Subject: The Middle Wife
Time: 8:41:26 AM EDT
Author: momsfirstscreenn
Mood: Hopeful
Music: suthern gospel
This is so cute,I've seen it before,perhaps you have also,but read it again,then go hold your precious children ,as only a child could tell this .
"The Middle Wife" by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher
I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two
kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I
saw in my own second-grade classroom a few years back.
When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a
few sessions with my students. It helps them get over
shyness and usually, show- and-tell is pretty tame.
Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish
they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any
boundaries or limitations on them.
If they want to lug it to school and talk about it, they're
welcome. Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very
bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to
the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her
sweater. She holds up a snapshot of an infant. "This is
Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his
birthday. First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their
love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke
grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella
cord." She's standing there with her hands on the pillow,
and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder
with me. The kids are watching her in amazement. "Then,
about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going, 'Oh
, oh, oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans.
"She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh,
oh!' Now the kid's doing this hysterical duck walk, holding
her back and groaning. "My Dad called the middle wife.
She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car
like the Domino's man."
"They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this." Then Erica
lies down with her back against the wall. "And then, pop! My
Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got
thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed,
like psshheew!" This kid has her legs spread and with her
little hands are miming water flowing away. It was too much!
"Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push, and breathe
, breathe.'" "They started counting, but never even got
past ten." "Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He
was covered in yucky stuff, they all said was from Mom's
play-center, so there must be a lot of stuff inside there."
Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned
to her seat. I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since
then, if it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just
in case another Erica comes along. You have two
choices...laugh and close this page or pass this along to
someone else to spread the laughs. I know what I did.
Thanks Betty.
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Subject: Old Ash Tree
Time: 11:49:54 AM EDT
Author: momsfirstscreenn
Mood: Happy
Music: southern gospel
06/25/2005 Hidden history Workers discover old tombstone inside tree LINDA N. WELLER , The Telegraph
The Telegraph/JOHN BADMAN Mark Brunetto, left, his stepson, Blake Roberts, 8, center, and Jim Scroggins examine the upper half of a tombstone they found inside the center of the rotted trunk of an ash tree they cut down in Alton’s City Cemetery. ALTON -- To the surprise of tree-cutters in Alton Cemetery, a 150-year-old ash revealed a secret it had kept inside its "heart" for possibly more than a century. Jim Scroggins, 27, and Mark Brunetto, 31, both of Holiday Shores and owners of Holiday Tree and Landscape, discovered a limestone headstone dating to 1854 inside the 90-foot tree they were cutting down June 17.
As it grew slowly over the years, the tree enclosed the grave marker in its middle, surrounding it with wood and bark and eventually reaching a diameter of 4 feet. The growth process of the tree also raised the marker up about 4 feet above ground.
When Scroggins and Brunetto cut away at angles into the towering, hardwood ash, its middle was rotted into a soft reddish-brown matter. They were digging out the center when one of the men hit the headstone with the shovel.
"We could hear it," Brunetto said. "Obviously, it wasn’t wood, and it was something hard."
He said he had no idea what could be inside the old tree, which was damaged during a windstorm June 9.
"I was hoping it was a box of money," Brunetto joked.
Instead, it was upper half of the headstone; the lower part was broken off. They also found two old bricks and a flowerpot that the growing tree had enveloped.
Both men said they were surprised at the find.
"I think it was intended to happen, from God," Scroggins said, noting that a hand with its index finger "pointing to heaven," as he described it, is carved on top of the stone. The grave marker has an arched top.
The men had spent nearly three days taking down the tree and removing the wood. A large stump remains on the site; cemetery records show two graves are under the stump. The men, who do landscaping and tree cutting, said they might come back and remove the stump, which may contain a headstone for the second grave.
Brunetto and Scroggins said they were excited to find the long-hidden grave marker. They said they never had encountered anything as interesting in their yearlong business partnership. They can be reached at 692-6115.
After finding the grave marker, the men said they mulled over calling The Telegraph for a week to report their discovery before Scroggins picked up the telephone. After getting Scroggins’ call, an editor called local history enthusiast Don Huber, who is president of the cemetery board.
The cemetery is between Fifth Street on the south and Union Street on the north between Vine and Pearl streets in the city’s Hunterstown neighborhood.
Huber met the men Friday at Alton Cemetery, applied foamy shaving cream to the indentations carved into the stone and used a ruler to smooth the foam flush with the stone.
"It kind of makes it jump out at you," Huber said as the foam filled up the lettering.
The shaving cream immediately revealed that the gravestone belongs to Martha J. Mahan, who died Aug. 13, 1854. The adjoining grave is missing its marker, which still may be in the stump. It belongs to an apparent relative, Rebecca Mahan.
"I thought it was interesting. I love history," Huber said. "It was a miracle they found it. It was neat for the guys. They were excited about it. I am going to make sure it gets back where it belongs" on the grave.
Bette Flactiff, cemetery sexton, called the find "really remarkable."
"It’s just so strange," she said. "It’s real interesting. It certainly was a surprise."
Flactiff said the Mahans’ graves, in the northern part of the property, are in the older section of the cemetery. Neither Flactiff nor Huber had information about the Mahan family or their descendents.
The cemetery began recording burials in 1837, although board members believe bodies of people who died earlier than that may have been moved from their graves to Alton Cemetery.
lnweller@hotmail.com
Thanks to Paul Drake for sending this.
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Subject: Daddy's empty chair
Time: 3:32:07 PM EDT
Author: momsfirstscreenn
Mood: Frustrated
Music: Southern Gospel
~ DADDY'S EMPTY CHAIR ~
A man's daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. "I guess you were expecting me, he said. 'No, who are you?" said the father. The minister told him his name and then remarked, "I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew I was going to show up." "Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man. "Would you mind closing the door?" Puzzled, the minister shut the door. "I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head." I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man continued, "until one day four years ago, my best friend said to me, "Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest." "Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised, 'I will be with you always'. "Then just speak to him in the same way you're doing with me right now." "So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm." The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church. Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon. "Did he die in peace?" he asked. Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?" The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we could all go like that." Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. I asked God for water, He gave me an ocean. I asked God for a flower, He gave me a garden. I asked God for a friend, He gave me all of YOU... If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.
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Subject: Blessed beyond measure
Time: 12:30:30 PM EDT
Author: momsfirstscreenn
Mood: Frustrated
Music: Southern Gospel
Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of
defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store.
She approached the owner of the store in a most
humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries.
She softly explained that her husband was very ill
and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food.
John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and
requested that she leave his store at once.
Visualizing the family needs, she said:
"Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as
soon as I can."
John told her he could not give her credit, since she
did not have a charge account at his store.
Standing beside the counter was a customer who
overheard the conversation between the two. The
customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her
family. The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?"
Louise replied, "Yes sir." "O.K" he said, "put your
grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery
list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries."
Louise, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of
paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid
the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her
head still bowed.
The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed
amazement when the scales went down and stayed down.
The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to
the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe
it." The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.
The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he
grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer, which said: "Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands." The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence. Louise thanked him and left the store. The other customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said "It was worth every penny of it.. Only God Knows how
much a prayer weighs."
THE POWER OF PRAYER: When you receive this, say a prayer. That's all you have to do. Just stop right now, and say a prayer of thanks for your own good fortune. Then please send this to all your friends and relatives. I believe if you will send this testimony out with prayer in faith, you will receive what you need God to do in your and your families' life.
So dear heart, trust God to heal the sick,provide
food for the hungry, clothes and shelter for those
that don't have as we do.
Don't break this, please!
Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards.
May you always walk with Angels ...
God Bless You!
Sent to me by Betty Hilliard. Thank you.
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Subject: Forgotten History - Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Time: 12:25:44 PM EDT
Author: momsfirstscreenn
Mood: Quiet
Music: Southern Gospel
Thoughts on the Patriot Act and Surveillence
Denis Mueller
I once met a FBI agent named Wesley Swearingen. Wes had been
an agent for twenty-five years. He had joined the bureau,
like many agents, to put bad guys away but soon found him-
self doing black bag jobs on private citizens. A black bag
job is when an agent breaks into someone's office, house or
workplace to acquire information illegally. Wes told me two
stories, which are particularly important when we speak
about surveillance and data.
The first story concerns how a woman, middle aged, was put
on the FBI's list of subversives. She was at a picnic when
she contributed $5.00 to a fund, which was used to promote
anti-lynching laws. It is hard to believe but at one time
some people opposed laws that were designed to stop
lynching, but at any rate, her action put her on a
subversives list to be detained in time of national
emergency. This became part of her file and followed her
whenever she went for a job. Because the group that had
been collecting the money was affiliated with the communist
party she became someone to be watched. She became a
subversive. Here is an example of information being used,
as I see it, incorrectly but it has another chilling effect
in that is dissuades people from contributing to outside of
the mainstream groups, whatever the justice of their cause.
Another example is the case of Geronimo Pratt, Pratt was a
decorated Vietnam veteran who became a member of the Black
Panther Party when he returned from Vietnam. Pratt was a
dedicated young man who rose quickly through the ranks of
the party to become Minister of Defense. He was framed for
a brutal murder he did not commit. Pratt had been under
surveillance by the FBI and they were out to get him. At
first they tried to pin the Tate/Labonca murders on him and
when that failed the FBI continued to try to get him for
some crime. So when a couple was brutally murdered, at a
tennis court by their house, Pratt's name quickly came up.
The trouble was that the FBI knew he was at a party meeting
400 miles away and could not have been on Los Angles at the
time. The bureau hid this fact in trial and when they were
asked for the logs for that day, the FBI said they missing.
Pratt was framed for the double murder and it took twenty-
eight years to finally free him. He was freed when a Reagan
appointed judge looked at all the evidence and decided to
call for a new trial.2 Why do I bring these two incidents
up? Because they are examples of how data can be used or
ignored altogether. Despite the assurances of the
government, are we sure that information gathered for the
Patriot Act will be handled in a neutral manner, or will
the prejudices of the agent's come into play?
The panopitcan works in manner where an individual, when
under surveillance, or the threat of surveillance, will
conform in a manner that is acceptable to the social order.
J. Edgar Hoover ruled the FBI with an iron fist for over 50
years. His premise was that everyone had skeletons in their
closet that they did not want to become public. So Hoover's
surveillance had a chilling effect for no Congressman would
dare challenge him because of the threat of what Hoover
might have in his files. So year after year the Congress
gave Hoover whatever he wanted. There would be no challenges
to his reign. The system, for Hoover, worked quite well. In
fact the people in Congress would fall over each other to
appease Hoover. What Hoover would do is invite someone into
his office and tell them that there are people spreading
rumors about something. Then he would say that he knows
this is not true but thought he should share the information
with them.3 Of course those in question knew exactly what
was going on and were then in Hoover's pocket. In a way, it
didn't matter whether they were innocent or guilty; all that
mattered was the threat from Hoover. This is a classic
example of how social control and surveillance can work.
The women who gave $5.00 never knew that she was under
surveillance. Pratt knew he was under surveillance but no
one, including his first attorney Johnnie Cochrane, would
believe him that the plot by the FBI would include setting
someone up for murder. The politicians knew that Hoover was
watching them and so they would give the FBI everything they
wanted.
Now, under the Patriot Act, we are asked to believe the FBI
when they say they would never abuse these new laws that
give them added power. We make these laws, such as the
Patriot Act, under the guise that ordinary citizens have
nothing to fear but forget that data can be used in all
types of ways. We become under the mercy of this type of
surveillance so dissent is stifled and control established.
Data gathering is not an apolitical act no matter what the
FBI might say and the potential for abuse is huge. Under
the Patriot Act one does not even, like the women who gave
five dollars, know why they are on list.
Take the case of Cat Stevens. Stevens, now know as Yusuf
Islam, was on his way to Nashville when the flight was
diverted to Banger, Maine. He was told to get off the plane
and refused entrance into the United States. Stevens was on
the terrorist watch list and so no other reason was given.
No other reason was deemed necessary. Mr. Islam said that
he was devastated." The unbelievable thing is that only two
months earlier, I had been having meetings in Washington
with top officials from the White House Office of Faith
Based and Community Initiatives to talk about my charity
work." Is it possible that unknowingly Stevens contributed
money to an organization that had some far removed
connection with a group that we deem as terrorist? What we
often fail to understand is surveillance is not neutral, it
makes no claims for such, it can be biased information.
Sources: Video: The FBI's War on Black America
Interview with Wesley Sweagingen
1 interview with Wesly Sweagingen. 1995
2 interview with Geronimo Pratt, 1990. The FBI's War on
Black America
3 See Atheon Thoeharris, The Boss
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