Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

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

August 29, 2006

Today’s Queue Stories

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An Observation From England

Lynne Stevenson

Currently I am 4,500 miles and 5 hours away from home. I have been in Northampton, England since last Thursday and this is my first time ever flying across the Atlantic Ocean. I came with several professors and students from my college to take a summer school class at Northampton University's International Summer School Program. There are people here of all ages, races, and nationalities represented amongst the student body. I thought I was going to be the only 44 year old 'school kid', but I have seen others my age or older. It is amazing to me to be able to walk among students and listen to the different dialects and languages spoken here. 

      The other day we were waiting at a local bus stop when this woman started speaking Italian. I had no idea what she had just said and she stood there and smiled at me. She then spoke to me in English. I just smiled back her and said. "Honey, I have no clue what you said before!" She started laughing and said, "You aren't from around here, are you?" I started laughing and told her that I was from South Carolina in the States. Amazing enough, she knew where my college was located and had a few relatives living there in the States. 

      Today as I was getting dressed to go to my class I saw something that made me cry. There is an elementary school here on the campus and they are still having classes. I watched an English gentleman who I will most likely never meet walk his daughter to school. It reminded me of the way my father used to be with me when I was her age, age 5 or 6, and the fact that I will never have the opportunity to walk with my father ever again. He died almost 3 years ago and until today, I thought it didn't bother me any more. But it did, and it still does. 

      It was so loving the way he walked her to school. She was a little blonde girl, like I say, about 5 years old and she was wearing the standard blue dress like all of the other girls. He kept putting his arm around her and walked beside her until it was time for her to go inside to her class. The entire time he held her little pink book bag in his other hand, while the other fathers didn't hold their children's bags. It just struck me as being one of the most loving and touching scenes I have witnessed in a very long time. 

      When I get back to the States, I have one important stop to make after I go buy some flowers. I suddenly have the need to go see my Dad and take him some flowers. I just wish I could do it in person. It is because of him that I was able to come and take advantage of this opportunity. And I need to thank him properly when I get back...

      Take care and God bless from another world away,

      Lynne Stevenson

Pugsmom37@aol.com

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Never to old to be Happy

Diana Doles Petry

I'm having the type of day that reminds me that I'm no longer youthful and vibrant and, at the same time, makes me feel very lucky to have survived the past years and still be able to stand up on my feet without assistance. I'm not sure why some days seem like they are so much harder than others but sometimes I have to pause in the middle of the chaos to do a little bit of self-reflecting so that I won't vent my frustration in a way that I might regret later, namely while doing time in prison for slaughtering the idiots that seem to fill my life.

So, since I learned a very long time ago not to ever take myself too seriously, I thought I would share my thoughts and reflections with you. I am aware that watching grass grow might be about as entertaining but you have the choice as to whether or not you want to read any further. If you're reading this via email you have a delete key. If you're reading printed matter you might want to rip it to shreds. If you continue to read it in either form you may want to make sure that you're not drinking anything that would feel strange coming from your nose if you have a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

My brother is going through a divorce and he is more worried about losing his pet Pomeranian than he is the house he lives in at the moment. When he is working or he is not going to be home he brings "Gizmo" here to stay with me so his soon to be ex-wife cannot snatch him from the yard. I don't mind at all, normally my furry nephew is not a problem at all. This morning, however, I was forced to conclude that I should limit my daycare services to two-legged models only.

While I was preparing breakfast, the little girls were playing peacefully in the living room with their collection of Bratz dolls while the boys were playing a video game and apparently, from the topic of conversation, passing wind that would keep flies away from the house for days. I think this is normal young male behavior but I'm thinking I should start putting ground up Rolaids in their food. Anyway, one of the girls yelled out, "Nana, Gizzy has something brown on him and he went under your bed."

I started through the house toward my bedroom with the boys right behind me and the unmistakable odor of manure caught my attention. "Now listen, guys, if you're going to do that you need to find a restroom. This is disgusting and the ladies here do not find it funny."

"It's not us," they insisted at the same time they started to pinch their noses with their fingers and giggle. The girls were making horrible twisted faces and declaring just how gross boys are. (I hope they hold that thought, it might save them a lot of trouble later on.)

Then I saw the brown streaks on the carpeting in my bedroom. They seemed to start at the side of the bed and continued along under the bed skirt. Gizzy crawled from underneath the bed on the other side and started to talk to us with excited barks. Oh, he wasn't the only one that was excited, I can tell you that. Apparently he had found a nice pile of "something" to roll around in and then decided that it was time for a nap in my bedroom. I'm telling you that if he wasn't almost fourteen-years-old I would have considered doing him in. Instead I reached for him to get him into a bath but he was not going to have that so he ran.

And there we were, chasing this five pounds of dog through my house, some of us muttering, some of us giggling and all of us disgusted when my new neighbor showed up to meet us. There she stood in an outfit that looked like she was attending a formal function as Gizzy decided to make a dash for the outdoors since the front door was now open. Of course, he couldn't just go between the door and the woman we didn't even know. Nope, he had to brush against her leg on his way out leaving a nice brown stripe across her nylons. (Which I was later informed had to be shipped from New York since they are not available in "these backwoods markets.")

I apologized and invited her to come in and have a seat if she so desired. I keep a clean house but I do have children here all day so naturally things are not museum perfect and I would not want them to be. Chairs were pulled away from the dining room table and the seating area in my kitchen was in disarray since the boys had been playing video games. She looked around as though she may become infested with "juvenile disorder" if she stayed here for long.

She finally took a seat and started to talk about the house they bought, how she ended up in West Virginia with her husband and of course, all of the new furnishings they were installing in their home to make it "more livable."  Excuse me but I did not realize that homes were considered to be dilapidated if they did not come equipped with a sauna. "Sweetie," I interrupted her, "The closest I get to having a sauna is going into the bathroom by myself, sitting on the toilet and turning on the hot water in the shower to steam up the room. If I leave it running long enough it not only opens my pores but peels off the old wallpaper as well." I cannot imagine why she didn't laugh, I thought it was funny.

She left when I started to carry the plates of food to the dining room although I extended an invitation to her if she would like to stay. She informed me that she didn't eat meat of any kind and reminded me, "A second on the lips, a lifetime on the hips," and added, "But of course, you already know that, don't you?"

For about ten minutes I was fuming inside and walking past a mirror only made it worse. Here I am at a stage in life when opening the phone book can make me tired on a bad day and this lady thinks I should be concerned with my hips. Oh, please! So I'm not aging gracefully, big deal. I have no desire to be the seventy-five year-old lady in a string bikini that I saw last week. This body has been lived in and my heart is still beating so I'm not going to complain.

I've had a few moments this week when I've considered the purchase of a rocking chair from Cracker Barrel. I could bring it home, sit in it on my front porch and watch the traffic go past without a care in the world. One of those moments came when one of my daughter's friends sent me a link to her My Space page. I looked at the page and so many of the friends she had there and I realized that they were starting to look like they are heading into the middle age phase of their lives. Then I realized that they ARE heading into middle age. That makes me....well, I'd rather just not think about it.

Another one of those moments came when one of my neighbors told me, "Lord, you have more patience than I do. I couldn't stand to have all of those bicycles and balls all over my yard. I would be out there picking them up constantly." I smiled without telling her that I used to do that too. I don't have all of the patience she thinks I have, I am so tired that I just don't care about the small things so much anymore. Things that used to drive me into a frenzy now seem to get more of a shrug. The only things I seem to do these days without thinking about it first or planning it out is to sneeze or fall asleep.

I have realized that my mind is full of oodles of things I would like to do that might be fun but my body keeps telling me that it refuses to cooperate. A teenager asked me the other day, "Nana, when you were sixteen, did you carry a condom in your purse?" I burst out laughing.

I told her that I didn't know what they were at that point in my life and at this point in my life a spare pair of reading glasses was much more practical and more likely to ever be used. Yes, I admit it, I'm growing older by the minute but I also realize that happiness is a state of mind. So after the meal was over and while I was cleaning up the kitchen, I started to think about things that are right in my life.

For starters, I woke up this morning!! I'm not in a nursing home, I'm not physically challenged except for the joints that go out more than I do and I'm not hungry or worrying about a roof over my head.

I have gained some weight as middle age has settled mostly in my belly but I don't get as cold as I used to with the added packaging. Maybe that is the whole point of middle-aged spread, to help us save on the heating bills.

All of that doggy doo in my yard that I don't feel like scraping up every day is making my grass greener. I admit, I wasn't thrilled with the little dog that rolled around it but it could have been worse, it could have been cow dung!

I own a home with a cement foundation and cinder block walls, I will never have to worry about it falling over from termite damage! (Okay, so this one is really reaching but it is the truth!)

I was never married to Prince Charles!!! (That should be worth several days of happiness right there!)

And last but not least, most of my ancestors didn't leave any written journals behind! I can only imagine what a field day the National Enquirer would have had with those!

Having a bottle of Geritol on my refrigerator and wrinkles with folds inside of them do not mean that I'm too old to enjoy life. Now where did I put those bottles of food coloring. I think I need to pay my new neighbor a visit and check out her sauna. Red or blue? I'm thinking that blue would be the perfect color for her.

Dianna Doles Petry

Dianna59@charter.net

July 14, 2006

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Poetry Section

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  Conquering Pride With Grace

Carol Meeks

Jesus made us in His image
and desires blessings all around.
If we obey His commandments,
surely goodness and mercy will abound.

We will become just like Him
and those around us will certainly see
His qualities of love and compassion
as gentleness and kindness cover us with glee.

We'll look past all hurts from others.
Prejudice and pride will pass away.
Closeness and sharing will be normal;
no one will be harmed or held at bay.

Families and friends become a unit
no matter their creed or race.
If we treat one another as Christ treats us,
we'll live, in, and with His mercy and grace.

© 2006 Carol Dee Meeks
c_pmeeks@hotmail.com
http://home.midsouth.rr.com/kmhomepage/homePage.html

~**~**~

Exalt Him, Crown Him King
Carol Meeks

Exalt Him, crown Him king;
He who hung the stars above;
tell others of His infinite glory;
tell them of His wonderful story;
exalt Him, crown Him king.

Exalt Him, crown Him king;
He who died for us on the cross;
so our sins could be forgiven;
so blessings could be for the liven'
exalt Him, crown Him king.

Exalt Him, crown Him king;
He who heals us with His grace;
He who will take us home on high;
the One that waits for us in the sky;
exalt Him, crown Him king.

© 2002 Carol Dee Meeks
c_pmeeks@hotmail.com
http://home.midsouth.rr.com/kmhomepage/homePage.html

~**~**~

How Easy to Trust Him
Carol Meeks

How easy to trust him,
When we're riding high.
Things are going great,
And we have our piece of pie.

How easy to trust him,
When things are going great.
Our feathers are unruffled,
And we dream of the pearly gate.

How hard it is to trust him,
When our bank account is small.
The baby's sick with fever,
And no friends come to call.

If only we could handle,
The good things and the bad.
And know He's waiting, watching,
There's no reason to be sad.

For in His time and timing,
And in His point of view,
He intercedes so effectively,
He will save me and you.

© 2001 Carol Dee Meeks
c_pmeeks@hotmail.com
http://home.midsouth.rr.com/kmhomepage/homePage.html

Readers Feedback

Welcome Ross, to Storytime.  Many years ago, I think I was 17, I rented a room for $10.00 a week with nothing except bathroom privileges. I drank Tang made from tap water, and ate peanut butter sandwiches because they didn't require refrigeration. 

Now I pay $600 a month and since I had to quit working, am back to eating the same dam peanut butter sandwiches several times a week.  

I know of Ross from another list and we share a common bond. We are both Proud Parents of US Soldiers.

Ross knows me as Arlene in CT.

aro

Mark:

Your story about Snuggles was excellent! Dogs can be very therapeutic.

Thank you

Arlene

Please tell Bill Walker, Leeuna Foster and Joan how much I was blessed by their writings. Mary Carter Mizrany

Please relate to Sharon Bryant how much I was touched by the article
she wrote: An Appreciative American ~ I Am Leaving Them an Inheritance. Mary Carter Mizrany

Please let Mark Crider know his story about Snuggles brought many tears to my eyes.
Such a touching and heart~warming story. Thanks for sharing it with us, Mark!
Love and blessings,
Maryxo

Senior Writers

Chief writer: Sharon Bryant

Chief researcher/historian: Hartson Dowd

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Wainland, David; Westerfer, Clara; White Robert;

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