Recipes for Enchantment: The Secret Ingredient is You!
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PRAYING
Learning From Street Children
Marilyn Rocky, Chairman and Director of Project Hope, tells a wonderful story about two street children she met when she was in Brazil on business.
She and a colleague, out for dinner, found themselves walking through Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana – a famous tourist beach which is also home to thousands of street children who come to beg and sell trinkets. They noticed two malnourished boys, about six and eight, begging on the street. Both were thin and had skin disorders clearly associated with poor nutrition. "My colleague and I decided to invite these children to come with us to an outdoor café so we could buy them a meal," Marilyn says. "Because neither of us spoke Portuguese, we just gestured, and they understood. Smiling and excited, they came with us."
"Clearly, the other patrons and waiters were not happy to see these little boys. But we insisted that they sit with us. Each of he boys ordered a plate of spaghetti and an orange soda. Then they waited patiently until the food came, which took quite some time."
Marilyn and her friend, hungry after a long day of work, couldn't wait to dig in. But the boys stopped them, gesturing for the women to wait. Confused, they watched as each boy put his head down, put his hands together in prayer, and said grace. Marilyn and her friend looked at each other in awe. "It was such a humbling moment," Marilyn recalls. "These are kids who struggle every day to survive, yet their own spirituality was more important than food."
Feeling uplifted, she and her friend joined the boys in saying grace and when it was over, they all dived into the food, enjoying every bite.
How Can You Relate To This Story?
What a sacred moment in time these little street boys were able to provide for Marilyn and her friend! How humbling it was for them to be mentored by children who own nothing, and who are chronically hungry, yet still honor the Divine.
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Can you think of a time in your life when you were suddenly jarred out of complacency or indifference by another person or living creature who helped regain a state of grace? Sometimes a beloved dog or cat who accepts us even when we're in a bad mood can help us realize how insular we are and how far from the divine path we have strayed.
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About the Book
Come meet a street child from Brazil who profoundly influenced, for the good, a sophisticated American woman. Read about Sal, a soldier almost fatally wounded but miraculously saved by love letters. Meet Joey, the little boy, who was so sick with cancer that his family was giving up, who suddenly took a turn for the better because a teacher simply did her job. Yes, be inspired by all these people you will meet in these inspirational stories that prove that positive actions really make a difference. Following each story take the opportunity to journal, dream, and think through how you can make positive changes in your life, guaranteed to result in your personal RECIPE FOR ENCHANTMENT! RECIPES FOR ENCHANTMENT, The Secret Ingredient is You! is a culmination of over ten years of work and research in the field of personal enchantment by Dr. Holstein. She teaches us how to recall positive memories, regardless of our history, recognize our potential and bring into our lives more of what gives us pleasure and joy. This is all combined with daily positive actions. Now we are "cooking" delicious days for ourselves, living a RECIPE FOR ENCHANTMENT. RECIPES FOR ENCHANTMENT, The Secret Ingredient is You! is a breakthrough book combining psychology/self-help with inspiration. Psychology/self-help activities are beautifully interwoven with inspirational stories. Dr. Barara Becker Holstein is well known as a "positive" psychologist. She is busy in the media and on the internet always teaching us to look for what's right about ourselves, rather than what's wrong. Dr. Holstein is passionate about teaching us how to live lives of joy and meaning. We need only learn the most basic recipe: incorporate within our daily live positive actions, combined with our unique positive thoughts and feelings! The rest will take care of itself as if by magic!
About the Author
Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein is a nationally known leader in Positive Psychology. Her first book, THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy, challenged outdated psychological behaviors and attitudes. It taught clinicians and the public how to recognize what is right about each of us rather than what is wrong. Her emphasis on positive memory retrieval profoundly changed the focus of the treatment room. Now we can joyfully reclaim our talents and lost potential, even from a dysfunctional past. Joy and discovering our purpose in life are essential to all of Dr. Holstein's teachings. She educates the public in ways to increase the joy in one's life. She eagerly shares her knowledge with the public via her constant radio and television appearances. Also, her newsletters go around the world both via the post and e-mail. Her website, www.enchantedself.com , is a clearing house of good news and learning opportunities. The public can go to this site to practice enchantment while reading positive stories from readers around the world. Dr. Holstein knows that practice is essential to live a life of joy and meaning. Thus, she gives the reader the opportunity to use each story in RECIPES FOR ENCHANTMENT, The Secret Ingredient is You! as a springboard for the enticing soul searching necessary to become in touch with one's unique gifts and how best to use them, thus creating the personal "magic" of an enchanted life. Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein is available for media interviews, teleconferences, and hands on workshops, lectures and personal coaching. She can be reached at 1-877-BJOYFUL. Her website is www.enchantedself.com and her e-mail address is encself@aol.com. In Phoenix and Providence listen to THE ENCHANTED SELF, hosted by Dr. Holstein on AM radio, 1100 AM in Phoenix and 950 AM in Providence.