Chicken Soup for the Grieving Soul: Stories About Life, Death and Overcoming the Loss of a Loved One (Chicken Soup for the Soul) by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen

This collection of inspirational stories will undoubtedly touch many hearts. Written by authors who have lost loved ones, these stories offer comfort, peace and understanding to those going through the grieving process. Individual people deal with grief in their own ways and within their own time, but the guidance and support they receive from others is what helps them through it. One of the key messages of Chicken Soup for the Grieving Soul is that togetherness and sharing are the keys to moving on. In these stories people share their experiences with coping and they share deep memories. Each one has found that putting thoughts and feelings into words is not only cathartic, it allows them to reconnect with their loved one and others. Words of encouragement are plentiful in this edition and they go straight to the heart. Chapters encompass the complete grieving experience and include: Final Gifts, the Power of Support, Coping and Healing, Those We Will Miss, Special Moments, Insights and Lessons, and Living Again. Readers will be comforted and inspired by the stories of regaining strength and hope, such as holding meaningful services, performing thoughtful deeds and cherishing special memories. Most important, just as the writers have come to appreciate life through the grieving process, readers will discover how to do the same. This soothing bowl of stories is the perfect gift to bring comfort, strength and courage. Editorial Reviews From Booklist This latest entry in the Chicken Soup series is targeted at the newly brokenhearted: those who've recently experienced the death of a beloved friend or family member and are still reeling from the experience. It's a collection of stories by authors who have lost loved ones, and in their stories, they detail the particular death, the aftermath, and how they dealt with their overwhelming grief and found the courage to live again. This collection is very sad, bordering on the maudlin, and while it's not clear whether the stories will make anyone feel better (they may actually cause mild depression), some readers may find comfort here. Divided into chapters with titles such as Final Gifts, The Power of Support, and Living Again, the stories emphasize the universality and commonness of death, which may be something of a panacea. In any case, this series is hugely popular, and librarians should stock up. Kathleen Hughes Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved About the Author Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, #1 New York Times and USA Today best-selling authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, are professional speakers who have dedicated their lives to enhancing the personal and professional development of others. Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. A Surprise Gift for Mother On Christmas Day, all the joys of a close family relationship radiated throughout our parents' home. The smells of roasted turkey, Southern-baked ham and homemade bread hung in the air. Tables and chairs were set up everywhere to accommodate toddlers, teenagers, parents and grandparents. Every room was lavishly decorated. No family member had ever missed Christmas Day with our mother and father. Only this year, things were different. Our father had passed away November 26, and this was our first Christmas without him. Mother was doing her best to be the gracious hostess, but I could tell this was especially hard for her. I felt a catch in my throat, and again I wondered if I should give her my planned Christmas gift, or if it had become inappropriate in my father's absence. A few months earlier I had been putting the finishing touches on portraits I had painted of each of my parents. I'd planned to give them as Christmas gifts. This would be a surprise for everyone, as I had not studied art or tried serious painting. There had been an undeniable urge within that pushed me relentlessly to do this. The portraits did look like them, but I was still unsure of my painting techniques. While painting one day, I was surprised by a doorbell ring. Quickly putting all my painting materials out of sight, I opened the door. To my astonishment, my father ambled in alone, never before having visited me without my mother. Grinning, he said, I've missed our early morning talks. You know, the ones we had before you decided to leave me for another man! I hadn't been married long. Also, I was the only girl and the baby of the family. Immediately I wanted to show him the paintings, but I was reluctant to ruin his Christmas surprise. Yet something urged me to share this moment with him. After swearing him to secrecy, I insisted he keep his eyes closed until I had the portraits set on easels. Okay, Daddy. Now you can look! He appeared dazed but said nothing. Getting up, he walked closer to inspect them. Then he withdrew to eye them at a distance. I tried to control my stomach flip flops. Finally, with a tear escaping down one cheek, he mumbled, I don't believe it. The eyes are so real that they follow you everywhereand look how beautiful your mother is. Will you let me have them framed? Thrilled with his response, I happily volunteered to drop them off the next day at the frame shop. Several weeks passed. Then one night in November the phone rang, and a cold chill numbed my body. I picked up the receiver to hear my husband, a doctor, say, I'm in the emergency room. Your father has had a stroke. It's bad, but he is still alive. Daddy lingered in a coma for several days. I went to see him in the hospital the day before he died. I slipped my hand in his and asked, Do you know who I am, Daddy? He surprised everyone when he whispered, YouÆre my darling daughter. He died the next day, and it seemed all joy was drained from the lives of my mother and me. I finally remembered to call about the portrait framing and thanked God my father had gotten a chance to see the pictures before he died. I was surprised when the shopkeeper told me my father had visited the shop, paid for the framing and had them gift-wrapped. In all our grief, I had no longer planned to give the portraits to my mother. Even though we had lost the patriarch of our family, everyone was assembled on Christmas Daymaking an effort to be cheerful. As I looked into my mother's sad eyes and unsmiling face, I decided to give her Daddy's and my gift. As she stripped the paper from the box, I saw her heart wasn't in it. There was a small card inside attached to the pictures. After looking at the portraits and reading the card, her entire demeanor changed. She bounced out of her chair, handed the card to me and commissioned my brothers to hang the paintings facing each other over the fireplace. She stepped back and looked for a long while. With sparkling, tear-filled eyes and a wide smile, she quickly turned and said, I knew Daddy would be with us on Christmas Day! I glanced at the gift card scrawled in my father's handwriting. MotherOur daughter reminded me why I am so blessed. I'll be looking at you alwaysDaddy. Sarah A. River ¬2003. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Chicken Soup for the Grieving Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 3201 SW 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442.