Table of Contents
Acknowledgments 11
Prologue 13
1 Standing Up 15
What happens to you is not as important as your response to it
2 Facing Your Giant 24
If you do not believe you can win, you will lose your battle!
3 Finding Your Way: Taking Responsibility for Your Recovery 32
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight that is as important as the size of the fight in the dog." Dwight Eisenhower
4 When Pam Is a Good Thing 40
Warning: life without pain could really hurt you
5 Redirecting Your Thoughts and Your Emotions 53
Control the direction of your thoughts and you control the direction of your life
6 Handling the Bully 63
Stewing may soften meat but it hardens the heart
7 The Elephant in the Room 73
The only mistake you ever truly make is the mistake you never learn from
8 When Problems Stack 84
"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." Helen Keller
9 The Stories You Believe 95
You cannot change the past, but you can change the story that you tell yourself of the past
10 Coping with the Pop-Ups 105
You can't stop thoughts, but you can refuse to let them play in the attic of your mind
11 Where Faith and Life Meet 114
His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me
12 The Help beyond Understanding 123
"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind." Albert Einstein
13 Letting It Go 131
When you forgive, you in no way change the past-but you do change the future
14 Dealing with Family and Friends 139
The shortest distance between two points is the route you travel in the company of a friend
15 Seek Your Purpose 149
"The two greatest days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." Mark Twain
16 When You Want to Help 159
"The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer somebody else up." Mark Twain
17 The Forgotten Children 171
"It is easier to build strong children than repair broken men." Frederick Douglass
18 You Will Get Through This 184
"If there is meaning in life at all, then there must be meaning in suffering." Viktor E. Frankl
Questions for Discussion 191
Appendices
A Amy's Letter 200
B Scripture for Help in Difficult Times 204
C Quick Reference Anchors 207
Notes 209
Bibliography 212