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*A Valentine For Grandma* 2/10/03 ______________________________________ 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 _________________________________________ Reading Books, Changing Lives! For those of you who love to read or love to give out books as gifts... 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! If you love to read inspirational stories, these books are most likely those you will eventually buy anyway. And how cool would it be to be able to buy books like those in the Chicken Soup series for your friends and family with a personalized autographed message by one of the contributing authors! How's that for a unique gift! Not only are you changing lives through supporting a youth ministry, but every book included on our website has the power to make a difference in the lives of those you give the books to. Check out this link to find out more! http://www.HeartTouchers.com/books _________________________________________ A Valentine For Grandma By Joseph Walker It was just a harmless prank, that's all that it was. And it wasn't as though Old Lady Hayes didn't deserve it. The way she used to scream at us for borrowing a few of her precious raspberries, like we were stealing gold out of Fort Knox ... well, she had it coming. At least, that's the way it seemed to us as George finished tying the string to the red, heart-shaped box. We giggled as Ron added the final touch: two plastic red roses, glued to the lid of the empty valentine. "I wonder what will surprise her most," I asked as George and Albert practiced jerking the box out of reach by yanking on the used kite string we had attached to it, "seeing a box of candy on her step, or watching it fly away when she tries to pick it up?" We laughed as we watched George make Albert chase the empty box around the dusty garage. For a chubby 10-year-old Navajo, Albert did a pretty good imitation of Mrs. Hayes's hunched-over hobble and her seemingly permanent scowl. And we howled when he picked up a broom and pretended to ride it through the midwinter air while shouting, "I'm Old Lady Hayes, the driedest-up old prune in the West!" Ron was the first to notice my dad in the doorway. Within seconds, Ron's anxiety was shared by all but Albert, who, unaware of Dad's presence, continued to swoop around the garage, cackling and screeching all the way, until he came face-to-belt buckle with our silent observer. For a few moments the only movement in the suddenly quiet room came from the little puffs of steam that were escaping several preadolescent mouths. Albert pulled a face, groping in his mind for some way to conceal the evidence now stacked so neatly against him -- and us. Dad broke the stillness by walking slowly to the empty candy box lying on the floor at Albert's feet. He picked it up and dangled it by the string, watching it swing incriminatingly back and forth. Then he looked into the eyes of the six frightened boys who anxiously watched his every move. And, as was his custom, he looked into their hearts as well. "It doesn't seem so long ago that I was pulling Valentine's Day pranks myself," he said as he laid the heart-shaped box on a workbench. At first it was difficult to picture my dignified father pulling the kind of prank we were planning. But then I remembered a picture I had seen of him as a child, with fiery red hair, a freckled face, green eyes and wearing a tight, impish grin. It was possible, I thought. "One Valentine's Day my cousins and I decided to pull a good one on my Grandma Walker," he continued. "Not because we didn't like her. She was the sweetest grandma a boy could ever have, and we loved her. We were just feeling a little devilish and decided to have some fun at her expense. "Early in the evening we snuck up to her doorstep with a can of red paint. Grandma was hard of hearing, so we didn't have to worry about being very quiet. Which was a good thing, because every time we thought about how funny it was going to be to see Grandma try to pick up a valentine that was just painted on her doorstep, we couldn't keep from laughing. "It didn't take long to finish. It wasn't very artistic, but for a bunch of farm kids and an old woman with poor eyesight, it would do. As soon as we were satisfied with the painting we kicked the door and ran to hide behind bushes and trees to watch the fun. "There was a lot of giggling going on as we waited in the snow for Grandma to open the door. When she finally appeared she stood in the doorway for a minute, peering into the darkness, her gray hair pulled back tightly into her usual bun, wiping her hands on her usual white apron. "She must have heard the commotion in the bushes because she looked in our direction as she spoke loudly enough for us to hear: `Who could be knocking at my door this hour of the night?' My stomach and cheeks ached from trying to hold back the laughter. Then she looked down at her doorstep. Even from 15 yards away we could see the joy that sparkled in her eyes when she spotted the splash of red at her feet. "Oh, how wonderful!" she exclaimed. "A valentine for Grandma! And I thought I was going to be forgotten again this year!" "She bent down to retrieve her prize. This was the moment we had been waiting for, but somehow it wasn't as much fun as we had planned. Confused, Grandma groped at the fresh paint for a moment. She quickly became aware of our prank. Her delight at having been remembered by a sweetheart on Sweetheart's Day was short-lived. "She tried to smile. then, with as much dignity as she could muster, she turned and walked back into her house, absently wiping red paint on her clean, white apron." Dad paused for a moment, allowing stillness to once again settle over the cluster of attentive boys. For the first time I noticed that my father's eyes were moist. He took a deep breath. "Grandma died later that year," he said. "I never had another chance to give her a real valentine." He took the candy box from the workbench and handed it to me. Not another word was spoken as he turned and left the garage. Later that night a red, heart-shaped box with two plastic roses on it was placed on Mrs. Hayes's front doorstep by six giggling boys. We hid behind snow-covered bushes and trees to see how she would react to receiving a full pound of candy and nuts. With no strings attached. Joseph Walker valuescom@juno.com Write Joseph and let him know your thoughts on his story! ___________________________ Joseph Walker has been writing professionally since 1980, when he left college to join the staff of a daily metropolitan newspaper. For 10 years -- including six as the paper's TV columnist and critic -- he was part of the mainstream media, and was painfully aware of the overwhelming negativity of contemporary journalism. Joe says, "Nobody was looking for real solutions to the problems society was facing; they were just looking for someone or something to blame the problems on." So in 1990 Joe began writing ValueSpeak, a weekly syndicated column that attempts to look at contemporary issues from the perspective of traditional values. Joe and his wife, Anita, are parents of five children, and one grandchild. _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are." Verse for the Day: "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself." Daniel 1:8 Teen's Thought for the day: "The world wants your best, but God wants your all." Parent's Thought For The Day "We spend our health getting wealth; then gladly pay all we have earned to get our health back." Coach's Thought For The Day "An athlete who can smile when things go wrong has thought of someone they can blame it on." Deep Thought For The Day: "Why do we search the entire room and maybe even other rooms for the TV remote, but refuse to walk to the TV and change the channel manually." _________________________________________ ALL-STAR Ministry --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. _________________________________________ Change Is Coming! Starting the week of February 16, lots of exciting changes are going to happen with the FCC Youth Ministry! All-Stars will be extending its time to 6:00 - 8:30 PM on Sunday nights. 6:00 - 6:30 will be time for the youth to chat and discuss anything they want with the youth leaders or each other. 6:30 - 7:00 PM will be for games or fun activities and then 7:00 - 8:30 PM will be for the lesson and discussion time. Students are still welcome to "hang out" after 8:30 PM if they want, as the leaders are usually at the church until at least 10:00 PM. The Extreme Teens (Core Group) will be moving from Wednesday nights to Sunday evenings from 5:00 - 6:00 PM. This group, which will start Sunday March 16, will be very extensive with weekly homework, memorization, service projects, etc. The Outlet: "Get plugged into Jesus Christ!" (Teen Cell Groups) Wednesday night community groups for teens will also start this week. The groups will be limited to no more than ten teens and will be originally split into Jr. High and High School ages. This night is for those teens who want to dig deeper than what we do in All-Stars, but may not be ready to be a part of the Extreme Teens. Homework will be minimal, (possibly reading a chapter from "Prayer of Jabez for Teens" which will be the first study we will be doing). These cell groups will also be doing special activities with each other as the year goes on to build community. We are very excited at what God will be doing with our Youth! _________________________________________ UPCOMING EVENTS February 21 - 22 -- 30 Hour Famine (Friday 4 PM - 10 PM Saturday Evening) 35 stateline teenagers will be going without food for 30 hours to raise money for world hunger! March 7 - 9 -- Fort Wilderness Winter Retreat (Initial cost is $94, which may go down as more fundraising is done. This price does not apply to those who helped with the Chili dinner. Your cost will be at the most $74.) Room and board is $78 per person with the extra $16 going to pay for van rentals and gas. _________________________________________ Author MICHAEL T. POWERS www.Heart4Teens.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 ___________________________________________ 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/ ___________________________________________ "I need a daily source of inspiration and encouragement in my life!" SUBSCRIBE: To become a Heart4Teens.com Member send a blank e-mail to: Heart4Teens-subscribe@myinjesus.com Then get ready to laugh, cry, and be deeply touched by some of the best stories on the Internet! __________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: Send a blank e-mail to: Heart4Teens-unsubscribe@myinjesus.com __________________________________________ Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you? http://www.greatcom.org/english/four.htm __________________________________________ 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 |
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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