Hearts and Humor - Feathered Trust

   Happy Sunday, Gang!

Happy Sunday, Gang!
We have more than 1200 confirmed members now. WOW!!!
Thank you everyone.

Today I bring you another lesson I've learned
from the birds we feed in our back yard.

If you enjoy a story, feel free to pass it on to
your friends. I only ask that you leave the link
at the bottom for them to join us.

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    Ginny and I took a walk in our local park yesterday.
We did a little bird watching and saw several birds we
haven't seen before.

    We got a wonderful surprise. On the cliffs over the
Hudson River, with Manhattan in the background, were
four Turkey Vultures. They sat on the cliff only 10 feet
from us. They are huge birds. I posted a few pictures of them
on Myspace. You can view two of them at this link:
http://collect.myspace.com/reloc.cfm?c=18&fuseaction=viewImage&imageID=5395629&friendID=155446816&id=

AND

http://collect.myspace.com/reloc.cfm?c=18&fuseaction=viewImage&imageID=5395634&friendID=155446816&id=

    A week ago I wrote about my favorite flower - The Mayflower.
A good friend of mine who lives in Nova Scotia was kind enough
to send me a picture of a cluster of these wonderful treasures
to me. You can see them at:
http://collect.myspace.com/reloc.cfm?c=18&fuseaction=viewImage&imageID=5396163&friendID=155446816&id=

Here's a nice link sent to me this morning:
http://freegraphics.immanuelministries.net/goodnews.html

    A good friend of mine has a new book out. You should check
this out. Carol's been through rough times. She tells it all
in her latest book.

New Book by Carol Roach:  - Angels Watching Over Me

Pick up the book at lulu.com: http://www.lulu.com/content/644485

Carissa Forbes, a young Black girl of seventeen, leaves her beloved
family in rural Nova Scotia to make a life for herself in the Montreal,
Quebec, Canada. Much befalls this young girl as she tries to adapt
to big city life. She meets and falls in love with a French Canadian
man and is faced with an awful truth at the end of their relationship
that changes her life forever.

Carissa has an extraordinary ability to communicate with angels.  In
all of this, Carissa maintains contact with the spirit world even
when she ignores the warnings.  Imaginary friends, dreams, fortune
tellers and special numbers all play an integral part of this woman's
life until the end of her journey.

Once her daughter marries and creates a life for herself, Carissa
is finally at peace.  Her angels have come through for her and she
is finally happy.

Carol Roach
M.Ed, B.A.
Publisher: Storytime Tapestry
Author: Angels Watching Over Me:http://www.lulu.com/content/644485

Now for today's story:

                       Feathered Trust

    Our home filled with the heavenly scent of fresh-baked
bread. Outside, snow covered the ground. Several birds gathered
in the bush behind our house for protection from the fidget wind.
I cut the first slice from the warm loaf, placed it on a plate, and
gathered the crumbs from the counter.

    I was about to throw the crumbs in the garbage, but remembered
the birds. I slid the patio door open and tossed the crumbs to the
base of the bush. As soon as I closed the door, the birds flew to
the ground and devoured the still warm bread.

    It became a habit - when I sliced bread, the birds got the
crumbs. More birds began to hang around. Ginny and I decided to get
a bird feeder. The day after we set it up, our backyard was filled
with more than a hundred sparrows, a few grackles, a pair of cardinals,
and a variety of other birds.

    We loved to stand by our patio doors and watch them feed. At
first they were shy. They'd fly from the bush to the feeder and back
again - afraid to be out in the open. If Ginny or I walked out on our
deck, they'd all fly away. A few weeks after we put the feeder out,
they learned to trust us, and only fly to the far side of the bush.
They'd wait for us to leave before returning to feed.

    It was the same when I filled the feeder. At first they flew
away. Now only a few fly away. The rest stay and watch me. I move
slowly and try not to startle them. Through patience and perseverance,
I've gained their trust.

    We live close to the Hudson River. A variety of hawks nest on
its steep cliffs. Unfortunately, my back-yard feeder has become a
feeding ground for them too. Hundreds of birds perch on the outer
branches of our bush. If one bird senses a hawk, it makes a noise,
and rushes to the center of the bush, where the hawk cannot reach
it. Heeding the warning, the rest of the flock follows. The flock
is a team with many eyes. Each member looks out for the others.

    Your family is a team. You're part of a team at work and in
sports. Towns, villages and cities are teams. Countries are bigger
teams. The earth is one huge team of humanity. If we apply ourselves
as the birds do, our teams will succeed in protecting its members.

    For this to happen, each member of your team has to trust the
others. It took time persistence and patience, but the birds learned
to trust me. It will take the same for your team to succeed. If it
works for the birds, it will work for all of us.

    Michael T. Smith

    I love your comments, Send them to msmith4 @ nj.rr.com.
REMOVE THE SPACES - I'll include some in every post. See below
for some great comments from last week.

    If you enjoy a story, feel free to pass it on to your friends.
My only request is that you include the link for your friends to
join our family.

To join our family, go to:

http://subs. zinester.com/ 86758/

REMOVE THE SPACES TO GET TO THE SITE. SPAM BLOCKERS ARE

HURTING EZINES. DON'T LET THEM PREVENT YOU FROM READING

GREAT STORIES.

    As promised, here is a list of great inspirational sites.

I subscribe to all of them. You will love these sites.

Run by my friend Carol, Storytime Tapestry at:

http://archives.zinester.com/98907/

By my good friend Keith in Australia:
http://www.agiftofinspiration.com.au/

My friend Phil runs http://www.peoplestuff.com.au/
Phil's awesome and brutally honest

Zev, yes another friend, runs http://empoweringmessages.com/stories/

Heart Catchers is a wonderful site.  www.DianeDeanWhite.com

www.Heartwarmers.com and www.petwarmers.com are two

wonderful story sites.

http://hodu.com/

http://www.mydailyinsights.com/

www.ripplemaker.com

http://www.sermonillustrator.org

http://www.SkyWriting.Net

http://www.archive.zinester.com/9516

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WarmFuzzyStories/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WithInSight/

That's all I can think of right now. If I come up with

more, I'll add them.

Enjoy!!!

Comments my story "Hidden Treasure" from last week:

Dear Michael
What an absolutely delightful story.  I am so pleased that
you decided to rework it.  With the cobwebs wiped away you
have a sparkling new read ready for your eager readers.
Thank you for reminding me about the treasures that are
all around us.  It only takes a minute to sweep away those
'dry leaves' and we are truly blessed with our finds.
Have a wonderful week.
Take care and God Bless
 
Lesley S.
Loughborough, UK

************

Thank you for sharing the story with me ,
I love your site and I have passed it on to others.
Have a blessed day.
Sandi

************

What wonderful memories Mike, It brought back memories of
when I was a little girl and would pick these big bouquets
of Mayflowers and then try and sell them on the side of the
road.  We would get so excited if we sold some for a dime ,
A dime back then bought a lot of penny candy!
I can't wait to get out looking for some Mayflowers and
will have a huge sniff for you !
Hugs Alice

Alice is my friend who sent the photo of her bouquet of
Mayflowers in the in above.

************

Hi Mike.
I copied and sent the information about keeping the car
keys next to your bed or in your hand to ward of thieves
or muggers. It is a great safety tip. But I could not find
the link to your web site to include it. It should be
immediately following or prefacing  your story.

Thanks,
Nell
Bio: Nell Berry is a newly published author of Growing
Up In Missouri and Other Short Stories which may be purchased
from www.publishamerica.com, Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.
She is 74 years old and has four children, nine grandchildren
and two great granddaughters. Her husband of 55 years is a
woodworker and can build about anything out of wood. Nell's
activities include sewing, crocheting, cooking and of course
writing poems, song lyrics and short stories. She is a regular
attendee at her church and loves to sing the gospel songs.

************

Hi Mike!
LOVE your story about the mayflower, and appreciate the
link so I could view the picture.  Sure do wish I knew what
they smell like.  Can you describe the scent?  Is it very
sweet?  Similar to any other flowers? I hope Ginny knows what
nice things you write about her.  Your loving compliments
are a treasure to her, I'm certain.
Have a marvelous Monday and a week ahead filled with blessings.
Sandi in FL.

Note: Ginny does know about the things I write about her.
It makes her uncomfortable sometimes, but I want the world
to know how much I love her.

************

Hi, Mike--
 
As always, I enjoyed your latest story, Mike.
Thanks.
Your safety tip was really welcomed.  Am forwarding to
my wife and daughter.
Peace,
Ron Gold

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