Life Lessons for Women

by Canfield, Jack; Hansen, Mark Victor; Marston, Stephanie

• ISBN13: 9780757301445
• ISBN10: 0757301444
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-07-01
• Publisher: Hci

Summary

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen have inspired millions with their timeless tales of everyday life. Now they team with noted women's issues expert Stephanie Martson for the first new book series in the Chicken Soup line. Extraordinary recipes for living will improve lives in nine simple steps. Women will benefit from getting to know themselves in a journal that truly celebrate life. The basic premise of the Chicken Soup seriesthe power of friendship, the joy of the small moment, and importance of relationships -- has been reborn into a step-by-step primer for a better life. The advice in Life Lessons is aimed specifically at women and their everyday concerns, such as finding time, making ends meet and balancing priorities; it is straightforward yet perceptive, and combined with powerful stories, it overflows with inspiration and direction for creating a significant life.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
Essential Ingredient # 1: Re-Collect Yourself
The Love Letter
Deborah Shouse	3	(6)
Life Lesson #1: Take Stock of Your Life	7	(2)
Wisdom of the Birds
Susan Siersma	9	(6)
Life Lesson #2: Recognize Your Strengths	13	(2)
With a Little Help from a Stranger
Beadrin Youngdahl	15	(6)
Life Lesson #3: Get to Know the Real You	18	(3)
Follow Your Heart
Sherry Baker	21	(6)
Life Lesson #4: Be True to Yourself	25	(2)
View from an Empty Nest
June Cerza Kolf	27	(6)
Life Lesson #5: Discover Where You Reside in the Story of Your Life	29	(4)
PTA Mom
K.K. Choate	33	(10)
Life Lesson #6: Recognize What's Important	36	(7)
Essential Ingredient #2: Take Charge of Your Life
Taking the Leap
K.K. Wilder	43	(6)
Life Lesson #1: Evaluate Your Priorities	46	(3)
Communing with Nature
Nancy B. Gibbs	49	(6)
Life Lesson #2: Reorient Your Life	52	(3)
The Art of Saying "No"
Karen McQuestion	55	(7)
Life Lesson #3: Set Limits	58	(4)
Enjoying the Moment
Stacey Granger	62	(7)
Life Lesson #4: Deflate Super Woman	66	(3)
A Higher Education
Barbara McCloskey	69	(10)
Life Lesson #5: Honor Your Commitment to Yourself	72	(7)
Essential Ingredient #3: Take Care of Yourself
Parking in the Center of the Garage
Louise Hamm	79	(5)
Life Lesson #1: Practice Self-Nurturing	82	(2)
Feeling Free
Ferida Wolff	84	(5)
Life Lesson #2: Banish Your Guilt	86	(3)
Life After Death
Rita V. Williams	89	(6)
Life Lesson #3: Get Physical	93	(2)
If I Were Lucky
Avis Drucker	95	(6)
Life Lesson #4: Cultivate a Nurturing Voice	96	(5)
Sticks and Stones
Carol McAdoo Rehme	101	(4)
Life Lesson #5: Accept Compliments	103	(2)
The Dear Stand
Jennie Ivey	105	(8)
Life Lesson #6: Schedule Time Just for You	109	(4)
A Lasting Impression
Sharla Taylor	113	(10)
Life Lesson #7: Cultivate a Sense of Humor	116	(7)
Essential Ingredient #4: Surround Yourself With Support
Granny's Ninth Birthday
Twink DeWitt	123	(6)
Life Lesson #1: Build Lasting Friendships	127	(2)
"Best" Truths Isabel
Bearman Bucher	129	(6)
Life Lesson #2: Cultivate Intimacy	133	(2)
Knowing What Your Rope Is
Myra Shostak	135	(7)
Life Lesson #3: Cherish Your Female Friends	138	(4)
Safety Pins and Postmen
Janet Lynn Mitchell	142	(8)
Life Lesson #4: Shower the People You Love With Love	147	(3)
Ties That Bind
Pamela Gilchrist Corson	150	(4)
Life Lesson #5: Ask for Help	152	(2)
The White Line
Isabel Bearman Bucher	154	(13)
Life Lesson #6: Create a Caring Community	160	(7)
Essential Ingredient #5: Take Your Passion and Make It Happen
Trooping with the Circus
Vickie Baker	167	(7)
Life Lesson #1: Discover Your Authentic Passion	172	(2)
Holding On to Dreams
Kris Hamm Ross	174	(8)
Life Lesson #2: Dream a Little Dream	179	(3)
Leap into Life
Karen Blue	182	(8)
Life Lesson #3: Go on an Adventure	187	(3)
The Birthday Tiara
Deborah M. Ritz	190	(6)
Life Lesson #4: Be Outrageous	194	(2)
Jumping In
Maura J. Casey	196	(11)
Life Lesson #5: Live Your Passion	199	(8)
Essential Ingredient #6: Make Every Day Sacred
Daydreams Die
Lynne Zielinski	207	(5)
Life Lesson #1: Remember What's Important	209	(3)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Anyway?
Sue Diaz	212	(9)
Life Lesson #2: Embrace Simplicity	216	(5)
A Quiet Place
Beverly Tribuiani-Montez	221	(6)
Life Lesson #3: Sanctify the Ordinary	224	(3)
The Dining Room Table
Kay Collier McLaughlin	227	(7)
Life Lesson #4: See the Positive	229	(5)
A Turning Point
Susan Carver Williams	234	(6)
Life Lesson #5: Learn to Forgive	238	(2)
Counting Laps
Patricia Lorenz	240	(11)
Life Lesson #6: Acknowledge Your Blessings	245	(6)
Essential Ingredient #7: Share the Love
We Celebrated a Life
Mary Joe Clendenin	251	(7)
Life Lesson #1: Remember What You Have to Offer	256	(2)
May Baskets
Faith Andrews Bedford	258	(6)
Life Lesson #2: Recognize What You Have to Contribute	261	(3)
Time Well Spent
Karen Fortner Granger	264	(7)
Life Lesson #3: Cultivate Compassion	267	(4)
Blood: The Gift of Life
M. Regina Cram	271	(5)
Life Lesson #4: The Blessing of Giving	273	(3)
Full Circle
Karen C. Driscoll	276	(7)
Life Lesson #5: Celebrate, Celebrate	278	(5)
More Chicken Soup?	283	(1)
Supporting Others	284	(2)
Who Is Jack Canfield?	286	(1)
Who Is Mark Victor Hansen?	287	(1)
Who Is Stephanie Marston?	288	(1)
Contributors	289	(6)
Permissions (continued)	295

Excerpts

Granny's Ninth Birthday I often think, how could I have survived without these women? CLAUDETTE RENNER I stood at my front door surrounded by balloons as each friend handed me a colorful package. 'Happy Birthday, Twink!' With a childlike curtsey I thanked them. 'Are any b-o-y-s coming?' asked Becky, my redheaded friend. 'No way!' shouted Ruth, 'This is just for girls.' Ruth is 5' 10' and very opinionated. These were friends I'd known a long time. Becky's hair is red; she dyes the gray. Ruth has been 5' 10' for 60 of her 72 years. Eight members of our Granny Group had come to celebrate a little-girl birthday, one of many parties I missed growing up. My mother died nineteen days before my sixth birthday. Devastated, my father moved us to another state so we could live with his parents. I overheard my father and grandmother decide to simply skip my birthday, thinking I would not be aware of that day. My six-year-old mind concluded they didn't think I was worth celebrating. That was the first of the birthday parties I didn't have. On this, my 59th birthday, secure in my adulthood, I asked this treasured group of friends to help me celebrate my ninth birthday. Some guests quickly snapped the paper hats on their heads and blew their party blowers at the prissy ones who adjusted the elastic over their hairdos. Children play games at parties, and we weren't to be outdone. Cat, who had just had a hip replacement, managed to get down on her knees to join in a game of jacks around our rugged old six-foot coffee table. Genea went first. She got all the way to the threesies only because she had played with her grandkids the week before. When Myrna bounced the ball, it flew across the table. We let her try again and again until she finally picked up all the jacks in onesies. Then it was Patti's turn. When she missed, she glared at Myrna. 'Look what you made me do,' she sassed. 'You started it!' replied Myrna, flowing into a nine-year-old attitude. Becky, who spends much of her time speaking to women's groups, crumpled to the floor laughing. 'Enough's enough,' I giggled. 'Let's eat the ice cream and cake.' The pretend nine-year-olds grunted and moaned as we helped each other back to a standing position. Gladly we went to the dining room table, a place where our bodies felt much more at home. Duncan Hines had helped me make a great chocolate cake as I pretended to be both my mother and my nine-year-old self. I knew it was good because I ate a chunk that stuck in the pan. The white frosting had stood in lovely peaks until I tried to decorate it. It was supposed to say, 'Happy Birthday, Twink' in yellow, redand blue. My handiwork caused purples, greens and oranges to swirl with the primary colors in a mass of modern art. When Becky brought in the cake, I announced, 'I made it myself!' Everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to me. The joy of all my should-have-been birthdays welled up in a childlike excitement. They sang to me

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Excerpted from Chicken Soup's Life Lessons for Women: Practical Life Lessons for Improving Lives in 9 Simple Steps by Jack L. Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Stephanie Marston, Jack Canfield
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.