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{SFTH}   *A Brother's Love*  7/31/01

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inspiration into the lives of many!  If you are not on the list
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a blank email to:  Thunder27@aol.com
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Michael's long awaited book Straight From the Heart: "A
Celebration of Life," is finally here!  Close to 200 pages
of true short stories filled with love and laughter await
you!  Visit our web site to order the EBook, or to order
by credit card! You can also read some sample stories
from the book here!

http://storiesfrommyheart.com/michael_t__powers/

To order your autographed copy at no extra charge, send
a check or money order for $18 ($14.95 for the book and
$3.05 for shipping and handling) made out to
Michael T. Powers, and then send to:
 
Michael T. Powers
1918 Liberty Lane
Janesville, WI 53545
 
For two books add $4 for shipping and handling and for three
books add $5 for shipping and handling.  If you want four or
more autographed copies of our book you only pay $5 for
shipping and handling.
 
Be sure to let us know who you would like it autographed for and
then allow about two weeks for us to sign it and send it on its
way to you.
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A very special congratulations goes to my beloved little sister,
Christina Miller and her husband Jeff on the birth of their new baby
girl, Jude Mary Elizabeth Miller.  She was born 7/26/01 at 2:38 AM,
weighed 8lb 12oz, and was 20 inches long.

Congratulations Jeff and Christina!
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It is with great pleasure that I get to introduce a new writer to SFTH.
Give Alison Peters a warm SFTH welcome for me!
Michael
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A Brother's Love

By Alison Peters

The little Down Syndrome girl -- a teenager the size of a ten year old --
made her way through the McDonald's restaurant to the back and turned
toward the restroom.

After stopping and looking closely at the word on the door to make
absolutely certain she was entering the appropriate one, she walked in.

This was a happy evening for her.  She and her family had just come
from the roller rink with a group of friends from her church, and although
trying to stay in an upright position while skating had been more work
than fun for her, she knew now that it was certainly well worth the effort.
After all, was there any place in the world offering greater rewards than
McDonald's?

Her younger, but bigger, brother sat quietly.  He noticed something,
that thankfully, she had not noticed.

A group of four teenagers, two couples, had taken an interest in the
little girl from the moment they spotted her.  Their eyes were on her like
magnets as she walked to the bathroom, snickering and whispering
behind their hands, with one openly laughing, another pointing.

Her brother watched them for a minute or so.  Then, he stood slowly,
almost wearily, and walked casually across the restaurant to the booth
where the merry couples were sitting.

The two guys paled slightly, and the girls looked a little alarmed as
this total stranger -- a year or two their junior -- placed his hands
boldly on their table, leaning down slightly toward them.  They studied
each other while he was clearly in their space, and while they were
most definitely out of their comfort zones.

The stoic intruder stood up straight after several seconds and
motioned with one hand for one of the couples to move over.  He
intended to sit right down next to them.  Somewhat in shock,
and thrown completely off-guard, they made space for him as
he lowered himself and sat down, hunched slightly forward with
his forearms resting on the table.

"I was watching you making fun of my sister," he quietly informed them.

All four faces were now pale and the boys stumbled over their words in
their rush to defend themselves.

"Who?  Your sister?  Where?"
"We weren't making fun of anyone!"
"Oh, that was your sister?  We weren't making fun of her!"
 "We would never make fun of someone like that!"

But he told them again, "I watched you."

They babbled whatever came to their minds, knowing they had been
caught red-handed and maybe, just maybe, even realizing that
they had been not only rude, but cruel to boot.  Maybe they even
got a little glimpse of the love this fifth wheel had for his sister,
and an inkling of the emotions he was dealing with.  Maybe.

The brother appeared not to be listening to their denials as he turned
and watched his sister head back to where she had been sitting
with the church group.  Each of the four looked away, making
sure they looked absolutely anywhere other than that little girl.

Somehow, on her return trip from the restroom, not one of them
found her the least bit amusing.  Her brother watched her sit
down with the others, then he slid out of the booth and stood.
As he turned to walk away, one of the boys tried for one last
line of defense. "Hey, we would not make fun of her.  We feel
sorry for people like that!"

The little girl's defender stopped and turned back to their table, and
placing the palms of his hands again on its surface.  He leaned
in close to his new acquaintances, and said hoarsely, "And I
feel sorry for people like YOU."

Then he turned and walked away.  And somehow, he suddenly
blended in with the Happy Meal atmosphere as he took his place
next to his little sister -- just as if he was your average, basic
McDonald's customer, and not a hero at all.

Alison Peters
Sweetpetes3@cs.com

Send Alison an e-mail and let her know what you thought of her story!
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I am a single mom living in Florida, who loves writing. It is very
exciting for me to share this story which was published in the latest
book compiled by Alice Gray. The book is entitled "Stories for a
Teen's Heart book 2."  My daughter, Shannon, is the little girl in
this true story.  Her brother Scott was her hero.
Comments are always welcome.  God bless. :)

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From the E-mail Box!

Dear Michael and Kristi,

I have just finished reading your poignantly beautiful book.  I can't
tell you how much it touched my heart.  I found it inspiring,
humorous, sad, stirring and encouraging.  What a precious
couple you are!  You truly have wisdom beyond your years.
The Lord has given both of you a marvelous gift of writing, and
such warm and generous hearts, that I know you must bless
all with whom you come in contact.  Thank you for being so
honest in sharing your mistakes, your triumphs and your
tragedies.  I'm sure the Lord has great things in store for
you.  Thanks also for the autograph which meant so much.

Love and hugs and blessings to you both,

Betty Jo Mings
bmings@netzero.net
http://members.truepath.com/BettyJoMings/
Poetry by Betty Jo Mings Original Christian Poems of Comfort and Inspiration

********************

Michael,
     Just wanted to tell you that your story about Connor being Jesus
with his Grandma had me rolling!  I wanted to share with you that
my little 3 year old Faith had Bible School a couple of weeks ago
and all the kids were supposed to memorize bible verses.  Of
course being 3, I gave her Jesus wept.  Well, the time came in
front of the church to say them and she said, "Jesus swept."
Everyone broke up laughing.  Thanks for the stories everyday.
May God continue to bless everything you do, you and all
your family.
Crystal, Mt. Nebo, WV
cjhandgarth@yahoo.com

************

Dear Michael,

Thank you for today's story, "A Room Full of Treasures."  How wonderful!
My grandparent's house has the same memories for me.  Up to the second
floor, through the bathroom (which my grandfather installed!) and into
the "attic" - probably once a bedroom but for me as a child a treasure
trove full of games and books my mother and her siblings enjoyed,
photographs of deceased relatives, old Christmas decorations and
dress-up clothes.  Thank goodness my grandmother didn't like to throw
things away!  A few years ago my grandmother moved to a retirement
community and it was hard to pack up and move all these things, or
decide which should be divvied up or sold, but how neat that she held
onto things that made my childhood so special.  Thank you for this
story, and a walk down Memory Lane.
Angi in Michigan

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Thought For The Day:

"A great leader never sets himself above his followers except in
carrying responsibilities." --Jules Ormont

Verse for the Day:

"And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!"
Philippians 2:8

Kid's Thought For The Day:

"A kid who can't catch the ball says his glove doesn't fit right."

Parent's Thought For The Day

"Parents are not interested in justice, they are interested in quiet."
(Bill Cosby)

Coach's Thought For The Day

"You must do the things you think you cannot do."
(Eleanor Roosevelt)

Deep Thought For The Day:

"The only thing shorter than a weekend is a vacation."

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REQUESTS:

I'm requesting prayers for my mother-in-law, Jennie.  She is a 76
year old widow.  Five months ago she had her right leg amputated
just below the knee, and now she may be faced with losing the left
leg.  She has been suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis for
over 30 years and is just about to give up.  Pray also, for her
daughter who is having a difficult time with it all.
Thank you
TomSully10@aol.com
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  _
/_/\/\    MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\  /    THUNDER27@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 

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The copyrights to the stories that appear in SFTH 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!
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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!
http://members.aol.com/Videoimg/index.html

AOL Users click here:   Video Imagery
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Would you like to see your story in Straight From the Heart?
Writer's guidelines can be found on our Web site here:
http://storiesfrommyheart.com/writer_s_guidelines/

AOL Users click here:  Writer's Guidelines
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Purchase your copy of Michael T. Powers' new book!  For
a sneak preview, visit:

http://www.storiesfrommyheart.com/order_our_book_

AOL Users Click below:
Straight From the Heart: A Celebration of Life
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Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you?
http://www.greatcom.org/english/four.htm

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A number of people have written to us asking what an EBook
is, sinceour 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