I just talked to Marilyn. Frank had another surgery this morning. He came through it fine. She said he actually drank a little bit of water this afternoon. We'll all just pray for his continuing healing. I'll let you all know as I hear anything else. Joyce
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Roann Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2008 7:05 PM To: Undisclosed-Recipient:; Subject: handygirl A baby's hug ----- Original Message ----- From: Cathy byatt To: Roann Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2008 3:33 PM Subject: FW: A baby's hug -------Original Message------- ---------------------------------------------------------- Subject: A baby's hug We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, 'Hi.' He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment. I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. 'Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster,' the man said to Erik. My husband and I exchanged looks, 'What do we do?' Erik continued to laugh and answer, 'Hi.' Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, 'Do ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek- a-boo.' Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments. We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door. 'Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik,' I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's 'pick-me-up' position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man. Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love and kinship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, 'You take care of this baby.' Somehow I managed, 'I will,' from a throat that contained a stone. He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, 'God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift.' I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, 'My God, my God, forgive me.' I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking, 'Are you willing to share your son for a moment?' when He shared His for all eternity. The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, 'To enter the Kingdom of God , we must become as little children.' If this has blessed you, please bless others by sending it on. Sometimes, it takes a child to remind us of what is really important. We must always remember who we are, where we came from and, most importantly, how we feel about others. The clothes on your back or the car that you drive or the house that you live in does not define you at all; it is how you treat your fellow man that identifies who you are. 'It is better to be liked for the true you, than to be loved for who people think you are......' ---------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.21/1265 - Release Date: 07/02/2008 11:17 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __._,_.___ Messages in this topic <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandygirl/message/16754;_ylc=X3oDMTM3ZG0 wOGNwBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5MDgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARtc2dJZAM xNjc1NARzZWMDZnRyBHNsawN2dHBjBHN0aW1lAzEyMDI2ODgzMDcEdHBjSWQDMTY3NTQ-> (1) Reply (via web post) <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandygirl/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJyM3NvZzVsBF9T Azk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5MDgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARtc2dJZAMxNjc1NARz ZWMDZnRyBHNsawNycGx5BHN0aW1lAzEyMDI2ODgzMDc-?act=reply&messageNum=16754> | Start a new topic <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandygirl/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJmaDFra2thBF9T Azk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5MDgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNu dHBjBHN0aW1lAzEyMDI2ODgzMDc-> Messages <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandygirl/messages;_ylc=X3oDMTJmZnZtYmdy BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5MDgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARzZWMDZnRyBHNs awNtc2dzBHN0aW1lAzEyMDI2ODgzMDc-> | Files <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandygirl/files;_ylc=X3oDMTJnYzQycWFwBF9 TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5MDgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARzZWMDZnRyBHNsawN maWxlcwRzdGltZQMxMjAyNjg4MzA3> | Photos <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandygirl/photos;_ylc=X3oDMTJmNTg2MGFuBF 9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5MDgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARzZWMDZnRyBHNsaw NwaG90BHN0aW1lAzEyMDI2ODgzMDc-> | Links <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandygirl/links;_ylc=X3oDMTJnYXU0b29tBF9 TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5MDgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARzZWMDZnRyBHNsawN saW5rcwRzdGltZQMxMjAyNjg4MzA3> | Database <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandygirl/database;_ylc=X3oDMTJkZWNkNXFx BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5MDgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARzZWMDZnRyBHNs awNkYgRzdGltZQMxMjAyNjg4MzA3> | Polls <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandygirl/polls;_ylc=X3oDMTJnNXQ0Mms5BF9 TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5MDgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARzZWMDZnRyBHNsawN wb2xscwRzdGltZQMxMjAyNjg4MzA3> | Members <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandygirl/members;_ylc=X3oDMTJmbGhtb280B F9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5MDgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARzZWMDZnRyBHNsa wNtYnJzBHN0aW1lAzEyMDI2ODgzMDc-> | Calendar <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandygirl/calendar;_ylc=X3oDMTJlMmliajRo BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5MDgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARzZWMDZnRyBHNs awNjYWwEc3RpbWUDMTIwMjY4ODMwNw--> Yahoo! Groups <http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJlbzkxYWlrBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5M DgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNnZnAEc3RpbWUDMTIwMjY4ODMwN w--> Change settings via the Web <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandygirl/join;_ylc=X3oDMTJnaG5rdHEzBF9T Azk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5MDgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNz dG5ncwRzdGltZQMxMjAyNjg4MzA3> (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Delivery: Digest> | Switch format to Traditional <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Delivery Format: Traditional> Visit Your Group <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandygirl;_ylc=X3oDMTJldWNpNGM2BF9TAzk3M zU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5MDgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNocGYEc 3RpbWUDMTIwMjY4ODMwNw--> | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> | Unsubscribe <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Recent Activity * 2 New Members <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandygirl/members;_ylc=X3oDMTJnNzVrZjNqB F9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5MDgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARzZWMDdnRsBHNsa wN2bWJycwRzdGltZQMxMjAyNjg4MzA3> Visit Your Group <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandygirl;_ylc=X3oDMTJmNjRpOXE0BF9TAzk3M zU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5MDgxMjkwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA0MjAwMARzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwB HN0aW1lAzEyMDI2ODgzMDc-> Biz Resources Y! Small Business <http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13od5mtbo/M=493064.12016255.12445662.8674578/D= groups/S=1705042000:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1202695507/L=/B=xhnbDUJe5tY-/J=1202688307 981040/A=4025321/R=0/SIG=12a352npd/*http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=44092/*http:/ /smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-index> Articles, tools, forms, and more. John McEnroe on Yahoo! Groups <http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13oh5el41/M=493064.12016283.12445687.8674578/D= groups/S=1705042000:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1202695507/L=/B=xxnbDUJe5tY-/J=1202688307 981040/A=5202321/R=0/SIG=11aijbghb/*http://new.groups.yahoo.com/allbrangroup > Join him for the 10 Day Challenge. How-To Zone on Yahoo! Groups <http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13ovlfb34/M=493064.12117566.12537396.8674578/D= groups/S=1705042000:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1202695507/L=/B=yBnbDUJe5tY-/J=1202688307 981040/A=5170406/R=0/SIG=11gfoiqic/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/craf tsman/> Find garden, home & auto groups. . <http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=19081290/grpspId=1705042000/msgI d=16754/stime=1202688307/nc1=4025321/nc2=5202321/nc3=5170406> __,_._,___ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Access the Recipes And More list archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/recipesandmore%40googlegroups.com/ Visit the group home page at: http://groups.google.com/group/RecipesAndMore -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
