Amy Newmark's Blog - Posts Tagged "inspirational"

We’ve all experienced it — you lose a loved one and find yourself constantly looking for a connection with them, searching for reassurances that they are still “okay.”

The writers who have shared their stories in our book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Messages from Heaven and Other Miracles , have lost parents, friends, siblings, even children, and have been comforted by messages and signs from their loved ones. They opened their hearts… and so can you… here’s how:

Expect the impossible.
Linda Kinnamon, a nurse, loved her patient Julie, a young mother dying from lung cancer. She was so sad when she had to call her family one night to come and say goodbye. When Linda returned to work two days later she was astounded to find that Julie was being discharged. Julie explained that she had found herself in heaven that night, but had asked for a little more time because she needed to do something for her two young daughters. “I’m not going to be here for any of their special moments, so I’m going to write letters. Sixteenth birthdays, graduations, weddings, whatever—I need to write down what I would say to them.” Julie got her wish. She went home and wrote her letters, and then she said goodbye for real.

Look for special signs that only you would understand.
Julie Rine Holderbaum’s husband Mike had worked in a job where he encountered hundreds of rubber bands every day. He used to bring home piles of rubber bands every day, and Julie got tired of the bagfuls he stashed in their closets. Unfortunately, Mike died very young, of cancer, when their daughter was just a toddler. Julie started finding rubber bands everywhere—the unusual big, thick kind that he used to bring home. Those rubber bands started showing up in the strangest places: in the middle of Times Square, on Julie’s mother’s dining-room table, on the deck of a cruise ship. Now, Julie loves those rubber bands. She says, “To me, rubber bands are beautiful. They are magical. They held the pieces of my broken heart together until it was healed enough to love again. And now, rubber bands remind me that even though people die, love never does.”

Ask for the reassurance that you need.
Connie Kaseweter Pullen had met Nancy when they were nine years old. Little did they know they would remain great friends for five decades after that. When Nancy’s mother called Connie with the news that her friend had terminal cancer, Connie rushed to her side. They spent the next two weeks together, and Nancy promised that she would do everything possible to reach out and let Connie know that she was still there for her. At the funeral, Connie whispered through her tears, “Nancy, I really need a hug from you!” Minutes later, the kind, elderly priest made his way over to Connie, wrapped his arms around her, and whispered, “Here’s a hug from Nancy.”

Amy Newmark

We learn so much from our feline friends, and along the way they keep us company, provide unconditional love, and share in the ups and downs of our lives.

What do we learn from them? Everything! Our cats make us better people. If we rescued them, they rescue us back. If we’re sad, they comfort us. If we need to have more fun, they show us how.

Here are two of my favorite stories from Chicken Soup for the Soul - Life Lessons From The Cat and the lessons learned from our feline friends!

Sometimes you have to love and let go.
E.E. King spent a lot of time at her aunt and uncle’s house, and played with their new cat, T, all summer. But when winter came around, T acted shocked. That cat hated snow and cold. The next summer, they played together again… until T disappeared on August 29th. The family searched everywhere, but the cat was gone—until he mysteriously reappeared on April 12th as if nothing had happened. He disappeared again the next August 29th, and again reappeared on April 12th, and he did the same thing for the next two years. The fifth time that August 29th came around, the family was ready. They followed T to a neighbor’s house where a silver trailer was parked. It turned out that T was hitching a ride to Florida every August, wintering there with the neighbors, and then returning to his first family in April. Everyone agreed that the cat should continue to have his summer family and his winter family.

Remember it takes two to make a fight.
Susan Yanguas adopted two kittens, sisters, because she didn’t have the heart to split them up. The two sisters were very different in coloring and disposition, and unfortunately they also developed quite a case of sibling rivalry. They were always squabbling and provoking each other. Susan found herself saying, “Why can’t you two just get along? You’re sisters!” And then she realized she sounded just like her mother. Susan started observing the cats’ fights and realized how much she and her sister acted the same way. She also watched how the cats made up with each other. Susan comments, “While I can’t say I now enjoy a perfectly harmonious relationship with my sister, adopting these two siblings has showcased the dynamics of antagonistic personalities for me. I’m reminded daily that it takes two to have an argument.”


Amy Newmark