Forever Young




	WRITE 2 THE HEART Stories that are aimed "Write 2 the Heart" August 10, 2004 Cheryl Speir, Editor, moderator @ write2theheart.com Welcome to your latest issue of "Write 2 the Heart." All new subscribers will receive a free downloadable copy of the e- cookbook, "Write 2 the Heart of the Chocolate Lover." To join, send an e-mail with subscribe written in the subject line to: subscribe-me @ write2theheart.com. We get so caught up in day to day living that we don’t think about the days of our youth. Then one day we hear a song from the past or run across a name of someone that meant so much to us once upon a time and the memories come flooding back. Forever Young At Heart By Kathy Whirity In a corner of every middle-aged soul lives the memory of those impressive coming of age years. Those everlasting 'glory days' of which Bruce Springsteen so eloquently sings about, live there forever young, forever innocent. ThoughI still may feel 18 at heart, one look in the mirror quickly sets me straight. It hasn't been easy but I've finally come to terms with the fact that gravity is no longer on my side. I am no longer a teen-ager, but, rather a mother with teen-agers of my own. Like my mother before me, I have adopted a habit surely attributed to growing old. Every morning as I wait for the coffee to brew, I glance across the obituary pages of the daily paper, looking for names I might recognize. One morning a wave of nostalgia washed over me at the sight of a name that hadn't been part of my vocabulary for over thirty years. There it was, in black and white, the name that belonged to my very first love. Throughout the yearsI had, at times, wondered whatever happened to him - the handsome young guy responsible for butterflies to flutter in my stomach at the mere sight of him, and who unknowingly caused my heart to skip beats when the phone would ring and it would be him. Those were the days of holding hands and the shy anticipation of first kisses that told the tale of naive, young love. It was a time when girlfriends became each other’s best defense between the break-ups and the make-ups of puppy love. Girlfriends, who could sing in perfect harmony, the words to the songs of Michael Jackson, back when Michael was just one of the band. "I Want You Back," and "One More Chance," were more often than not, sung through tears of high school age heartache, while, "I'll Be There," was passionately crooned as a lasting tribute to the loyalty of idealistic youth. Word for word, I can still sing every one of those golden oldies by heart, just as I can still almost taste the savory friedshrimp my friend Ginnyand I use to order from a fast food place called, The Chicken Coop." To this day I still wonder -- was it really the shrimp that I remember to be so unforgettable or was it actually the pleasant company of a long ago best friend that is the treasured recollection. Those wonder years of high school are buried deep in the past, but emotions accrued will be forever frozen in time. Since that time, I have raised a family and have celebrated over 27wedding anniversaries with myloving husband, my soulmate who is the love of my life. But, in the privacy of my kitchen that morning I was suddenly 17 again, as memories were brought alive by a familiar name among the dearly departed. I will never know what kind of man he grew up to be, or what he did for a living, or even if he had been asblessed as me to have found the contentment I have found. In my memory he would forever be the 17-year-old football player that captivated my young heart with his boyish good looks and unassuming charm. Life goes on, as we find ourselves travelingfrom one season of emotion to the next. There really are a million miles between the starry-eyed dreams of a teen-ager and the mindful reality of middle age. At one time or another, we all have opportunities to reflect on those unforgettablemilestones in our lives. Maybe it's the twinkle in ateen-agedaughter'seyes when she speaks of someone special, which ignites in us our own unfettered glory days. Or, quite possibly, it happens when a gray-haired mom will find reason to remember the exuberance of her own youth, while exercising an old folk's habit of glancing upon theobituary of the morning paper. Kathy Whirity kathywhirity @ yahoo.com Kathy Whirity is a freelance writer and newspaper columnist. She's been happily married to her husbandBill for 27 years. With their daughters Jaime and Katie away at college, these empty nesters are discovering, with sweet surprise, that the honeymoon's not over, it's only just begun, again. Kathy has had her writing published in, "Finding the Joy In Alzheimer's", "The Golden Formula" as well asthe online publications, Story Time Tapestry, Warm Fuzzy Stories, Hearts With Soul and Pet Warmers. Kathy looks forward to hearing from you.You may contact her directly. kathywhirity @ yahoo.com You are encouraged to write to the authors to let them know what you think of their story. Have a comment on today's story? Send it to: moderator @ write2theheart.com Write 2 the Heart now has an affiliate program with Cognigen. They have several long distance plans to chose from; I personally use the PowerNet Global 4.5¢ Per Minute Plan. I love having my own toll free number for my family to be able to call home when they are out of town. I have used it more times than I care to remember over the last three years in emergency situations. Cognigen has more than just great long distance rates; they have calling cards, internet access, web hosting services and much more. You can check out all of their telecommunication products and services at http://ld.net/?cbspeir. Looking for an affiliate program? You will be surprised at all the products and services you will have access to. Letters From Our Readers This (The Gotcha Game) is so heartwarming! Memories like these are to be cherished. So glad this one was shared. Blessings, Barbara Deming Author of "The Quilt Maker” Dear Cheryl "Darth Vader": Cracked me up with your Star War antics! I've spent a relaxing few hours going through backlogged e-mail. The most special readings were the recent stories in WRITE 2 THE HEART: "Playing For My Father" by Donna J. Shepherd, "This Little Light Of Mine" by Joseph J. Mazzella, "Traversing the Trace" by Dave Speir, and "The Gotcha Game" by Pamela Jenkins. Thanks to all the authors for giving me moments of deep thought, smiles, chuckles, yearning, and personal recollections. Patricia Spork http://www.lulu.com/patriciaspork Cheryl, Thank you so much for the nice card you sent along with the pretty pens. It's nice to be appreciated! I love the angel cat pin, too, and wore it to work today at the veterinary hospital. My story Tough Guy will be published next month in a book called Angel Cats, and the pin is so appropriate! It will be the perfect thing to wear to a book signing. I was delighted to open the card and find the cat pin inside! ~ Pamela Jenkins Military Prayer Reminder As you read over this list of names, please take a moment to pray for these young people and their families: Chris Speir Tim Speir Alan Todd Holland Graham William Julie Sagel Jessie Marshal Thompson Jason Eric Hernandez Kristin Danielson Ken Prieur Ryan Larry Miele Daniel Amy John Joanne Gary Boardwine Josh Hadassah Chanz Wackerly Robert Henderson David Habighurst Please continue to pray for our country, our leaders, and our troops at this time. If you have loved ones in the military, or who are being called to go overseas, send their names (first and last or first only) to be included in our prayer reminder. Cheryl’s Corner I won! I won! Remember the friendly competition I had with Patricia? All these weeks we have been ending in a draw, which really means we both won because we met our weekly goals. We would go shopping or have lunch together. Last week I cleaned out my kitchen drawers (believe it or not I have had an EMPTY drawer for over a week now!). She was unable to meet her goal. She wanted to treat me to lunch and asked me what I wanted. Forget lunch! I wanted a chocolate chunk macadamia cookie. Victory never tasted so good! Blessings Cheryl Copyright © 2004, 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.