Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

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

March 13, 2007

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Today’s Stories

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ValueSpeak

A Weekly Column

By Joseph Walker

valuespeak@msn.com

JUST A TEACHER

            I bumped into an old high school classmate the other day (of course, I use the word “old” selectively here.  He is old; I, however, am not).

            As you might expect, we started talking about old (there’s that word again) friends and we tried to update each other on who was doing what where. I told him about the popular, fun-loving guy who now owns a couple of professional sports franchises. He told me about the athlete who is now his family’s dentist.  I mentioned the class officer who is making Donald Trump look small time on Wall Street (and no, we didn’t go to school with Rosie O’Donnell).

            Then it occurred to me: I wasn’t sure what my friend was doing. So I asked.

            “Me?” he responded, a tad uncomfortably. “Oh, I’m just a teacher.”

            At the time I understood what he was trying to say.  After running through that litany of fiftysomething success stories, anyone might be a little intimidated. Some particularly insecure types might have even been tempted to exaggerate their own professional accomplishments (which reminds me: how long do you think it’ll take him to figure out that I’m not really writing a nationally syndicated humor column under the pen name “Dave Barry”?).

            But the more I reflect on my friend’s response – and, quite frankly, my own – the more I realize that our perspective was shallow and limited.  It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that human worth is a dollars-and-cents proposition, or that fame and fortune is the stick with which we must ultimately take the measure of the individual.  Thankfully there is still room in our contemporary definition of “success” for those whose contributions are less widely known, and whose compensation is less grand.

            I suppose there are some for whom being “just a teacher” is an apt description. Then I think of Mr. B, the high school speech and drama teacher whose skill, passion and caring literally turned my life around 36 years ago. Mr. B has moved on professionally to educational administration, but to hundreds of other students who, like me, trace an important part of our developmental evolution back to him, Mr. B will always be a teacher.

But never “just a teacher.”

            Most of us have been positively influenced by teachers who cared enough to make a difference in our lives. Is that impact diminished by the fact that those teachers probably never lived in the posh part of town? To tell you the truth, I don’t know where Della Tuttle lived. All I know is she helped me feel good about myself when I was the new kid in her second grade class and I needed a friend.

            “Just a teacher”? No way.

            Nor, come to think of it, was the nurse who tenderly held my hand through a frighteningly serious operation when I was 19 “just a nurse.” Nor is the fire fighter who spear-headed a last-minute fund-raising drive for a family in our community who lost all of their presents in a Christmas Eve fire “just a fire fighter.” Nor is my daughter-in-law Jen “just a homemaker” or my nephews Bud and Mike “just cops.”

            “There are no small roles,” Mr. B used to tell us, “only small actors.”

            It’s that way with the roles we play in life, too. Even though we may never be profiled in People magazine and our contribution to the Gross National Product may be grossly insignificant, our contribution to society need not be. You don’t have to be Somebody to be somebody. All you have to do is care enough to help make the world a better, happier place. And you can do that – I know you can.

            Even if you’re just a writer.

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 LIKING YOURSELF

By: Joseph J. Mazzella

     My oldest son loves to smile. In almost every picture of him from infancy to the present day, he has a huge smile on his face. He doesn’t just smile for the camera either. I notice that he also smiles at himself in the mirror after he shaves and brushes his teeth. He also shares that smile when he says "good morning" to me in the morning and "I love you" to me at night. He also shares that smile when we joke, laugh, and play. He also shares that smile when he greets all of his friends at school, on the street, and everywhere he sees them. He also shares that smile along with his warm, friendly, and happy spirit with the whole world everyday of his life.

     Why does my son spread so much love and joy to the world? Why does his smile light up the days of so many of us? How does he do it in spite of his handicaps and all the difficulties he must daily face? The answer is simple. He likes himself. He likes himself and he loves who he is even with all of his limitations. He enjoys each day God gives him here and delights in sharing his happiness with everyone. He loves life, he loves God, he loves himself, and he loves others.

     Norman Vincent Peale said: "It is of practical value to like yourself. Since you must spend so much time with yourself you might as well get some satisfaction out of the relationship." Don’t be afraid to like yourself. Don’t be afraid to love yourself. Smile in the mirror. Dance in the sunshine. Greet everyone you meet with a grinning face and a cheerful heart. Laugh and be happy in your life. Take pleasure in becoming who you were meant to be just as my son does.

     God put you here for a reason and hating yourself isn’t a part of it. You are a Child of God. You are a being of light. You are a creator of happiness. You are a smiling messenger of goodness. You were created in love, by love, and to love. Like who you are then, love who you are becoming, and always share that person with the whole world.

Joe Mazzella

joecool@wirefire.com

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Poetry Corner

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Helping Hands

By Cynthia Groopman

Helping hands are stretched out far and wide,

Soothing hearts aching and weary inside.

Comforting a soul full of fear,

Helping hands embrace with smiles and cheer.

Hands that help are dear in God's eyes,

As radiant and precious as the new dawning's sunrise.

Making a difference and adding zest to life,

Helping hands ease tension and lessen the load of strife.

So, helping hands, blessed are you,

For all of the good deeds that you lovingly do.

Cynthia Groopman

Cynthia.Groopman@verizon.net

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A Smile A Day
Cynthia Groopman

A smile a day,
will chase the sad frownful clouds away.
A smile a day,
will enliven your heart in a truly enriching way.
Smiling daily will cause the sunshine to always shine in your heart,
and will give you enthusiasm, zest and energy for a good start.
A smile is like a twinkling star that will light your life's sky,
and bring a cheerful glow in your eye.
For a smile a day is the most valuable pill,
Filling the cup with optimism, curing each and every ill.
So smile for me today,
and you will be enchanted in a charming way.


Cynthia Groopman
Cynthia.Groopman@verizon.net

Copyright ©2004 Cynthia Groopman

~**~**~

A Song
Cynthia Groopman

conveys sentiments powerful and emotionally strong.
A song can ease an aching heart,
will heal With ointment of love, and joy it will impart.
A romantic mood, a song will put you in,
causing your heart to dance and your head to joyfully spin.
A song will convey thoughts of the past,
and memories of the good days will forever last.
So when you are sad,
just listen to a lovely song,
that love will enter your heart and you will be optimistically.


Cynthia Groopman
Cynthia.Groopman@verizon.net
Copyright ©2004 Cynthia Groopman

Readers Feedback

I'm praying for Cheyl. God's still in the miracle business.

Love and prayers,

Vantrice Burkes

Burkes Good News Ministries

Ruidoso, N.M.

Mariane,

What a great story you have written here about this little boy and his father.  When you are in prison, you have a lot of time to reflect on your actions.  But God loves us all, if we choose to believe in Him.  This is because He is a loving and understanding God.  We should pray, not only when we need something, but every day, whether it is reading your Bible dutifuly, praying before you go to bed at night, or even write a story or poem regarding His Testimony.  Once again, I really enjoyed this.

Sincerely,

David Fox

The autobiographical sketch of Rose Wilder Lane is terrific.  My word but we forget the significance of human frailty as we read it.   We have lost our memory of the harshness of life for those with the desperate courage to trek West or North in those times when there was no work and no money and no government to care.  They journeyed with but a few coins in their pockets and supplies in their wagons.  It was a time that defined adventure and gave it color and passion.  It was a time that could kill the spirit.  The names told a great many stories.  Dead Horse Gulch; Tombstone etc, etc.  What a history we have!               Louise

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