Table of Contents
Introduction Deborah Norville 1
1 Count Your Blessings
1 Turning Up the Volume Mary C. M. Phillips 9
2 The Beauty of Age Spots Connie K Pombo 12
3 The Perfect Home Jody E. Lebel 15
4 Thanks for Messing Up My Life Richard Weinman 19
5 My Answered Prayer Nancy F. Goodfellow 24
6 Midnight Runs Thorn Schwarz 27
7 Because of Facebook Kathe Kokolias 31
8 Gifts from Dark Places Katie O'Connell 34
9 Million-Dollar Moments Judy O'Kelley 37
10 Standing Out Jay Seate 40
2 Eye Openers
11 The Right Place Thomas Behnke 47
12 The Couch and the Grouch Cathy Mogus 51
13 Note to Self Alicia Rosen 54
14 Two Seconds on the Microwave Savannah Dee 57
15 Something about Mary Debbie Acklin 59
16 The Grateful Chauffeur Mary E. Laufer 63
17 My Wiser Self Dorann Weber 67
18 My Renewed Joy Janet Perez Echles 70
19 Body Beautiful Carole Brody Fleet 74
3 Practicing Gratitude
20 The Blessed List Linda Newton 81
21 Gratitude Is an Action Cara Rifkin 84
22 Finding Five Helen F. Wilder 88
23 A Gift Returned Lindy Schneider 91
24 Out of Darkness Christian Conte 95
25 The Summer that Almost Wasn't Carolyn Roy-Bornstein 99
26 The Blessings Box Jennifer Reed 102
27 In Thanks for What We Have Annmarie B. Tait 106
28 The Third Sentence Michelle Mach 109
29 The Grateful List Lynn Johnson 112
4 A Change in Perspective
30 The Rumbling Katie Bangert 119
31 Fly Me to the Moon Anita Daswani 122
32 Every Day Is a Good Day Trisha Faye 125
33 A Big Heart Johnny Wessler 129
34 Sometimes It Takes a Child Elizabeth Atwater 132
35 The Really Bad, Sad, Rotten Year Monica A. Andermann 136
36 Why Didn't I Think of That? Eileen Melia Hession 140
37 Thank You Is Enough April Knight 143
38 A Wedding and a Funeral Cindy Hval 146
39 Road to Forgiveness Gwen Daye 149
40 A Brighter Future Lorraine Cannistra 152
5 Well Chosen Words
41 Have a Day! Sharon Fuentes 159
42 The Antidote for First-World Problems Diane Stark 162
43 Being Happy Is Enough Kathleen M. Basi 166
44 A Stroke of Blessings Kathy Shiels Tully 168
45 Broken Gifts Alice Luther 172
46 The Family Meeting Joy Cook 175
47 Nine Things We Like About You Laura Snell 179
48 Vanquishing the Dragon Pat Wahler 183
49 Thank You for the Reminder Andrea Fortenberry 186
50 Trying Destiny Joyce Newman Scott 189
51 The Question Haylie Smart 193
6 Grateful for Life
52 Two Incredible Gifts Mary McLaurine 199
53 Smiled at the Rising Sun Andrea Mullenmeister 202
54 Why I Choose Gratitude David A. Grant 205
55 Doing the Math Sylvia A 208
56 An Amazing Gift Rob Harshman 211
57 Walking Toward My Dreams Annie Nason 215
58 Whatever Comes Erika Hoffman 218
59 My First Date with Nelson Sasha Couch 221
60 My Open Heart Davina Adjani 224
61 A Gift of Time Mickey Sherman 227
7 Simple Pleasures
62 Next Exit: Happiness Nancy Burrows 235
63 The Grocery Store Susan Boltz 237
64 The Simple Life Stephanie A. Mayberry 240
65 Nigerian Boys' Village Rob Harshman 243
66 Uno, Popcorn, and Laughter Drema Sizemore Drudge 246
67 The Joy of Dirty Dishes Jessica Snell 249
68 Dinner with the Kids Ronda Nobles Nunez 252
69 The Man Who Had Nothing Elizabeth Atwater 254
70 Looking for Rainbows Tina Grover 257
71 What I Learned from My First Thanksgiving Johnny Tan… 260
8 Silver Linings
72 What a Difference One Point Can Make Amy Corron Power 267
73 Blessing in Disguise Jill Burns 271
74 Out of the Rubble Audrey Ades 274
75 A Super Hero Luanne Tovey Zuccari 277
76 The Wakeup Call Ann Morrow 281
77 A Healing Trio Deborah Drezon Carroll 284
78 Gratitude in Crisis Jenny Estes 287
79 Taketh and Giveth Simone Adams 291
80 A Journey to Myself Daniel J. Mangini 295
81 When Life's a Puzzle Bonnie Compton Hanson 298
9 Paying It Forward
82 The Waver Candace Carteen 305
83 Possibility and Promise Larry Schardt 309
84 The Gratefuls TC Currie 313
85 Facing My Fears Barbara LoMonaco 317
86 Not Just a Cup of Coffee Charlotte Triplett 320
87 The Sewing Club Conni Delinger 323
88 Trifle or Treasure? Linda E. Allen 326
89 A Fan of Kindness Christine A. Holliday 329
90 The Water Holds No Scars Dean K. Miller 333
91 From a Job to a Privilege D'ette Corona 336
10 Never Too Late for a Thank You
92 Tough Love Jody Fuller 345
93 The Hardest Kind of Saving Chelsea Johnson 349
94 Honest Thanks Amanda C. Yancey 354
95 A Hospital Visit JB Steele 356
96 Grateful for Stew Shawna Troke-Leuhert 358
97 The Gratitude Book Carrie O'Maley Voliva 360
98 A Teachers Echo Lola Di Giulio De Maci 363
99 Gifts Kelly Hennigan 366
100 The Gratitude Party Allison Hermann Craigie 369
101 Thanks for the Giving Jodi Renee Thomas 373
Meet Our Contributors 377
Meet Amy Newmark 395
Meet Deborah Norville 397
Thank You 399
About Chicken Soup for the Soul 400
