New Book Encourages Boomers to Make a Difference in the World

In Second Acts That Changes Lives:Making a Difference in the World, Mary Beth Sammons urges those in mid-life to plan their next 50 years by giving back -- "People are realizing that the first half of their life is over and they've been so busy concentrating on building a career or raising a family, or both, it has suddenly dawned on them that they may have lost themselves somewhere in the process, that the dreams they had when you were younger were set aside for more immediate concerns, or they find themselves frustrated that they haven't had the time to truly give back.  I'm offering readers a chance to change all of that,"  Mary Beth Sammons.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Second Acts That Change Lives (Conari Press, March 2009) offers a collection of honest and inspiring stories delving into the lives of a community of mid-life trailblazers wanting to make changes in their lives and found as they reached inward for the strength to change, almost unanimously reached out to share their better self, their skills, their talents to make the world a better place. 

Among the stories are:

A 60-year-old divorced mom and grandmother, blind in one eye, who sets up a program in Nicaragua for single mothers to teach them how to make quilts to financially sustain them.

A 50-year-old single woman and high-powered career person who met the love of her life at 50; he died two months later when hit by a car while training for a triathlon.  She went to Russia and adopted two children and brought them home to raise in Michigan.

A 45-year-old male prosecuting attorney who loved to swim as a child.  He went returned to school for a degree in physical education and now teaches swimming lessons.

Second Acts That Change Lives is a wake-up call, an intervention of sorts to help prod readers to pursue their dreams – to turn the “someday I’d love to” into “today I will”  and, by doing so, make a profound difference in the world. 

“Don’t be afraid your life will end; be afraid it will never begin.” ―Grace Hanson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Beth Sammons is an award-winning journalist and women’s issues columnist whose work appears frequently in Family Circle, the Chicago Tribune’s lifestyle section and in leading consumer women’s magazines. She is currently the “Finding You” editor for www.BettyConfidential.com and writes for various health and business publications. As a vice-president of editorial, Mary Beth launched the editorial departments for the largest consumer health on-line Web site – RevolutionHealth.com and its subsidiary, CarePages.com, where she writes separate blogs. In addition, Mary Beth is currently working with the Stanford Research Institute as editorial director of a storytelling project focused on consumer health and wellness. Mary Beth specializes in stories that inspire ordinary people to do extraordinary things from a place deep in their hearts. She has written six books in the women’s self-help and mind/body/health field including, We Carry Each Other: Getting Through Life’s Toughest Times, Conari Press, 2007. She lives in Chicago’s suburbs with her three children.