Summary

Take A Chocolate Break!Chocolate -- sweet, delectable, and rich -- is a feast for our senses and a treat for our souls. Now, indulge yourself in 77 brand-new "chocolate stories," from the creator of the national bestsellersChocolate for a Woman's SoulandChocolate for a Woman's Heart.Kay Allenbaugh has gathered together a luscious mix of real-life stories by and for women that will inspire, delight, and empower you. Savor the everyday experiences and momentous adventures of women who tap into their intuition, listen to life's wake-up calls, overcome old fears, and discover the courage to start over. Like you, they juggle the roles of worker, wife, sister, mother, and friend. And like you, they face life's challenges and rejoice in its blessings as only women can -- with a sense of wonder, a sense of humor, and a sense of spirit!

Author Biography

Kay Allenbaugh, creator of the Chocolate series, 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 Spirit include bestselling authors, motivational speakers, newspaper columnists, radio hosts, spiritual leaders, psychotherapists, businesswomen, and many others.

Contents

Introduction

THE FORCE IS WITH YOU
Love at First Sight Kim Champion
In Safekeeping Ellen Urbani Hiltebrand
A (Heavenly) Conversation Jessica Quilty
Grandfather's Angel Dust Helen Taupe
Are You There, God? Melanie Allen
Say a Prayer Terri McLean
My Leap of Faith Ann McCoy
The Great Perrier Wash Jill Lynne

MATTERS OF THE HEART
Milestones Margaret J. (Mimi) Popp
Getting to No Susie Troccolo
Marriage Is a Contract, Not a Guarantee Phyllis Miletich
Romance and Reality Lillian Quaschnick
What's a Body to Do? Carol Newman
Skimming the Sea of Cortez Georgia C. Harker
Signs of Love Alaina Smith
Seeking the Fountain of Youth Kay Allenbaugh

SPIRITKEEPERS
Just Remember...You're Only Ten! Tannis Benedict
I Am Woman Marci Madsen Fuller
Steppin' Out on Faith Jennifer Brown Banks
Real Beauty Comes from Within Lauren Maser
His Plan for Me Carolina Fernandez
Roots and Wings Margaret C. Price
Cheryl's Legacy Lolly Champion
Journey of a Brave Heart Elizabeth Krenik

THE POWER WITHIN
Home at Last Sheila Stephens
Zoë Carol Anne Ruel
Laughter Heals Marianna Nunes
A Full-Circle Gift Clara Olson
Soul Fishing Debb Janes
Love Is for Always Judith McClure
School of Hard Knocks Courtney S.

THINKING YOUNG AGAIN
Nicky's Heaven Diane Gonzales Bertrand
Finding Your Way Jennifer Esperante Gunter
Magical Moments Jayne Garrett
The Dance Christi Kromminga
The Paper-Clip Necklace Jennifer Howard
A Dad Named Johnny Joan Roelke

POSITIVELY INTUITIVE
Body Wise C. Yvonne Brown
Never Take "No" for an Answer Karen Sheridan
Intuitive House Hunting Doreen Virtue
Gold Medal Jeanne Evans Lodwick
Sparky Sheila O'Connor
Discovering the Big Picture Ann Albers
The Ice Storm Martha Nicholson

WAKE-UP CALLS
And the Winner Is... Claudia McCormick
The G-Word Martha Powers
David's Surprise Emily Sue Harvey
Real Class Sarah Heekin Redfield
It's Up to Me Karen A. Wilson
Junking -- a Lesson in Economics Becky Lee Weyrich
Beyond First Impressions Judi Chapman

BOUNCING BACK
Act as If Sue Dyer
Perfect Timing Mindy Sue Cohen
My Special Bridge Judith Morton Fraser
Outside My Comfort Zone Candis Fancher
The Cliff Janice A. Sperry
A Blessing in Disguise Lynn Price

CREATING ABUNDANCE
Ask for What You Want Francine M. Storey
No Ordinary Stockings Linda Nash
All I Ever Wanted Jean Quinn
Creating a Miracle Barbara Dalbey
The Bookstore Messenger Ursula Bacon
Father Knows Best Hildie Sittig
From Rollers to Riches Donna Hartley

AGING WISELY
Embracing December Lynne Zielinski
Roads Not Taken Mary Sass
How Does My Garden Grow? Ruth Rocker
"It" Happened to Me Kay P. Giordano
Tommy Tracks Ruth Lee
Goddess Extraordinaire Jill Davis
Chocolate Love Marilyn McFarlane

BETTER THAN LAUGHING GAS
A Note from Home Joanna Slan
Feast or Famine Lillian Quaschnick
I'll Show 'Em Shirley Elkin
Tough as Nails Patsy Dooley
While the Master Is Away Carole Bellacera
Shorn Thing Karin Esterhammer

More Chocolate Stories?

Contributors

Acknowledgments

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Excerpts

Introduction

Stories help us to learn about ourselves and make discoveries that add meaning and depth to our life journey. As the creator of theChocolateseries, I've found that stories play an especially profound role in the lives of women.

The unforgettable true stories inChocolate for a Woman's Spirithonor and celebrate a woman's special ability to get quiet inside and seek the universal truths in her spirit-filled life. Best-selling authors, columnists, motivational speakers, and spiritual seekers share stories that include being in the presence of angels, experiencing grace when it's least expected, and learning to trust our intuition -- God's gift to women. We find Spirit filling these pages in an expansive way, as women think young again, become spiritkeepers, create an abundant life, find love's riches, and choose to age wisely. I'm quite convinced that Spirit has a sense of humor, too. Just as you'll laugh when you learn how one storyteller discovered how to really sayNo,you'll also be exhilarated as you read about a woman symbolically soaring through her fears as she puts her trust in God, grabs hold of a rope, and swings joyfully out over a large body of water.

TheChocolate for Womenseries of books has been, and continues to be, a divinely inspired project. I call it a "God job." In my own life, every time I forget who's in charge, I fear my next step. But when I rememberChocolatewas created with His intention, my faith increases and I relax into the joy and honor of being allowed to share these true-life spirit-filled tales with you. With each success comes new challenges. My own spiritual journey has become one of awe as I discover that the quieter I get, the easier it is to listen. And the more I can hear that small, still voice speaking to me, the easier it is to get my ego out of the way -- to let go and let God. The journey has been joyful, sometimes frightening, yet always rich.

As you read these stories and seek to apply their messages in your own life, I hope you'll be divinely inspired to take your own next step, especially if you're at a crossroads or are facing new challenges and opportunities. May the power of these heavenly stories heal your spirit and move you forward on your unique path -- with a sense of humor and a sense of wonder. And may these stories inspire you to make the choices in your life that bring you the most peace of mind. By so doing, you'll know you're walking hand in hand with spirit.

From: The Force is With You

Love at First Sight

Many years ago, my uncle owned a restaurant at a small airport in Illinois. My mother was the assistant manager, and I was the hostess. One afternoon, my mother and I went to a diner for lunch. Our waitress, Debbie, was so sweet that we took an immediate liking to her, and my mother offered her a job at my uncle's restaurant on the spot. Debbie accepted.

We invited her to our home for dinner that evening and during our conversations with her, we learned that she had never married and that she had no boyfriend. She told us that five years before while on a flight back east, she met "her pilot" and that it was love at first sight.

She had been very nervous as she was boarding the plane and the pilot was standing in the doorway greeting passengers. He must have noticed how afraid of flying she seemed, and he struck up a conversation with her. They spoke less than ten minutes, and he assured her he would fly her safely to her destination. She told us it was love at first sight, and we told her there was no such thing. Although she never saw her pilot again, she never forgot the feeling she had in her heart when their eyes met.

Mother and I had a plan. Since she was so in love with her pilot, we decided to fix her up with one of the many single pilots that came into the restaurant to eat in between flights. We approached John, one of the pilots, and told him about Debbie. He agreed to meet her for a dinner date on one of his nights off.

We sat him at a nice table with candlelight and fresh flowers. When Debbie arrived, we walked her to the table to introduce her to her date. As we approached, Debbie stopped dead in her tracks, tears welled up in her eyes, her hand went to her heart, and though I couldn't believe what I was hearing, she said, "My pilot, it's my pilot!" He stood dumbstruck and embraced her.

We later learned that he, too, had fallen in love with "his passenger" five years ago on that flight back east.

The last we heard from Debbie was in a letter from Guam. When people tell me there is no such thing as love at first sight, I tell them this story and show them the photo Debbie enclosed with her letter, a photo of her family -- her husband, John, in his pilot's uniform and their two beautiful daughters.

Kim Champion

In Safekeeping

Having lived and traveled through Central America for two years, I considered myself bus savvy.

I knew all the schedules and times. I also knew better than to travel at night or take an unfamiliar route. So one night, when the bus I was riding broke down three times before we boarded another, which deposited everyone in the capital well after dark, I figured the gods were against me. I cried and pleaded with the driver not to leave me there alone, in a location totally unfamiliar to me, but he laughed like someone sick of American tourists and swiftly drove off into the pitch-blackness.

The few streetlights sported empty sockets from which the bulbs had been pilfered, and the only human presence seemed to be a couple reeking of liquor, asleep -- or maybe dead! My imagination spiraled. Where could the other passengers have gone to so quickly? I wondered. Every headline, every story of women found raped, beaten, or dead in an empty alley seemed to reverberate from the hollows of broken windows and stripped cars, and propelled me to the signposts on the street corners. I had to figure out where I was.

Eight blocks later, I located two cross-street signs and plotted a path in my mind. A right turn at the next corner would lead me down a long street, through a tunnel, and into a park that I'd walked in often and knew would be populated even late at night. So began my long march toward safety.

One block before the tunnel, a man staggered out of a deserted building behind the only functioning streetlight and came right at me. He put one hand on my left arm and another in my hair, caressing it, pulling it. "You are beautiful," he slurred with his face pressed against mine, and I could smell the booze and the weeks of not bathing. "Tell me where you're going and I'll walk you there," he insisted, mocking me, still holding tightly to my arm. Not wanting to challenge or engage him by speaking or looking directly at him, I sized up his shadow on the wall. Not a big man, but nonetheless larger than I, and I knew at that moment, with absolute certainty, that he would attack me the minute I entered the confines of the tunnel that loomed before us.

Just then I heard another set of footsteps fall in behind me. Knowing attacks such as the one planned for me usually involve more than one person, I should have been terrified. And yet the minute I heard those footsteps, a sense of calm as palpable as the drunk man's groping hands descended upon me. As sure as I was two seconds ago that this drunkard would attack me in the tunnel, I was now equally certain that I would be safe. I glanced again at the wall to see the shadow of my savior, the owner of the second set of footsteps falling so close behind me, the one who would keep me safe.

No one was there. And yet the footsteps rang out, loud and piercing in the quiet night, reassuring me with each echo that I would not be harmed.

As I had predicted, when we reached the tunnel the drunk man lunged toward me, wrapping his hands around my neck and propelling me forward. But just as quickly he released me, and I stumbled backward as the force with which he was ripped from my body reversed my direction. I turned just long enough to see him fly through the air and land near the gutter on the other side of the street. No one else was there.

I made it safely through the tunnel that night. Now, whenever I'm afraid, I remember that night in Central America when I started out thinking the gods were against me. In the end, I knew they had been behind me the whole time. One night I heard their footsteps; I felt their force. And I have never been alone again.

Ellen Urbani Hiltebrand

Excerpted from Chocolate for a Woman's Spirit: 77 Stories of Inspiration to Lift Your Heart and Sooth Your Soul 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.