Chocolate for a Woman's Courage: 77 Stories That Honor Your Strength and Wisdom

by Kay Allenbaugh

Overview

Be Brave! Celebrate and Eat Chocolate!
Every woman knows that courage isn't just something you find in a crisis, it's something you tap into every day of your life. In this triumphant salute to mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, and colleagues, these 77 true-life stories celebrate women at their best -- willing to take risks, stand up for family and friends, find the love they need, claim their true spirit, laugh at their own foibles, and celebrate someone else's success.
Once again, Kay Allenbaugh has called upon women of all ages and backgrounds to share their own experiences as well as the strength and wisdom that have helped them through everyday challenges and difficult times. Here are tales about surviving loss, showing compassion, getting fired (and getting even), facing illness, laughing at yourself when the chips are down, and stopping long enough to enjoy sweet success! This volume in the beloved Chocolate series celebrates a softer element of courage -- kind yet strong, loving yet steadfast -- exploring the many subtle ways courage manifests itself in day-to-day life. This book is sure to feed your hunger for courage!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780743247931
Publisher:	Touchstone
Publication date:	01/22/2003
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	465 KB

About the Author

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 the Chocolate series include bestselling authors, motivational speakers, newspaper columnists, radio hosts, spiritual leaders, psychotherapists, businesswomen, and teenagers from all over the world.

Read an Excerpt

Be Brave! Celebrate and Eat Chocolate!

Every woman knows that courage isn't just something you find in a crisis, it's something you tap into every day of your life. In this triumphant salute to mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, and colleagues, these 77 true-life stories celebrate women at their best -- willing to take risks, stand up for family and friends, find the love they need, claim their true spirit, laugh at their own foibles, and celebrate someone else's success.

Once again, Kay Allenbaugh has called upon women of all ages and backgrounds to share their own experiences as well as the strength and wisdom that have helped them through everyday challenges and difficult times. Here are tales about surviving loss, showing compassion, getting fired (and getting even), facing illness, laughing at yourself when the chips are down, and stopping long enough to enjoy sweet success! This volume in the beloved Chocolate series celebrates a softer element of courage -- kind yet strong, loving yet steadfast -- exploring the many subtle ways courage manifests itself in day-to-day life. This book is sure to feed your hunger for courage!

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction

I

THE JOURNEY FROM HEAD TO HEART

A Spirit-Filled Walk Deanna Doss Shrodes

Rising to the Occasion Carol Sjostrom Miller

I Dream of Shawna Carol Fewell

The Tattooed Stranger Susan Farr-Fahncke

Comic Relief Heather Goldsmith

That Feeling Called Love Chris Mikalson

Watching Real Beauty Laverne Bardy Pollak

A Miracle of My Own Luci N. Fuller

II

GATHERING WISDOM

First Pancake Out of the Frying Pan Peggy Vincent

More Than Pizza Deanna Doss Shrodes

Eddie's Father Bonita (Bonnie) Laettner

If Grandmothers Ran the World Sheila S. Hudson

How Are You Smart? Teri Brown

Getting the Picture Karen C. Driscoll

Finding Christmas Lois Erisey Poole

Culture Clash Michelle Pearson

III

LASTING LEGACIES

The Anniversary Card Lisa Sanders

A New Dawn Beverly Froehlich

Letting Go Softly SuzAnne C. Cole

Down for the Count Carol F. Fantelli

Keep It If You Can Diane Novinski

Snake Plants Marilyn Burkhardt

Charity Begins at Home Lisa West

Auntie's Antics Maureen Mary Rosenberg

Do Gang Members Eat Bananas? Linda H. Waterman

IV

ANIMAL HOUSE

Animal Intervention Francine M. Storey

The Love of a Duck Nancy Tomazic

Cat Wars Felice R. Prager

A Bountiful Year Cindy Potter

Max Joanne M. Friedman

Who's in Charge Here, Anyway? Nancy Tomazic

Creepy in the House Beverly C. Lucey

V

KNOWING WHAT'S BEST

A Package Deal Christine M. Caldwell

The Grand Lady Harriet May Savitz

Tips for Feeding Courage Kay Allenbaugh

A Home for the Lonely Brooke Evans Ball

Beat the Marching of Time Talia Carner

Life with Hope Dawn Goldsmith

Real Work Donna Stone

The Christening Gown Kathryn Lay

You Won't Hear Me Crying Cindi Pearce

VI

A LOVING TOUCH

Love Notes Marcie Henderson

Groovin' Harriet May Savitz

Fired into Heaven Mishele Abell

Stockpile Karen C. Driscoll

The Music of My Mother's Life Jean Jeffrey Gietzen

Can We Talk? Judy Gruen

A Borrowed Child Jody Greenlee

Have a Little Faith Wendy Stofan Halley

His Hand at My Elbow Cos Barnes

VII

A POSITIVE POWER SURGE

Irish to the Bone Wendy (Reid Crisp) Lestina

Living Alone Renie Szilak Burghardt

Batter Up Elizabeth Krenik (Traxler)

Mommy Intellectual Diane Gonzales Bertrand

One Step at a Time Elizabeth Bezant

Door Number Four Paula Conrad Mlekush

Mindful Gardening Judith Morton Fraser

Hummingbird Summer Anne Culbreath Watkins

Maintaining the Bloom Shelley Sigman

VIII

FAMILY MATTERS

Out of Sync Kay Bolden

The Highlight of My Day Marilyn D. Davis

They're Back! Judith Sloan

A Christmas Surprise Kristine Ziemnik

Men and Their Fruit Beverly C. Lucey

Eight Going on Eighteen Debbie Farmer

Romance Interrupted Beth M. Skarupa

Going Up Against Mrs. Sutton Cindy Kauffman

M&M Medicine Lisa A. Crayton

IX

ALL THINGS DIVINE

Sowing Seeds Karen Berry

Abby's Fight Julie Teasdale

Seven Bells Sheila Stephens

Fast Food Faith Anne Goodrich

The Man on the Beach Geraldine (Gerry) Trickle

The Final Say Sallie A. Rodman

Two Gold Rings Christine M. Caldwell

An Answer to a Prayer Julie Hartmans

A Boatful of Angels Fern Carness

More Chocolate Stories?

Contributors

Acknowledgments

Editorial Reviews

With these two works, publishers continue to milk the desire for feel-good books. Acting more as a compiler than a writer, Allenbaugh serves up more bland, warm-and-fuzzy anecdotes la the successful "Chocolate" series (Chocolate for a Teen's Heart; Chocolate for a Mother's Heart). Women ranging from housewives to business professionals contributed 77 brief and sentimental stories that illustrate pluckiness in the face of adversity. "The Tattooed Stranger," for example, explores prejudice and how to overcome it. Carlson's book will rev the engines of self-helpers without kicking them into drive. Like many of his previous titles (Don't Sweat the Small Stuff), his latest is observational and general, with generic wisdoms that quickly become repetitive. Entries wax on a range of topics, including divorce, stress, and the grieving process. Carlson misses more than he hits, although good points sometimes emerge, e.g., in "Dedicate Yourself to Mindfullness," he exhibits uncharacteristic clarity in advising readers to experience thoughts and emotions peacefully. Of little practical use, this is more a pep talk than a means to an end. Read it in conjunction with more focused titles like T.D. Jakes's frankly Christian Woman Thou Art Loosed: Healing the Wounds of the Past. As with entries in the popular "Small Miracles," "Taste Berries for Teens," and "Chicken Soup" series, these books contain so much recycled material that libraries would be better off purchasing them only on demand. There are also serviceable single volumes like Barry and Joyce Vissell's Meant To Be: Miraculous Stories To Inspire a Lifetime of Love or Anna Quindlen's A Short Guide to a Happy Life. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Richard Carlson bestselling author of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff Good stuff — great inspiration for men and women.

From the Publisher