Please send me a subscription for a 6 day deilvery of chicken soup for the
soul. Thanks
-----Original Message-----
From: Elizabeth Hill Thiers <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, January 05, 1999 9:22 AM
Subject: Fw: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Home Delivery
>Hey, It's smaltzy and swarmy and I know it's after the holidays but, I like
>the meaning behind the message.
>
>Elizabeth Thiers, OTR
>email: [log in to unmask]
>homepage: http://www.bv.net/~john/bethsot1.html
>
>----------
>> From: [log in to unmask]
>> To: Chicken Soup - Text - Weekend <[log in to unmask]>
>> Subject: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Home Delivery
>> Date: Saturday, December 26, 1998 3:02 AM
>>
>> The following story is brought to you from Chicken Soup for
>> the Kid's Soul. These books make great Holiday presents or
>> stocking stuffers. Order online now or visit your local
>> bookstore for the entire selection!
>>
>> The Little Girl who Dared to Wish
>>
>>
>> As Amy Hagadorn rounded the corner across the hall from
>> her classroom, she collided with a tall boy from the fifth
>> grade running in the opposite direction.
>> "Watch it, Squirt," the boy yelled, as he dodged around
>> the little third grader. Then, with a smirk on his face,
>> the boy took hold of his right leg and mimicked the way Amy
>> limped when she walked.
>> Amy closed her eyes for a moment.
>> Ignore him, she told herself as she headed for her
>> classroom.
>> But at the end of the day, Amy was still thinking about
>> the tall boy's mean teasing. It wasn't as if he were the
>> only one. It seemed that ever since Amy started the third
>> grade, someone teased her every single day. Kids teased her
>> about her speech or her limping. Amy was tired of it.
>> Sometimes, even in a classroom full of other students, the
>> teasing made her feel all alone.
>> Back home at the dinner table that evening Amy was
>> quiet. Her mother knew that things were not going well at
>> school. That's why Patti Hagadorn was happy to have some
>> exciting news to share with her daughter.
>> "There's a Christmas Wish Contest on the radio
>> station," Amy's mom announced. "Write a letter to Santa and
>> you might win a prize. I think someone at this table with
>> blond curly hair should enter."
>> Amy giggled. The contest sounded like fun. She
>> started thinking about what she wanted most for Christmas.
>> A smile took hold of Amy when the idea first came to
>> her. Out came pencil and paper and Amy went to work on her
>> letter. "Dear Santa Claus," she began.
>> While Amy worked away at her best printing, the rest of
>> the family tried to guess what she might ask from Santa.
>> Amy's sister, Jamie, and Amy's mom both thought a 3-foot
>> Barbie Doll would top Amy's wish list. Amy's dad guessed a
>> picture book. But Amy wasn't ready to reveal her secret
>> Christmas wish just then. Here is Amy's letter to Santa,
>> just as she wrote it that night:
>>
>> Dear Santa Claus,
>>
>> My name is Amy. I am 9 years old. I have a problem at
>> school. Can you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of
>> the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy. I
>> just want one day where no one laughs at me or makes fun of
>> me.
>>
>> Love,
>> Amy
>>
>> At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters
>> poured in for the Christmas Wish Contest. The workers had
>> fun reading about all the different presents that boys and
>> girls from across the city wanted for Christmas.
>> When Amy's letter arrived at the radio station, manager
>> Lee Tobin read it carefully. He knew cerebral palsy was a
>> muscle disorder that might confuse the schoolmates of Amy
>> who didn't understand her disability. He thought it would
>> be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this
>> special third grader and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called
>> up the local newspaper.
>> The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa
>> made the front page of The News Sentinel. The story spread
>> quickly. All across the country, newspapers and radio and
>> television stations reported the story of the little girl in
>> Fort Wayne, Indiana, who asked for such a simple, yet
>> remarkable, Christmas gift-- just one day without teasing.
>> Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn
>> house. Envelopes of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily
>> from children and adults all across the nation. They came
>> filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement.
>> During that unforgettable Christmas season, over two
>> thousand people from all over the world sent Amy letters of
>> friendship and support. Amy and her family read every
>> single one. Some of the writers had disabilities; some had
>> been teased as children. Each writer had a special message
>> for Amy. Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy
>> glimpsed a world full of people who truly cared about each
>> other. She realized that no amount or form of teasing could
>> ever make her feel lonely again.
>> Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak
>> up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to carry her
>> head high. Lynn, a sixth grader from Texas, sent this
>> message:
>> "I would like to be your friend," she wrote, "and if
>> you want to visit me, we could have fun. No one would make
>> fun of us, cause, if they do, we will not even hear them."
>> Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing
>> at South Wayne Elementary School. Additionally, everyone at
>> school got an added bonus. Teachers and students talked
>> together about how bad teasing can make others feel.
>> That year, the Fort Wayne mayor officially proclaimed
>> December 21st as Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city.
>> The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple
>> wish, Amy taught a universal lesson.
>> "Everyone," said the mayor, "wants and deserves to be
>> treated with respect, dignity and warmth."
>>
>> by Alan D. Shultz
>> from Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul
>> Copyright 1998 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty
>> Hansen and Irene Dunlap
>>
>> =================================================================
>> If you enjoy Chicken Soup for the Soul: Home Delivery, please
>> register your colleagues and friends using the link below!
>>
>> http://SoupServer.com/friend.html
>> =================================================================
>
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