|
______________________________________
{HeartTouchers.com} *Because of His Love* ______________________________________ 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 _________________________________________ Because of His Love By Jaye Lewis Job was not a brilliant man. He swept floors for a living. He believed that Tarzan was a real man, and that all those movies were really documentaries of Tarzan's life. He believed that professional wrestling was a real sport, and he had a list of his "favorites." He was the kindest, truest, most patient man I ever knew, in my young life. He was the butt of many jokes, yet he taught me about the essence of a "real man," with all a real man's virtues: love and respect for women, honor, kindness, gentleness, and a child's simple faith in a loving God. He was a giant of a man, faithful and noble. Job embraced life in unexpected, simple ways. He showed up for work, on time. He never bragged about himself, and he loved only one woman.his wife, Molly. Job filled a void in my life. He was sober and steady, at a time when my father was a heavy drinker. He was principled and straightforward, in my world of dishonor and lies. He was a humble man, forging through a sea of pride, and he loved God. He loved me as his very own grandchild, even though he was a year younger than my father. I will never forget my graduation from high school. That was a day of hopeless inevitability for me. My father, who was a heavy drinker, began his celebration very early in the day. By the time we congregated in the high school gymnasium my father had congratulated himself through nearly a case of beer. I tried to be invisible within a sea of faces. I wanted to run away. Disappear. Most of all I wanted no one to guess whose kid I was. I was betrayed by my last name, which began with the letter "A," so I was the first graduate on the first row. Being a red-head gave me even more exposure, and the baccalaureate speaker, who had never met me, decided to use me as his audio-visual aid. "This young lady.this bright young lady, with the bright red hair." His voice rolled through the auditorium in sonorous phrases, as I sank lower in my seat. Over to my left, at the door of the auditorium, was a seating arrangement of folding chairs for the "elderly." And there sat Molly, age 61, and Job, age 47, with all of the grandparents. My heart ached when I looked at them, wishing with all my heart that I were, truly, their grandchild. However, I had become a realist by that time, stoically enduring my Dad's lack of sobriety and my mother's helplessness to do anything to make a change in her life. As the speaker continued with his speech, he reached a point where he had an uncontrollable urge to introduce "all the wonderful people, who have made this day possible!." "All the siblings of the graduates, please, stand." I slipped lower in my seat, glancing hurriedly around, hoping to remain invisible. "Now, all the parents, please stand." Dear Lord, I thought, I'm sure my father can't stand, even if he wanted to. I didn't bother to look around. "Now the grandparents.." I closed my eyes, dreading the hopelessness of my situation. I had no grandparent to stand proudly for me. I finally opened my eyes, and there they were, Job and Molly, standing proudly with all the other grandparents. Job looked over at me, his eyes beaming like diamonds. "I'm so proud of you," he smiled as he mouthed the words that I will never forget. I knew that he stood there, not out of duty, but because of his love for me! Jaye Lewis jlewis@smyth.net Write Jaye and let her know your thoughts on her story! Jaye Lewis is an award winning writer who looks at life from a unique perspective, celebrating the miraculous in the day to day. Jaye is a Chicken Soup for the Soul contributing author, and she is seeking a publisher for her manuscript, Entertaining Angels. Jaye is a Vietnam Era veteran and the wife of a retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer. They make their home in the beautiful mountains of Virginia. Email Jaye at jlewis@smyth.net or jayelewis@comcast.net _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "All sunshine makes a desert.--Arabian Proverb Verse for the Day: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."--James 1:2,3 Kid's Thought For The Day: "Ten minutes is short if it's a recess and long if it's a punishment." Parent's Thought For The Day "Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing." -- Phyllis Diller Coach's Thought For The Day "You cannot attain and maintain physical condition unless you are morally and mentally conditioned. And it is impossible to be in moral condition unless you are spiritually conditioned. I always told my players that our team condition depended on two factors -- how hard they worked on the floor during practice and how well they behaved between practices..." --John Wooden, College Basketball's all-time winningest coach Writer's Thought For The Day: "With 60 staring me in the face, I have developed inflammation of the sentence structure and a definite hardening of the paragraphs." --James Thurber Deep Thought For The Day: "Instead of having 'answers' on a math test, they should just call them 'impressions', and if you got a different 'impression', so what, can't we all be brothers?" __________________________________________ 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 |
 |
|
Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
|