Charlene Costanzo
Charlene Gorda Costanzo is an award-winning author, workshop facilitator, wife, mother of two adult daughters, and grandmother of twins. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy from St. Bonaventure University and an M.A. in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica.
Originally from New Jersey, she has resided in New York, Texas, Arizona, and Florida. During a one-year book tour to launch The Twelve Gifts of Birth, Charlene and her husband enjoyed living in an RV in 48 of the 50 states.
The Twelve Gifts series of fables began in 1987 when Charlene wrote The Twelve Gifts of Birth as a life message for her own, then-teenage, daughters. Twelve years later she published the book and discussed its message in schools, shelters, prisons, churches and hospitals throughout the United States.
The Twelve Gifts for Healing was written while Charlene was in treatment for advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2001. "Cancer led me to examine my convictions and look at these life gifts more deeply. Truly, they helped me heal," she says.
The Twelve Gifts in Marriage comes from the ups and downs, ebbs and flows, and hurts and healings that are a part of every long-term marriage.
“No matter who we are, where we live, what we look like, the circumstances of our birth or the situations we face; each of us has gifts within us. Strength, beauty, courage, compassion, hope, joy, talent, imagination, reverence, wisdom, love and faith are among them. They are not like material presents we unwrap and hold in our hands. We can’t see these gifts with our eyes. But they are real and powerful. When we open ourselves to them, they can enrich every aspect of our lives. They can help us transform challenges into opportunities and tragedies into triumphs. They can help us make a difference in the world.”
“May your heart open.May joy emerge.May love flow through you.May you heal and help others.”
“May you hear the voice of wisdom.Listening, may you act with trust.”
“May hope rise within you. May peace wash over you.”
“May you see the world with wonder. And may you imagine only good things.”
“May you allow fear to soften and melt away. May you release all regrets and resentments.”
“But the healing place is within you. Healing is a gift you were granted at birth, just as you were granted others. Use your gifts, child. Use the beauty, the courage, the hope and the love that is in you. Call upon your strength. Use compassion and faith. Even during sad times joy is within you. Bring it forth. Wisdom is there to guide you. Use any one of your gifts and you will rouse the power of your healing place. Use all of them and you will sustain it.”
“Use your gifts well and you will discover others, among them a gift that is uniquely you. See these noble gifts in other people. Share the truth and be ready for the miracle to unfold”
“The twelfth gift is Faith. May you believe”
“The eleventh gift is Love. It will grow each time you give it away.”
“The tenth gift is Wisdom. Guiding your way, wisdom will lead you through knowledge to understanding. May you hear its soft voice.”
“The ninth gift is Reverence. May you appreciate the wonder that you are and the miracle of all creation.”
“The eighth gift is Imagination. May it nourish your visions and dreams.”
“The seventh gift is Talent. May you discover your own special abilities and contribute them toward a better world.”
“The sixth gift is Joy. May it keep your heart open and filled with light.”
“The fifth gift is Hope. Through each passage and season, may you trust the goodness of life.”
“The fourth gift is Compassion. May you be gentle with yourself and others. May you forgive those who hurt you and yourself when you make mistakes.”
“The third gift is Courage. May you speak and act with confidence and use courage to follow your own path.”
“The second gift is Beauty. May your deeds reflect its depth.”
“The first gift is Strength. May you remember to call upon it whenever you need it.”
“At the wondrous moment you were born, as you took your first breath, a great celebration was held in the heavens and twelve magnificent gifts were granted to you.”
“Someday all the children of the world will learn the truth about their noble inheritance. When that happens, a miracle will unfold on the kingdom of Earth.”
“the twelve royal gifts of birth belong to every child, born anywhere, at anytime" -”