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{Straight From the Heart}   *Applauding My Father*  6/15/00
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Welcome to "Straight From the Heart!"

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APPLAUDING MY FATHER

By:  Lynn Lombard

    The one person I admire more than anyone else in this world is my 
father. It may sound traditional - daddy's little girl admiring one 
truly good man in her life. But that isn't the case for me. I have 
watched him ever since I was a young girl, overcoming the many 
obstacles life threw his way. And I have watched him succeed even 
when times were tough. 

    My dad is not the type of man who openly shows his feelings, but 
I know how much he loves me each time I kiss him goodbye, each 
conversation we share, each smile he gives me. Last Father's Day, as 
part of my gift to him, I wrapped up a magazine containing a poem I 
had written about him. And as I watched him read it, for the second 
time in my life, I saw his eyes water. He came over and gave me a hug 
and a kiss and tried to conceal his emotions in front of the family. 
But I knew I had touched a part of him deep inside. 

    I will always look to my dad for inspiration in making the best 
out of life. He's always worked hard and that is one memory that 
continues to stick out more than others. He never took handouts, he 
wasn't lazy and never taught us to be. "Get a job, earn your money, 
then buy the things you want," is something I can hear my father 
saying. He may have a lot of the things he wants now, but it wasn't 
always that way. 

    At six years of age, I saw my dad cry for the first time. My mom 
had passed away and I watched him light up a cigarette, a habit he had 
stopped long ago, and try to smoke away his sadness. I felt how much 
he loved us kids the most in the months that followed. Each day after 
dad got home from work, he would take us all to the cemetery. We would 
visit mom's grave, say a prayer, make her headstone look as pretty as 
we could. Although it was not easy to continue life without her, we 
did. And it was my dad's love for us that healed us of this tragedy. 
He took charge and took care of us the best way he could. 

    A year later, he met a wonderful woman, divorced with two girls of 
her own, and made her his bride. Remarried with five children to 
support, his strength amazed me. Into a new house in an unfamiliar 
town, a fresh start was waiting for us. But things were never easy. 
First, my dad, and then my new mom lost their jobs. My dad applied and 
trained to be a correctional officer and for the first five years, he 
was stationed out of the area, forcing him to live away from home. He 
would come back once a week to spend his two days off with us, but it 
was hard not having him around, and hard on mom and dad as they 
struggled with the bills. It was a tough climb back to the top, but we 
made it. 

    Now that I'm grown up and away from the haven, I make a point of 
going to visit my parents once a week. Sitting in the living room 
talking, watching a movie, or playing a game of darts are things I 
truly cherish now. We joke with one another and my favorite part of 
being with my dad is seeing him laugh. Knowing he is happy, living 
the kind of life he wants, helps to fulfill my life. And, although 
he's always been a silent kind of man, never a conversationalist if 
it's just me and him, I know when I need advice, he's there to help. 
He is not afraid to tell me what he thinks and I'm glad because his 
opinions mean a lot to me.

    It seems so long ago when I was that little girl, scared of my 
dad's authority. We laugh about it now, knowing it no longer holds 
true. But that doesn't mean I don't respect him. I respect him more 
than ever because I see how wise and determined he's always been. My 
father is a wonderful man and his presence in my life is so very 
precious. I thank God each day for having him here with me. I have 
always felt honored to be his daughter. And I only hope that I can 
make him as proud of me as I am of him.

Lynn Lombard
ddlandlml@gateway.net

Send Lynn an email and let her know what you thought of her story!
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A little bit about Lynn:

Lynn is a writer and legal administrative assistant who lives in 
Western New York.  To read "Dad, Have I Told You Lately How Much I 
Love You?" the poem that brought a tear to her father's eyes, go to:
 Dad, Have I Told You Lately How Much I Love You? 
http://www.themestream.com/gspd_browse/browse/view_article.gsp?c_id=74593&id_list=74593,74381,65410,65240,65219,65209,64384,58578,58511,56394
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Requests:

From:	shell@MNSi.Net (Michelle)

Michael
 
Thank you for putting a prayer in Straight From The heart. I really appreciated it.
His operation went well. Were not sure how bad he is, the doctor had to run out 
before he talked to anyone. He was told that he had cancer in his 
prostate, his kidneys were reading that their was cancer in them. 
His doctor said his kidneys could be reading high because of the 
cancer in his prostate. They were checking for cancer in his bowels 
also. I felt asking Terri for a prayer would make a big difference.

I'll let you know what happens, thank you again.

Michelle

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From:	laketa@ticon.net (LBenedict)

I want to thank everyone for all the prayers for Ed these past few 
weeks.  Ed died the 12th at home with family present. He will be sadly 
missed by his family and friends.  LaKeta Benedict
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Thought For The Day:

"It is possible to be too big for God to use you but never too small 
for God to use you."

Verse for the Day:

"A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor."
Proverbs 29:23

Kid's Thought For The day:

"If your daddy asks you to pull his finger, don't!"

Parent's Thought For The Day

" If you want the last word in an argument, say, "You're 
right."

Coach's Thought For The Day

"Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm; it moves stones, it charms 
brutes.  Enthusiasm is the genius of sincerity and truth accomplishes 
no victories without it."
(Edwar Bulwer-Lytton)

Deep Thought For The Day:

"Happy Birthday! You look great for your age...Almost Lifelike!"



  _
/_/\/\    MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\  /    THUNDER27@aol.com   http://members.aol.com/Thunder27/index.html
/_/  \    "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	





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 suprised 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  (RKaGe@aol.com)    College Station, TX 

Let me make you a video from your pictures or home movies!
Check out the web page for Michael's video production business!
 Video Imagery 
http://members.aol.com/Videoimg/index.html