|
_______________________
*Father to Son* 1/22/02 _______________________ 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 HeartTouchers.com 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 ____________________________________________ Happy New Year from HeartTouchers.com From now on we will be offering our book, Straight From the Heart "A Celebration of Life" for only $13 (instead of the regular price of $14.95), and best of all, we will pay the shipping! So if you have any interest in purchasing an autographed copy of the book for yourself, or as a gift for your loved ones, now is the time to get it! To order your autographed copy send a check or money order for $13 (We pay the shipping!) for each book made out to Michael T. Powers, and then send it to: Michael T. Powers 1918 Liberty Lane Janesville, WI 53545 To preview the book by reading some of the stories visit: http://www.HeartTouchers.com/michael_t__powers/ AOL Users Click below: Straight From the Heart: A Celebration of Life _________________________________________ FATHER TO SON By Joseph Walker There are easier knots to tie than the classic Double Windsor -- especially for 9-year-old fingers still struggling with the intricacies of the shoelace double knot. But when Jon got his first non-clip-on tie recently, I was determined that he would learn to tie it properly. And as far as I was concerned, that meant a Double Windsor. None of this silly Half-Windsor stuff for my son. No, sir. And no Four-in-Hand beginning knot, either. Walker men are Double Windsor men -- or they are nothing at all. "It's not that hard, Jon," I assured him as I quickly whipped fabric around my neck in a pattern and sequence so familiar I could do it in my sleep. "See? Around this side, then back behind, then around this side, then around the front and back behind and down and through. Pull it tight -- and there it is!" I admired the perfectly straight, perfectly shaped knot that almost seemed to smile back at me from the mirror with that cute little dimple that is so fashionable in ties these days. Then I looked at Jon's tie, hanging around his neck, over his shoulder, under his armpit, through his belt loop and out his fly. As knots go, it was extraordinary -- enough to bring tears to the eyes of the Great Houdini. But as a knot for tying a tie ... well, it was no Double Windsor. Jon smiled at me sheepishly. "I think I need a little help," he said. That was a little like the captain of the Titanic saying he had a little ice problem. But I didn't tell Jon that. I just stepped in behind him, took the fabric of his tie into my hands and demonstrated the knot from his perspective. "Watch," I said. "Around this side, then back behind, then around this side, then around the front and ... " Suddenly, I was enveloped by an overwhelming feeling of deja vu. I had experienced this simple moment of father-to-son sharing before -- twice in fact. Once 10 or 12 years ago with Jon's older brother, Joe. And once many years ago, when my father stood behind me and tried to teach my clumsy hands how to tie the Double Windsor. It wasn't pretty. "But Dad," I remember saying, "wouldn't it be easier to just do this?" I tied a knot that was part Bowline, part Half-Hitch and mostly Granny. "Well, that's a fine knot, son," Dad said as he struggled to loosen my tie from my neck, where it hung like a lopsided hangman's noose. "But... well, this other knot is the knot my father taught me, and I think he learned it from his father. All my brothers use it, and I've taught it to all your brothers. It's sort of the family knot -- the tie that binds. So humor me, OK? Learn this knot. And then, if you want to use your fancy knot instead, I'll understand." Then Dad stood behind me and taught me how to tie the Double Windsor -- just as I was standing behind Jon and teaching him. Jon picked it up much more quickly than I did -- just a few weeks later, he's tying it all by himself (I think I was asking for help until my wedding day). He may experiment with other knots through the years. I know I did (and I'm pretty sure I've seen a Half-Windsor around his big brother Joe's neck). But eventually I came back to the family knot, even though I'm not exactly sure why. It isn't because it's easier, because it isn't. And the truth be told, it doesn't even look that much better. It's just something about that father-to-son thing. The tie that binds. Joseph Walker valuescom@juno.com Write Joseph and let him know your thoughts on his story! ___________________________ Joseph Walker has been writing professionally since 1980, when he left college to join the staff of a daily metropolitan newspaper. For 10 years -- including six as the paper's TV columnist and critic -- he was part of the mainstream media, and was painfully aware of the overwhelming negativity of contemporary journalism. Joe says, "Nobody was looking for real solutions to the problems society was facing; they were just looking for someone or something to blame the problems on." So in 1990 Joe began writing ValueSpeak, a weekly syndicated column that attempts to look at contemporary issues from the perspective of traditional values. Joe and his wife, Anita, are parents of five children, and one grandchild. You'll love his new book, "How Can you Mend a Broken Spleen!" Ordering is simple and fast at the following Amazon address: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573453005/qid=972961681/sr=1-6/straighfromthe0a AOL Users click here: How To Mend A Broken Spleen _________________________________________ Reader Feedback! I love the daily e-mail stories. They have become part of my routine and reading them is now shaping into a habit. I from Mombasa, Kenya in East Africa. CALEB INDIATSI cindiatsi@kengen.co.ke Thank you so much for running the story called "A Buried Treasure." My mom had 2 heart attacks this last week back to back then open heart surgery to replace 3 blocked arteries, thank God no one will be rummaging in her home for a very long time to come, and I know that now I will be visiting her a lot more often because I want to learn her knowledge and goodness while she is here not hear about it after she is gone. Thank you from my heart. Margaret Angelplace08@aol.com _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "Home, sweet home -- where each lives for the other, and all live for God." T. J. Bach Verse for the Day: "For none of us lives to himself along and none us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord." Romans 14:7,8 Kid's Thought For The Day: "Never ask for anything that costs more than five dollars when your parents are doing taxes." Parent's Thought For The Day: "Every word and deed of a parent is a fiber woven into the character of a child that ultimately determines how that child fits into the fabric of society." -- David Wilkerson Coach's Thought For The Day: "The daily degree of recovery from injury depends a lot on the fierce desire of the individual to fight to get well." Writer's Thought For The Day: "At night, when the objective world has slunk back into its cavern and left dreamers to their own, there come inspirations and capabilities impossible at any less magical and quiet hour. No one knows whether or not he is a writer unless he has tried writing at night." Deep Thought For The Day: "Most books now say our sun is a star. Whew, am I glad it still knows how to change back into a sun in the daytime." ___________________________________________ REQUESTS: Hi Michael, I was wondering if you could do me a favor, could you please pray for a friend of mine? Her name is Renee. A lot of things have been happening in her life and she is having a hard time dealing with it. She just found out that her dad might lose his job, her brother might get expelled from school, and a few other things that God knows about, but her and her family really need some prayers. I would really appreciate it! Thanks so much! Love, Brittnia ___________________________________________ _ /_/\/\ 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 HeartTouchers.com 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 HeartTouchers.com? 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 HeartTouchers.com 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 __________________________________________ |
 |
|
Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
|