Heart Touchers

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{Straight From the Heart} *Kisses For Ryan* 1/25/01

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This is one of the most powerful pieces of writing I have ever read.
Write to Lynne Remick if her poem touches you in any way...
Michael
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Kisses for Ryan

By Lynne Remick

I remember
Telling you
You couldn't have another
Chocolate kiss
I remember
Thinking
That it would make you hyperactive
Or perhaps,
Rot your beautiful,
Tiny, white teeth
I remember
Wanting
The world for you

I think of that candy now
That one
Lousy piece of chocolate
Which you wanted
So very badly
And
I think of how
Your face lit up
When you had the first piece
I remember the chocolate
Smeared across your lips
And how you frowned
When I said
You couldn't have more

Today,
If you asked me again
I would give you the whole bag
And smother you
With sweet, chocolate kisses
If I only had the chance

I didn't know then
How few chocolate kisses
Were remaining
In your life

And as I blow kisses
Toward your grave,
I wish that they could be
Chocolate.

***With love, in memory of Ryan Ruckdeschel and his beautiful smile.

Email Lynne and let her know what you thought of her poem!

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Lynne resides in NY with Michael, her beloved son Kevin, a darling Schipperke named Dante, Sahara-a feral cat and a spoiled Hedgehog named Nike. Of course, with this small zoo, there is no end of stories to write about!
She is a freelance writer--columnist, author, poet and reviewer, and is the founder of Writers Ink, an online cyber-colony of writers and poets and editor of their free monthly writing and poetry newsletter, Writers Ink Scribbles. To subscribe send a blank email to: Writers_Ink_Scribbles-subscribe@topica.com or a request to LynnRemick@aol.com. To see more of Lynne's work Poetry, go to http://www.lovestories.com/templates/profile.cfm?poetid=18710 or to see her writing articles, go to http://www.themestream.com/authors/57076.html
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REQUEST:
From: cheese@pacifier.com (O.J.Thomas)

Greetings! I am working on a book to help people decide whether or not
they should be the caregiver of someone wishing to die at home. My adult
son and I cared for my 82-year-old husband as he died at home and we
have horrible memories. Not everyone should choose to do this and I want
to tell them why. Hopefully this will be a positive book that shows taking
care of a dying person at home is not always the most loving thing to do
for them. No identities will be revealed and those whose contributions are used will receive a copy of the final work.
Thanks very much.
O.J.Thomas
cheese@pacifier.com
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UPDATE:

From: abwa@qwest.net (Andy King and Brenda Kulow-King)

Hey Mike, I just came back from Wisconsin after the LONGEST week of my life.
Andy's dad put up an AMAZING fight. He had such a strong heart and the
cancer took over everything else but he managed to hang on. In fact one of
the last mornings that he was alert, Andy's mom leaned over and kissed him
good morning and he squeezed her hand. She said, "What a good grip." And
he mumbled, "I still have some might." It was so precious because it taught
us all about courage and strength. The hospice nurses were wonderful. As
much as we prayed for him to let go and just be with God-they said that the
hearing was usually the last to go and that he was enjoying the time he was
having with his family and feeling no pain. They told us to that we should
all just take time to share memories and talk to him, which was a huge part
of our healing. It was truly a beautiful experience. His breaths were
getting further and further apart until finally Andy's mom kissed him good
night and said that she loved him and that was his last breath. We were all
there at his side. All five kids of his kids from such dramatically
different lifestyles came together for a full week to sit by his side in
shifts 24/7. I observed Andy's family come together and pray. As hard as it
was, I look back now and see it all being so full of faith and peace. I
just hate that such an amazing, humble man had to go so soon. I'll be
talking to God about that someday.

Anyway, thank you for including my email in the "Straight From the Heart."
I received a few responses and I must admit that I usually read emails from
my family and friends first before settling into reading your stories, so I
was reading these emails from all these people I didn't know and I was so
confused as to how they knew who I was. The responses I received were a
warm welcome back from such a heart-wrenching week. Thank you.

Brenda

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Thought For The Day:

"Death is not a period, but a comma in the story of life."
--Amos J. Farver

Verse for the Day:

"Jesus said unto her (Martha), I am the resurrection, and the life:
he that believeth in me, though her were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosover liveth and believeth in me shall never die."
John 11:25, 26a

Kid's Thought For The Day:

A little girl who was late coming home for supper. Her
mother made the expected irate parent's demand to know
where she had been.

The little girl replied that she had stopped to help
Janie, whose bicycle was broken in a fall.

"But you don't know anything about fixing bicycles,"
her mother responded.

"I know that," the girl said. "I just stopped to help
her cry."

Parent's Thought For The Day:

"The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom." -- Henry Ward Beecher

Coach's Thought For The Day:

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear not absence of fear." --Mark Twain

Deep Thought For The Day:

"Everyone seems normal until you get to know them."

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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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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 (RKaGe@aol.com) College Station, TX

Let me make you a video from your pictures or home movies!
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Video Imagery
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