New Chicken Soup for the Soul Podcast!

Amy Newmark, the publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, has started a series of inspirational podcasts. Each one will highlight a different Chicken Soup for the Soul book and story. A new podcast will be available each weekday starting February 22nd and they can be downloaded for free the same way that you get other podcasts.

If you are new to podcasts, you may be surprised to learn you already have a podcast button on your smartphone. You can listen to podcasts on your phone, your computer, or your iPad or other tablet. To find the Chicken Soup for the Soul podcast, just search within iTunes or your particular podcast app.

The podcasts are about six or seven minutes long, Monday–Thursday, and they provide entertaining stories as well as great advice and easy-to-implement tips to improve your life. On Fridays, publisher Amy Newmark will ask one of our co-authors or contributors to join her for a longer podcast — about fifteen minutes.

Here’s the rundown of the first week of the podcast:

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY	Be Kind of Yourself	[story by Sara Matson]
TIP TUESDAY	A Smile Is a Boomerang	[story by Cristy Trandahl]
WOW WEDNESDAY	Impossible Love	[story by Sharon Graham]
THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY	From Dumpster Dog to Service Dog	[story by Kathryn Bales]
FRIEND FRIDAY	Supermodel EMME Joins Amy to Talk Self-Esteem, Body Image, and Curvy Women

 

Happy Listening!

I’m a Poet (poem)

I see pride all around me
Though I’m often quite confused
About the variety of reasons
For which the word is used.

Some are proud of country
And some are proud of race.
Others are proud just because
They have an attractive face.

But what do all these things say
About a person’s actual worth?
What point is there in being proud
Of an accident of birth?

I know this may sound nasty.
Who knows, I may be out of touch
But to be proud of a thing like race,
One must not have accomplished much.

I could say I’m “white” and “American”
but what on earth does that prove?
The only thing that matters
In this life is what I DO.

The only thing that matters
Is the kindness that I show
And the work that I contribute
To help myself and others grow.

When I wander through a graveyard
And read inscriptions on the stones,
I see only words of love and praise
Written in rich, poetic tones.

There’s no mention of nationality
Or of looks or wealth or race.
Those things don’t seem to mean much
In a hallowed, spiritual place.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my country
And that can never be undone
But it makes more sense to measure
Who I am by what I’ve done.

For when my heart stops beating
And my time on earth is through,
The only thing strong enough to last
Will be the loving deeds I do.

What is it then, you ask, that makes
My life wealthy and well-spent?
The greatest joy I know are poems
Which, into this world, I’ve sent.

To know that some small words I wrote
Have eased a troubled, aching heart.
There is no greater feeling.
There is no greater art.

And maybe someday, years from now,
In some far-off place and time,
Some traveler will find my grave
And brush away the leaves and grime.

He’ll kneel down in the grass,
Lay his hand on the cold stone
And say, “I came here to thank you.
You made me feel much less alone.”

I suppose that’s why I struggle
To find the right words to say –
To be like the poets who guided me
When I had lost my way.

So I’ll keep on writing poetry
Until my life is through at last,
And I’m honored that they’ll be read
Centuries after I have passed.

And if you ask me what I’m proud of,
I won’t hesitate. I know it.
I’ll say it loud and clear, my friend –
“I’m a writer. I’m a poet.”

(c) 2006 Mark Rickerby

Twitter Launch Party for new Chicken Soup for the Soul book about dogs!

Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

Chicken Soup for the Soul is having a Twitter Book Launch Party for their new book, “My Very Good / Very Bad Dog.” (My story, The Rainbow Bridge, is in it.) These parties are a tradition Chicken Soup for the Soul started in the fall of 2015 for each new book. The parties have proven to be a lot of fun and very well attended.

Please join our publisher Amy Newmark and foreword writer Robin Ganzert, President of American Humane Association, on Wednesday, February 17^th at 3:00 Eastern time to  discuss this fun, new book and meet the contributors. Contributors will share photos of the dogs that star in their stories as they discuss them.

Here are the details again –

Date: Wednesday, February 17, 2015

Time: 3 PM Eastern time (12 Pacific time) for one hour

Hashtag: #VeryGoodDog

 It’s easy even if you’ve never done this before. Just go on Twitter your normal way and then click on the search function using the magnifying glass. Type in hashtag #VeryGoodDog so that you can see all the tweets at the party. And be sure to include #VeryGoodDog in all the tweets that you post. That way we all see everyone else’s posts. It’s like a big cocktail party conversation.

Share: We would be thrilled if you would invite your family and friends to participate.

In the meantime, you can follow @chickensoupsoul @amynewmark @RobinGanzert and @AmericanHumane on Twitter to read the pre-party buzz!