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Please Dress Me in Red

In my profession, I have worked with children who have the virus that causes
AIDS. The relationships that I have had with these special kids have been
gifts in my life. Let me tell you about the courage of Tyler.

Tyler was born infected with HIV; his mother was also infected. From the
very
beginning of his life, he was dependent on medications to enable him to
survive. At times, he also needed supplemental oxygen to support his
breathing.  Tyler wasn't willing to give up one single moment of his
childhood to this deadly disease. It was not unusual to find him playing and
racing around his backyard, wearing his medicine-laden backpack and dragging
his tank of oxygen behind him in his little wagon. Tyler's pure joy in being
alive gave him energy that caused all of us who knew him to marvel. Tyler's
Mom often teased him by telling him that he moved so fast, she needed to
dress him in red. That way,  when she peered out the window to check on him
playing in the yard, she could quickly spot him.

This dreaded disease eventually wore down even the
 likes of a little dynamo like Tyler. He became quite ill and,
unfortunately,
so did his mother.  When it became apparent that he wasn't going to survive,
Tyler's Mom talked to him and she comforted him by telling Tyler that she
was
dying, too, and that she would be with him soon in heaven.

A few days before his death, Tyler beckoned me over to his hospital bed and
whispered, "I might die soon. I'm not scared. When I die, please dress me in
red. Mom promised she's coming to heaven, too. I'll be playing when she gets
there, and I want to make sure she can find me."

By Cindy D. Holms

I Received this from one of our members and had to share!!
This restores your faith in the Human Race, must make God pretty happy
.WINDS OF KINDNESS

     This hurricane evacuation has been one of the most horrible
experiences of my adult life.
     500,000 to 1,000,000 automobiles, trucks, boats, motor homes and
campers, all in a line, on every street, road, and highway and all headed
West out of harm's way.  The 178 mile per hours winds of death were blowing
at our backs -- looking to suck up and destroy everything we have worked so
hard to accomplish, not to mention all that we hold dear to our hearts.
As I traveled down Highway 82 from our home in Brunswick, Georgia, to
Waycross, with my wife, son, daughter-in-law, friend, six dogs, three cats,
all packed into three small automobiles -- none of us realized that only an
hour down the road an even bigger, faster, larger wind lay before us.
    Traffic was so backed up that we never traveled more than six miles
per hour nor did we ever move forward move than 500 feet without having to
stop.  I reached over and turned on the C.B. radio to see if there was an
accident ahead.
     Suddenly I noticed a woman and her friend stranded along the road with
their hood raised.  Their car had overheated.  People were jumping from
their cars and dropping off gallons of their own drinking water to the
woman.  As we passed, giving her another gallon of water, the woman was
pouring water into her radiator when it spewed back into her face scalding
her on the side of the head.  Immediately three or four strangers jumped
from their slow moving cars to rush to her assistance, offering her towels,
and several men came over to cool her radiator for her.
     Another mile or so down the road a trucker came on the radio and asked
if there was anyone who could tell him where he could stop and get a soft
drink --  he had nothing to drink as all the stores were sold out of
beverages or closed.  A voice responded and asked him his location.  He
replied that he was passing road marker 19.  The voice came responded and
told him to look on sign post 21 when he drove by it.  Suddenly horns
started blowing which could be heard for miles.  As we passed marker 21
there sat a cold refreshing Mountain Dew on top the marker.
     People who would ordinarily be pushed to their limits were jumping
from their vehicles trying to help anyone and everyone they could.  When we
finally arrived in Waycross nine hours later (a drive that would normally
take about 35 minutes) we had no where to go as all the motels for three
states were full.  We slept in the automobiles with all the animals.  It
was also one of the most restless nights I have ever encountered but we
made the best of it.
     The next morning we arose at about six o'clock and just stood around
with thousands of other stranded people.  It was cold, cloudy and the wind
was blowing at about 45 miles per hour.  Along comes the local electric
company, asking us if we need any help finding a local shelter.  We could
not go to a shelter because we had animals and we were not about to leave
our pets, even if it meant warmth and hot food.  There were no restaurants
open for fifty miles so there was no hot food and we could not find any
bread as all the stores were sold out.  So we just ate what we could and
made the best of it.
     Several hours later an African American woman drove up and stopped
where we were huddled and said, "I know you do not know me from Adam but I
would like to invite you to my home to take a hot shower and clean up if
you wish."
>     As we traveled to her home we talked about her new WebTV and how proud
she was of it.  My son and I, being WebTV wizards, left her house that day
leaving her unit packed with search engines, folders, web sites and as much
stuff as we could get into her unit.  Not to mention signing her up as a
new Heartwarmers4u member!
     When the authorities gave the all clear we headed back to our warm
sweet home.  Yes, it was a bad and dangerous experience and one that I
never wish to repeat.
     But the strong winds that were ahead of us yesterday were the winds of
kindness, friendship, courtesy and love.  Not even the dangerous winds of
this deadly hurricane could ever change the determination, the fortitude or
the compassion of the wonderful people who make this country as great as it
is.
     AMERICA, I am so proud of you!

Starfire

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