Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness around the world.

August 11, 2006

Today’s announcements

I wish to apologize to Bev Sobkowich for incorrectly accrediting the following story to Julie Jordan Scott:  Forever Amy was written by me, Bev Sobkowich.and was sent to Carol Roach. Auntie Amy was very dear and I wanted to make sure this was corrected.

beviejo@shaw.ca  Bev Sobkowich

What a scare, my computer crashed and I did not know if I would be able to send out anymore newsletters for awhile.  My son had trouble finding the word program, our disk was scratched, but fortunately he had saved it to his computer and found it there.  So I am up and running once again and without any interruption to the newsletter.

Please note:  I cannot send email to any AOL subscriber, if you are using AOL and you don’t hear from me now you know why.  A special thanks goes out to Mark Crider and Paula Booher who have been forwarding messages for me.  So AOL people if you love me, and I know you do, contact AOL and tell them to unblock my email address and that of Zinester mail server as well. These are the two ways you can be contacted by me.

 Hi guys.  Just a quick note.  Ronni is back in the Hospital.  Mostly, it was severe pain, couldn't keep anything on her stomach, Diarrhea , and Dehydration.  They're still running more tests.  She took a hard fall out in the yard, and the Cyst that was found on her last Cat Scan was bleeding internally, causing pressure and pain.  She was put on Morphine, and the pain was brought under control.  Leave it to Ronni.  She asked the Doctor if she could take a bucket of the stuff home with her.  They've got her on medication for the nausea, and she's keeping her food down now.  She's gaining strength and wanting to go home.  Aimee's pretty upset with me.  She want's to know what I did with her Momma.  She stayed on the recliner with her, and everytime Ronni would moan, she would too.  When it got worse, she'd jump down and run in to me and bark so I'd fix it.  Now she's trying to figure out how to get Momma out of the phone.  It's been a hard several days, but she should be coming home soon.  I'll update as we find out more.

Bob Shaw

caperabbit@semo.net

Now onto the good stuff!

Today’s Queue Stories

~**~**~

Once in a Lifetime

B.J. Cassady
 
           Did you ever have one of those once in a lifetime
experiences?  Fall in love with the perfect person who loved
you the same way and it worked out?  Win the lottery?  Find
the perfect job?  These events are rare, very rare. 
 
           I have had some once in a lifetime experiences.
I have found true love and had it returned in a marriage.  I
had a perfect job and rose to my professional heights in it.
Now at the age of 61, I found a new once in a lifetime
experience... my dog Sandi.
 
           Oh, I have had many good dogs, many great dogs.
Sandi has raised the bar to a new height and tossed out all
the adjectives.  Forget good, great.  How about perfect?
Sandi is perfect.  She walks close to me without a leash,
obeys all commands.  She sleeps close to me every night.
My one-half collie, one-half something else sleeps with
her head on my shoulder and paws on my chest.  She is
a little over fifty pounds of devotion and love.  Her only
problem in the past was her car sickness.  She would follow
me wherever I went in the house.  Finally, she decided
to overcome her fear of car riding with her love of being
with dad.  So now when you see me in the car driving,
Sandi is in the passenger seat sitting up and looking out
the front window and grinning. 
 
            Define a once in a lifetime companion.  Faithful,
loyal, devoted, all of these define my Sandi.  I think God
the day she was picked for my home.  This little dog that
was dropped off by some people by a lake to be left to
die...I gave her the home she needed and she gave me
the love I needed.  A trade well made.  Well made indeed.
 
BJ Cassady

BJ.Cassady@af-group.com

Guthrie, Oklahoma

~**~**~

The Palm

Sharlett Hunt

I wrote this for my sister Barbara.  She and I were having trouble getting along as a result of neither of us being able to give in.  We both had to be right and it was getting worse and worse and the hurt was becoming unbearable for both of us.  She is a wonderful sweet lady and I am so thankful to have her for a sister.  Today she called (after another one of our stupid disagreements) She had a brainstorm.  We would become Palm Sisters.  Then she explained why she thinks that.  And it made so much sense.  We will have little tags made up to always remember that we love each other and bend in all these storms of life we have.  Down here, when we have these storms, huge oaks tumble like matchsticks but the palm tree is almost always left standing.  It will bend almost level to the ground and the fronds get torn up a lot, but is pliable and still left standing when the wind is gone.  This is what I want in my life. 

The Palm

Lord, please help me to be

So majestic and tall like a tree,

One who doesn’t fall in the wind

But  withstands, and knows how to bend.

Not an oak, whose strength is well known,

But can topple, though years it has grown,

Mighty Cyprus, with beauty so pure,

Can’t withstand the storms we endure.

Lord, please make me a palm,

That can bend and always stay calm,

Though it’s branches may tear and might fray,

Firmly where it’s planted, will stay.

Now, a rock I never shall be

Never moving through eternity,

Setting rigid until chipped away

By the storms which happen each day.

But a palm, I always shall be,

Just to live so happy and free,

And to know when life comes my way.

Firmly planted I always will stay.

Sharlett F. Hunt

~**~**~

 MORE THAN A JEWEL

Ellie Braun-Haley

I’ve spent the last six years working with individuals who have mental disabilities and I’ve learned many things along the way, things you just don’t find in textbooks. I never really pictured being taught by one of my clients, but life is full of surprises.

Jewel is a lady I worked with as support staff. She was born with a brain injury. She loved bowling and cajoled me into being on a special team with her for a bowling event. I'm not a bowler but I knew she wanted me to be with her that night, to participate and for us to hang out together. I said yes.

We were at the bowling alley and the flashing lights and rotating disco balls were a bit more than what I'd pictured for a bowling alley. This was called moonlight bowling and so the regular lights were all off. The music, aimed at their usual Friday night crowd was rocking and rebounding off the walls.

When it was my turn I stood in this foreign territory and squinted down the long dimly lit lane wondering how I could possibly hit what I could barely see.

I let loose my first ball. It quickly located a gutter. Perhaps it was good they had dimmed the lights! I usually excel at sports but as I tried my hand at this one, my self-confidence took a nosedive. I knew nothing about bowling and it was apparent as I continued. Four frames into the night I just wanted to leave silently out the nearest exit. I felt awkward and looked inept. I needed help.

Jewel bowled in a ladies evening league, loved the game and her scores showed it. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable I asked her for some help. She was tickled.

"Okay," she said, "You hold the ball like this and don't bend the wrist. Now look ahead at those marks on the lane and then throw the ball. Okay?"

When I started showing a bit of improvement Jewel was the loudest in the cheering squad. She was really strutting in this new role of hers, as teacher. She was showing a confidence I'd never seen before, jumping up again and again to repeat the same tips.

I thought about telling her that I could now handle things. I was uncomfortable with the role of student or perhaps it was that I was uncomfortable with Jewel in the role of teacher. It was also most aggravating to hear the same tip repeated to me absolutely every time it was my turn but Jewel was basking in each moment, literally lighting up. I hated to take that away from her. I could see how important this evening had become for her.

Around strangers, Jewel is generally a shy reserved young woman. She flounders for words, stuttering when she is unsure of herself. Being the teacher was lifting her self-confidence to new heights. I could not burst her bubble. My lessons continued.

In the days that followed our bowling experience I saw small changes in Jewel. She made decisions that ordinarily she wouldn't have. Her speech came easier with less stuttering. She seemed more assured.

I was so proud of this woman who had been born into this world with a brain injury. She had always worked hard to learn and then harder to remember what she had learned. She moved through life always with the handicap of those few thoughtless individuals who didn't see her as just another person striving to be a part of her own culture. Fortunately Jewel overlooks thoughtless people. She is a lady with feelings and dreams. She loves to travel and would like some young man to see her as his girlfriend.

I was reminded of an important lesson that night at the bowling alley. Sometimes the teacher needs to let the student be the teacher. By asking for Jewel's help I was in effect telling her, "I trust your judgment. I am listening to you Jewel because what you say is important." By allowing Jewel to be the teacher I gave her an opportunity to shine. And she did.

By Ellie Braun-Haley
shaley@telusplanet.net

Ellie lives in Central Alberta and enjoys writing as a hobby. A number of her stories can be seen in the Chicken Soup books, also in Heartwarmers of Spirit. And 2theHeart. She is the author of three books and co-author of a book with her husband Shawn. More about the Haley’s books can be seen at evrcanada.com and from here click on Eagle Creek Publishers, http://www.eaglecreek.org

~**~**~

Poetry Section

~**~**~

Hello Carol,

Here's another poem to submit. My fiance's mother Carol, passed away in 2000 but he still harbors a lot of pain from it. I wrote this for her. By the way, thank you for continuing to enter my work into Storytime; I feel privileged to see my name beside so many talented people. Thank you!

The Golden Mile

(For Carol)

Her skin, soft as angels kisses,

Her hair as dark as night.

Gray placed there between birthday wishes,

Her voice made wrong things right.

Her smile convincing, hid all dismay,

And when the sun peeked through it said;

The clouds will always roll by, so pray

She will live in your heart instead.

Her laughter paved the way to heaven's landing,

And God stretched out his hand I know.

At the gate I could see her standing,

Her wings were all aglow.

Crossing over, I know she was troubled,

She wondered..would her loved ones be okay?

But in heaven she had no pain or fury,

So we helped her find her way.

Sleeping peacefully in her well guided rest,

We forge on in our own reluctant style.

Our borrowed angel took her ultimate quest,

When she walked along His golden mile.

By Mary M. Dees

marlena7694@yahoo.com

~**~**~

 Carol,

 I was setting at my kitchen table thinking aloud the other day and I said; "Well what can I write about today"? My 5 year old son peeked his head around the corner, looked at me while scratching his head and said; "What about ...Toast Mommy"?

So that is where this simple poem came from. Thank you Carol, I hope the sun is shinning as brightly there as it is here.

For Jarrod:

Toast

It's one of his favorites,

If it's cooked just right.

He wont eat it dark

And he don't like it light.

Mammaw Cathie he says

Can make it just fine.

But that's okay Mommy,

You can try one more time.

Cut off the edges

And butter it too.

But Mommy, scrape off the oh-o's

Befor you do.

By Mary M. Dees

marlena7694@yahoo.com

~**~**~

Senior Writers

Chief writer: Sharon Bryant

Chief researcher/historian: Hartson Dowd

Agee, Vance; Apted, Violet; Baker, Kathy; Batt, Al; Berry, Nell; Blaine, Pamela; Boda, Ginger; Booher, Paula; Buhagiar, Victor; Cassady, B.J.; Costner, Joan Clifton; Cavalera, Robyn; Crider, Mark; Dees, Mary; Deming, Barb; Doherty, Maria;  Dowd, Hartson; Dowd, Helen; Gilbert, Robert, Jr.; Gold, Ron; Goodier, Steve; Grisham, Mary-Ellen; Braun-Haley, Ellie; Harris, Kathy Anne; Henry, Linda Ann; Hunt, Sharlett; Hymes, Christina; Jacobson, Gary; Kiser, Roger Dean; Kerens, Claudia; Kevin, Tim; Jenkins, Pamela; Liles, Norma; Lily Jodi Flesberg; Lock, Joyce; Marlor, Janice Bumbalough; Mazzella, Joe; Mizrany, Mary Carter; Morris, Deepak; Ojeibge, Georgewaters; Petry, Dianna Doles; Roberts, Susan; Shiveley, Debra; Shaw, Bob; Sims, Richard; Streidel, Saskia; Swarner, Ken; Vaknin, Sam; Verhoeff, Jan; Walker, Bill; Walker, Joe; Warner, Gordon, K; Walsh, Sue; Weymouth, Barbara J.; Whirity, Kathy;

Wainland, David; Westerfer, Clara; White Robert;

Storytime Tapestry Staff

Carol Roach - Founder/publisher

Thelma Hartselle - Co-Founder, Moderator

Clara Westerfer – moderator

Bob Johnston - moderator