Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

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

Special Treat – Barbara Roney

August 21, 2006

No Damage Done
By Barbara Roney

Doctors expected me to need an incubator at birth. I surprised them and my mother when I arrived weighing 9 pounds 3 ounces and no damage done.

Due to a divorce when I was a baby, my mother, sister and I lived with my grandmother for six years. Grandma and mom shared the responsibility of two little girls, housework, and keeping the garden tended before and after work.

As a little girl I was always busy and very curious. My curiosity almost always meant I would get into some kind of trouble. As soon as I was able to motor about on my chubby legs I was checking everything out. That's how I came to eat a thermometer that looked like a stick of peppermint candy. Luckily no damage was done.

I disliked having to put money away in my piggy bank and decided to swallow it instead of banking it. Luckily no damage was done.

A cracked pane of glass in the door started me pecking away at the crack until a tiny piece of glass flew into my eye. Mother called a cab and held my hands all the way to the hospital so I couldn't rub my eye. Luckily no damage was done.

At age three I wanted to help grandma burn leaves in the backyard. Grandma told me to stay away and showed me where to stand. She turned her back for just a second. That's all the time needed for me to somehow catch on fire. Holding my arms up to protect my face I received minor burns on the underside of my arms and my tummy and my eyebrows were singed. My poor grandmother was scared nearly to death. Luckily no real damage was done.

Occasionally friends would drive us home from church. Being in a car was special and I was always excited. Looking out the window of the backseat as we neared my house, I mistakenly thought I was home. Opening the car door as we rounded the corner, I was thrown away from the car and its tires. Luckily no damage was done.

While shopping downtown Grandma met a friend and stopped to chat.  I was looking at store windows when something caught my eye. Wandering down the street, my grandma became “lost”. A jewelry store employee heard me crying, took me into the store, bought me an ice cream cone, and placed me in the store window so my lost grandma could find me. Soon my frantic grandmother went racing by, calling my name and saw me in the window. With tears in her eyes she hugged me with all her might. Luckily no damage was done.

Another time while waiting for the light to change, I left the curb early and stepped in front of a car. A teenager with fast reflexes was driving and was able to avoid hitting me. Luckily no real damage was done.

At four and a half I decided I would help my mother wash clothes by putting a piece of clothing into the wringer washer. However, I forgot to let go of the material and my hand, followed by my arm, went sliding into the wringer.  Mom was right there as soon as I started bellowing. Both of us were scared as it took a few minutes for mom to get my arm out. Luckily no damage was done.

At six I stuck a screwdriver into a wall socket to see what would happen. That was a painful experience and I still get chills when I think about how it felt to be knocked off my feet. Luckily no damage was done.

As a teenager of 18 I nearly killed a friend and myself while drag racing in my dad’s 1964 Pontiac Le Mans. At the end of the road was a huge tree. I didn’t quite make the turn and headed for the very large tree trunk. I got the car stopped just in the nick of time. After catching my breath I got out of the car and saw the bumper was barely touching the tree. Luckily no damage was done.

Why God has kept me here is a mystery to me but He will make His plans known for me one day soon. In the meantime I will continue to listen to Him and learn from my past adventures. Luckily no real damage has been done.

No Damage Done
Barbara Roney
busyb 460 @ msn.com

Barbara lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband of 39 years, Bruce. She is a retired elementary school secretary who now enjoys spending time with her granddaughter, Brianna, and traveling with her husband. Recently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia she has decided to get back to writing for family and friends. She says "writing is a wonderful way of expressing what's in my heart." She has been published on HeartTouchers and Heartwarmers.