Table of Contents

Dedication v Foreword xiii
1 Is This the End... or the Beginning?
1 A Little Clump of Dirt Mary Mason 1
2 Revelation Melinda Stiles 5
3 The Little Pink House John E. Schlimm II 7
4 The Gut Speaks Angela Chiaro 10
5 The Toolbox Mia Gardner 13
6 A Win-Win Situation Beanie Baldwin 17
7 Home Is Where Your Heart Lives J. P. Shaw 20
8 Disconnecting Vera Jacobs 22
9 The Heart Knows Best Kiera Peltz 25
10 Repossession Annemarie Wagner 28
11 An End Is Also a New Beginning Carol Randolph 32
2 Forgiving and Letting Go
12 Forgiveness Is a Choice Katherine Van Hook 39
13 Fixing Things According to Sadie Laurence Mitchell 41
14 Baking Away Bitterness Linda Fitzjarrell 44
15 Thank You for Leaving Joyce Zymeck 47
16 Thoughts on Love and Forgiveness Becky Povich 52
17 Much Too Loved HJ Eggers 55
18 Close Encounter of the Healing Kind Jenna Romano 58
19 Flower Power Elaine Ernst Schneider 61
20 Taking the Plunge Bobbie Cheshire 63
21 Wedded Bliss Maggie Kelly 67
3 It's Over... and We're Still Friends
22 Doing Divorce Nancy Madsen-Ostinato 73
23 The Second Half of Forever Cynthia Briggs 76
24 I Have a Step-Wife Christa B. Allan 79
25 Full Circle Andrea Langworthy 82
26 Graduating with My Three Husbands Zoe Alvarez 84
27 End of the Marriage, not "The End" Bettye Martin-McRae 88
28 Growing Up Arlene Aoki 92
29 Unless Death Part Us Anna Bern 95
30 When He Looked Like James Dean Theresa Elders 98
31 Christmas Lights Lynn Berroteran 101
32 Divorce is Not an End Clarissa Moon 105
4 A Broken Family but Not Broken Hearts
33 Loving Your Way Through Divorce Steve Hern 111
34 Trading Places Marcy Darin114
35 A Mother Bear in Court Pam Bostwick 117
36 The "D" Word Amber Lutz 122
37 You Can Do This Sachiko Iwanaga 124
38 A True Mother Sonja Herbert 126
39 Breathe Laurie Max 128
40 Patch Work Victoria Fedden 132
41 No Regrets Christine Smith 136
42 A Little Child Shall Lead Them Betty King 139
43 The Gift Joel Schwartzberg 142
44 Lies Your Mother Told You Patty Hansen 145
5 Special Moments and Everyday Miracles
45 What Should I Do? Virginia McCormack 151
46 Just Like a Real Mother Grant Madden 154
47 Not Alone Sharon Norris Elliott 157
48 Without Ever Knowing Betty King 160
49 Stickers for His Dad Catherine Armstrong 162
50 For a Lifetime T'Mara Goodsell 165
51 A Bear with a Badge Welby O'Brien 167
52 Photo Album Emily Kate Capeles 170
53 A Living Miracle Renee P. Evie Mack 172
54 The Last Time Shirley Neal 175
55 A Christmas Eve Miracle Michele Cushatt 178
6 Life on the Front Burner-Now, It's All About Me!
56 Flashes of Brilliance Lynn Kinnaman 185
57 Warrior Heather McGee 187
58 Climbing Diamond Head G. M. Lee 190
59 Divorced and the Envy of Them All Mary Alice Pritchard 194
60 Million Dollar Mermaid Rob Williams 197
61 Jack and Jannie Dawn Smith Heaps 202
62 A Sign of Hope Dayle Allen Shockley 207
63 Clarity Heather McGee 209
64 Journey to Peace Marie Williams 212
65 Sleeping Alone Christine Bush 217
66 The Journey Home Kathleen Gerard 220
67 That's Life. Live It. Feel It Joy Summers 224
7 New Fish in the Dating Pond
68 A Match Made in Mud Karen R. Hessen 231
69 Gone to the Dogs Rick Moore 234
70 The Perfect Match? Marie Williams 236
71 Love Was Just a Phone Call Away Debbie Gill 238
72 Six Simple Words Melinda L. Wentzel 242
73 Dating and the Single Mom Joanne Palmer 244
74 Team Fix-It Samantha Ducloux Waltz 247
75 The Dating Game Brenda Crawford 251
76 A Kid's Perspective Dorothy M. Clifton 254
77 Post-Divorce Dating Linda O'Connor 256
78 Single, With Children Elizabeth Breau 260
79 My First Love Deborah Batt 263
8 You and Me... and Kids, Too?
80 No Furniture Jeannette Cezanne 271
81 My Ex-Husband's Wedding Maggie Kelly 274
82 Father's Day Tracy Gulliver 278
83 One "Step" at a Time Patricia Holdsworth 281
84 Third Time's a Charm Cinda T. Crawford 282
85 Bringing Up Amy Jenny Austin 285
86 An Adjusted Fit Linda Hanson 288
87 Never Letting Go Amber Frazier 290
88 Isaac's New Family Megan Venner 292
9 New Insights and Ageless Wisdom
89 Lessons in Divorce Catherine Graham 297
90 Listen to the Woman Kenneth Williams 299
91 Divorce Is Like a Cake Arlene Uslander 303
92 Me and the Money in the Middle Madison James 307
93 Tick Tock B.J. Taylor 311
94 Lessons from the Lake Monica Giglio 314
95 The Little Family That Melted Away Terry McManus 319
96 An Unmarked Path Jolie Kanat 323
97 Still Loved Karissa Porter 326
98 A Little Cheat Sheet for Grief Laurie Perry 329
99 The First Thing I Did After My Divorce Was Final Was Various Authors 332
100 Buying a Ticket to Life Tena Beth Thompson 338
101 Write Your Relationship in Pencil Linda O'Connell 341 Meet the Contributors 349 Who is Jack Canfield? 365 Who is Mark Victor Hansen? 367 Who is Patty Hansen? 369 Acknowledgments 373 More Chicken Soup 376