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{Heart4Teens.com} *Tinfoil and a Hair Ribbon* ______________________________________ 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 or visit: http://www.Heart4Teens.com Visit our inspirational web site to 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 _________________________________________ Good morning Heart4Teens subscribers! Today we share a powerful poem by Cheryl Costello-Forshey. We are also sending this poem out on our HeartTouchers.com list, so if you belong to both, you will be receiving this poem twice... One more week until Baby Powers arrives! From my family to yours, Michael _________________________________________ Tinfoil and a Hair Ribbon By Cheryl Costello-Forshey From the book "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Love & Friendship" Not a letter, not a card, and not even a call. How could Jane have forgotten, when they'd been through it all? Teardrops and heartache, they'd shared many things, Crushes on boys, their hopes and their dreams. Haircuts and makeup and CDs and clothes Secrets and habits, they even shared those. So where could she be, didn't she care? Why didn't Jane come, why wasn't she there? Through the second grade, third grade, fourth grade, too, The fifth, sixth and seventh, their friendship grew. Always and forever, they vowed till the end To faithfully be there, as the other's best friend. And they always had been, even when Jane moved away. But for whatever reason, she wasn't there on that day. And Allie felt sad as she circled the crowd As her graduation party grew increasingly loud. And then she heard it, a loud knock on the door As she quickly hurried across the bustling floor. Weaving through family and friends without care Hoping and praying, when she opened the door, that Jane would be there. But there on the stoop was a deliveryman instead In his hand was a package, addressed to Allie, he read. She reached for the package and brought it inside And as she tore open the cover, she started to cry. For the package was wrapped in tinfoil, with a hair ribbon tied with great care And a million memories came flooding back, as Allie stood tearfully there. For Jane hadn't forgotten, and as a smile crossed her face Allie's memories took her back to another place. Many years prior when she and Jane were so young When they joined the local Brownie troop all in great fun. And Allie was so excited about the Christmas party her troop was to have That she never noticed that Jane didn't seem quite as glad. On the day of the party, everyone brought an unmarked gift, and numbers were drawn And with anxious eyes, Allie and Jane both looked on. At the table piled high with presents galore Wrapped in beautiful paper and ribbons bought from the store. But one particular gift seemed out of place and well hidden For it was wrapped in tinfoil and tied with a worn-out hair ribbon. "What kind of person would give a gift that's so lame?" The girl who received it cried out in blame. Tears stung Jane's eyes as the girl carried on Complaining quite loudly how much she'd been wronged. As her accusing eyes searched, looking at each girl all around Jane shifted nervously and stared at the ground. For inside the package was Jane's favorite bear And the ribbon on the package, Jane had worn in her hair. And because Jane lived with her grandma, and money was tight She gave away her most treasured thing, because she felt it was right. And just when Jane felt the presence of tears She heard her friend Allie saying quite clear. "I'll trade you," she said, as she offered her gift Of nail polish and jewelry, all glamour and glitz. "I've always loved bears, and that one is especially neat" As she grabbed the bear from the girl and returned to her seat. And it was then on that night, they each knew for all time They'd found a true friend, a one-of-a-kind. For Allie knew what it meant for Jane to give up that bear And she knew how special the ribbon was that Jane once wore in her hair. For Jane's mommy and daddy died when she was just five And the bear and the ribbon helped to keep their memory alive. For Jane's daddy had lovingly given his daughter that bear And Jane's mommy had crocheted the ribbon to put in Jane's hair. And so as the girls walked side by side together alone Allie handed the bear and the ribbon back to Jane before they got home. And no words had to be said, as they both started to cry And then they each headed to their houses, waving good-bye. Tears streaked down Allie's face, as she stared again at that old bear And the crocheted ribbon Jane once wore in her hair. And then with trembling hands, she retrieved from the box a handwritten note And read over and over the words Jane had wrote. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there, Allie, but Grandma is ill Yet I wanted you to know that I think of you still As my very best friend whom I always will love. "And so with my bear and my ribbon, I send you a hug. I should have called sooner, but I didn't want to dampen your day. And I knew if I told you about Grandma, you would have hurried my way. And I wanted your party to be all you deserve. I'm still your best friend, Allie, you have my word." Always and forever, they vowed till the end To faithfully be there, as the other's best friend. And as Allie held the ribbon and hugged that old bear She knew Jane was the one friend who always would care. And then Allie decided her best friend should not be alone As she went to her bedroom and reached for the phone. Cheryl Costello-Forshey costello-forshey@1st.net Write Cheryl and let her know your thoughts on her poem! Copyright © 2002, Cannot be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the author. Cheryl's work has been published in eleven books from the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series, as well as the books, Stories for a Teen's Heart, Stories for a Faithful Heart, Stories for a Teen's Heart 2, A Pleasant Place, Serenity for a Woman's Heart, and the newly released "Open My Eyes, Open My Soul". Cheryl is currently trying to find a publisher for her own book. _________________________________ Thought For The Day: "Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous: you get knocked down by traffic from both sides." --Margaret Thatcher Verse for the Day: "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!" --Revelation 3:15 Teen's Thought For The Day: "If you can't find a way through the crowd, make one." Parent's Thought For The Day "A child enters your home and for the next twenty years makes so much noise you can hardly stand it. The child departs, leaving the house so silent you think you are going mad."-John Andrew Holmes Coach's Thought For The Day "The road to success is always under construction." Deep Thought For The Day: "When I was a kid my parents moved a lot - but I always found them." _________________________________________ Let's Go Surfing Dude! Making the Best Movie Choices Do you ever clash with your parents over the movies you watch--or want to watch? Do you ever think about how your movie choices affect your relationship with the Lord? Check out these helpful tips for making God-honoring decisions in the things you watch. http://www.passageway.org Click on questions, then click on family. Leap Year Project So what are you going to do with your extra day this year? If you have some extra time on your hands, you might want to check out this site, which tells you everything you could possibly want to know about Leap Year. http://www.leapyeardayproject.com __________________________________________ Author MICHAEL T. POWERS www.Heart4Teens.com Contributing Author to Chicken Soup for the Teen's Soul on Love and Friendship and 18 other inspirational books. "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 _________________________________________ 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 6:00-8:30 PM at Faith Community Church which is located at 2931 Lucerne Dr. in Janesville, WI. (About 3 blocks south-east of The Skating Place.) Currently we have students from Fort Atkinson, Milton, Janesville Craig, Janesville Parker, Marshall, 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. THIS WEEK: All-Stars: Those not attending the "Free Experience" concert in Rockford will be watching the video "Sound and Fury". _______________________________________________ UPCOMING EVENTS: February 27-28 -- 30 Hour Famine! (Jr. High) During these 30 hours teens learn more about what it's like in other parts of the world where children don't have enough to eat. The students will spend their time learning about world issues and at the same time find ways to serve their own community by actually doing service projects that weekend. Participants ask family, friends, and neighbors to sponsor them with pledges as they go without food for 30 hours to identify with those who are hungry. To kick off our 30 Hour Famine this year, the nationally known Christian band ApologetiX will be performing Friday, February 27 at 7:30 p.m at Faith Community Church in Janesville, Wisconsin. Tickets: $10 Adv. $15 Door On Sale Monday, January 26 at Lighthouse Books & Gifts, Janesville, WI (608-754-2665), People's Church, Beloit (608-362-7556), Bible Book Center, Rockford, IL (815-654-0020) and Lemstone Christian Books, Rockford, IL (815-332-5505) GIRLS NIGHT OUT! Sunday Night February 29th Ladies, How would you like to come to church and have a sit down dinner served by the good looking, strapping young men and teens from our youth group? (Oh yeah, Michael will be serving you too!) Then, after your wonderful meal, head down to Rockford, IL and attend a concert by three of the most popular Christian groups and artists in the nation! Then pay close attention to the following! All-Stars Youth Ministry is taking a group of girls to be a part of the national "FREE EXPERIENCE" tour. ATTENTION YOUNG LADIES OF ALL-STAR YOUTH MINISTRY! Instead of attending our regular youth group meeting on Sunday night February 29th, you will meet at Faith Community Church at 4:00 pm and have a sit down dinner prepared by the men and boys of our Youth Group. Then you will leave for Rockford at 5:45 pm to attend the "FREE EXPERIENCE" (More info on this below). You will return home between 10:30 and 11:00 pm. Tickets for FREE EXPERIENCE are $12.00. (And you thought the tickets would be free!) All money must be turned in to Tedi Knox by FRIDAY FEB. 13, 2004 -- No exceptions. Make checks out to FCC Youth. The FREE Experience events are touted as much more than a concert but a unique, youth-focused ministry and musical event for church and youth oriented groups, families, mothers, fathers and anyone who wants to have a load of fun, hear an amazing message and great music from ZOEgirl, Superchic(k) and Joy Williams. Susie Shellenberger, Editor of Brio Magazine, well known as a dynamic speaker, former youth pastor and author will host and emcee the night, helping to center the night on Christ with fun, fellowship, great music and an inspiring message. The FREE Experience features exceptional sound and lighting production and a multimedia presentation along with plentiful audience participation. To end the night, The FREE Experience will give away free merchandise, Brio Magazine and other surprises, including the opportunity to win free magazine subscriptions. The theme of the night is the The FREE Experience.the awesome FREE Experience that Christ offers. ZOEgirl has tallied collective sales of over one million records worldwide, bringing a solid, powerful message to teenagers, young college-aged students and even parents, searching for a way to understand their kids. Their most recent single, "You Get Me", from Different Kind Of FREE, reached and retained its place at #1 on AC radio for 6 weeks and ranked in the top 5 for 10 weeks on CHR. ZOEgirl remains the fastest-selling new artist in the 25-year history of Sparrow Records with touring credits including Newsboys, Plus One, Avalon and Carman. Superchic(k) is a high energy band with more than 40 TV and film musical credits, including Alias, and Legally Blonde. The band's spiritually-centered lyrics offer encouragement to a teen audience that struggles with the pressures from peers and society. Their current record, Regeneration, released this October. Joy Williams is a 3-time Dove nominated young, emerging voice with two studio records and touring credits with artists including Point Of Grace, Avalon and The Katinas. Her second release, By Surprise (Reunion Records), is a deep, heartfelt offering about surrender and obedience. ______________________ All-Stars has extended 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, and some nights even later. (For the past couple of months the students have continually complained that we are running out of time before we get to really discuss the topics in full and asked if we could have longer teaching times... I know, most of you are probably now getting back up off the floor from the shock. have been most encouraged that the teens have been wanting to stay longer to be able to discuss the lessons more fully.) The Outlet: "Get plugged into Jesus Christ!" (Teen Cell Groups) Wednesday night community groups for teens. The groups are 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. These cell groups will also be doing special activities with each other as the year goes on to build community. Extreme Teens" (formerly the Core Group) meets from 5:00 - 6:00 PM at the church. This group is very extensive with weekly homework, memorization, service projects, etc. Students interested in this group will have to fill out an application, provide references as to why others think they should be involved with this, and sign an agreement as to what is expected of them. (If your teen will also be attending All-Stars that night, they are encouraged to bring a sack lunch or snack to tide them over until 8:30.) We are very excited at what God is doing with our youth! _______________________________________________ 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! 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 |
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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