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{SFTH} *The Easter Miracle* 4/17/01
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I forgot to run this story and poem over Easter...it was too good to wait
until next year, so I am running this one a bit late!
Have a great week!
Michael
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The Easter Miracle
By Debbie Orrico
Grandma Lily was a very special woman with a fierce streak of independence
that showed itself at an early age. When she was just 16 years old, she
eloped with a 28 year old man. Although her family placed bets that this
union would not last, she proved herself by becoming a loving wife, and a
mother to 8 children.
That is, until her world was turned upside down. Grandpa John passed away
right before the depression, leaving Grandma Lily alone with 8 young
children to raise. It was a tremendous struggle. The family was dirt poor.
The children had to sleep 3 to a bed. The good clothes were worn by the
first ones up in the morning. The rest had to make due with the patched
hand-me downs that were left behind. Some clothing was even made from flour
sacks. During the cold Connecticut winters, none of the children had boots,
so if the ground was wet or snow-covered, Grandma Lily would line her
children's shoes with newspapers and canvas to keep their feet warm and dry.
Meals were meager, with meat served only once or twice a month.
Throughout the years, Grandma Lily longed for Grandpa John, often spending
hours at the cemetery, planting flowers at his graveside and remembering
their good times together. Some fifty odd years after Grandpa John passed
away, as Grandma Lily returned from the cemetery, she noticed that her
wedding band was missing. She was frantic! It was the only tangible thing
she had left to remember her husband. It was a symbol of their eternal
love. She quickly went back to the cemetery, but the ring was no where to
be found. Her children also made several of the searches of the area in
vain. The ring was gone -- vanished into thin air! Grandma Lily was
absolutely heartbroken.
The next Mother's Day, her children gifted her with a new wedding band.
Although Grandma Lily was touched by the thought that went into the gift, it
made her sad to realize her original wedding band was gone forever.
The following Easter, Grandma Lily went to the cemetery accompanied by her
daughter Grace. They stood side by side, silently saying their prayers for
Grandpa John. They admired the flowers, especially the Easter Lilies that
were standing tall and proud, sending their fragrance out for all to enjoy.
Out of the corner of her eye, Grace noticed a glint of something shiny, and
pointed it out to Grandma Lily. Since she was the closest to the plant,
Grandma Lily bent over, and examined the leaves of the lily plant. She
could not believe her eyes when she saw what it was. There, brilliantly
glowing in the sunlight was her original wedding band! The one that she had
lost the previous year...the symbol of eternal love...the one that her
husband had given her more that fifty years before!
The Easter season is known as a time of miracles, and of resurrection. For
Grandma Lily, the miracle WAS a resurrection...her wedding band,
resurrected on a lily plant. The fact that my Grandma's name was Lily makes
this story even more special!
Grandma Lily passed away a few years later. We made sure that we buried her
with her original wedding band, and kept her second wedding band as a family
keepsake.
Debbie Orrico
dorrico@greenwich.lib.ct.us
Copyright © 2001 by Debbie Orrico, All rights reserved
*************
Debbie resides in Connecticut, where she enjoys spending time with her
family, and her boyfriend Tom. She is kept busy with her job at a library,
and her many hobbies include reading, needlecrafts, and golf. Writing is
her newest hobby.
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The Son Rises
By Jack Cook
The sun rises, and all is still
Sadness sits heavy on my heart.
Its three days since my Savior died
And I miss Him so.
Last week was such a happy time,
The people greeted Him as befitted Him
The palm branches we strew along his path
And children laughed.
They ate together, He and his friends,
A bit mystified at it all,
Bread and wine, after bread and wine
To last forever.
A dark garden and sleep all around
He prayed and made a sobbing sound
and prayed again and then submitted
He was ready.
Strong thudding noise and pain
Red mist before His eyes, but yet
He still held out Himself for another
A trip to paradise.
I'll go down now and care for Him
I will anoint his tortured body
and leave scent to please the air
and dry my tears.
The stone is move, it's slid away
and inside is emptiness and gloom
Where have they taken Him?
Isn't death enough?
He said the temple was down
and yet back up in three days time
could it be that what we want
Has Happened?
THE SON RISES!
Jack Cook
jack_n_betty@21stcomm.com
Send Jack an e-mail and let him know what you thought of his poem!
__________________________
I am the husband of the most wonderful woman and mother.
We have been married 20 years, and look forward to more time
together. She is my religious mentor as I only found God and Truth
20 years ago. She is the answer to my prayer to God for a truly
Godfearing woman to be in my life. Thank you for your kind
remarks and may you be blessed as you pursue your dreams.
Jack Cook, 24 year vet USAF, 17 year Postal worker, 6 year retired active
Christian in the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, Willow Road Christian
Church, Enid Okla.
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From the E-mail Box!
Hi Michael,
I just had to write and tell you what a wonderful response I had to my story
Comic Relief. I've been flooded with emails from subscribers who read it.
Thanks so much for publishing it. I really feel my experience has touched
people just like me through your newsletter. Thanks again.
Heather Goldsmith
bwheather@iprimus.com.au
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Thought For The Day:
"I have held many things in my hands and lost them all; but the things
I have placed in God's hands, those I always possess." --Earline Steelburg
Verse for the Day:
"...for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able
to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."
2 Timothy 1:12
Kid's Thought For The Day:
"Don't pick on your little brother when he's holding a baseball bat."
Parent's Thought For The Day:
"A Suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once,
and by car forever after."--Peter DeVries
Coach's Thought For The Day:
"Don't count the days -- make the days count."
Deep Thought For The Day:
"A rumor without a leg to stand on will get around some other way."
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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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