have spoken so calmly, so sweetly at this moment as the assuring voice I heard. Finally, I saw her.
In the midst of all the chaos, a mother was talking, just talking, to her child. The woman, in her mid-30s and unremarkable looking in any other way, was staring full into the face of her daughter, who looked to be four years old. The child listened closely, sensing the importance of her mother's words. The mother's gaze held the child so fixed and intent that she seemed untouched by the sounds of grief and fear around her.
A picture flashed into my mind of another little girl who had recently survived a terrible plane crash. Speculation had it that she had lived because her mother had strapped her own body over the little girl's in order to protect her. The mother did not survive. The newspapers had been tracking how the little girl had been treated by psychologists for weeks afterward to ward off feelings of guilt and unworthiness that often haunt survivors. The child was told over and over again that it had not been her fault that her mommy had gone away. I hoped this situation would not end the same way.
I strained to hear what this mother was saying to her child. I was compelled to hear. I needed to hear.
Finally, I leaned over and by some miracle could hear this soft, sure voice with the tone of assurance. Over and over again, the mother said, 'I love you so much. Do you know for sure that I love you more than anything?"
"Yes, Mommy," the little girl said.
"And remember, no matter what happens, that I love you always. And that you are a good girl. Sometimes things happen that are not your fault. You are still a good girl and my love will always be with you."
Then the mother put her body over her daughter's, strapped the seat belt over both of them and prepared to crash.
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For no earthly reason, our landing gear held and our touchdown was not the tragedy it seemed destined to be. It was over in seconds.
The voice I heard that day never wavered, never acknowledged doubt, and maintained an evenness that seemed emotionally and physically impossible. Not one of us hardened business people could have spoken without a tremoring voice. Only the greatest courage, undergirded by even greater love, could have borne that mother up and lifted her above the chaos around her.
That mom showed me what a real hero looks like. And for those few minutes, I heard the voice of courage.
Casey Hawley
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Golden Rules for Living
If you open it, close it.
If you turn it on, turn it off.
If you unlock it, lock it up.
If you break it, admit it.
If you can't fix it, call in someone who can.
If you borrow it, return it.
If you value it, take care of it.
If you make a mess, clean it up.
If you move it, put it back.
If it belongs to someone else and you want to use it, get
permission.
If you don't know how to operate it, leave it alone.
If it's none of your business, don't ask questions.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
If it will brighten someone's day, say it.
If it will tarnish someone's reputation, keep it to yourself.
Author Unknown
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Angel with a Red Hat
I was so scared but I would not admit it, as ! sat in the coffee shop across from the Mayo Clinic. Tomorrow I would be a patient there, undergoing spinal surgery. The risk was high, but my faith was strong. Just weeks before, I sat through my father's funeral. My guiding light had been sent back to heaven''O heavenly Father, in my time of trial, send me an angel."
As I looked up, preparing to leave, I saw an elderly lady walking very slowly to the register. I stood behind her, admiring her flair for fashiona bright paisley dress of red and purple, a scarf, a brooch and a brilliant scarlet hat. "Excuse me, madam. I just must say what a beautiful woman you are. You've made my day."
She clasped my hand and spoke these words: "My sweet child, bless you, for you see, I have an artificial arm and a plate in the other, and my leg is not my own. It takes me quite some time to get dressed. I try to do my best, but as years go by, people don't seem to think it matters. You've made me feel so special today. May the Lord watch over and bless you, for you must be one of his little angels." When she walked away from me that day, I uttered not a word, for she had touched my soul in such a way that she could only have been the angel.
Tami Fox
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It's Never Too Late
Several years ago, while attending a communications course, I experienced a most unusual process. The instructor asked us to list anything in our past that we felt ashamed of, guilty about, incomplete about or that we regretted. The next week he invited participants to read their lists aloud. This seemed like a very private process, but there's always some brave soul in the crowd who will volunteer. As people read their lists, mine grew longer. After three weeks, I had 101 items. The instructor then suggested that we find ways to make amends, apologize to people or take some action to right any wrongdoing. I seriously wondered how this could ever improve my communications, and had visions of alienating just about everyone in my life.
The next week, the man next to me raised his hand and volunteered this story:
While making my list, I remembered an incident from high school. I grew up in a small town in Iowa. There was a sheriff in town that none of us kids liked. One night, my two buddies and I decided to play a trick on Sheriff Brown. After drinking a few beers, we found a can of red paint, climbed the tall water tank in the middle of town, and wrote on the tank, in bright red
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letters: Sheriff Brown is an s.o.b. The next day, the town arose to see our glorious sign. Within two hours, Sheriff Brown had the three of us in his office. My friends confessed and I lied, denying the truth. No one ever found out.
Nearly 20 years later, Sheriff Brown's name appears on my list. I didn't even know if he was still alive. Last weekend, I dialed Information in my hometown back in Iowa. Sure enough, there was a Roger Brown still listed. I dialed his number. After a few rings, I heard: "Hello?" I said: "Sheriff Brown?" Pause. "Yup.' ''Well, this is Jimmy Calkins. And I want you to know that I did it." Pause. "I knew it!' he yelled back. We had a good laugh and a lively discussion. His closing words were: "Jimmy, I always felt badly for you because your buddies got it off their chests, and I knew you were carrying it around all these years. I want to thank you for calling me . . . for your sake.'
Jimmy inspired me to clear up all 101 items on my list. It took me almost two years, but it became the springboard and true inspiration for my career as a conflict mediator. No matter how difficult the conflict, crisis or situation, I always remember that it's never too late to clear up the past and begin resolution.
Marilyn Manning
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The Station
Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loiteringwaiting, waiting, waiting for the station.
"When we reach the station, that will be it!" we cry. "When I'm 18." "When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz!' "When I put the last kid through college." "When I have paid off the mortgage!" ''When I get a promotion." "When I reach the age of retirement, I sha
ll live happily ever after!"
Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
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"Relish the moment" is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24: "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.
Robert J. Hastings
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MORE CHICKEN SOUP?
Many of the stories and poems you have read in this book were submitted by readers like you who had read earlier Chicken Soup for the Soul books. We are planning to publish five or six Chicken Soup for the Soul books every year. We invite you to contribute a story to one of these future volumes.
Stories may be up to 1,200 words and must uplift or inspire. You may submit an original piece or something you clip out of the local newspaper, a magazine, a church bulletin or a company newsletter. It could also be your favorite quotation you've put on your refrigerator door or a personal experience that has touched you deeply.
In addition to future Servings of Chicken Soup for the Soul, some of the future books we have planned are A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul, Christian Soul and Teenage Soul as well as Chicken Soup for the . . . Teacher's Soul, Jewish Soul, Pet Lover's Soul, Kid's Soul, Country Soul, Laughing Soul, Grieving Soul, Unsinkable Soul, Divorced Soul and Loving Couple's Soul.
Just send a copy of your stories and other pieces, indicating which edition they are for, to the following address:
Chicken Soup for the (Specify Which Edition) Soul
P.O. Box 30880 · Santa Barbara, CA 93130
phone: 805-563-2935 · fax: 805-563-2945
To e-mail or visit our Web site:
http://www.chickensoup.com
We will be sure that both you and the author are credited for your submission.
For information about speaking engagements, other books, audiotapes, workshops and training programs, please contact any of the authors directly.
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SOUP KITCHENS FOR THE SOUL
One of the most exciting developments with the Chicken Soup for the Soul book was the impact it had on readers who were welfare recipients, homeless or incarcerated in state prisons. Here is just one excerpt from a letter we received from a prisoner in the Billerica House of Corrections in Massachusetts:
I received a copy of Chicken Soup when I attended a 1O-week course on alternatives to violence. Since reading this book, my whole perspective as an inmate dealing with other inmates has dramatically changed. I no longer feel violent or have hatred toward anyone. My soul has been blessed with these wonderful stories. I simply can't thank you enough.
Sincerely,
Phil S.
A teenage girl writes:
I have just finished reading your book, Chicken Soup for the Soul. I feel that I have the power to do anything, after reading it.
You see, I had given up on a lot of my dreams, to travel around the world, to go to college, to marry and to have children, but after reading this book, I feel ! have the power to do everything and anything. Thanks!!
Erica Lynn P. (age 14)
As a result, we have established the Soup Kitchens for the Soul Project. We have already donated over 15,000 copies of Chicken Soup for the Soul and A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul to men and women in prisons, halfway houses, homeless shelters, battered-women's
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shelters, literacy programs, inner-city schools, AIDS hospices, hospitals, churches and other organizations that serve adults and teenagers in need.
We welcome and invite your participation in this project in the following ways. For every $15.95 you contribute, we will send a copy of two Chicken Soup books to a prison, county jail, shelter, hospice or other nonprofit agency. We also invite you to submit the names of worthy programs that you think should receive copies of the books.
The program will be administered by The Foundation for Self-Esteem in Culver City, California. Please make your check payable to The Foundation for Self-Esteem and send it to:
Soup Kitchens for the Soul
The Foundation for Self-Esteem
6035 Bristol Parkway
Culver City, CA 90230
or
call 310-568-1505 and make your contribution
by credit card
We will acknowledge receipt of your contribution and let you know where the books you paid for were sent.
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GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE
We sincerely hope that, through the stories in this book, our readers are reenergized by a heightened understanding of how they can make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
One of the most direct and important ways to translate your caring and concern into immediate action is to donate blood through the American Red Cross. Every two seconds, someone in this nation needs the lifesaving gift of blood. However, with blood collection continuing to decline over the last several years, the American Red Cross faces a daily challenge to meet America's blood needs. Please call now to schedule a blood donation at the site nearest you by calling 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.
We have selected the American Red Cross as our charity of choice in the production of this book. We will contribute a significant share of the proceeds from A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul to the American Red Cross. We're also donating copies to help motivate Red Cross staff in the important work that they do to maintain this country's blood supply. In addition, plans for a future book featuring Red Cross heroes are in the works.
The American Red Cross has served this nation for over 100 years through a wide range of community services, including disaster relief, health and safety education, and service to the Armed Forces. We hope you will also explore opportunities to support these other important services by donating your time and/or support. Contact your local American Red Cross chapter today.
We encourage you to help, too. Please remember, by calling the American Red Cross now at 1-800-GIVE-LIFE and scheduling a blood donation, you could be saving the life of a fellow American, a neighbor or someone you love.
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WHO IS JACK CANFIELD?
Jack Canfield is one of America's leading experts in the development of human potential and personal effectiveness. He is both a dynamic, entertaining speaker and a highly sought-after trainer. Jack has a wonderful ability to inform and inspire audiences toward increased levels of self-esteem and peak performance.
He is the author and narrator of several bestselling audio- and videocassette programs, including Self-Esteem and Peak Performance, How to Build High Self-Esteem, Self-Esteem in the Classroom and Chicken Soup for the SoulLive. He is regularly seen on television shows such as Good Morning America, 20/20 and NBC Nightly News. Jack has coauthored numerous books, including the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Dare to Win and The Aladdin Factor (all with Mark Victor Hansen), 100 Ways to Build Self-Concept in the Classroom (with Harold C. Wells) and Heart at Work (with Jacqueline Miller).
Jack is a regularly featured speaker for professional associations, school districts, government agencies, churches, hospitals, sales organizations and corporations. His clients have included the American Dental Association, the American Management Association, AT&T, Campbell Soup, Clairol Domino's Pizza, GE, ITT, Hartford Insurance, Johnson & Johnson, the Million Dollar Roundtable, NCR, New England Telephone, Re/Max, Scott Paper, TRW and Virgin Records. Jack is also on the faculty of Income Builders International, a school for entrepreneurs.