Hearts and Humor - Get on Your Behind and Slide

Hello, Gang! Happy Sunday or Monday, depending on where
you are in the world.

It's been hot and humid all weekend. Ginny and I did
get our-and-about, but kept it to a minimum.

Have you ever made a decision and discovered it was
a bad one? How did you correct it? It's not easy, is it?

Today's story tells about a decision my daughter and
I made. I'll say no more. You can read it below.

I'm also including some great photos of our adventure.
I pray you are safe and happy and that you enjoy today's
story from my heart.

    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 Love your comments.
    Send them to: msmith4@nj.rr.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. This is one of my favorites.

                  Get on Your Behind and Slide

    Ginny and I took my daughter, Vanessa, to see the Kaaterskill
Falls, in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. The falls
are one hundred and twenty miles north of our home in New Jersey.

    We parked the car in the small lot and followed the narrow
shoulder of the mountain road, which snaked down the side of the
mountain. Cars passed dangerously close, as we made our way to
the base of a cool mountain stream. A sign announced "Falls -  0.5
Miles."

    The trail was well worn by the feet of those who'd made the
trek before us. On the steep parts, we grabbed trees for support.
Ginny, who suffered from a cold, took a break. She stretched out
on a rock, "Mike, I don't know if I can make it."

    Vanessa and I sat beside her. "It's OK, Gin." I held her hand.
A family passed us. The trail grew quiet. "Gin, do you hear it?"

    She sat up. "What?"

    "Listen! I think I hear the falls. It can't be too far away!"

    "Michael, I'm not sure I can make it."

    "I'll help you." I pleaded.

            *************************

    A half hour later, we stood panting at the base of Kaaterskill
Falls, the highest two-tiered waterfall in New York state. Two hundred
and sixty feet above us, a stream of water slipped over the edge of a
cliff, tumbled one hundred and eighty feet onto a shelf in the cliff,
formed a pool and then dropped another eighty feet to the base of the
falls. "Michael!" Ginny held my hand. "It's breathtaking! I'm so glad
I made it."

    "Dad, this is amazing!" Vanessa said in awe.

    Several people climbed the side of the mountain, walked along
the edge and stood at the side of the pool on the ledge eighty feet
above us. "Dad, that looks like fun. Let's try it! I want to see
the pool."

    Ginny waited at the base of the falls. Vanessa and I began to
climb. The higher we went, the steeper the side of the mountain
became. We climbed with the face of the mountain a few feet in front
of us. The loose soil, covered in pine needles, rolled like
marbles under our feet. With the help of tree branches and bushes,
we made our way close to the top, where we paused for breath.

    "Dad, I don't think I can make it to the top." My daughter panted.
Sweat ran down her forehead and into her eyes.

    I looked up and wiped my own sweat from my face. We were close
to the top, but the last few feet were steep and free of trees and
brush for support. I gave in. "You're right." I paused to catch my
breath. "Let's go back."

    We started down the mountain. I held a tree. "Vanessa, this is
scary!" On the way up, the side of the mountain was in our face.
On the way down, it sloped away from our feet. Our point of reference
was distorted. We were unsteady on our feet.

    Holding on to each other, trees, brush, and anything else we
could grasp, we slowly worked our way down the path we chose. If the
mountain was too steep, we sat on our behinds and slid or crawled
like crabs.

            *************************

    I held Ginny's hand, looked up the mountain, and wiped dirt
from my pants. Our decision to climb the mountain seemed like a
great idea, but we soon realized we'd made a mistake.

    We make decisions. Most are right for us, but there are times
when they're wrong. It's not easy to change our minds or correct
our past actions. Like the branches and bushes I held onto, we
have family and friends. When they offer support, grab onto them.
They'll support you.

    If all else fails, get on your behind and slide.

    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, go to:

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

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

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

    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

To join Carol's story site, go to Storytime Tapestry at:
http://archives.zinester.com/98907/

From my wonderful writing friend, Jan. She writes wonderful
stories about her life and losing her sight.
Janet Perez Eckles
Faith and Love with a Latin Flair
www.janetperezeckles.com

Here's a good one by Linda Della Donna
Freelance Writer
www.littleredmailbox.com
www.griefcase.blogspot.com
www.storybone.blogspot.com
"...and sometime when I wasn't looking, I got a new life."

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/

If you, or anyone you know needs prayers for health concerns,
struggles,etc visit www.janetperezeckles.com
Janet's prayer group will respond.

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.

Now for some comments on my last few stories:

Mike,

Just wanted to drop you a quick note and tell you I have
been praying for your son, his friends and their families
(regarding the wreck).  I know it must be awful for
everyone involved.  I pray that your son will realize
how blessed he is - that he was not in the car - and that
he will not experience "survivor guilt" from it. 
I pray that he will take away from this lessons about
the choices we make and how those can have devistating
consequences.  But I also pray that he will not allow fear
to keep him from making the hard choices and that he
will recieve the wisdom to know exactly what he should do
in all circumstances.  I also pray for strength and wisdom
for you and Ginny as you help him through this time.

Lisa

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

Regarding an old story of mine called, "Life is a Bag of
Frozen Peas."

Hi,
I read your write up on life is like a frozen peas.Its of
great blessings.May God bless you and your new wife.
dickson.

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

Mike,
    You truly have been blessed with an amazing
ability...being able to touch (and sometimes change)
people's lives through mere words, these words shared not
just across the continent, but around the world.  I have
heard that those with the most important purposes in life,
and those who are diligently following God's plan, are
those who suffer the greatest.  This suffering could be
through any number of things, sometimes it is the Devil
who is trying to make us stumble and fall out of God's
plan, but other times it is God helping us become even
stronger, and more capable than we already are to handle
the bigger or the final project that he has for us to do. 
I like the idea of the second part better, but I know that
we all have our stumbling blocks, that we must prove we
can overcome and still stay on the right path.

Julie

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

I think this is the first of your stories I've had time
to read all the way through. I gather your Son was in a
wreck, a bad one.  When things happen to our children
it's the saddest time of our lives.

I loved your story of you and Ginny playing scrabble. 
I would be in a mess, maybe that is why I do get in
messes, I can't spell worth a hoot. But you took a game
and made a sermon out of it, a very inspirational one.

Charlotte H.

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

Michael,
Congratulations! I read your newsletter an  love the
story and the links you provide.
The contents are not only thought-provoking, but also
informative. And thanks so very much for including my link.
What a great guy you are!!
Regards my friend.

Janet Perez Eckles
Faith and Love with a Latin Flair
www.janetperezeckles.com
Visit my blog-nuggets of inspiration for the hurting heart

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