{Straight From the Heart} *The Sculptor* 10/26/99
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I received this from Terri McPherson and wanted to share it with everyone!
Dear Michael,
Thank you for putting my story 'Ever Wonder?' in the Saturday edition of
your marvelous newsletter. The wonderfully positive responses I received
from your subscribers, was a tremendous boost to my writing spirit. Feedback
from readers is always a great source of encouragement for a writer, and I
got a good dose of it from your fabulous 'Straight From The Heart'
subscribers.
Terri McPherson
tmcphers@mnsi.net
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Here is a poem submitted by Viki Florkowski. She sent it to me after the
story about the Stone Cutter. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Michael Dear,
It's interesting that you should post The Stone Cutter. I enjoyed it very
much. I wrote a piece about a friend of mine who has had a very big
influence on my life (must be an angel sent from heaven). Anyway, the title
of my poem is The Sculptor. Hope you enjoy
Love and peace,
Viki
The Sculptor
It stands before him, a cold and lifeless mass of stone.
As he slowly circles his work, he considers it from every angle,
The strengths, the weaknesses, the raw beauty, the flaws.
As he contemplates what is before him,
His mind has already fashioned it.
The trace of a smile touches his face,
And his eyes reveal only a twinkle,
The vision of what is yet to be.
His hands are strong and steady,
Seasoned with knowledge and patience
And love of creativity.
As he begins with the hammer and chisel,
Slowly the stone begins to fall away.
Night after night, never in a hurry,
His experienced hands shape the stone.
The jagged edges are chipped away,
The flaws are delicately chiseled.
As the stone takes shape, his love for his work,
And the desire to see its completion consumes him.
Night after night, tirelessly and alone
He works with only the gifts he has been given.
He polishes to perfection this lifeless mass of stone
And finally puts down his tools in exhaustion.
As the veil is lifted, no words are needed;
For in the beauty of his sculpture, his skill is evident.
And in his humble smile
The reality of his vision has already spoken.
vikflo@urec.net (Viki Florkowski)
Email Viki and let her know how much you liked her poem!
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The Man with The Pink Ribbon
A handsome, middle aged man walked quietly into the cafe and
sat down. Before he ordered, he couldn't help but notice a group of
younger men at the table next to him. It was obvious they were making
fun of something about him, and it wasn't until he remembered he was wearing
a small pink ribbon on the lapel of his suit that he became aware of what the
joke was all about. The man brushed off the reaction as ignorance, but the
smirks began to get to him. He looked one of the rude men square in the eye,
placed his hand beneath the ribbon and asked, quizzically, "This?".
With that the men all began to laugh out loud. The man he addressed said,
as he fought back laughter, "Hey, sorry man, but we were just commenting on
how pretty your little ribbon looks against your blue jacket!"
The middle aged man calmly motioned for the joker to come over to his table,
and invited him to sit down. As uncomfortable as he was, the guy obliged, not
really sure why. In a soft voice, the middle aged man said, "I wear this ribbon
to bring awareness about breast cancer. I wear it in my mother's honor."
"Oh, sorry dude. She died of breast cancer?" "No, she didn't. She's alive
and well. But her breasts nourished me as an infant, and were a soft resting
place for my head when I was scared or lonely as a little boy. I'm very
grateful for my mother's breasts, and her health." "Umm", the stranger
replied, "yeah".
"And I wear this ribbon to honor my wife", the middle aged man went on.
"And she's okay, too?", the other guy asked" "Oh, yes. She's fine. Her breasts
have been a great source of loving pleasure for both of us, and with them she
nurtured and nourished our beautiful daughter 23 years ago. I am grateful for
my wife's breasts, and for her health." "Uh huh. And I guess you wear it to
honor your daughter, also?"
"No. It's too late to honor my daughter by wearing it now.
My daughter died of breast cancer one month ago. She thought she was too young
to have breast cancer, so when she accidentally noticed a small lump, she ignored
it. She thought that since it wasn't painful, it must not be anything to worry
about." Shaken and ashamed, the now sober stranger said, "Oh, man, I'm so sorry
mister". "So, in my daughter's memory, too, I proudly wear this little ribbon,
which allows me the opportunity to enlighten others.
Now, go home and talk to your wife and your daughters, your mother and your
friends. And here . . ." The middle aged man reached in his pocket and handed
the other man a little pink ribbon. The guy looked at it, slowly raised his
head and asked, "Can ya help me put it on?"
This is breast cancer awareness month. Do regular breast self-exams and have
annual mammograms if you are a woman over the age of 45.
And encourage those women you love to do the same.
(My thanks to Barbie and Donna for passing that along to me)
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What's the world coming to! Michael has his own weekly column on being a daddy!!
This week: Michael's anniversary letter to Kristi.
Click on this link to go to ChildFun.com!
Daddy's View | Michael's Weekly Column
or type in the following in your browser:
http://www.childfun.com/dads/michael.shtml
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Thought For The Day:
"Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things."
(Denis Diderot)
Verse for the Day:
"...fervent in spirit; serving the Lord."
Romans 12:11
Kid's Thought for the day:
"Trade fair."
Parent's Thought For The Day
"Parents for the sake of getting a living forget to live."
(Margaret Fuller)
Coach's Thought For The Day
"Pride was his life force; for us it was a live nerve that he could teach us
to brush. One stroke, a good practice, and we could tingle for days...First,
he found the pride in each of us, then he taught us how good it could feel.
What he was ultimately after was for every one of us to learn to light our own
fires and glow our brightest."
(Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, on his college coach John Wooden)
Deep Thought For The Day:
"If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the OTHERS here for?"
(Steven Wright)
_
/_/\/\ 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