My Miraculous Family

I never considered myself unique, but people are constantly telling me, "you are a miracle." To me, I was just an ordinary "guy" with realistic goals and big dreams. I was a 19-ye ar-old student at the University of Texas and well on my way toward fulfilling my "big dream" of one day becoming an orthopedic surgeon. On the night of February 17, 1981 I was studying for an Organic Chemistry test at the library with Sharon, my girlfriend of three years. Sharon had asked me to drive her back to her dormitory as it was getting quite late. We got into my car, not realizing that just getting into a car would never quite be the same for me again. I quickly noticed that my gas gauge was registered on empty so I pulled into a nearby convenience store to buy $2.00 worth of gas. "I'll be back in two minutes," I yelled at Sharon as I closed the door. But instead, those two minutes changed my life forever. Entering the convenience store was like entering the twilight zone. On the outside I was a healthy, athletic, pre-med student, but on the inside I was just another statistic of replica rolex watchesa violent crime. I thought I was entering an empty store, but suddenly I realized it was not empty at all. Three robbers were in the process of committing a robbery and my entrance into the store caught them by surprise. One of the criminals immediately shoved a .38 caliber handgun to my head, ordered me to the cooler, pushed me down on the floor, and pumped a bullet into the back of my head - execution style. He obviously thought I was dead because he did not shoot me again. The trio of thieves finished robbing the store and left calmly. Meanwhile, Sharon wondered why I had not returned. After seeing the three men leave the store she really began to worry as I was the last person she saw entering the store. She quickly went inside to look for me, but saw no one-only an almost empty cash register containing one check and several pennies. Quickly she ran down each aisle shouting, "Mike, Mike!" Just then the attendant appeared from the back of the store shouting, "Lady, get down on the floor.I've just been robbed and shot at!" Sharon quickly dropped to the floor screaming,puma shoes "Have you seen my boyfriend?nike shoes He has auburn hair." The man did not reply but went back to the cooler where he found me choking on my vomit. The attendant quickly cleaned my mouth and then called for the police and an ambulance. Sharon was in shock. She was beginning to understand that I was hurt, but she could not begin to comprehend or imagine the severity of my injury. When the police arrived they immediately called the homicide division as they did not think I would survive and the paramedic reported that she had never seen a person so severely wounded survive. At 1:30 a.m. my parents who lived in Houston, were awakened by a telephone call from Brackenridge Hospital advising them to come to Austin as soon as possible for they feared I would not make it through the night. But I did make it through the night and early in the morning the neurosurgeon decided to operate. However, he quickly informed my family and Sharon that my chances of surviving the surgery were only 40/60.

The Heart Knows Best

The D-word. It’s most people’s worst fear, but, in a bittersweet way, it was my greatest joy. In divorce, you gain something and you lose something. There is no way around it, and in the end, it is best for everyone, whether they know it at the time or not.I’m thirteen years old, and I know what it feels like when parents split up, because mine did last fall.My parents had been unhappy for years. When my father started cheating on my mom, things went downhill. I thought they would divorce instantly. I tried to picture my life after my parents split up—living at my mom’s house during the week, and my father’s house on the weekend. I was scared. But my mom decided to be the bigger person and try to stick it out, so that my siblings and I would know what it was like to have a family. Things didn’t get better though.I would always strain to hear the quiet arguments they didn’t want me to hear. They weren’t getting along and they weren’t happy. But I could tell that they didn’t know what they would do if they broke up. They took comfort in just coming home toreplica designer handbags someone, no matter what they had done. They were both scared, even if they didn’t admit it. They would face their problems, together or apart, and know that when things got bad—they had each other. People don’t like change and they don’t want to find out what could happen. Most people don’t want to take a chance because there is a fifty percent chance the result could come out good or a fifty percent chance that it won’t. I learned though, that you dictate your own future and when someone is pulling you down, you can change their impact on you and that is just what I did. My father had never really been there for me. He was there physically but not emotionally. He yelled a lot and never really showed any interest in going to my piano recitals or watching my dance performances. Everything we asked him to do, he had another excuse—a lie. We just sort of ignored it and went on with our lives like nothing was the matter.Then last summer, there was real trouble in paradise. My siblings and I went out to Los Angeles to pursue acting and while we were out replica watchthere, my father cheated on my mom again, and this time my brother, sister, and I all found out. He was going to make us move back to Florida and leave L.A. forever. L.A. was the best thing that had ever happened to me, my brother, my sister, and my mom. We were finally all happy. We decided to stay in L.A. and leave my father in Florida.Our actions resulted in divorce. We didn’t know if we were making the right decision or not. My mom went back and forth. She wanted what was best for her children. She confronted me and asked me if I thought we should go back to Florida or stay in Los Angeles. I replied, “There is nothing in Florida for us anymore. Out here in L.A., we have so many dreams that can come true. We shouldn’t let him abuse us anymore. Finally, we are free.”My brother, sister, mom, and I finally were able to start over and let our happiness rise to new levels. We were allowed to become whoever we wanted to be and let our dreams soar to the sky. We weren’t overshadowed swiss replica watchesby my dad anymore, and he couldn’t hold his reputation and actions above our heads. Sometimes I still wonder what life would be like if my parents had not divorced, and I become deeply upset about what I have lost. But the gain was far greater.The divorce was the best thing that had ever happened to me and the rest of my family. I don’t regret anything about it. I now know that taking chances is the best thing to do. Even though I was scared at first and had my doubts about the divorce, I was glad it happened because now I could start my life over. The bond between my mom and me grew to great heights.I will always remember what my mom said to me every time I would become upset over everything that had happened. “We are going to rise above.” And we did. I gained my life back from the divorce and now I am the happiest I have been in my whole life.Everyone thought my life before was perfect.For richer or poorer. Your heart will never let you down.

A Moment of Joy

Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. It was a cowboy’s life, a life for someone who wanted no boss.What I did not realize was that it was also a ministry. Because I drove the night shift, my cab became a moving confessional. Passengers climbed in, sat behind me in total anonymity, and told me about their lives. I encountered people whose lives amazed me, ennobled me, made me laugh and weep.But none touched me more than a woman I picked up late one August night.I was responding to a call from a small brick fourplex in a quiet part of town. I assumed I was being sent to pick up some people who had been partying, or someone who had just had a fight with a lover, or a worker heading to an early shift at some factory for the industrial part of town.When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under such circumstances, many drivers just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away. But I chi hair straightenershad seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transpor- tation.Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door.This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself. So I walked to the door and knocked. “Just a minute,” answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase.The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.“Would you carry my bag out to the car?” she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm, and we walked slowly toward the curb. replica handbagsShe kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing,” I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.” “Oh, you’re such a good boy,” she said.When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, “Can you drive through downtown?” “It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly. “Oh, I don’t mind,” she said. “I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.” I looked in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were glistening. “I don’t have any family left,” she continued. “The doctor says I don’t have very long.”I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. “What route would you like me to take?” I asked.For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds.wholesale handbags She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.”We drove in silence to the address she had given me.It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.“How much do I owe you?” she asked, reaching into her purse.“Nothing,” We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one. People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said... but they will always remember how you made them feel.Take a moment to stop and appre- ciate the memories you have made, the memory making opportunies around you and make someone feel special today.

Write Right

When I was fifteen, I announced to my English class that I was going to write and illustrate my own books. Half the students sneered, the rest nearly fell out of their chairs laughing. "Don't be silly, only geniuses can become writers," the English teacher said smugly, "And you are getting a D this semester." I was so humiliated I burst into tears. That night I wrote a short sad poem about broken dreams and mailed it to the Capri's Weekly newspaper. To my astonishment, they published it and sent me two dollars. I was a published and paid writer. I showed my teacher and fellow students. They laughed. "Just plain dumb luck," the teacher said. I tasted success. I'd sold the first thing I'd ever written. That was more than any of them had done and if it was just dumb luck, that replica handbagwas fine with me. During the next two years I sold dozens of poems, letters, jokes and recipes. By the time I graduated from high school, with a C minus average, I had scrapbooks filled with my published work. I never mentioned my writing to my teachers, friends or my family again. They were dream killers and if people must choose between their friends and their dreams, they must always choose their dreams. I had four children at the time, and the oldest was only four. While the children napped, I typed on my ancient typewriter. I wrote what I felt. It took nine months, just like a baby. I chose a publisher at random and put the manuscript in an empty Pampers diapers package, the only box I could find. I'd never heard of manuscript boxes. The letter I enclosed read, "I wrote this book myself, hair straightenersI hope you like it. I also do the illustrations. Chapter six and twelve are my favourites. Thank you." I tied a string around the diaper box and mailed it without a self addressed stamped envelope and without making a copy of the manuscript. A month later I received a contract, an advance on royalties, and a request to start working on another book. Crying Wind, the title of my book, became a best seller, was translated into fifteen languages and Braille and sold worldwide. I appeared on TV talk shows during the day and changed diapers at night. I traveled from New York to California and Canada on promotional tours. My first book also became required reading in native American schools in Canada. The worst year I ever had as a writer I earned two dollars. I was fifteen, remember? In my best year I earned 36,000 dollars. Most years I earned between five thousandGHD and ten thousand. No, it isn't enough to live on, but it's still more than I'd make working part time and it's five thousand to ten thousand more than I'd make if I didn't write at all. People ask what college I attended, what degrees I had and what qualifications I have to be a writer. The answer is: "None." I just write. I'm not a genius. I'm not gifted and I don't write right. I'm lazy, undisciplined, and spend more time with my children and friends than I do writing. I didn't own a thesaurus until four years ago and I use a small Webster's dictionary that I'd bought at K-Mart for 89 cents. I use an electric typewriter that I paid a hundred and twenty nine dollars for six years ago. I've never used a word processor. I do all the cooking, cleaning and laundry for a family of six and fit my writing in a few minutes here and there. I write everything in longhand on yellow tablets while sitting on the sofa with my four kids eating pizza and watching TV. When the book is finished, I type it and mail it to the publisher. I've written eight books. Four have been published and three are still out with the publishers. One stinks. To all those who dream of writing, I'm shouting at you: "Yes, you can. Yes, you can. Don't listen to them." I don't write right but I've beaten the odds. Writing is easy, it's fun and anyone can do it. Of course, a little dumb luck doesn't hurt.

Shallow Hal

Bobby and Peter Farrelly have been widely hailed, and occasionally criticized, for their wacky, lowbrow humor that leaves audiences rolling in the aisles. We have enjoyed their goofy, unforgettable scenes in “Dumb and Dumber,” “There's Something About Mary,” and “Me, Myself, and Irene.” Their upcoming film, “Shallow Hal,” packs plenty of laughs, but marks a departure for the duo in that it has a serious message as well.Rising talent Jack Black plays Hal, an unremarkable man who will only date beautiful women with perfect bodies. His standards change, however, after he is hypnotized by self-help guru Tony Robbins. No longer the shallow cad, Hal is now hair straightenersonly concerned with inner beauty.Hal finds a worthy recipient of his affections in Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow), an intelligent woman of character---and 300 pounds. In Hal's eyes, though, Rosemary is lithe and gorgeous. Agog at this development is Hal's superficial but likable pal, Mauricio, played by popular funnyman Jason Alexander. In the end, the illusion of Rosemary's beauty is revealed and Hal learns an important lesson in life.All the Farrelly brothers' movies have revolved around realistic characters whom the audience can root for. Their tactics and quirky sense of humor have worked so far to great effect, and “Shallow Hal” looks ready to join their string of successes, while adding a new dimension to their work. Their tactics and quirky sense of humor have worked so farGHD to great effect, and “Shallow Hal” looks ready to join their string of successes, while adding a new dimension to their work. A porcelain, blond beauty with proven acting skills and an air of class, Gwyneth Paltrow has taken Hollywood by storm. Born in Tinseltown to parents in the entertainment industry, Paltrow's foray into film came as no surprise.Paltrow's first training in acting came at the age of 11 while her father was directing summer stock productions. One of her first roles was in chi hair straightenersa play opposite her award-winning actress mother, Blythe Danner. She became bitten by the acting bug and later quit college to pursue a film career which has met with great critical and commercial success.Her movie debut came in 1991 with “shout,” starring John Travolta. She won her first real acclaim, though, in “Flesh and Bone,” which set her on the path to fame. In 1995, she landed a fortuitous role in “Seven” opposite Brad Pitt. A much publicized two-year romance with Pitt followed, culminating in an engagement and subsequent breakup. One of Hollywood's more prolific actresses, Paltrow has starred in 15 films since 1998. Her greatest acclaim so far has come from the period pieces “Emma” and “Shakespeare in Love,” the latter which earned her a Best Actress Oscar. Now with “Shallow Hal,” Paltrow has the opportunity to show her comic side while broadening her already considerable talents and fan base.

An angel

It all began about 2,000 years ago. An angel appeared to a Jewish girl named Mary and gave her good news: You will have a son. His name will be Jesus, the Savior. When the baby was almost due, Mary and her fiance Joseph went to their hometown, Bethlehem, for a census. The only place they could find to stay was an animal stable. There the special baby was born.The celebration of this special birth came to be called Christmas. Through the ages, people developed many Christmas traditions. The custom of decorating Christmas trees began centuries ago. People in many ancient cultures decorated homes with trees and greenery in winter. In the Middle Ages, Christians in Europe added lights and religious symbols to evergreens to make Christmas trees. Santa Gucci HandbagsClaus has become one of the most famous Christmas figures, particularly in America. His legend started with a kind bishop named St. Nicholas who lived around 300 A.D. and was known for his generosity. The practice of giving Christmas gifts comes from the gifts offered to the child Jesus by the wise men of the East. The star on top of the Christmas tree symbolizes the star that led the wise men to Jesus. Sometimes Christmas can become just a ritual. Many Americans see Christmas as just a time for shopping for the perfect gift.Angels announced the joyful news to some shepherds. They left their sheep and hurried to see the baby. Some time later, wise men from the East saw an unusual star. They knew someone great had been born. The star led them to Bethlehem. When they found the child Jesus, they offeredRolex Watches him gifts fit for a king. Christmas Advertisers and businesses begin promoting Christmas earlier every year. Stores remind customers of how many shopping days are left until Christmas. It's almost a modern Christmas custom to spend too much money! Credit card debts often take months to pay off. Even children can become materialistic. They think only of what they will get from Santa Claus. Despite the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Rush, most Americans feel Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. It's a time of excitement, a time of joy, a time to show love in special ways. Best of all, Christmas is not just for Americans. Christmas is for everybody in the world. Christmas is the celebration of God's gift to the world-Jesus.

The Baby Eagle

Once upon a time there was a baby eagle living in a nest perched on a cliff overlooking a beautiful valley with waterfalls and streams, trees and lots of little animals, scurrying about enjoying their lives. The baby eagle liked the nest. It was the only world he had ever known. It was warm and comfortable, had a great view, and even better, he had all the food and love and attention that a great mother eagle could provide. Many times each day the mother would swoop down from the sky and land in the nest and feed the baby eagle delicious morsels of food. She was like a god to him, he had no idea where she came from or how she worked her magic. The baby eagle was hungry all the time, Replica Watchesbut the mother eagle would always come just in time with the food and love and attention hecraved. The baby eagle grew strong. His vision grew very sharp. He felt good all the time. Until one day, the mother stopped coming to the nest. The baby eagle was hungry. "I'm sure to die," said the baby eagle, all the time. "Very soon, death is coming," he cried, with tears streaming down his face. Over and over. But there was no one there to hear him. Then one day the mother eagle appeared at the top of the mountain cliff, with a big bowl of delicious food and she looked down at her baby. The replica designer handbagsbaby looked up at the mother and cried "Why did you abandon me? I'm going to die any minute. How could you do this to me?" The mother said, "Here is some very tasty and nourishing food, all you have to do is come get it." "Come get it!" said the baby, with much anger. "How?" The mother flew away. The baby cried and cried and cried. A few days later, "I'm going to end it all," he said. "I give up. It is time for me to die." He didn't know his mother was nearby. She swooped down to the nest with his last meal. "Eat this, it's your last meal," she said. The baby cried, but he ate and whined and whined about what a bad mother she was. "You're a terrible mother," he said. Then she pushed him out of the nest. He fell. Head first. Picked up speed. Faster and Coach Handbagsfaster. He screamed. "I'm dying I'm dying," he cried. He picked up more speed. He looked up at his mother. "How could you do this to me?" He looked down. The ground rushed closer, faster and faster. He could visualize his own death so clearly, coming so soon, and cried and whined and complained. "This isn't fair!" he screamed. Something strange happens. The air caught behind his arms and they snapped away from his body, with a feeling unlike anything he had ever experienced. He looked down and saw the sky. He wasn't moving towards the ground anymore, his eyes were pointed up at the sun. "Huh?" he said. "What is going on here!" "You're flying," his mother said. "This is fun!" laughed the baby eagle, as he soared and dived and swooped. "Yes it is!" said the mother.