by Barbara Johnson

Barbara has the wit of an Erma Bombeck. She is the founder of Spatula Ministries, a nonprofit organization designed to "peel parents off the ceiling with a spatula of love and begin them on the road to recovery."

Here is a blip from this book:

Recently, I was speaking somewhere and was told that I would be introduced by a lady who had never introduced anyone before. This dear gal practiced and practiced and even made a little tape of her introduction, which she played for me ahead of time to make sure she had everything right.

That night she came with a new hairdo and in a new dress complete with a corsage. The big moment arrived and she got up and said, "We're so glad to have Barbara Johnson with us. She's written a book and in that book there is a chapter called...." Her face got white and I could tell she had forgotten her whole speech, but she continued bravely, "...there is a chapter called 'Stick a Geranium in Your Cranium!"

I laughed so hard I could hardly begin my speech, but then I thought, "How appropriate!" She was trying to describe a chapter in 'Fresh Elastic for Stretched-Out Moms' called, "Stick a Geranium in Your Hat," which talks about using laughter and humor to make it through the nights and days that seems so endless when tragedy and pain occur. I've always liked the idea of facing problems by looking for the flowers, not the weeds. That's why 'Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and Be Happy' became the title for this book. Maybe it isn't always quite that simple, but finding happiness and joy has to start somewhere, and I know it starts with a positive attitude.