Table of Contents
We would like to acknowledge the many publishers and individuals who granted us permission to reprint the cited material. (Note: The stories that are in the public domain or that were written by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen or Stephanie Marston are not included in this listing.)
Dare To... and Its Never Too Late To... Reprinted by permission of Meiji Stewart. 2001 Meiji Stewart.
Wild Waters Run Deep. Reprinted by permission of Benita Tobin. 2003 Benita Tobin.
Babes on Blades. Reprinted by permission of Suzan Davis. 2002 Suzan Davis.
Paper Suits Me. Reprinted by permission of Mary Clare Lockman. 1998 Mary Clare Lockman.
Change Is Synonymous with Hope. From Fifty on Fifty by Bonnie Miller Rubin. 1998 by Bonnie Miller Rubin. Reprinted by permission of Warner Books, Inc.
This book is dedicated to the millions of midlife
women who dare to take time to nurture
their souls and open their hearts fully to life.
Acknowledgments
The path to Chicken Soup to Inspire a Womans Soul has been made all the more beautiful by the many companions who have been there with us along the way. Our heartfelt gratitude to:
Our families, who have been chicken soup for our souls.
Inga, Christopher, Oran and Kyle Canfield, and Travis and Riley Mahoney for all their love and support.
Patty, Elisabeth and Melanie Hansen, for once again sharing and lovingly supporting us in creating yet another book.
Ama Marston, for being a joy and an inspiration.
Our publisher, Peter Vegso, for his vision and commitment to bringing Chicken Soup for the Soul to the world.
Patty Aubery and Russ Kalmaski, for being there every step of the journey, with love, laughter and endless creativity.
Tasha Boucher, for producing our final manuscript with magnificent ease, finesse and care. Thanks for making the final stages of production such a breeze!
Leslie Riskin, for her care and loving determination to secure our permissions and get everything just right.
Nancy Autio, Barbara Lomonaco and Gretchen Stadnik, for nourishing us with truly wonderful stories and cartoons.
Dette Corona, for being there to answer any questions along the way.
Lisa Drucker, for taking the time to carefully line edit the final manuscript.
Patty Hansen, for her thorough and competent handling of the legal and licensing aspects of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. You are magnificent at the challenge!
Laurie Hartman, for being a precious guardian of the Chicken Soup brand.
Veronica Romero, Teresa Esparza, Robin Yerian, Stephanie Thatcher, Jody Emme, Trudy Marschall, Michelle Adams, Dee Dee Romanello, Shanna Vieyra, Lisa Williams, Gina Romanello, Brittany Shaw, Dena Jacobson, Tanya Jones, Mary McKay and David Coleman, who support Jacks and Marks businesses with skill and love.
Bret Witter, Allison Janse, Elisabeth Rinaldi and Kathy Grant, the editorial department at Health Communications, Inc., for their devotion to excellence.
Terry Burke, Tom Sand, Lori Golden, Kelly Johnson Maragni, Randee Feldman, Patricia McConnell, Kim Weiss, Paola Fernandez-Rana, the marketing, sales and PR departments at Health Communications, Inc., for doing such an incredible job supporting our books.
Tom Sand, Claude Choquette and Luc Jutras, who manage year after year to get our books translated into thirty-six languages around the world.
The art department at Health Communications, Inc., for their talent, creativity and unrelenting patience in producing book covers and inside designs that capture the essence of Chicken Soup: Larissa Hise Henoch, Lawna Patterson Oldfield, Andrea Perrine Brower, Anthony Clausi and Dawn Von Strolley Grove.
The Chicken Soup for the Soul coauthors, all of whom make it such a joy to be part of this Chicken Soup family.
Our glorious panel of readers who helped us make the final selections and made invaluable suggestions on how to improve the book: Valarie Bechtol, Krisit Boylan, Karen Briggs, Pam Burnham, Sharon Castiglione, June Cerza Kolf, Heather Cook, Don Cummings, Maureen Cummings, Chris Dahl, Celeste Fremon, Renee King, Terry LePine, Ruth Lethrop, Irene Michon, Linda Mitchell, Karen Rivera, Anne Scholder, Shari Shields, Marian Small, Betty Stockton, Nancy Toney, Denene Van Hecker, Cathy Warren, Jeanie Winstrom, Judy Westrich and Suzanne Zoglio.
And, most of all, everyone who submitted their heartfelt stories, poems, quotes and cartoons for possible inclusion in this book. While we were not able to use everything you sent in, we know that each word came from a magical place flourishing within your soul. May the spirit of nature carry you gently toward peace!
Because of the size of this project, we might have left out the names of some people who contributed along the way. If so, we are sorry, but please know that we really do appreciate you.
We are truly grateful and love you all!
Introduction
This book is a gift to you, the midlife women of the world. In writing this book, we wanted to provide support, inspiration and encouragement to any of you who are using this milestone as a time to reclaim your lives and your dreams. As we read through the thousands of stories that we considered for Chicken Soup to Inspire a Womans Soul, we found a depth, a strength, a resilience, a generosity and a resourcefulness that were truly inspiring.
One of our reasons for writing this book is that women in our culture often struggle to focus on themselves, their needs and their dreams. Lets face it, much of womens value comes from the ability to know what other peoples needs are and to fulfill them. Yet, deep within, each woman longs to reinstate herself at the center of her own life.
Dont panic: Were not suggesting that you abandon your family, career or loved ones. Were simply suggesting that you bring yourself back into the equation, that you make your needs part of the overall picture.
Let us let you in on a little secret: If you use this time to reevaluate your lifeto question anything youve been doing on autopilot for a long time, be it in your career, family or relationshipsthen you can begin to unearth the secret wishes that will take you back to a more authentic sense of yourself.
Nows the time to take your neglected dreams off of the back burner. Whatever youve been longing to do, whatever youve been yearning to reclaim, nows the time.
This book was created to inspire you to cast off old constraints and become who you truly are at the core of your being. We hope that you will see yourself in the stories of these womenwomen who at times have struggled yet have successfully reclaimed their lives. As you immerse yourself in these stories, we hope that you will explore your own quest for greater satisfaction and fulfillment.
The question remains: How can you make this time of your life rich in self-discovery, growth and transformation? To start, you can honor where you have been and what youve done; you can acknowledge the challenges you have endured, the strengths you have accumulated, and the knowledge you have extracted from your experiences. In other words, you can celebrate all that you are and all that you are becoming.
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