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*Peanut Butter for Thanksgiving* 11/16/01 ____________________________________ If you enjoy this free daily email service, I encourage you to spread the word to family and friends that we may bring inspiration into the lives of many! If you are not on the list and this has been passed along to you, join the thousands of Heart Touchers readers around the world by sending an e-mail with the word "Subscribe" in the subject line to: HeartTouchers@aol.com Visit our inspirational web site and read all the past stories in our archives at: http://www.HeartTouchers.com ____________________________________________ We end another great week of stories with a heart touching Thanksgiving piece from regular contributor Kenneth L. Pierpont. Not only is Kenneth a wonderful writer, but any man and wife who has eight children has my utmost respect and admiration... And I love his youngest daughter's name: Hope America Pierpont. What a great name in today's trying times... From my family to yours, Michael _________________________________________ Peanut Butter for Thanksgiving By Kenneth L. Pierpont To me the ultimate feeling of well-being is sitting down to a holiday meal with the family all around the table. It is especially sweet at Thanksgiving. No one quite cooks for you like your own wife. Over the years your tastes move in the direction of her gifts and her dishes move in the direction of your preferences. After a couple decades you meet in the middle and prefer her cooking over just about anyone. Lois is a wonderful homemaker, a good cook and an exceptional nurturing mom. There are times when the table is laden with good food, the children she has borne to me are all around the table, the house is fragrant with spicy baking smells and bathed with candle glow. At times like that I find it impossible to hold back tears of deep happiness and well-being. Lois knows how to make a home beautiful, warm, personal and comfortable. I love sharing it with her and being there with the children. We were talking about that one day and she told me of a Thanksgiving Day memory she had. In her memory she was standing in the door of the house and looking up and down the street. All the driveways were lined with cars. She was eating a peanut butter sandwich for Thanksgiving dinner. She thought how nice it would be to have family in and enjoy a big meal with her family all together. But that never happened. The little house where she grew up never hosted a holiday feast. No one was ever invited over for dinner. It wasn't really that there was no money for food. Lois' mother had a good job at Ford Motor Company that paid well and included generous benefits. Her mother worked hard and sacrificed for her children to have nice things. They were able to buy their own modest home. But it was a troubled home. The family had reluctantly moved from the beautiful mountains of their native Kentucky to a city in the north where factory jobs were abundant. They were also trying to shake off troubling difficulty that threatened their home and happiness. Lois' dad struggled with alcoholism all his life. It eventually led to his early death. He was a hard working man, but could not hold a job because of the hold alcohol had on him. The adjustment from a rural village where everyone knew and trusted everyone to a cold, urban industrial community was difficult for the whole family. It was especially difficult for Lois' older brother and her Dad. Her Dad's behavior was unpredictable so they learned to discourage people from stopping by and they never invited anyone over. This was a source of great humiliation for them. As a result Thanksgiving was not a special holiday for them. It was time off school and work, and a time to be together, but it was not a time for the family to come in or even a time to enjoy sitting down to a meal around the same table. When I look down to the other end of the table into the deep brown eyes of my wife and the mother of eight beautiful happy children, I think of the little girl standing in the door eating a peanut butter sandwich for Thanksgiving dinner. In her little heart was a desire for a secure, happy Christian home and in my heart I renew my vow to build that kind of home with her. Kenneth L. Pierpont ken@kenpierpont.com Write Kenneth and let him know what you thought of his story! ---------------------------------------- Ken and Lois Pierpont have eight children and live in Fremont, Michigan. Ken is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church. His great passion in life is communication. He writes a new, original story for his Stonebridge Newsletter every Monday morning and sends it free to anyone who requests it. You can subscribe when you visit his website called the Pine Street Parsonage : http://kenpierpont.com or contact him at: ken@kenpierpont.com _________________________________________ 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://HeartTouchers.com/michael_t__powers/ AOL Users Click below: Straight From the Heart: A Celebration of Life 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. _________________________________________ Reader Feedback! Dear Michael, Thanks for sharing the wonderful letter from Joan Wester Anderson. I feel privileged to say that Joan has become a precious E-mail friend, and has been a true help and encouragement to me with my poems. I was a stay-at-home mother to my three children, and now I am praising the Lord that all my grandchildren have stay-at-home moms, and their parents feel it is well worth the sacrifice. Nothing can replace the comfort, help, guidance and love a child needs from a parent who is there for him, and will listen to his needs and hopes and dreams. Many times my own children have thanked me for being there when they were sick and the school called me to come get them. They told me how much it meant to know I would be there when they came home from school, and was able to help with homework, problems, or was just there to hug them and listen to them. Those are memories that will never fade. I get such a blessing from your inspiring messages, and thank the Lord for sites like yours that lift up the Lord and brighten our lives. With my love, Betty Jo Mings bmings@netzero.net Dear Michael, Thanks for this mornings issue and the advice you received from Joan Anderson which you shared with us. I am so glad you have been able to get rid of that 3rd shift job and get another job where you can truly share your talents with people who could use your gifts the best -- youth! It really is amazing how God works things out in our lives. I did enjoy your book very much. I am deeply grateful to you for staying with your outreach -- Heart Touchers. If you only knew what a boost these articles give us and how they motivate us to do things we might not of thought of ourselves or thought that we couldn't do. Also I have met such wonderful people through your Heart Touchers. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart. Linda Haskins bhaskins@metrocast.net Michael, I really needed this story as well as your own testimony to go with it. I've learned in the most personal way in recent months that God really does answer prayers, however, myself and someone very close to me (yes, the answer to "The Prayer") have been grappling with these same issues. Well, it's really a long story, but "your" story and advice via Joan couldn't have been more timely. Glad to hear all is well with you and Kristi and your boys! Hugs, Lynelle _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "I don't know why we are in such a hurry to get up when we fall down. You might think we would lie there and rest awhile." - Max Eastman Verse for the Day: "He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul." - Psalm 23:2, 3 Kid's Thought For The Day: "It's not so bad if it is your turn to set the table. You can always give the funny spoon to your sister!" Parent's Thought For The Day: "You know your children are growing up when they stop asking you where they came from and refuse to tell you where they're going." - P.J. O'Rourke Coach's Thought For The Day: "Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance." - Samuel Johnson Deep Thought For The Day: "God put me on this Earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now, I am so far behind I will never die." ___________________________________________ REQUESTS: Hi and blessings to each of you, This is a difficult email to write... I am writing you to request your prayers-- I have massive growth in my spinal cord that is involving three vertebrae. All this is quite scary and very painful too. I am believing for a miracle! I hope you will believe with me too! At this point in my treatment, there are many unanswered questions. My bones are also breaking down for some unknown reason and there is a lot of extra fluid in my spinal column. This is causing some neuro swelling in my brain as well. The first doctor is saying nothing can be done, except meds and pain management, but I do not want to accept that! I have begun chemo therapy and other pain control measures. I am going to get a second and third opinion from some specialists-endocrinolist/neurologist/oncolist to have a clearer picture on the direction my life will take. It is clear that surgery is not an option. I have already had 2 spinal taps in my life (two is the most I can have due to respiratory issues and the pressure/swelling involved) it would be highly life threatening to have another especially in my condition. Therefore, the diagnosis is more different since we cannot investigate the growth in my spine and analyze the fluid inside. So as you see, I am in major need of prayer! I am continuing on the best I can...I want to let the talents God gave me to shine above my pain...so I journey on! Thanks for your prayers! Blessings on you! Laurie HOOV1998@aol.com ___________________________________________ _ /_/\/\ 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 ___________________________________________ The copyrights to the stories that appear in Heart Touchers 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! __________________________________________ 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! Visit: http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery/ AOL Users click here: Video Imagery ___________________________________________ Would you like to see your story in Heart Touchers? Writer's guidelines can be found on our Web site here: http://www.HeartTouchers.com/guidelines/ AOL Users click here: Writer's Guidelines ___________________________________________ SUBSCRIBE: "I need a daily source of inspiration and encouragement in my life!" To become a Heart Touchers Member send an e-mail with "Subscribe" in the subject line to: HeartTouchers@AOL.COM Then get ready to laugh, cry, and be deeply touched by some of the best stories on the Internet! __________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: All you have to do is send an e-mail with the word "Unsubscribe" in the subject line to: HeartTouchers@aol.com Give it a day or two to be processed... __________________________________________ Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you? http://www.greatcom.org/english/four.htm AOL Users click here: The Four Spiritual Laws __________________________________________ |
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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