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*Scooter Nights* 1/28/02 _________________________ 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: HeartTouchers@aol.com 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 _________________________________________ It is always refreshing to share a new writer to HeartTouchers with everyone and today's story is extra special since it was written due to the encouragement of another HeartTouchers writer: Al Batt. I firmly believe that all of us have at least one story in us and sometimes all it takes is someone to encourage and believe in you. If it wasn't for the encouragement of Bill Greer and April Greenwell, after I wrote my first story (The Bathtub) I may not have had the courage to go on and write another. But since they took the time to encourage me, I believed enough in my writing to write 40 more over the past couple of years. So let this be an encouraging word to all of you on this list who have thought about putting that story down on paper but you just didn't think you could do it, or that people might be interested in reading it. You can do it and people are interested in reading it, but more importantly, write it for yourself. From my family to yours, Michael _________________________________________ SCOOTER NIGHTS By Christine Donovan-Hayden I remember waiting anxiously for my Daddy to return home from work on warm summer nights. We lived on the outskirts of the village of Big Rock. It was a strangely remote place to grow up. There was a wide river below our house, deep woods behind, and the road we lived on wobbled through one New England mill town to the next, as the threads woven there may have unwound from a fallen bobbin. Daddy worked at our village mill as a boiler man. He learned his trade in the Navy during World War II. The mill was nestled beside a dam in the river. Across the street from the factory were the "cold water flats," or tenement houses, where the laborers and their families lived. I grew up with the impression that we were something special, 'cause we lived on "the Hill," and most of all, because we had hot water, and took a bath every Saturday night before going to church on Sunday! As a child, anyone or anything connected to 'hot water' in our parts, was about as i-m-p-o-r-t-a-n-t as you could get! At his job, Daddy took care of all the machinery that turned the river water into the hot water they needed to produce drapery material. The mill used to get big bolts of cotton from someplace "in the South." I remember seeing what seemed like miles of pure, white cotton laid out on narrow tables from one end of the mill to the other. There were screens held at different intervals on and over, up and down, the snowy ribbons of cloth. Workers would pull giant paddles, pushing rainbow colors, across the screened fabric to create imaginative designs. Some were woodsy and pastoral, reflecting our surroundings; others bold and futuristic, as the 'Sputnik' that overshadowed our simplicity. The finished material was in great demand. As a bonus for working overtime, Daddy would sometimes be given a bolt or two. Momma sewed draperies for our parlor...and sometimes even dresses for my sister and I! It was an odd sensation to be sitting on the sofa, wearing your Sunday best, that matched the drapes around the room! I believed we became invisible to the family and friends that came to call. I think the camouflage hid our childish antics. Our wiggles became folds of material tussled by the breeze coming in the open windows. I remember the whirring fans that were mounted throughout the mill floors to dry the heavy color-soaked cloth. Humid summer days sometimes set the finished orders behind. There'd be layoffs then. Hard times, at times, with kids out of school, bills pilin' high, and nothing for some folks to do but argue, or worse. An oily smell permeated everything. The mill would belch acrid puffs of smoke that hung low to the ground and the air surrounding the village. Everyone kind of got stuck on each other! Daddy used to ride to and from work on a motor scooter. Momma said it was a scooter because it could only get up to "running speed." Daddy was a handsome man with a wide, toothy smile that made his cheeks bunch up. His hair was black and curly, and in the summertime, he wore only a T-shirt to cover his chest. It was too hot in the boiler room for more than that! I remember visiting Daddy in that dark, noisy factory and seeing him so soaked with sweat that not even the fans could dry him off! Maybe that's why he loved his scooter so much? As he rode along, it would blow away all his worries from one direction, and the sights, sounds, and smells from the other! Despite the sweat, and grease, and dirty clothes, Daddy's good looks and charm transcended all. I'd sit on the front steps to our house straining to hear the "putt-putt" of his scooter. Every so often he'd ride right past our house, and I'd run as fast as I could down the sloping lawn, waving for him to stop! He liked to tease, but sometimes I felt he'd rather have kept going. I learned to determine his mood by how long it took him to turn his bike around down the road. Like I mentioned, Daddy had been in the Navy and had "seen the world." I think he always felt there was still a lot more out there for a man like him than just a printing mill in a small New England village. He'd take pity on me on some hot summer nights, because he'd pull into our driveway and say, "Hop on!" Off we'd go! I'd nuzzle my nose into his damp, grimy back, clench my short, scrawny arms tightly around his chest, and squeal with delight. Our kindred spirits bonded during those carefree rides. Occasionally, we'd travel as far as the outskirts of the next hamlet. He would leave me with a sense of wonderment at what lay beyond. More than anything, Daddy made me 'think' of the possibilities in life. Christine Donovan-Hayden PrettyGBC@cs.com Write Christine and give her a huge HeartTouchers welcome! _________________ Christine Donovan-Hayden lives with her husband, Bob, and their Maine Coon Cat, "Pretty Girl," two Lovebirds, "Bill & Coo," and a fish named, "Bubbles." Chris has had a few surgeries in the past 18 months, and has finally come to the conclusion, with the inspiration of 'HeartTouchers,' and Al Batt, that God never gives us time to waste. Even the 'down time,' can be put to use, and that memories shared may have joyful value to others. Chris has spent many years working with older adults, children, and had a little shop devoted to wild bird supplies, antiques, and gift items, for a while. Friends now say her home "resembles the shop!" She continues to find Peace within the confines of her 'abilities,' she Hopes to continue writing...each day...as promised! Thank you, HeartTouchers, and Mr. Batt! _________________________________________ Reader Feedback! Michael, Our Youth Minister and his wife, James and Cristi, have learned that they cannot have children the "old fashion" way, but they know in their hearts that The Lord has a child for them. Please pray with them that they will follow His Leading in this matter and they will be patient until the time they will meet the child God is preparing for them. HeartTouchers is the highlight of my day! Thank you and the authors you present so much for allowing me to share in these wonderful, intimate glimpses of your lives! God bless you! Kathy kathyk@theheritagecompany.com _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "When I come to the end of my rope, God is there to take over." Verse for the Day: "...for He hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5 Kid's Thought For The Day: "Never tell your mom her diet's not working." Parent's Thought For The Day: "Parents are not quite interested injustice, they are interested in quiet." --Bill Cosby Coach's Thought For The Day: "I've heard the statement that 'players come and players go, so the program is what counts'. Somebody missed the point since the players ARE the program." --Bill Greer, Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association 2001 Assistant Coach of the Year, and all-around good guy. Writer's Thought For The Day: "I often have to write a hundred pages or more before there's a paragraph that's alive." --Philip Roth Deep Thought For The Day: "Did you know that dolphins are so intelligent that within only a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand at the very edge of the pool and throw them fish." ___________________________________________ _ /_/\/\ 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 ___________________________________________ The copyrights to the stories that appear in HeartTouchers.com are owned by the authors and are used with their permission. We refuse to run stories without the author's permission and contact info listed after the story. We also refuse to publish stories listed as "author unknown." (All of which violates Copyright Law and the rights of the authors.) This e-mail may be forwarded in its entirety, but please do not cut and paste the stories to be used elsewhere unless you have contacted and been given permission by the individual writer. Thank you so much for honoring the rights of those writers who graciously share their stories with us! __________________________________________ 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!" Kelli-- 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 ___________________________________________ Would you like to see your story in HeartTouchers.com? Writer's guidelines can be found on our Web site here: http://www.HeartTouchers.com/guidelines/ AOL Users click here: Writer's Guidelines ___________________________________________ SUBSCRIBE: "I need a daily source of inspiration and encouragement in my life!" To become a HeartTouchers.com Member send an e-mail with "Subscribe" in the subject line to: HeartTouchers@AOL.COM Then get ready to laugh, cry, and be deeply touched by some of the best stories on the Internet! __________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: All you have to do is send an e-mail with the word "Unsubscribe" in the subject line to: HeartTouchers@aol.com Give it a day or two to be processed... __________________________________________ 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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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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