_________________________________________
{Straight From the Heart} *Who's in Charge Here?* 6/9/00
__________________________________________
Welcome to "Straight From the Heart!"
If you enjoy this free daily email service, I encourage you to
forward it on to family and friends. If this has been passed along
to you and you want to join the list, just send a blank email to: Thunder27@aol.com
I appreciate any feedback or constructive criticism, so feel free to
write me (Michael T. Powers) and let me know what you think!
__________________________________________
WHO'S IN CHARGE HERE?
by Joseph Walker
Valuesguy@netscape.net
So I'm just sitting in front of my computer, wondering where
this week's column is going to come from, when all of a
sudden I hear that old, familiar voice.
"Hey, guy. What's happening?"
Oh, no. YOU again. Look, I've got deadlines to meet. I
don't have time for you.
"You NEVER have time for me. But we always manage to find
some, don't we?"
Yeah. And that usually means trouble -- for me.
"You mean like when you were 15 and you were goofing around
with some sparklers on the 4th of July, and I came along and
asked how far you could throw one?"
That's EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Why didn't you warn
me about how quickly a well-thrown sparkler can turn a dry,
weed-infested field into a three-alarm fire?
"You didn't ask. But hey, it was exciting for a while
there, wasn't it? Almost as exciting as the time I talked
you into taking the ol' Corvair for a spin without your
parents' permission."
And, as I recall, without a driver's license.
"Yeah. That was great, wasn't it?"
I thought so. I'm just glad nobody got hurt. You would've
been responsible . . . "
"Hold on just a second, buddy boy. YOU would've been
responsible, because I'm just a part of you. Only I'm the
part that makes you want to do dumb stuff -- which, I've
gotta tell ya, has been pretty darn often during the past 45
years. Like when you were little and you took that pack of
baseball cards from the store. I was the one whispering,
`No one will ever know.'"
That's right. I remember.
"And the time in high school when those kids wanted you to
sluff school to go water-skiing? That was me, reminding you
of how overwhelmingly important it is to be popular."
Big deal. I was a kid, and kids are susceptible. You
haven't had much impact on me lately.
"Oh yeah? How about in April when you were working on your
taxes? Or the other day when that clerk didn't charge you
for the gum? Or this morning on the elevator when you stood
opposite that beautiful young woman in the shorts and the .
. . "
OK, I get the point. Maybe I do hear your voice once in a
while. But I don't pay as much attention as I used to. It
may have occurred to me to fudge a little on my taxes, but I
didn't. And I brought the gum to the clerk's attention.
And I barely notice that young woman on the elevator.
"Uh-huh. Sure."
Honest. I've learned that you don't have to act on every
impulse. In fact, the opposite is true. If you want to
control your destiny, you have to first learn to control
yourself. The greatest power in the world is power over
self. It's just a matter of deciding who's going to be in
charge: me or you.
"Are you trying to tell me that you think you've got me
under control?"
Not completely. I still give you too much power sometimes.
But I'm trying.
"Well, you're going to have to try a lot harder. Weren't
you the one who was whining about your deadline a little
while ago? Well, it's almost here, and I've distracted you
long enough to get you in SERIOUS trouble. Just like old
times!"
Maybe. Then again, maybe not.
Joe Walker
Valuesguy@netscape.net
Email Joe and let him know what you thought of his story!
**********************************************
A little bit about Joe:
Joe 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 wife, Anita, are parents of five
children, with their first grandchild due shortly.
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/heart
___________________________________________________
Thought For The Day:
"Authority without wisdomis like a heavy axe without an edge, fitter
to bruise than polish."
(Anne Bradstreet)
Verse for the Day:
"A ruler who lacks understanding is...a great opressor.
Proverbs 28:16 AMP
Kid's Thought for the day:
"Milk tastes a lot better through a straw."
Parent's Thought For The Day
"You know that having a baby has drastically changed your life when
you and your husband go on a date to Wal-Mart on double coupon day."
(Linda Fiterman)
Coach's Thought For The Day
"You cannot serve a team water with a pitchfork."
Deep Thought For The Day:
"My friend told me that his sister is expecting a baby and he doesn't
know whether he's going to be an aunt or an uncle."
___________________________________________________
_
/_/\/\ 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
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 suprised 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 (RKaGe@aol.com) 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!
Video Imagery
http://members.aol.com/Videoimg/index.html