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*The Forgotten Generation* ______________________________________ If you enjoy this free email service, I encourage you to spread the word to family and friends that we may bring inspiration into the lives of many! If you are not on the list and this has been passed along to you, join the thousands of HeartTouchers.com readers around the world by sending a blank e-mail to: HeartTouchers-subscribe@myinjesus.com Visit our inspirational web site and read all the past stories in our archives at: http://www.HeartTouchers.com/Archives Be sure to check out our brand new inspirational list just for teenagers! Heart4Teens.com To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to: Heart4Teens-subscribe@myinjesus.com or visit: http://www.Heart4Teens.com ____________________________________________ Good morning HeartTouchers.com readers! Just wanted to share some great news with all of you! As most of you know, we were told that our new baby boy was born with a hole in his heart this past month. We were told by the doctors that this should close up in one to three years and that we shouldn't be too worried about it. Well, we prayed, and asked all of you to pray, and then we waited... Chase had his one month check-up last week and the doctors told us that the hole in his heart has completely healed up already! Thank you so much for being a part of this list and for taking the time to pray for our family... We are truly blessed! From my family to yours, Michael _________________________________________ The Forgotten Generation by Ginnylynn Rodriguez As I struggled through the doors at the Retirement Center, weighted down with my mom's overnight bags as well as my own, my first sight was several ladies sitting on the couch in the entry as if waiting for some event to be happening soon. I've always enjoyed this center when I've visited it the few times before. Its rooms are full of light and very open in its design. Setting my bags down, I went in to see the manager. Pulling his bifocals off his face he greeted me warmly. After explaining who I was and my mom's name, he said, "Oh, we've been expecting you!" He reached up and grabbed the guestroom key and handed it to me. I had called in ahead of time earlier in the week for a "test run" for my mom and I to stay overnight in their guestroom. Mom had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's earlier in the year and my family has been trying to determine where the best place for her to live. We felt their program of allowing visitors to stay a few nights at their facility would offer her the opportunity to see its setting in a relaxed manner. It also gave us the opportunity to observe others there and get their feedback on the care they are receiving. Mom's home of 40 years no longer interests her and she's fearful of staying by herself. We have narrowed our search to two centers, as well as the possibility of her living with my older sister and her husband. In her condition, we don't know whether she could handle independent living. In her red knitted cap and red jacket she looked cute even though her confusion on her face was apparent. As a lost child she obediently followed me up the elevator into our room. After I put our belongings away, I was impressed with the decor. Beautiful homemade accessories graced the room to give it a homey touch. It was actually much nicer than the motels I've stayed in the past! The entire center looked like a museum with its Norman Rockwell's pictures, crystal and porcelain figurines and fancy furniture. Slowly we walked the hallways to introduce ourselves to the residents and see where everything was located. Upstairs, sitting at a table, were four people playing cards. By the looks on their faces, you knew without a doubt, they were serious card players, yet everyone was quick to be friendly to us. One gentleman was nice and had a quick sense of humor and a very old lady sat next to him. Mrs. J had a bright gleam in her eye as she played her cards. Looking at her hands, I knew she had to be VERY old yet her mannerisms and behavior didn't reflect such a thing. I learned later she was 91. She is a godly woman who is quick to hug and spread her love to everyone who would receive it. She invited us to look at her room and we sat and chatted with her for about 30 minutes. She showed us some of the 30 cross-stitch quilts she had done. She was extremely proud of them. She says she stays active when she is in her room which was not too often. She showed us her lamp that was 200 years old that was gorgeous! Mom wanted to meet with a friend she knew from her church so we looked up her room number and we paid her a visit. During our stay, her insight and information regarding the center was very valuable and she invited us to dinner in the dining hall. She was quick to explain the routines there and we were very grateful. "Now, if you lay your coffee cup on its side it means that you want tea. BUT...if you turn it right side up-then you want coffee. They only serve it three times during the meal, so be sure you drink it slowly!" I'm thinking to myself-I need to take notes to get all these details straight in my head! She says, "When you are through with your dishes, lay them on your left side so the servers can remove them." During dessert time, my mom starts grabbing off the food cart. Mom's friend quickly states, "Oh, we don't do that! The servers need to do it." Mom had quickly grabbed several desserts which turned out to be for the diabetic residents. As I sat in the dining room, I thought of the accumulated amount of wisdom in all the ages represented there. I envisioned the wonderful stories with each person that needed to be told to enrich the next generation. I don't want our elderly forgotten and overlooked. They've invested their lives in so many different ways. Each one of them is like a book ready to reveal a tremendous story. After dinner, a Brownie troop of 2nd graders entertained 20 of us with singing and sign language. I saw the twinkle in their eyes and smiles on the girl's faces and it certainly blessed me as they went through their routine. At the end of the program, they handed out carnations to everyone. Later in the evening, we watched eight ladies rehearsing their program with the chimes. The blending of the sounds was heavenly! Many people forget our elderly behind retirement home doors. In our rush of daily life, we pass them without a thought. The truth is, there lies a treasure waiting to be exposed. If we take the time to invest ourselves in their lives, we would be amazed in what we discover. I'm very thankful I was given an opportunity to spend time with them and their lives have certainly enriched mine. Their unconditional warmth was given to my mother and myself and will be a memory I'll certainly treasure. With the day behind us, we retired for the night. I was amazed at the humor, friendliness and helpfulness we received from people who had been strangers to us. They embraced us and made us feel welcome. I KNOW I'm getting old when I have a great time at a retirement center! If the day comes that I need a place to live, I know their facility would welcome me. I just pray it won't be too soon! Ginnylynn Rodriguez vlr122754@aol.com Write Ginnylynn and let her know your thoughts on her story! Visit her website at: http://www.publishedauthors.net/virginiarodriguez/index.html Allen, Texas, 11/28/03.....Publish America is proud to announce the release of "A Family's Stronghold" by a new, local author, Ginnylynn! "A Family's Stronghold" by Ginnylynn, contains poetry and short stories dealing with family challenges especially the disease of Alzheimer's, and the joy of experiencing a family's love and support. Contact Ginnylynn Rodriguez for additional details at vlr122754@aol.com or 972-727-4354. _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "Money is a very excellent servant, but a terrible master." --P.T. Barnum Verse for the Day: "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."--1 Timothy 6:17 Kid's Thought For The Day: "Wait for your little sister." Parent's Thought For The Day "Prepared childbirth is a contradiction in terms." --Joyce Armor Coach's Thought For The Day "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." --Hebrews 12:11 Writer's Thought For The Day: "Every secret of a writer's soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind is written large in his works." --Virginia Woolf Deep Thought For The Day: If I ever get another dog, I am going to name him "Stay." Come here, Stay. Good dog... _________________________________________ Have you been to the HeartTouchers.com website lately? If you like what you see and would like to have your own professional looking website, visit the link below. Bizstudio has been a wonderful service for HeartTouchers.com and with 385,000 visitors in the past three years, the website has been a tremendous tool in helping us to "Touch Lives, One Email at a Time." Although I had no prior experience building a website, I was able to create and build the HeartTouchers.com site easily utilizing Bizstudio's online editor. It includes an Online Site Editor, Unlimited Updates, Unlimited Pages, Professional Themes, Pre-Programmed Features, E-mail Accounts, and free Search Engine Submission. If I could do it with no prior experience you can too! Check it out at this link: http://www.bizstudio.com/main/home.htm?bpn=A16435 _________________________________________ MICHAEL T. POWERS www.HeartTouchers.com "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 by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20 __________________________________________ 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 ___________________________________________ Would you like to see your story in HeartTouchers.com? Writer's guidelines can be found on our Web site here: http://www.HeartTouchers.com/guidelines/ __________________________________________ Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you? http://www.greatcom.org/english/four.htm _________________________________________ The copyrights to the stories that appear in HeartTouchers.com are owned by the authors and are used with their permission. We refuse to run stories without the author's permission and contact info listed after the story. We also refuse to publish stories listed as "author unknown." (All of which violates Copyright Law and the rights of the authors.) This e-mail 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. Thank you so much for honoring the rights of those writers who graciously share their stories with us! ___________________________________________ Reading Books, Changing Lives! For those of you who would like to purchase the books from the HeartTouchers.com bookstore via your credit card, you can now do so! You can now order a number of different autographed best-selling inspirational books for the same price you would get them in the store, the shipping to you is paid for, and you are helping change the lives of teenagers and those they come in contact with! And best of all, every penny from the book sales are going to youth ministry! http://www.HeartTouchers.com/books |
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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