Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul
Stories to fill your life with love, joy and gratitude
Jack Canfield Mark Victor
Hansen Mark & Chrissy Donnelly
Barbara De Angelis
Introduction
Love is the most powerful, magical force in the universe, and there is nowhere it displays its beauty and wonder more than in the intimate relationship between two people. We wrote Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul hoping to capture that mystery and wonder in words, words that will deeply touch and open your heart if you have ever been in love, or hope to be in love. This is a book for husbands and wives and lovers and anyone who dreams of finding their soul's true mate.
Some loves between two people endure a lifetime. Others are destined to only last for a while; then, the two lovers are separated, either by choice or by fate. But one thing is true: No matter what the outcome of a relationship, when love enters our lives, it never leaves without transforming us at the very depth of our being.
Each story in this book was written by someone who has been transformed by love. We were transformed when we read these stories, and our wish is that you will be, too. Perhaps some of the stories will help you renew the bond of trust and intimacy in your relationship, or better understand your partner; perhaps others will help you appreciate all of the ways love has enabled you to grow into a better human being; and still other stories will remind and reassure you that although love challenges
and blesses each of us in unique ways, you are never alone in what you go through.
What defines our intimate relationships? What signs should we look for to discover how love is revealing itself? The stories you will read answer these questions with insight and eloquence: Sometimes love reveals itself in the unmatched level of understanding and friendship we share with our mate and no one else. Sometimes it is in what is said, and sometimes, what is not said but deeply felt. Sometimes it is in the obstacles we must face together. Sometimes it is in how the joy we feel with our partner spills over to our children and family members. And sometimes it is in where the relationship takes us inside ourselves-places we would never go willingly; but for love, we will do anything.
Intimate relationships are also powerful teachers, as these stories illustrate so beautifully. They teach us to be compassionate, caring and forgiving. They teach us when to hold on more tightly, and when to let go. They give us the opportunity to develop great virtues such as courage, patience, loyalty and trust. When we allow them to, our relationships will show us all the ways we need to grow as a person. In this way, love will never enter our lives without changing us for the better.
There are moments when love can be experienced as quite ordinary, expressed in a simple smile of acceptance from your beloved. And in other moments, love seems utterly sublime, inviting you into new worlds of passion and oneness you've never known before. Like love itself, the stories in this book reflect every season and mood, and every color of emotion: sweet beginnings; challenging and deepening intimacy; moments of grief when we are forced to say good-bye to our soul mate; moments of astonishment when we rediscover a love we thought we'd lost.
Some stories will make you laugh. Some will make you cry. But above all, the stories in Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul pay tribute to love's ability to endure, beyond years, beyond difficulty, beyond distance, beyond even death.
There is no miracle greater than love. It is God's most precious gift to us. We offer this book as our gift to you. May it open your heart, uplift your mind, inspire your spirit, and be a sweet companion on your own heart's journey. And may your life always be blessed with love.
