As Carl Rogers taught, ‘That which is most personal is most general.’ These beautiful stories uniformly teach most of us at the personal level. They uplift and inspire and entertain and edify. As I love good quotation books, I love this book of stories.

Dr. Stephen R. Covey

Author, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

“Any ‘medicine’ that has side effects should have a warning label, and these Chicken Soup books are no exception. People who read them should be cautioned . . .

’WARNING—Reading this book will probably cause laughter, tears, lumps in the throat and a permanent increase in love, courage and personal responsibility.’

Jim Newman, CPAE

Author, Release Your Brakes!

“You can never get too much chicken soup, at least that’s what Mom always said. This second helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul is the kind of medicine that goes down easily . . . and leaves a warm and memorable feeling all day long.”

Harvey Mackay

Author, Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive

“Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen’s collection of stories in Soup has a wonderful blend of wisdom and insight, just a dash of foolishness and smiles, much more than a pinch of kindness, with enough warmth to light the corners of the gloomiest of hearts. It’s great fireside fare for folks who are happy, troubled, disheartened, sick, or anyone who watches Court TV. It’s nutritious for the soul and good for you. Try it twice each day and call me in the morning!”

Steve Allen, Jr., M.D.

Humorist, Author and Associate Dean for Student Affairs for the College of Medicine at the Health Science Center in Syracuse, NY.

This book is a deliciously enjoyable treat that takes you above the petty into the world of light, love . . . and possibility.

Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.

Author, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway and Dare to Connect

“With A 2nd Helping . . . Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield have struck gold again. There’s real take-home value in this one. I give it another perfect 10!”

Peter Vidmar

Olympic Gold Medalist in Gymnastics

Wonderful book . . . whenever I need a boost I take a ‘second helping.’ It warms my heart and lifts my spirits.

Robert Kriegel

Author, If It Ain’t Broke . . . Break It!

“Hearts will be warmed and free spirit will soar for those who read Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield’s Chicken Soup for the Soul.”

Al Neuharth

Founder, USA Today

Chicken Soup for the Soul is a priceless collection of powerful stories that will move you to look at your life anew. Each story broadens our perspective of what it means to be fully human and teaches us that greater love, courage and compassion can be part of our own story.

John Gray

Author, Men Are From Mars, Women Are from Venus and What Your Mother Couldn’t Tell You and Your Father Didn’t Know

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen are two of the few good, outstanding, giving, loving people alive.

Larry Wilde

America’s bestselling humorist—The New York Times

A 2nd Helping of

CHICKEN SOUP

FOR THE SOUL®

More Stories to

Open the Heart and

Rekindle the Spirit

Jack Canfield

and

Mark Victor Hansen

Backlist, LLC, a unit of

Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC

Cos Cob, CT

Contents

Dear Reader

Introduction

1. ON LOVE

The Circus Dan Clark

Shoes Author Unknown

Chase Bruce Carmichael

Rescue at Sea Dan Clark

A Life Worth Saving Author Unknown

The Two-Hundredth Hug Harold H. Bloomfield, M.D.

A Strawberry Malt and Three Squeezes, Please! Larry James

The Little Glass Chip Bettie B. Youngs

It Takes Courage Bill Sanders

Be Yourself Erik Oleson, Pam Finger

I Don’t Despair About Kids Today Hanoch McCarty, Ed.D.

The Flower Pastor John R. Ramsey

Practice Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty Adair Lara

Two Brothers Author Unknown

The Heart Raymond L. Aaron

Do It Now! Dennis E. Mannering

The Martyrdom of Andy Ben Burton

Heaven and Hell—The Real Difference Ann Landers

Grandmother’s Gift D. Trinidad Hunt

Angels Don’t Need Legs to Fly Stan Dale

He’s My Dad Author Unknown

What Goes Around Comes Around Les Brown

The Two-Dollar Bill Floyd L. Shilanski

The Ultimate Sacrifice Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

2. ON PARENTING

Dear World Avril Johannes

If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again Diane Loomans

Remember, We’re Raising Children, Not Flowers! Jack Canfield

He Is Just a Little Boy Chaplain Bob Fox

Will You, Daddy? Michael Foster

But You Didn’t Stan Gebhardt

Graduation, Inheritance & Other Lessons Bettie B. Youngs

My Father When I Was . . . Ann Landers

The Spirit of Santa Doesn’t Wear a Red Suit Patty Hansen

The Little Lady Who Changed My Life Tony Luna

10th Row Center Jim Rohn

The Annual Letters Raymond L. Aaron

The Baggy Yellow Shirt Patricia Lorenz

The Gift John Catenacci

She Remembered Lisa Boyd

Rescued Author Unknown

Little Eyes Upon You Author Unknown

3. ON DEATH AND DYING

Go into the Light Donna Loesch

Suki . . . A Best Friend for All Reasons Patty Hansen

A Chaplain’s Gift Dawn Philips

Remembering Ms. Murphy Beverly Fine

A Young Girl Still Dwells Phyllis McCormack

A Final Goodbye Mark Victor Hansen

Do It Today! Robert Reasoner

An Act of Kindness for a Broken Heart Meladee McCarty

See You in the Morning John Wayne Schlatter

Love Never Leaves You Stanley D. Moulson

The Prettiest Angel Ralph Archbold

4. A MATTER OF ATTITUDE

Discouraged? Jack Canfield

A Place to Stand Dr. Charles Garfield

The Window George Target

The Optimist Author Unknown

Millie’s Mother’s Red Dress Carol Lynn Pearson

Attitude—One of Life’s Choices Bob Harris

5. ON LEARNING AND TEACHING

The Magic Pebbles John Wayne Schlatter

We’re the Retards Janice Anderson Connolly

A Scoutmaster Saves the Day Walter MacPeek

What’s Happening with Today’s Youth? Marlon Smith

Cipher in the Snow Jean Tod Hunter

A Simple Touch Nancy Moorman

Adam Patty Merritt

Miss Hardy H. Stephen Glenn

As a Man Soweth Mike Buettell

6. LIVE YOUR DREAM

A Small Boy John Magliola

A Little Girl’s Dream Jann Mitchell

A Salesman’s First Sale Rob, Toni and Nick Harris

Let’s Walk Through the Garden Again Raymond L. Aaron

Keep Your Goals in Sight Author Unknown

The Cowboy’s Story Larry Winget

Why Wait? . . . Just Do It! Glenn McIntyre

7. OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

Consider This Jack Canfield

Thirty-Nine Years—Too Short—Too Long—Long Enough Willa Perrier

Nothing But Problems Ken Blanchard

Angels Never Say Hello! Dottie Walters

Why Do These Things Have to Happen? Lilly Walters

The Finest Steel Gets Sent Through the Hottest Furnace John Wayne Schlatter

The Race D.H. Groberg

After a While Veronica A. Shoffstall

Summit America Lisa Manley

An Undiscovered Masterpiece Charles A. Coonradt

If I Could Do It, You Can Too! Art Linkletter

What Happened? Author Unknown

Let There Be Peace Gentle Spaces News

8. ECLECTIC WISDOM

Wisdom Author Unknown

Napoleon and the Furrier Steve Andreas

Footprints Margaret Fishback Powers

Through a Child’s Eyes Dee Dee Robinson

A Sense of a Goose Author Unknown

I Know He Goes to War Dr. Barry L. McAlpine

The Bike Ride Author Unknown

Who Is Jack Canfield?

Who Is Mark Victor Hansen?

Contributors

Permissions

Dear Reader

I am here for you. When you are lonely or feel isolated, seek my companionship. When you are filled with doubt and your self-confidence seems to be a distant memory, look to my light. When confusion and chaos appear to reign supreme in your life, listen to my wisdom. As your grandparents used chicken soup to restore health to your body, I am here to give life to your soul. My insights into family and love will guide you out of the caverns of your solitude. My stories of courage and fortitude will strengthen your resolve.

My recipe contains a strong dose of inspiration offered by those who have faced mountains of challenge, only to overcome and stand above them among the clouds and stars. Your entire system will vibrate with new energy and lightness as you consume large quantities of humor, as you struggle to share your gifts with a world in need. Tales of the champions, the heroes and the heroines who have gone before you, will give new energy to your step and vitality to your dreams. Great thoughts uttered by the wisest of souls will break the shackles of fear that hold you in bondage. Above all, I offer you the vitamin of vision—the vision of your future filled with joy, victory, happiness, health, prosperity, companionship and love. I am Chicken Soup for the Soul.

John Wayne Schlatter

Introduction

The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.

Muriel Ruckeyser

From our hearts to yours, we are delighted to offer you A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul. This book contains 101 stories that we believe will inspire and motivate you to love more unconditionally, live with more passion and pursue your heartfelt dreams with more conviction. It will sustain you in times of frustration and failure and comfort you in times of pain and loss. It will become a lifetime companion offering support and wisdom whenever you need it.

You are about to embark on a wonderful journey. This book is different from other books you have read. At times it will touch you at the depths of your being. At other times it will transport you to new levels of love and joy. Our first Chicken Soup for the Soul book was so powerful that nonreaders reported that they read the entire book cover to cover. We wondered how this could be possible. They told us that the love energy, the inspiration and the tears and cheers for their soul captivated them and motivated them to read on.

I am only ten and I love this book. It’s amazing that I love this book. I used not to read, but now I read, read and read.

Ryan O.—4th grade

How to Read This Book

This book could be read all at once in one sitting; however, we don’t recommend it. We suggest that you slow down, take your time, savor it like a fine wine—one sip at a time. Each little sip will give you a warm glow, a tingling spirit and a radiant countenance. You will find that each story will nourish your heart, mind and soul in a different way. We invite you to surrender to the process and to give yourself enough time to digest each story. If you rush through them, you may miss the deeper meanings that lie beneath the surface. Each story contains a great deal of life wisdom and experience.

Having received thousands of letters from readers describing how the book affected their lives, we are more convinced than ever that stories are one of the most potent tools we can use to transform our lives. Stories speak directly to our subconscious mind. They lay down blueprints for living a better life. They offer practical solutions to our everyday problems and model creative behavior that works. They heal our wounds and remind us of the grandest aspects of our nature. They lift us out of our habitual day-to-day lives and awaken us to infinite possibilities. They inspire us to do and be more than we originally thought possible.

Share These Stories with Others

You may have tangible wealth untold,

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.

Richer than I you could never be;

I know someone who told stories to me.

Cynthia Pearl Maus

Some of the stories you read will move you to share them with a loved one or a friend. When a story really touches you to the depths of your soul, close your eyes ever so briefly and ask yourself, Who needs to hear this story right now? Someone you care about may come to mind. Take the time to go to them or call them and share the story with them. You will get something even deeper for yourself from sharing the story with someone you care about. Consider the following from Martin Buber:

A story must be told in such a way that it constitutes help in itself. My grandfather was lame. Once they asked him to tell a story about his teacher. And he related how his teacher used to hop and dance while he prayed. My grandfather rose as he spoke, and he was so swept away by his story that he began to hop and dance and show how the master had done. From that hour on he was cured of his lameness. That’s how to tell a story!

Consider sharing these stories at work, at church, synagogue or temple, and at home with your family. After sharing, discuss how the story affected you and why you were drawn to share it with them. And most important, let these stories inspire you to share your own stories.

Reading about, telling and listening to each others’ stories can be very transformational. Stories are powerful vehicles that release our unconscious energies to heal, to integrate, to express and to grow. Hundreds of readers have told us about how the first book of Chicken Soup stories opened a floodgate of human emotions and facilitated deep family and group sharings. Family members started recalling and relating important experiences in their lives and began to bring those to the dinner table, the family meeting, the classroom, the support group, the church fellowship and even the workplace.

One of the most valuable things we can do to heal one another is listen to each other’s stories.

Rebecca Falls

One teacher in Pennsylvania had her fifth-grade class collaborate to write their own Chicken Soup for the Soul book with moving stories from their own lives. Once the book was written and compiled, it was duplicated and circulated. It had a profound impact on both the students and their parents.

A manager at a Fortune 500 company told us she has started every staff meeting for a year with a story from Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Ministers, rabbis, psychologists, counselors, trainers and support group leaders have been beginning and ending their sermons and their sessions with stories from the book. We encourage you to do this too. People are hungry for this nurturance for the soul. It takes so little time and can have such a lasting impact.

We also encourage you to begin telling your stories to those around you. People may need to hear your story. As several stories in this book will point out, it may even save someone’s life.

Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light.

Albert Schweitzer

There have been many people who have rekindled our lights over the years, and we are grateful to them. We hope that, in some small way, we will be part of rekindling your light and blowing it into a bigger flame. If we do, then we have been successful.

We would love to hear about your reaction to this book. Please write to tell us how these stories affect you. We also invite you to become part of our network of upliftment. Please send us any stories and poems you think we should include in future volumes of Chicken Soup for the Soul. See page 313 for our address. We look forward to hearing from you. Until then . . . may you enjoy reading A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul as much as we have enjoyed compiling, editing and writing it.

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

1

ON LOVE

Life is a song—sing it.

Life is a game—play it.

Life is a challenge—meet it.

Life is a dream—realize it.

Life is a sacrifice—offer it.

Life is love—enjoy it.

Sai Baba

9780757397493_0023_001

CALVIN AND HOBBES© Watterson. Reprinted with permission of Universal Press Syndicate. All rights reserved.

The Circus

That best portion of a good man’s life, His little, nameless, unremembered acts Of kindness and of love.

William Wordsworth

Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. You could tell they didn’t have a lot of money. Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, elephants and other acts they would see that night. One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It promised to be a highlight of their young lives.

The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, You’re my knight in shining armor. He was smiling and basking in pride, looking at her as if to reply, You got that right.

The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, Please let me buy eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.

The ticket lady quoted the price.

The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man’s lip began to quiver. The father leaned a little closer and asked, How much did you say?

The ticket lady again quoted the price.

The man didn’t have enough money.

How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?

Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father reached down, picked up the bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket.

The man knew what was going on. He wasn’t begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking, embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad’s eyes, took my dad’s hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied, Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family.

My father and I went back to our car and drove home. We didn’t go to the circus that night, but we didn’t go without.

Dan Clark

Shoes

As Gandhi stepped aboard a train one day, one of his shoes slipped off and landed on the track. He was unable to retrieve it as the train was moving. To the amazement of his companions, Gandhi calmly took off his other shoe and threw it back along the track to land close to the first. Asked by a fellow passenger why he did so, Gandhi smiled. The poor man who finds the shoe lying on the track, he replied, will now have a pair he can use.

Author Unknown

First quoted in The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes

Chase

There was a definite quiver in Chase’s lower lip as he followed his mother down the long, descending sidewalk to the parking lot at the orthodontist’s office. This was going to be the worst summer of any that the 11-year-old boy had known. The doctor had been kind and gentle with him, but the time had come for him to face the reality that he would be fitted with braces to correct a misalignment of his teeth. The correction would hurt, he couldn’t eat hard or chewy foods, and he thought he would be made fun of by his friends. No words passed between the mother and son as they drove back to the small, country home. It was only 17 acres, but it was a sanctuary for one dog, two cats, a rabbit and a multitude of squirrels and birds.

The decision to have Chase’s teeth corrected had been a difficult one for his mother, Cindy. Having been divorced for five years, she was the sole provider for her young son. Little by little, she had saved up the $1,500 required to have the teeth corrected.

Then one sunny afternoon, the person she cared for the most, Chase, fell in love. Chase and his mother had gone to visit the Rakers, who were old family friends, at their farm about 50 miles away. Mr. Raker took them out to the barn and there she was. She held her head high as the trio approached. Her light mane and tail rippled on a gentle breeze. Her name was Lady, and she was everything a beautiful mare should be. She was saddled, and Chase had his first taste of horsemanship. There was an instant attraction, which seemed to be mutual.

She is for sale, if you want to buy her, Mr. Raker had told Cindy. For $1,500 you get the mare, all the papers on her and the horse trailer to haul her. For Cindy, it was a big decision. The $1,500 she had saved would fix Chase’s teeth or buy Lady for Chase, but it wouldn’t do both. Finally, she determined that getting the braces was the best long-term decision for Chase. It was a tearful decision for both mother and son. But Cindy promised to take Chase to the Raker farm to see Lady and ride her as often as they could.

Chase reluctantly began his long torturous course of treatment. With little courage and a low tolerance for pain, Chase submitted himself for the impressions, fittings and never-ending tightening of the expanders. He gagged, cried and pleaded, but the orthodontic correction went ahead. The only shining moments of Chase’s life that summer came when his mother took him to ride Lady. There, he was free. Horse and rider would go galloping into the big pastures and into a world that

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