This book is our gift to you, the mothers of the world. In writing this book, we wanted to honor mothers everywhere, but how can you thank a mother for the gift of life? As we read the thousands of stories that we considered for Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul, we were deeply moved by the depth of feeling people expressed for their mothers. Many people talked about the sacrifices their mothers had made; others, how courageous their mothers were. Still others shared the inspiration and encouragement they had received from their mothers. But no theme was more widely expressed than that of the eternal nature of a mother’s love. One piece we came across beautifully captures the essence of this theme: One calm, bright, sweet, sunshiny day, an angel stole out of heaven and came down to this old world, and roamed field and forest, city and hamlet. Just as the sun went down he spread his wings and said: "Now my visit is out, and I must go back to the world of light. But before I go, I must gather some mementos of my visit here. " He looked into a beautiful flower garden and said, "How lovely and fragrant these flowers are. " He plucked the rarest roses and made a bouquet and said, "I see nothing more beautiful and fragrant than these; I will take them with me. " But he looked a little further and saw a bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked baby, smiling into its mother’s face. And he said, "Oh, that baby’s smile is prettier than this bouquet; I will take that, too. " Then he looked just beyond the cradle and there was a mother’s love pouring out like the gush of a river toward the cradle and the baby. And he said, "Oh, that mother’s love is the prettiest thing I have seen on earth; ] will carry that, too. " With the three treasures he winged his way to the pearly gates, and lit just on the outside and said, "Before I go in, I will examine my mementos. " And he looked at the flowers and they had withered. He looked at the baby’s smile and it had faded. He looked at the mother’s love and there it was, in all its pristine beauty. He threw aside the withered flowers and faded smile, and winged his way through the gates and led all the hosts of heaven together and said, "Here is the only thing I found on earth that would keep its beauty all the way to heaven--it is a mother’s Iove. " So with love in our hearts, we offer you Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul. May you experience the miracles of love, joy and inspiration when you read this book. May it touch your heart and move your spirit. Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jennifer Read Hawthorne and Marci Shimoff

Introduction

1. ON LOVE
The Choice
Baby-Lift
A Surprise Gift for Mother
Mother’s Day
All Those Years
The Bobby Pins
Squeeze My Hand and I’ll Tell You That I Love You
In the Genes
A Child Is Born
A Perfect Son
Most Kids Are Born Only Once
Sisters Three
The Unlocked Door
Mom for a Day
Daddy’s Little Girl

2. A MOTHER’S GUIDING HAND
To Read When You’re Alone
With a Little Help from Mama
My Mother Says... ~
The Inspection
What Color Is a Hug?
Garlic Tales
The Tooth Fairy
Love Notes
Saved by the Belt
Red-Letter Failure Day
The Midnight Caller

3. A MOTHER’S COURAGE
My Son, Ryan
Awright, Mom?
Moving Mountains
Hearts Across the World
Real Vision
Every Morning Is a Gift
A Love Without Limits
A Mother’s Fight for a Special Child
Welcome to Holland

4. ON MOTHERHOOD
Mom’s the Word
Motherhood--A Trivial Pursuit?
Art 101
A Mother’s Letter to a Son Starting Kindergarten
Tale of a Sports Morn
No More Oatmeal Kisses

The Signs of Advanced Momhood
Forever, For Always, and No Matter What!
The Quiet Hero
Breaking in Baby
When a Child Goes Off to College
Mother’s Helper
The Stepmother
I’d Rather

5. BECOMING A MOTHER
Joy to the World
An Indescribable Gift
Motherwit
She Looks like Us
Mom
I Don’t Want a New Baby
Out of Our Hands
A Treasure Without Price
The Chosen One

6. SPECIAL MOMENTS
The Day We Flew the Kites
Dance with Me
The Prognosis
The Family Dinner
Bouncing Back
My Daughter, My Teacher
The Broken Doll
A Child’s Vision
May Day
How Santa Knew
The Day I Was Too Busy
The Play’s the Thing
Swift Second
When Mother Came to Tea
Finding Her There

7. MIRACLES
Angel in Uniform
The Healing
Adopting a Dream
Honey, You’d Better Sit Down
A Promise on Mother’s Day
Mother and Child Reunion
After 40 Years
Four Angels

8. LETTING GO
Home Run for Mom
Remembering Will Have to Do

Celebrating My Mother
A Motherless Child
Robin
Letting Go
John
To Captain Candy and the Women Who Took to the Skies

9. A GRANDMOTHER’S LOVE
What’s a Grandmother?
I Was Born for This Job
Grandma’s Garden
Dinner Out
We Need a Rock

10. THANK YOU, MOM
Mama and Miss Jordan
When a Mother Blows Out 75 Candles
Six of the Seven Wonders of My World
Mailboxes
My Mother’s Riches
Just Plain Wrong
Great Lady
Acknowledgments