Hearts and Humor - Yiou Don't HAve to Be Original

    Hi, Gang! A warm welcome goes out to all our new "Heartsandhumor"
family members. I'll hope you'll make this your family of choice.

    Ginny and I are having a lazy day. We did grocery shop, but
for the most part, we've just enjoyed each other's company. Outside,
rain falls steadily. The grass is loving it, as are the firefighters,
who battled major forest fires in the pine barrens in southern New Jersey.
It took them serval days and a good rain to get the blaze under control.
If you have a monet,say a prayer for those who lost their homes and
for those who suffered damage houses and property.

    I'm now posting my stories on "Ourecho.com." If you
wish to read my stories there, go to:
http://ourecho.com/index.php?page=search&keyword=Michael+T.Smith&search=Search
Take a moment to leave a comment. If the owner likes what he hears
about a story, he awards a monthly prize to the author - me I hope.

    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.

    NOTE: IF YOU WISH TO STOP RECEIVING MY STORIES, PLEASE
USE THE UNSUBSCRIBE LINK BELOW. PLEASE DO NOT MARK ME AS SPAM.
MY STORIES ARE ONLY SENT TO THOSE WHO SUBSCRIBE TO MY EZINE.

I'd Love your comments. I received a lot of them last week.
Sadly, I can only post a few, but rest assured, I loved them all
and always reply.
Send your comments to: msmith4@nj.rr.com

    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.

Carol Roach
M.Ed, B.A.
Publisher: Storytime Tapestry
Author: Angels Watching Over Me:http://www.lulu.com/content/644485
Picking up the Pieces: A Woman's Journey: www.publishamerica.com

    If anyone is interested in greeting cards, Ginny
belongs to a group of artists. They've teamed together
to market their products. Check them out at:
http://www.etsygreetings.blogspot.com

    Ginny's cards and other crafts are at:
http://www.ginginsgoodies.etsy.com

    Be sure to check out my collection of inspirational
   
sites at the end. There's something for everyone.

    Now for today's story.

    American Idol is drawing to a close. This week
we'll know America's favorite new star. I'm addicted to the
show. I'll be sad when it's over. Today's story is an
older one, I thought was fitting for this week.

             You Don't Have To Be Original

    I sat on my deck and enjoyed the evening. Birds chirped
and fluttered around the birdfeeder in the backyard. Finches
clung to a bag of thistle hanging on a tree branch, only ten
feet from me. They'd grown used to my presence and no longer
flew away when I stepped out for fresh air. I sat and watched
them pull the thistle through the tiny openings in the fabric.
Their feathers - red, purple and yellow - were beautiful.

    From a distant tree, I heard the song of a cardinal - purdy,
purdy, purdy. The song changed. It was a starling. Next, it was
a version of the robin's evening song. A little later it was
a song I couldn't identify.

    It was a mocking bird. For more than thirty minutes, he
sang through his repertoire of songs. He was loud; his singing
perfect. He didn't have a song of his own. He mocked the songs
of other birds, pieced them together, and created a concert
for my enjoyment.

    I was reminded of "American Idol©," a show my stepdaughter,
Heather, has me addicted to. Hopeful singers sang the songs of
others and were judged by a panel of three. The top contestants
went to Hollywood, where they competed against other successful
singers. Each week they faced new challenges and one-by-one
they were eliminated, until a winner was chosen.

    The mocking bird continued to sing, ignoring the hammering
from down the street, where a carpenter was building a house.
He used skills, learned as a young man, to construct a basic
house. Over time, the carpenter learned more.  He added his
personal touch to his work. He took the basics he learned
from those before him and made it a creation of his own.

     The mocking bird, the winner of "American Idol©," and
the carpenter have a common link. They took the ideas of
others, copied and learned from them. They added to what
they learned and created their own works of art.

    We don't have to be original. We start with the building
blocks placed in our path by those before us. We have a
choice: we can continue to copy or we can add our own blocks
for the next to follow and learn from.

    I have to run. I hear my mocking bird outside. I want
to hear what he has created for my enjoyment today.

Michael T. Smith

    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 at Heartsandhumor, 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

Here's a newly discovered one I like:

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!!!

I love your comments, Send them to msmith4@nj.rr.com.

I'll include some in every post.

Dear Michael
 
You've done it again!  I really enjoyed If Only I Could
Bridge Time.  It is remarkable that you could capture
the essence of John's life in 500 words.  Take a bow
and KEEP WRITING.

Take Care and God Bless
Lesley S.
Loughborough UK

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

I loved reading "Two Mothers."  What a special story for Mother's Day.
Thank you.

Linda
Cedar Falls, Iowa

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

Beautiful story. It made me teary and melancholic, so I ran to
my mother's bedroom and hugged her tightly. Thank you for reminding
me that I should not take things for granted.

Jessica

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

This is from my good friend and faithful reader Sandi. Sandi
was honest with me about my contest entry. I appreciated it.

Okay now, Mike, you know I like your writings, but this one about
bridging time is not my favorite.  Maybe it's because you were limited
to the number of words and thus didn't use many descriptive adjectives
or much detail.  I actually prefer your true stories a lot more. 
You asked for feedback from your readers, so that is my two cents' worth!
But thanks as ever for sharing, and a huge, sincere thank-you for
the list of inspirational websites we can click on since you have
highlighted them and added a tidbit or two about them.   What a nice
gesture on your part.   You think of everything. . . even serving Ginny
breakfast in bed on Mother's Day!  What a nice surprise gift!