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{HeartTouchers.com} *Rosie's Angels* ______________________________________ If you enjoy this email service, I encourage you to spread the word to family and friends that we may bring inspiration the lives of many! If you are not on the list and this has been passed along to you, join us by visiting: http://www.HeartTouchers.com Be sure to check out our inspirational list just for teenagers! http://www.Heart4Teens.com ____________________________________________ Michael's updated book Heart Touchers "Life-Changing Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter," is finally here! ($13.95) Visit the link below to preview the book! Personalized autographed copies are available at no extra charge and we pay the shipping for you! An E-book version is also available for just $3.25! http://www.hearttouchers.com/books Be sure to let us know who you would like it autographed for and then allow about two weeks for us to sign it and send it on its way to you.Credit card, PayPal, Checks, and Money orders accepted! The book is also available through Amazon.com, Borders.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Booklocker.com _____________________________________ Good morning HeartTouchers.com readers! Every Christmas I have to turn people down when they want me to make a DVD of their photos as a Christmas gift for their family. Why? Because they contact me too late and I usually have so many Christmas projects that I am working on that I have to say no due to time constraints. If you want to have us create a unique Christmas gift that you can give to family and friends, you need to try and get those photos out in the mail to us by the second week of December. Visit this page on our web site for more details: http://www.HeartTouchers.com/Video_Imagery As a thank you to all of you who subscribe to our HeartTouchers.com e-mails, I will give you a 20% discount off your video project. Just mention to me that you receive the HeartTouchers e-mails and the discount is yours! From my family to yours, Author Michael T. Powers _________________________________________ Rosie's Angels by Irene Budzynski Illness opens the door to an inner sanctum, allowing us to witness multiplying fears or soaring hopes. Grown men, swaggering with pride in their virility, are transformed into needy--no, demanding--children. Sickness strips away power and control, leaving vulnerability in its wake, forcing prestige to wait outside the hospital room. The focus of man makes a U-turn from the world's adrenaline to his own mortal needs when, suddenly, every misplaced water cup or wrinkled sheet symbolizes disorderliness, an omen that the world is off course. The calls for instant attention reflect the degree of apprehension simmering in one's heart. It is not the cup or the sheet which is the offender, but rather the humility of being forced to lie in a hard bed, and having become an unwilling participant in a universal drama of disease. The to-do list for caregivers in an eight hour shift is frequently insurmountable. The stress to complete the arduous work doesn't discriminate among its victims, but we continue our watch, fully aware that it is the human touch, and not mandated paperwork, which heals. We are in the business of returning patients to wellness, so we complete the documentation quickly, opening a wider pocket of time to answer the imperious call lights. Urgency is our companion. Is it any wonder, then, that I feel stretched thin as a spider's web? Tough enough to meet the demand of health care, but fragile in my humanity? Mute, I have stood at the bedside of a man berating me as being less than nothing because I didn't clean him to his specifications, forgetting that I prevented him from going into respiratory distress and probable death only the night before. My eyes had warmed with tears, the accumulation of all the barbed comments and thoughtless words directed to those of us who are on the front lines. The memory of that experience is still raw, but I return again and again to the bedside, confident that the passage of another 24 hours will have changed the tide of frustration. It's night, and sparkles of light catch my eye as I walk onto the hospital floor. Pinpoint twinkles cut through the shadows, flashes I'm unable to track, disappearing as fast as they spark. Intrigued, but unable to think about anything but my patient assignment, I push away my curiosity. I listen to report, taking special note of Rosie's condition. She has been in and out of the hospital quite a bit this year, but having her is like having an old friend visit. It's easy to see why so many of us enjoy the assignment. Her charm belies her difficult life. Witty and uncomplaining, kindness is her forte. No matter how many times I need to wake her, she smiles and says, "Do what you have to do, honey. I'll be here." Her sweetness ministers to everyone who enters her room. Refreshed by her company, spirits become air borne, and niggling interruptions are exposed for what they are--deterrents from the journey of healing. Rosie's room is saved for last when I do my rounds. Not wanting to wake her, but medication must be given, and I tiptoe into her room. She sleepily rolls over and greets me as if it's the most natural thing in the world to be awakened at 1 a.m. With no growls of protest or whines of inconvenience, she knows how much we want her to be healthy again. Rubbing her eyes, she sits up and waves for me to get a package on the shelf. Sliding the bag across the surface and pulling out a flat tray, I gasp when I see what is lying in it. Gold wings spread, clear stone angel pins shimmer under the yellow glow of the wall light, jewels no bigger than a dime. Here is the source of the flashes sparking in the hall like fireflies winging their way through the air. "You watch over me at night when I'm asleep. I can rest and not worry, knowing I'm safe when you are here. Because you take such good care of me, I want you to take a pin and wear it. You're one of my angels." Tingling with gratitude, I'm instantly cognizant of my mission. Forgotten by many, scorned by a few, Rosie's words impart a holiness to my work, allowing God to dry my tears and cast off my cloak of fatigue. Her words are describing the Great Physician. I am His hands and His feet as I tend to the basic needs of the human body and soul, called to minister despite insult, and to be merciful, allowing God's healing love to shine on each person I meet. If He could suffer for me so I could enter a new life where there are no tears, then I can certainly do what Henri Nouwen prayed, ".to join people on their journey and to open their eyes to see you." Reckless words can no longer strangle me with their power. Sparks of light dance off my shoulder, a symbol of God's love in the darkness of pain. Another one of Rosie's Angels slips back into the night. Irene Budzynski irene_budd@yahoo.com Copyright 2001 Send Irene an e-mail and let her know what you thought of her story! Irene is a registered nurse on the East Coast who has written for HeartTouchers and Heartwarmers. ___________________________ Thought For The Day: "Only when we have knelt before God, can we stand before men." Verse for the Day: "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time." 1 Peter 5:6 Kid's Thought For The day: "Everyone's afraid of noises at night." Parent's Thought For The Day "I always wondered why babies spend so much time sucking their thumbs. Then I tasted baby food." (Robert Orben) Coach's Thought For The Day "There is plenty enough room at the top, but not enough to sit down." --Fred Shero, NHL coach Writer's Thought For The Day: "When you create, you get a little endorphin buzz. Why do you think Einstein looked that way?" --Robin Williams Deep Thought For The Day: "If you accidentally eat plastic fruit, do you throw up that wacky fake vomit?" _________________________________________ Inspired Audio -- Inspirational Audio Message of the Week! Inspired Audio is a brand new offshoot of HeartTouchers.com. Every week we will offer a different audio message that you can listen to right on your computer as you are surfing the net or just getting things done around the house. Be sure to come back and visit each week! This Week: "That Sinking Feeling" by Jeff Williams http://www.HeartTouchers.com/Inspired_Audio _________________________________________ Over 90,000 people have listened to popular Chicken Soup Author Michael T. Powers' free inspirational message entitled: "Breathing Life into Others". If you aren't one of them just visit: http://www.HeartTouchers.com and click on the link to listen to the free streaming audio message! __________________________________________ Video Imagery --Michael's Video Production Business Dear Michael, I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for the beautiful video you made for me! It was so special to see both of my parents in tears as they watched their children grow up in pictures before their eyes! I loved the way you made Estania's part set aside from the rest--that was the part that really got them! The music was beautiful. My mom kept blubbering, "What song is that?" I don't know how you did such a beautiful job with the video in such a short time. I really appreciate your doing it so quickly. You have a wonderful gift, and I thank God that you are using it to create such sentimental memories. I hope that I can find my niche like that in an area that I love. Your video gave us one of our most lasting Christmas memories! I hope yours was filled with moments to be treasured forever! Love, Trisha Silverhill, AL Let me make you a video from your photos! Check out my video production business by visiting: http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery __________________________________________ Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you? http://www.greatcom.org/english/four.htm _________________________________________ |
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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