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{Heart4Teens.com} *I Hugged Life Today!* 1/20/03 ______________________________________ 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 teenagers everywhere! If you are not on the list and this has been passed along to you, you can join Heart4Teen.com readers around the world by sending a blank e-mail to: Heart4Teens-subscribe@myinjesus.com Visit our inspirational web site and read all the past articles in our archives, and view the tons of resources we have there for teens! http://www.Heart4Teens.com/Teen_Stories ____________________________________________ Be sure to check out our other inspirational email list and web site! http://www.HeartTouchers.com To subscribe send a blank email to: HeartTouchers-subscribe@myinjesus.com _________________________________________ Author Michael T. Powers Contributing Author to Chicken Soup for the Teen's Soul on Love and Friendship and 14 other inspirational books. Check out his book: Straight From the Heart by visiting: http://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 _________________________________________ I Hugged Life Today! by Bob Perks Bob@BobPerks.com "I discovered life again here. It was the only sensible name that came to mind," she said. It was time to break free. I needed to run away and this seasonal change here in Pennsylvania, offered the best place to go. It's time for the Bloomsburg Fair. I don't know if you can call it running away since it is only an hour away from my home. But once I cross through "Gate 5" and enter the fair grounds, I cross over into another world. The loudspeaker offers background music barely audible over the sounds of people talking, carnival game hucksters and food venders vying for your attention. I belong here. I don't know if I have it in my blood or not, but I always wanted to have a small food stand and travel in my off season from fair to fair selling goodies. Perhaps one day. It certainly isn't a priority in my life. Perhaps it should be. After I'm there a while I need to get away to a quiet spot on the fair grounds. Most of the time I can find that any where the farm animals are kept. They need the quiet. Milk production goes down in the dairy barns I am told if there is too much ruckus. So I go there to find peace with the cows, goats, horses, pigs and yes, the turkeys. Some would think I would be very much at home with the turkeys. You'd think being this close to "Thanksgiving" they'd be a little on edge, but they are not. It was in the dairy barn where I found my oasis this time. I so admire the young folks who tend to farm animals. I think they have a greater appreciation for life. They participate in it firsthand. I've watched a young boy help bring a calf into the world and I have seen a young girl walk her prize cow through the line of animals for sale, knowing that her job is done and it's time for it to leave home. It must be difficult. My favorite scene is to come across a young person lying in the hay asleep among the cows that have settled down for a rest. There, with their heads nestled in a small soft spot along side their favorite cow, I have seen them in a much deserved sleep. Perhaps better at rest there than in their own bed. I had the pleasure of speaking with a young teenage farm girl at rest today. "You look so comfortable," I said to her. "Oh I am," she said. "Life makes it comfortable for me." "You mean being a farm girl?" "No, Life! That's the name of my cow," she said smiling as she stroked the cows side. "I thought they called cows "Betsy" and "Elsie." Why did you call her "Life." "I discovered life again here. It was the only sensible name that came to mind," she said. "I had been raised in the big city and really hated it. Then we moved to the country. Kinda running away from it all. I think my parents called it a mid-life crisis," she said laughing. "Boy, I can relate to that. I've been in one since birth," I said. "It was on the farm that I learned to love life again. I was there when "Life" was born. It was so exciting. My whole outlook on the world changed. So I named her "Life." Now I can say I really love "Life," she said. "How incredible. You know I write stories and I am always trying to get people to embrace life. To wake up each day expecting the best from it. But they all too often go to bed with so much bad stuff in their soul and on their mind that they wake up miserable and expect it to only get worse from there. All too often it does, just because that's all they choose to see in that otherwise perfectly beautiful day," I told her. "That's too bad. They need to see a cow born, a chicken hatch. I guess they need to wake up early and hug Life!" she said laughing. "When was the last time you hugged Life?" she asked me. "I am sorry to say even I have had trouble doing that lately," I said. "Come here!" she said. Then standing up and stepping aside she said "Go ahead...hug Life!" I paused for a moment and dropping all thoughts of looking silly, I did. I hugged a cow. I hugged life today, did you? "I believe in You!" Bob Perks Bob@BobPerks.com Write Bob and let him know your thoughts on his story! ________________________ Bob is a professional speaker, author, member of the National Speakers Assoc., and the National Writers Assoc. Sign up for Bob's FREE weekly messages, "I Believe in YOU!" by visiting: http://www.BobPerks.com or send an email to: Ibelieveinyou-subscribe@topica.com All stories remain the property of Bob Perks Copyright 2001 _________________________________________ LET'S GO SURFING DUDE! ~ The Souper Bowl of Caring Give a dollar to feed someone this Sunday. Transform Super Bowl Sunday into SOUPer Bowl Sunday! A senior high group in Columbia, South Carolina, began this ministry way back in 1990. As a result, millions of dollars have been raised to help stock local soup kitchens. http://www.souperbowl.org ~ NFL If you're going to a Super Bowl party and want to sound like you know what you're talking about, here's the place to brush up on your pigskin facts. http://www.nfl.com __________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "I am not interested in the past. I am interested in the future, for that is where I plan on spending the rest of my life." Verse for the Day: "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize." -- Philippians 3:13, 14 Kid's Thought For The Day: "You always come in the house five minutes too late when you are outside playing in the cold weather. But you don't realize it until you run your hands under the warm water!" Parent's Thought For The Day: A wise schoolteacher sends this note to all parents on the first day of school: "If you promise not to believe everything your child says happens at school, I'll promise not to believe everything he says happens at home." Coach's Thought For The Day: "Other people may not have had high expectations for me... but I had high expectations for myself." --Shannon Miller Deep Thought For The Day: Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me,either. Just leave me alone. _________________________________________ UPCOMING TOPICS FOR ALL-STARS --The Youth Church of Faith Community Church in Janesville, WI If you are in 6-12th grade and live in the southern Wisconsin/northern Illinois area and would like to check us out, we meet every Sunday night from 6:30-8:00 PM at Faith Community Church which is located at 2931 Lucerene Dr. in Janesville, WI. (About 4-5 blocks south-east of The Skating Place.) Currently we have students from Fort Atkinson, Milton, Janesville Craig, Janesville Parker, Orfordville, Clinton, Beloit Memorial, Beloit Turner, South Beloit, and Hononegah. E-mail me back if you have any questions about our weekly meetings or would like to come to any of our events that are listed below... We have way too much fun and then, most importantly, talk about issues that are relevant to you as a teenager. Here are our upcoming topics: All-Star Topics 1/26 - SuperBowl Party at the Messner House! 2/2 - Teen Pregnancy 2/9 -- Abortion _____________________ Core Group Topics 1/22 -- Friendship Evangelism Challenge 1/29 -- Friendship Evangelism Challenge Part 2 _________________________________________ Would you like to see your story in Heart4Teens.com? Writer's guidelines can be found on our Web site here: http://www.Heart4Teens.com/guidelines/ __________________________________________ 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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