~ Welcome to Heartwarmers ~ No Regrets

~ Welcome to Heartwarmers ~
http://www.heartwarmers.com
The best thing to happen to mornings since the Sun!

Your morning thought for the day:
Spread the diaper in the position of the diamond with
you at bat. Then fold second base down to home
and set the baby on the pitcher's mound. Put first
base and third together, bring up home plate and pin
the three together. Of course, in case of rain, you
gotta call the game and start all over again.
-- Jimmy Piersal, On How to Diaper a Baby, 1968


Happy Father's Day! We got a kick out of that "Thought for the
day" and hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Meanwhile, Marcia share a poignant story today about living a
life with dad with "no regrets." You might want to get your tissues
out.
Whether you have a tear in your eye, or chuckle on your cheek,
we hope all the fathers in your life, young or old, have a great day!

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NO REGRETS
by Marcia Hodge

When my father was diagnosed with cancer, he moved in with my
youngest brother.
Knowing my father didn't have much time left, my brother invited
me and our other siblings to stay with him. This allowed each of us
to spend as much time as possible with my father, as well as lean on
each other for support.
We learned so much during those few weeks and our love for him
grew with each passing day. For the first week he was there, we
would stay up until the early morning hours telling stories, singing,
listening to his words of wisdom, and most importantly, just enjoying
being with each other.
Shortly before his death, my father asked to speak to each of us
individually. We each waited our turn, knowing this would probably
be the last time he would be aware of our presence -- his organs had
begun to fail and his strength was fading quickly.
Finally, my turn came. When I entered the room, I could see
that his eyes were closed. I thought he might have drifted back to
sleep. I stood there for a moment watching him -- the face of an
angel.
I eased to the side of his bed and sat down. Without opening
his eyes, my father reached for my hand and smiled. As I sat there
watching this man quickly pass from us, I thought of all the things I
wanted to say. I wanted to tell him all of the things I was going to
miss -- the smell of his aftershave, the sound of his voice on the
other end of the phone, books to compare with the person with whom I
shared a love of reading, his unwavering faith in me, his Christian
example, and maybe most of all his smile -- the smile of an angel.
There were other things I wanted to say as well, such as "if only."
Instead, we sat in silence, holding hands, thankful for the closeness
we'd always shared.
After awhile I leaned over to kiss him goodnight. As I did, a
tear fell and landed on his cheek. Never opening his eyes, he smiled
and whispered, "No regrets."
With those two words, I knew there was nothing left unsaid. The
love we shared was far greater than any words. It was as if he could
see deep into my heart and know what I felt at that exact moment. He
didn't want me to worry about anything I could not change.
Instead, he wanted me to be happy with the memories I could
forever keep in my heart and not dwell on any of the "if only's." He
not only wanted me to be content with the relationship I had shared
with him, he wanted me to be content with the relationship I shared
with my family, friends and most importantly, my relationship with
Christ.
Of all things my father taught me over the years, the lesson I
learned that night was the greatest -- to try to live a life with "No
regrets."

-- Marcia Hodge

____________________________________________
Marcia is married with two children. She currently works full-time
as an Oncology Data Specialist and continues her passion and
enthusiasm for writing. She is currently working on a novel, as well
as collaborating on a screenplay.
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PLEASE SUPPORT A HEARTWARMERS WRITER
Lissa Coffey in competition for TV show

One of our outstanding writers and Today Show contributor, Lissa
Coffey, is in a contest to host a new local television show in Los
Angeles. The top 3 voter-getters win an audition. So, it's time for
Heartwarmers everywhere to unite and get behind our favorite
candidate! Please take a moment and support Lissa's efforts: It's
easy and it will only take a minute:
1) Click on this site:
http://1stlook.votigo.com/contests/showentry/30963
2) Then, click on the 5th star directly underneath the video
that will start playing.
3) You will be asked to sign-up (so they know you are a real
person.) Click on "sign-up" and fill out your email address, make up
a screen name for yourself, and info.
4) Once you sign up, you will be directed back to the video
page, and then you can click on the 5th star again and it will be
registered!
THANK YOU! Good luck, Lissa!

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GOODBYE, RON GOLD

Many of you will remember Ron Gold, one of our great writers,
who passed away recently. We just received this notice from his
friend, Diane:
"I just wanted to share this with those of you who knew Ron
Gold. We communicated often and I thought he was a very good writer.
His wife was very kind and shared about his illness over the past
year. Her last letter said that he was in a nursing home and would
be returning home as soon as he could use a wheelchair and get around
better, as he had a second amputation and no longer had his legs, due
to diabetes. I'll miss his witty emails and fine stories. He was a
friend."
We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his family and legions of
admirers and friends. Thank you Ron, for being part of our
Heartwarmers family!

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