A Little Bit And More ... :) Shangy! >Here are the details on our Yahoo ShangyFunList: To Subscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShangyFunList or Web Site: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/ShangyFunList.html Group email address: ShangyFunList@yahoogroups.com or email me here: bcrsystems@earthlink.net =========================== >-->In The 'Shangy' News :) o \ o `. o o o o \ ` -. .-.-. .---. .-.,-.,-. ..-. / )| | `'____\' o _____\|| ` `' | |-._--.| |----.| | o |o ||-.| ||,-. || | o o | ||_|| |/ oo\ || | | || || C ._)o || | o o| || ||o|\`-/ || | ,. o | ||_|| ,'\,\ || | _\('') | ||o||/\ \ .: o|| | (; .) | || |( \_\||___|| | _,.(|___)-. | o||_|||`-`,\)----' | o o | | ||..|.| o _ |-. _.-. `.-.|._|_.-:|__|_|-.-' `-'.__ o o '--`-` o - SSt I've been busy digging out from more of that cold wet stuff we seem to be getting a lot of. Aside from that, I've been working on adding over 100 more animations to my animated Gifs here: http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/agifs.html There have been lots of new and exciting animations lately so I want to make sure my gallery has some of the latest and greatest free ones available. Takes a lot of time, but I enjoy doing it. .---------------. / oLo \ O/_____/________/____\O /__________+__________\ / (#############) \ |[**](#############)[**]| \_______________________/ |_""__|_,-----,_|__""_| | | '-----' | | APC'97 '-' '-' I also started working on a new page. This one will be for you fans of the top of the line fast production cars. Hopefully I will have it completed during this weekend. AND If you Haven't Already, Check out these FUN Picture Pages: Giant Panda Bear http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/pandabear.html Ice Hotel http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/icehotel.html Ice Sculpture Art http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/ices.html Wind Snow Rolls http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/snow.html Polar Bear Encounter http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/polar.html Grand Canyon Skywalk http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/skywalk.html Desert Skiing http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/desertskiing.html Hiking In China http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/trail.html =================================================================== >-->Take a Moment Story Editor: by Christine Schowalter Joyce Schowalter California, USA ____ _____________ _____________ ____//_]|________ ____//__][__][___| ____//__][______|| (o _ | -| _ o| (o _| -| _ o| (o _ | -| _ o| `(_)-------(_)--' `-(_)--------(_)-' `(_)-------(_)---' ______________ ________________ __________________ //__][__\\____\\ //__][__\\___\\__\ |[_][_][_][_][_][_]| (o _-| o| -->From AndyChaps: >If I Only Had Just A Little More "The lie of the secularist is the notion that contentment in life is dependent upon material possessions. The going expression is, 'if I only had just a little more.' One of the important lessons that we should learn early in life is this: 'If I am not satisfied with what I have, I will never be satisfied with what I want...' " ~~~Kenneth W. Osbeck( Amazing Grace, pg. 191) -<>- >We're On His Side /| |\ `__\\ //__' || || \__`\ |'__/ `_\\ //_' _.,:---;,._ \_: :_/ |@. .@| | | ,\.-./ \ ;;`-' `---__________-----.-. ;;; \_\ ';;; | ; | ; \ \ \ | / \_, \ / \ |\ |';| |,,,,,,,,/ \ \ \_ | | | \ / | \ \ | | / \ | | || | | | | | | || | | | | | | || | | | | | |_||_| |_| |_| /_//_/ /_/ /_/ valkyrie Two Scottish schoolboys out for a hike one morning came to a cliff over- looking the sea. As they stood admiring the scenery and listening to the breakers below, they heard in the distance the blast of a hunter's horn, the baying of hounds, and the beat of horses' hooves. A hunting party on the trail of game, they thought. And they were right. Soon a deer rushed out of the underbrush panting with fear, obviously the object of the chase. The boys watched the terrified animal pause at the edge of the cliff as if debating what to do, whether to jump for its life into the sea below or run to the left or the right. How the boys wished they could help it! Suddenly, the deer turned sharply to one side and sped away along the edge of the cliff, quickly disappearing from sight. The boys knew that the hunters would soon arrive in hot pursuit. "What shall we say if they ask us which way the deer went?" the younger boy said. "Oh, we'll just say we don't know," replied the older one. "But that would be lying," the younger objected. "We don't want to do that." Then, just as the hunters arrived on the scene, an idea struck the older boy that solved the dilemma. When the hunters asked if the boys had seen the deer and which way it had gone, he said, "It's not fair to ask us. We're on his side." A simple story, but how profoundly suggestive of God's care for His people here on earth! And how reassuring. He's on our side. The Bible says so, in just those words. Read: Psalm 118:6, NEB: "The Lord is on my side, I have no fear; what can man do to me?" By Ted Torkelson, Monmouth, Oregon Source: Signs of the Times, Copyright (c) June 2002, Pacific Press, http://www.signstimes.com -<>- >Obedience Brings Salvation ; ; ~~`~~ ; ~`~ ~~`~~`~ `~` ~~`~~ `~~~`~~~~ `~`~` , ~~`~~`~ ~`~~~`~ `~`~`"_/O\""\ ~`~~`~~`~~~ ~~~`~~~`~ ~|`~_ |[|##| `~~`~~~`~ ~~~|~~~` '_--...__ ~`~|~'^ | _- _- _ _ | | _- _- _ | __ |_- _- ¯_ - A young son of a missionary in Zaire was playing in the yard when suddenly he heard his father yell to him from the porch, "Philip, obey me instantly! Drop to your stomach!" Without hesitation the boy did as his father commanded. His father then commanded, "Now crawl to me as fast as you can!" Again, the boy immediately obeyed. "Now stand up and run to me!" Philip responded without questioning and ran into his fathers arms. When Philip turned around and looked back at the tree where he was standing, he saw a huge, poisonous snake hanging from one of the branches. The boy could have hesitated and asked "Why?" or "In just a minute," but he instantly obeyed. That simple act of obedience saved his life! -<>- >Picked Clean _ _ (_'-----'_) (_.'""""._) fsc When walking on the beach at SanibelIsland, I came upon something I'd never seen before...a perfectly formed skeleton of a fish. Nearly every bone was intact, from the head down the backbone, including the ribs. The tail was still attached, also. However, there was little flesh on the bones. Birds and scavengers had picked it clean. One seagull, however, was pulling one of the few remnants of meat still attached. Have you ever felt as if you have been "picked clean"? Have circumstances and people pulled on your life until you feel dried up, brittle and bare- exposed as the fish skeleton I saw? When you feel this way, at the end of your rope just remember that God will put a safety net of His protection around you. It may be in the form of another Christian to intercede in prayer for you, or one to call you with an encouraging word or to take time to be a good listener. God may wrap you in His love by giving you a glimpse of unexpected beauty of a heartfelt laugh. He might just grant a reprieve from your oppressive circumstances. We should be thankful that we, as God's children, can be put back together again. Unlike the fish I saw that was picked clean, we NEVER are. No one can take God away from us. Contributed by Marion Smith (noles65@aol.com -<>- ____ (\ __ /) ( \(__)/ ) ( /<>\ ) (\/\/) Marilyn / \ Cox ( ) ~~~~ >There Are Angels There are angels in the Heavens. There are angels on the ground. There are angels all around you, Just waiting to be found. So when you are feeling lonely Or just a little blue, Open your eyes to see the angels. They are there, waiting for you. Don't forget about these angels During all of your good times too, For they like to share your happiness And the joys, that come to you. They will wrap their wings around you, To protect and guide you through All the sad and tragic moments That this life can throw at you. They are sent to you from Heaven From the Almighty Father above. So remember to look for the angels. They'll show you that God is Love. ~ Dorothy Carol Kemp ~ ================================================================== >-->From InspiredBuffalo: __.--~~.,-.__ `~-._.-(`-.__`-. \ `~~` .--./ \ /# \ \.--. \ / /# \ jgs '--' \ / '--' >Cherry Pie My mom always knew my favorite desert craving... cherry pie. Not the frozen kind, but real homemade cherry pie. As I grew up during my birthdays, thanksgiving and other specials occasions a cherry pie would wind up on the table. Fast forward to 1994. My wife had just passed away from cancer. My heart was broken and I was depressed. I went home to visit my mom and her husband. No words were needed as she brought out a cherry pie. The pie if it could have talked would have said, "I am so sorry. I love you" Peace be with you." My mom will not make any more pies, but she had made many many memories for me. She has been my rock. I wonder at the ingredients of the pie, love, tenderness, compassion mixed together and warmed with a hug. B.J. Cassady Guthrie, Oklahoms -<>- >One Last Time Around By Dennis Yohnka (c) On warm Friday nights in the summer of 1963, fans at the little Sugar Island Speedway, outside of Aroma Park, Illinois, cheered for an "older" driver in a lilac purple 1957 Chevy with a red #4 on the door. Joe Weaver was at the wheel, wearing white pants and a white shirt, black engineer boots and a helmet that looked more like today's bicycle headgear. He wasn't a romanticized version of a dirt-track driver. He was well beyond the twenty-something looks of a James Dean-style daredevil. Still, he was the reigning king of the power slide, and he made dozens of laps each summer with a smile on his face and the checkered flag in his hand. Time had begun to erode his skills later in that decade, and then a highway accident sent him into a long, painful rehabilitation period. He never raced again. Instead, his focus for the next two years would be to simply survive. By the year 2000, Joe was in a local nursing home. He regained some abilities, but was never the same after the accident. He was confined to a wheelchair now that severe arthritis multiplied the discomfort in those joints so damaged in that wreck. The staff at the home had heard all about the stories of his racing days, but it wasn't until administrators initiated a special one-more-wish program that they were able to put that information to use. Prior to Joe's wish, they had arranged simple requests such as a romantic Valentine's Day dinner for a couple, a visit to a nearby farm for one lady and other activities that turned back the clock in special ways for the residents. For the old man in Room 325, the wish-fulfillment plan would require more extensive efforts - he wanted to be in his stock car again. Would the local track cooperate? Could they find a car like Joe used to drive? Could they even hope to pry his stiff, achy body into a stock car with the doors welded shut? Jim O'Connor, a man who once shared the quarter-mile oval with Joe, now managed the local track, the Kankakee Motor Speedway. He quickly approved the idea and set about finding a 1957 Chevy that might still be racing. He discovered one in the Street Stock Division of a track nearly one hundred miles to the south. The car owner/driver, Leroy Nelson, easily agreed to the plan, and he began installing a passenger seat for Joe. The night for the wish come true arrived with a threat of rain. The temperatures were cool, but the nursing-home staff bundled up their celebrity (plus a dozen other residents who wanted to see Joe's special moment). Of course, Joe's family and scores of friends turned out, too. Wrapped in a blanket in his wheelchair, the weak-looking former driver appeared a bit lost, not too sure of the faces when former fans and competitors introduced themselves. He seemed to focus only on the moment when he would return to the track. It began to sprinkle, and time trials were interrupted to wait out the showers. Joe was taken to a pavilion out of the rain. While he was surrounded by well-wishers, his mood was obviously dampened by the apparent loss of his chance to relive a little of his glory days. At some point (no one knows who made the decision), it was concluded that it was now or never. The car was brought up as close as possible to the pit gate. Joe was wheeled over, and the ordeal of getting him into the car began. Using the blanket to cautiously move him, Joe was lifted through the back window and slid into the seat by a team of family members, drivers and nursing-home staff members. He moaned in pain, but told them to continue. He was buckled in with the bulky blanket around him. The fans, nearly two thousand that night, stayed for this moment-despite the cold and the fact that this program was going to be rained out. And they stood and cheered when the lilac 1957 Chevy made its way onto the track. A volunteer sign painter had transformed the car, and it now carried the red #4 and the man who made that number famous in this part of Illinois. Joe waved to the crowd, again. And they stood and cheered, again. But then the car slowed and stopped on the backstretch. No one wanted to say it aloud, but was the excitement too much for the old man? Maybe it was just a problem with the car. Or maybe the trauma of climbing into a stock car caused some injury to those brittle bones. Suddenly, that lone car on the track roared back to life. It came through turns three and four with a power slide, right out of the '60s. Then the reason for the delay became clear. As the car flashed in front of the stands, a checkered flag waved from the passenger side window. Somehow, Joe and a coconspirator had concealed an old reminder of his racing days in that blanket. It was like a slow-motion scene in a movie. You could see his weak, crooked fingers holding the flag. You could see the smile on his face. And if you were as lucky as this writer, you could remember the times when this happened every Friday night. When the car returned to the pit gate, Joe seemed to slip out so much easier. It was as if he was already floating from the experience. His eyes were different, too. They sparkled again. [Author's Note: After the racing season, the cars at the old Sugar Island Speedway were often dismantled and left in a junkyard adjacent to the track. The lilac door with the red 4 was discovered there, and it hung proudly in the bedroom of this writer as a teenager.] -<>- >MIRACLES WITHIN US ________ .##@@&&&@@##. ,##@&::%&&%%::&@##. #@&:%%000000000%%:&@# #@&:%00' '00%:&@# #@&:%0' '0%:&@# #@&:%0 0%:&@# #@&:%0 0%:&@# #@&:%0 0%:&@# "" ' " " ' "" By: Joseph J. Mazzella I am always amazed at how many miracles there are in this life. Everywhere you look there they are. They are in the first flower that pokes its head up in the Spring. They are in the singing of the birds and music of the frogs as the sun sets and the world turns to night. They are in the parting of the clouds and the magnificent lighting up of the world that follows. They are in the golden sunlight that chases the grey and gloom away and fills the heart with joy. They are in nature, in animals, and in life itself. Most of all, though, they are in each one of us. Now many of you might object that there is a single miracle inside of you let alone countless ones. The truth, however, is that all of us have within ourselves miracles upon miracles. God loves us all and gives each of us the miraculous power to change the world with His love. We may not be able to heal the sick, but we can uplift their spirits with our caring and love. We may not be able to feed the world, but we can help to save the lives of one or two with our support and charity. We may not be able to take away the pains of life, but we can hold another up with our kindness and compassion as they face them. We may not be able to bring happiness to everyone, but we can share our happiness, optimism, enthusiasm, cheerfulness, and delight with everyone we meet. We may not be able to do the work of God, but we can help God do His work through us by sharing our love, joy, prayers, and oneness with Him. Don't miss out on the miracles within you then. Choose them, share them, and live them everyday of your life. God has sent us all on the miraculous journey called life and during it we touch countless other souls. Let us always bless them with the miracles of our love, joy, giving, caring, compassion, helping, and goodness. Let us never miss the chance to share a miracle. -<>- >Links For your Enjoyment: Face Balls http://www.buffalosjokes.com/022302.htm Fantastic Machine http://www.buffalosjokes.com/022303.htm Smart Animals http://www.buffalosjokes.com/022304.htm To Subscribe send a blank email to: the-inspired-buffalo-subscribe@yahoogroups.com ==================================================================== >-->Freom Heartwarmers: >HAPPY ENDINGS by Michael Segal . | . \ | / `. \ ' / .' `. .-*""*-. .' "*-._ /.*" "*.\ _.-*" : ; ____ """"': .. ; _.-*" \ `.__.' / "*-._ .' `-.__.-' `. bug .' / . \ `. / | \ ' | ` You could hear a pin drop. Then, some sniffles in the mob of thousands. Eventually, after what appeared like an eternity, the crowd roared with applause as the ambulance took him away. His name is Kevin Everett and he was playing for the Buffalo Bills football team. He was hurt -- hurt very badly trying to make a tackle on a kickoff. The blow injured his spinal column causing a paralysis. He could not give the "thumbs up" to the crowd, no matter how hard he tried. Meanwhile, back home in a small town near Houston, Kevin's mother was watching the game in a sport's bar. Very few things in life are worse than watching your "baby" on television not being able to move. His fiancee was also near Houston washing her car. Soon she would find out the horrible news. Soon, everyone would find out the horrible news as the doctor reported in a TV news broadcast that Kevin was in critical condition -- his life was at risk, never mind the fact that he possibly might never again be able to walk. Luckily, Kevin's doctor who was in the ambulance with him, tried a new procedure to immediately cool his spinal column. Also, he was fortunate he had a neurosurgeon waiting for him at the trauma hospital. Slowly, and very slowly, he began making progress. Eventually, he was stable enough to be flown to The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR), a rehabilitation hospital near his home in Houston. At TIRR he continued making great progress. He took his first steps there. Mind you, very few people who sustain that kind of injury are ever able to take a first step. But he did, and he continues to keep proving the experts wrong. When he appeared and walked on the Oprah show recently, he proved to have made a miraculous recovery. If you had not known him or his story, you would not have realized that he had an injury that almost cost him his life. Back at TIRR, many patients are obliged to learn to deal and cope with dramatic changes after those life altering experiences. A person, often, is simply thankful for the small things -- like being able to brush one's teeth, tying one's shoes, combing one's hair, etc. Quite often the small things in life are really huge. Often, it takes much time to deal with the many losses. However, with a positive attitude, support, as well as many other factors, life, after a spinal cord injury can be very successful. The proverb, "Be thankful for what you have and do not dwell on what you have lost" is a great attitude. The patients at TIRR realize this, and people everywhere should accept that proverb, since everyone in life experiences some kind of loss. That is the definition of being human. Kevin Everett and so many others are trying to show the world that life is not over when one sustains a major loss. In fact, perhaps, for many it is just beginning. Perhaps the reason Kevin Everett healed so miraculously was because of the care he received in the ambulance, or in the hospital, or in the rehab hospital, or because of his excellent conditioning, or because of his faith, or because of so many other reasons, or a combination of the above. Today, he is doing great and helping others. Many people, who have sustained a spinal cord injury, as well as those who have not, possess the desire to get better. For many, that equates to being more independent. People want to believe that getting better is possible. People enjoy stories with happy endings. And people want to be positive. Kevin Everett's story reminds us that sometimes there are happy endings. -- Michael Segal ____________________________________________ Shot in the head during a robbery, Michael Jordan Segal defied all odds by first surviving and then returning to college. He then earned two degrees with honors, married his high school sweetheart, Sharon, and became a father to their daughter Shawn. You can learn more about him by visiting his website at: http://www.inspirationbymike.com You can also check out the book, Standing Tall, about Kevin Everett here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1600781411/heart/ref=nosim ____________________________________________ MOST LIFE CHANGING MOMENT Remember our friend Stephen Hopson, one of our Heartwarmer Gems, who has been deaf since birth? Stephen has achieved some amazing things in life and here is his two minute video on what changed his life. Click on it and be sure to share with your friends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuqlVivegXg ==================================================================== >-->From SermondFodder: __ .-'||'-. .' || '. / __||__ \ GOD Comes First! | /`- -`\ | | | 6 6 | | \/\____7___/\/ .--------:\:I:II:I:/;--------. / \`:I::I:`/ \ | `------' | | \____/ | | , __ _____ , | |======| / / / _ \ |======| |======| / /__ \ <_> / |======| |~~~~~| | <_> \/ <_> \ |~~~~~| | |\ \____/\_____/ /| | \ \| |/ / `\ \ _ _.-=""=-._ _ / /' `\ '`_)\\-++++-//(_`' /' jgs ; (__|| ||__) ; ; ___\ /___ ; '. ---/-=..=-\--- .' `""` `""` Brad Smith's top priority is his relationship with God By ROSS TODD One morning this past January, University of Missouri quarterback Brad Smith sat at a table with Scott Ashton, director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in mid-Missouri. The pair were discussing plans for an upcoming FCA event to be held before the MU-Kansas basketball game. During the event, Ashton and Smith would be speaking in front of about 750 young people from across the region. Strangers interrupted them four times during their 45-minute meeting to ask Smith for his autograph and to praise his on-the-field achievements. At the end of the meeting, Ashton asked Smith if all that attention bothered him. "I don't mind it," Smith replied. Eyes are always on Brad Smith. The 20-year-old was named an honorable mention All-American last year, after leading the Tigers to their first bowl game since 1998. After just two seasons, he holds the school record for total offense: 6,745 yards. College football pundits have him on preseason Heisman Trophy watch lists for the coming season. Still, Smith stays humble. He believes his talent comes from a higher source, and his relationship with God is at the top of his priorities. "It's above one; it's above any other number or person or thing," Smith says. "Worship ... is a lifestyle" Smith, who was raised in the Pentecostal Church, makes his faith a part of his everyday life. It is a value his mother, Sherri Smith, instilled in him early in life. "Worship for us is a lifestyle," Sherri Smith says. When MU coach Gary Pinkel was recruiting Smith, his family asked Pinkel to meet with their pastor and an elder from their church in Youngstown, Ohio. "Brad's relationship with the church and the pastor is more than a Sunday event," says Sherri Smith, who is an executive assistant at Calvary Ministries International in Youngstown. In fact, Brad Smith's faith affects his whole life, from the field to the classroom to his time in the community. "`In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy path,'" Smith says, quoting Proverbs 3:6. "I try to acknowledge Him in everything." Moments after MU beat Nebraska, in what was arguably Smith's biggest win, the MU quarterback was acknowledging God's presence. He was not on his knees in prayer or pointing to the heavens as some vocal Christian athletes are apt to do. Rather, he was kneeling over a student who had been punched by a Nebraska player amid the celebration on the field. The episode was an example of Smith following the Golden Rule. "God had to put that in me to even see that person," Smith says. "It just felt like something I should do, just to check on him. I would want somebody to see if I was all right, to check on me if that happened." His concern for the young MU fan was still evident later when he talked with his mother. She says Brad questioned what could cause the Nebraska player to do such a thing. "It's a game, and we have to take it as such," Sherri Smith says. Football fame comes from faith Brad Smith is serious about the game of football, but it is just a game to him — a game at which he excels. And he credits his Christian faith as the source of his success. In Smith's first collegiate game, he accounted for 290 yards of total offense, 152 yards passing and another 138 on the ground. After the game, he told reporters it wasGod's influence that allowed to him perform at that level. "It's hard to explain," Smith says. "I go out and try to prepare myself the best I can before the game and then practice and preparation and all that. Then, when I get out there, I just try to let God take over." Smith's mother agrees that God is the source of his skills and strength on the football field. "I just know there are times when Brad receives strength from God," she says. In spite of his accomplishments, friends and acquaintances say Smith — a sophomore marketing major who redshirted his freshman year — has not let success go to his head. "God is not shocked that Brad Smith is an incredible athlete," says Scott Willingham, the director of MU's Athletes in Action, an international Christian organization that seeks to share the Gospel through sports. Willingham, who sees Smith two or three times a week at AIA meetings, says Smith stays humble because he acknowledges that his speed and ability to evade tacklers comes from God. "Out of his humility, he treats others as he would want to be treated," Willingham says. "He really believes what the Bible says is true, and he's willing to live it out. "I think people are attracted to humble people," Willingham says. "He's the kind of person people want to know and be around." A perfect match Smith's roommate, tailback Tyrone Roberson, met Brad at freshman football camp when they both arrived on campus in summer 2001. At first, Smith seemed shy. Roberson realized the two should get together after he read Smith's bio and saw that he was an active Christian. When they hung out in Smith's room, Roberson – who only listens to gospel music – was impressed by Smith's Christian music collection. "I never met anybody like him – that spiritually strong," says Roberson, whose parents pastor a church in St. Louis. Smith and Roberson attend Victory Christian Church's Friday night and Sunday services. During the week, they go to Athletes in Action and Campus Crusade for Christ. "God placed us here to be accountable to each other," Roberson says. Like "iron sharpens iron," they challenge each other in their faith, he says. In spite of Smith's quiet, business-like public persona, Roberson says his roommate is a clown behind closed doors. "He's real silly," Roberson says. "He likes to have fun just like anybody." Roberson has encouraged Smith to use his sense of humor as an icebreaker when speaking in front of large audiences. At the Fellowship of Christian Athletes event before the basketball game Jan. 31, FCA Director Ashton interviewed Smith and Roberson in front of a crowd of about 750 attentive teenagers. Although speaking in public is something Smith considers more stressful than leading the MU football team, he's willing to take on the challenge. "It's something I need to do," Smith says. "Maybe I can help someone else." http://www.digmo.com/news/story.php?ID=7204 ================================================================ >-->From Petwarmers: MY BEST FRIEND by Heather Howley /\____/\ __ .' """" `,-' `--.__ __,- : - - ; " :: `-. -.__ ,-sssss `._ `' _,'" ,'~~~::`.sssss-. |ssssss ,' ,_`--'_ __,' :: ` `.ssssss| |sssssss `-._____~ `,,'_______,---_;; ssssss| |ssssssssss `--'~{__ ____ ,'ssssss| `-ssssssssssssssssss ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ssss.-' `---.sssssssssssssssssssss.---' Susie Oviatt It's funny how human beings whom you call friends come in and out of your life all the time, but your true best friends are your animals. I have two cats, Marley and Bonnie. I once submitted a story to Petwarmers about Bonnie, so this one I would like to dedicate to my best friend in life, Marley. She came into my life at the perfect time. I was in high school and, other than having goldfish, I was always told that I would never be able to have an animal because they are too much work. Well, much to my surprise, I came home from school one day and my mom told me I had company. I looked around and didn't see anybody, but I saw some dishes on the floor, and became quite confused as to what was going on. She told me that she had a co-worker that needed to find a home for her mother's cats, and they arranged for a meeting. My mother fell in love with Marley right away. I looked around and found this beautiful Maine Coon cat hiding behind the couch. I called her name and she came right out, cuddled up right to my leg and started purring. That was in 1994. My father was ill with cancer and I was going through all the drama of being a teenager and dealing with my own issues, when Marley came into my life. She has been by my side ever since. I am now 28 and living on my own, and Marley is about 13 years old. We have definitely have had our ups and downs, and at one point, I almost had to give her up. That was the most dramatic time in my life. I thank God that it didn't happen. I seriously believe that it was my father helping me from above and making sure that she didn't have to leave me. She is my true best friend in life. I am very fortunate to have her -- she is my child, sister, and friend all-in-one. I love to come home to her everyday and she is always waiting to be held or petted. She is the biggest mush you will ever meet. She loves to be pampered. She follows me wherever I go, and she is always right there when I need her. She was my support system when I lost my father, always right there when I got home from school or work, sat with me and purred all the times that I cried. I know a day will come when God will want to take her back and just thinking about it makes me tear up. There could never be another Marley in my life. She is truly my best friend in the whole world. I wanted to share my story with all of you. I hope everyone is fortunate enough to have a best friend like mine. -- Heather Howley ___________________________________________ Heather says, "I live in Metuchen, New Jersey, with my two cats, Marley and Bonnie. I love reading Petwarmers. I just wanted to share my story." You can reach her at: mailto:HHowley@fragomen.com ___________________________________________ ____ ,-'-, `---._ _______(0} `, , ` , ) V ; ` , ` ( ,'~~~~~~`, `.____,- ' (, ` , ) :`,-'""`. "; `-------._); , ` `, \;: )``: ) ) ; ` ,, : `` : '; ( (`;: ; ` ;:\ ;;;, (: )``;:;;)`'`'`--. _____ ____ _,-';;` :` )`;)`)`' : "~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~`--',.;;;' `--;~~~~~ ` , ", """, " " "` ",, \ ;`` ( ; , ` ; `; ; (; ; ; ` ,` ` : (; / ; ; ` ; ; : ;(_; ; : ; ; `; ;` ; ; ,,,""";} `; : `; `; ` : ` `,,;,'''' );;`); ; ;' :; ; : ``'`' (;` :( ; , ; |, `;; ,`` `)`; `(; ` `; ; ;; ``: `).:` \;, `. ,-' ;`;;:;` ;;'`;; `) ) ~~~,-`;`;," ~~~~~ ,-' ; Targon """""" `""""" FRIENDLY DOG PREVENTS MASSACRE TORONTO, Canada (Reuters) - A Canadian man, driving a car packed with weapons and ammunition, was intent on killing as many people as possible in a Toronto neighborhood but gave up the plan at the last minute when he encountered a friendly dog, police said on Thursday. The middle-aged man, who police said was mentally disturbed, had planned to carry out the shooting spree on Wednesday to ensure he would be put in jail permanently, Toronto police said. He had set himself up in an east-end park to load his weapons and then planned to drive around shooting. He later told police that a dog then approached and started playing with him. The encounter melted the man's heart, and he then went in search of police to give himself up, police said. "He happens to be a pet lover, and decided that since there was such a nice dog in the area, that people were too nice and he wasn't going to carry out his plan," Detective Nick Ashley told reporters. Police found 6,000 rounds of ammunition, two rifles, a shotgun, a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver and an air rifle in the man's car, along with a machete and a hunting knife. The car also contained a throwing knife, a camouflage mask and netting. He had recently arrived in Toronto from New Brunswick. James Paul Stanson, 43, has been charged with a variety of weapons-related offenses and appeared in court for a bail hearing on Thursday. ===================================================================== In order to be a realist you must believe in miracles. -- Henry Christopher Bailey ---> Visit my CyberHome - ALWAYS OPEN HOUSE :)Shangy! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/index.html Shangrala ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -->Bigham's Computer Rescue - PC Sales & Serrvice You can trust us to provide you with quality computer sales and repair. We've been servicing the Van Wert area since 1981 and can help you with all your computer needs. Please phone us at 419-238-5806 ************************************************************************ -->This is for all you who love food and DARRE to make it at home Yep. You guessed it - Recipes. 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