{Straight From the Heart} *I Am Me* 1/5/00
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Today we have something written by a dear friend of mine, Sarah Stone. Sarah is one of only two people outside of my wife and family who really know me.(The other being Steve Paulson.) She has seen the worst of me: the immaturity and the selfishness, but chooses to love me anyway. If you find friends like Steve and Sarah in your life, then count yourself blessed, because some people search their whole lives and don't find people who will always be honest with you, who will tell you what you need to hear, and who know all about you and still want to be around you!
My thanks to both Sarah and Steve for their friendship, and again
to Sarah for sharing a little of herself in the following writing...
Michael
I Am Me
Dear Michael and Kristi,
I am sending you this because it seems to represent the things
that I believe represent the friendship we have shared. It seems
so strange that it has been so long since you guys and Steve and I
hung out and laughed and bickered... :) BUT no matter ... the
things that made each of us different ...seemed to also be the
things that brought us together.... I think about those times
quite often.... the vacations and everything else we would do...
I remember them fondly.... and I know that each of us have
traveled down different directions but we still choose the
same path of friendship!
Congratulations Mike on the great things you are doing...
including being a good husband and father!!! Kristi, you are
one of the strongest people I know and I admire what you stand
for and your strength.
So here is a little thing that I wrote a few years back that
seems to say it all....
I am me
And I love me
I can be all that I want
I am the master of my being
I have control to say yes or no
I may be sad or happy
But I have decided my own path
You are you
And I love you
You can be all that you want
You yourself hold the true meaning of your feelings
You control your loves and hates
You walk the path only you have chosen
Your path may cross with mine
But our ideals remain our own
We are friends
And I love our friendship
It can be all that we want
We always retain the rights to be ourselves though
We hold our trust in each other very dear
We have made the choice to remain friends
To walk together down the same path
With laughter and tears
But always arm and arm.
Love you both!
Sarah Stone
SStone@Charter.net
Send Sarah an email and let her know what you thought about her writing!
A little bit about Sarah:
I live in Madison, Wisconsin. I share my home with two goofy cats...
or should I say I just pay the rent so they have a place to live
and a place for me to visit. I am currently a Marketing
Coordinator for the local cable television Company. I enjoy
travel and adventure all over the Midwest.... in the car and
on bicycle. Last summer I finished my first 480 mile, week
long bike trip.... and seemed to live out of a duffle bag every
weekend.... and loved it!!
__________________________________________________
REQUEST:
For those of you who have been praying for Kathy and her daughters,
here is the latest update:
From: juliette@inetnebr.com (Liz Kilpatrick)
Hi friends.
I haven't written because there was nothing to report till today.
I got a long letter from Kathy's sister Margo and I want to warn you
at the outset of this post that the news is not good.
I will say the positive part first. Daughter Kia with her husband
Mike and little girl, Samanatha, are comfortably settled there in
South Carolina. The family is getting to enjoy time together.
Unfortunately the rest of this letter may require kleenex.
On December 18 Kathy had been resting upstairs and came down to be
near the family. She and her Great Dane, Sandy, whom you may have
seen on the web page, had settled on the couch together.. They are
inseparable. Kia said something to Kathy...and then realized
something was wrong...there was no response.. Then she noticed the
left side of Kathy's face twitching. She said "Are you all right?"
Kathy didn't answer. Then she yelled right at her, "What's WRONG!"
No response.. At that point Kathy's left arm and leg started to spasm
and she went into a seizure.
They called 9-1-1 right away...after checking her pulse and breathing as
instructed to do they were told to lay her on the floor till the ambulance
arrived. Sandy, being very protective, thought they were hurting Kathy and
they had a hard time getting her away so that the paramedics could get
into the house. The girls were crying.. (the older girls were all there),
and then Kory came home and went into hysterics. It was a mad house. By
the time the paramedics got there the seizure had subsided.
They took her on into the hospital and did a CAT scan and chest xray. Here
is the bad part. The CAT scan reveealed that there are two brain tumours
now...one behind each eye. The chest xrays were clear. They immmediately
began radiation to the brain and also decided to try again to reduce her
spleen which is huge...bigger than before. The drs. were confident they
could reduce and get rid of the tumours...and had scheduled 10 treatments.
However on the 22nd Kia called Margo and told her that they found more
cancer...it has completely taken over her brain. Without divine
intervention she will be gone in six months or less. All treatments have
now been discontinued except those to keep her from having seizures. She
is at home with visiting nurses coming in to give her meds and check on
her.
Margo said that she spoke with her on the 26th and she was having a very
hard time talking as if she was struggling to process her thoughts. At
this point she is having trouble with control of bodily functions and is
often too weak to walk around the house so is using a wheelchair.
Sometimes she can eat and other times she can't keep anything down. On
the 28th she was a little more alert. She can barely write her name now.
Margo got a Christmas letter that she treasures.
Apparently some of you dear folks have been sending money to the trust
fund. Kathy mentioned that to Margo and said what a great burden had bene
lifted from her because of this gifts. She hopes that any of you who sent
money or other gifts have been properly thanked and if not wishes that
expression to go to all!
I feel bad that I have not yet got the drs. letter up on the web page
confirming her condition. We are going to do that in the next couple of
days. Has to be mailed to the Webmaster. AGain I wish to thank Michael P.
for all that he has done to make that page so good. Also the other
Michael with the prayer list contacts for spreading the word about Kathy
to so many around the world.
I know that their finances are still in terrible shape so anything that
can be done after your prayerful consideration will be wonderful. And
your fervent and earnest prayers are coveted by that family right now.
There is so much pain and heartache in that household. Please pray for
physical healing for Kathy and for strength for them all.
She is a very strong woman. As her sister puts it, "She takesa a licking
and keeps on ticking."
Cards and letters will be welcome. Encouragement of all kinds. Let's
encircle this family with our love and warmth! I appreciate those who have
supported me as her friend in this quest all these months....THANK YOU!
I will keep you posted as I learn more.
To go to Kathy's web site to see first hand how her and her family are dealing with this crisis click here:
Ripples - The Kathy Clayton Story
http://members.xoom.com/LizK1952
Liz :)
For those who wanted Kathy's snail mail address:
Kathy Clayton
176 Ponderosa Court
Ladson, SC 29456-3165
REQUEST:
Please pray for Tony.
A special message for everyone today: It is with a heavy heart that I
write this e-mail to you. Yesterday afternoon our youngest son, Tony, age
34, was involved in a very serious accident at work. He was getting ready
to pull the lever of the "bucket" from the machinery (the big crane
thing, I am not sure what it is called.). The wind blew some
electric cables and the crane hit it and Tony was electrocuted with
38,000 volts of electricity. They transferred him to the burn trauma
center of St. Johns Mercy Hospital by helicopter. They immediately sedated him
to the point of being medically paralized. The medical staff notified
my daughter-in-law, and she called us. We hurried to the hospital as
quickly as the car would take us, not knowing anything about his
condition. I am so sorry to say that we are going to be faced with a
very long, extensive ordeal. Our son lost his left leg this afternoon
just above the knee because it was so badly burned. They are saying
that he will probably lose his right arm just above the elbow and his
left hand just above the wrist. The doctor holds out very little hope
of saving his hands but said he will do everything possible. We are
praying above everything that his kidneys don't fail. Doctors said that he
will most likely get pneumonia, but we just have to pray that he can fight
and overcome it. I will try to keep you all posted, but PLEASE, PLEASE,
PLEASE, I beg of you, pray for my son and please put him on every
prayer list that you know of. At this point, I can't make myself pray 'Thy
will be done'.
Karen.
NANNYnTEX@aol.com
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Thought For The Day:
"Rank does not confer privilege or give power. It imposes
responsibility."
(Peter Drucker)
Verse for the Day:
"For everyone to who much is given, of him shall much be required,
and of him to whom men entrust much, they will require and demand
all the more."
Luke 12:48
Kid's Thought For The day:
"It's hard not to pick at it."
Parent's Thought For The Day
"Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them."
(Lady Bird Johnson)
Coach's Thought For The Day
"It takes less time to do a thing right than to explain why you
did it wrong."
(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
Deep Thought For The Day:
"Never ask a barber if you need a haircut."
_
/_/\/\ MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\ / THUNDER27@aol.com http://members.aol.com/Thunder27/index.html
/_/ \ "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