Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

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

August 1, 2007

Publishers Favourite Sites:

Rosanne Catalano

http://www.rosannecatalano.net/

Michael Smith

http://subs.zinester.com/86758/

Barbara Weymouth

penwormprayerwarriors-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Helen Dowd

www.occupytillicome.com

Today’s Announcements

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Today’s Stories

~**~**~

Celebration Rebound

Ellie Braun Haley

shaley@telusplanet.net

 It happens with regularity and yet each time it does I am still amazed. Each time I help someone it seems that I also benefit! This most recent demonstration of ripple-effect goodness took place in March as I struggled and reflected on a problem. A grieving mother needed help. She was depressed and had a problem regarding the loss of her son.

Now many of us have lost a loved one. My only son was killed at age 17. It shook my world so badly that I never thought I could ever regain my balance. So it seemed ideal that I should try to help another mom because I had a full understanding of the problem.

This lady was depressed and becoming very anxious as the birthday of her deceased child drew nearer. How could she get through this difficult time? Well when she wrote to me it was only weeks before my own son's birthday. My past handling of this problem for eleven years has been poor! I ran from the pain, kept very busy and tried not to think about it. I cried off and on through out the birthday.

Now I was being called on to help someone else so I had to examine the problem more objectively.

Suddenly and with great ease an idea came to me. The answer seemed so obvious. I suggested that she needed to celebrate the life of her child. (Yes we both did!) We needed to focus on the time that we had shared with them, on the laughter and sunshine they had brought into our lives. So my next problem was to come up with some suggestions for celebrating the life of her son.

I provided her with a list of nine ideas, ways for celebrating this upcoming birthday. But things didn't stop there.

I began thinking about that short list of ideas and wished it had been longer. I decided to call on the troops! I mailed out forty letters to friends asking them for their ideas. Within two days, my list of nine had grown to fifty. Some people sent in one idea, some four or five. The suggestions ranged from simple to elaborate. There were ideas that involved gardening, butterflies, baseball, gifts for others and service to others. The list was marvelous! I became excited each time I brought in the mail because even after I put it all together, more ideas trickled in!

I didn't realize what an effect all this was going to have on me until a couple of days later.

My husband and I were getting ready for a big book launching celebration and the museum where it was to be held scheduled it for April 3, the birthday of my son. I met up with a friend and wanted to invite her to the book launching celebration. I said, "we are having a special function to celebrate the publication of our latest book, War On the Homefront. Can you please come? Oh and guess what day this is on? It is my son's birthday. Isn't that marvelous?" As I said this I grinned and looked happy.

She stared at me with a look of disbelief! She knew how difficult it was for me to get through special occasions yet I was looking joyful. That was the moment when I realized that something wonderful had taken place for me. For the first time in twelve years I was truly anticipating my son's birthday I wanted to celebrate his life.

I realized that in trying to alter the perspective of one grieving mother, I had changed my own.

I know God puts people in our lives whom we are meant to help and I wanted to help this mother deal with her problem. I had no idea there was help coming for me too! Now I see that God had an even greater agenda. In helping her I helped myself. Good deeds often yield great blessings and I am overjoyed at what has happened. I am still marveling at the change that has taken place in my life.

I know without a doubt that when we reach out to one another across time and space, and when we attempt to help, to pray for, to console, to council or support one another, good things just have to happen.

I have also discovered that now it does not matter if I celebrate Jason's birthday right on that special day or if I honour him on any day in that month, or in that year!. Now I am just thrilled that I do want to celebrate his life. I feel as if I have just stepped out into the sunshine! Now my tears are for the joy of knowing him.

Ellie Braun-Haley shaley@telusplanet.net  Author of a Little Door, A Little Light as seen at http://www.evrcanada.com (EagleCreek Publishers)
 
POST SCRIPT Please contact Ellie Braun-Haley if you wish to have a copy. Just ask for the Celebrate Life list.

The memorial site to my son Jason is up if you wish to visit.... hereis an URLs for you>

Jason's memorial:

http://www.egogahan.com/Memorials/Jason/Jason.html

Ellie Braun-Haley

Author/Motivational Speaker

Ellie Braun-Haley

Author/Motivational Speaker

~**~**~

Rainbow Bridge Gang, Gus
by Bill Walker
Tinker and Poo write
tinkerpoo2000@yahoo.com

After Missy got here she said something about a fellow named Gus. Well we had no Gus in our group, so we started a hunt. We sent different ones to check on the other groups. Tink and I got on the computer, and like to burnt it up looking for anyone named Gus. At
last we tracked him down. We sent Missy, Rowdy and Festus to go look for him. After a bit here they came back with this stranger.  Well didn't take long, until he was no longer a stranger.

Now he has been here since March the 15th. We found out what brought him home, that mean nasty called cancer. He told about how his people Mary and Mike, did every thing that could be done, kind of slowed it down some. Gus is one of those poor fellows that lived in a foster home for a while. Seems he got lost, and was taken in, and Mary, and Mike came along. He was lucky or was they lucky to have had the company of
a fine fellow like him for almost 9 years?

Anyways we got him to join our gang now; we can always use another one like him. You know we're just one big happy family, well that is as happy as could be. Each of us is in the waiting game. Watching and waiting for our people to come home. Each of us gets a nice Angel Dollie to care for us. That goes even for the ones that had no place to call
home, the poor ones that nobody cared for.

Here, those guys have an Angel. They set and wait also, ever so often when a person comes home, they will walk across the Bridge with them and their puppies. You
know Dog People are special people, they have heart.

Gus said he left Penny to take care of Mary and Mike, so they will get
along. They might even have room for another Golden.

Gus said to tell his family he is doing pretty good here; got a nice bed, and lots of loving care. He will be waiting, and some day, with others, will rush to greet them as they come up the lane. It will be home coming day you know. Don't be surprised if Gus visits you in
your dreams. He will be just checking in to see how things are going.

Gus had a good home, he got to run and play, he was well cared for and loved. He was family and loved his family so much.

Tinker and Poo; The Boys Write
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-35741-5

~**~**~

Poetry Corner

~**~**~

 Dechima

Abram Friedland

The flowers were blooming on Dechima’s shores

With a ship from the barbarians’ lands

Coming each and every year to unload its stores

And to force the East to take a gun in its hands

But the East knew how not to listen

Until bigger barbarians in black ships

Each with cannons in its mizzen

Came knocking on the door with the dreaded guns at their hips

The East had to learn all over again

About fire and mass killing

The barbarians tried to flatten

What few flowers were left still blowing

But Dechima wouldn’t go down without a fight

And the Samurai dawned the soldier’s gear and gun

Beating down all his neighbours without mercy in the night

Of the wars the bloodiest century spun

Yet even in defeat and huge puffs of smoke

Dechima still survived with its stubborn refusal

To surrender to the guns that would still imprison its nation

In war, mass killings, defeats, and treaties done in pencils

That could have written a story of flowers

Which should have never been trampled.

By Abram Friedland

abramfriedland@videotron.ca

Dechima is an island in Nagasaki’s harbour where the Dutch sent a ship each year to Japan. It was Japan’s only window on the West throughout the Tokugawa period

( c. 1600 – 1853)

~**~**~

 The Bears are Coming

Abram Friedland

My father works in a factory

My mother slaves in a mine

My kid sister sleeps in the armory

And as for my big brother

He’s history

I heard about a freezing furnace in Stalintown

The place where I was told he laid it all down

The fighting there is so bad that dogs would rather drown

In the freezing river so choked with blood

That snakes its way through town

We’re all in this together

Even in this dreary weather

Of smoke, fire, and people’s necks all in tether

We have no choice

And tonight I’ll have to dine on leather

I don’t know when the fire will stop

I can’t ask for the soldiers’ guns to drop

Even as my city burns, even my grandpa’s old shop

What is the price we’d pay for giving in?

It doesn’t matter, for no head will be left for the enemy to chop

Peace be with you, if you ever read my letter

It is my message from this war, my dream of something better

Maybe you will understand, as your flag flies in good or dreary weather

That we will pay a huge price to save our lives

Before your leaders and ours can toast victory together.

By Abram Friedland.

abramfriedland@videotron.ca

Half the entire death toll of the Second World War was Russians.

 ~**~**~

Readers Feedback

A Fatherless Child story was very profound and heart felt. Carol, you are indeed a strong woman. You are made of heart and bones, but with a iron will to become the person you are. But let me remind you, you are not fatherless child because you are the child of a living God who sent His only begotten Son to die for us. Remember the scripture says, "Even though your father and your mother abandon you, I will never forsake you." He is your Father in Heaven and He has carried you through life. In your dark hours, He hugged you. In your times of sorrow, He comforted your soul and gave you the courage to fight to better yourself. I am proud to be called your friend.  Your reply to your sons questions was the right one. I would have done the same... GOD IS IN CONTROL!  Your friend, TANNIA

Tips On Picking Your Pup by Bill Walker - Dear Carol,

Bill Walker's story touched me today.  Most of our dogs have come from the SPCA.  We picked them because something about them touched our hearts.  However, that doesn't mean it's been easy.  One of our dogs, Skippy, has had so many health problems.  But we've somehow managed to keep up with the vet bill.  One, Shadow, has a strange temperment.  He can turn in a second when something doesn't please him or if he feel threatened.  We don't even try cutting his toe nails, for example.  We only clean his ears when he's wearing a muzzle.  Yet, as soon as he's free, he's loveable again.

Skippy bit me once and I needed stiches.  It was my fault and thankfully they must have agreed because no police came to our door.  Still, we kept him in quarintine, or our best version of it.

We had both Shadow and Skippy before we had grandchildren.  This is where the fear has come in.  Our dogs put up with a lot, and we have at times become complacent thinking everything is fine, then something happens and they nip at the kids. 

It was suggested we purchase our next dog from someone who tests puppies to see which ones will be good with kids.  I guess these might be some of the ones that Bill mentioned.  Because my son said if a dog shows any signs of agression they are put aside.  I dont' know what they do with them.  Sell them to someone who doesn't have kids or put them to sleep.  That seems too extreme to me.

I didn't mean to write this much today.  But the article touched me.  Thank's Bill.

Love, Peace and Joy,

Pam  Garlick

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Clara Westerfer, Mark Crider, Rosanne Catalano, Paula Booher, Kay Seefeldt, Mariane Holbrook, Mary Ellen Grisham, Louise Nomani, Sharon Bryant, Angela Walker, Hart and Helen Dowd, Keith Ready, Ginger Morgenstern, Ellie Braun-Haley, Surinder Jandu, Bob Shaw, Carol Meeks, Charlotte Hilliard, Maria Keller