Chicken Soup for the Soul released!

September 22, 2009 in: Writing

Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Dog releases today nationwide.

Open it up and there on page 188 is my story “Being A True Buddy.”  I got my free copies yesterday and it was quite a thrill.

I shared a copy with my neighbor lady,  a fellow dog lover with a Yorkie named Duke. She called after she had read it. “You didn’t tell me it would make me cry!” she admonished.

Then she asked if that was a true story. Absolutely. That made it even sadder, she said.

It was, indeed, a miserably sad day when Buddy died. I cried like a baby, even though I was 32 years old. It came at the end of a period that had been very difficult personally. I remember feeling as though I had reached rock bottom and would live the rest of my life there.

But, what do you know! God who is rich in mercy shone a ray of sunshine into the dark corners of my heart. Hope was restored and blessings I never expected have been poured into my life.

As I unpacked the Chicken Soup books and received congratulations from friends, I thought how the blessings of this story were born out of such a sad time. I needed that reminder. The last two months, although not as severe as a few years ago, have been draining. At times, I wondered if my heart was destined to dwell in the sadness. I believe, though, that just as before God will use this to bring about something wonderful.

Rock bottom hurts, but to the Master Engineer, it is a solid foundation on which to build His glory.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2