
Chicken Soup for the Teen Soul: Real-Life Stories by Real Teens
400
Chicken Soup for the Teen Soul: Real-Life Stories by Real Teens
400Paperback(Original)
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Overview
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781623610807 |
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Publisher: | Backlist, LLC - a unit of Chicken Soup of the Soul Publishing LLC |
Publication date: | 08/28/2012 |
Series: | Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul |
Edition description: | Original |
Pages: | 400 |
Sales rank: | 267,542 |
Product dimensions: | 8.20(w) x 5.40(h) x 1.10(d) |
Age Range: | 13 - 17 Years |
About the Author
Mark Victor Hansen is a co-founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Hometown:
Santa Barbara, CaliforniaDate of Birth:
August 19, 1944Place of Birth:
Fort Worth, TexasEducation:
B.A. in History, Harvard University, 1966; M.A.T. Program, University of Chicago, 1968; M.Ed., U. of Massachusetts, 1973Website:
http://www.jackcanfield.comRead an Excerpt
1
Life Stories
Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments, and to live each is to succeed.
Corita Kent
Losing Tyler
Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
To the observer, we appear to be two average high-school students. He pores over a college guide, and I write my college application essay. Chewing on the end of my no. 2 pencil, I'm trying to think of words to live by. That's my topic.
My mind wanders, and so does my gaze, away from the blank page. I watch Tyler. His forehead creases slightly, and I know in a few seconds he'll snap his head slightly to the side to get his hair out of his face. Counting down—three, two, one . . . His head tosses back slightly to the left. It's mere habit now, since he cut his hair short months ago.
I also predict in a few seconds he'll swear in Gaelic. He does, and I laugh. It's one of those situations where you know the other person better than you know yourself. And, lately, I have found myself observing him more and more.
The expression on his face probably mirrors my own, our eyes filled with stress, frustration, and bewilderment. Where did the time go? Days seem to drag, but years pass quickly.
I rest my head in my hands and watch him. Words to live by still haven't come to me. I have known this person for twelve years. He's been my best friend since preschool; when I have a problem, I go right to him.
As I watch him, he coughs, and I worry. I almost ask him ifhe wants to go outside for some fresh air, but it was his idea to go to the library, so I say nothing. At first glance, he looks fine, perhaps a little tired. But I see the circles under his eyes and the holes he has punched in his belt because of the weight he's lost. That's the third new hole this month. Without looking up, he says, 'Stop staring at me.'
Without moving, I reply, 'I'm not.'
Once, when I was nine, I looked up cystic fibrosis in the dictionary: a common hereditary disease that appears in early childhood, involving generalized disorder of the exocrine glands, and a deficiency of pancreatic enzymes. As a nine-year-old, I was very confused. 'That's not what Tyler has,' I told my mother. 'He coughs a lot and doesn't like to eat. The doctors must be wrong.'
She just hugged me.
For almost as long as I can remember, Tyler has been sick. And it has always amazed me how positive he is. In turn, he's made me positive. I used to be convinced that a lung donor would show up, so sure the geneticists would find a miracle cure. But lately, as I watch him grow thinner and thinner, my positive feelings have turned into a facade, and I worry all the time.
I know he grows frustrated, too. Frustrated that he won't have the chance to do everything he wants to. Frustrated thinking he shouldn't go to college and waste his parents' money on an education he could die in the middle of.
Tyler's angry, too—at the world, at God, and, sometimes, even at me. After all, I'll get to do things he won't. But he would never admit this. In fact, he hides it well. Only I, who have known him so long, know these things.
I'm angry, too, but for selfish reasons. Soon, I'll have no one to talk to. No one will ever understand me the same way; I'm losing the best friend anyone could ever have. God is taking back the kindest, gentlest person I'll ever have the privilege of knowing.
And I still have to think of words to live by.
I feel a tear slide down the right side of my face, but make no move to wipe it away. I don't want him to look up and see me crying. I'm usually good at keeping in my tears, but he always knows.
He looks up. With his left thumb, he wipes away the tear and smiles at me—the same smile he gave me twelve years ago when he offered half a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich to the little girl across the table who had forgotten her lunch.
Tyler looks at the top of my blank page to where I have scrawled 'Words to Live By' and smiles again.
'Always remember, Lise, these words to live by: 'Our sincerest laughter with some pain is fraught'' [Percy B. Shelley].
Lisa Gauches
©2008. Lisa Gauches. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Chicken Soup for the Teen Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Stephanie H. Meyer, John Meyer. 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.
Table of Contents
Foreword Beverly Beckham xi
Introduction xiii
1 Life Stories
Losing Tyler Lisa Gauches 2
Bargaining with God Kelly Powell 5
Knowing When Meredith Caine 8
The Old Puzzle Emily Newick 12
So Over You Sharlyne Gan 16
I Sat with Nikki Micaela Golding 17
A Little Memorial Jason Jellies 20
Control Gulielma Fager 23
I Knew a Boy Anna Holmquist 27
Our Masterpiece Kerri Morrone 29
Five Minutes Jill Telford 32
What Doesn't Matter Clara Nguyen 34
2 Friendship
Safe for the Night Amanda Hager 36
Torrie, Jay, and Me Emily Carney 39
Leaning on Each Other Rebecca Bodfish 42
P.S. Never Forget Me Stephanie Skaluba 45
Stop! LEGO Thief! Patti Hulett 50
Mirror Image Meghan Heckman 53
I Closed My Eyes Annabel Murphy Schizas 57
Destroying the Bully Ann Virgo 60
Emily, the Soccer Star Suzanne Timmons 63
Friendly Training Lisa Kelly 67
Dear Amy AmyBeth Gardner 71
Obituary Kathleen McCarney 75
3 Facing Challenges
Still Handsome Julie White 78
His Last Smile Lyndsey Costello 81
Out of Love Julia Gudish 84
Saving My Brother Holly Hester 87
I was Twelve Tiffany Mitchell 89
The Best Haircut Ever Jessie Spellman 92
Apple Orchard Natascha Batchelor 95
Exit: My Hero Amanda Caryn O'Loughlin 99
One Tear for Bravery Ashley Johnston 103
Room 103 Courtney Kersten 106
Honey. Sweetie. Darling Jason Sherwood 108
4 Love Stories
It Was Real Stacy Boudreau 110
Nick Teresa Porter 114
My First Kiss Katie Zbydniewski 118
Sweetness Emma Bodnar 121
The Hole in My Heart Olivia King 123
Eye Candy Stephanie Rose Xavier 125
The Master Lion Tamer Jeff Yao 127
The First Dana Rusk 132
School Dance Adam Smith 133
Don Juan, Goldfish Lisa Kelly 136
Empty Love Olivia Godbee 140
Six O'Clock Now Joyce Sun 142
Back to Life George Newton 145
A Turtle-Shaped Box Daniel Bailey 147
5 Personal Hurdles
Weight of the Matter Christina Courtemarche 150
Spilled Coffee Emilee Castillo 152
Where Is Perfect? Allyson Klein 156
The Spigot AmyBeth Gardner 159
Crashing Over the Edge Annie Gaughen 163
A Forced Eruption Amie Barbone Powell 166
I Never Wanted to Hurt Them Lilly Aston 168
Six Minutes and Three Seconds Emily Scavarda 171
Sassy Amy Hochsprung Lawton 175
Empty V. L. Zinger 178
A Beard Steven Jones 181
6 Family Stuff
Car Talk Nicole Docteur 184
A Familiar Stranger Jamie Sarfeh 187
Leaving Dad Kimberly Burton 190
Maybe Tomorrow Kelly Jean Laubenheimer 193
The Greatest Man Andrea Nickerson 196
Fake Bonnie Tamarin 198
Happy with Nothing Clair Saeger 200
Dear Mom and Dad Kimberly Williams 203
The God in My Father Annie Xu 207
Portrait of My Brother Katie Weiss 210
Wedding Pictures Jessica Lin 211
7 Through the Generations
Holding On Kaidi Stroud 216
Her Gift Andrew G. Briggs 218
Gram Susan Landry 221
Christmas Cookies Helen Comber 222
When Grandparents Laugh Mariel Boyarsky 227
My Pepere Angie Forest 230
She Said Katherine Cincotta 232
Visiting Hours Are Over Megan Willman 233
Pancakes and Beethoven Sarah Miles Ryan 236
They Say It's a Hospital Renata Silberblatt 239
8 Fitting In
Bubble Trouble Valerie Gribben 242
The Longest Hallway Kendra Lider-Johnson 245
The Fat Kid David Gelbard 247
Cooking with Fire Moritz Mathias 251
Becoming a Goth Maria Adelmann 254
I'm Not Prejudiced, Am I? Aaron Shield 257
Still Me Inside Mai Goda 261
More Than a Wheelchair Mallory Dzubay 264
Race Matters Marquise Jones 268
9 Monumental Moments
Who Am I? Mary Buehler 272
Life in the Middle Lane Sara Cafarelli 274
The Making of a Man Rob Dangel 277
Titration Scott Molony 282
The Pond Jennifer Phelps 283
Polly Want a Cracker? Dominick Vargas 286
Reflection in the Skies Allison Briggs 289
Princesses Ashley Strickler 292
Raspberries Adam Kirshner 294
The Manual Jacqueline Miraglia 296
Who Is Jack Canfield? 299
Who Is Mark Victor Hansen? 300
Who Are Stephanie and John Meyer? 301
Contributors 302
Permissions 314