title: Breathing For Life: Our Stories: As We Breathe, We Hope
author: Beverly Cordes
description: Having been around children and pets pretty much all my life, doing things that I enjoyed doing like quilting or reading or sewing a person learns to give attention to both their likes and their responsibilities. I love to teach the things I enjoy doing. I love to guide children to be good responsible adults and train my pet(s) to be sociable and well-mannered. I am comfortable with myself and enjoy my privacy, without depending on others for my joy or satisfaction - but yet, I enjoy my family and friends - both adults and children - and of course, my pet cat - Compound Queen. Pets love you unconditionally - they don't care if you've had a bad day or a good day - they are just happy to see you - and, as with Compound Queen she rubs all over you making you both feel loved - so goes the days of having the pleasure of raising The Four Little Kittens.
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  For the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys, Danny, Jerrdan, and Casey.
  
  
  You are the reason I breathe.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Acknowledgments
  
  
  Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would get an agent like Alexandra
  Machinist or an editor like Jennifer Enderlin. I've said this before, but it
  bears repeating. I'm not sure what I did to deserve you. Maybe it was that
  stretch as a volunteer at the local nursing home. Or the time I pulled that
  kid out of a burning building. No, wait, I never pulled a kid out of a burning
  building.
  
  
  'Kay, I'm going to keep working on that. In the meantime, thank you so much to
  Jen, my spectacular editor, and everyone at St. Martin's Press and Macmillan.
  You guys rock so hard.
  
  
  To Alexandra, my own personal Superwoman, and everyone at the Linda Chester
  Literary Agency.
  
  
  To the wonderful Whitney Lee at the Fielding Agency and the super-savvy Jos