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*The Last One Picked* 5/15/02 ______________________________________ 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 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.) _________________________________________ The Last One Picked by Pamela Jenkins, © 2002 ramblinrabbit@juno.com I held the warm, fuzzy body in my arms during the two-hour drive home, breathing in the sweet puppy scent. As my husband drove, the puppy watched the moving scenery through the window. Occasionally he would stretch up and touch his moist nose to my cheek, as if wondering who I was and where I was taking him. As the miles passed, I felt the aching in my heart ease a bit. It had been seven months since we lost our elderly Schnauzer to cancer. Being married to a veterinarian and working in an animal hospital should have prepared me for the loss and grief that would follow. I help people deal with these difficult situations every day. In the end, however, I cried just as hard as anyone else. I missed my little buddy. I didn't think I'd find another dog I would ever love as much. Time goes by, however, and the kids were asking for another pet. My son, especially, wanted a dog to teach tricks. To an eight-year-old boy, there could be nothing as cool as a dog that would fetch and roll over on command. I researched all the breeds I could think of that would fit our family lifestyle, and finally decided on a Wire Fox Terrier. They are popular in circus acts, so surely one could be taught a few simple tricks. We were able to locate a breeder in our state. I called to ask about her puppies. "Yes, I have three males left," she said. We talked for several minutes about pedigrees and temperaments. I began to feel a small rush of excitement at the prospect of a new puppy, and at the same time guilty. I would never be able to replace my old dog. I told the breeder that I would discuss it with my husband and let her know. The next day, I called again to set up a time to look at the litter. I began to feel a little anxious when she told me that she now only had two puppies. The day arrived for the visit to the breeder, and only one puppy was left. My husband and I were both apprehensive. The litter had been a large one. Out of eight puppies, this was the only one that hadn't been sold. We were pleased to find that the puppy was healthy, bright and alert. We could find no faults in his physical conformation. Even his spots were in all the right places. It took less that a minute to make our decision. We would take him home. As my husband drove, he turned to glance at the puppy I held close to me. He said, "I know he got passed over seven times, but I can't help but think that we may have gotten the best pup in the litter. I honestly can't see a thing wrong with him." Our children were overjoyed when they saw the new arrival. They named him William Tell, and he quickly adapted to his new home. My children enjoyed hearing the story about getting the last puppy from the litter. This morning, my son was throwing a stick in the yard. Tell was dutifully bouncing after it and bringing it back gripped tightly in his puppy teeth. "Look, Mom! His first trick!" Then he dropped down on his knees and hugged Tell. The terrier wiggled with excitement at the attention, but my son looked up at me with watery eyes. I asked, "Honey, what's wrong?" "He was the last one picked," he said sadly. "I hate to be the last one picked!" Suddenly, my mind went back in time. I was once again a gangly young girl with bad eyesight, clumsy at sports, holding back tears because I was one of the last to be chosen for gym teams. "Oh, sweetie, I know Tell was the last one left, but look at how wonderful his life has turned out! He lives on a farm in the country. He has a fenced yard to play in so he doesn't get lost. He has lots of barns to explore when he walks with us. Your Daddy is a veterinarian, so he'll always have the best of care." I gave both son and puppy a hug as I added, "And the best thing of all is that he has his own boy to play with every day. I think being the last one picked turned out pretty good this time, didn't it?" "Yeah, Mom, it did!" he answered. I watched him throw another stick across the yard. In a flash, the spotted puppy raced after it. "Thanks, Mom," my son said. "I'm glad he was last, because you know what? Now we've got the greatest dog EVER!" I watched as William Tell pranced back to us, proudly holding the stick in his mouth. I wondered if what my son had said would turn out to be true. This puppy had some mighty big paw prints to fill. Then I noticed the look of joy on my little boy's face. I don't think I have anything to worry about now. Tell may have been the last puppy, but he's off to a fine start in our hearts. Pamela Jenkins ramblinrabbit@juno.com Write Pamela and let her know your thoughts on her story! ______________________________ Pamela Jenkins lives on a farm in Oklahoma with Stanley, her husband of twenty-one years, and their four children. She is the office manager of her husband's veterinary practice. Pamela has been published in Chocolate for a Woman's Dreams, Written in Stone, and Chicken Soup for the Grandparent's Soul. ********* 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! _________________________________________ Are you looking for the perfect gift to give for 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 we have 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 ____________________________ Thought For The Day: "Render more service than that for which you are paid and you will soon be paid for more than you render. This is the law of increasing returns." --Napoleon Hill Verse for the Day: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." 2 Corinthians 9:6 Kid's Thought For The Day: "Don't let the spaghetti sauce leak onto your green beans." Parent's Thought For The Day "The good news is that grandchildren keep you young. The bad news is that after you spend time with them you feel your age." --Joan Holleman Coach's Thought For The Day Habit is most difficult to defeat. If you delete the first letter, it doesn't not change "a bit" Delete another and you still have a "bit" left. Take off still another and the whole of it remains. But if you take off another, it is wholly used up. Goes to prove if you want to get rid of a habit, you must throw it off altogether. --Mandel Deep Thought For The Day: "I am returning this otherwise good typing paper to you because someone has printed gibberish all over it and put your name at the top." --English Professor, Ohio University ___________________________________________ _ /_/\/\ 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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