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<p>Introduction 1</p> <p>The Love I Choose 5<br /><i>Jessica Mercer Zerr</i></p> <p>They Built a Family 8<br /><i>Laura J. K. Chamberlain</i></p> <p>A New Kind of Love 11<br /><i>Rachel Wegner</i></p> <p>In My Father’s Tears 14<br /><i>Lawrence Kessenich</i></p> <p>The Beauty of Aging 17<br /><i>Debi Knight Kennedy</i></p> <p>The Gift of Being 20<br /><i>Lorraine Kelly</i></p> <p>Gray Hairs and Wrinkles 23<br /><i>Fabiola Piña</i></p> <p>Love is Stronger Than Death 26<br /><i>Opal Ruth Prater</i></p> <p>Come to My Table 29<br /><i>Shannon Lee Denney</i></p> <p>My Best Friend 32<br /><i>Raymond Allinger</i></p> <p>Leave the Light On 35<br /><i>Marianne Rogowski</i></p> <p>How We Love Our Enemies 38<br /><i>David Waln</i></p> <p>What We Tried to Do 41<br /><i>Louise V. Gray</i></p> <p>The Most Powerful Medicine 44<br /><i>Ross Hays</i></p> <p>The Value of Your Life 47<br /><i>Jenna Greer</i></p> <p>Hand-Knit Socks 50<br /><i>Debra Bronow</i></p> <p>Deciding to Love Her 53<br /><i>Amy Simmons Farber</i></p> <p>Love on Four Feet 56<br /><i>Sarah Culp Searles</i></p> <p>A Walk in the Woods Together 59<br /><i>Cindy Lollar</i></p> <p>Sam’s Valentine 62<br /><i>Kathy Heffernan</i></p> <p>To Dwell in Possibility 65<br /><i>Patricia W. Bennett</i></p> <p>Duck Blind Lessons 69<br /><i>James Johnson</i></p> <p>First Friend 72<br /><i>Susan Senator</i></p> <p>Amazing Grace 75<br /><i>Korinthia Klein</i></p> <p>Love Lives through Them All 78<br /><i>Tanuj Bansal</i></p> <p>Brotherly Love 81<br /><i>Katie Weiner</i></p> <p>Old Love 84<br /><i>Jane R. Martin</i></p> <p>Pink Moments 87<br /><i>Connie Spittler</i></p> <p>Love Like a Child 90<br /><i>Mary Lineberger</i></p> <p>A Death He Freely Accepted 93<br /><i>Greg Gatjanis</i></p> <p>The Blessings of Step 96<br /><i>Janet Jayne</i></p> <p>Here’s to You, Merrie 99<br /><i>Jordyn Maeda</i></p> <p>God Knows about Sacrifice 102<br /><i>Lynne Scott</i></p> <p>Love is a Verb 105<br /><i>Sarah Stadler</i></p> <p>The Friend Who Makes Me Complete 108<br /><i>Penny Hagin</i></p> <p>A Magical Impact 111<br /><i>Jeremy Green</i></p> <p>Put on Your Heavy Coat 115<br /><i>Ellen Graf</i></p> <p>God is in Her Hand 118<br /><i>John Samuel Tieman</i></p> <p>A Gift of Unique Beauty 121<br /><i>Cynthia Chauhan</i></p> <p>Four Sisters in Life and Death 124<br /><i>Elynne Chaplik-Aleskow</i></p> <p>My Family Tree 127<br /><i>Brenda Huff</i></p> <p>Staying Close 130<br /><i>Ginny Taylor</i></p> <p>Love on Aisle Three 133<br /><i>David Wuescher</i></p> <p>Swing-Shift Kisses 136<br /><i>Scott Saalman</i></p> <p>The Courage to Let Go 139<br /><i>Gale A. Workman</i></p> <p>All the Mothering You Do 142<br /><i>Patrice Vecchione</i></p> <p>Life is a Battle 145<br /><i>Elliana Grace</i></p> <p>I Believe in You 148<br /><i>Julie Chinitz</i></p> <p>Show and Tell 151<br /><i>Ann Erik</i></p> <p>A Tender Lullaby 154<br /><i>Lee Reeves</i></p> <p>The Yellow House 157<br /><i>Julie M. Sellers</i></p> <p>A Powerful Act of Love 160<br /><i>Susan Hall</i></p> <p>Pennies from Heaven 163<br /><i>Reg Stark</i></p> <p>Who We Really Are Inside 166<br /><i>Matthew Schmidt</i></p> <p>Creation is the Creator 169<br /><i>Vicki Watson</i></p> <p>The Power of Friendship 172<br /><i>Nadia Ann Henderson</i></p> <p>To Love the Person in Front of Me 175<br /><i>Karla Gergen</i></p> <p>Love from Head to Toe 178<br /><i>Lorena Templeton Querns</i></p> <p>Made by Hand 181<br /><i>Mary Mrugalski</i></p> <p>A Dog’s Life 184<br /><i>Fred Flaxman</i></p> <p>Appendix: How to Write Your Own 187<br /><i>This I Believe </i>Essay</p> <p>Acknowledgments 189</p>

In these 60 short essays, men and women of all ages and backgrounds write about love: of a teacher, house, step family, the poor or needy, mountains, and even growing old. While "Love on Aisle Three" is about a small group that gathers round an adorable baby in a cart, several essays explore love not of a person or thing, but an activity like cooking or knitting. In "God Is In Her Hand," John Samuel Tieman writes, "Love is in the hand that crafts, sculpts, sews, caresses, soothes." The most moving pieces examine love tied to a difficult situation. In "The Courage to Let Go," Gale Workman's father, after taking care of her mother for months, finally allows himself to say goodbye. Originally started on Edward R. Murrow's 1950s radio show, this effort to get ordinary citizens to discuss their core values has produced essays that vary greatly in quality and suffer in this form from the absence of a human voice. Still, this anthology beautifully captures our need, and the sacrifices we make, for love. (Dec.) (<i>Publishers Weekly</i>, November 8, 2010)

<p><b>DAN GEDIMAN</b> is executive director of This I Believe, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that engages people in writing and sharing essays describing the core values that guide their daily lives. These short statements of belief have been featured on public radio since 2005. Gediman is the coeditor of the <i>New York Times</i> bestseller <i>This I Believe</i> and <i>This I Believe II.</i> <p><b>JOHN GREGORY</b> is editorial director and <b>MARY JO GEDIMAN</b> is outreach director of This I Believe, Inc.

<p><b>THIS I BELIEVE On Love</b> <p>In the 1950s, Edward R. Murrow's radio program <i>This I Believe</i> gave voice to the feelings and treasured beliefs of Americans around the country. Fifty years later, the popular update of the series has been heard on public radio since 2005 and continues to explore the beliefs and guiding principles by which Americans live. This book brings together essays on love from people all around the country whose sentiments and stories will surprise, move, and inspire you. <p>Whether writing about romantic love or love for family and friends, love for pets, or love of nature, places, or humanity, these essayists share deeply personal thoughts on what love means to them, how they express it, and what it has taught them about themselves and others. <p>Dr. Ross Hays writes about how the families of seriously ill patients show him the power of love to heal. Lorraine Kelly, a lawyer, shares what her visits to jailed clients tell her about the power of love denied. For Shannon Denney, love is in the kitchen, where she connects to her family's past by making her grandmother's coconut pie, while for Debra Bronow, love is spread through gifts of her hand-knit socks. Playwright Louise Gray simply explains why love is like pickled pig feet. <p>In their intimate and honest stories, the contributors share acts of hope and faith, reflections on grief and loss, and celebrations of acceptance and forgiveness. A testament to the strength and endurance of the bonds that connect us, this collection is a wonderful gift for everyone who believes—or struggles to believe—in love.

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