{Straight From the Heart} *The Letter* 12/22/99 Welcome to "Straight From the Heart!" If you enjoy this free daily email service, I encourage you to forward it on to family and friends. If this has been passed along to you and you want to join the list, just send 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! _________________________________________________________ (Here is a little background on today's poem by Patty McNeer Kellemeyer, who has published three books of poetry). Patty writes: I am trying to get a program ready for a poetry reading next week and in browsing through poems I had written back in the '40's came across the one attached. My romance was unusual back during the second WW. I wrote to my (future) husband for 3 1/2 years but never laid eyes on him until the war ended in 1945. He was from Indianapolis, IN and I am from Portsmouth, OH. Well, anyway to make a long story short. We were married on January 8, 1946 and enjoyed 52 1/2 years of marriage I lost my best friend, my helpmate and my dearest love on May 31, 1998. LETTER TO SANTA CLAUS Dear Santa: I’ll be all alone this year for he, of course, is countless miles away. So maybe you can whisper in his ear, that all my love just grows from day to day. Just tell him that he’s always in my prayers, as constantly as he is in my heart. For when you know that someone really cares it lulls the pain of being far apart. Just tell him that the tree is lit for him, and mistletoe is hanging high above; and tell him though the path is steep and dim, that there’s a glorious radiance from love. A radiance that streams from across the sea, and brings him home for Christmas...and for me! ©1944 Patty McNeer Kellemeyer PKellemeye@aol.com From "Footprints on the Pathway of Life" Send Patty an email and let her know what you thought of her writing! A little bit about Patty: I am a senior citizen who has written poetry most of my life since about the age of 10. I am a Polio survivor having been stricken with the disease when I was 3 years old. The DR's told my Mother I would never walk again as both my legs and my right arm were affected. The key word here is "survivor," as I think of myself as that. In the past few years I have been plagued with Post Polio Syndrome and am in quite a bit of pain from time to time. I have also battled cancer since 1995, but feel I am winning that battle also. As I told you in the paragraph that accompanied the poem, my husband and I wrote for 3 1/2 years back in the '40's, were married in 1946 and were blessed with two sons (the eldest of whom was killed in '73 in an auto accident after having served 2 tours of duty in Vietnam). I have won several awards with my poetry and most recently won first place in Creative Writing (story) and second place in Poetry in Ohio State homemaker's clubs. ._.†._.·´¯`·._._.·´¯`·._.†._.·´¯`·._._.·´¯`·._.†._.·´¯`·._._.·´¯`·._.†._. A Christmas Gift It isn't the flowing ribbons, draped and curled with extra care, or the fine and fancy ribbons tied with ornamental flair. It isn't the label announced on the box, the sum of money spent, or anything that shows the length to which you obviously went. The beauty of a Christmas gift cannot be seen at all. For the loveliness of giving is a feeling, grand and tall. It's the genuine offer of love, the yearning to make a connection, the show of honest gratitude, the display of sincere affection. Copyright © 1999 Terri McPherson tmcphers@mnsi.net Windsor, Ontario, Canada Send Terri and email and let her know what you thought of her poem! Terri lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. She has two wonderful children, a five-year-old grandangel and a terrific husband. She works as a Writer / Web Designer / Production Assistant for a local production company and teaches advanced clogging classes for the Border City Cloggers. Her writing has appeared in numerous online publications. Check out her website: WiseHearts... Weaving Small Wisdoms Through The Fabric Of Life Wise Hearts! Weaving Small Wisdoms Through Th... http://www.mnsi.net/~tmcphers/index.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ REQUEST: From: Jess997 Mike, My cousin had committed suicide this morning and I was wondering if you all could pray for him to make sure he is ok. He left behind a finance and a 1 year old boy. They still do not know why he did it. Thanks~ Jessica Perkins ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I received this email this past week and wanted to share it with everyone: From: lparker@uoguelph.ca (Liza Parker) Dear Micheal, I just wanted to share with you a really wonderful website which might help others. Among the many things that Annie does on her web site (which is quite large), is sending encouraging emails to people who need encouragement or someone to talk to, as well as replying to prayer requests. The web site is designed with a tremendous amount of love and care. I truly enjoy visiting it! The main page is: Annie's Home Page http://www.annieshomepage.com/index.html I am a single mother (currently unemployed after 2 years at a very oppressive job), and I've been asked to design a web site for someone in my church. [I am a computer programmer by design (God's design!).] I was looking for web sites that really impacted me, and this one is at the top of the list. Liza ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thought For The Day: "Choice, not chance determines human destiny." Verse for the Day: "...I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." Deuteronomy 30:19 Kid's Thought For The day: "Stick up for your brother." Parent's Thought For The Day "I use to have to walk to school in this bitter cold. Uphill both ways. And I kept a warm baked potato in my pocket to keep my hands warm. And then I ate that for lunch...... Wait a minute..... That was my dad not me." Coach's Thought For The Day A boss says, "Get Going!" While a leader says, Let's GO!" Deep Thought For The Day: "Do you think that when they asked George Washington for ID that he just whipped out a quarter?" _ /_/\/\ 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