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*Nickel Walks*  1/10/02

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If you enjoy this free daily email service, I encourage
you to spread the word to family and friends that we
may bring inspiration into the lives of many!  If you
are not on the list and this has been passed along
to you, join the thousands of HeartTouchers.com readers
around the world by sending an e-mail with the word
"Subscribe" in the subject line to:
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Visit our inspirational web site and read all the past
stories in our archives at:
http://www.HeartTouchers.com
____________________________________________

Happy New Year from HeartTouchers.com

From now on we will be offering our book,
Straight From the Heart "A Celebration of Life" for
only $13 (instead of the regular price of $14.95), and
best of all, we will pay the shipping!  So if you have
any interest in purchasing an autographed copy of
the book for yourself, or as a gift for your loved ones,
now is the time to get it!

To order your autographed copy send a check or
money order for $13 (We pay the shipping!) for each
book made out to Michael T. Powers, and then send it to:

Michael T. Powers
1918 Liberty Lane
Janesville, WI 53545

To preview the book by reading some of the stories visit:

http://www.HeartTouchers.com/michael_t__powers/

AOL Users Click below:
Straight From the Heart: A Celebration of Life

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It is my utmost pleasure to share another touching story
from friend and HeartTouchers favorite, Irene Budzynski.
I guarantee that you will never look at a pop can the same
again!

From my family to yours,
Michael

_________________________________________


NICKEL WALKS

By Irene Budzynski


You've seen those beer cans and soda cans that
are lying pell mell at the side of the road, the metal
cylinders that litter every town's highways and byways,
having been tossed by drivers who can't be bothered to
find a garbage can. Well, next time you see one, say
a prayer of thanks for the litterbug because that tossed
can may change a life.

There was a time when my husband was out of work,
a recession was in full swing, and we had two small
boys to feed. We exhausted every possibility for job
opportunities, cut expenses to the bare bone, and
depleted all resources. Every day would dawn with
hope that it would be that particular day which would
bring a job and income. Day after day--nothing.

I knew where all the Goodwill stores were and
developed an eagle eye for finding nearly-new
jeans, shirts, and jackets for the boys. It was
a gala event when Mommy brought home "new"
clothes to replace the holey pants which little
boys create. I felt like I had struck it rich on the
days when the blue tickets were half price and
what I had bought sported a blue tag. It was more
precious than buying the trendiest, most expensive
outfit in a designer showroom.

Rummaging through dented cans in the shopping
basket in the back of the grocery store became a
family sport--a far cry from a quick stop at McDonald's.
Had we actually eaten out twice a week once upon a
time? Did we waste all that money on greasy food
just to get the must-have collectible toys? Canned
beans never tasted so good.

Chances of finding a job were slim to none in the
New England market in the early 1980s. Our high
spirits disintegrated and we became panic-stricken.
In desperation, I knew I had to keep going for the sake
of our children. Despite my own promise that I would
never ask for help, I held up my head and walked
into a government office and applied for food stamps.

Sitting and waiting my turn, I wanted to bolt outside
and never stop running. Embarrassment rolled into
anger when the apathetic clerk looked over my
application, snapped her gum, and stated in a
singsong voice, "Oh, sorry. You DO qualify for food
stamps, but you have to sell your car before you
can receive them." Without missing a beat, she
turned away and called on the next hapless applicant.
Stunned, I explained that we needed our car to look
for work. We didn't live near public transportation and
there would be no possibility of obtaining employment
without a vehicle. With no visual acknowledgment of
any kind, the clerk muttered, "Sorry. Next?" With
that, I was dismissed.

I stumbled into the bright sunlight and swore that I
would never in a million years ever ask anyone for
help. Never again would I be humiliated. But, the
problem remained. How could I feed my family?

Knowing I needed to clear my head, I began to go
for long walks. The fresh air felt good and I began
to sort things out in my mind, looking at our situation
from a different angle. Despair was futile and soon
praying was substituted for complaining. I prayed
for the blessings of being out of work, for having a
husband who was trying to be a good provider, for
people who had less than we, for healthy children.
Some days I was pretty low and could only thank
God for having a pulse, but I made the conscious
effort to have gratitude every morning when I walked.

Trying to avoid traffic on our country roads, I edged
over into the brush and noticed all the cans which
were strewn on the ground. Living in a state which
recycles meant that I could cash each container in
for a nickel apiece. Picking them up in my hands
resulted in shiny rolling cylinders spilling over onto
the asphalt, so the remainder were hidden behind
a bush to be retrieved the next time around. A
plastic bag tucked into my pocket became a
necessity and then two bags became the norm.
Soon there were dozens of sticky, dripping cans
rattling around to redeem for enough money to buy
a gallon of milk! A few more days of collecting and
a loaf of bread was my trophy.

My goal each day was to see how many nickels I
could find in the guise of discarded cans. Every
week there would be enough to buy a staple and
eventually the supply dwindled, but, most important,
my attitude improved, and being out of work wasn't
the major disaster which I had initially perceived. I
began to see the beauty around me which money
couldn't buy: the Canadian geese honking their way
across the sky and the skunk cabbage appearing
in late winter -- signs of spring and hope and new beginnings.

That was 20 years ago. We've been given so many
blessings, but we will never forget. Last week I saw
a man rummaging around in the underbrush gathering
up cans. He became beet-red when I shouted "Hello",
and he began to make excuses as to why he was
picking up the dirty containers. I waved away his
explanations and said, "A nickel is a nickel," and
I bent over to help him fill his bag.

Irene Budzynski
irene_budd@yahoo.com

Write Irene and share your thoughts on her story!

_______________________________

Irene Budzynski is a registered nurse on the East
Coast and is a regular contributor to HeartTouchers.com.
She has written for Heartwarmers and many other websites
and, now that winter is settling in, dreams of someday attending
the Maui Writer's Conference.

Check out the author interview we did with Irene at:

http://www.HeartTouchers.com/ht_authors

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Thought For The Day:

"Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be
content with what you have." --Doris Mortman

Verse for the Day:

"But godliness with contentment is great gain." -- 1 Timothy 6:6


Kid's Thought For The Day:

"Don't pop someone else's bubble."


Parent's Thought For The Day:

"You know children are growing up when they start
asking questions that have answers." -- John J. Plumb


Coach's Thought For The Day:

"While winning is always a goal, my main goal for any
team has always been that the girls can look back on
their year and say, 'Those were some good times.'
If we should happen to win a lot of games too,
then that's just the icing on the cake." --Michael T. Powers

Writer's Thought For The Day:

Bruce Barton, who made a name for himself years ago as a
writer and advertising man, was talking to a class of
students about writing one evening.  One of them asked him
how he got his inspiration for his magazine articles.

"Well," Barton replied, "picture me sitting at breakfast in
the morning.  As I sip my coffee, my wife glances down at
the floor and observes, 'Bruce, we really need a new dining
room rug.  This one is wearing out.'  Right there I have the
inspiration to write another article."


Deep Thought For The Day:

"Why do light switches say on/off? When it's on you
can see it's on, when it off you can't see to read."

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REQUESTS:

Dear Michael and Prayer Partners,
I want to thank everyone again for the incredible support during and after my surgeries. I am recovering slowly but surely, and God is with me all the way. I'm unable to go back to work, yet. Though my mind wants to, my body is not cooperating. I am still deaf as a brick in my left ear, and I don't know when it will return. In God's time, it will happen. I have an infection called phlebitis in the veins of my left arm due to the trauma of the nurses injecting pain and nausea medicine directly into my veins, when I should've had a saline I.V. to water it down. Phlebitis is a blood clot attached to the wall of each vein, and causes swelling and tenderness. Please pray that it successfully goes away, and of course that my hearing returns. I have a doctors appt. at UVA in Charlottesville on the 21st, and they should be able to see if the new eardrum is still intact. The fear is that I blew a big tear in it when I sneezed a week after surgery. I will let you all know.
This has all been kind of like a dream, but reality hits when I try to lay on my left side and my head and ear hurts, but I'm still being healed. I've been reading the Bible, for it always brings me comfort. Jesus' love and tenderness for us is so precious, and it feels so good inside. I wish and pray that those who fight and resist Jesus could feel, just feel for 5 minutes, the incredible peace, warmth and assurance that He gives to us, then they'd never resist Him again. I pray that all of you truly have Jesus in your heart. Seek Him out by reading the new testament. The book of John shows the passionate side of Jesus, and all of His words in the book of John is like one big love song to your heart and soul. He longs for us, and he waits for us to REALLY accept his blessed gift of salvation, love and everlasting life with Him and The Father in heaven forever. All we have to do is open our hearts and minds to this precious gift, and seek a personal relationship with Jesus by reading the scriptures and talking and praying to Him. He is ultimately our very best friend.
Thank you all again for everything. Except for the support and love of my wonderful family, I've never experienced such an overflowing of love and support from so many people. May God bless each and every one of you according to each of your needs. And try to look at every experience in life as a possible blessing. Always be hopeful, prayerful, and trusting in God, and life will be so much easier. Just never lose the close connection to Jesus, for he is the only "way, truth, and light" in life.
With much love, prayers, and thanks,
Jenny
jennyrlh@hotmail.com

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  _
/_/\/\    MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\  /    HeartTouchers@aol.com  
/_/  \    "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no
\_\/\ \   longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I
  \_\/   live in the body I live for the Son of God, who    
          
loved me and gave Himself for me."
          
Galatians 2:20
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__________________________________________

Video Imagery --Michael's Video Production Business

"
I thought of you first after my family sat down to watch
the video we gave them. They loved it, to say the
least!  Within thirty seconds my mom was crying
and my dad did too. They said it was the best
Christmas gift we could have given them!!  You
did such a beautiful job!  They were so surprised
and so touched--they really, really, really loved it.
Thanks for helping to make it so special to us all.
My mom mentioned how the songs were perfect
for the video too! Thanks again!"
K
elli-- College Station, TX

Let me make you a video from your pictures or
home movies! Check out the web page for Michael's
video production business!  Visit:

http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery/

AOL Users click here:   Video Imagery
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Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you?
http://www.greatcom.org/english/four.htm

AOL Users click here:  The Four Spiritual Laws
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A number of people have written to us asking what
an EBook is, since our book is being offered in
both print and EBook versions.  An EBook is a
book that can be downloaded and read right on
your computer. The advantage of ordering
the EBook is that is costs less, $8.95 (No other
charges), as compared to $14.95 + shipping and
handling for the print book.  Plus you can download
the EBook and begin reading the stories in a few
minutes!  EBooks are read via Acrobat Reader,
which is software that most of you already have
on your computer. And if for some reason you
don't, it can be downloaded free of charge at the
web site.  So for those of you who don't want to
wait for the print book to be delivered, check out
this web site to order the EBook version of
Straight From the Heart "A Celebration of Life."

http://www.booklocker.com/bookpages/michaeltpowers01.html

AOL Users Click here
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