Gotcha




	WRITE 2 THE HEART Stories that are aimed "Write 2 the Heart" August 5, 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. *Advertisement* Tired of high cable bills? You may want to consider Dish Network. Right now you get free installation and free equipment when you sign up for one year of programming. You can get more programming than what is offered by most cable companies for less. Compare what you now have with the Dish Network programming packages at: http://cognigen.net/dish/?cbspeir Blessed are children who have moms that will play! The Gotcha Game By Pamela Jenkins It all started one autumn afternoon when the children came home from school. They were carrying paper sacks with all the goodies they'd collected from their Halloween parties that afternoon. "Look what I've got, Mom!" said my young son. He put his hand in his sack and rustled his fingers around in the candy wrappers and papers. With a huge grin on his face, he pulled out his prize. A rubber mouse! "Eek!" I said, pretending to be scared of the little mouse. It really was ugly with its gray skin and painted red eyes. The long rubber tail wiggled like the real thing. Somebody's mother had probably bought a bag full of toy mice and let her child pass them around at the classroom party. Now what better fun was there than to surprise Mom with a life like rodent? "Take it to your room," I told him. He giggled as he ran up the stairs. Little boys, I sighed to myself. Hopefully in a few days he would tire of this new toy and it would slowly sift to the bottom of his toy box. Then I wouldn't have to look at it. That night before turning in, I ran warm water in the sink. I washed my face, then reached into my makeup drawer for my moisturizer. I felt something soft and rubbery, and jerked my hand back! There, amid the eyeliner and foundation, lay the gray mouse. Its bright red eyes stared up at me. "Austin!" I yelled down the hallway. Muffled laughter came from my son's darkened room. He had probably been lying awake in bed, waiting for his mother to discover the surprise hidden in the drawer. All right, I thought with a smile, two can play this game. The next morning, Austin came down the stairs and climbed up onto the barstool at the kitchen counter. He rubbed his eyes sleepily. Suddenly, they opened wide with surprise. Peeking around the edge of his cereal bowl was a little gray nose with black whiskers. "Hey, my mouse!" he chuckled. "You got me that time!" He picked up the toy and stuffed it into his jean pocket. He was grinning widely at me, anticipating his next move in this new game. I didn't have to wait long. As soon as I slipped into the driver's seat of my pickup, I knew that once again I'd become a victim of the Gotcha game. Perched on the steering wheel was the mouse, looking right back at me. The next few weeks were filled with moments of surprise for both of us. Sometimes I would set the mouse on Austin's pillow just before bedtime, or send it to school in his lunch bag. A couple of times I hid the critter in his boots or shoes. On the other hand, I often found those painted red eyes peering at me from my crochet basket, or from deep within in my purse. Once I noticed it sitting on top of the telephone like it was waiting for an important call. Then one day I realized that it had been a while since I'd seen our little gray friend. Somehow it had become misplaced, or simply lost in the hectic flow of our daily lives. I found myself looking for it anyway, expecting to see it in the oddest places. This morning I was picking up a few things on my shopping list. The store had a table full of leftover Halloween items on sale. I looked through the boxes of decorations and found a bag of gray rubber mice with bright red eyes. Memories came flooding back, full of laughter, giggles and calls of "Gotcha, Mom!" I remembered the smiles and the anticipation of discovery. I began to miss the game my son and I shared. I couldn't resist. I bought two bags. by Pamela Jenkins bunnies-n-birds @ juno.com Pamela Jenkins lives on a farm in Oklahoma with her husband of twenty-three years and their four children. She is the office manager of a veterinary clinic and enjoys writing in her spare time. She is a contributing author to Chicken Soup for the Grandparent's Soul, Chicken Soup for the Fisherman's Soul, Chocolate for a Woman's Dreams and Angel Cats. 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. Letters From Our Readers Wonderful piece by David. Makes me want to head South and follow the Trace--again. Barbara Deming Author, "The Quilt Maker" OK - lets summarize Dave's trip.... Nice weather-- great road - beautiful countryside ----stops at every "Historic Site" -- runs behind schedule - stops stopping at every "Historic Site" -- runs out of gas --- has good fishing --- attacked by four alligators in middle of night- -- defends self with beam of light ---attacked by billions of mosquitoes -- defends self with smoke-- 100 degree temperature -- 80% humidity -- sweats like a dog -- sleeps outdoors with orange drawers over his head -- gets heat rash -- can't ride anymore-- crashes bike ---fixes bike ---breaks bike again --- trailers bikes home -- carries a boat motor whole trip -- has no boat --- Hummmm???.... If it were not for the memories and the quality time spent with his sons ... one might think twice about taking Dave up on his offer to run this "Class A" adventure.. Bubba and Mary in South Dakota (PS: no alligators or mosquitoes up here) 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 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. *Advertisement* Imagine my surprise and dismay to open my e-mail program only to find over 1500 e-mails. (That is not a typo!) All of them were spam and each had a virus attached. I knew I had to do something to get a handle on this or I would be constantly swamped with spam and worried about accidentally opening a virus, trojan or a worm. I purchased MailWasher Pro. I can check and delete e-mail before I download it to my computer. It tells me if the e-mail is from a friend, a known spammer or has a possible virus. I love bouncing e-mails from spammers telling them they have the wrong address! Try it free for 30 days at: http://entier.ecosm.com/link/?wybyoww Cheryl’s Corner David and I have been having a silent war. He doesn’t even know we have been having one. I guess I had better explain. I found four bedposts at a salvage store. Daughter-in-law Nicole gave me the old doors she took out of her house when they remodeled. I thought I would take these components and make a head and footboard for my king size bed. Every time I get them where I can work on this project, David feels they are in his way and throws them into a storage room. I fish them out and work a little more. He throws them in the storage room. I fish them out to paint. And … you guessed it. I think with two more times of fishing them out, I should be finished. 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.