Heart Touchers

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*Night Terrors* 11/9/01

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"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
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Straight From the Heart: A Celebration of Life

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Heart Touchers regular contributor, Irene Budzynski
ends our week of stories with a powerful reminder:
"NEVER FORGET".

Thank you for sharing your gift of writing with us
Irene and may all of you have a wonderful weekend!

From my family to yours,
Michael

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NIGHT TERRORS

By Irene Budzynski

Andy was a likeable guy. And polite! After telling
him it was okay to call me by my first name, he
insisted on the "Yes, ma'am," reply, so I just let
him have his way. Standing in the shadow of his
long frame, I needed to bend my neck back to
see his leathered face where the years had carved
their mark. The roads of abuse taken since 1969
were not kind to his body. He was too thin, and
the mother in me wanted to take him home for a
good meal, but he probably would not have sat
still long enough to have eaten. He tried to hide
his fear behind the niceties, thanking me for
every cup of water I brought to his bedside.
Nervous, in and out of bed, up and down the
halls, he was different from my typical patients,
and I felt guilty because I didn't think I was doing
anything of great importance for him.

The night shift flew by and I sat down to chart.
It had been hot this mid September day, but a
cold front was coming in and I shivered with
the temperature drop. Every day at 4 a.m. my
body reminded me that it was abnormal to be
awake with lights blazing and it revolted. Thoughts
of sleep replaced my power of concentration and
I indulged myself in the quiet before the hum of
the hospital escalated to nerve jangling intensity.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a jackrabbit
movement in the door to the nurse's station.
Instantly alert, I swung around and jumped up
to face Andy. Eyes wide and wild, hair every
which way, he was tremulous with panic. His
words were strung together, but out of the babble
he kept repeating one word.

I commanded him to breathe deeply, using
the microsecond of silence to figure out where
his mind had taken him. Just as abruptly as
he'd stopped chanting, he started again. He
rushed to the window of his room and waved
his arm at the parking lot below. He was buckling
under the weight of his fear. "Look! The swordsmen
are here!"

What on earth was he talking about? The fog had
rolled in wispy drifts of gray fingers which had
wrapped themselves around the lush maple trees.
It was an eerie scene straight out of a Sherlock
Holmes movie. The leaves bowed under the weight
of the mist, hissing in protest as the breeze blew
them about.

"There's one?" Andy choked out the words while
his long hands squeezed the windowsill so hard I
thought it would crack. Looking sideways at him,
I no longer saw a man my age. Standing in his
place was a scared young soldier whose bogeymen
never left him alone, ready to pop up and remind
him that his past was his present. The September
11 attack had come but had not ended, triggering
a response deep in his psyche which took him back
to Southeast Asia. Andy's "swordsmen" were Viet
Cong hiding behind bushes and trees, advancing to
attack him even now, and there was nowhere to run.
He wasn't in a hospital. This was the jungle.

Closing the blinds, I talked to him as if he was one
of my own sons, lulling him with words and more
words. The night light was switched on and I settled
him back to bed with a glass of warm milk. "I'm
right here, Andy, right outside your door. The
swordsmen are gone forever." He lay back on
the pillow, eyes closed, fists clenched until slowly
they uncurled to pull the extra blankets up under
his chin. The terrors were gone?for tonight.

I started to leave his room, praying for all the
Andys who came back to fight their own private
wars. Following me was a hoarse whisper from
the bed, "I was 19."

Irene Budzynski
irene_budd@yahoo.com

Write Irene and let her know what you thought of her story!

Copyright 2001
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A nurse in New England and a regular contributor
to Heart Touchers, Irene will never forget the
Vietnam vets and the MIA's and the price they
paid for our freedom.

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Reader Feedback!

Wow! You really outdid yourself this time friend.
What a story! What a man! What a miracle it was
that you caught him there. Cannot help but wonder
if it was to share with us all. What a writer!
Stephanie, who is a history lover!
Savvysdad@aol.com

Dear Michael, how touching to read this story. Wish I could have been there to experience this with you. One thing is for sure, these boys will never ever forget it. That is something that the whole world should see, and MAYBE one day when a young man becomes a president of a nation, he would think twice before thinking about taking the "boys" to war. Thank you for always touching my life with the stories from Heart Touchers.
Your friend from South Africa,
Karin du Toit
KduToit@sbic.co.za

As awesome this year as last. This is something to be kept
and passed on for future generations.
Thanks Michael for a job well done.
Mark Crider
mark@cccoating.com

Dear Michael,
I just finished reading your message for the day. It truly brought tears to my eyes. I have a copy of the book that is mentioned, and the story is truly heart touching to read. My family has a history of military service to this country. My father's father was in World War II, my father was in the Air Force for 25 years, serving in Korea and Vietnam. My oldest brother Jim was in the Air Force for 25 years, a den my next older brother, Peter was in the Army for 23 years. My husband is in the service also. First in the Coast Guard for three years, and now in the Navy for two years, going on three. He was aboard the USS COLE last year she was bombed.

My husbands family has also a history in the service. His Grandfather was in the Army during W.W.II and his father was in eh Marines during Vietnam.

Needless to say, I am one who has never taken the freedoms we have in this country for granted. I cry when I hear the national anthem and I cheer when there is a report on the military, or a US military plane flying over my home. I have a great love of those who serve and those who served this country, both those living and those dead.

As the day for remembering them comes, may we never ever forget all the sacrifices that have been made, both then... and also now!!!!
May God Always Bless America!!!!
Sincerely,
Mary Greeley, wife of a USS COLE survivor
marygreeley@home.net

Michael
Quite a story about boys in the service. I cannot even begin to spell Iwo Jima right but I am speechless and in awe of that story. Thanks
Fran
omamalone@hotmail.com

SIR,
MY DAD WAS A PARATROOPER WITH 82ND AIRBORNE...HE WAS MY HERO BUT LIKE SO MANY OTHERS HE NEVER TALKED ABOUT HIS BAD EXPERIENCES IN W.W.II ONLY THE RARE GOOD TIMES...LIKE SO MANY OTHERS HE WAS WOUNDED IN FRANCE SHORTLY AFTER D-DAY...HE RECOVERED AND LIVED A GOOD LIFE AS HE TOLD ME SHORTLY BEFORE HIS DEATH...MOST OF THOSE VETERANS FROM THAT WAR ARE GONE NOW AND WHAT WE OWE THEM AND THAT GENERATION CAN NEVER BE REPAID...BUT THEY DON'T WANT ANYTHING ANYWAY...THANKS AGAIN DAD.
Tom P.

Michael,

I loved this story. My husband, Bill, was also on Iwo Jima, at only 17 years of age. I know he will love it, too. I wrote to Mr. Bradley and thanked him, telling him a little bit about Bill on Iwo, too. Thanks so much for sharing this true happening. You must feel very privileged to hear it from the son of one of the guys who raised our flag back up where it was supposed to be.
I asked the author if he would send me a copy of his book so I can give it to Bill for Christmas. I'm sure I could pick one up at the book store, but it will be special to Bill coming from the son.
Thanks again, Michael. You're doing so good! Keep it up. People need inspirational stories more than ever.
Love you still,
Joyce Fling
JFling7@aol.com

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Thought For The Day:

"The next time you feel like complaining, remember
that your garbage disposal probably eats better than
30 percent of the people in the world."

Verse for the Day:

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and
be content with such things as ye have..." --Hebrews 13:5

Kid's Thought For The Day:

"If it is Mommy, it must be hugged."

Parent's Thought For The Day:

"I looked on child-rearing not only as a work of love
and duty but as a profession that was fully as
interesting and challenging as any honorable
profession in the world and one that demanded
the best that I could bring it." -- Rose Kennedy

Coach's Thought For The Day:

"It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit
when you're tired -- you quit when the gorilla is
tired." --Robert Strauss

Deep Thought For The Day:

"I'm in shape ... Round is a shape isn't it?"
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_
/_/\/\    MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\ /    HeartTouchers@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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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

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