Now on this particular day, I wondered why the bus people couldn’t be as well groomed as I was. I wondered if they were Christians like me. I wondered if there was a reason we were always there together.
My thoughts were interrupted by the terrifying screech of skidding tires; the sound appeared to come from out of nowhere. My eyes frantically searched back and forth attempting to determine the source. Suddenly, there was a loud, horrific crash. The impact felt like a bomb, it shook everyone. Right in front of our eyes two cars collided, and one began to spin in a circle, totally out of control. The screeching became louder and louder. Everyone began to scream as the car came out of the spin and headed directly toward the bus bench and all of us.
Within a flash and without a thought for their welfare, the teenage boys, who just moments before I had called ignorant, grabbed the old man and the couple sitting on the bench and pulled them to safety. The Music Man, instead of running to get out of the way of the speeding car himself, risked his life by running over and pulling the girl reading the book out of the path of the oncoming car.
As the car jumped the curb, barely missing the teenage boys, it plowed through the cement bus bench and debris flew into the air. All I could see was a cloud of smoke heading right toward me. I closed my eyes and said, “Lord, please save me.” I felt someone tugging on my right arm; I felt my feet fly off the ground. The back of my head was smashed into the wall, and I lost consciousness for a few moments.
When I finally opened my eyes, all I could see was the hood of a car right in my face, and I could feel the bumper pressing against me. The car was so close that I could see the face of the unconscious driver behind the steering wheel.
One of the teenage boys was holding my arm. He was pinned against the wall by the bumper of the car. He had risked his life to pull me from the fatal path of the car.
Immediately, I looked to my left and I saw a hole in the wall. Then I remembered the old lady who was standing next to me. I looked for her and saw that she had been hit by the car and smashed through the wall. I reached over to touch her. She looked at me and reached for my hand.
She asked, “Are you okay, honey?” as sweetly as if she were my grandmother instead of a familiar stranger at the bus stop. I said, “Yes,” somewhat disbelievingly as I was certainly in shock and had not yet performed an overall assessment of my well-being.
She smiled and said, “Thank God.” This was the first time we had ever spoken, in all our days at the bus stop.
Then, in a soft voice just above a whisper, she said to me, “I have watched you for months, and it made me so proud to see you looking so sharp and going to your important job. I’m so happy that you are safe.”
I told her that help was on the way, but it was too late. She tenderly squeezed my hand, drew her last breath, and I felt her hand slowly slip away from mine. She closed her eyes as her head lowered. She looked so peaceful; I knew she was gone.
A pain shot through my heart. I couldn’t breathe. We couldn’t have been more than a foot away from each other. Iwas sparedwhile she was taken. I kept askingmyselfwhy I hadn’t spoken to her while I had the chance. She was proud of me even though I never even bothered to say hello or wish her a good morning. What kind of person am I? What kind of Christian am I? I didn’t even know her name.
All the bus people, who just moments before I had called unintelligent and losers in my mind, had all clearly displayed genuine character and heroics. Without giving any thought to their own safety, they all responded, put their lives on the line and helped each other to safety. They literally saved the day.
Since then, I have learned to respect and love people, no matter what their station is in life—or what I may think their station is.
I continue to walk the four long blocks to the bus daily.
Only the walk doesn’t seem as long because I know when I get there my friends at the bus stop will be waiting for me.
DeAnna Blaylock
Who Is Jack Canfield?
Jack Canfield is the co-creator and editor of the Chicken Soup for the Soul ® series, which Time magazine has called “the publishing phenomenon of the decade.” The series now has 105 titles with more than 100 million copies in print in forty-one languages. Jack is also the coauthor of eight other bestselling books including The Success Principles : How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, Dare to Win, The Aladdin Factor, You’ve Got to Read This Book and The Power of Focus: How to Hit Your Business, Personal and Financial Targets with Absolute Certainty.
Jack has recently developed a telephone coaching program and an on-line coaching program based on his most recent book, The Success Principles. He also offers a seven-day Breakthrough to Success seminar every summer, which attracts 400 people from fifteen countries around the world.
Jack is the CEO of Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises and the Canfield Training Group in Santa Barbara, California, and founder of the Foundation for Self-Esteem in Culver City, California. He has conducted intensive personal and professional development seminars on the principles of success for more than 900,000 people in twenty-one countries around the world. He has spoken to hundreds of thousands of others at numerous conferences and conventions and has been seen by millions of viewers on national television shows such as The Today Show, Fox and Friends, Inside Edition, Hard Copy, CNN’s Talk Back Live, 20/20, Eye to Eye, the NBC Nightly News and the CBS Evening News.
Jack is the recipient of many awards and honors, including three honorary doctorates and a Guinness World Records Certificate for having seven Chicken Soup for the Soul books appearing on the New York Times bestseller list on May 24, 1998.
To write to Jack or for inquiries about Jack as a speaker, his coaching programs or his seminars, use the following contact information:
Jack Canfield
The Canfield Companies
P.O. Box 30880
Santa Barbara, CA 93130
phone: 805-563-2935 • fax: 805-563-2945
E-mail:
[email protected] Web site: www.jackcanfield.com
Who Is Mark Victor Hansen?
In the area of human potential, no one is more respected than Mark Victor Hansen. For more than thirty-years,Mark has focused solely on helping people from all walks of life reshape their personal vision of what’s possible. His powerful messages of possibility, opportunity and action have created powerful change in thousands of organizations and millions of individuals worldwide.
He is a sought-after keynote speaker, bestselling author and marketing maven.Mark’s credentials include a lifetime of entrepreneurial success and an extensive academic background.He is a prolific writer with many bestselling books, such as The One Minute Millionaire, The Power of Focus, The Aladdin Factor and Dare to Win, in addition to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.Mark hasmade a profound influence through his library of audios, videos and articles in the areas of big thinking, sales achievement, wealth building, publishing success, and personal and professional development.
Mark is the founder of the MEGA Seminar Series. MEGA Book Marketing University and Building Your MEGA Speaking Empire are annual conferences where Mark coaches and teaches new and aspiring authors, speakers and experts on building lucrative publishing and speaking careers. Other MEGA events include MEGA Marketing Magic and My MEGA Life.
He has appeared on television (Oprah, CNN and The Today Show ), in print (Time, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, New York Times and Entrepreneur ) and on countless radio interviews, assuring our planet’s people that “You can easily create the life you deserve.”
As a philanthropist and humanitarian, Mark works tirelessly for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, March of Dimes, Childhelp USA and many others. He is the recipient of numerous awards that honor his entrepreneurial spirit, philanthropic heart and business acumen. He is a lifetime member of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, an organization that honored Mark with the prestigious Horatio
Alger Award for his extraordinary life achievements.
Mark Victor Hansen is an enthusiastic crusader of what’s possible and is driven to make the world a better place.
Mark Victor Hansen & Associates, Inc.
P.O. Box 7665
Newport Beach, CA 92658
phone: 949-764-2640 • fax: 949-722-6912
Web site: www.markvictorhansen.com
Who Is Lisa Nichols?
Lisa Nichols is a dynamic motivational speaker and the founder and CEO of Motivating the Teen Spirit, LLC, a company committed to teaching teens emotional healthiness so they may fall back in love with themselves and begin to make integrity-based decisions. Her world-class curriculum has impacted the lives of more than 60,000 teens internationally, prevented more than 1,100 teen suicides, reunited thousands of teens with their parents, and influenced more than 950 teen dropouts to return to school. Her clients include the educational system, the juvenile justice system, faith-based organizations and youth serving agencies. Her transformational outcomes with teens ranks her company #1 by many experts.
Lisa Nichols is both a personal and professional coach and has appeared on NBC’s daytime show Starting Over as a guest expert on life coaching. Her track record of getting entrepreneurs, writers and professionals clear on their vision, their roadblocks and their possibilities is exemplary. There is always a waiting list of people to receive her “breakthrough” coaching services.
Her no-holds-barred messages delivered to standing room only audiences are felt with powerful energy through her personal testimonies of turning her breakdowns into breakthroughs. She is known not to leave a dry eye in the house.
Lisa has been recognized for her work and dedication by receiving the 2006 Rising Star award, 2006 Best Story Telling Award, 2003 Trail Blazers Entrepreneurs award, Lego Land Heart of Learning award, Emotional Literacy award and having November 20th proclaimed by the Mayor of Henderson, Nevada as Motivating the Teen Spirit Day.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she loves to dance, swim, skate, play laser tag and read. She and her son Jelani currently live in Southern California.
Lisa is available for keynote speaking, professional development workshops, teen empowerment workshops and professional or personal coaching.
www.Lisa-Nichols.com , www.AfricanAmericanSoul.com
[email protected] 858-376-3700
Who Is Eve Eschner Hogan?
Eve Eschner Hogan, senior editor of Chicken Soup for the African American Woman’s Soul and Chicken Soup for the African American Soul , is an inspirational speaker, relationship specialist and writing coach.
She is the author of How to Love Your Marriage: Making Your Closest Relationship Work, Way of the Winding Path: A Map for the Labyrinth of Life, Intellectual Foreplay: Questions for Lovers and Lovers-to-Be, Virtual Foreplay:
Making Your Online Relationship a Real-Life Success , and co-author of Rings of Truth . She is also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the Ocean Lover’s Soul .
Founder of Wings to Wisdom: Tools for Self-Mastery, Eve facilitates personal and spiritual growth workshops nationally. She writes a regular Q and A relationship advice column for newspapers and web sites guiding readers to create healthier relationships. She possesses a rare and deep understanding of human behavior and is a true example of the principles she shares. Her charismatic style captivates listeners, igniting people’s enthusiasm and joy for life.
Eve has been featured as a relationship expert on Lifetime TV, Iyanla, The Other Half , and in Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health and Bride magazines. Her special interest is in helping people discover their own inner resources, thus expanding their strengths and life skills.
She leaves her audiences empowered with the skills to effect positive change in their lives.
Together, Eve and her husband, Steve, own Makena Coast Dive Charters (www.MauiUnderwater.com ) and The Sacred Gardens where she offers personal growth and writing retreats, facilitates labyrinth walks and performs weddings on Maui.
For information about Eve Eschner Hogan, her workshops, retreats, coaching and books, contact her at:
Wings to Wisdom: Tools for Self-Mastery
P.O. Box 943, Puunene, Maui, HI 96784
phone: (808) 573-6521 • fax: (808) 879-8201
E-mail:
[email protected] www.HeartPath.com or www.EveHogan.com
Contributors
H. Renay Anderson has an M.A. in organizational management and a B.S. in management/ marketing. Her first book was Why Women Wear Shoes They Know Will Eventually Hurt Their Feet. In 2005 she won a national ad contest for ADCandy. She reviews books for Bella Online, EuroReviews and BBW Reviews. Her Web site is: http://clix.to/renay .
Marvin V. Arnett is the author of Pieces from Life’s Crazy Quilt, a childhood memoir of growing up black in Detroit, Michigan, during the 1930s and ’40s. Winner of the American Library Association Best of the Best for 2004, and AAA-HA Best Nonfiction Award for 2003, Marvin is in demand as a motivational speaker when not involved with the lives of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. You may contact her at
[email protected].
Lindale Banks received her B.A. in English writing from Missouri Western State College. She was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri and attends Emmanuel Church. Lindale is single with no children, but adores her three beautiful godchildren. She enjoys long walks, laughing with friends, but most of all praying and writing. She contributes her drive to people who said it couldn’t be done and her best friend, Dr. Zelema Horris.
Lisa Bartley-Lacey graduated cumlaude with B.A. in English/theatre and amaster’s of holistic counseling from Salve Regina University in 2003. She’s CEO of SOULutions for Dynamic Living, has a holistic consulting practice, is coauthor of 100 Words of Wisdom for Women, and Co-Producer/Artist of: The Pakoli Project.
Connie Bennett is an ACSM certified fitness professional and a twenty-seven-year industry veteran. Her specialty is happiness education through movement. Her hobbies are laughing long and hard, baking chocolate chip cookies and anything iPod. Connie has a joyous African Dance DVD available. Contact her at:
[email protected].
Rita Billbe is a retired high school principal whose passions are singing in the church choir and writing stories to inspire others. She and her husband own a resort called Angels Retreat on the White River in Arkansas, where she is learning to fly-fish. Their Web site is www.whiteriver.net/angels-retreat .
Andrea Blackstone attended Morgan State University and earned an M.A. from St.
John’s College. She is the author of Schemin’: Confessions of a Gold Digger and Short Changed. Andrea is working on a nonfiction project outside of the urban genre, as well as a new novel. Please e-mail her at:
[email protected].
DeAnna Blaylock is a retired bank manager with thirty years of people-oriented experience. The years have provided knowledge and understanding of people in crisis. Her passion for writing is apparent in her stories and poems of people facing challenges and how character is formed by life-defining moments.
Karla Brown writes African American children’s, paranormal, romantic and young adult novels. Her short story “The Trophy” will be published in an upcoming anthology titled Color Him Father to be released in June 2006. She lives with her two daughters in a suburb of Philadelphia.
Sanyika Calloway Boyce is an author, speaker and columnist for Young Money magazine. Sanyika’s mission is to help as many students as possible understand the importance of managing their money, protecting their credit and handling debt properly. Sanyika now travels to high schools, colleges and universities nationwide with a uniquely “edu-taining” and timely message of financial literacy and credit responsibility. Please contact her at
[email protected] or visit www.sanyika.com .
Brenda Caperton first became interested in putting her life experiences on paper in high school. A requirement for senior English class was completion of a creative writing course. Her love of literature and s
elf-expression through the creative writing process has continued throughout her life.
Tracy Clausell-Alexander is a financial analyst who possesses a love for writing. Her stories have been published in Chicken Soup for the African American Soul, Conscious Women—Conscious Lives, Woman’s World magazine, and Adoptive Families magazine.
She is currently working on her first novel. Tracy is the mother of six children, one of whom lives only in her heart. Please contact her at
[email protected].
Linda Coleman-Willis is a professional speaker, author of several books and a performance improvement coach. She is the 2002–2003 president of the National Speakers Association–Los Angeles Chapter. Linda enjoys spending “fun” time with her family and friends. The story Just Like Mom is a tribute to her mom, Helen Brown. Please e-mail Linda at
[email protected].
Jerry Craft is a contributor to Chicken Soup for the African American Soul, winner of the African American Literary Awards Show Open Book Award, a National Cartoonists Society Award Nominee (2000) and graduate of the School of Visual Arts. Mamas Boyz: As American As Sweet Potato Pie! was named a Great Book For African American Children. See www.mamasboyz.com .
Antonio Crawford is a Christian, a husband, a father, a teacher and an entrepreneur who is proudly serving his country in the United States Navy. He is a gifted and dedicated writer, contributing from the farthest reaches of Southern California, San Diego.
Michelle Cummins wrote articles for Garage Band Magazine in Orange County, California. She’s written, directed, produced and edited music videos. Her production company in Hemet, California, Chez Michelle Production, produced a short film.
Jeanine DeHoney is a freelance writer and a family services coordinator in a Brooklyn daycare center. She has had her essays, articles and stories published in severalmagazines, such as Black Secrets, Black Romance, Essence, Upscale, Sisters In Style, Emerge, Radiance, Today’s Black Woman, TimbookTu and Bahiyah Woman Magazine. Currently she iswriting a novel about a family who lives in a Brooklyn brownstone. She owes her love of writing to her mother, Evelyn Rushing, who always had a notebook and a pen beside her when Jeanine was growing up.