Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

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

April 12, 2007

Today’s Announcements

 Happy birthday to Roger Emerson: remerson@sc.rr.com  from you friends at Storytime Tapestry 

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Today’s Stories

ValueSpeak

A Weekly Column

By Joseph Walker

valuespeak@msn.com

JOY IN THE MOURNING

The last time I saw Taylor he was smiling.

It wasn’t a soft smile or a gentle smile. It was big and broad and joyful.

And why not? He was 14, he was handsome and he was surrounded by pretty girls. What was not to smile about?

OK, so maybe the girls were his cousins. And maybe he had spent all of his 14 years battling heart disease and a series of illnesses and operations that had limited his activity if not his attitude. He was feeling great now. Beyond great – he was feeling fabulous. Better than he had ever felt in his life.

And so he was smiling. Enormously. Joyfully. Right from the bottom of his newly transplanted heart.

Long-time readers of this column will likely remember Taylor. About a year ago I wrote about his declining health, and how his family was waiting and praying for a miracle to preserve his life. That miracle came in the form of a heart transplant, which combined the talent and knowledge of skillful surgeons with Taylor’s inherent strength and courage.

It was the perfect combination. Almost immediately Taylor could feel a difference as his new heart pumped strong and true inside his chest. Even during the healing process, painful and painstaking as it was, he told everyone who asked that he felt better than he had ever felt. He embraced his new health eagerly, and he savored and appreciated every energetic moment.

Like the last day I saw him. It was just a few months after the transplant, but there were no visible signs of caution or hesitancy on his part. As I recall, he spent most of the day skateboarding and playing games with his brothers and sisters and cousins. Not once did I see him sit and rest or struggle to keep up with the other young people as I had previously seen him do. This was a day for fun and activity, and he took advantage of it.

Fully. Happily. Joyfully.

At the end of the day there was a meeting during which Taylor and his parents spoke openly about their experiences of the previous few months. It was a rich and fulfilling session, filled with laughter, tears and love. At the end of the meeting all who were present knelt to give thanks to God for His miraculous intervention in Taylor’s life. As our family drove away from that meeting I looked in the rear-view mirror. That’s when I saw Taylor standing there, surrounded by his cousins, laughing and smiling.

Joyfully.

I haven’t been able to get that image out of my mind ever since I found out that Taylor passed away last night. As this is being written we don’t know all of the reasons why – medically or spiritually. We just know that his passing was peaceful and that there was a sweet feeling in the room as he died in his father’s arms.

Oh, and we know this: Taylor had a miraculous year, filled with opportunities and events he never would have experienced but for the wonders of medical science and the grace of God. And those of us who knew and loved Taylor had an extra year to know and love him, and for that we are profoundly grateful.

I’m sure those feelings will be expressed when we gather again in a few days to pay tribute to Taylor and to celebrate his life. We’ll honor his valiant struggles. We’ll exult in the promise of a better life beyond this – for him and for all of us. But mostly we’ll remember the joy we felt from him, and with him, and within him.

Especially when he smiled.

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Poetry Corner

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Three Little Words

Cynthia Groopman

Three little words in my heart and in my mind, will forever reside,
Because they remind me, mother dear,
When you were always supporting me and standing by my side.
Before bedtime,
The three, little words, I love you,
Had a comforting and reassuring melodic chime.
As I grew and the days of fear were gone,
The three little words, of I love you had a lovely majestic charm.
To the bonds of deep affection and caring, it did connect me,
Giving me a sense of confidence and serenity.
When I would leave for work or come home for the day,
The three little words, I love you,
Brought golden sunshine of warmth my way.
Now, the three little words, are heard from Heaven above,
For you, mother dear, are my Guardian angel,
And you enrich my heart and soul with eternal spiritual love.


Cynthia Groopman
Cynthia.Groopman@verizon.net

Copyright ©2005 Cynthia L. Groopman

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Easing the Burdens of Life
Cynthia Groopman

With strong belief and abounding faith, life's burdens will be eased,
Smiles of spiritual renewal will give us inner peace.
With kind words of consolation, gone will be the burdens of life,
A heart will no longer weep with sorrow or strife.
Grasping God's gentle but firm hand,
Will eliminate burdens of strife from one's life's land.
So my friends, remember that life and its burdens will disappear,
When the Lord will kindle tranquility's torch to alleviate stress and fear.



Cynthia Groopman
Cynthia.Groopman@verizon.net
Copyright ©2007 Cynthia Groopman
 

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April Rain
Cynthia Groopman

Oh, as tiny velvety soft droplets of rain
sprightly dance from inside puffy white smiling clouds
cheerfully prance upon the window pane
an elegant softness adorns the April eve.
Each freshly lush green blade of grass
lovingly drinks from the sweetness of nature's water fountain.
Each tall leafy branch, thirsty, too, happily dances to and fro,
to the Rhythm of the wind's melodic bell
like chimes that fetch the tiny raindrops.
Mother Nature lovingly and tenderly bathes her children
with the soft raindrops of their evening bath.
For every drop contains a magic ingredient of renewal and rebirth
tenderly nurturing everything great and small.


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

  ~**~**~

Come Stroll Down The Lane Of Life With Me
Cynthia Groopman

Oh, come and stroll down the beautiful lane of life with me,
as we walk together grasping hands lovingly.
Let us pass through meadow and farm,
that are lush and green, possessing elegant charm.
Let us listen to the musical dance of the babbling brook,
and at the gentle blue sky, we shall smile and look.
Let us marvel at the little sprightly dancing golden grains of sand,
as we look upon the majestic enchanted land.
Come, let us stroll life's lane happily,
as we savor and enjoy every moment of each other's company.
For days race into years, that hurriedly dash by,
and on the wings of time, they quickly fly.
Thus each moment, when we are together,
we must cherish as a precious treasure,
for strolling down the lanes of life with you,
is indeed an enjoyable pleasure.


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

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