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*Ripples in the Pond*

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Before we get to today's story I wanted to ask if any of you would be interested in praying for me as I go on a missions trip to Guatemala?

I will be going on a missions trip for eight days to Guatemala with some other adults and youth from our church this next week.  We will be spending half our time helping the missionaries at their Y.W.A.M (Youth with a Mission) base camp.  The other half of the time will be spent doing missions work at hospitals, orphanages, and ministering to those people who live in the Guatemala City dump.  We have set up an e-mail system by which you can receive a daily update on how the trip is going with specific things to pray for each day of the eight-day trip.  For those of you who would like to support our trip in prayer you can send an e-mail to:

paryan@ticon.net

and ask to be added to the prayer list.

Once the trip is done, the e-mail list will be deleted...

My thanks to those of you on this list who would commit to praying for me and the rest of the team of people that will be spending some time in Guatemala as we allow God to work through us to touch lives....

Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Michael T. Powers

P.S.  This also means that I will not be sending out another story until the second week of July...

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Ripples in the Pond

by Jeannie Paslawsky           

Some years ago, while I was in college, several of my friends benefited directly from a professor who taught them by example. Sister Mary Consuela, IHM, used to tell her students at Immaculata, "I throw the pebbles girls, and you have to make the ripples." She instructed them to take what they had learned and share it, again and again and again. Little did Sister Mary realize, that she had over time, turned us all in to pebbles-making-ripples. I can tell you this since not only have I seen ripples, but have seen them interconnect and return anew!!

This particular "pebble" was thrown two years ago, when I read a beautiful story by Azriela Jaffe; it was published online and was called "Locks of Love." It chronicled her son's third birthday "haircut" and his sisters' decisions about their having haircuts as well -- to donate it to "Locks of Love". This organization makes and provides wigs to financially disadvantaged kids who have medical hair loss.  At the time, her daughters Sarah and Elana (then 6 & 5 respectively) had decided on their own to have their haircuts, even after they'd heard they would end up with short hair to meet the 10 inch minimum donation length.

Inspired by the little girls' generosity, I wrote to their Mom to congratulate her on their selflessness and love for others and to tell her that she is doing a great job. She and her husband had given their daughters some invaluable gifts - intangible ones they needed to give away what most little girls (and big girls) value most: their hair! (a ripple)

This story really touched me for many reasons. You see,  I had been a sick child and anyone who's kind to sick children, I think, earns a lot of points in heaven…not to mention from the sick children for we never forget your kindnesses. Also, it really touched me because at the time, one of my dear friends was getting chemo for her breast cancer and for Jean, like so many other patients, it was very tough losing her hair. Because of this I copied and pasted  the Azriela's story, another pebble,  into an e-mail for many of my friends to read. (ripples…) Several had written and phoned me to comment about this beautiful gesture and how impressed they were, especially since the "givers" were 6 and 5 years old! (more ripples…)

Meanwhile, "Locks of Love" author, Azriela Jaffe, contacted me about a grassroots letter campaign my friend Jean and I had begun: "Turning the Whisper into a Roar". This is an ongoing and active letter writing campaign to the President asking for more funding for breast cancer research.  Azriela's version our the story put a business spin on it: Former competitors join forces to save lives. It was a pebble that resulted in great publicity for us in about 7 syndicated newspapers in NY, NJ and PA. (more ripples).

Tonight, a dear friend, my comadre, told me about my 13 year old Goddaughter, Iraisa Ann. Her daughter has decided as part of her 8th grade Graduation from St. Nicholas school, to get a haircut, a short haircut and give about 15+ inches of her hair that she's been growing since Kindergarten to "Locks of Love." This seems to be a great ripple and yet a pebble as well.

Sister Mary would be so very proud because Iraisa (her Mom -- my comadre) was one of her students at Immaculata and one of those same girls who so often have reminded me that we are always "throwing pebbles and making ripples." Here we are, more than 20 years and another generation later-  we are sometimes unknowingly throwing pebbles. So I suppose what Sister Mary would want us to remember is this -- we never know whom the ripples will touch or how far or long they may go, so make every pebble we toss meaningful and good!

Thank you Sister Mary Consuela, for your life lessons in "pebble throwing"  and thank you too, to little Sarah and Elana Jaffe, for without you, and your Mom who shared your generous spirit with us through her writing, and of course, Iraisa Ann,  we would have no story ... and no ripples of love to share and once again toss another pebble into the waiting pond of life.

Jeannie Paslawsky
PaslawskyJ@aol.com

Write Jeannie and let her know your thoughts on her story!


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Jeannie Paslawsky grew up in Tamaqua and now resides in  Willow Grove, PA. I have been in business for more than 15 years as a Telecom Consultant and Trainer. Many folks ask how can a former English teacher do that? I was an English major -- we can "do anything." My greatest joy is the people in my life- I have a great many cousins and wonderful family and dear friends and MANY "nieces and nephews"  who fill my daily life. I am also very active in Breast Cancer awareness because women need to be AND of so many of my friends who have it and 1-8 of all the women I know will have it sometime in our lifetime.

Let's ROAR!!!
Jeannie P.
Jean M. Paslawsky
Independent Telecom Consultant
Willow Grove PA
Ph: 215.657.5187
Fax: 215.659.4587
-Roaring for a Cure -
My Avocation for my friend J Walsh~ Please click here: http://www.arborontheweb.com/roar Two million women have breast cancer right now. Half of them--mothers, sisters, daughters and friends--don't even know they have it. Nearly 45,000 will die this year.


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Thought For The Day:

"A great person is always willing to be little."


Verse for the Day:

"But the greatest among you shall be your servant." Matthew 23:11


Kid's Thought for the day:

"Be the first to make footprints in new snow."


Parent's Thought For The Day

"A father is a thing that growls when it feels good...and laughs very loud when it's scared to death."--Paul Harvey


Coach's Thought For The Day

"The more you know about your players, the more you treat them differently." --Bob Bozied


Writer's Thought For The Day:

"Writing is not hard. Just get paper and pencil, sit down and write it as it occurs to you. The writing is easy -- it's the occurring that's hard." --Stephen Leacock


Deep Thought For The Day:

"Tell a man that there are 400 billion stars and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint and he has to touch it."

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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
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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

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Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you? http://www.greatcom.org/english/four.htm

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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 to help pay for a life-changing winter retreat and a missions trip to Guatemala this summer!

http://www.HeartTouchers.com/books

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