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{Straight From the Heart} *Reflections For Tomorrow...* 4/24/00
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Welcome to "Straight From the Heart!"
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We have another wonderful story from Viki Florkowski and a sad
and introspective poem by Christine Rindfleisch, one of the athletes
I have the priveledge to coach at Clinton High School. Make sure you
write to them with your encouragement!
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Reflections for Tomorrow
By Viki Florkowski
Rain graces my morning as I reflect on the past year and a half; rain for
the spring flowers which symbolize for me the newness of life, new
beginnings, new opportunities, new loves. A solitary bird sits in a tree
outside my window singing his aria. He wakes me every morning and sings to
me every night. A bouncy little lilt, his song never ends.
I decided to go back to school. That in itself is not a big deal, except
that I really had run out of options and education was the only door left
for me to enter. My decision to go back to school was facilitated by a back
injury which progressively got worse as time went on, until I was unable to
walk without the aid of a cane. My main difficulty was that I had been out
of school for 34 years; and one of the reasons I did not further my
education was fear of failure, even though I was an honor student in high
school.
My second dilemma was what do I want to be when I grow up? And in which
field would I be comfortable? It didn't take me long to figure out what I
didn't want to be! At my age, I couldn't afford to spend a great deal of
time getting a degree because having a full time job and going to school at
the same time would take me forever!
I decided to pursue a degree in theology, not that I wanted to be a
theologian, but with God as the starting point, I was sure that everything
would fall into place. It took a great deal of courage to go outside of
myself and my secure circle of everyday monotony to accomplish just this
little bit. Everything was ready and I was to begin classes in the fall.
But first, I had to undergo a back operation, no options whatsoever. The
prognosis was "iffy" at best. I could wake up and be able to walk or worse.
My prayer life became wonderful! Two weeks after my surgery, I had an appointment
with a massage therapist. In addition to my back problem, I had the
beginnings of a heel spur. If one does not know the pain associated with a
heel spur, it's like taking knife and thrusting the point into the bottom of
your foot at the heel. You just can't put your foot on the floor at all and
the pain is excruciating. After a month of working with my therapist, the
heel pain was gone, I was walking better than I had in years, and I realized
that there are so many people who are in pain that don't need to be. I
returned to work with full duties four months from the date of my surgery.
The day after I returned to work, I also began my classes for massage
therapy. By "accident" I had tripped over my new path.
I sit here, listening to the rain, listening to the aria of the songbird,
reflecting on the past year and a half of struggles during my studies. It
is the struggles that bring growth. It is the growth that brings wisdom. I
realized that I am no theologian. There are others far more gifted for that
field than I. I realized that every person is given talents not to be
hidden away, but used for the good of all. And this field of massage
therapy was not chosen by me, but rather it was chosen specifically for me,
designed specifically so that like the little bird, my song will never end.
copyright March 16, 2000
Viki Florkowski
vikflo@urec.net
Send Viki an email and let her know what you thought of her writing!
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I live in a rural community in central Ohio. A mother and grandmother, I
enjoy the company of good friends, and the beauty of nature. In addition to
working full time, I am also continuing my education
in a field where I can be of service to others. I've always enjoyed enjoyed
writing, but the value of it is in sharing it with others.
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The following is poem by Christine Rindfleisch that will be published in the
book, From the Mountaintop. It is scheduled for publication this
summer, and is a classic, coffee-table hardbound volume of books.
I remember the first time I read something that Christine had written
about her grandmother, and I was truly touched by the the quality of
the writing and the depth of feeling that went into it. Not many
teenagers can express themselves in this way.....
Join me in congratulating Christine on being published at the ripe old
age of 17!
I am extremely proud of you Christine, and I thank you for the courage
it must have taken to share a part of your soul with the world...
Michael
The Rose
By: Christine Rindfleisch
I don't know what to do now.
The rose is dying and wilting away
Watching the petals fall gently down,
It's nothing more today.
The sun no longer brightens it,
The rose no longer sways.
It has become nothing now
As it slowly decays.
What brought upon this death
Of the most beautiful rose?
We planted it so it would live long,
That was what we chose.
It was promised to live forever,
Never to leave our heart.
It was planted to grow and spread,
A symbol of our start.
And now you've chosen differently,
The rose not to bloom and grow-
Even though you planted it,
It's time for you to go.
Christine Rindfleisch
Batgrl31@aol.com
Send Christine an email and let her know what you thought of her writing!
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My name is Christine Rindfleisch. I am 17 years old and attend
Clinton High School. I first started writing poetry after the death
of my grandmother. It was a very difficult time for me and I wasn't
very good at telling other people my problems, so I started expressing
my feelings through writing. I love writing poetry because it sounds
so beautiful, and I can really express my thoughts accurately.
My email address is Batgrl31@aol.com, I would really love to hear
your input about my writing. Lots of Love...
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/_/\/\ 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
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