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Pastimes : ISOMAN AND HIS CAVE OF SOLITUDE -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: ISOMAN who wrote (164)3/6/1999 8:57:00 AM
From: P.S.N.  Respond to of 539
 
I'll try, oh by the way good luck with TNRG, I've seen you on that thread for sometime, nice to know there is still a few sane people around. PSN



To: ISOMAN who wrote (164)3/22/1999 6:00:00 PM
From: issme  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 539
 
This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very
special relationship. Even though the son was always on the bench,his
father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game.This
young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school.
But his father continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that
he did not have to play football if he didn't want to. But the young man
loved football and decided to hang in there. He was determined to try his
best at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to play when he became a
senior. All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game, but remained a bench warmer all four years. His faithful father was always
in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him. When the young
man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a
"walk-on." Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did. The
coach admitted that he kept him on the roster because he always puts his
heart and soul to every practice, and at the same time, provided the other
members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed. The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone
and called his father. His father shared his excitement and was sent
season tickets for all the college games. This persistent young athlete
never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to
play in the game. It was the end of his senior football season, and as he
trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big play off game,the
coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he
became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My
father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?"
The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest
of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on
Saturday. Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the
third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man
quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear.
As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to
see their faithful teammate back so soon. "Coach, please let me play.I've
just got to play today," said the young man. The coach pretended not to
hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close
playoff game. But the young man persisted, and finally feeling sorry for
the kid, the coach gave in. "All right," he said. "You can go in.">>
Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not
believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before was
doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop
him. He ran, he passed, blocked and tackled like a star. His team began to
triumph. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game,
this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown.
The fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders.
Such cheering you've never heard! Finally, after the stands had emptied
and the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that
the young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came
to him and said, "Kid, I can't believe it. You were fantastic!>>
Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?" He looked at the coach,
with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my dad died, but did you
know that my dad was blind?" The young man swallowed hard and forced a
smile, "Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see
me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"



To: ISOMAN who wrote (164)4/11/1999 9:27:00 PM
From: DSPetry  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 539
 

"The Miracle of a Brother's Song"

Like any good mother, when Karen found out that
another baby was on the way, she did
what she could to help her 3-year-old son,
Michael, prepare for a new sibling. They
found out that the new baby was going to be a
girl, and day after day, night after night,
Michael sang to his sister in Mommy's tummy. He
was building a bond of love with
his little sister before he even met her.

The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen, an
active member of the Panther Creek
United Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee.
In time, the labor pains came.
Soon it was every five minutes ...every three....
every minute. But serious complications
arose during delivery and Karen found herself in
hours of labor. Would a C-section be required?
Finally, after a long struggle, Michael's little
sister was born. But she was
in very serious condition. With a siren howling in
the night, the ambulance rushed the
infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St.
Mary's Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee.
The days inched by. The little girl got worse. The
pediatric specialist regretfully had to
tell the parents, "There is very little hope. Be
prepared for the worst." Karen and her
husband contacted a local cemetery about a burial
plot. They had fixed up a special room
in their home for the new baby - but now they
found themselves having to plan for a funeral.

Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let
him see his sister. "I want to sing to her,"
he kept saying. Week two in intensive care looked
as if a funeral would come before the
week was over. Michael kept nagging about singing
to his sister, but kids are never
allowed in Intensive Care. Karen made up her
mind, though. She would take Michael
whether they liked it or not! If he didn't see his
sister right then, he may never see her alive.

She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit and
marched him into ICU. He looked like a
walking laundry basket. But the head nurse
recognized him as a child and bellowed,
"Get that kid out of here now! No children are
allowed. The mother rose up strong in
Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glared
steel-eyed right into the head nurse's
face, her lips a firm line. "He is not leaving
until he sings to his sister!" Karen towed
Michael to his sister's bedside. He gazed at the
tiny infant losing the battle to live.
After a moment, he began to sing. In the pure-
hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang: "You
are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me
happy when skies are grey---"
Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond. The
pulse rate began to calm down and become steady.
"Keep on singing, Michael," encouraged Karen with
tears in her eyes. "You never know, dear, how
much I love you, please don't take my sunshine
away." As Michael sang
to his sister, the baby's ragged, strained
breathing became as smooth as a kitten's purr.
"Keep on singing, sweetheart!!!" "The other
night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I
held you in my arms..." Michael's little sister
began to relax as rest, healing rest,
seemed to sweep over her. "Keep on singing,
Michael." Tears had now conquered the
face of the bossy head nurse. Karen glowed. "You
are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
Please don't, take my sunshine away..."

The next day...the very next day...the little girl
was well enough to go home!

Woman's Day Magazine called it "The Miracle of a
Brother's Song." The medical staff
just called it a miracle. Karen called it a
miracle of God's love! NEVER GIVE UP ON
THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE. LOVE IS SO INCREDIBLY
POWERFUL.