Chicken Soup for the Soul Love Stories: Stories of First Dates, Soul Mates, and Everlasting Love Book

Introduction xi

Turtledoves Erin McCarty xiii

1 How We Met

Finding Love Where You Least Expect It Sarah Smiley 2

A Change of Plans Carol Bryant 7

Taking the Time Samantha Waltz 11

My Soul Mate Michelle Lawson 16

Romance Amid Turmoil Manny Gold 21

The Deposit Slip Tracy Kirk Crump 26

Forever Smile Ray Duarte 30

Blessings from Above April Smith Carpenter 34

2 The Power of Love

A Legacy of Love J. Jody Wilcox 40

The New Odd Couple Harriet May Savitz 45

One Soul, Two Bodies Arthur Bowler 49

Valentine Cindy Hval 51

Second Honeymoon Magic Suzanne Baginskie 54

Milestones Dayle Allen Shockley 61

Never Thought Sabrina A. Taylor 65

My First and Last Roses Stephanie Ray Brown 66

3 Gratitude

A Hand to Hold Stefanie Wass 70

Gotcha! And I'm Glad Peggy Frezon 73

The Precious Package Joyce Stark 77

A Man Has to Play Hard to Get Sometimes Joan Clayton 80

What's in a Name? Emily Sue Harvey 84

Circle of Love Sallie A. Rodman 88

A Little Scrap of Paper David McAmis 91

Through the Years Becky Povich 94

4 Overcoming Obstacles

With This Ring? Ken McKowen 98

Now, That's Love Barbara LoMonaco 101

Till Death Do Us Part-Again! Eva Juliuson 104

Some Assembly Required Paul James 108

Waiting on Wyoming Kathleen Partak 113

Tough Decisions Samantha Waltz 116

Crown of Commitment Janet Perez Eckles 121

I Love You Stephanie Ray Brown 125

First Kiss Jaye Lewis 127

Beware the Setting Sun Helen Kay Polaski 131

From Paw to Hand Heather Cook Lindsay 135

5 Through the Eyes of a Child

A Kind of, Almost, Sort of, First Date Arlene Uslander 142

True Love! Katie Knight 146

Northern Tissue Curves Samantha Waltz 148

Daddy's Home! Emily Sue Harvey 153

First Comes Love Jacqueline Michels 157

The Kiss Ferida Wolff 159

A Gift from Heaven Alison Kay Kennedy 162

6 Insights and Lessons

The Beauty of a Dull Glow Trina Lambert 164

Love Is Easy; Married Is Hard Sharon Melnicer 167

When the Right One Comes Along Patricia Smith 170

Fireworks Allie M. Hill 176

My Love Story Helen Colella 178

A Babe in Boyland Nancy C. Anderson 181

Love at Sixty Is Different Carol Duncan Sweet 184

Finding My Husband Again Saralee Perel 187

Watching from a Doorway Robert D. Russell 190

Romance Samantha Waltz 192

Marriage with a Firm Foundation Betty King 196

Love Endures, After All These Years Dayle Allen Shockley 198

She Had His Heart JP Shaw 200

7 The Power of Giving

His Trail of Love Notes Sandra Nevarez 206

A Space of Her Own Nancy Harless 213

A Love Story About a Ring Saralee Perel 217

Presents of Mine Marie-Therese Miller 222

Piano Love Donna L. Hull 226

8 Special Moments

When the Heart Speaks Julia Burnett 230

The Last Dance Joyce Laird 232

Magical Moments at the Old Yard Swing R. Goulet 236

Vegetable or Fruit? Paul H. Karrer 239

Gone with the Summer Breeze Amanda English 242

Who's Kissing Whom Now? Terri Duncan 246

I Struck Gold Joan Clayton 249

My Johnny Angel Mary Ann Bennett-Olson 251

On Lunch and Love Stefanie Wass 254

Stairway to Heaven Helen Kay Polaski 257

Have We Met Before? Sallie A. Rodman 262

Soul Mates Karen E. Rigley 265

The Magic Rock Stephanie Ray Brown 266

Stop the Car! Sandra R. Bishop 269

Who Is Jack Canfield? 271

Who Is Mark Victor Hansen? 272

Who Is Peter Vegso? 273

Contributors 274

Permissions 282