Chocolate For A Woman's Blessings 77 Heartwarming Tales Of Gratitude That Celebrate The Good Things In Life

by Allenbaugh, Kay

• ISBN13: 9780743203081
• ISBN10: 0743203089
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-01-05
• Publisher: Touchstone

Summary

Celebrate the Joys That Are Sweet, Rich, and DeliciousChocolate is a blessing. It makes us feel warm and wonderful. But as we learn from the true stories inChocolate for a Woman's Blessings,our greatest blessings often come from our greatest challenges. Gathered together by Kay Allenbaugh, creator of the beloved national bestsellersChocolate for a Woman's SoulandChocolate for a Woman's Heart,these 77 all-new, real-life tales are as varied as they are heartwarming. Here are women who have survived and thrived, lost and loved, cried and laughed, and most of all, discovered the infinite joys of living. This inspiring collection is infused with a grateful spirit that will inspire you to count your blessings, just as you count your chocolates.

Author Biography

Kay Allenbaugh, creator of the nationally bestselling Chocolate series, with over one million copies in print, is a writer and speaker who is known as "The Caretaker of Stories for Women of the World." She lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Contributors to Chocolate for a Woman's Blessings include bestselling authors, inspirational speakers and writers, consultants, teachers, businesswomen, stay-at-home moms, and many others.

Table of Contents

Introduction	15	(19)
I ON HIGHER GROUND
Goodie Bags from the Heart	19	(2)
Paula J. Toynbee
Joanna	21	(4)
Judi Sadowsky
Made for Water	25	(4)
Luci N. Fuller
Kevin and the Saint	29	(4)
Michele Wallace Campanelli
Driving Denny	33	(3)
Betty Auchard
Thinking of Others, Six-Year-Old-Style	36	(3)
Brenda Grant
Taking Stock	39	(6)
Suzy Ryan
II TURNING UP YOUR LIGHT
Circle of Plenty	45	(3)
Debbie Petricek
Doing the Hokey Pokey	48	(3)
Debra Ayers Brown
Caviar and Moonshine	51	(5)
Myra Winner
Pennies from Heaven	56	(3)
Kay Allenbaugh
A Second Chance	59	(4)
Clara Olson
The Gathering	63	(3)
Penne J. Laubenthal
Out of Darkness	66	(3)
Kate Murphy
Giving It Away	69	(6)
Sheila Stephens
III OUR FAVORITE FURRY ONES
My Guiding Light	75	(4)
Aerial Gilbert
Frisky	79	(2)
Debbie Clement
Early Morning Take-Out	81	(3)
Lee Ann Woods
Caught on Film	84	(2)
Christi Kromminga
The Divorce Dog	86	(4)
Linda L. S. Knouse
A Different Kind of Mother	90	(3)
Amy Munnell
Running Free	93	(6)
Mary M. Alward
IV THE ANSWERS ARE WITHIN
A Girl Named Tomm	99	(4)
Talia Carner
Coming Home	103	(3)
Luci N. Fuller
A Place to Be	106	(3)
JaNell Davis Mathews
Mirror Image	109	(4)
Burky Achilles
The Mustard Seed	113	(2)
Patricia Anand
A Gift of Grace	115	(3)
Jennifer Boykin
What Do You Do?	118	(5)
Alaina Smith
V SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL
All That's Gold Does Not Glitter	123	(2)
Candis Fancher
Mom, My Mother, and I	125	(4)
Robin Michelle Silk
Picture Perfect	129	(3)
Carol Newman
Don't Be Gruel	132	(3)
Judith Bader Jones
From Suits to Sweats	135	(3)
Barbara Dalbey
First Love, Lasting Love	138	(3)
Annie Wilson
In God's Timing	141	(6)
Kathryn Lay
VI ONE STEP AT A TIME
The Queen-Size Bed	147	(5)
Myra Winner
Discovering My Special Delivery	152	(3)
Debra Smith
Boot, Backs, and Bills	155	(3)
Judith Bader Jones
The Road Leading to Spandex	158	(5)
Janice Norman
A Cleansing 2000 Style	163	(3)
Melanie Anderson-Caster
A Study in Character	166	(4)
Nikki Jenkins
Gone Fishin'	170	(4)
Jean Schneider
No Ordinary Year	174	(5)
Holly Fedak
VII HOLIDAYS, HOPE, AND HOLLY
Savor the Sweetness	179	(2)
Margaret J. (Mimi) Popp
Courting Faith	181	(3)
Valentina A. Bloomfield
Steeped in Tradition	184	(3)
Nancy Butler
A Christmas to Remember	187	(2)
Ruth Rocker
Giving Thanks	189	(3)
Carole R. Rotstein
A Time for All Seasons	192	(5)
Alberta James Daw
VIII TOUGH ON ISSUES, SOFT ON PEOPLE
The Terrible Whys	197	(3)
Laurie Hopkins Etzel
The Invisible Woman	200	(3)
Sande Boritz Berger
My Daughter, the Ragged Individualist	203	(3)
Elizabeth McGinley
Finding the Music	206	(3)
Dawn Kreiselman
Lessons from the Water Fountain	209	(3)
Linda Resh
One More Mile	212	(3)
Donna Hartley
I Learned It on the Farm	215	(6)
Deborah Mills-Elder
IX KEEPING THE MEMORIES ALIVE
A Father's Lens	221	(3)
Karen C. Driscoll
Making a Difference	224	(5)
Emily Sue Harvey
Winifred's Legacy of Love	229	(3)
Barbara Davey
Love Always, Mom	232	(3)
Kim Dixon Waldman
A Charmed Life	235	(2)
Mari Pat Varga
Oh, So Sweet	237	(4)
Jenny Kreftmeyer Althen
X DANCING WITH ANGELS
When Interpretation Counts	241	(2)
Judy Torres
Gold Lame Fairy Dust	243	(4)
Tannis Benedict
A Holy Encounter	247	(2)
Francine M. Storey
Timely Matter	249	(3)
Tara Glennon Ott
Angels in Tow	252	(3)
Antionette Vigliaturo Ishmael
The Presence of an Angel	255	(3)
Nancy B. Gibbs
Following the Whispers	258	(4)
Karen Walker
Que Sera Sera	262	(5)
Cammie Walker
XI LIFE'S LITTLE JRONIES
Maternal Instincts Gone South	267	(2)
Betsy Humphreys
Chocolate Blues	269	(3)
Claudia McCormick
Just Kidding	272	(2)
Sheila S. Hudson
City Slicker	274	(2)
Robin Ryan
A Real Corker of a Day	276	(3)
Gracie Cauble
Open Up!	279	(2)
Margaret J. (Mimi) Popp
More Chocolate Stories?	281	(2)
Contributors	283

Excerpts

Chapter One: Goodie Bags from the Heart

Nineteen years old and newly married. I remember waving goodbye to my husband one hot summer day while standing on the front porch of our small home in California. As I stood outside, I noticed the saddest sight across the street in the fast-food parking lot. He appeared to be homeless in his grubby, dirty clothes and long gray hair. In the heat of the day, he wore a tattered black jacket that I'm sure must have been one of his most treasured possessions that kept him warm in the cooler months. His fiercely thick gray beard hid part of his face, and frankly he looked quite frightening to me. I quickly turned and stepped into the house, shutting and locking the door behind me.

As I stood at my living room window staring in bewilderment, he rummaged through the garbage cans in the parking lot. Wrappers, cups, napkins -- he went through all of it in hopes of finding food, and when he did find a morsel or two, it looked as though he had found a Thanksgiving dinner. Not feeling afraid any longer, I wondered just how long it had been since this poor man had had a decent meal.

The next day while sending my husband off to work, I spotted the man again. He was sitting on the curb with cups and wrappers in his lap, eagerly eating the unwanted scraps of strangers as if there were no tomorrow. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him, and it was at that very moment that I knew what I had to do, and I hoped that my plan would work.

The next day I found myself packing two lunches instead of just the usual one for my husband, and thinking to myself,Oh, I hope he shows up.When I finished my task, I hurried across the hot pavement and slipped one of the brown paper bags into the garbage can. I laughed to myself and thought,Boy, I must look like I'm up to something strange.I sent my husband to work and quickly went to the living room window to watch and wait for my homeless friend.

In a matter of minutes he arrived and immediately found the sack with the lunch inside. I stood there with a huge smile on my face, my heart pounding as he opened the bag and peered inside. He sat down on the curb of the busy intersection happily eating his lunch, oblivious to the passing cars just feet in front of him. He munched contentedly on a bologna sandwich, chips, a soda, and whatever other goodies I had happened to find in my cupboard that morning.

We didn't have much money or food back then, just starting out as a young couple. But for the next two weeks I scrounged through my kitchen cupboards and always managed to find something to slip into a goodie bag for the old man. And, of course, I placed it in the very same garbage can every day. I watched him savor every bite day after day, and it did my heart a world of good.

I used to wonder if he thought it was odd having lunches appear, but he never once looked around in curiosity. Then one day I slipped a lunch into the garbage can and he failed to show up, and I worried about him. I said a prayer for him in hopes that he had just decided it was time to move on.

Years later, when I was thirty-four years old, my children, ages eight, ten, ten, and twelve, were teasing me one day, saying, "Mom,

name one good deed you've ever done." My face lit up, and I knew at that moment what I would say.

PAULA J. TOYNBEE

Copyright © 2001 by Kay Allenbaugh

---

Excerpted from Chocolate for a Woman's Blessings: 77 Heartwarming Tales of Gratitude That Celebrate the Good Things in Life by Kay Allenbaugh
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.