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WRITE 2 THE HEART
Stories that are aimed "Write 2 the Heart"
October 14, 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.
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Annettee’s son was missing. She used every resource available
with no results. Her story has a happy ending, and it opened her
eyes to the longing of God to have his lost children return to him.
With Open Arms
By: Annettee Budzban
"In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any
of these little ones should be lost." Matthew 18:14 (NIV)
There is nothing more exciting than when God answers your
prayers to find something you have lost. In my case, it was a lost
child.
Looking back, I don't recall anything unusual about the day. It
started out like any other. It was a warm summer afternoon and the
boys were at their friends' houses, or so I thought. About mid-
afternoon I decided to check on everyone. I was stunned, however,
when I went to check on Tim; his friend told me that he'd left some
time earlier.
"Left!" I said, "Where did he go?"
"I don't know," his friend said, sounding dumbfounded.
I started to make the rounds. I checked with every friend of
Tim's I could possibly imagine. Surely, someone must have seen
him, I thought. But that was not the case. Each place I searched, I
turned up clueless.
As I ran out of his database of friends, I became frantic. And to
top it off, it was almost time for baseball practice. It wasn't like
Tim to miss practice. It was now time to call the police. As I
waited for their arrival, I searched for a current photo and tried to
jog my memory as to what he was wearing.
Dinnertime passed there was still no sign of Tim. As the search
continued, my mind went over a dozen scenarios while my fearful
heart cried out to God.
Finally, about 8:00 p.m. the hunt was over. I looked out my
front door to see my tired, hot and sweaty son, pushing his bike
with two flat tires. From what he told me, I surmised he'd gone
fishing about two miles away and had to walk his bike all the way
home. The sight of him evoked my emotions. I wasn't sure whether
I should punish him or kiss him. Not surprisingly, I opted for a
huge hug and a kiss.
Now that the frightful experience is over, I believe I have an
understanding of the heart of God. You see, like him, I know what
it feels like when your child is lost: all you want is for them to
come home. When we have wandered away from God, He yearns
(as I did) for the lost child to come to home. And, just like I did
with my son, God will receive us with open arms!
Annettee Budzban
ahrtwrites2u @ aol.com
Annettee Budzban is a freelance writer and a newspaper
religion columnist. Her book "When Heaven Whispers" is
overflowing with devotions and inspirational stories. She has been
published in magazines such a Guideposts, Angels on Earth,
Purpose, Standard, and more. Her stories can also be found in
many popular anthologies and devotional books.
Her e-mail address is ahrtwrites2u @ aol.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.
Letters From Our Readers
Cheryl,
I identified with the story Memory Wall. I was just telling a friend,
who doesn't like photographs as he says memories shouldn't be
limited to pictures (and he's right) but a person should be able to
picture in their head a memory, that many of us can picture things
in our head but what about those who are not able to do that
because they can't for one reason or another. Maybe they weren't
there or maybe they weren't born yet and they have no memories
except for what was captured in a photo. As sad as it is, many
people only know their grandparents through photos and stories
and our children grow so fast, that we as parents can look back at
photos that were taken when they were young and relive the
moments. And for those parents who have lost a child to death,
photos are precious to them of their child---in my opinion,
memories through photos are indeed "Kodak moments" to many of
us .
Barbara Bullock
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
Ryan
Larry Miele
Daniel
Amy
John
Joanne
Gary Boardwine
Josh
Hadassah
Chanz Wackerly
Robert Henderson
David Habighurst
Tonia
Melissa Bair
Matthew Nutter
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.
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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.
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