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Traci Langston viewed herself as shy and insecure, but her mother taught her a valuable lesson anyway: “The worst they can say is ‘no.’�� Traci has learned to ask for what she wants, whether it’s something as simple as a better table in a restaurant, or as big as auditioning for a part in a play. This philosophy has led Traci to ask men out on dates, get prices lowered on things she’s buying, and even get a new job. Why? According to Tracy, “Because I asked. Because my mom was right.��

She was so frazzled she didn’t even know she was hungry, so when Abbie Dunlap’s mother swooped in to help her daughter with her newborn, that was one of the first problems she solved. She also sent her exhausted daughter to bed and stayed up all night with the baby. “Despite me being twenty-seven years old, my mom took care of me. I did not ask her to; she just did it. She didn’t sleep so that I could,�� says a grateful Abbie.

Miranda Lamb was a difficult teenager, telling her mother that she hated her dozens of times. She didn’t think she needed her mother at all, and she moved out at age eighteen even though her mother told her she wasn’t ready. A few months later, Miranda called her mom late one night, crying and feeling helpless. Her mother merely said, “I’ll be right there.�� Later that night, Miranda said “I love you�� to her mother for the very first time.

These are but three of the 101 stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Mom Knows Best , which we call a “gift to moms, grandmothers, stepmothers, mothers-in-law, or honorary mothers, with stories that will make them laugh, tear up, nod their heads in recognition, and most importantly—know they’re appreciated.�� That appreciation is important, because mothers spend years imparting unsolicited advice and often don’t hear much gratitude until their children are grown. It is a wonderful way for children of all ages to let their mothers and grandmothers know how much they are loved, how important their influence has been, and how much their children rely on them for comfort, too. It’s also a terrific way to admit to Mom that no matter what, we always end up agreeing that she’s right�� and that we’re going to emulate her!

Amy Newmark

National Grandparents Day is September 8, 2019 �� it's a perfect opportunity to show your grandparents how much they mean to you!

The collection of stories in our book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Grandparents explores the unconditional love and magical connection we have with our grandparents.

It's a nice way to show them how much you appreciate all the joy, wisdom and love they bring into your life!


Amy Newmark

Forgiveness is one of the best tools we have at our disposal to create a better life for ourselves. It really is an amazing tool... you can transform your life in just one one second �� just by deciding to put the past in the past, where it belongs!

In our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Forgiveness Fix we have a collection of stories that show you how to look beyond the hurt and use the power of forgiveness to move forward.

Here are previews of two of my favorite stories from the book that show how you can use forgiveness to create a better life for yourself:

Let family back in
In "There for Each Other" Lauren Magliaro describes how her father and his younger brother were estranged for many years, not even talking to each other when they attended family functions. But when Lauren’s father was hospitalized with a life-threatening brain aneurysm, his brother showed up to help the family, and whatever had transpired between them was put in the past. Lauren’s father recovered, and the two brothers enjoyed twenty more years together until Lauren’s uncle tragically died at age 58. Lauren says, “Though devastated at the loss of his brother, my dad was there for my uncle’s wife and three grown sons, the same way my uncle had been there for me and my mom two decades earlier. I miss my uncle every day, especially seeing him and my father together. They always reminded me of the importance of forgiveness, and that all things are possible with love.��


Make sure you understand what lay behind a hurtful action.
One of the best ways to find forgiveness is to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and try to understand his or her motivation and circumstances. It took years, but in her story, "No Fault," Christy Heitger-Ewing eventually got over her feeling of abandonment after her mother’s suicide—by recognizing her mother’s mental illness. She began attending a support group and came to realize that her mother was in agonizing emotional pain and that it wasn’t her fault that she died. As Christy sees it, “She didn’t choose to become inflicted by a chemical imbalance that messed up her brain any more than a cancer patient signs on to have cancer cells ravage her body.�� Christy was able to stop feeling hurt and instead feel gratitude for the forty-six years that she had with her mother.


Amy Newmark

It's so true... we never stop needing our moms. They always know the right thing to say and the right thing to do. And somehow, like magic, they do it all!

In our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Moms, you'll find 101 stories of gratitude, wisdom and miracles lovingly collected from the Chicken Soup for the Soul library.

Here are previews of two of my favorite stories from the book where we see the magic of our moms:

Moms show us how to be of service to others.
In John Dorroh's story “Mom’s Secret Mission�� John tells us that his mom would disappear every Christmas Eve for a few hours and he never knew why. It was only after her death that he learned where she had gone. A man wrote to him and explained that John’s mother had come to their house every Christmas Eve for the past seven years, dressed as Mrs. Claus and bringing gifts for the whole family.

Moms are always there when we need them.
Tiffany Mannino, in her story “Never Too Old to Want My Mommy,�� recalls the day that she told her mother she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her mother helped her through every step of her treatment and Tiffany says, “She was attending to my every need, both physically and emotionally, but who was attending to her needs?�� She adds, “I know what my mother would say if I asked her that question. She would say, ‘That’s just what you do when you are a mother.’��


Amy Newmark

Now, more than ever, it's time to celebrate all the mothers in our lives, whether they are moms, grandmothers, stepmothers, mothers-in-law, or honorary moms.

My fellow editors and I are all mothers and daughters, so we get it, and with that understanding, we lovingly compiled this collection of stories from our Chicken Soup for the Soul library.

Here are previews of two of my favorite stories from Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Moms: 101 Stories of Gratitude, Wisdom and Miracles that show how we will always see the magic of our moms:

Moms can make anything when they need to.
Alicia Rosen tells us in her story “Note to Self�� that she learned about creativity and gratitude from her mother. Her enterprising mother stayed up all night making hand-drawn stationery for Alicia’s class pen-pal project. Alicia stopped complaining about the fact that they couldn’t afford to buy fancy stationery at the store, and proudly used her mother’s creations instead, sending them to pen pals around the world.

Moms are always right.
In the ultimate “I told you so�� story, “The Matchmaker,�� Lisa Leshaw’s mother sets her up with a guy she declares is “delicious.�� It turns out that Lisa’s mother had forced him to go along and he was just as reluctant as Lisa was to go on a blind date. Of course, Mom was right. That first date lasted four hours, and Lisa and Stu have been married more than three decades now.


Amy Newmark

Hey all you cat lovers out there... did you know that Saturday, August 8 is International Cat Day?

What better way to celebrate than reading stories from our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Cats.

Here is a preview of one of my favorite stories about a cat that gave its owner the courage to have an adventure - dare I say it's purr-fect!

In her story "Westward Ho" Lori Shepard realized she was not living her best life in retirement. Lori had always dreamed of taking a road trip across the United States, but when she set out on her 8,000-mile adventure, accompanied only by her cat Libby, she had second thoughts. What motivated her to keep going was Libby’s own flexibility and delight in each new hotel room and experience. Lori says that Libby’s calm presence made it work. “She was a trooper. If she could persevere through the insecurities of what came next, then I could, too.��


Amy Newmark

I don’t know if you’ve been having more intense dreams during this pandemic, but I know I have. Every night is an adventure. I may be trying to stay home during my waking life, but in my dreams I’m all over the place.

We were lucky enough to have time to include some stories about pandemic dreams in our new collection, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Listen to Your Dreams. And you know how we always say that your dreams can reveal your truths to you? Those truths you are too busy to pay attention to during the day when you’re distracted and you can’t listen to your subconscious? Well, take that situation and compound it by the intensity of pandemic dreams and you get some pretty powerful dream guidance.

Here are previews of two of my favorite pandemic dream stories about how you can use your dreams for personal transformation:

Dreams can reunite you with your past.
During the COVID-19 lockdown in Germany, Sergio del Bianco found that he was dreaming of people he hadn’t seen in years. In his story "Just in Time" Sergio had repeated dreams about a woman named Gwen who had been kind to him at a part-time job he held in college many decades ago. He became fixated on finding her, figuring she must be in her nineties by now.

After a prolonged Google and Facebook search, he found Gwen’s daughter, who arranged a phone call for him. Sergio found himself crying tears of joy as he talked to Gwen and told her how much she had meant to him. A few days after that phone call, Gwen’s daughter called to say that her mother had quietly passed away in her sleep, and that it seemed like she had hung on just long enough to hear from Sergio.

Dreams can change your behavior.
In the story "What They'll Remember" Holly Rutchik found herself dreaming a lot during the COVID-19 lockdown. In fact, her stress dreams about the coronavirus came so early that she and her husband voluntarily self-quarantined with their five children days before their schools shut down. Holly kept dreaming that she was looking in the bathroom mirror, but the woman looking back at her was an “other me,�� a slightly different version of Holly. This mirror person kept telling Holly one word: “Remember.�� Holly kept noting the dreams in her journal, writing, “Remember WHAT?�� She was frustrated by the dream, and by the new reality in her household as well, one in which she was trying to manage her five children’s education and her full-time job, all remotely. Her husband was frustrated, too, and they were both snapping at the children.

That’s when her husband, who didn’t know about her recurrent dream, said, “In these moments, I need to remember how trivial the things that upset me really are.�� And with that, Holly knew what to do. She was making memories for her children, and she would remember that every day going forward, and also try to make this unusual time in their childhoods a good memory, with dessert every night and parents who were open to having a little fun along the way.



Amy Newmark

Life begins again at 60, right? Well, it does if you have the right attitude! As a person over 60 I am so excited to share with you our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Age Is Just a Number. This is a fun read for dynamic, active men and women in their sixties, seventies, eighties, and even nineties who prove the adage that age is just a number!

Here is a preview of two of my favorite stories about how your senior years can be the best part of your life:

1. It’s never too late to try that new thing.
In her story "Realizing a Dream" Beverly Burmeier's new normal is the constant pursuit of her dreams. She describes taking a beginner trapeze class in her seventies and being the oldest participant by a number of decades. But she did well, flying through the air and catching the trapeze with ease, then dropping onto the safety net like a pro. Her instructor was so impressed he taught her some additional tricks.

Beverly says, “This was truly a dream come true. But I learned more than how to fly on a trapeze that day. I learned that it’s never too late to try new things. Now I’m not afraid to step out of my comfort zone with activities such as ziplining, hang gliding, parasailing, paragliding, Flyboarding, and skydiving. I’ve traveled worldwide to fascinating places including Antarctica, India, Nepal, Cuba, and seven countries in Africa.��

2. It’s time to confront your fears and surprise yourself!
Confronting your fears at any age makes you proud. Sometimes you even surprise yourself with what you’re capable of doing. That was the case for Barbara Bartocci in her story "Going the Distance" after experiencing a major change in her life—a divorce after 30 years of marriage. Her younger brother Rob had been through a divorce himself, so he knew what she needed. He encouraged her to drive all the way from Kansas City to his waterfront vacation condo two hours north of Seattle. She would have the place to herself on weekdays and he and his girlfriend would join her on weekends.

Barbara was nervous about making the 1,800-mile drive by herself, but she did it, even camping outdoors along the way. And then she found herself enjoying the solitude at the condo and the time to do whatever she wanted, whether it was biking for hours, reading novels until two in the morning, or sitting on the peaceful deck sipping coffee.

Barbara says, “It felt less like an ending and more like a beginning.�� When she returned to Kansas City after a few weeks, she says, “I carried with me the memory that in camping and driving to Seattle, I had done something way outside my comfort zone. If I could do this, perhaps I could navigate my new life.��


Amy Newmark

Hey all you proud dog owners out there - did you know that National Dog Week is September 20 - 26?

What better way to celebrate than reading stories from our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Hilarious, Heroic, Human Dog .

There's something truly magical about our dogs �� their natural joy, resilience, and protectiveness are so often combined with affection, intuition, courage, and just plain smarts. They keep us company, act as our therapists, and provide unconditional love. And they're so darn cute!

Here is a preview of one of my favorite stories from the book that talks about how our lovable canine companions can make even the most mundane tasks more fun!

In her story "Drive-Thru Dog" C. L. Nehmer has a Beagle named Lulu who loves to go for rides, sitting right next to her human mom. She knows exactly where they’ll be going on their errand days, with the first stop being the coffee shop drive-thru, which always has a puppy cup of cream ready for her. At the next stop, the bank, Lulu greets the bank tellers and knows there will be a dog biscuit tucked into the cash envelope that comes through the chute. Lulu knows to stay in the car at the gas station and minimart and then comes her favorite stop: the school.

At school, Lulu collects lots of pets and scratches behind her ears as the kids stream by the open car window. And then she performs her important task: licking her own small humans hello when they climb into the back seat. That done, she joins human mom in the front seat again.

Her human mom says, “Even though it was just an ordinary day, Lulu’s company made it special. There’s no one I’d rather be running errands with. Rain or shine, any time she hears the clatter of my keys or the tread of my shoes in the back hall, she’s ready to go. A car ride wouldn’t be the same without my faithful companion.��

Enjoy!

Amy Newmark

I love the quote by Christine Mason Miller, “At any given moment, you have the power to say: This is not how the story is going to end.�� The simple message represents so many of the powerful stories in our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tough Times Won't Last But Tough People Will .

This Chicken Soup for the Soul collection is a reminder that when faced with financial challenges, health issues, relationship troubles, or any of the other ways in which life can go off track, we all have hidden reserves of strength and resilience that are just waiting to be called on.

Here are previews of two of my favorite stories from the book that show �� this is not how the story is going to end:

You can rebuild slowly and surely even after the worst financial disaster.
In her story, Broken Vessel, Gold Meadows thought she was broken beyond repair, like a shattered piece of pottery. She was a divorced single mother of three with no home, no job, no car, and no child support. She was full of self-recrimination.

She had to start over from scratch. She decided the best place to do so was somewhere far away from her ex, so she moved from Maryland to California. She stayed with friends while she gradually got on a financial footing that would allow her to rent a small apartment and make a new home for her children.

It took years, but Gold slowly but surely made progress, finding a job, a small apartment, and a car. She says of her previously shattered life, “Piece by piece, I began to stand again. It all happened as slowly as the tears that trickled down my face each night. I knew if I could just make it through the pain and work of rebuilding, we would be okay.�� And, like so many of Chicken Soup for the Soul’s contributors, she discovered she had more strength than she’d realized, saying, “I found my inner fortitude and resilience and I pushed on, one day at a time.��

You are not defined by your possessions and souvenirs.
In Tracy Whitaker's story, Validation, she lost everything in a fire. Tracy says, “It was nearly impossible for me to wrap my brain around the fact that nothing in my home remained.�� She felt the loss of her papers the most—identification, birthday cards, letters, certificates, awards and more. All the papers that had defined her life had burned.

As a Black woman, Tracy wondered if she had inherited a familial terror. She says, “Perhaps in the deepest recesses of my being, there was historical trauma associated with the loss of documentation—documentation of freedom, of ownership, of self.�� She also realized she’d been using those old letters and awards and other souvenirs of achievement as validation of her worth.

Tracy says, “I’d been hoarding not just paper, but other people’s opinions of me. Now I could reimagine myself.�� She says she has learned that the only opinion worth cherishing—the only validation she needs—is her own.


Amy Newmark