---------------------- Forwarded by Angela Barnett/HOU/ECT on 12/11/2000 
07:03 AM ---------------------------


"lsharris" <lsharis@email.msn.com> on 12/11/2000 01:34:16 AM
To: "Angela Barnett" <Angela.Barnett@enron.com>, "Kim Gunter" 
<KGunter2000@yahoo.com>, "Brenda Perron" <oakiefenokie@skyenet.net>, "Shonne 
Yoder" <sjy3245@juno.com>, "Stacey Lynn Harris" <Stacey.Harris@ourclub.com>
cc:  
Subject: Fw: FW: Christmas Miracle



----- Original Message -----
From: Noell <noell@galaxyinternet.net>
To: Carol Denton <cdentonjhs@netscape.net>; Christine Whitaker
<Dccreation@aol.com>; Deb Pepple <dpepplejes@netscape.net>; fmf_1
<fmf_1@netzero.net>; Joseph Gaunder <joseph.gaunder@honeywell.com>; Kathy
Spaugh <KSpaugh@Hotmail.com>; McFarland, Linda <LMCFAR@tcunet.com>; Marlene
Beehler <newrd10@aol.com>; Julianna Bender <pjbender@hwcn.org>; Randy Rentz
<Randy.Rentz@USA.net>; Sandy Farrell <sfarrelljms@netscape.net>; Stephen
Rupchock <SRup49120@aol.com>; Toni Wise <twise@galaxyinternet.net>
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2000 1:54 AM
Subject: Fw: FW: Christmas Miracle


>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Toni Wise" <twise@galaxyinternet.net>
> To: "Ruth Anne Gray" <NOELL@GALAXYINTERNET.NET>
> Sent: Monday, December 04, 2000 8:22 AM
> Subject: Fw: FW: Christmas Miracle
>
>
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Mary Cleary" <mcleary@michiana.org>
> > To: <Undisclosed.Recipients@freenet.michiana.org>
> > Sent: Monday, December 04, 2000 7:35 AM
> > Subject: Fw: FW: Christmas Miracle
> >
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > > > Christmas miracle
> > > > >
> > > > > Great story -- great prayer at the end!
> > > > >
> > > > > In September 1960, I woke up one morning with six
> > > > > hungry babies and just 75 cents in my pocket. Their
> > > > > father was gone.  The boys ranged from three months to
> > > > > seven years; their sister was two.  Their Dad had
> > > > > never been much more than a presence they feared.
> > > > > Whenever they heard his tires crunch on the gravel
> > > > > driveway they would scramble to hide under their beds.
> > > > > He did manage to leave $15 a week to buy groceries.
> > > > > Now that he had decided to leave, there would be no
> > > > > more beatings, but no food either.   If there was a
> > > > > welfare system in effect in southern Indiana at that
> > > > > time, I certainly knew nothing about it. I scrubbed
> > > > > the kids until they looked brand new and then put on
> > > > > my best homemade dress. I loaded them into the rusty
> > > > > old 51 Chevy and drove off to find a job.  The seven
> > > > > of
> > > > > us went to every factory, store and restaurant in our
> > > > > small town. No luck. The kids stayed, crammed into the
> > > > > car and tried to be quiet while I tried to convince
> > > > > whomever would listen that I was willing to learn or
> > > > > do
> > > > > anything. I had to have a  job. Still no luck. The
> > > > > last place we went to, just a few miles out of town,
> > > > > was an old Root Beer Barrel drive-in that had been
> > > > > converted to a truck stop. It was called the Big
> > > > > Wheel.  An old lady named Granny owned the place and
> > > > > she peeked out of the window from time to time at all
> > > > > those kids. She needed someone on the graveyard shift,
> > > > > 11 at night until seven in the morning. She paid 65
> > > > > cents an hour and I could start that night.  I raced
> > > > > home and called the teenager down the street that
> > > > > baby-sat for people. I bargained with her to come and
> > > > > sleep on my sofa for a dollar a night. She could
> > > > > arrive with her pajamas on and the kids would already
> > > > > be asleep. This seemed like a good arrangement to her,
> > > > > so we made
> > > > > deal. That night when the little ones and I knelt to
> > > > > say our prayers we all thanked God for finding Mommy a
> > > > > job. And so I started at the Big Wheel. When I got
> > > > > home in the mornings I woke the baby-sitter up and
> > > > > sent her home with one dollar of my tip money-fully
> > > > > half of what I averaged every night. As the weeks went
> > > > > by, heating bills added another strain to my meager
> > > > > wage. The tires on the old Chevy had the consistency
> > > > > of
> > > > > penny balloons and began to leak. I had to fill them
> > > > > with air on the way to work and again every morning
> > > > > before I could go home. One bleak fall morning, I
> > > > > wagged myself to the car to go home and found four
> > > > > tires in the back seat. New tires! There was no note,
> > > > > no nothing, just those beautiful brand new tires. Had
> > > > > angels taken up residence in Indiana? I wondered.  I
> > > > > made a deal with the owner of the local service
> > > > > station. In exchange for his mounting the new tires, I
> > > > > would clean up his office. I remember it took me a lot
> > > > > longer to scrub his floor than it did for him to do
> > > > > the tires. I was now working six nights instead of
> > > > > five and it still wasn't enough. Christmas was coming
> > > > > and I knew there would be no money for toys for the
> > > > > kids.  I found a can of red paint and started
> > > > > repairing and painting some old toys. Then I hid them
> > > > > in the basement so there would be something for Santa
> > > > > to deliver on Christmas morning. Clothes were a worry
> > > > > too.  I was sewing patches on top of patches on the
> > > > > boys pants and soon they would be too far gone to
> > > > > repair. On Christmas Eve the usual customers were
> > > > > drinking coffee in the Big Wheel. These were the
> > > > > truckers, Les, Frank, and Jim, and a state trooper
> > > > > named Joe.  A few musicians were hanging around after
> > > > > a gig at the Legion and were dropping nickels in the
> > > > > pinball machine. The regulars all just sat around and
> > > > > talked through the wee hours of the morning and then
> > > > > left to get home before the sun came up. When it was
> > > > > time for me to go home at seven o'clock on Christmas
> > > > > morning I hurried to the car. I was hoping the kids
> > > > > wouldn't wake up before I managed to get home and get
> > > > > the presents from the basement and place them under
> > > > > the tree. (We had cut down a small cedar tree by the
> > > > > side of the road down by the dump.) It was still dark
> > > > > and I couldn't see much, but there appeared to be some
> > > > > dark shadows in the car-or was that just a trick of
> > > > > the night? Something certainly looked different, but
> > > > > it was hard to tell what. When I reached he car I
> > > > > peered warily into one of the side windows. Then my
> > > > > jaw
> > > > > dropped in amazement.  My old battered Chevy was
> > > > > filled full to the top with boxes of all shapes and
> > > > > sizes. I quickly opened the driver's side door,
> > > > > scrambled inside and kneeled in the front facing the
> > > > > back seat. Reaching back,I pulled off the lid of the
> > > > > top box. Inside was a whole case of little blue jeans,
> > > > > sizes 2-10!  I looked inside another box: It was full
> > > > > of shirts to go with the jeans. Then I peeked inside
> > > > > some of the other boxes: There were candy and nuts and
> > > > > bananas and bags of groceries. There was an enormous
> > > > > ham for baking, and canned vegetables and potatoes.
> > > > > There was pudding and Jell-O and cookies, pie filling
> > > > > and  flour. There was a whole bag of laundry supplies
> > > > > and cleaning items.  And there were five toy trucks
> > > > > and one beautiful little doll. As I drove back through
> > > > > empty streets as the sun slowly rose on the most
> > > > > amazing Christmas Day of my life, I was sobbing with
> > > > > gratitude. And I will never forget the joy on the
> > > > > faces of my little ones that precious morning. Yes,
> > > > > there were angels in Indiana that long-ago December.
> > > > > And they all hung out at the Big Wheel truck stop.
> > > > >
> > > > > THE POWER OF PRAYER When you receive this, say a
> > > > > prayer. This prayer will do. That's all you have to
> > > > > do. There is nothing attached. This is powerful.
> > > > > Just send this to four people and Do not break this,
> > > > > please. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we
> > > > > receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards. Let's
> > > > > continue praying for one another. Father, I ask you to
> > > > > bless my friends reading this right now. Lord, show
> > > > > them a new revelation of Your love and power. Holy
> > > > > Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this
> > > > > very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace
> > > > > & mercy. Where there is self doubting, release a
> > > > > renewed confidence in Your ability to work through
> > > > > them. Where there is tiredness,or exhaustion, I ask
> > > > > You to give them understanding, patience, & strength
> > > > > as they learn submission to Your leading. Where there
> > > > > is spiritual stagnation, I ask You to renew them by
> > > > > revealing Your nearness, and by drawing them into
> > > > > greater intimacy with You. Where there is fear, reveal
> > > > > Your love, and release to them Your courage. Where
> > > > > there is a sin blocking them, reveal it, and break its
> > > > > hold over my friend's life. Bless their finances, give
> > > > > them greater vision, and raise up leaders, and
> > > > > friends to support, and encourage them. Give each of
> > > > > them discernment to recognize the negative forces
> > > > > around them, and reveal to them the power they have in
> > > > > You to defeat it. I ask You to do these things in
> > > > > Jesus' name.
> > > > >
> > > > > Amen.
> > > > >
> > > > > Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will
> > > > > bless you  both. Passing this on to one not considered
> > > > > a friend is something I know Christ would do.
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >  >>
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
>


 - FW_ Christmas Miracle.eml