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{Straight From the Heart} *That Age* 7/13/00
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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
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I appreciate any feedback or constructive criticism, so feel free
to write me (Michael T. Powers) and let me know what you think!
Also, here is the link to Pamela Blaine's web page. There was a
problem with her link when I included it on Monday.
http://members.aol.com/mblaine/pamy/PamyPlace.html
PamyPlace
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That Age
by David Sims
Just south of Los Angeles, California on a nice stretch of beach called
Redondo, lives the most special person in the world. She was born only
one mile from where she now lives in a house she spent 53, great, years
with her sweetheart, my grandfather. To some she's mom and to others
she's grandma but to all, she is wonderful.
In September we celebrated her 85th birthday, and up until last year she
has been a very young looking and acting person of 80 something. But,
starting last year I noticed something was changing in her. She was
becoming someone different than I have known and loved all of my life.
Let me explain. We are a very close family all raised in the same city
as my grandparents and had constant access to their love. While I was in
grade school I would ride my bike down to their house once or twice a
week just to be with them. And as I grew I would make it a point to stop
by when going to the beach or down to visit my friends who lived close
by. My grandma would attend all of our sporting events, but she liked
watching us play baseball the best. I found out that in the
nineteen-thirties when she was in high school, at Redondo Union, she was
a pretty good ball player herself.
Being such a big baseball fan, I can remember her watching one team on
television while holding the radio to her ear and listening to the game
of another team. On several occasions I would go down to her house and
watch a game on TV just to be with her and because I knew she enjoyed it
so much.
So, being around my grandparents as much as I had, I knew that something
was just not the same with her over the last year. She would get
irritable and have a quick uncomfortable snap to her voice, something I
had never seen before. She was not as energetic or happy as the person
she once was. I would call and offer to come over and watch a ball game
with her, but even this didn't excite her as it once had. She seemed to
be losing all interest in the things that once made her eyes shine with
joy.
I feared that my grandmother was starting to get to that age! The one we
all fear will come but never want to accept when it does. What could I
do? This couldn't be happening to my wonderful, loving, caring grandma.
Why? I had seen some of the same things in my grandfather in what was to
be his last years.
Another sign of her changing was when we had one of our special dinners.
My grandmother found great pleasure in getting all of the So. California
clan and a few friends together at her favorite steak restaurant.
Twenty-five to thirty of us would converge for an evening of food,
laughter, and to share a special time with grandma. At the last dinner I
watched, for the first time, as my normally independent grandmother had
someone else read the menu to her? This confirmed my suspicions of
grandma and the transformation I had been observing.
I got a call from my dad the other day and he was so excited! He had
just returned from taking my grandmother to the optometrist. Over the
last few years my dad, grandmas son-in-law, was the one to take grandma
on all her appointments and errands. My dad wanted to always be available
for grandma because he and mom worried about the thought of grandma
driving. This time she wanted dad to take her to the eye doctor for her
yearly check up. At the office my grandmother had all the regular tests
given as part of an eye exam. At the end of the tests the doctor
explained that her eyes were the same as on her last visit. But then the
doctor asked, "Where are your new glasses, the pair you got last visit?"
"Why are you wearing your old glasses?" My grandmother didn't know? "I
thought these were my new glasses and I don't know where the others could
be?" Was her reply?
Both dad and grandma made a quick exit from the office so she could get
home to look for her other glasses. As my dad helped, they searched
through drawers and boxes for her other pair. My dad asked if they might
be in the catchall drawer in the kitchen. Grandma's response was, "they
would never be in there." Well, that ended up being the secret hiding
place, for the last year, of grandma's new pair of glasses, the catchall
drawer.
As she placed on her glasses, my dad said the whole neighborhood could
hear her scream, "I CAN SEE, I CAN SEE, I CAN SEE!!!" She ran as fast as
she could to her garden out back to see, again, the most beautiful
flowers in the world.
I am happy to report that my grandma has not yet reached "THAT AGE" and
she is back to her "NEW" old self. I think I will call her soon and go
watch a ball game with her on her new big screen TV. The TV she bought
because she could see so well with her new glasses.
Welcome back grandma! We love you!
Love Dave.
David Sims
Sims-usa@juno.com
Send David an email and let him know what you thought of his story!
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A little bit about David:
David wants you to know he gives all glory to his Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. He lives in Southern California with his high school sweetheart
and wife of 21 years, Cindy. They have five wonderful children and a
large extended family.
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What plans do you have to make money from the e-commerce explosion?
Check out our business home page: http://ww.simple2net.net/simusa
David & Cindy Sims
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REQUESTS:
From: Stndupdble@aol.com
Michael,
I received this prayer request from my father today, thank you in advance
for your prayers:
Please pray for a dear faithful servant of the Lord, Henry Davis. He
and his wife have been serving in the mission field in Ecuador for over
20 years. He began bumping into things two weeks ago. Cat scans, MRI
tests have revealed a brain tumor. He is scheduled for brain surgery
today. Doctors say it is malignant and that he will not regain his
sight loss and then will have one year to live. But God is able!!!
Amen.
From: pamsmk@juno.com (Pam)
Dear Michael,
I am asking for prayers for my daughter Penny who has been having pain in
her back, now it is also in one arm and one leg. Not sure which arm and
leg as she was giving me so much information tonight I forgot whether it
is the right side or left. We are all concerned because tomorrow they do
blood work and x-rays. Please pray that it is nothing serious. She is
the single mom of 2 children, 15 and 6. God bless all for taking the
time to pray.
Love in Christ,
Pam
From: DHAngelGirl72@aol.com
My Mom, Barbara is having gallbladder surgery tomorrow at 12:30pm ET.
I won't be able to go, but my brother John, and sis-n-law Temple
will be there and hopefully my Pastor Alex. I know the procedure
is really simple these days but I love my Mom so much and often worry
about her. She's an angel to me. I'll be home alone after my brother
takes her to the hospital. My fiance' says to call him if I need
support and I know I have many church friends to call and also God.
Just pray that she makes it through the surgery OK and nothing goes
wrong. Thanks for your prayers.
Peace In Christ,
Deb Hartzell
DHAngelGirl72@aol.com
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Thought For The Day:
"A coincidence is a small miracle where God prefers to remain anonymous."
Verse for the Day:
"Who can put into words an dtell the mighty deeds of the Lord? Or who
can show forth all the praise (that is due him)?"
Psalm 106:2 AMP
Kid's Thought For The Day:
"Babies get more attention."
Parent's Thought For The Day
"It's amazing. One day you look at your phone bill and realize they're
teenagers."
(Milton Berle)
Coach's Thought For The Day
"Nothing makes a player more productive than the last minute."
(John Kessel)
Deep Thought For The Day:
"Every 4 seconds a woman has a baby. Our problem is to
find this woman and stop her."
_
/_/\/\ 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
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Video Imagery
http://members.aol.com/Videoimg/index.html