When friends Meaghan Gonzales Wagar and Michelle Bulmer Atha experienced the pain of broken marriages at the same time they knew they could let despair and self-pity take over or they could take control of their lives and help others in the process. These Georgia school teachers chose to serve others. “The best opportunity for self-healing is diving in head first with any volunteer program you can find,” says Michelle. “Whether it is being a mentor to a new mother, sending flowers to someone who may just need some cheering up, driving a neighbor to a doctor’s appointment, or taking a hot meal to a widow alone on a week night, every little thing helps make a difference.”
Together Meaghan and Michelle, inspired by their own hurts and healing process, collaborated to write a fiction book “The Unexpected Gift“. “The Unexpected Gift” follows a single mother still seething from her divorce. When she delivers a box of outgrown baby clothes to a down-on-her-luck pregnant 18-year-old, an unlikely friendship is forged. The only thing these women seem to have in common is loneliness, but the two learn that the gift of friendship is the key ingredient for a richer, more fulfilling life. “It was therapeutic to write a story with a happy ending,” says Meaghan, who hopes women will relate to the story and be touched. “At just 150 pages, ‘The Unexpected Gift’ will be a welcome quick read for anyone feeling lonely.”
I read”The Unexpected Gift
You can win a copy of The Unexpected Gift
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Leave me a comment telling me about an event in your life that seemed bad or sad at first but turned out to be an Unexpected Gift.
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This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end at 10:15pm EDT on 8/31/09.
I had a very difficult experience that extended over a period of years. I had some health issues that was, to be honest, hard on all my family members. I am glad to say that the health issues did get
resolved. But what was the unexpected gift was how the experience drew us closer as a family, to appreciate each other more :0
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Breaking up with an ex-boyfriend. It turned out to be one of the best things I ever did and changed my whole life for the better.
Got divorced after 20 years and remarried for a great last 20 years.
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I quit a job when I was younger and could not find another one. We needed money bad, so I started babysitting. Well, it turned into a successful business that provides a great income.
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I just entered to win “The Unexpected Gift” from @MomMaven you can too! http://bit.ly/rOquP
i got in trouble at work , but meet my future husband
2nd tweet today.
http://twitter.com/lovemy2doggies/status/358277…
When my ex cheated on me and left, leaving me to start from square one. I proved to myself that I'm stronger than I thought and made it on my own. I met a man who I married and have been loving live ever since.
When my husband lost his job 2 years ago due to them going out of business, we were devastated and worried. 3 months later he found a new job and he is so much happier there, that we wonder if losing his job was really a good thing!
sphinxcw at aol dot com
I was working in an insurance office when two armed masked men came in and stole our petty cash. My boss who wasn't in the office told me to “move on” and since he wasn't sympathetic, I did and got a much better job.
Third comment today.
http://twitter.com/lovemy2doggies/status/358933…
I thought my world would end when my boyfriend left me for another woman, but not anymore! Thanks for the giveaway!
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8/28/09 – I tweeted: http://twitter.com/sunnyview99/status/3602665420
Well, my divorce was the hardest thing I ever had to do. However following it I have gained confidence, become empowered, bought a house, done things I never would have done before. So it worked out okay after all!
nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com
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when I got sick I learned to enjoy everyday
got divorced after 21 years 12 years later i am still divorced but very happy
My ex husband cheated on me and I thought it was the end of the world. However, I am married to a MUCH NICER AND THOUGHTFUL man now. It was indeed an unexpected gift when my ex left!
I got pregnant with my first son “accidentally” – but he is the biggest joy in my life now! I never thought I wanted to have children until he came along!
tweet! http://twitter.com/mannabsn/status/3634719328
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I had a boyfriend for years that was such a loser. When we broke up I was heartbroken and inconsolable. However I then married a guy who is a wonderful man. Happy ending.
Thanks so much!
pamelashockley(AT)netscape(DOT)net
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Thanks so much!
pamelashockley(AT)netscape(DOT)net
The time when me and husband split up thought I was gonna die just me and my kids but i then found the courage to move and we got back together now we are closer than ever
crystal.star@live.com
I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It just made me realize how precious each and every day is. It also made me appreciate my family and friends a lot more
In 1975, with budget cuts and a depressed economy not unlike today's, I lost my job. How sad! Two months later, I got a better job that I would never have known about had I not lost mine.
bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com
I just subscribed via email.
bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com
When my son went to go live with his dad, it felt like the worst thing in the world. It ended up being very good since instead of the daily struggles that we had, we were able to develop a wonderfully close relationship that is still going strong today.
One day my purse got stolen but in the next few days I won a chunk of change from the lottery.
From the time I was 16, all I ever wanted was a baby. When I hit “old” (the year after 29), I was very sad because I realized that if I weren't married by now that I would never have kids. But it turned out that I did get married and got pregnant…. and had a miscarriage. I was devastated and mourned the loss of that baby every year on that date. But I got pregnant a few months after the miscarriage and gave birth to a wonderful son. He was thoughtful, sweet, and brilliant, too. When he was about 16, it hit me. If I had had that first baby, I would never have had him. And that's when I stopped grieving. I still think about that first baby every March 5th, but losing it was really a blessing in disguise.
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The company my husband worked for for 10 years went out of business and he had to find another job quickly. He found one and he loves it! It doesn't pay as much as his old job but his stress levels have gone down and his energy levels up! Being forced to switch careers is one of the best things that ever happened to him!
My divorce was actually the best thing I ever did for myself. I am now a very happy person with a great life. I couldn't have been who I am today staying in that marriage.
I was once invited to see a movie with Melanie Griffith; when I mentioned afterward that it was really not the best, the person suggesting seeing her in “Working Girl”.
For me losing my job turned out to be an Unexpected Gift.
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