mother before she lost her battle with cancer 50 years ago.  MMT

3.       Today, my mom is a healthy 54 year old who successfully owns and operates a popular bakery downtown – a goal she had all her life.  15 years ago she was diagnosed with cancer.  In the face of death, she quit her store clerk job, opened the bakery, started chemo therapy, and succeeded on all fronts.  MMT

4.       Today, after I watched my dog get run over by a car, I sat on the side of the road holding him and crying.  And just before he died, he licked the tears off my face.  MMT

5.       Today, as a young ‘up and coming’ lawyer, everyone in the firm was congratulating me for winning my first big case this morning.  And all day long all I could think about is how I used a technicality in the law to help a murderer walk away a free man.  MMT

6.       Today, on our 50th wedding anniversary, she smiled at me and said, “I only wish I had met you sooner.”  MMT

7.       Today, after 2 years of separation, my ex-wife and I resolved our differences and met for dinner.  We laughed and chatted for almost 4 hours.  Then just before she left, she handed me a large envelope.  In it were 20 love letters she wrote me over the last 2 years.  There was a post-it note on the envelope that said, “Letters I was too stubborn to send.”  MMT

8.       Today, when I slipped on the wet tile floor a boy in a wheelchair caught me before I slammed my head on the ground.  He said, “Believe it or not, that’s almost exactly how I injured my back 3 years ago.”  MMT

9.       Today, someone else’s tragedy provided the miracle my family had prayed for.  Thanks to this stranger, my dad will have a heart.  It’s so odd to think that an accidental death just saved his life.  MMT

10.   Today marks the ten year anniversary of the day when I slapped him and screamed at him remorselessly for not letting me in the bathroom after we ate breakfast.  That moment also marks the positive turning point in my battle with Bulimia.  I think he saved my life that day.  MMT

11.   Today at 7AM I woke up feeling ill, but decided I needed the money, so I went in to work.  At 3PM I got laid off.  On my drive home I got a flat tire.  When I went into the trunk for the spare, it was flat too.  A man in a BMW pulled over, gave me a ride, we chatted, and then he offered me a job.  I start tomorrow.  MMT

12.   Today, I was working in a coffee shop when 2 gay men walked in holding hands.  As you might expect, heads started turning.  Then a young girl at the table next to me asked her mom why 2 men were holding hands.  Her mom replied, “Because they love each other.”  MMT

13.   Today, after the funeral, I went back to my parent’s empty house – the house I grew up in.  As I gazed around in awe of all the great memories we made in it, I noticed an old photo of my parent’s in their 20’s sitting on the coffee table.  In my father’s handwriting, across the back was written, “In this moment, we were infinite.” MMT

14.   Today, as I walked away from the airport gate alone with my head held high and eyes beet red from crying, I knew at that moment what it meant to be a military wife.  MMT

15.   Today, a lady walked up to me in the gym and asked me to give her some workout pointers.  She said, “You look incredible!  Watching you gradually tone-up and progress in here has become my primary inspiration to get in shape.”  It made me smile because I’ve struggled with my weight since I was 15.  MMT

16.   Today, my grandpa died.  As I was crying and telling my grandma how sorry I was, she said, “Let’s stop being so sad and instead celebrate the 80 wonderful years he was alive… 60 of which he spent with me.”  MMT

17.   Today, as my father, three brothers, and two sisters stood around my mother’s hospital bed, my mother uttered her last coherent words before she died.  She simply said, “I feel so loved right now.  We should have gotten together like this more often.”  MMT

18.   Today, my richest friend growing up filed for bankruptcy and one of my poorest friends growing up purchased his second vacation home.  MMT

19.   Today, I pulled into a small gas station in the middle of the desert in New Mexico and realized I had left my wallet at my girlfriends house 5 hours away.  I had no money and barely enough gas to make it another mile down the road.  The only other person that stopped for gas was a burly looking trucker.  I was a bit reluctant, but I asked him for some spare change for gas.  Instead he filled my tank and said, “Someone did this for me a few years ago.”  MMT

20.   Today, I was all dressed up and waiting on my blind date to arrive.  He never showed up.  It made me feel ugly.  I thought he may have seen me from a distance and bailed.  Then as I left the restaurant alone, I heard a little girl ask her mom if I was a princess.  It made me smile and it MMT.

21.   Today, while I was driving my grandfather to his doctor’s appointment, I complained about hitting 2 red lights in a row.  My grandfather chuckled and said, “You always complain about the red lights, but you never celebrate the green ones.”  MMT

22.   Today in downtown San Diego, I watched a blue collar Mexican man get harassed for being Mexican.  It was a blatant act of discrimination.  And the man actually began crying.  As he left the office building, he took off his jacket. His t-shirt underneath read, “I love the USA!”  MMT

23.   Today, at a jazz club in San Francisco I saw a man and woman enjoying a drink together.  The woman was a dwarf and the man must have been 6 feet tall.  Later in the evening they went out onto the dance floor.  The man got down on his knees so they could slow dance together.  They danced the rest of the night.  MMT

24.   Today, I was the maid of honor in her wedding.  Four years ago she was declared cancer free.  Eight years ago, during our senior year of college, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and told she had eighteen months to live.  MMT

25.   Today, I received a gigantic gift bag from one of my friends.  She said she appreciated me being there for her, and that I am one of her best friends.  She is mentally and physically handicapped, and I merely see her for half an hour once per week.  MMT

26.   Today, my close friend died unexpectedly in a car accident.  A cab driver saw me crying outside the hospital all alone at 3AM.  He stopped, helped me into the cab, drove me to my house 30 miles away and refused to let me pay him.  MMT

27.   Today, I kissed my dad on the forehead as he passed away in a small hospital bed.  About 5 seconds after he passed, I realized it was the first time I had given him a kiss since I was a little boy.  MMT

28.   Today I met a 90 year old woman at Kinko’s who was getting her passport photo taken so she could go on a Safari in Africa next month for her 91st birthday.  MMT

29.   Today, in the cutest voice, my 8-year-old daughter asked me to start recycling.  I chuckled and asked, “Why?” She replied, “So you can help me save the planet.”  I chuckled again and asked, “And why do you want to save the planet?”  “Because that’s where I keep all my stuff,” she said.  MMT

30.   Today, I am thankful that my family has acquired enough wealth so that my parents can afford to live in their own house and send me and my siblings to college.  But I miss the days when we were younger and were all crammed into a 2 bedroom apartment and forced to play board games and eat supper together.  MMT

31.   Today, my father’s mistress saved my mother’s life when she ran into our fire-engulfed house and pulled my mother out to safety two minutes before the roof collapsed.  MMT

32.   Today, at a funeral reception, everyone had something kind to say about the deceased.  As they spoke through their tears, many of them admitted that they wish they had told John how wonderful he was before he died.  MMT

33.   Today, after watching a violent horror movie, my little brother abruptly asked my grandfather how he wants to die.  “Like the sunset,” my grandfather replied.  MMT

34.   Today, when I witnessed a 27-year-old breast cancer patient laughing hysterically at her 2-year-old daughter’s antics, I suddenly realized that I need to stop complaining about my life and start celebrating it again.  MMT

35.   Today, as they teased me and laughed hysterically, I just wished they could see the world through my eyes.  MMT

36.   Today, as I read my brother’s suicide note, chills ran down my spine because I was horrified by the fact that I could relate to everything he wrote.  MMT

37.   Today, my son and I were in a car accident.  I came out of it with just a cut over my eye, but my son fell into a coma.  The doctor said if he doesn’t wake up soon his chances of a full recovery greatly decreases.  An hour ago he opened his eyes and said a word I thought I’d never hear again, “Mommy.”  MMT

38.   Today, I interviewed a woman who is terminally ill.  “So,” I tried to delicately ask, “What is it like to wake up every morning and know that you are dying?”  “Well,” she responded, “What is it like to wake up every morning and pretend that you are not?”  MMT

39.   Today, I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe.  He said he hadn’t eaten anything in over 3 days and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy.  Then my friend offered him the rest of the sandwich he was eating.  The first thing the man said was, “We can share it.”  MMT

40.   Today, I told my mom that I feel like I’m failing with my alcoholism counseling and that I want to quit.  Then she said my 8 year old brother told her, “I really like the new Elliot so much better.”  MMT

41.   Today, I met an amazing guy at a local diner during the breakfast rush.  He was sincere and handsome.  We agreed to meet back at the diner for lunch, but he never showed up.  I found out this evening from a mutual friend that he was in a fatal car accident on his lunch break two blocks away from the diner.  MMT

42.   Today, for two hours I stood next to a 50 something year old, burly biker looking guy at a Lady Gaga concert while he sincerely sang his heart out.  MMT

43.   Today, a boy in a wheelchair saw me desperately struggling on crutches with my broken leg and offered to carry my backpack and books for me.  He helped me all the way across campus to my class and as he was leaving he said, “I hope you feel better soon.” MMT

44.   Today, I lost my mom to cancer.  My whole life I wanted to build an empire of wealth.  And now that I’m relatively wealthy, all I want is my mom back.  MMT

45.   Today, after telling my grandmother that I didn’t want to risk making such a huge mistake, she looked at me and said, “Looking back on it all, there are so many mistakes I wish I had had the courage to make when I was your age.”  MMT

46.   Today, while everyone else was complaining about the overbooked flight, I smiled and joked with the gate agent about my willingness to sit in the belly of the plane with the luggage.  15 minutes later, the gate agent found me sitting in the gate area and hand delivered a first class ticket to me.  She winked and said, “Thanks for being so patient.  As you know, the coach cabin is full.”  MMT

47.   Today, the evening news report forgot to mention that I was driving home from work five miles an hour below the posted speed limit and that he was an intoxicated drug addict with suicidal tendencies who deliberately jumped out in front of my vehicle.  MMT

48.   Today at 3PM my wife checked herself into an alcoholic rehab clinic all by herself after our son showed her bruise marks and belt lash welts on his backside that she couldn’t even recall giving him.  I don’t even know how I feel right now, angry at her or proud.  My head is spinning, and it all MMT.

49.   Today, I swore to her that if she followed through with it, I’d do the same.  And she slowly pointed the gun away from her forehead and toward the floor.  Then she handed it to me and cried in my arms for almost three hours.  MMT

50.   Today, a 12 year old boy died in a house fire near my neighborhood.  After he pulled his mom to safety, he ran back into the burning house for his 5-month-old baby sister.  MMT

51.   Today, my electric wheelchair broke down as I was rushing across campus to take a midterm exam.  Two female joggers noticed I was stuck and asked if I needed assistance.  When I explained my dilemma, they both pushed me simultaneously all the way to my class and got me there just in time.  MMT

52.   Today, I was in line at the store behind a man holding a dozen roses.  When he got up to the cashier’s counter, he realized that the cashier looked sad.  The man smiled and said, “I’m buying 11 of these roses for my wife.”  And then he handed the cashier the 12th rose.  She smiled from ear to ear.  MMT

53.   Today, I asked my 6 year old son what he wants to be when he grows up.  He said, “Mommy, all I want to be is happy.”  MMT

54.   Today, as I watched my 75 year old grandmother and grandfather being silly with each other and laughing in the kitchen, I felt like I got a short glimpse of what true love feels like.  I hope I find it someday.  MMT

55.   Today, we were supposed to meet in the park.  But instead I met her in the hospital’s intensive care unit.  And as I sat beside her bed and staring at her unconscious body hooked up to all the breathing equipment, I reached into my pocket, pulled out the diamond engagement ring, and cried.  I’m still here waiting and hoping.  MMT

56.   Today, when I told my 8 year old son that all of our dreams are within reach as long as we follow our heart and take action, he asked me if it was always my dream to be a waitress.  MMT

57.   Today, after spending the last year working 60 hours a week in an attempt to give my family a more comfortable life, I forgot about my son’s 14th birthday.  My son told me what the family really needs is more of me at home.  MMT

58.   Today, I was diagnosed with a malignant tumor and given 3 to 6 months to live 10 minutes before the hospital realized they mixed up my biopsy results with the patient in the next room.  MMT

59.   Today, as my son cried in my arms, he said, “What nobody realizes is that it’s torture.  Every day of my life I wish I wasn’t gay.”  MMT

60.   Today, my blind friend explained to me in vivid detail how beautiful his new girlfriend is.  MMT

61.   Today, my mother passed away after a long battle with cancer.  My best friend lives 2000 miles away and called to comfort me.  While on the phone, he asked, “What would you do if I showed up at your house and gave you the biggest hug in the world?”  “I would surely smile,” I replied.  And then he rang my doorbell.  MMT

62.   Today, the main girl who bullied me in high school came into my office apologizing and pleading for a job. I’m still thinking about it.  MMT

63.   Today, I was stopped at a traffic light when a mid-aged homeless woman asked me for change.  I usually I don’t give out dollars to the homeless because I assume they are going to buy booze.  But I saw her 45 minutes later at 7/11 buying bread and peanut butter.  She was so happy to see me.  MMT

64.   Today, my sister told me a student of hers turned eight years old on Friday.  When I realized he was born on September 11, 2001, I said, “How horrible for his family.”  My sister explained that his grandfather worked at the Pentagon and skipped work that day upon learning his daughter was in labor.  MMT

65.   Today, I was driving to a job interview when I saw a businesswoman standing next to her BMW on the side of the road.  She had a flat tire.  I pulled over and helped her put on the spare.  When I arrived to the interview, the woman who I helped ended up being the CEO of the company.  I got the job.  MMT

66.   Today at the Atlanta airport, as I walked off a plane dressed in my Army uniform, a little girl grabbed my hand and asked me if I would be going back overseas soon.  I told her I would be in 6 weeks.  She smiled and said, “Can you please tell my daddy that I love him.  My mommy told me he’s never coming home from over there.”  MMT

67.   Today, I waited on an elderly woman at the local restaurant where I work.  She left me a $90 tip on a $10 tab with a handwritten note that said, “I’m 86 and I can’t take this money with me.  So please spoil yourself with it.”  MMT

68.   Today, I met an elderly man at a bar in Miami.  When I asked him if he was vacationing, he handed me a photo from his wallet and said, “Today would be our 50th anniversary.  And although she’s been gone 10 years now, this bar still reminds me of her smile - when we shared our first laugh here so many moons ago.”  MMT

69.   Today, another cancer patient of mine cried and begged me to let her die.  MMT

70.   Today, my father told me, “Just go for it and give it a try!  You don’t have to be a professional to build a successful product.  Amateurs started Google and Apple.  Professionals built the Titanic.”  MMT

71.   Today, as soon as my 5-year-old baby brother came into my room, I yelled at him to get out without even looking up at him.  When he didn’t listen and I turned around to yell again, I noticed he had a bowl of cherries (my favorite) in his hands.  He said, “Sorry, I just wanted to share these with you.”  MMT

72.   Today, when I got home from dropping you off at the airport, I sat at our kitchen table and stared down at my wedding ring and then up at the photo of my dad hanging on our refrigerator, and then I cried. I just hope the war doesn’t take you away from me too.  MMT

73.   Today, after spending the last 3 years viciously bickering with the college kid who lives next door, I found myself crying in his arms and thanking him repeatedly for saving my son’s life.  MMT

74.   Today at the diner where I work, an elderly couple came in for the 4th time this week and requested my table.  I asked them what kept them coming back.  They told me that I reminded them of their granddaughter who passed away 6 years ago.  Then they told me her name.  She was my best friend at the time.  MMT

75.   Today, my dad told me and my little sister that we might lose our house. I was sad, angry, worried and stressed.  My 14 yr old sister asked me what’s wrong.  When I told her, she said, “It’s just a house.  I don’t care where we live, as long as we’re together.”  MMT

76.   Today, I read countless articles about the slain soldiers at Fort Hood.  And it occurred to me that if these soldiers had been deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq and died there, their deaths wouldn’t have made the front page of the newspaper.  MMT

77.   Today, I was walking past a group of homeless men who live near my complex.  A cab pulled up next to the men and the driver opened up the rear door and pulled out two huge grocery bags full of food.  He set them down next to the group of men, got in his cab and drove off without saying a word.  MMT

78.   Today, for the four hours he was breathing, his father and I loved him for a lifetime.  MMT

79.   Today, as I watched my oldest daughter graduate at the top of her class from Harvard Medical School, my wife reminded me that we had her when we were only seventeen.  MMT

80.   Today, I stopped to chat with the office janitor like I do every Monday morning on my way into work.  And at the end of our conversation he grinned and said, “You know, you’re the only one who ever stops to talk to me around here, and you’re the President and CEO.”  MMT

81.   Today, exactly twenty years ago to the hour, I risked my life to save a woman who was drowning in the rapids of the Colorado River.  And that’s how I met my wife - the love of my life.  MMT

82.   Today, I’m in Iraq on my third tour of duty fighting for a cause I no longer believe in.  And I want to go home.  But ever since I caught my wife having an affair 6 months ago, I’m not sure I know where home is anymore.  MMT

83.   Today, as I stared down blankly at the $750,000 life insurance check, I couldn’t help but wish it had been me instead.  MMT

84.   Today, my wife checked herself into an alcohol rehab clinic after she glanced up at me while she was eating her breakfast and asked how I got a black eye and fingernail scratches all over my face.  MMT

85.   Today I found out that my high school friend I’d been meaning to get in touch with for the last year died last week.  MMT

86.   Today, I asked my mentor – a very successful business man in his 70’s – what his top 3 tips are for success.  He smiled and said, “Read something no one else is reading, think something no one else is thinking, and do something no one else is doing.”  MMT

87.   Today, after spending the last ten years serving liquor to alcoholics all day every day I looked in the mirror and felt disgusted.  I’ve concluded that I am, in fact, a failure, even though all my friends call me a successful business owner.  MMT

88.   Today, as my grandfather (a military doctor, war hero, and successful business owner) rested in his hospice bed, I asked him what his greatest life accomplishment was.  He turned around, grabbed my grandmother’s hand, looked her in the eyes, and said, “Growing old with you.”  MMT

89.   Today, it’s just the six of us.  One was raped when she was fourteen.  Three come from abusive households.  Two were orphans.  Like me, one spent almost two straight years in a psychiatric facility as a kid.  But I wouldn’t trade a single one of them for all the perfect friends in the universe.  MMT

90.   Today, I was walking home from work in the pouring rain without an umbrella.  I was walking just behind an elderly man who had an umbrella.  As we both passed under the overhang to an apartment building, he stopped, turned around and handed me the umbrella.  He said, “This is my stop and you look like you need an umbrella.  Pass it along someday when the opportunity arises.”  MMT

91.   Today, my friend told me she didn’t mind being legally blind, with only 12% of her vision.  She said, “After it rains there’s usually a dew left on the grass.  And because of the way my eyes refract the light, I see rainbows in the grass.”  MMT

92.   Today, at a neighborhood BBQ my neighbor’s son - a 25 year old Marine – dropped to the floor and started crying when one of the other guests lit off a round of firecrackers.  MMT

93.   Today, the teenager I scream at almost every day for driving too fast in the neighborhood because it worries me that he’s going to run over my kids, ran across the street from his driveway to ours and grabbed my son off of his tricycle in the middle of the street just before a swerving drunk driver ran over my son’s tricycle and kept going.  MMT

94.   Today, I was in an accident that left me with a gash on my forehead.  The doctors wrapped a bandage around my head and said I have to keep it on all week.  I hate wearing it.  Two minutes ago my little brother walked into my room wearing a bandage on his head.  My mom said he insisted that he didn’t want me to feel alone.  MMT

95.   Today, when I tapped the side of my wheelchair and told my husband, “You’re the only reason I want to be free from this contraption,” he kissed me on my forehead and said, “Honey, I don’t even see that thing.”  MMT

96.   Today, I was jogging in Central Park when this lady started screaming for help.  Her husband was having a heart attack.  I ran over and checked his pulse.  He didn’t have one.  I gave him CPR and got his heart beating before the paramedics arrived.  I’ve done some bad things in my life, but today I saved a life.  MMT

97.   Today, I met a powerful businessman who is worth 100 million dollars.  In conversation he told me he regretted never making it to his son’s hockey games or his daughter’s dance recitals.  It made me smile because my dad is probably only worth as much as this man’s last paycheck, but he made it to everything.  MMT

98.   Today, at the food court in the mall, a beautiful girl about my age came up to me and hugged me with tears in her eyes.  Once she calmed down, I realized that I had pulled her out of a bathtub a month earlier, her wrists covered in slashes. I am an EMT, and her gesture of appreciation MMT.

99.   Today, my fiancé was in a head-on collision car accident.  He is currently in a coma.  And all I can think about is the argument we had this morning.  I screamed at him for screaming at me.  It was a petty argument.  But if he could scream now, I wouldn’t say a word.  I’d just listen to the sound of his voice.  MMT

100.                       Today, I have two twin boys in my kindergarten class.  I have heard from other parents that they come from a very broken home in which their mother is in and out of rehab and their father is always away on business.  But their 16 year old sister never fails to get them to school on time or pack them a healthy bagged lunch with a smiley face on it.  MMT

101.                       Today, I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I’m working on for my Psychology class.  When I asked her to define success in her own words, she said, “Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile.”  MMT

101. Fuente: http://www.marcandangel.com/2010/12/27/101-short-stories-that-will-leave-you-smiling-crying-and-thinking/