Enter Joy




	WRITE 2 THE HEART Stories that are aimed "Write 2 the Heart" May 22, 2002 Issue 052202 Cheryl Speir, Editor, moderator@write2theheart.com -------------------------------------------------------- By subscription only! Welcome to your next issue of "WRITE 2 THE HEART" ------------------------------------------------------- Do you have a heart-warming story to share with our readers? We are accepting story submissions at this time. Please email your original story to moderator@write2theheart.com ---------------------------------------------------------- I want to encourage you to forward today's issue to all of your friends and online acquaintances. After today's story, there is a link for a free down-loadable e-book that will be of interest to you and your friends. ---------------------------------------------------------- There are memories we have that are so special, that in our minds eye they are bathed in golden sunlight, that whenever we are blue, just bringing them forward brings a smile and a nostalgic tug at our heart-strings. Alison shares one of hers with us. ---------------------------------------------------------- Enter: Joy By Alison Peters ---------------------------------------------------------- Over and over it has found me, surprised and even startled me. It is a form of Joy that wraps itself around an event, an experience that would otherwise be forgotten ---lost in the shuffle of countless episodes of life, live--- and preserves it. Joy uses an exceptionally unique technique of bundling up memories for future enjoyment, future pondering, and future reference. It is the Joyful memories, stored in our brains and hearts, that have the glow-in-the-dark-AND-in-the-light wrapping-paper and ribbon; the ones that are impossible to overlook. The more they are unwrapped and considered, the more the most special of the special shine. They may be surrounded with memory-packages that are dark, dull or in plain brown wrap, but that only makes them stand out all the more, often to the exclusion of the others. One at a time, I reach for these special gifts from God, and as I ponder each one, I forget, for a little while, a particular ache in my heart, a current disappointment...failure....sorrow..... and just smile. I remember........... our first experience with a brand new foal, daughter of Mandy, Scott's pony. Although it has 20 years, remembering still brings Joy. Her daddy was a purebred Arabian with a long fancy Arabic name. Tucked into his royal title with the "Ibn" and "Bint" parts (Arabic for son of, daughter of), was a most important syllable: "Bo." Our baby, blue-black like her mama, and with the gorgeous desired "dished" head like her majestic sire, after careful and long consideration, was lovingly dubbed "BoKay." For me, no bouquet was ever more beautiful. Joy and awe work so beautifully together. I thoroughly enjoyed the blessing of this combination as I watched the monumental struggle of this baby to get on her feet. The singleness of purpose, the dogged determination to somehow be able to get her impossibly long, ungainly stilt- legs under her to support her body-- in something akin to a normal stance --- was truly a sight to behold. ( I marveled that her hooves were spongy! What a unique design God implemented for his neo-equines!) Her tiny horse-muscles straining to hold herself up on her own four feet, I watched her pitch forward, her body so totally, hopelessly out of sync with those pick-up-sticks legs that were attached to it. Though her failed attempts were thoroughly cushioned in her bed of deep, yellow straw, there were moments I very nearly ached for her. And moments I had to laugh. But it took an amazingly few minutes for her to actually stand and stay up, a mini-miracle in itself. When at last she was successful, and stood, blinking, doe-eyed, her entire being shaking like a leaf, awkward, unsure, but STANDING, every fiber of my being wanted to burst into song and applause ("standing ovation"!). Instead, unwilling to charge in on this special magical miraculous moment, only my heart cheered. Our vet/friend Tom said she was the tiniest foal he'd ever seen. She was so little, when she was a few days old, I actually picked her up and held her, long legs dangling, to have pictures taken. How true that great things can come in small packages! Seeing the little one grow strong and sure, chock full of life and energy, and even able to run as fast as her mother within a matter of days, I was aware of aspects of the Creator God of nature that combined with the reality of my personal Savior God in a way that blessed me beyond words. Seeing baby Bo nurse for the first time; watching her and her mom bond so obviously and tenderly; interacting in exactly the way the master Creator intended them to, there were many times over the course of the next few weeks that tears blurred my vision. That perfect combination, joy and awe, produce the very happiest of tears. Alison Peters <Sweetpetes3 @ cs.com> (You are encouraged to write to the authors to let them know what you think of their story, just remember to remove the space before and after the @ symbol. The space is placed in the address to protect our writers from viruses.) -------------------------------------------------------- Alison has a story in "Stories for the Teen's Heart" book 2, one in "Chicken Soup for the Grandparent's Soul" and 2 in the upcoming "Don't Sweat Stories". You can find Alison's stories "Brotherly Love", and "Home Run" in Write 2 the Heart's archives. --------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------- MILK AND HONEY FOR THE HUNGRY HEART By Christian E-Authors Writers Exchange E-Publishing Non-fiction Free E-book rtf, pdf, html, Microsoft Reader Are you feeling empty inside? Do you hunger for something uplifting and thought-provoking? Then we have the food you've been waiting for! MILK AND HONEY FOR THE HUNGRY HEART is a unique e-book created and written by a group of authors who hope to satisfy starving hearts searching for truth in an uncertain world. Overflowing with thoughtful devotions, motivating poems, and energizing stories, this book is sure to nourish your body, soul, and spirit. And best of all, it's FREE. Download at: <http://www.writers-exchange.com/epublishing/eauthors- book1.htm> Are you a Christian who loves to write? Visit Christian E-author site: http://www.christianeauthor.com --------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- >From Our Readers ------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Write 2 the Heart, I loved the story Carrying Burdens, Submitted by Clare Kobierowski. It definitely has a message for us all. I think it's good for you to use stories like this, even tho they are written by someone else. I plan to share it with my friends (also)Dear Pat, Your poem is a good prayer to begin with each morning. I'm sure God is pleased with it. Pat L. ** Hi Cheryl, I forwarded that entire email (I Want Then to Know) to my kids and did not edit it to "fit" the things I would say to my own children. However, I DID say I did not hate the CAT (as I pretended so I would not have to have it in my kitchen to get in cupboards, on the table or countertops as some cats do). I really loved our dogs!! I've read that story before about the ant carrying the contact lens. The part that was left out, was that the second group of hikers saw it because of the reflection of the sun on it, as the ant carried it across the face of the cliff. Do we reflect the SON on us as we go about our daily living, so others can see HIM in us? Nancee ** Hello World! IT'S A GIRL! Makenna Clare was born at 10:24 weighing 5'13" at Pennsylvania Hospital, Sunday, May 19, 2002. She'll be home Tuesday. Clare (This is Clare's daughter's first child; Clare's fourth grandchild) --------------------------------------------------------- © 2002 Write 2 the Heart Nothing may be reproduced or published without the written permission of the individual author or copyright owner. All rights belong to the authors. ------------------------------------------------------------ All subscriptions sent to your email free of charge.