================================================
{Straight From the Heart} *Christmas on Harland Street* 12/15/00
================================================
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 us by sending a blank email to:
Thunder27@aol.com
I appreciate any feedback or constructive criticism, so feel free to
write me (Michael T. Powers) and let me know what you think!
Just joined us and want to see all the past stories we've run?
Visit our inspirational website at:
Straight From the Heart
http://www.storiesfrommyheart.com
==================================================
The Freebie Times- free newsletter that has all the free stuff you can
imagine. Free coupons, contests, downloads, phonecards, etc. Everything is
100% free in this newsletter. Get a FREE 50 Minute Phonecard when you
subscribe. So, go check it out at http://www.thefreebietimes.com or
subscribe by sending an e-mail with 'subscribe' in the subject to
mailto:washack@epix.net
==================================================
If you haven't visited our website recently, take a moment to check out
the new graphics and the page about Christmas Symbolism. I try to give
the site a fresh look each week so be sure to stop by and check us out!
Straight From the Heart
http://www.MichaelTPowers.com
And one last note...In order to get to all the great Christmas story submissions,
I will be sending stories out on the weekends too from now until the 25th.
The weekend stories will not have any thoughts for the day, however...
Those of you who submitted Christmas stories recently, I just plain ran out of slots.
Please submit them again next year, but do so towards the end of November.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Michael
==================================================
Christmas on Harland Street
By Kenneth L. Pierpont
We lived on Harland Street in Grand Rapids when I was in kindergarten.
We rented a simple white house. It's the one on the east side of the block
with a diamond-shaped widow on the side by the driveway. The house was
divided into two apartments. The landlord lived upstairs, we lived
downstairs.
A couple times a year I drive by the house and remember things. It was
there that I first went to school. My dad and I walked from there to the
barber shop for my first real haircut one Saturday morning. When I received
my first poor report card my mom took we for a walk to the top of the hill
on Harland Street. We stood by the fence and looked down on the construction
that would later become I-96. Most of my memories there are good ones.
When I slow the car and look at the house I realize the picture window
like so many things from childhood was a lot smaller than I remembered. One
of my earliest, sweetest Christmas memories is associated with that window.
I was walking home from school on a beautiful winter day in December.
Christmas decorations were going up throughout the neighborhood. I walked
past Ted's Market and passed the neighbor's house. When our house came into
view I could see my mom in the window decorating for Christmas. We had no
money for lights or store-bought decorations. My dad was a student at the time.
Mom had taken a bar of soap and covered the inside of the window like a
snowstorm. She then took a razor blade and scraped a manger scene complete
with crèche, angels, shepherds, a star. When I asked about the wise men she
informed me that according to the Gospel of Matthew they came later.
I never see that window without thinking about that winter afternoon,
the Christmas music of Helen Barth, Gloria Roe and Larry Whiteford, and my
mother's joy in celebrating the birth of Jesus. All that for a few pennies
worth of soap.
A couple years ago I was having my annual titanic struggle against the
spirit that tries to destroy the joy of Christmas. It was the lights again.
Always a missing light or blown fuse or a tangle that would frustrate
Houdini. Out of five strings of lights I could only coax two of them to
work. I called my Dad for technical support. He laughed and must have
sensed my frustration. He reminded me of a year when he was a young father
trying to make Christmas happen for his children. He was out of money and
out of lights and out of patience. Eventually he just strung the lights he
had on the tree. He counted them and years later he remembered the number.
There were only seventeen lights. They were the big old-fashioned ones, but
there were only seventeen of them.
I hung up the phone and smiled. I have the sweetest memory of that
wonderful tree and I was thirty-five years old before I realized it only had
seventeen lights on it.
It's easy to buy into the hype about the kind of high-tech toys you have
to have in order for Junior grow up to be a well-rounded child. I say, it's
about Jesus and he came to earth to save sinners. He was born into a poor
family and lived a very simple life.
My advice: make some memories, love the people your life. Celebrate
Christmas. Don't spend all your time counting the lights.
Kenneth L. Pierpont
pierpont@mail.riverview.net
Send Kenneth an email and let him know what you thought of his story!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kenneth L. Pierpont is a pastor, writer, storyteller, poet, songwriter,
singer, humorist, husband, and father of eight, who plays a little harmonica
and knows enough guitar chords to put his children to sleep at night. You
can reach him at pastor@ncats.net or visit his web site at
http://members.nbci.com/pinestreet/
==================================================
REQUESTS:
From: russ@bearriver.net (Becky & Russ)
My Aunts Ellen and Rebecca need your prayers...Aunt Ellen is having problems with her heart and may be facing open heart surgery...Aunt Rebecca is losing weight and seems to have given up...Both are VERY dear to me ...Please add them to your prayers ...Thank you and God bless each of you.
==================================================
From the Email Box!
I just started reading your wonderful stories, and I wanted to let you know. They make me laugh and my kids laugh as well.
(Especially *Vomiting and ..*) My entired family just went through the tummy flu as well, and I know exactly what you are going through. It's as if you were watching a tape of our family.
We have had alot of unfortuante instances going on in our family, and reading your stories makes us laugh. I'm glad I found your site at this time in our lives.
Sincerly,
Sandra Savoie
==================================================
Thought For The Day:
"Money is like promises--easier made than kept."
Verse for the Day:
"Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf."
Proverbs 11:28
Kid's Thought For The Day:
"Make up the rules as you go along."
Parent's Thought For The Day:
"Everyone is in awe of the lion tamer in a cage with half a dozen lions - everyone but a school bus driver."
Coach's Thought For The Day:
"The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what they cant do." -Dennis Waitley
Deep Thought For The Day:
"I can't stand cheap people. It makes me real mad when someone says
something like: Hey, when are you going to pay me that $100 you owe me?
or: Do you have that $50 you borrowed? Man, quit being so cheap!"
====================================================
_
/_/\/\ 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
====================================================
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 surprised 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
==================================================
Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you?
The Four Spiritual Laws
http://www.ccci.org/laws/index.html
==================================================
Writer's guidelines for Straight From the Heart can be found here:
Writer's Guidelines
http://storiesfrommyheart.com/writer_s_guidelines/
==================================================
The copyrights to the stories that appear here are owned by the authors and are used with their permission. This email 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.
Thanks!
==================================================
UNSUBSCRIBE:
If you are receiving this e-mail and would like to be taken off the
list please send a blank email with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line.
You will be taken off as soon as possible.
==================================================
SUBSCRIBE:
To become a Straight From the Heart Member send a blank email to:
Thunder27@AOL.COM
==================================================
