Heart Book Series

Quotations for Christmas & Hanukkah

To the American People:
Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind.
To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy,
is to have the real spirit of Christmas.
If we think on these things, there will be born in us a Savior
and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world.
~Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), United States President
Presidential message (December 25, 1927)

Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first.
~George Matthew Adams

Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won’t make it "white."
~Bing Crosby

My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?
~Bob Hope, American film actor and comedian

My Christmas wish is that we will continue to be thoughtful throughout the year.
~Patti LaBelle

At this time of year, when the sun is most hidden, the holiday of Hanukkah celebrates the rays of hope and light… At such times, we yearn for the sun, and the light and warmth that it provides. Often, it is through simple and unrecognized miracles that we are able to feel the warmth of hope and light.
~Rabbi Rafael Goldstein

Joy is what happens when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.
~Marianne Williamson, Author of A Return To Love

The lights of the Hanukkah menorah that we kindle in our homes are a reminder both of the Menorah in the Temple in Jerusalem and the light that shines brightly within each one of us.
~Libi Astair

When a person is "being with" or "present in the moment" their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual "being-nesses" are in the same place at the same time.
~Brian Klemmer

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.
~Roy L. Smith

Giving really starts to be better than receiving. I guess that’s a sign of growing up.
~Jewel

Home is familiar and filled with tradition. It’s aunts, uncles, cousins and lifelong friends.
~Brian Naylor

Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas.
~Johnny Carson
 
I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six.
Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.
~Shirley Temple

Once again, we come to the holiday season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice.
~Dave Barry

There’s nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.
~Erma Bombeck

It is the personal thoughtfulness, the warm human awareness, the reaching out of the self to one’s fellow man that makes giving worthy of the Christmas spirit.
~Isabel Currier

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."   
~Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993)
Pastor, Speaker and Author

For Yuletide quotations, stories, poems, traditions and treasures, see the book Heart of the Holidays, by Sheryl Roush

Heart of the Holidays book is available only here with a BONUS MUSIC CD of Christmas and Hanukkah selections, by talented pianist Laurie Z., and beloved actor Jack Palance.

“Heart of the Holidays”
Book Review
by Angela England

Type-A Mom Gift Guide – Gifts for Moms
Monday, 10 November 2008
Click here to see original post.

The perfect size for giving, a woman who enjoys reading could not get a better gift book for the Yuletide Holidays than this charming book, Heart of the Holidays: Holiday Inspirations Yuletide Treasures and Traditions by Sheryl Roush.

This delightful book came at the perfect time for me as I begin to look forward to the holidays and felt the stress of Thanksgiving preparation creeping up on me. Heart of the Holidays: Holiday Inspirations Yuletide Treasures & Traditions is written by Sheryl Roush and was published by Sparkle Press. As I curl up on the couch to feed my newborn, this holiday collection is easy to thumb through for a few minutes.

Not too heavy or bulky, the easy-to-read format of Heart of the Holidays, makes this book the perfect present to tuck into a stocking, present as a hostess gift for Thanksgiving and Christmas parties, or give on one of the days of Hanukkah. It makes the perfect book for bedroom end table, bathroom magazine rack, or to read just in bits and pieces if you are as busy as I am.

What Readers Will See in Heart of the Holidays

Heart of the Holidays presents readers with over 225 pages of delightful poems, quotes, stories, excerpts, songs, and inspiring sayings in six categories: Thanksgiving; Christmas; Yuletide Around the Globe; Hanukkah; Winter Solstice; and Ringing in the New Year.

I appreciated the range of quotes that were included by Sheryl Roush, covering the range from proverbial sayings, to traditional historic figures, to humorous quips by modern celebrities. For example, in the Thanksgiving section she quotes Oprah Winfrey saying, "The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."

Not just quotes and songs, Roush has brought together the best of the holiday stories and essays available and gathered them altogether in one place. One of my favorites of these was in the Yuletide Around the Globe chapter, an excerpt from Helena Steiner-Hornsteyn, who says in a portion of Christmas in Sweden, "Even if you happen to live in a huge country mansion with a large dining room, on Christmas Eve you always eat in the kitchen together with those who mean something to you. Even if you are very sick you should appear for this meal to show the spirit of Christmas. Because at Christmas there are no barrier and no separations."

These thoughtful and uplifting samples are only a taste of what Heart of the Holidays by Sheryl Roush has to offer as a charming gift for a book lover, or harried housewife alike.

Where to buy Heart of the Holidays: Holiday Inspirations Yuletide Treasures & Traditions

JUST RELEASED: Heart of the Holidays the book plus the Heart of the Holidays BONUS MUSIC CD…. for only $19.95.
CLICK HERE

Meet the Contributors:
Dr. Zonnya “First Lady of Motivation”

The new Heart of a Woman in Business book, authored by Sheryl Roush, boasts over eighty professional women as contributors, sharing their original short stories, poems, quotations, insights and business tips.

Meet contributor Dr. Zonnya!
Four of her works are showcased in the Heart of a Woman in Business book.
Her motivational short "Be a Dreamer," and her poem "I’m Not Finished with Me Yet" appear in the chapter entitled Inspiration for the Heart. "Keep a Positive Attitude with Positive Communication" in the Businesswoman & Motherhood chapter offers a bulleted list of loving suggestions for communicating effectively with your children, as well as adults. Published in the Nurturing Our Mind, Body & Spirit chapter is Zonnya’s list of "20 Ways to Be Wealthier and Healthier."

Dr. Zonnya is known as the “First Lady of Motivation” and “God’s Woman of Encouragement.”  She speaks to over 200 of the Fortune 500 Companies, National Organizations, Conventions, Associations, High Schools, College and University Campuses, Prisons, Youth Groups, Churches and many more.

The dominant result of Dr. Zonnya is to “touch lives with inspiration, information, encouragement and motivation.” 

Her additional accomplishments include:
•    International Motivational Trainer
•    Personal Development Trainer for over 20 years
•    Recipient of the Most Prestigious Dale Carnegie
     “International Good Human Relations Award.”
•    Best Selling Author of over 7 Internationally Published Books
•    Professor at Beacon University
•    Business Owner and Leader since the Age of 20
•    Motivational Movie Star featured in … “PASS IT ON”
•    Motivational Radio Personality featured in …
     “Dr Zonnya’s Empowerment Hour”

For more information, or to contact directly:
Dr. Zonnya
Call Toll Free 1-888-725-9103
www.drzonnya.org

For your copy of the book order from Amazon.com, or for an autographed copy from author Sheryl Roush, through secure PayPal.

Heart of a Woman in Business
Book Contributors Announced

The long-awaited list of names of those contributors whose original submissions for the Heart of a Woman in Business book is finally posted!  Today, Sheryl Roush, author, reveals the list of those to be published in the fifth book in the Heart Book Series, produced by Sparkle Press in San Diego, California.

Congratulations to each of these ladies and thank you for sharing your stories, strategies, and skills with working women everywhere.

Andrea Glass <www.WritersWay.com>
Andrea Gold <www.goldstars.com>
Becky Palmer <www.ctihome.com>
Belinda Sanders <www.BelindaSandersConsulting.com>
Betty LaMarr <www.nadisa.com>
Cappi Pidwell <www.cappipidwell.com>
Carol J. Grabowski <www.memorialcare.org>
Carol Shields <www.carolshields.net>
Cath Kachur-DeStefano <www.HumanTuneUp.com>
CeCe Canton <www.cecephoto.com>
Celeste Michelle Alba Lim <www.wlfcentre.com>
Christine Kloser <www.loveyourlife.com>
Darlene M. Fahl-Brittian <www.TakeUpTheCup.com>
Debbie Allen <www.DebbieAllen.com>
Debbie Barnett <www.DebbieBarnett.com>
Debbie Lousberg <www.LousbergUnlimited.com>
Debra Snider <www.DebraSnider.com>
Eileen Burke <www.queeneileens.com>
Eldonna Lewis-Fernandez <www.dynamicvisionintl.com>
Elizabeth Bateman <www.csc-a.com>
Helen Blanchard <www.HelenBlanchard.comt>
Iris Adam <www.uci.edu>
Ivka Adam <www.marshall.usc.edu>
Jan Mills <www.janmills.net>
Jan Smith <www.inlandmgtgroup.com>
Jana Stanfield <www.JanaStanfield.com>
Jane Ilene Cohen <www.janecohen.net>
Janice Weight, Retired teacher
Jeanie Callen Barat <www.CallenFitness.com> <www.Fit2BeMoms.com>
Joni Wilson <www.JoniWilsonVoice.com>
Judy Tejwani <www.sayitinembroidery.com>
Juliet Funt <www.TalkingOnPurpose.com>
Karen Hudson <www.KarenHudsonSeminars.com>
Karen Robertson <www.GiantStepSuccess.com>
Karen Tate <www.KarenTate.com>
Katherine Wertheim <www.werth-it.com>
Kathi Burns <www.addspacetoyourlife.com>
Kay Starr, Retired Tree Farmer
Kimberly Anne Eaton <www.all-about-home-businesses.com>
Kristen Crawford, Speaker
Lanie Adamson <www.ewordpro.com>
Laura Rubinstein <www.TransformToday.com>
Laurie Sheppard <www.creatingatwill.com>
Lidia Martinez <www.southwest.com>
Linda Salazar <www.awakenthegeniewithin.com>
Liz Myers <www.rootedliving.com>
Lyn White <www.lwhiteinsurance.com>
Lynn Pierce <www.LynnPierce.com>
Marcia Reynolds <www.OutsmartYourBrain.com>
Marcy Decato <www.cswebsitedesign.com>
Maria Carter <www.fallinlovewithyourlife.com>
Marianne Matheis <www.changespeaker.com>
Marilyn McLeod <www.CoachMarilyn.com>
Mary Lenore Quigley, Professional Poet
MaryPat Kavanaugh <www.queenofmarketing.com>
Michelle Burkart <www.think-biz.com>
Mona Moon <www.MonaMoon.com>
Moonstone Star White <www.spiritwindpublishing.com>
Morgana Rae <www.charmedlifecoach.com>
Nancy Bahr <www.nbahrdesigns.com>
Nikki Goldman <www.DrNikkiGoldman.com>
Oprah Winfrey <www.Oprah.com>
Pamela Kelly <www.pkelly.com>
Pat Morgan <www.SmoothSailingSuccess.com>
Patricia Stewart <www.AurorisEntertainment.com>
Peggy O’Neill <www.YoPeggy.com>
Raven Blair Davis <www.WomenPower-Radio.com>
Regina Baker <www.Wahmcart.com>
Ruth Koepp, Volunteer Extraordinaire
Sarita Maybin <www.SaritaMaybin.com>
Sharon Wilson <www.coachingfromspirit.com>
Sherrie Rose <www.SavorHealthyLife.com>
Sherry Netherland <www.sherrynetherlandconsulting.com>
Sheryl Roush <www.SparklePresentations.com>
Sheva Carr <www.fyera.com>
Shirlie Cunningham <www.aei-casc.com>
Suzan Tusson-McNeil <www.webenomads.com>
Trina Hess <www.yourshiningexample.com>
Valerie Rickel <www.SoulfulLiving.com>
Vicki Notaro <www.sandiegozoo.org>
Vijaya Jayaraman, McLANE
Virginia A. Ellis <www.poetrybyginny.com>
Zonnya Laferney <www.DrZonnya.com>

Real Freedom

By embracing the meaning of independence and freedom and applying it to your own life this Fourth of July, Dr. Robin says you’ll become liberated in a new way. "Become who you were born to be, who you were destined to be—that is what it means to be free."

– Dr. Robin Smith, radio show on July 4, 2008, www.Oprah.com

What Being a Mother Means to Me…
from Celebrities on Oprah

"I guess I didn’t realize that you could really just like your children as much as your friends, you know? I just enjoy interacting with them," Oscar® winner Julia Roberts says. "I’m interested in their point of view." Since becoming a mother, Julia says she’s changed. "I definitely feel that I’ve expanded as a human being," she says. "I have more empathy and more compassion, I think, because I feel so blessed on a level that I can’t even wrap my mind around really."

Emmy-winning actress Sarah Jessica Parker loves to take time to smell the roses with her son, James Wilke, and her husband, actor Matthew Broderick. "It’s the happiest time of my life, to walk through our city and be with my son and have him approach school excited," she says. When asked if Sarah Jessica plans on having more babies, she answers with a resounding "yes!" "When James Wilke came out … I said, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s a boy!’ The first thing I said after that was, ‘I can’t wait to do this again!’"

"There are good days and bad days [when you’re a mother]," Annette Bening says. "I think every parent feels that. Some days, you feel that you’re doing it the way you want to do it, and other days, you don’t have as much patience." As the youngest of four, Annette says she always wanted children. "That came first for me," she says. "When I envisioned acting and being a mom, I had a lot of worries that it would be really a hard thing to do together. But, I’ve found over the years, that I’m so fortunate because I can take such large amounts of time when I’m not shooting anything, and I can really be there for my kids."

Since the early 1970s, Grammy®, Oscar® and Golden Globe® winner Carly Simon has been baring her soul in one heartfelt hit after another. These days, Carly says she chooses to perform with her children, Sally and Ben, whenever possible. "Never is it better than with them. They are the heart and soul of my life," she says.

"When I was a young actress we dealt with the legacy of Katherine Hepburn who said famously, ‘You can do one or the other. You can’t do both,’" Meryl Streep says. "It came to my mind when I was a young actress. When I found out I was pregnant, I thought, ‘Now I’ll never be like Katherine Hepburn!’ Well, no. But I have a perfectly good life. And thank God I have my children. My God, it’s everything. But it’s not without compromise and it’s not without mess…but I like mess."

"I’m strict about manners," says Oscar® winner Emma Thompson about raising her children. "I think that kids have a horrible time [with other people] if they have bad manners. … The one thing you’ve got to be prepared to do as a parent is not to be liked from time to time."

"I think what surprised me the most about [motherhood], as sentimental as it sounds, is how much I love her," says Gwyneth Paltrow about her daughter, Apple. "I mean, I just can’t believe it. It’s like a whole new dimension in emotion that I’ve never experienced. It’s crazy."

"I lifted up my son with love and delight after feeding him, and he proceeded to vomit into my mouth," says Debra Messing about her son, Roman. "I thought it was hilarious. I love him so much that I would like to put his drool in a bottle and wear it as perfume."

"I spent my life being told I have these fantastic childbearing hips, so I breezed through this pregnancy, merrily eating and gaining 70 pounds, and came to the birth just very excited and really looking forward to it," says Kate Winslet about her pregnancy with daughter, Mia. "I never thought about a Cesarean section. It just didn’t occur to me. After 37 hours, they came and said, ‘We’re going to have to induce you.’ And even that didn’t work! And then the C-section."

"In my mind…[if] you wake up healthy, and you wake up happy, and your family’s safe and happy and healthy, then everything else pales in comparison," says Faith Hill about life with husband Tim McGraw and their three daughters, Gracie, Maggie and Audrey.

"Rene-Charles is a miracle baby for us. It’s a dream come true in many ways. I’ll never be the same person anymore. As a human being, as a singer, it changed my life completely," Celine Dion says. "I think that children are holding the secret of life. When you’re around children, they are everything."

"People ask me what’s the best thing you’ve ever done, the hardest thing you’ve ever done? The answer is the same: It’s being Chelsea’s mom," says Senator Hillary Clinton. "When Bill started running for the White House, my only condition was that we do whatever we could to protect her, because it’s a very hard life for anybody who goes into it. I kept saying ‘no and no and no’, and people finally realized that I meant it—and they have given her a chance to be who she is today. I’m most proud of the fact that she is an independent person with a loving heart. She’s a wonderful young woman. I’m very grateful for that."

I can’t speak for how children survive divorce because I didn’t come from a divorced home," says Trisha Yearwood about becoming a stepmother to husband Garth Brooks‘ children. "My job is to make that as good a situation as it can possibly be so that they have one more person in their life that’s a cheerleader for them, and that wants them to do well."

I do treasure [motherhood] the most," says Jada Pinkett Smith. "It’s the most challenging job I have. It’s very difficult. Especially now raising children because they’re bombarded with so much information. … It’s about starting with planting those little seeds of self-esteem. We need to start giving our young girls affirming messages. That’s what my grandmother did for me. She would always tell me, ‘Jada, you can do whatever.’"

"I’m crazy about them and they know it," says Lisa Marie Presley about her children. "And then having that, versus being their friend—as well as [being their] mother. That’s the fence you walk, which is important because you can’t go too much on one side or the other."

At age 41, Oscar®-winning actress Halle Berry announced she was having a baby with her boyfriend, Canadian model Gabriel Aubry. "I’m sort of superstitious, so I saved all of the negative tests in a drawer," she says. "Don’t ask! I don’t know why, but I did. … After about 35 tests, we finally got a positive test." Halle gave birth to a little girl, Nahla, on March 17, 2008. "Well, there’s just one right now," she says. "But we’re hoping right after this one to do it again."

"I think the best thing that my husband and I did is we had dinner with [our daughter] every single night of her life," Bette Midler says about her look-alike daughter, Sophie.

Celebrities on Oprah Share Lessons Learned from Mother

Academy Award®-winning actor Denzel Washington credits his mother, Lennis, for keeping him grounded as he was starting to make a name for himself as an actor. "I remember coming home one time and feeling full of myself and talking, ‘Did you imagine all this? I mean, I’m a star,’" Denzel says. "And she’s, like, ‘Negro, please. First of all, you don’t know how many people been praying for you and for how long.’ Then she told me to get the bucket and the squeegee and clean the windows."

Matthew McConaughey says that growing up, his mother always made a great breakfast to start the day. Some mornings, Matthew and his siblings weren’t always in the best mood. On those days, Matthew says his mother would grab them by the arm and march them back to bed. "She’d say, … ‘don’t sit down at my kitchen table until you’re going to see the roses in the vase instead of the dust on the table!’"

Actress Hilary Swank‘s mother, Judy, believed in her daughter so much that she moved the family to California with only $75. Her little girl grew up to win two Academy Awards®. "The best life lesson my mom taught me is to always be myself," Hilary says. "She always told me that I could do anything that I wanted in my life."

As a boy growing up in rural Mississippi, Morgan Freeman says his mother used to tell him, "I’m going to take you to Hollywood." Years later, when Morgan was starting to make a name for himself in New York City, he landed a role on Broadway. When he saw his name in lights for the very first time, he says the first person he thought of was his mom. "Every time something good happened to me, I would always report to my mother," he says. "So the first time my name was in lights was on Broadway, and I was walking down 44th or 45th Street and there was my name up on the marquee, and I said, ‘Look, Ma!’"

"[My mom] is one of those people that you feel honored to meet," Beyoncé says about her mother, Tina. "And no matter who you are, you fall in love with her because she is spiritual, she’s inspiring, she’s strong, she’s funny, she’s creative, she’s talented…she’s everything that I want to be." Beyoncé says the best thing her mother taught her is "to concentrate on your inner beauty and your spirit because that’s what shines through."  Not only is Tina her mother, but Beyoncé says she’s also her best friend. "It’s not very many relationships I’ve seen where you want to hang out with your mother," Beyoncé says. "She’s so funny and cool. Sometimes I forget that she’s my mother. And just when I forget, she reminds me by example with her wisdom."

"She was everything to me," Lance Armstrong says of his mother, Linda. "She was my coach. She was my friend. She was my motivator. She was my nutritionist. She was my driver. You know, everything. Cheerleader. She was everything to me when I was a kid. So naturally, when I got older and I would get in a tough situation, I would call her. And the one thing that she always stressed to me wasn’t, like, ‘You’ve got to win today, son.’ Or, ‘Go out there and win.’ [But instead], ‘Just give it your best and don’t quit. Don’t ever quit.’ And that carries through, even today. That’s my attitude either in a bike race or an illness or talking to somebody that’s just been diagnosed [with cancer or an illness]: Just don’t quit. And I got all that from her."

Senator Barack Obama says lessons his mother taught him as a child continue to steer his politics today. "My mother taught me empathy—the basic concept of standing in somebody else’s shoes and looking through their eyes. If I did something messed up, she’d just say, ‘How would that make you feel if somebody did that to you?’ That ends up being, I think, at the center of my politics, and I think that should be the center of all our politics. If we see a child who’s languishing in an inner-city school, how would we feel if that was our child?"

"One of the things that my parents did is they put pictures all over our house," says Maria Shriver about her parents Eunice and Sergeant Shriver. "Pictures of kids in Africa. Kids who were disabled, in institutions. And [Mom] would explain why her work affected those children’s lives and those families’ lives. She would constantly talk about what we could do that might have an impact. So every Thursday, for example, she put a piggy bank on the table and said, ‘I would normally be spending this amount of money for groceries, but now we’re putting the money in the piggy bank and you’re eating cereal so I can send the money to Africa.’ … She was constantly trying to talk about what was going on in the rest of the world to open our minds and let us know that we were lucky and that we should be grateful."

Oscar® winner Charlize Theron credits her mother, Gerda, for keeping her grounded. "I don’t like creating unnecessary drama in my life," Charlize says. "I like things very simple and very peaceful, and I like to surround myself by people like that. And I think that [my] moral compass comes from the way I was raised. … The great thing that she really encouraged when I was young was to think for myself."

When Justin Timblerlake left Tennessee to begin touring with *NSYNC, his career took off. He credits his mom, Lynn, and stepfather for keeping him grounded through the years. "I just remember my mom always instilling those thoughts in me that at the end of the day or at the beginning of the day, we all put our pants on the same way," he says.