Amy Newmark's Blog, page 5

Chicken Soup for the Soul for Nurses with a Free E-book

We are so grateful for the healthcare workers out there. And worried about them, too. My own daughter is an OB/GYN, and I worry about her contracting COVID-19 and having to be quarantined from her baby. But all the nurses and doctors and EMTs and other medical professionals out there are working away on the frontlines for the rest of us.

What to do? It’s only a drop in the bucket, but we’ve made our latest book for nurses and other healthcare workers free. Anyone who wants to read Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Nurses: 101 Stories of Appreciation and Wisdom free can do so by downloading the ebook version wherever you like to get your ebooks.

My coauthor for the book LeAnn Thieman, is a nurse who travels the country speaking to thousands of nurses every year. She and I realized this free ebook could help not only nurses, but everyone involved in this coronavirus battle—from the cleaning crews to the orderlies to the nurses, doctors, EMTs, technicians, and other healthcare professionals.

We hope this small gesture shows all healthcare workers how much we appreciate what they are doing for the rest of us. And we know nurses and other healthcare workers may be too busy to read now, but we’d love for them to download the book and read it whenever they can, even if it’s months from now.

The free ebook version of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Nurses is available for free until at least May 3, 2020 on all ebook platforms.

Please share this news with all the healthcare workers you know. And if you can, stay home and stay safe. We’re doing the same while we make more books for you, for the future.


Amy Newmark

We Never Stop Needing Our Moms

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

Good Things Happen to Good People

Miracles happen every day to people from all walks of life. From medical miracles to answered prayers, to divine intervention, these stories will deepen your faith and give you hope — that good things do happen to good people.

In our book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Believe in Miracles , we have 101 true stories from ordinary people who have had extraordinary experiences, their lives forever changed by a miracle.

Here are previews of two of my favorite stories from the book that show you how to find the miracles in your life:

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need.
In her story "The Rosary in Mom's Purse" Gloria Caviglia was trying to get her two children back to college, prepare her eighth-grade classroom for another year of teaching, and take care of her terminally ill mother. Hospice assured them that she was receiving the correct doses of medication but her mom was in terrible pain.

Gloria couldn’t understand why God would let her mother suffer this way. Nevertheless, she and her husband needed to leave to take one of their children to college, so off they went in her mother’s car. Her son had pointed out that her mother’s purse was in the car before they left, but for some reason Gloria decided to leave it there.

As they drove home after the drop-off, Gloria asked her husband to stop at the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, NY. There she found a shrub covered with rosaries in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary. Gloria wished she had a rosary with her, so that she could pray for her mother and leave it with the other ones. Then she remembered her mother’s purse in the trunk of the car. Her mother always kept religious items in there. Maybe there was a rosary.

Sure enough, there was a rosary and Gloria prayed with it, asking for her mother’s pain to be taken away so that she could die in peace. Gloria’s mom died three months later, to the surprise of the medical professionals never having needed pain meds again.

Look for signs from the people you’ve lost.
In Jan Bono's story "I Asked for a Sign" she and her fiancé were sitting on a rock at the beach, watching the sea turtles, and discussing a very difficult topic—his terminal disease. He asked Jan to make sure she brought some of his ashes to this spot on this beautiful tropical island. Jan promised but said she needed something from him too; she needed him to send her a sign from the other side, something so big and amazing and specific that she couldn’t miss it.

Two years later, Jan was back on that island with a small pouch of his ashes. “I’m here,” she said. “Now bring me some turtles.” Then she read him a long love letter and when she looked up there were two turtles right in front of her. They rolled on their sides, their fins lifting clear of the water as if they were saluting.

Moments later, a yellow butterfly came and circled just above Jan’s head before disappearing into the trees. Jan thought all she needed to make her day complete was a hummingbird even though hummingbirds were not indigenous to that island. Instead, seconds later, a red-crested cardinal fluttered to the sand at the end of her beach towel and paraded back and forth in front of her. Then the signs kept coming. On the way out of the parking lot, a car came out of nowhere and cut in front of her with a license plate that read “LCB.” That was the nickname her fiancé had called her—LCB for Little Cuddle Bear. Back at the hotel, she found four pennies in the parking lot between the car and the room.

The ultimate sign came when Jan visited one of the many art galleries near the hotel. They had a wall with an enormous photograph from the area. When Jan sat down to look at it, she couldn’t help but squeal, because it was a photo of the very rock she had sat on earlier that day when she released the ashes into the water. Jan had fulfilled her promise by bringing her love’s ashes back to this island, and he had come through for her—with numerous definitive signs.


Amy Newmark

Do You Believe in Miracles?

Miracles happen every day — you just have to look around to see them!

In our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Believe in Miracles, we have 101 powerful stories that prove miracles are all around us... in answered prayers, coincidences, divine intervention, angels, and messages from heaven.

Here are previews of two of my favorite stories from the book that show you how to find the miracles in your life:

Listen to that little voice inside you.
In Nancy MacDonald’s story "Dad's Umbrella" Nancy's father gave her a few items to remember him by shortly before he passed away. The most special gift was his umbrella, which he told her was expensive and not to be given away. Nancy knew that was her dad’s way of saying that he would always be there to protect her, through that umbrella.

Her dad knew she had a collection of inexpensive umbrellas in her car that she would give away on rainy days. Whenever it rained, Nancy would pray to God to be directed to someone who needed one of her umbrellas. Then, one rainy day, when Nancy was all out of umbrellas, she heard a voice telling her to give her dad’s umbrella to a young man she had just driven past. She couldn’t believe it. She was so good about giving away umbrellas, but why did she have to give away this one? The voice persisted so Nancy turned the car around and gave away the special umbrella from her father. She then resumed her drive home, only to find that right after the spot where she had turned around there had been a multi-car accident, one in which she might have found herself if she hadn’t been forced to turn back.

Her dad’s umbrella had taken care of her after all.

Watch for those life-changing “coincidences.”
In her story "My Angel Had Feathers" Dorann Weber was having a lovely, lazy day at home and was sitting outside reading a book on her deck. She listened to the birds and the squirrels, and was just starting to doze off when she realized it had grown very quiet. She looked around and discovered a hawk right above her perched on a large tree limb. The hawk started screeching and flapping her wings frantically while looking directly at Dorann.

A professional photographer, Dorann saw an opportunity for a great shot, so she went into the house to get her camera. She wasn’t even inside for a minute when she heard a loud crashing sound outside. The tree limb that the hawk had been sitting on had broken off and fallen, crushing the deck and the chair in which Dorann had been seated only a minute before.

Dorann ran outside and looked up to find the hawk on a different branch. The hawk made eye contact with Dorann and then flew away, as if her work was done.



Amy Newmark

The Gift of Forgiveness

The holidays may be over but there's still one last gift to open — and it's something you can actually give yourself — it's the gift of forgiveness.

Yes... forgiveness. We all need that little reminder to look beyond the hurt and resentments and use the power of forgiveness to move forward.

Did you know that there are real health benefits to forgiveness? According to a study from the Mayo Clinic forgiveness can lead to a stronger immune system, lower blood pressure, improved mental health and less anxiety, stress and hostility.

That's why I love our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Forgiveness Fix. So many stories that show how forgiveness can help you mange your hurt and focus on what's really important.

Here is a preview of one of my favorite stories from the book about how it’s never too late to use the power of forgiveness:

In her story "Writing to My Dead Father" Noelle Sterne had locked away her feelings about her father for years, burying them under all the distractions of daily life. But then, years after his death, she took a personal-growth workshop in which the students were encouraged to write about an unresolved issue. Noelle decided to write to her father, letting out all her disappointment in a rush of words. As she wrote she realized how much her father had actually contributed to her life, and how he was a role model in many ways. And that’s when she was able to write that she loved him and forgave him for his cold silences and sarcastic putdowns. She recognized that he had been living a life that deeply disappointed him, a Juilliard-trained musician forced to work in unfulfilling administrative jobs instead of pursuing his passion. Noelle says, “I felt lighter than ever before. The armor of resentment and unexpressed sadness dissolved, yielding to long-buried love.”


Amy Newmark

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

I love this time of year... the lights, the decorations, and the music... but most of all I love spending time with family and friends.

Getting into the holiday spirit makes everyone feel good!

The 101 inspiring stories of holiday love and wonder in our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, is sure to jumpstart your holiday spirit!

Here is a preview of two of my favorite stories that show how our writers experienced the joy and wonder of the holiday season:

Learn how to count your blessings.
In the story "Christmas Oranges" Erinn C was always a bit disappointed when she got to the bottom of her Christmas stocking and found an orange. After all, it was taking up room that could have been filled with more candy. But when she was thirteen, she learned that her grandfather had grown up poor and an orange was a coveted treat that he only got to have once a year. Erinn’s mother was honoring her father by including that orange for her children, even though they lived with such plenty. Erinn understands now and says, “Now the orange at the bottom of the stocking is a reminder to be grateful for the beautiful Christmases that my parents gave me and for the hard work they did that ensured I could have an orange any day of the year.”

Everyone is family during the holidays.
In her story "The Broken-Wing Party" Phyllis McKinley was surrounded by friends and family who didn’t feel like celebrating Christmas. They were having health issues or grieving a recent loss or were separated from their families. Phyllis bought a scrawny, crooked little tree and invited her friends to a “broken wing” Christmas party. All the guests had something wrong in their lives at the time, and they were welcome to come in whatever mood they wanted, no Christmas cheer required. Of course, everyone had a great time after all, saying it was the best Christmas Eve ever. Phyllis says, “Sometimes, when we are unable to fly, it helps to just perch together, leaning our broken wings against the warmth of another person.”

Happy Holidays!

Amy Newmark

Use the Power of Forgiveness to Change Your Life

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

Change Your Thoughts and You'll Change Your World

Everyone could use a little more positive thinking in their life. Right? I know that when I practice gratitude and mindfulness, I feel better!

Did you know a recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health said that people who are optimistic live on average 11 to 15% longer, and they have a 50% greater shot of making it to age 85? Amazing!

The power of positive thinking is real!

That’s why I love our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive, Live Happy . The book is filled with stories of people who deliberately became more positive and found their lives transformed. They used gratitude and mindfulness to find pleasure in everyday moments; they tried new things; they found new perspectives by looking outside their own experience; and all these actions were part of a decision to actively use positive thinking.

Here’s one of my favorite stories from the book about practicing gratitude and gladtitude.

Practice gratitude to permanently change your perspective.
In her story, "My Glatitude Journal," Ann Morrow couldn’t force herself to keep a daily gratitude journal no matter how many times she tried. She already kept a regular journal of her thoughts and ideas, and having to make a list of five things she was thankful for each day didn’t resonate with her. But then, one day, years after giving up the gratitude journal idea, she started reading through her old regular journals and discovered that she did indeed have much to be grateful for. Even though she thought she had tried and failed over the years to accomplish the major goals that were suggested by the various self-help books she had read, she realized that in her own way, slowly but surely, she had accomplished a lot! Now she willingly keeps what she calls a “gladitude” journal, in which she keeps track of what went right each day and what Ann calls “the little wins.” Her new gladitude journal reminds her that “nothing is too small to be celebrated” and that she needs to give herself credit for the progress she is making.


Amy Newmark

Positive Thinking Really Can Lead to a Happier Life

Positive thinking is a wonderful tool for dealing with the ups and downs of life. It is a skill that can be deliberately learned, not just a trait that some people have and others don’t.

In our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive, Live Happy our writers share the ways they used positive thinking to overcome both major challenges and everyday issues.

Here are two of my favorite stories from the book that show you ways to use positive thinking to create a better life for yourself!

Turn everyday disasters into joyous moments.
In her story, " A Plague of Joy," Heidi Allen’s husband had to stay late at work so she was shopping and preparing for a dinner party all by herself. She also had to do an errand with her sons, picking up a bag of crickets for their lizards at the pet store. They got home with only 45 minutes to spare before the party, and then disaster struck. Somehow, as the boys were pouring the crickets into a receptacle, they got out. Heidi screamed and scrambled onto a chair. She was so frustrated and angry that she was about to start yelling when, as she says it, “The most amazing thing happened. As I watched my two sweet boys try frantically to capture the crickets, it felt like time slowed down, and I saw the situation clearly for the first time. They were running around like lunatics, screaming with laughter.” Heidi burst into laughter, too, and joined in the chase. And for weeks afterward, whenever Heidi heard a cricket chirping somewhere in the house, all she felt was joy.

Relax and give up control once in a while.
In the story, "The View from the Back Seat," Joan Borton learns that once you’ve been in charge, it’s hard to sit back and let someone else tell you what to do. It happened when Joan Borton’s career ended and she took two part-time jobs instead. Suddenly, she was subordinate to people who were younger than her. She was even relegated to the back seat of the car on a business trip, with two co-workers sitting in the front. Initially, it was hard to give up the leadership position, but Joan says, “I learned that the view from the back seat is beautiful. I am more aware of others and situations around me. I am not anxious to change that any time soon. If someone had told me years ago that I would find joy and fulfillment by stepping back I would have scoffed.” Giving up control at work yielded benefits in other areas, too, as Joan realized she could step back from always being in control in the rest of her life, including her marriage.


Amy Newmark

It's Time to Celebrate Grandparents!

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