Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

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

Special Treat – Tannia E. Ortiz-Lopes

Sept 25, 2006

We are pleased to announce Tannia Ortiz-Lopes writer # 360 for Storytime Tapestry.  Tannia is our first author from Puerto Rico and the Storytime Tapestry rainbow family continues to grow.  Please welcome or Latina lovely in the special Storytime Tapestry way.

Let the Children come to Me….

Tannia E. Ortiz-Lopes

The Canadian incident at Dawson College reminded me of the Tragedy of Columbine in the USA. The Columbine shooting shocked Americans for a very long time and specially the Christian community. We all have read from martyrs in the olden days (as my youngest son will say), but martyrs in the 21st century, nah? And yet, it happened.  The Columbine tragedy will ever be remember as a battle of good vs. evil.

One of the best known students from this tragedy is, Rachel Scott. She was a regular teenager with doubts, fears, and convictions like most of them. She, however, has other struggles; spiritual struggles. She wrote her thoughts, her trials, her doubts, her courage, her drawings, and her faith on a journal.  She had the feeling that there was something particularly different about that morning.  Rachel was martyred because she stood up to her faith and love for Jesus. She answered: “You know I love Him” when asked “Do you believe in God? by the gunman who took away her life.

After her death and grieving period, her father, published her devotions under the title, Rachel’s Tears.  In this book you read about Rachel's conversion.  This book is very powerful. The title of the book came from one of Rachel’s drawing. She drew her eyes crying over a rose. There were 13 tears which equal the amount of people who died at Columbine. Her eyes were crying over this rose. The rose represented her school. I strongly recommend this book to you all. The book could be purchased at all major online and regular bookstores too.

During the first anniversary of the Columbine shooting I was teaching catechism to 7^th and 8^th graders at my beloved St Paul Catholic Church in Tampa, FL. I made the Bible real for my students. On this particular day, we talked about courage, faith, and Columbine.  I read to them a couple of pages from Rachel’s book and they all listened very attentive!  There was a solemn silence during the reading.  Afterward we said a prayer for the rest of their souls.

It was extremely difficult for me to read it and trying unsuccessfully to hold back my tears. My tears of pain and frustration rolled down my checks as they are doing now while I am writing this story. 

We will never know why people with a lot of accumulated internal anger go around killing other people. We will never know why these lifes were cut short. One thing we do know, since GOD was been pushed aside from our lifes and our society, the world has become a living hell and we are still looking for the promised paradise. 

A friend of mine have a dream in which a woman dressed in white said to her: “The youth will carry the Church”…  Christ also said: “Let the children come to me… for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them” (Matthew 19:14)

I ask you to pray for the rest of their souls and a spirit of understanding for their families. Everything happens for a reason and there is a time for everything under the sun. Today we cried for them. Yesterday we cried for Rachel and the others murdered at Columbine. Tomorrow we will wipe out our tears knowing that they are in Paradise.

May the peace of Jesus Christ be always with you!  

Tannia E. Ortiz-Lop?s

tanniaortizlopes@yahoo.com

"The Window to My Soul, My Walk with Jesus"

Voted "2006 BEST CHRISTIAN POETRY BOOK"

by www.christianstoryteller.com

www.tatepublishing.com
www.writers.net

TANNIA E. ORTIZ-LOPES a Puerto Rican currently living in Germany with her husband and her two sons. She participated on several Spanish poetry antologies published by El Editor Interamericano located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her Spanish poetry was published with the pen name of Th?natos Lop?s.  On July 2006, she published her first free-style inspirational poetry book, The Window to my Soul, My Walk with Jesus with the pen name of Mary Magdalene. The bokk could be purchased directly from her publisher at www.tatepublishing.com or thru other major online stores worldwide.

You could read more about Tannia's at her webpage: www.myspace.com/tanniaortizlopes or at www.amazon.com

If contacting Tannia by email, in the subject line, please write "Storytime Tapestry Newsletter Member" so I know it is safe to open your email.