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*The Funeral* 4/15/02 ___________________________ 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 ____________________________________________ Can't get enough inspirational stories in your life? Would you like to send a unique gift to your friends and family? Then order a personalized autographed copy of the inspirational book: Straight From the Heart "A Celebration of Life" by Michael T. Powers for only $13.95. And best of all, we'll pay the shipping! Michael is an award winning writer whose stories have appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines around the world and in the following books: Chicken Soup for the Sports Fan's Soul, Chicken Soup for the Grandparent's Soul, Stories For the Extreme Teen's Heart, Stories For the Extreme Teen's Heart 2, Stories for the Teen's Heart 2, Heartwarmers, God Allows U-Turns Volumes 1, 3, and 4, Creating Emotionally Safe Schools, and in the upcoming books: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff Story Collection and The Miracle of Boys. He has signed several contracts for future Chicken Soup and other inspirational books. Still not convinced? You can preview his book by visiting: http://www.HeartTouchers.com/michael_powers AOL Users click here! To order your autographed copy have a check or money order for $13.95 for each book made out to Michael T. Powers, and then send it to: Michael T. Powers 1918 Liberty Lane Janesville, WI 53545 (Please allow about 2 weeks for delivery.) _________________________________________ The Funeral By Roger Dean Kiser, Sr. I received a telephone call late one evening and was told that Mrs. Usher had passed away. She was a woman who had, many years ago, taken me out of the juvenile shelter, when I was a young twelve year old runaway orphan boy. I was taken to her home for one day to eat Thanksgiving dinner with her family. She is probably the only woman on the face of this earth who had ever shown me any kindness as a child, even though it was only for a short time. She was probably the only reason that I ever had to try and straighten up my up life. I think that it was important to me that I show her that I respected her for those few wonderful moments of love that she showed toward me and for the way she treated me, as though I were a real person and not just a worthless piece of trash, like the orphanage told me. I went to Florida to attend the funeral. When I arrived in Jacksonville I was met by several members of the family. Most of them I really did not know as most were total strangers to me. I really did not know what to say or what to do. I just kept my mouth shut and remained perfectly quiet. When everyone would move to the right; I would move to the right. When everyone would move to the left; I would move to the left. It appears that things had not changed much for me over those last thirty years. We arrived at her house and it felt rather strange knowing that this wonderful kind woman was nowhere to be found and that she would never be seen or heard in that house again. I walked slowly into the house. I will never forget not knowing how to feel about someone dying that I cared about. What was I supposed to do? What was I supposed to be feeling? I really did not feel much of anything at all, except maybe numbness and sadness. I had never known anyone who died who had become a part of my life. Orphans do not know what it feels like to have someone die who cares about you, or that might have loved you. We don't know about those kinds of things. It's rather embarrassing when you don't know how to feel inside when someone dies. The day of the funeral was a very difficult day for me and I guess it was for everyone else also. People were crying all over the place and all that kind of stuff. I just stood around real quiet like and all, just watching and looking at all the people. I kept noticed of how everyone was acting just in case someone else died. Then I would have some idea of what to do, how to look and how to act the next time it happened. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of flowers on that beautiful casket and I kept trying not to think about this wonderful, kind and loving woman laying inside of that box, and that she would be in that hole and all covered up with dirt and that I would never ever see her again. I just kept saying to myself, over and over, "I love you Mrs. Usher, I love you Mrs. Usher", so that she might hear me in my mind. The entire time all of this was happening I just stood there like a dummy. I was really embarrassed because I did not know where to sit when the funeral finally started. I was not really a part of her family but on the other hand I was not just a regular old person either. But that's just the way it is when you are an orphan. You are just always (sort of) stuck in between and all these people are just shifting you back and forth, trying to make you feel comfortable. So you just smile at them, look sad and hope that no one notices that you really don't fit in. Then all of a sudden it was all over, thank God!, and everyone just started walking all around the cemetery. All talking to each other and laughing and joking. How could these people laugh and joke at a time like this? This was a part of dying that I did not like and a part that I certainly did not want to learn about or remember. How dare they laugh, feel happy or even smile at a time like this? I just walked away from everyone and I stood over near the little pond and I thought about Mrs. Usher. I looked over and saw Mr. Usher standing all by himself and looking down at the casket and I saw how sad, lonely and unhappy he looked. I had never hugged a man before but I really wanted to hug him that day. That was the day when I learned just how much that man really cared about me, and I never knew it. I slowly walked over to him and I just stood there, next to him and I did not say a word. I just couldn't get up enough nerve to tell him what I wanted to say. But I knew I had to do something and I had to do it real quick because he was all I had left now that Mrs. Usher was gone. I made my fists real, real tight, into a ball, and then I said "Dad, do you know how sad and lonely you feel right now?" He shook his head real slow and he started to cry 'cause I saw a tear and then he took my hand and he squeezed it real hard. Then he looked down at me and I said "Dad that is how I have felt every single day of my life." Then he grabbed me real tight and he hugged me and he said "I know boy." When Mr. Usher died some years later I still did not know how to act when someone died. So I just stayed all by myself in the little garden out back of the hospital until it was all over. But I never did laugh, or smile, or joke like all those other people. I just couldn't. I hurt too bad inside me. I guess it is that terrible, painful hurt that finally showed me how much I was capable of loving other human beings. Roger Dean Kiser, Sr. trampolineone@webtv.net Write Roger and let him know your thoughts on his story! ________________________________ Visit Roger's Web site to read more of his stories at: http://www.geocities.com/trampolineone/ Or visit The Sad Orphan Foundation at: http://www.geocities.com/thesadorphanfoundation Roger and his wife, Judy, also a writer, live in Brunswick, Georgia. As a child Roger was raised in a very abusive orphanage located in Jacksonville Florida. He has written a book titled "Orphan" which tells of the horrors that he and other children suffered daily, for more than ten years. His book is in all major bookstores and available through his web site/link, for purchase. He now writes and speaks to children in the Georgia School system about child abuse and its effects. In the last two years Roger has developed one of the most read child abuse web sites in the world, "The Sad Orphan" located at: http://www.geocities.com/trampolineone which displays many of his short stories. You can purchase Roger's book, "ORPHAN" in major book stores or order from Amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580624480/o/qid=975333679/sr=8-1/straighfromthe0a/107-5931457-7011735 AOL Users click here> Orphan If you missed the interview we did with Roger, you can check it out at our web site at this link: http://www.HeartTouchers.com/roger_dean_kiser_sr_/ AOL Users click here _________________________________________ Reader Feedback! Dear Mary Emma, your "kitchen table" brought back such precious memories of my favorite "kitchen table", that belonging to my grandpa. The time period was the 50's. It was a long homemade one that through the week days had a red & white oil cloth(vinyl) but on Sunday the two pretty white ones were used, one to cover the table & the other to cover the left overs. On the back side of the table was a long homemade bench & on the other side & ends were straight chairs. Unfortunately my "granny" passed away when I was only 3 months old but my Aunt Lois & my precious, precious grandpa was still there & me & my parents lived next door. Grandpas table was the "meeting place" for my aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors & several times a year the preacher & his family. My favorite memory is how "grandpa" would come in from his work, hang his old felt hat on a nail on the front porch, wash his face & hands, sit at the end of the table, wait on his meal, (sometimes not to patiently) then ever so humbly bowing his head & clasping his hands to say the "table grace". What a wonderful blessing, thank you for letting me share this special memory. Carolyn Murray, CRetiredAngel@aol.com _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "You can't hold a man down without staying down with him." (Booker T. Washington) Verse for the Day: "The man who sets a trap for others will get caught in it himself." Proverbs 26:27 Kid's Thought For The Day: "If your dog doesn't like someone, you probably shouldn't either." Parent's Thought For The Day "How do you explain 'counterclockwise' to a child with a digital watch?" Coach's Thought For The Day "I've learned over the years how to hold a team together. How to lift some men up, how to calm down others, until finally they've got one heartbeat, together, a team." (Paul "Bear" Bryant) Writer's Thought For The Day: "How can one not dream while writing? It is the pen which dreams. The blank page gives the right to dream." --Gaston Bachelard Deep Thought For The Day: "Why are wrong numbers NEVER busy?" ___________________________________________ _ /_/\/\ 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 photos! Check out my video production business by visiting: 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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