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{Straight From the Heart} *My Best Worst Critic* 8/1/00
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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!

Writer's guidelines for story submissions and some previous stories from Straight From the Heart can be found at the following website!
Stories From A Father's Heart
http://www.heartwarmers4u.com/members/?thunder27

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Thanks!
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Want to read more stories by Kristi or Michael? Then check out the following links!

Author Michael T. Powers
http://www.themestream.com/authors/41460.html

Author Kristina D. Powers
http://www.themestream.com/authors/41943.html
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MY BEST WORST CRITIC

By: Lynn Lombard

I've always heard that you are your own worst critic. Yet, in high school, my worst critic was my English teacher, Mr. Edgar. He not only rarely gave me A's, but he would mark up whatever I wrote in red pen until it looked like a three year old had gotten a hold of it. At first, I thought it was because he didn't like my work, but I soon realized that this balding short man, who could always find something wrong with what I wrote, would become the person I most credit with beginning my writing endeavors.

Both young and naive, I thought my writing didn't need much sharpening. Each time I handed in a paper, I was confident of a job well done. Until, that is, I got the corrected version back with his repeated comments in the margin, "Tighten! Tighten! Tighten!" and "Never use two words when you can use one." He would stand beside my desk, watching me read his revisions with a smirk on his face.

"I guess I have to tighten this up a bit?" I asked with a tone of sarcasm in my voice. Mr. Edgar would nod his head ever so slightly, straighten his smirk to a serious note and walk away. It came to a point where I would cringe each time he put a paper in front of me, telling me to delete half my story.

"Do you know how long this took me to write?" I'd tell him. "And now you want me to cut it in half?"

His only answer, "Yes."

I didn't like it one bit - dissecting my story as I cut word after word just seemed so wrong - but I did what was asked. "Wow!" I said shocked after getting back my second rewrite, with the words, "Good job!" and "Much more crisp and easier to read" written at the bottom of the page.

"You mean I did something right?"

"Yes," he'd say with a hint of a smile. Maybe this man was on to something!

As the school year passed, I became increasingly aware that each assignment helped broaden my horizons. One real milestone came with his words, "I want you to write a poem. It can be about anything at all. There is only one guideline." About anything at all? This will be easy, I thought as I waited for him to continue. "It cannot rhyme." Can't rhyme? Is this guy nuts? How am I, the rhymer of rhymes, going to pull this off? I remember sitting there in hard thought. He was doing this to torture me, I just knew it! He stopped at my desk, peering over my blank page, smiling as I struggled. That confirmed it. He was out to get me.

I never knew that the non-rhyming poem that I was about to write would be one of my finest. I never thought that I would actually like writing it. Finally, I began to see this man as the true mentor he was. His demanding ways were simply preparing me for the real world.

At the end of my senior year, he asked me if I ever thought about sending my writing out to get published.

"Published?" I said, beaming that he thought I had a chance. "I wouldn't know where to begin." He paved the road ahead of me, directing me to the Writer's Market. And so began my pursuit of being published.

Many rejections later, my first poem was accepted by a small time newsletter, "Lines'N Rhymes" but the triumph I felt when I read the acceptance letter is a feeling I shall never forget. The first thing I did after wiping the joyous tears from my eyes was write to Mr. Edgar to tell him of my success. I was confident that there would be more of those acceptance letters in the future. And, I'm proud to say, there were.

Surprisingly, I have kept all those papers he marked up with his red pen and look at them often. (He would never believe that!) And though he has retired and I no longer see him anymore, I know he would be proud of how far I've come. (I send him every published clip I earn in the mail). What he taught me will long be remembered. For that, I will always feel blessed in a big way.


Lynn Lombard
ddlandlml@gateway.net

Send Lynn an email and let her know what you thought of her story!
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Lynn is a writer and legal administrative assistant living in Western New York. If you'd like read the non-rhyming poem Lynn spoke of in her story, go to: http://www.themestream.com/gspd_browse/browse/view_article.gsp?c_id=65240

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REQUESTS:

From: llenox@jcn.net (LaDonna Lenox)


Michael and Kristi,
Thanks for sharing the article from Susan about being in "The Father's Arms". It seems that when I am able to read the daily stories on the Internet, the Lord lets me read the one for what I am going through in my Christian walk.
Take care and thanks for your faithfulness. This is truly a minstry to help encourage and inspire people. I am a reader of the Guideposts magazine, and this site is so similiar in the way it ministers to people.
I have a prayer request. Last year, I had herniated disk back surgery and couldn't go back to my Wal-Mart job. So after a year of Substitute teaching and Census work, I am in need of a job that will allow me to have Sundays off, yet, let me attend college to prepare for a Bachelor's degree in Business ADminstration.
Would the readers of this list join with me in prayer regarding a job that I am capable of doing, with Sundays off, so my family can still have their needs met. Plus, let me be active in my responsibilities with church and college?
I have a few unspoken requests the I am trusting the Lord to direct me in.
If you can share this with your readers, I would really appreciate it.
There is power in prayer when two or more people agree in the name of Jesus. Thanks for your time.
LaDonna Lenox
llenox@jcn.net
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From: Iluvjc2000@aol.com (Sharon Whisenhunt)

Michael,
This is an update on my daughter, Charlotte and my husband, Rusty. Charlotte has been having stomach pain. The Dr. did a scope on her stomach and upper intestines. He found an irritated area in her duodenum that looks like the early start of an ulcer. There were two spots. One just looked like little scratch and the other looked like a small cut had been made. Then he did an ultrasound on her abdomen and all of the organs looked like they were okay. He put her on Prilosec twice a day and wants to see her on the 17th of August for a follow up. Meanwhile she is still having pain. Rusty had a c-scan which was clear and a carotid doppler on both sides of his neck and the left shows about a 25% blockage while the right one is clear. The Dr. says it might be stress and dehydration causing the headaches and eye problem. Also the whole family is working on losing weight. The Dr. says that will help. Please keep us in your prayers. Also please pray for my sister she might have a blockage somewhere in her abdomen.
God bless you all everyone I read about their requests I pray for them also.
Sharon Whisenhunt


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Thought For The Day:

"Great thoughts reduced to practice become great acts."
(William Hazlitt)

Verse for the Day:

"Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?."
James 2:21,22

Kid's Thought For The Day:

"Let the frog go where you found it."

Parent's Thought For The Day

"The secret to feeding your child is learning how to disguise a vegetable as a french fry."
(Jan Blaustone)

Coach's Thought For The Day

"Don't knock your competitors. By boosting others you will boost yourself. A little competition is a good thing and severe competition is a blessing."
(Kindleberger)

Deep Thought For The Day:

"The other day I went to the bookstore to buy a dictionary. The clerk showed me a really cheap one. I couldn't find the words to thank him."

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


Click below to check out my Home Page!
(This link includes a number of stories that I have written.)
Thunder27's Home Page
http://members.aol.com/Thunder27/index.html

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