Introduction. 1. ON LOVE The Healing Power of Love How Much Love Can You Fit in a Shoebox? Discretion Is the Better Part of Marriage You Do It Quiet Blue Christmas A Hand to Hold Daisys Trip Lilies of the Valley The $325 Salvation The Kindness of Strangers Los Angeles Gets It Together A Simple Act Hope My Fathers Gift Sprite First-Day Employee First Night Missing Pieces A Christmas Adoption Miracle The Storyteller My Second Proposal The Swordsman 2. ON PARENTING Rebuilding a Stairway to Heaven The Bus Doesnt Stop Here Anymore Crossing Over Through the Years Loading with My Chin Why Monks Sit in the Snow Making Room for Shooting Stars My Favorite Fathers Day Dear Old Dad My Name Is Mommy Mikeys Goal One Rose Can I Come with You? A Daughters First Dance Love Notes Rite of Passage Wishes for My Daughter The Handwriting on the Wall Leftover Halloween Candy 3. ON DEATH AND DYING Grammas Blanket from Heaven Homer and the Racing Car Seeing Around the Comer My Mothers Eyes My Dad Whistling Pete Legacy of Love The Wave Game Season of Miracles The Gift of Joy The Gift Mr. Michael Teds Big Production 4. ON TEACHING AND LEARNING Wrestling The Cage Dont Touch Me Two Little Boys Named Chris Big Heart A Touch of Lemon The Dustpan Carrier The Influence of the Insignificant A Neighbor Ill Never Forget 5. OVERCOMING OBSTACLES Everyday Heroes Weep with Those Who Weep Sandy, I Cant Perfectly Normal The Pony Consider This Casting a New Mold for Heroes Around Angels All The Bicycle 6. LIVE YOUR DREAM A Glass of Lemonade From Hodgkins to Ironman The First Step I Promise, Mama A "Real" Beautiful Person This Is Not a Permanent Situation The Confidence Course Twenty Things You Should Do in This Lifetime 7. A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE My Dream House and My Boy The Tattooed Child Coat of Many Colors When Social Security Speaks Never Give Up The Little Leaguer Ill Never Forget Hold On to Your Hair! Memories and Laughs Make Mine Vanilla 8. ECLECTIC WISDOM Write Your Own Life Nice Timing Take Some Time The Movers and the Gentleman Old Wives Tales The Runaways The Journey of Success Acknowledgments