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INCREDIBLE KINDNESS
by Becky |
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Most of us seldom give any thought to the next breath
we'll take. Such was not the case for my oldest brother,
Dick. Because of a rare lung disease, he was constantly
struggling for each breath he took. The struggle went on
for many years. He was finally left unable to walk even a
short distance without pausing to gasp for air. It had been
years since he'd drawn a breath through his nose, instead
having to draw in through his mouth in an attempt to get
enough air. You'd think that such suffering would bring
him down, but he was seldom seen without a smile on
his face.
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After years of searching and trying different things for
relief, it was evident that his only hope for any quality of
life and ultimately for survival was to have a new lung.
The decision to proceed with such a plan was not an easy
one. My brother and sister-in-law owned their own
business, a restaurant, and the only way to even be put on
the waiting list for a lung transplant was to live within
thirty minutes of the hospital. Since their home is eight
hours from the hospital, it meant they would have to
close their business and set up residence in New Orleans,
where the hospital is.
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A couple from their church volunteered their eighteen-
foot camper for them to live in so they wouldn't have to
rent an apartment. They were extremely grateful, and the
couple even took the camper down and set it up for them.
What great friends! It was not the best of situations since
they had no idea how long they'd have to live that way
while waiting for a lung to become available.
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Concerned for their comfort, I told my sister-in-law that
I'd asked my Sunday School class to pray for their comfort
as well as for the upcoming transplant. She was quick to
chastise me, saying that they were doing fine and we
shouldn't worry about the living conditions.
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About a week later, a couple that Dick and Judith had
become acquainted with because they lived in the same
campground invited them over for coffee one afternoon.
This couple lived in a large camper (a fifth wheel)
permanently because the man's work required them to
move about. As they visited, Judith complimented the
woman on their lovely home and mentioned how nice
and spacious it was. The woman's response was amazing.
She turned to her husband and said that they had
something important they needed to tell Dick and Judith.
The man proceeded to tell them that they'd recently
ordered a new even larger camper. He said that they knew
they wouldn't get much on a trade-in so they'd prayed
and felt that God wanted them to GIVE their present
home to Dick and Judith for as long as they needed. They
explained that whenever Dick was able to return home,
they'd sell the camper. At first, Dick and Judith tried to
refuse, saying that it was just too much, but the couple
wouldn't take no for an answer. Soon the new camper
arrived and Dick and Judith were able to move into their
new home, courtesy of precious friends they'd known just
a very short time.
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That was September 1999. On December 2nd the call Dick
and Judith had awaited came and a lung was available.
They hurried to the hospital. The surgery was successful.
Dick continues to do well and the friendship with the
sweet couple continues to grow through visits back and
forth.
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WHIPPED CREAM PIE
by Karmel M. Sowers |
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It is the end of the school year and Travis won a contest. It
was a drawing really. He "won" the privilege of putting a
whipped cream pie in his 4th grade teacher's face.
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I was NOT thrilled when he told me about his prize -- in
fact Travis never told me about his prize -- his teacher told
me a day or so after the drawing was held and a few days
before Travis would get the "prize."
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I still had time to pray for our son and to plant a thought
in his mind.
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As a woman of the Millennium who came of age in the
70s, I still have rather old-fashioned values. I have never
liked the new "tradition" of smashing the wedding cake
in the bride or groom's face. And with all the starving
people in this world, I have never liked this new
generation of children's television programming that
seems to center around food fights.
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These examples of waste and disrespect seem to be the
root of much that is wrong with this country today. Well,
I must confess to planting a little seed in Travis' mind.
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"Wouldn't it be funny to smash the pie in your own face
instead of your teacher's?"
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I didn't bring up the subject again to our son for an entire
week! I prayed about the subject, but I did not discuss it
with him.
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Imagine my pride today when I asked Travis about the
pie and he announced that it tasted good and that it was
weird to open his eyes and just see the whiteness of the
whipped cream!
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Such a mature decision for a 10-year-old. He was the envy
of his pals and took the leap of faith that his friends would
enjoy the joke even more if he suddenly turned the
tables!
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His leap of faith was rewarded as his friends joined him in
a big laugh -- and his teacher noticed the true respect
behind the gesture.
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I am so proud of Travis.
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Karmel M. Sowers
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I write about events like this to keep in touch with our
family and friends that live 'back East.' The reaction of
our friends and family to this true story encouraged me to
tell more people about Travis and the pie. My son has
encouraged me with his leap of faith. I am a Mom to 3
'boys' (ages 50, 12 & 10 - the oldest is really my husband).
I also work full time at a defense contractor in 'Silicon
Valley' and teach water aerobics at our local YMCA.
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GIVING AND RECEIVING
by Janet |
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It was a time when I was out of work. I had a broken foot
and my cash flow was very low. The pastor of our church
asked us for a love offering for a member in need. Well I
looked in my wallet to see what I could afford to give and
found that all I had was three dollars so I put what I had
in the offering plate.
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That evening, I went to the late service and was presented
with a check for nearly four hundred dollars. You see, the
love offering was for me because I was out of work. The
money was given willingly by all and none of us knew
who it was for. People can be pretty wonderful.
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Janet
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THE TOOTH FAIRY
by Regina |
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I sat in bed watching television waiting for my nine year
old to fall asleep. It was the day of her birthday party. We
had a bunch of kids here and I was the entertainment. I
played games, painted faces, served food and cleaned up.
The party was over and I was beat but I really needed to
stay awake.
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I had a very important job to do that night. The Tooth
Fairy was due to put in an appearance. If I fell asleep
before my duty was done my sweet child's dreams would
have been shattered in the morning. Tooth Fairies don't
forget.
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When I went to check if she was asleep yet I got a "Hi
Mom". "Why are you still awake? I was just thinking
what if the Tooth Fairy stops coming after a certain age?
You always told me she comes and takes the teeth to give
to God so he can put them in new babies mouths. My
teeth might be too big now."
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I reassured her that her teeth were still baby teeth and the
Tooth Fairy would be there. When I went back to my
room I started thinking how much I miss her being little. I
miss the bows and the pink frills on the dresses. Now it is
bell-bottoms and platform shoes. I never thought I would
say this but I even miss Barney. Now it is Pokemon. I miss
the pigtails and baby dolls. Now it is butterfly clips and
Barbies. I guess we have been lucky to this point getting
away with the Tooth Fairy, and Santa Claus.
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She found out about the Easter bunny this year from a
friend. I was so upset. She didn't seem to think much
about it. We forget how much we loved our childhood
fantasy world and I was not ready to let hers go.
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When I returned to her room at midnight, she had kicked
many stuffed toys on the floor from the top bunk. The
room was a mess. I left it that way in fear of waking her. I
slipped the tooth out and slipped in two dollars instead of
the usual one. I was woken up at six am by a great big good
morning hug and kiss.
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"Guess what?" she said way too loud for the first thing in
the morning. "The Tooth Fairy left two dollars."
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"That is great " I whispered. "Guess what else? That crazy
Fairy made a big mess in my room last night looking for
my tooth."
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"Oh really" I said still trying to keep my eyes closed.
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"Yeah and I think she should have given me more
money for cleaning up her mess."
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I realized that morning my baby was really growing and so
was her mouth. She learned that you get paid for work,
life is not always fair, sometimes things are not what they
seem and most importantly even the Tooth Fairy is not
always perfect.
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Regina Rouge is from Long Island New York. She is the
mother of a great daughter, who she says, "has taught me
to appreciate life. I am one of the few people to have a
wonderful man in my life, who is my best friend that I can
laugh with, cry to, grow with and share my dreams. I
thank God for both of them."
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Regina
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CLEANING HOUSE
by Joseph |
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I have been working mainly out of my home for the last
several years. My wife on the other hand is now working
long hours and a long commute from home. It is only
natural then that I would start taking on some of the
household chores. I find myself doing dishes, washing
clothes, and vacuuming these days as well as my old jobs
of taking out the garbage and mowing the lawn. I do it all
with a smile on my face because it gives me a chance to be
with my kids a lot and help them to grow up into the
wonderful people I know they can be.
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I have found, however, one thing to be true about
housework. I always take a minute or two to enjoy my
clean house right after I finish cleaning it, because it never
stays clean for long.
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In a way a clean house is like a well lived life. You work at
getting the junk thrown out, the dirt swept up, and the
grime washed away. You straighten up the inner
workings of your heart and mind. You spray positive,
joyous, and loving thoughts, feelings, and actions
everywhere. You then look around and admire the life
you have created for yourself. You know, however, that
creating this beautiful wonderful life for yourself is
something that you must do day by day and moment by
moment. It doesn't take long for a house or a life to
become a trash heap if left unattended.
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God gave each of us the glorious gift of our own lives.
God also gave us the free will to make them what we
wish. Whether life is a sparkling home full of love, joy,
magic, and light or a stinking garbage dump full of hate,
anger, bitterness, and depression is up to you. Happy
Housecleaning.
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Joseph Mazzella
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Joe and his wife have three children. Joe stays busy as a
father, writer and he works with individuals who have
mental disabilities.
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AWAKENING
Dee Ann E.L. Horvath |
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I get up one morning and I can feel it has arrived, | |
Everything is different. I am changed. | | The feeling of excitement pours out of me like a fountain | |
Flowing from my finger tips to everything I touch. | |
I can tell it is going to be a glorious day as I step outside. | | | |
My whole attitude has transformed and I feel so alive. | |
The rich sweet perfume of the earth is in the air. | |
The cheerful songs riding spring's first breeze, | |
And the warmth of the sun penetrating my body, | |
Makes me believe I can almost hear the green growing. | | | |
The whole world around me is awakening with rebirth. | |
After a long slumber slowly rising to meet a new beginning, | |
I can feel life bursting all around me and it consumes me. | |
My invitation to this celebration is my senses. | |
I find my perception keen and alert to the littlest of things. | | | |
As one cycle ends so another begins giving hope and promise. | |
My eyes closed to the wonder of life for I was too busy to partake | |
But now blessed and reopened thank God for my sake. | |
I won't waste anymore time and I will jump right in | |
And submerge myself in this joyous awakening. | | | |
Dee Ann E.L. Horvath
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