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*Made to be a Mother* 5/9/02 _____________________________ 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 ____________________________________________ Are you looking for the perfect gift to give for Mother's Day, Father's Day, or Graduation? Then check out Michael's Video Production business: Video Imagery! You can transfer your photos over to videotape, or even DVD, all set to music that will make your images come alive! The cost is only $1 per photo, which means no matter what your budget is, you can give the most meaningful gift you have ever given because you determine how many photos you transfer, and therefore, how much you spend! Want to make Mom, Dad, or your favorite graduating senior cry happy tears? Then check out all Michael has to offer at the following web site: http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery/ AOL Users click here: Video Imagery "My whole family wants to thank you for the wonderful job you did on the video. Time went by so fast we never got a chance to call and let you know how happy we were. We had wrapped one and put the other in the VCR. We started it and they were so surprised. My dad was speechless, which is a rare thing, and it brought tears to my mom's eyes. They loved it!! We know it was really time consuming, and we wanted to thank you and your wife also. She was always so nice whenever we called with any questions. Thanks again and have a wonderful holiday season." The Creighton Family..........Janesville, WI _________________________________________ MADE TO BE A MOTHER By Joseph Walker Amy was born nine months after Anita and I were married. Well, OK - nine months MINUS one day. But who's counting? As it turned out, she was born just a few days before Mother's Day -- which always seemed wonderfully appropriate to me. For Anita, Amy was her first Mother's Day gift: motherhood itself. And what a beautiful gift she was, with lots of dark hair, humongous eyes and a patient, loving disposition that was evident even in the hospital nursery. I was amazed at how easily Anita slipped into her new role. Like Judy Garland was made to play Dorothy and Frank Sinatra was made to sing "My Way," Anita was made to be a mother. She took to it like Tom Clancy took to writing, like Carol Burnett took to comedy. She always seemed to know what to do, and she could read Amy's cries like Barry Bonds reads pitchers. "Give her a minute," she said once when I jumped up to respond to a tiny voice wailing. "But she sounds like she's in pain," I said, a little surprised by Anita's indifference. "That isn't her 'pain' cry. That's her fussy cry. In a few minutes she'll be asleep." "Are you sure?" I asked. "Maybe she's hungry or wet or something." "Nope," she said. "That isn't her 'hungry' or 'wet' cry, either. She's fine, I promise." "But what if she isn't?" Anita gave me a look that is part patient mother, part supportive spouse and part river boat gambler. "I'll bet you a back rub that she's asleep within five minutes," she said. I learned not to bet against her instincts -- much to the relief of my poor, arthritic fingers. Amy was the first grandchild on Anita's side of the family, which meant that she not only brought the gift of motherhood to Anita, but she also brought the gift of grandparenthood to Anita's parents and the gift of unclehood to her three brothers. Anita's parents were well-prepared for their new roles, but her brothers needed a little time to grow into it. Upon seeing Amy for the first time, Anita's teenage brother Steve scrunched up his nose disapprovingly. "Are they supposed to look like that?" he asked. "Steven!" his mother responded sharply. "That's a beautiful baby!" Steve stared at Amy for another moment or two, then shrugged his shoulders. "I'll take your word for it," he said. I'm happy to report that Steve has had ample opportunity to adjust to the look of newborn babies. He and his wife have had 17 or 18 of them - I've lost track. Amy's arrival was perceived differently on my side of the family. I am the youngest of eight children, and was the last to start having children of my own. And my older brothers and sisters weren't exactly shy about multiplying and replenishing the earth. So Amy was the 43rd Walker grandchild -- or thereabouts -- out of a total that would eventually reach 54. Which is not to say that she wasn't cherished and valued. It's just that she wasn't all that unusual. But at least nobody on MY side of the family thought she looked funny. Twenty-four years later Amy is approaching her first Mother's Day as a mother. Her little Samantha Jo was born in March and is the very image of her mother, right down to the dark hair and humongous eyes. I have enjoyed watching motherhood distill upon my daughter, from her first tentative attempts to elicit a much-needed burp from her squalling infant to the calm, confident way she now cares for her child. Like her mother, Amy was made to be a mother. Which means she has already received the ultimate Mother's Day gift: motherhood itself. 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 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 it is expressly prohibited to cut and paste the stories from here 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! _________________________________________ 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 and 4, Creating Emotionally Safe Schools, and in the upcoming books: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff Story Collection, Chicken Soup for the Romantic Soul, Chicken Soup for the Grieving Soul, 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.) ____________________________________________ Reader Feedback! Dear Kenneth, I think the write up on your mum is really cool. I also hope she gets to read this, so that she will know how much she is loved & appreciated. May God grant her the grace to continue to reap the fruits of her labor. God Bless All the Way form NIGERIA FunmilO@mtnnigeria.net Dear Michael, Just finished reading "Mother." I sent a thank you to Ken for it and now to you for including it in your message. My Mother went to be with Jesus in 1971. I miss her so much. If she were with me now she would be a 115-year "young" bundle of joy and love. Blessings to you, Esther Bobesken@aol.com _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "Those who do not plan for the future will have to live through it anyway." --Len Fisher Verse for the Day: "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12 Kid's Thought For The Day: "Toads aren't ugly--they're just toads." Parent's Thought For The Day "Heredity is something a man believes in until his son begins acting like a delinquent." Coach's Thought For The Day "I never exaggerate, I just remember big." --Chi Chi Rodriguez, professional golfer Writer's Thought For the Day: "Writing is to descend like a miner to the depths of the mine with a lamp on your forehead, a light whose dubious brightness falsifies everything, whose wick is in permanent danger of explosion, whose blinking illumination in the coal dust exhausts and corrodes your eyes." --Blaise Cendrars Deep Thought For The Day: "Never try to leap a chasm in two jumps." __________________________________________ REQUESTS: Dear Michael, I want to let the readers know that Margaret had her surgery Tuesday, and the cancer is all over her body. She has to decide to have chemo or not. She wants everyone to know that she is so thankful for the prayers, and asks that everyone please continue to pray for her. She has to make this decision, and with everyone's prayers, it will be easier. Thank you, Judy, JudyFromGadsden@webtv.net ___________________________________________ _ /_/\/\ 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 ___________________________________________ 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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