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*The Power of Love* 2/8/02 __________________________ 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 ____________________________________________ THE POWER OF LOVE By Joseph Walker By any standard of measurement, David was a powerful man. Tall, handsome and dignified, he cut an imposing figure, even in his declining years. He was widely known and greatly respected by his peers and others in the community. As the head of a large organization, he was surrounded by people who were prepared to respond to his every whim. Because of the prominence of his position and the value of his time, he didn't have to do anything that he didn't want to do, or that wasn't a high priority to him. Which is why it seemed a little unusual to those who worked in the small downtown market to see this great man, slowed and bent by the years, shuffling in to shop. "Doesn't he have people to do this sort of thing for him?" a clerk asked the store manager. "Of course he does," the manager whispered. "He has people who have people who have people to do this sort of thing for him. They watched as David moved slowly, deliberately, toward the produce section. "Then what's he doing here?" the clerk asked. "I don't know," the manager said, a little nervously. "But whatever it is, it must be VERY important." David paused at the produce section, looking at the surprisingly expansive display of fresh fruits and vegetables. At last his eyes settled on a big bin of large, shiny red apples. He picked up the apples one by one, examining each closely, twisting and turning it in the sunlight to expose any defect or flaw. Over the course of several minutes he must have inspected two dozen apples or so until at last he settle on one that looked absolutely perfect -- perfectly sized, perfectly shaped, perfectly colored, perfectly ripe. "Perfect!" he said to himself, smiling broadly. He tucked the apple securely in his hand and made his way back up the aisle to the cash register, where the manager stepped in front of the clerk. "There will be no charge for that, sir," the manager said when David presented the apple for purchase. "You may have it, with our compliments." David shook his head. "Thank you, sir," he said kindly. "But I insist. Please allow me to pay for this beautiful apple." Hesitantly, the manager rang up the charge for the apple, and placed it carefully in a brown paper bag. He took David's money, and handed the bag to him. "Thank you," David said, holding the bag as one might hold a package of diamonds. "Emma will love this!" Emma? Of course -- Emma. The love of David's life. His sweetheart of more than 50 years. It was said that in all their time together, they had never once had an argument. And now, a clerk and a manager at a small downtown market understood why. It was a matter of priority. It was a matter of sensitivity. It was a matter of purpose. And clearly, it was a matter of power. The power of love. Joseph Walker valuescom@juno.com Write Joseph and let him know your thoughts on his story! ___________________________ Joseph Walker has been writing professionally since 1980, when he left college to join the staff of a daily metropolitan newspaper. For 10 years -- including six as the paper's TV columnist and critic -- he was part of the mainstream media, and was painfully aware of the overwhelming negativity of contemporary journalism. Joe says, "Nobody was looking for real solutions to the problems society was facing; they were just looking for someone or something to blame the problems on." So in 1990 Joe began writing ValueSpeak, a weekly syndicated column that attempts to look at contemporary issues from the perspective of traditional values. Joe and his wife, Anita, are parents of five children, and one grandchild. You'll love his new book, "How Can you Mend a Broken Spleen!" Ordering is simple and fast at the following Amazon address: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573453005/qid=972961681/sr=1-6/straighfromthe0a AOL Users click here: How To Mend A Broken Spleen _________________________________________ 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 _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "One falsehood spoils a thousand truths." --Ashanti Proverb Verse for the Day: "A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin." --Proverbs 26:28 Kid's Thought For The Day: "Never dare your little brother to paint the family car." Parent's Thought For The Day: "If you want your children to have places in their hearts that speak to them, give them places worth going to." --Jan McKenzie Coach's Thought For The Day: "The game of football is played all over the world. In some countries, such a game may be called a soccer match. In others, a revolution. However, there are several differences between a football game and a revolution. For one thing, a football game usually lasts longer and the participants wear uniforms. Also, there are usually more casualties in a football game. The object of the game is to move the ball past the other team's goal line. This counts as six points. No points are given for lacerations, contusions, or abrasions, but then no points are deducted, either. Kicking is very important in football. In fact, some of the more enthusiastic players even kick the football occasionally." --Alfred Hitchcock Deep Thought For The Day: "Looking for enlightenment is like looking for a flashlight, when all you need the flashlight for is to find the flashlight." ___________________________________________ _ /_/\/\ 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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