{Straight From the Heart} *My Best Christmas Ever* 12/24/99 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! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My Best Christmas Ever I am sure that we can all sit back and recall our best Christmas ever. There must be a special something that made it the best. Perhaps it was a special present you received that year, or your favorite aunt was with you. Maybe you were able to spend Christmas with your family, which you don't always get to. Perhaps your special Christmas was when you were a child or when your children were young. There are many reasons that make up the best Christmas ever for each of us. I want to challenge you to make your present Christmas, the best Christmas ever. Not just this year but every year and every day. Make the day at hand the best ever and you will see the change in your life. All the Christmas past have something special about them, something that you remember fondly and makes you smile. Make this Christmas so special that you can smile at this one when you think of it in years to come. It is pretty amazing to be able to control your life that way and it is possible and simple to do. We all have different measurements as to what is considered special and what makes us happy and smile. You have the ability to create the Christmas that you want to have so that it makes an impact on your life and those around you. If you are a giving person, give the gift of love to a neighbor or a friend. Visit the elderly gentleman that lives down the block, bring him cookies and show him someone cares. Buy an extra present this year for a child that is not as fortunate as your children. Smile at a stranger passing by, greet them and wish them happy holidays. I do not usually like going shopping, especially during the holiday season. I do not like the crowds, but I especially do not like that people become so arrogant and rude during this time of the year. It is as if shopping is a task that no one likes to do. We push and shove through the crowds. We yell at each other in the parking lots over a space. We are so much in a rush to get it over with that we fail to enjoy the reason we are there to begin with. I ventured out to the mall today to finish my shopping. I will admit that I didn't want to go, but I did. Before I left my house, I told myself that this would be a happy shopping experience. When my husband and I were leaving the mall, we looked at each other and said this was not bad at all. I am sure a lot of people thought I was a little crazy because among their madness I went along saying hello and thanking people and smiling. There was one little girl that was being screamed at by her mother. I gave the little girl a smile and a wink and the smile that she gave back to me was worth the entire trip. Needless to say that I felt great after that. So I can truly say that this was my best shopping experience ever. Until my next trip. I wish you all a happy holiday. May you decide to make this your Best Christmas Ever! December 1999 by Miriam Campo miry316@aol.com ************************ I am married. I live in Miami, Florida where I have lived most of my life. I love to write poetry and short stories. My main inspiration are my friends and those people I meet that impact my life in one way or another. Since I have come online I have met many beautiful, wonderful people that have truly inspired me and have made my writing easy. I hope to never stop writing. If you would like to read more of my poetry check out my webpage. http://www.heartwarmers4u.com/members/?miry316 REFLECTIONS by Miriam ._.†._.·´¯`·._._.·´¯`·._.†._.·´¯`·._._.·´¯`·._.†._.·´¯`·._._.·´¯`·._.†._. Still of the Night © by Corky Ferguson 1999 corky5@urec.net new-fallen snow covers the ground the scent of winter fills the air children playing in the streets living life without a care a lonely snowman stands proudly in the square adults go rushing past without noticing he is there candles flicker in the window like a guiding light casting a gentle shadow into the stillness of the night in the distance there are church bells that suddenly start to ring announcing the arrival of Christmas remembering the birth of the King ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ REQUEST: From: skmcmonagle@hotmail.com (sharin mcmonagle) I received an e-mail about one of my former high school classmates. In November, Allen was diagnosed with acute leukemia and was in the hospital for 1 month receiving chemotherapy. The doctors let him come home for Christmas but has to go back to the hospital on the 27th. He is being prepared for a bone marrow transplant in January. I am asking for prayers for Allen and his wife Dianne. Please pray for them and their family. I hope every one a very blessed Christmas and a safe New Year. Love to all, Sharin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What's the world coming to! Michael has his own weekly column on being a daddy!! This week: Thoughts on Turning 30! Click on this link to go to ChildFun.com! Daddy's View | Michael's Weekly Column or type in the following in your browser: http://www.childfun.com/dads/michael.shtml ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thought For The Day: "To be upset over what you don't have is to waste what you do have." (Ken Keyes) Verse for the Day: "Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need." Psalm 23:1 Kid's Thought For The day: "Don't blow out somebody else's birthday candles." Parent's Thought For The Day "To keep a fire burning brightly, there's one easy rule: Keep the logs together, near enough to keep warm and far enough apart for breathing room. Good fire, good marriage, same rule. ( Marnie Reed Crowel) Coach's Thought For The Day Does the will to win always have to mean, "See I'm better than you?" (Timothy Gallwey) Deep Thought For The Day: "I always keep a coathanger in the glove box - just in case I locked my keys in the car." _ /_/\/\ 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