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Storytime Tapestry Newsletter The newsletter devoted to
spreading love and cultural awareness around the world. Our Christmas, Channukah,
Kwanzaa, New Years, holidays Contest We welcome our newest writer Arnot
McCallum, as writer #384. I am so happy
his first poem is an entry for the contest.
Please email him and welcome him to our rainbow family. Today’s Contest Stories ~**~**~ THE
MEANING Sharon
Bryant I watched the news this week
and sat back and began to think. I know now we've lost the meaning. A store in my area had 33 of
the most wanted games on the market. Over 150 people stood in line all
night waiting for the store to open. I still can't figure out how they
all thought they were going to get one of the 33 games. I watched when
the store doors opened and people acted like cattle. They pushed, they
shoved, and even knocked a woman down, harming her. I know they lost the meaning. I hear people groan and say how
much Christmas is going to set them back on their credit cards. I listen
to them and know that they've lost the meaning. I buy several gifts for
Christmas. I have two children, my husband, two siblings, my best
friends, and my employees. Thank Goodness, I know everyone very well, and
know they have not lost the meaning. I know I can send a small bottle of I buy because I care for these
people. I'm not rich, so their gifts are not diamonds, or expensive
things. I buy them something because they have touched my life some way. I've never understood why
people go so deep in debt at Christmas. Last year my best friend sent me
a box of yarn and said, "I hope you like the colors to make yourself an
afghan." I know she can't knit, but she knows I can. This year I made my daughter a
hat and matching scarf from yarn. I know she loves bright colors so
I used rainbow colors for her. I take the time to knit because
I love her and I want her to be warm in the cold I bought the 80-year-old
veteran who lives near me a nice warm flannel shirt, a pair of house slippers
and a new flashlight. I've seen him shake his flashlight and I know it's
on its last legs. I know he depends on that light to let his dogs out at
night or when the power goes out. I know he gets cold easy and loves
flannel shirts. And I noticed his slippers were getting tattered the
other night when he came to eat supper with us. Another friend who lives out of
state is a severe diabetic. I know she's having a hard time with her feet
this year. I bought her several pair of diabetic socks and I made sugar
free candy for her. My uncle who is 87 and still
lives alone. I know my dad drove 50 miles one way and went to see
him 3 days a week and my aunt went on the other four days. I know my
uncle isn't the greatest cook. But I know he's a caring wonderful man and
I know he misses his brother, my dad, very much. I bought him new thermal
pants and shirts today because I know he gets cold easily. He's on a
walker and I know it's hard for him to get to the washer and dryer so often to
wash his clothes. Just before Christmas a package
will arrive at his house with a complete Christmas dinner. My sister and I
know our aunt, who is elderly herself will be spending the day with our
uncle. We know the strain of trying to put on a holiday meal. So
we're making sure both of these wonderful people will have a complete meal
ready to pop into the oven. I wish I could see their faces when the box
arrives, but I know I'll be getting a phone call when it does and a choked up
aunt saying, "God Bless you both for thinking of us." I buy because I love these
people. I try and make things a little easier for them. I worked extra hours this past
weekend so I could send my daughter a money order for a month's rent. I
do it because I want to be assured she will have a warm place to sleep on
Christmas. I know she's having hard times financially and is struggling
making ends meet. I know she loves her two little cats. Today I
shipped a box with enough cat food for a month for her little furry babies. I do this because I love
animals and I know how much her little cats mean to her. The family down the
road who have very little.....I'll be getting some things together for
them. For God knows, I know how it is to have a family and have no money
to buy for children at Christmas. I can never forget the year I had to
tell my two children that Santa wasn't coming to our house. I'm making up a lot of peanut
butter fudge and shipping it to I wanted to take a week and go
somewhere for a vacation this year. I don't think that's possible
now. My daughter needs help more than I need a vacation. To know
she's ok is the greatest gift I can receive. I know the meaning of
Christmas. I know why we celebrate. I know Love. I don't believe God allowed my
birth to be someone who takes up space on this earth. I believe I was put
here for a purpose. I know it's to help where I can. I'll never be famous like the
singers we know, or the movie stars we watch. I know I'm just your
average mom who loves her family. But I want to leave something
behind when it's my turn to leave this world. I'd like others to know
it's very important to pass it forward, in their lives and continue to do so as
long as they can. It doesn't have to be much. Shoveling a sidewalk for an
elderly person is a wonderful gift. Baking a batch of homemade
cookies and giving them to the elderly neighbor can mean more than most can
imagine. Spending Christmas Eve for a couple of hours with a widow who is
now alone for the first time can mean the world to them. We can all find someone who
needs a hand. And I think we can all extend our own hand to help if we
really want to. This year my father is spending
Christmas with Jesus. But I will continue to do the work he always did
when he was here with us. Thinking about others. And me.......what do I want for
Christmas? To know that my family is safe and healthy. To know that
my friends know how much their friendship means to me. Today my sister called and
said, "I just got a box from you......I love it." I had enlarged a photo taken
the last time we were all together at my dad's house in January of this year,
two days before dad died. I bought the frame with the poem "Remember
Me" and put dad's photo in the frame. I sent one to my sister
and my brother with a little note telling them I wanted dad to be with them
through the holiday. It meant the world to both of them. A box arrived at my house two
days ago from my sister. She made me a comforter from all my dad's
shirts. There is nothing greater than to run my hands over that comforter
looking at shirts I saw dad wearing. Shirts I had bought him. The
gift is priceless. We know the meaning. That
gifts should come from the heart, not the pocket book. I wouldn't take
any amount of money in this world for the comforter my sister made me. It
is one of the greatest gifts I've ever received. It is part of my
wonderful father. He knew the meaning. Sharon Bryant 1946@Bellsouth.net ~**~**~ The Shoe Store Sharon Bryant Tonight I went out for a little
shopping for Christmas for my daughter. The man who waited on me was very
nice. I couldn't reach the top shelf to get the size I needed and he was
more than glad to get the box off the shelf for me. It must have been my lucky day
because that pair of shoes that I chose, was 20% off. I thanked him for
telling me, as I saw no sign around advertising the discount. When he went to hand me my change,
he grinned and said, "I hope you have a wonderful What is it with these people in
this country who don't want to use the words Merry Christmas anymore? Are
we afraid the ACLU is going to arrest us for the crime of believing in Jesus
Christ? I will never stop saying Merry
Christmas. Like the story I wrote last night.......I know the
meaning. And I will always continue to spread the meaning of why
Christmas is really celebrated. Sharon Bryant 1946@bellsouth.net ~**~**~ You Walk With Angels Sharon Bryant Someone sent me a beautiful
story today. It reminded me so much of a baby boy in Children's Hospital
that I met three years ago. That year I was making my
rounds going from room to room, giving stuffed animals away to the
children. It was the first year that the hospital allowed me to go into
the PICU section. Looking back now, I know that was one of the hardest
sections of the hospital that I entered. I handed out angel teddy bears
to every baby in that huge room. I was on my way out the door when a
man's voice yelled out, "Lady, you forgot my son." I looked to
where the voice came from and saw a young couple in the back end of the
room. I had one angel bear left in my arms. When I approached the young
couple, I saw their three-month-old baby boy lying in the tiny bed. Tubes
were attached to every part of his little body. I looked at the beautiful
little face and for a moment, I wanted to yell out, "Why God, why would
you allow a little one like this to suffer?" The baby had cancer the father
told me. Both parents began to cry. Suddenly the father reached
into the crib and picked his tiny son up, held him out to me and said,
"Hold him." Tears were sliding down his face. The mother
sat on the chair wiping her eyes. It was all I could do not to break down
myself. "I'm not God," I
said. "I know you're not God, but you walk with the Angels," he
replied. The unit was told who I was, and that I would be giving out
stuffed animals in memory of we parents who had lost a child. I took that tiny baby in my
arms. Three nurses were watching me smiling. And the strangest
thing happened while I held that little boy. A feeling of warmth flowed
through my body, and as it traveled down my arms on to the blanket I held the
baby with, I got a strange good feeling. And to this day, for the life of
me, I have no idea why I said to the father what I did. "Your baby is going to be
fine." I told him. He smiled and said, "I can't get any closer
to an angel than having someone who works with angels." When I handed his little boy
back to him, the feeling was one of the oddest I've ever felt in my life.
I knew I should not have told the father what I did, and yet it came from my
lips as though I had no control over saying it. I checked with another nurse
and asked her to get me the baby's first and last name, telling her I wanted to
check on the baby later and see how he was doing. Oddly, one of the
nurses on that floor was a bereaved parent. She knew who I was, though I
didn't know her. It was that same nurse, who
three months later when I made one of my "check up" calls to see how
the little guy was doing, that told me the baby was home with his
parents. Then she said, "It was like some sort of miracle, his
cancer just disappeared." I believe in miracles. I
know that day I witnessed one. Sharon Bryant 1946@bellsouth.net In memory of our angels Poetry
Contest Entries A Christmas Prayer Author: Lord we came through 9-11 and as Christmas
draws near, we’re keenly aware of Satan’s schemes, destroying things we hold dear. We’re stunned at this tragedy, in a state of
disbelief, we realize how blessed we’ve been, to come through this time of such grief. We’re grateful and we understand, but for Your tender mercies, and Your
protective hand, this nation might have been destroyed. There is so much sadness, and so many
fragmented lives, many
people unemployed. Father, we know we’ve been spared for a
reason, and not just because it’s the Christmas
season, to accomplish Your will on earth. We
celebrate the miraculous birth of Jesus our Lord, and Savior of mankind. We exhalt His holy name. He is forever the
same. Praise Him, Praise Him, His name be
magnified forever, forever our King He reigns. Nell Berry ~**~**~ The Little Red Sock Arnot McCallum The little Red Sock was all alone. He had no mate to call his own. He was told, "Be quiet. Don't say a word". One sock alone was quite absurd. He just sat still in the dresser drawer, And watched as the other socks Went out the door. The blue socks went to school each day. The green socks got to run and play. The yellow socks always went to the mall. The white socks came out for basketball. Red Sock’s heart was full of care, As he lay beside the underwear. He cried himself to sleep each night, And prayed for love with all his might. His prayers were answered. For one day, you see Red Sock was hung on the Christmas Tree. When Santa Claus came on Christmas night, He saw Red Sock with his colours bright. Santa filled Red Sock with candy and toys For all the family’s girls and boys. Red Sock was so happy, he couldn’t stop talking. Now Red Sock was famous... A Christmas Stocking! © Arnot McCallum Readers Feedback Pamela: you are absolutely right, the best gift comes from your heart. a very touchie story. When I taught religious education at my church, I told my students we will be making Birthday Cards for Jesus since His birthday was coming soon. In these cards they wrote a "gift" they will give him. Not materialistic, but from their hearts. The gifts given were priceless. One wrote: "I will give you my gift of singing." Other wrote: "I will dedicate to you my next basketball game"... and the list went on.... Tannia
Bob: buttermilk is great for baking. Along it is not so great.... Your story was cute! Tannia
Arlene: I am a proud sister of a US SOLDIER! My
brother didn't go to Sweet Ina, Warmest welcome to our Storytime Tapestry family. Your writing
"Guilt" brought me to my knees, Ina !!! It is a heart~wrencher for
sure and YOU are an exceptional Brian: you made me cried..... In one occasion when I hit rock bottom
financially, my oldest son was also a recipient of a gift from a generous
stranger.... Also that same Christmas when I went to pay for my groceries
I was $10 dollars short. So I needed to decide what to leave behind quickly
due to the long line of inpatient customers... The lady who just paid for her
groceries paid the different to the cashier and said to me: "This is your
Christmas present, honey. Merry Christmas." I said thank you and
wiped the tears of my eyes so as I did after I wrote this message to you....
Tannia Debra: this coffee story was funny and cute. The first time my oldest son prepared a cup of coffee for me and brought with it toasted bread (breakfast on bed) on a beautiful morning on a Mother's Day, I was fully awake after the first sip!!! LOL TANNIA Bill: ( Beyond the Mirror). you have several very interesting points here... TANNIA Contest Submissions that have been posted
only, this means only the stories that have been published in
Storytime Tapestry and not the articles that are still waiting in the
queue. The list gets bigger each day as
more and more stories are added. Please refer to the archives: http://archives.zinester.com/98907 if you want
to reread an article before voting. Name: Title: Date published Ortiz-Lopes, Tannia From
Devine To Human Dec 17 (see special treat) Blaine, Pamela The
Very Best Gift Of All Dec
17 Shaw, Bob Buttermilk Dec
17 Aro A Visit From
Tanner Claus Dec
17 Joseph,
Brian The Gift of
Giving Dec
18 (see special treat) Walker, Bill Rainbow Ridge Special
Report, Gizzy Dec 18 Gold, Ron Christmas
Kindnesses Dec
18 Gold, Ron A Merry Jewish
Christmas Dec
18 Haley, Ellie
Braun Mother Dec 19(see special treat) McCallum,
Arnot The Little Red Sock Dec
19 Bryant, Bryant, Byrant,
Sharon You Walk With
Angels Dec
19 Donations are needed to help with the
operating expenses of running the newsletter and to keep Storytime Tapestry the
quality newsletter you are so accustomed to.
Please note that Storytime Tapestry is a
free newsletter to members and there will never be a cost for the newsletter. Donations are purely voluntary and no member
should ever feel guilty for not making a donation at this time. Angels on earth, they exist they are out there. Angels come in all ages, shapes and sizes,
civil status, and religion. Their nature
is love and their purpose is giving to the less fortunate of this world. Storytime Tapestry angels are no
exception. These angels are loyal
members who have contributed to the upkeep of Storytime Tapestry newsletter so
that Storytime Tapestry can continue come to your email Here is our Storytime
Tapestry Angels: Also, I would like to thank those of you who chose to
be a silent angel and gave an anonymous donation to keep Storytime
Tapestry up and running. Clara Westerfer Mark Crider Rosanne Catalano Paula Booher Mary Ellen Grisham Louise Nomani Sharon Bryant Angela Walker Hart and Helen Dowd Keith Ready Mary Ellen Grisham Ginger Morgenstern Ellie Braun-Haley Surinder Jandu 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; Meeks, Carol; Mizrany, Mary Carter; Morris, Deepak; Ojeibge, Georgewaters; Petry, Dianna Doles; Pringle, Sandra Lewis; Roberts, Susan; Shiveley, Debra; Shaw, Bob; Sims, Richard; Smith; Michael; 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 |
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