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*Will You Tie This Please?* 3/15/02 ______________________________________ 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 ____________________________________________ 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 _________________________________________ Will You Tie This Please? By D. Anne Jones "Will you tie this, please?" These were the words of Sean, my almost eight year old, as he struggled with the ragged blue bath towel that is supposed to be reserved for his much larger parents. He was asking me to tie the towel around his neck so that he could be a superhero! Suddenly, it dawned on me that no one had asked me to help with this task for almost two years! There was a time when I performed this function numerous times in a single day! I have three boys and two girls, and they are spread out in ages from seven to twenty-one. I began to tally up all the times I had pinned, sewn and tied on "capes" of all kinds so that my children could become some wonderful fantastic individual who was out to save the world! I turned to my husband and commented that it wouldn't be long before no one was a superhero around here anymore! For days, this thought has been in my mind, and I cannot seem to let it go. I thought that Sean was past this stage in life, and how did I miss it? Shouldn't there have been some huge trumpet sound that announced the passing of an era in my life? It is with great sadness that I realize how quickly they have all grown up. Two have ventured out of the nest to find their freedom. One has managed to return, holding out his palm for more help before he is ready to save the world. The other still struggles, but is determined not to share a bedroom again and listen to the noise that comes with a house full of seven people. She is not ready to fly, but is working on her cape. I think of my own parents, who sent five of us out into the world. Some couldn't fly away fast enough, but others had to be nudged out the door. I doubt that my mother tied as many capes, because she had five girls, but I do remember jumping down a flight of stairs with an umbrella to see if Mary Poppins really could fly, or was it the umbrella? Playing Peter Pan was another all time favorite, so who says that girls didn't have super heroes until the advent of Wonder Woman? Isn't that what pretending to be a super hero does? That fantasy prepares us for the great-unknown world, and our ability to conquer it. So, as I tied that ratty blue towel around Sean's neck and sent him on his way, flying off the top step, wasn't I telling him that there is nothing he cannot accomplish in life? He is the master of his own universe, and if he has the right equipment -- not a cape or a costume, but his faith in God and belief in himself as God's child, he will be able to accomplish whatever the two of them undertake! As a parent, it is difficult to watch the youngest child grow up. There is a feeling of finality in it, and that brings sadness if we let it. I hope that I can stand back and watch this superhero of mine soar into the future with his armor in place and his eyes fixed on the prize before him. Who knows, maybe someday he will return with a little superhero of his own for me to dress up in bath towels and paper crowns? Then I will surely be the lucky one, because I will realize the next time around, how important those capes can be. It only took me twenty-one years to recognize it! Meanwhile, I will be working on my own cape, and believe me, it won't be a bath towel! D. Anne Jones DAJSB@aol.com Write D. Anne and let her know your thoughts on her story! ____________________________________ D. Anne Jones is a 41 year old mother of five and wife of one who lives in NW Indiana and is a portrait artist, marketing coordinator, art teacher and domestic engineer. In her spare time, she writes little stories dealing with things she can't quit thinking about! _________________________________________ Reader Feedback! Dear Michael, I am not a writer and don't have a story to share, but I truly enjoy the stories I read everyday. I have been struggling with trying to find out what is most important to me and how to divide my time between my church, my family, my home, and my job. Some of the stories make me reflect upon what is really important and get my priorities in life straight. I know many mothers and fathers face the same feelings. But, I talked to one of my best friends last night on the phone and it made all my own troubles and worries seem so small. In saying that, I am asking for you and all to pray for my friend's 5-year old son. She found out Monday night that he has cancer. He is going to Riley's Hospital in Indianapolis tomorrow to run additional tests to find out exactly the nature of the cancer. He will have to endure 48 weeks of Chemo and will have to travel 2 hours both ways 1-2 days a week during that time. My friend is the mother of 3, with him being her oldest. They are good people and I care for her and her family as my own. Please pray for them. I believe in the power of prayer and just knowing that the more people I can get to pray for him, the more strength it will give him to beat this. His name is Kyle. Thank you again for your time and compassion. Monica Kremer MonicaK@supportproducts.com _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience." Verse for the Day: "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men." --Acts 24:16 Kid's Thought For The day: "Wishing you knew how to jump rope isn't enough." Parent's Thought For The Day "A child is someone who stands halfway between an adult and a TV set." Coach's Thought For The Day "The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places." --Ernest Hemingway Writer's Quote For the Day: "Reading, the love of reading, is what makes you dream of becoming a writer. And long after you've become a writer, reading books others write -- and rereading the beloved books of the past -- constitutes an irresistible distraction from writing. Distraction. Consolation. Torment. And, yes, inspiration." --Susan Sontag Deep Thought For The Day: If your last name is Horse, it is probably a bad idea to wear a pony tail. ___________________________________________ _ /_/\/\ 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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