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*Heroes* 2/5/02 ______________________ 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 _________________________________________ HEROES By Al Batt I listened to Ray Charles sing "America the Beautiful" the other morning. It gave me a lump in my throat. Then I listened to Kate Smith's rendition of "God Bless America." My eyes grew misty. I love this country. I love the people who live in this country. Like most us of us, I don't just live in America, it lives within me. It is a land filled with heroes. I once asked my father what was the biggest event, other than family things in his life. Without hesitation, he answered, "Pearl Harbor." When I asked him why, he told me that it was because of all of the heroes. I have taught classes in which I have asked students to name the five wealthiest people in the world, the last five Super Bowl MVPs, ten actors who have won an Academy Award and ten Grammy winners. How do my students do at this exercise? They are terrible at it. Very few are able to name more than two or three of the thirty names. These people are all famous, but we have difficulty remembering who they are. I then ask my charges to name five teachers who make them want to learn, five people who have taught them something good that is worth knowing, ten friends or family members who have helped them through a tough time and ten people who they enjoy spending time with. How do the students do in this assignment? They do very well -- often too well, writing down more names than I asked for. Why does this happen? It is a simple lesson for us all. The people who make a difference in our lives are not the rich, the famous or the ones with the most awards. The people who make a difference in your life and in my life are the ones who care. Take this day to hug those you love and tell them that you love them. Write a note or make a phone call to someone who has made a difference in your life and tell him or her that he or she has made a difference. Be remembered by showing someone that you care. I realize that athletes, businessmen, singers, and actors can be heroes. We have a tendency to make them so. I hope that they all strive to be the kind that we all can look up to. I also know that we all have learned that true courage is demonstrated regularly by ordinary people rising above hopeless situations. Ordinary folks who show us that they care. We all watched transfixed as the firefighters, police officers and emergency workers risked their lives by rushing fearlessly into burning buildings on the East Coast to save the lives of others. They are all heroes. We watched our TV sets as people arrived at the sight of the national tragedy to provide food, blood, clothing and money. They are all heroes. Those who serve in our military and sacrifice much to keep us free are heroes. Those who remember others in their prayers -- they are heroes, too. All these people are what makes this country the greatest country on earth. We don't have to look very far to find heroes. Do not doubt for a second that our local firefighters, police officers and emergency personnel would do the same. I live in a rural area and can testify to the bravery of volunteer firemen. They are all heroes. The medical professionals who perform daily miracles are heroes. Our teachers who teach our children to be better than what they see on the news and our clerics who help us make sense of what troubles us -- they are heroes. But we don't even have to look that far to find a hero. If you want to see a hero, look in a mirror. Become a keeper of hope. Why not help the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, the United Way, a church, a school, a service club or any number of other wonderful organizations? It is easy to volunteer and someone is always looking for help. Volunteering will make you a better person and it will keep this country great. Share a smile with everyone you see. Stop and visit someone at a nursing home. Such a visit will do you good. And you know what? If you do any of these things, you will show you care and you will make a difference. You will be a hero. Thanks to you and others like you, the eagle still flies high and America is still the beautiful. Al Batt SnoEowl@aol.com Write Al and let him know your thoughts on his story! _______________________________ Al Batt lives on a farm near Hartland, Minnesota. Besides being a husband to Gail, father and grandfather; Al is a newspaper columnist, a radio and TV personality, a storyteller, a tour leader and an avid birder. Be sure to check out the interview we did with Al in case you missed it earlier this month: http://www.HeartTouchers.com/Al_Batt AOL Users Click Here: Al Batt _________________________________________ 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 _________________________________________ Reader Feedback! Dear Diane, I just read your story on HeartTouchers. Wow! What a good story. I am the father of 5 children (from 11 to 2 1/2), and it has been very difficult for me and my stay-at-home, hardworking wife to stop and take the time to really appreciate the stages of life they (and we) are going through. I do spend time with them from time to time just doing fun stuff, but not nearly as often as they or I would like. Your story helped me to fast-forward to the coming years and get a glimpse of what we will be facing in the future. It helped me to realize that there may be another time when I can do some of the other things I want to do, but they will only be children once, and this time will never come again. I am going to share this story with my wife and together we can hopefully re-prioritize our lives in order to take more advantage of this time we are together. Our church places special emphasis on families, but reading your story gave me another perspective from another REAL person about just how special these children are. Thanks again. Barry Burton, Little Rock, AR barry.burton@alltel.com _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed." --Booker T. Washington Verse for the Day: "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." --James 1:12 Kid's Thought For The Day: "Felt markers are not good to use as lipstick." Parent's Thought For The Day: "Stop trying to perfect your child, but keep trying to perfect your relationship with him." --Dr. Henker Writer's Thought For The Day: "All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that it all happened to you. Afterwards it all belongs to you -- the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was. If you can get so you can give that to people, then you are a writer." --Ernest Hemingway Coach's Thought For The Day: "Champions know there are no shortcuts to the top. They climb the mountain one step at a time. They have no use for helicopters!" -- Judi Adler Deep Thought For The Day: "The more you cry, the less you have to go to the bathroom!" ___________________________________________ REQUESTS: Dear Michael, My son is stationed in NC. A soldier from his Unit hung himself yesterday morning. This young man was 21 years old. His comrades are devastated and deeply saddened. Please pray for this group of young men and women as well as for the family and friends of this young man. Thank you. Renee Wed41682@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 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 __________________________________________ |
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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