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*Exactly the Right Teacher* 5/14/02 ______________________________________ 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 _________________________________________ Before we get to today's story by Janet Seever, a new writer to HeartTouchers.com, I wanted to touch base on some virus stuff... If I may share the words of my good friend Terri McPherson: "The nasty Klez virus that's running rampant through cyber space right now, has an attribute that makes you think an infected email is coming from a trusted source. Like most viruses, the Klez virus sends itself to everyone in the address book of an infected computer. Unlike other viruses, it snatches email addresses from the same address book and writes them on the FROM: line of the email. I am currently receiving dozens of emails, with a virus attached as a file, every day. Today however, I received an email that had a file attached to it, that 'looked' like it came from someone who I know is very computer savvy and would never open themselves up to a virus infection. I also know, however, this person would never send an email attachment. Sure enough, when I looked at the header information, I saw that the email had originated from a different email address. My email address is in thousands of address books, so, I would like to remind everyone that I never send files attached to emails. If you receive an email that 'looks' like it came from me, and it has a file attached to it, the email is NOT from me. Please delete it. I have a firm rule about opening files attached to emails -- I delete them -- I never open them. To date, that practice has kept my computer virus free." As Terri says in the above paragraph, if you ever get an email with a file attachment that looks like it came from the HeartTouchers@aol.com email address, you can be assured it is not from me and you should delete it... By the way, if you are not on her list: WiseHearts...Weaving Small Wisdoms Through The Fabric Of Life, you need to check it out at: http://www.mnsi.net/~tmcphers/index.htm _______________________________________ Exactly the Right Teacher By Janet Seever, © 2002 jseever1@shaw.ca Autumn leaves drifted down on a sunny Saturday morning in late October 1985. I stood watching our children through a sliding glass door in the house where we were temporarily staying. Rachel, three, was rolling in the thick layer of leaves on the ground, while Tim, six, was busily making piles with a rake that was much too big for him. Noticing me standing there, Tim came over to the door. "Mom, did you see the big pile of leaves I made?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face. "Yes, I've been watching you," I said. "You're doing a great job." I was glad to see the two of them playing and acting like normal children. All the changes they had been through in the past three weeks had taken their toll, making Tim and Rachel into confused, fearful children. The changes had taken an emotional toll on me too. Three weeks earlier, my critically ill husband, Dennis, our two children and I had boarded a plane in the Philippines where we had been doing mission work. Now we were half a world away in Minnesota. Tim, Rachel and I had stayed with various family members while my husband was hospitalized for open-heart surgery. Living out of two suitcases -- all the worldly possessions we had with us -- left us feeling uprooted. A mechanical heart valve now clicked loudly in Dennis's chest. Diagnosed with congestive heart failure and given just a few weeks to live, he now had a new lease on life through the surgery. Throughout the ordeal, we had seen God's provision for us in unexpected ways. This house where our children were now happily playing in the leaves was one of these provisions. Del and Louise, a couple from our church whom we knew only slightly, had graciously offered our family a place to stay for the first ten days after Dennis was out of the hospital. After our time with them, we would be moving into a house-sitting situation in another suburb. Del and Louise's house was in a Minneapolis suburb where we knew no one -- a fact which made what happened the next Monday all the more remarkable. A former teacher, Louise was concerned that Tim was missing school. After being away from school for three weeks, he was showing little interest in working on the reading and math workbooks I had brought with me. "Tim really needs some structure to his days," Louise told me that Saturday morning. "I know the principal at the local elementary school, and I've arranged for Tim to go to class there on Monday." "Do you think that's a good idea for such a short time?" I asked. "After all, we'll soon be moving and he'll be attending a different school." Louise assured me that being in school was the best place for Tim and I hesitantly agreed. Later that afternoon, as I thought over the plan to put Tim in school, I wondered how Tim would fit in. Would it be another traumatic experience for him? I had taught school previously and knew it could be difficult for a teacher to take a new student in for a short time. Other students already had a familiar routine. Would the teacher feel resentful having a student for only a few days? Would he be accepted by the other children? That evening when I told Tim about the plan for him to go to school on Monday, he was not thrilled by the prospect. "Mommy, I don't want to go school," he pleaded, fear showing in his brown eyes. "I want to stay here with you." That night I wrestled with the issue. "Lord, show me that I'm doing the right thing in sending Tim to school," I prayed. "He's scared and has been through so many changes already." On Monday morning Tim reluctantly got ready for school. After breakfast, Dennis stiffly moved to a comfortable chair to do some reading. Since he was unable to watch an active three-year-old, Rachel came with us. The autumn air felt crisp as Tim, Rachel and I got into the car with Louise, who drove us to the nearby school. After this first day, Tim would be able to ride a bus to get there. Louise introduced me to the principal. Then she stood by the office holding Rachel's hand--to keep her from following us -- while the principal, Tim and I walked down the hall to the first-grade classroom. "Miss Nibbe is good with children," the principal assured me, tapping lightly at the doorway of the open classroom. "I'm sure she'll make Tim feel right at home. I've already arranged with her for Tim to join her class." A pleasant woman about my age opened the door. After the principal introduced us to her as "Tim and his mother, Mrs. Seever," Miss Nibbe turned to me. "I know you," she said. "You're Jan." I was stunned. "How did you know?" I gasped. The principal looked dumbfounded. "Your husband used to be active in our singles' Bible study group about ten years ago," explained Miss Nibbe. "The group still meets. When a couple of our group members heard that Dennis was critically ill in the Philippines, we all started praying for him. We've been praying for your family since that time." Then she turned to her class, "I want you to meet Tim, who has been living in a country which is far away. The country is called the Philippines. Please welcome Tim." "Andy, Joel and Christy," she said to several students near the front of the room, "please show Tim the art project you're working on." Tim was already happily absorbed in activity by the time I left. As the principal and I walked down the hallway, he turned to me. "How did she know who you were?" He repeated the question several times, not quite believing what he heard. On the ride back to the house with Louise, I started thinking about a get well card Dennis had received from the Bible study group. I knew about half of the people who had signed the card. Other names weren't familiar to me. When I got to the house, I found the card. Sure enough. One of the people who had signed that card was Marilyn Nibbe. And yes, Dennis did remember her as someone he knew from the group. "Thanks, Lord," I later prayed, "for showing me that you were taking care of us all the time. Thanks for providing a teacher who understands Tim's needs perfectly and for the wonderful "coincidence" of her knowing Dennis. In more ways than one, she is exactly the right teacher." Janet Seever jseever1@shaw.ca Write Janet and let her know your thoughts on her story! __________________________________ The mother of two adult children, Janet Seever lives with her husband in Calgary, Canada. She is a writer for Word Alive magazine, a publication of Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada. Her articles have previously appeared in Decision, Power for Living, FreeWay, Today's Christian Parent, Challenge (England and Australia) and ChristianWeek. She currently has five short stories and articles on www.worthfinding.com and had a short story published in the book, The Essence Treasury: Celebrating the Season. She enjoys being part of InScribe Christian Writers Fellowship and can be reached via email at: jseever1@shaw.ca ****** 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, 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.) _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "Patience serves as protection against wrongs as cloths do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will be powerless to vex you." --Leonardo da Vinci Verse for the Day: "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." --James 1:4 Kid's Thought For The Day: "No matter what people tell you, February is the longest month." Parent's Thought For The Day An effective guilt tactic is suddenly to yell out, 'I see you!' when your children are in a different room. --Bill Dodds Coach's Thought For The Day "We never understand a thing so well, and make it for our own, as when we have discovered it for ourselves." Writer's Thought For the Day: "You can't want to be a writer, you have to be one." --Paul Theroux Deep Thought For The Day: "The survival of several wild bird species is depending on burned toast." (That one was for you Pastor Sean!) ___________________________________________ _ /_/\/\ 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! ___________________________________________ 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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