Amy Newmark's Blog - Posts Tagged "heartwarming"

Staring at the calendar I find it hard to believe that Christmas is just days away. I still have so much to do!

This time of year it's easy to get caught up in checking items off our to-do list... we forget to slow down and actually enjoy the holidays.

It reminds me of one of my favorite stories from our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Is in the Air :

In her story, Caroling My Cart Out, Melissa Cutrera was rushing through her errands with her young children in tow, two in the shopping cart and one trying to keep up at her side. As they raced down the aisles, she flung things into the cart and told them not to touch anything. She was stressed and not exactly feeling any holiday joy.

But then her five-year-old daughter started singing Christmas carols, and her seven-year-old chimed in. They were singing loudly, and Melissa was worried about what people would think of this chaotic scene.

It turned out the shoppers around them loved it. They were smiling and singing along. By the time they checked out and were making their way through the parking lot, Melissa was singing, too. She had found her Christmas spirit.

Happy Holidays!


Amy Newmark

Hey all you proud dog owners out there - did you know that National Dog Week is September 20 - 26?

What better way to celebrate than reading stories from our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Hilarious, Heroic, Human Dog .

There's something truly magical about our dogs — their natural joy, resilience, and protectiveness are so often combined with affection, intuition, courage, and just plain smarts. They keep us company, act as our therapists, and provide unconditional love. And they're so darn cute!

Here is a preview of one of my favorite stories from the book that talks about how our lovable canine companions can make even the most mundane tasks more fun!

In her story "Drive-Thru Dog" C. L. Nehmer has a Beagle named Lulu who loves to go for rides, sitting right next to her human mom. She knows exactly where they’ll be going on their errand days, with the first stop being the coffee shop drive-thru, which always has a puppy cup of cream ready for her. At the next stop, the bank, Lulu greets the bank tellers and knows there will be a dog biscuit tucked into the cash envelope that comes through the chute. Lulu knows to stay in the car at the gas station and minimart and then comes her favorite stop: the school.

At school, Lulu collects lots of pets and scratches behind her ears as the kids stream by the open car window. And then she performs her important task: licking her own small humans hello when they climb into the back seat. That done, she joins human mom in the front seat again.

Her human mom says, “Even though it was just an ordinary day, Lulu’s company made it special. There’s no one I’d rather be running errands with. Rain or shine, any time she hears the clatter of my keys or the tread of my shoes in the back hall, she’s ready to go. A car ride wouldn’t be the same without my faithful companion.”

Enjoy!

Amy Newmark