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{HeartTouchers.com} *Porch Sittin'* ______________________________________ If you enjoy this email service, I encourage you to spread the word to family and friends that we may bring inspiration the lives of many! If you are not on the list and this has been passed along to you, join us by visiting: http://www.HeartTouchers.com Be sure to check out our inspirational list just for teenagers! http://www.Heart4Teens.com ____________________________________________ Michael's updated book Heart Touchers "Life-Changing Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter," is finally here! ($13.95) Visit the link below to preview the book! Personalized autographed copies are available at no extra charge and we pay the shipping for you! An E-book version is also available for just $3.25! http://www.hearttouchers.com/books Be sure to let us know who you would like it autographed for and then allow about two weeks for us to sign it and send it on its way to you.Credit card, PayPal, Checks, and Money orders accepted! The book is also available through Amazon.com, Borders.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Booklocker.com _____________________________________ "Porch Sittin'" By Pamela Perry Blaine "What are you doing?" I asked Willie as I passed by his house on my way home. "Awwww I'm just doin' some porch sittin" he replied as he swung back and forth ever so slightly on his porch swing. As a child, I would often see Willie out on his porch. He was an older man who still worked hard around his place but he often took time off for some "porch sittin'". "I got the radio on and the Cardinals will be playing ball here in a minute if you want to sit a spell," Willie said as he scooted over on the swing and patted the seat next to him as he adjusted the volume on the radio. It was summertime and many other scenes such as the one I mention above took place everyday where I grew up. "Porch sittin" was a common activity. Nearly everyone had a porch with a wooden swing that hung down from chains that were held by hooks on the porch ceiling. Most swings held two or three people and if neighbors showed up to sit a spell then more chairs would be brought out from inside the house. The younger folks might sit on the porch steps while children played in the yard or found a tree to climb. The porch was like an extension of the living room because it was cooler out on the porch when the summer's heat became uncomfortable. There wasn't air conditioning so houses were often built so that they were situated where the breeze would waft across the porch and there was a roof that protected porch sitters from the sun and rain. Essentially, all the work that could possibly be done outdoors was transported to the porch where it was cooler and it seemed to make the job more enjoyable just by being outside in nature's living room. It seems like a lot of living took place on porches in times past. At least it was that way where I grew up. Seeing a person sitting on their front porch was pretty much the same as an invitation for neighbors to stop by and pass the time of day. Many people did part of their garden work on their porches. It didn't matter if it was snapping beans, hulling peas, or peeling apples someone was apt to sit down beside you and give you a hand with the chore. I remember a lot of visiting, discussions, and even problems solved while snapping green beans. Women learned from one another and often offered help for whatever need that was mentioned. "Try using a little corn starch on that baby's diaper rash," a young mother might learn from an older neighbor lady, "And next time you need to work out in the garden, just bring that little one over here and I'll watch him, I kind of miss having a baby around," the neighbor might say. Those were good times when porches were used for many things. Women did needle work or rocked babies, men whittled or fixed things, and children played "pretend". Sometimes the porch was used to just get off alone for a time and read, meditate, or just do some thinking."woolgathering" Momma used to call it. Even if the sun wasn't shining, there was nothing quite like the sound of rain on the porch roof. It was such a secure feeling and a perfect time to curl up on the porch swing with a quilt and a good book and listen to the soft pattering of the raindrops. The summer nights were also very good for "porch sittin". We made friends with the night sky as we enjoyed God's creation. As a child I learned about stars and constellations from my parents. I learned how to identify the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, and then identify the North Star and the Milky Way. There were all the different night sounds that were a little frightening at first until Momma explained the howling of the coyotes, the loud noise of the bullfrog, and the calls of hoot owls and whippoorwills. We also watched the mysterious twinkling lightning bugs flit around in the dark. A permanent picture is engraved in my mind of my mother standing in a long white nightgown, arms outstretched above her, as she caught lightning bugs in a jar for me one hot summer's night. Occasionally, when summer nights didn't cool off enough to be comfortable for sleeping, some folks would sleep outside on their porches. My girlfriends and I thought that sleeping on the porch was a great adventure, except for that one time when the cat decided to bring us a gift and we woke up to find half of a mouse upon our quilt! In later years, my parents enclosed our front porch for an extra room. I hated to see the porch closed in but I was glad when my parents simply moved the old porch swing and hung it from the huge old maple tree where the family still gathered. Daddy and my brother would often sit out there under that tree and play their guitars, usually with a dog or two stretched out beneath their feet as they played one more chorus of "Just A Closer Walk With Thee." I have always loved porch swings. After I was grown and married, the one thing that sold me on the house that we bought was the swing on the back porch that overlooked a pond. I'm glad to see that some houses being built today are going back to adding porches. Yet, it isn't the porches, it's the people that make the difference. As I drive through neighborhoods these days I sometimes wonder, "Where are all the people? Are they all at Wal-Mart or inside watching television?" If so, they are missing out on a lot. Why not shoo the kids outside and take a little time out for some "porch sittin"? Take something along to read or work on if you like but there's nothing wrong with just sitting and doing nothing because it really isn't doing nothing, it's "porch sittin". If practiced enough, you can become an expert at it. It seems like "porch sittin" is nearly a lost art. Perhaps we can still revive it. If you don't have a porch, don't worry, a chair out under a shade tree will do. I don't have a porch like I once had either but I have a great imagination and all of God's creation is still right there to enjoy. Well, it's been a long day so I think I'll go outside for a spell because it's just about "porch sittin" time. By Pamela Perry Blaine, © June 2005 pamyblaine@blaines.us Write Pamela and let her know your thoughts on her story! Pam lives in Missouri with her husband, Michael. She enjoys composing music and writing stories. She writes "Pam's Corner" for her local newspaper, The Edina Sentinel. Pam and her husband are active in their church where she plays piano and he is music leader. They have a CD available called, "I'll Walk You Home". The title song is about her lifelong friend who died of cancer. You can hear this song on her website: http://blaines.us/PamyPlace.htm Several of her stories have been published on the internet as well as in books such as The Miracle Of Sons and A Tribute To Moms. Her goal is to write to encourage others and to write stories for her children and grandchildren so that stories and family history will be preserved. _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "God never asks about our ability or our inability -- just our availability." Verse for the Day: I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then said I, "Here am I; send me." -- Isaiah 6:8 Toddler's Thought For The Day: "If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried. If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone." Parent's Thought For The Day: Have you heard about the next planned "Survivor" show? * 6 men will be dropped on an island with 1 van and 4 kids each, for 6 weeks. * Each kid plays two sports and either takes music or dance classes. * There is no access to fast food. * Each man must take care of his 4 kids, keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, complete science projects, cook, do laundry, etc. * The men only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done! There is only one TV between them and there is no remote. * The men must shave their legs and wear makeup daily, which they must apply themselves either while driving or while making four lunches. * They must attend weekly PTA meetings; clean up after their sick children at 3:00 a.m.; make an Indian hut model with six toothpicks, a tortilla and one marker; and get a 4-year-old to eat a serving of peas. * The kids vote them off based on performance and the winner gets to go back to his job! Coach's Thought For The Day: "If you lose self-control everything will fall. You cannot function physically or mentally or in any other way unless your emotions are under control."--John Wooden Writer's Thought For The Day: "Every writer is a frustrated actor who recites his lines in the hidden auditorium of his skull." -- Rod Serling Deep Thought For The Day: "Timing has an awful lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance." _________________________________________ Inspired Audio -- Inspirational Audio Message of the Week! Inspired Audio is a brand new offshoot of HeartTouchers.com. Every week we will offer a different audio message that you can listen to right on your computer as you are surfing the net or just getting things done around the house. Be sure to come back and visit each week! This Week we continue in our 40 Days of Purpose Series: "You Were Shaped For Serving" http://www.HeartTouchers.com/Inspired_Audio _________________________________________ Over 52,000 people have listened to popular Chicken Soup Author Michael T. Powers' free inspirational message entitled: "Breathing Life into Others". If you aren't one of them just visit: http://www.HeartTouchers.com and click on the link to listen to the free streaming audio message! __________________________________________ Video Imagery --Michael's Video Production Business Dear Michael, I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for the beautiful video you made for me! It was so special to see both of my parents in tears as they watched their children grow up in pictures before their eyes! I loved the way you made Estania's part set aside from the rest--that was the part that really got them! The music was beautiful. My mom kept blubbering, "What song is that?" I don't know how you did such a beautiful job with the video in such a short time. I really appreciate your doing it so quickly. You have a wonderful gift, and I thank God that you are using it to create such sentimental memories. I hope that I can find my niche like that in an area that I love. Your video gave us one of our most lasting Christmas memories! I hope yours was filled with moments to be treasured forever! Love, Trisha Silverhill, AL Let me make you a video from your photos! Check out my video production business by visiting: http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery __________________________________________ Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you? http://www.greatcom.org/english/four.htm |
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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