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!


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!
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For those of you who read Shery Ma Belle Arrieta's story called Always Like Rain on Monday..... Shery's email address is:

iamshery@msc.net.ph

She wrote to me and let me know that she lost all the emails of those who wrote to her about her story. She has made it a practice to always respond to those who write her and wanted to ask those who did, if they might contact her again. For those of you whose email program saves things you send out for a period of time, you might just be able to resend what you originally wrote. For those who enjoyed her story, and haven't written to her, I encourage you to so. While we as readers can't possibly let each author know what we thought about their stories, I want to ask again that you do write to those whose stories really touch you. Feedback for a writer is a wonderful thing.
In essence, if a writer touched you some way through their story, let them know with a quick email....
With great thanks and appreciation,
Michael

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THE BONDS OF LOVE

By: Judy Kiser


From the time that we are new born babies, we set out on the quest to find a bond of love. If we are lucky we find it in the form of our mother. But not everyone has that kind of luck, if so we would not hear the stories of abandonment, or the stories of a young mother killing her young and placing them in a trash can. It is obvious that not all females have a maternal instinct. So that leaves many of us without that all-important bond of love.

Just as all men are not meant to be a caring loving parent. What a shame that all fathers cannot be like the T.V. dad's, you know the ones, Jim Anderson and Ward Cleaver. If they were all like those men, we wouldn't have so many children living in one parent homes, or any need for organizations like Big Brothers; nor would we have so many unwed mothers in this world. Many men find it easier to just go on with their lives as if a child had never even been born. Leaving us again without a bond of love.

Adults look for an unbreakable bond of love in marriage. The concept of an unconditional love with ones soul mate is irresistible. And again we have to face the fact that more often than not that this to is a fairy tale. Look at the divorce rate in this country and you will surely have to agree. Words like adultery, abuse, and irretrievable differences branded on a battered heart, leaving us once again to look for a bond of love.

As I have traveled my life's journey, I have dealt with many of the dire situations that are listed above. A life of trouble and despair followed me everywhere I went. I found no bond of love that could not be broken! My outlook on life was jaded, to say the least. I searched for love and acceptance in all the wrong places, places that the devil provided.

Until I found and accepted my Lord Jesus Christ as my savior, I would not find the unconditional bond of love that I had been seeking my whole life. I can hear the moans now, and sense the thought going around in many of your heads, " OH NO! Not another old woman preaching at me." I promise this is not a sermon; it's a true love story!

A love story so amazing, that you will not believe it! No matter how low I sank in my despair, I always had this unconditional love! It took me so many long years before I could see or feel it. Even today, I marvel at the time I wasted looking for a man made love. When all the time I had more love than I could ever imagine!

From the time before my birth, until this very moment, I have never been without love. When I was suffering through the sexual abuse as a child, my Lord was with me. He did not save me from the abuse, but he made me strong enough to survive it. He kept me in his grace as I stumbled from one broken marriage to the next, giving me strength to once again over come the abuse. He gave me courage and the determination to raise my two children; so that they are loving, caring and giving adults.

As my faith grew stronger and my love for Jesus bloomed, and as I gave thanks for the blessings that he had brought into my life, I noticed that I didn't have to search for love anymore. It just kind of found me, and filled my life to capacity!

My heart aches when I think of how the people of this world are suffering. How they are searching for things that don't exist. If they would only stop and look at the starting point of life, then they would see that there is only one end, JESUS!!

May the good Lord bless you and keep you, because he already loves you.

Judith A Kiser © 2000
judyjudy@darientel.net

Send Judy an email and let her know what you thought about her story!
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I live in Brunswick, Ga. with my husband Roger and our five dogs. I work full time as a server, and enjoy writing bedtime stories for my grandchildren.
Check out her websites!

http://www.heartwarmers4u.com/members?judyjudy
http://www.geocities.com/judyjudy_31520

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I wanted to share the following link with everyone. Andi Puntoriero has shared her writing with all of us in the past, and many of you may remember her. Check out one of her latest stories called, "The Rescue."

The Rescue
http://www.themestream.com/gspd_browse/browse/view_article.gsp?c_id=104435

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Thought For The Day:

"I have always thought the actions of men the great interpreters of their thoughts."
(John Locke)


Verse for the Day:

"As he thinketh in his heart, so is he."
Proverbs 23:7


Kid's Thought For The Day:

"As soon as you can walk, you never want to crawl again."


Parent's Thought For The Day

"The best way to prevent your children from eating fatty, greasy, disgusting, unhealthy food is: Don't let them eat from your plate."
(Bill Dodds)


Coach's Thought For The Day

"No one knows what he really can do. We all put a limit on our activities. We are our own worst enemies. If we really work, really drive ourselves to our utter limits, we accomplish things we never thought possible. All we have to do is not be afraid to start."
(Vince Promuto)


Deep Thought For The Day:

My favorite bumper sticker: "The closer you are, the slower I go."

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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

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