Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

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

November 23, 2007

Today’s Announcement

Here is a second Thanksgiving Day edition because I got some entries today as well.

Congratulations to the four winners of the Halloween Contact,

Joan Clifton Costner first place poetry

Conrad Cardinal second place poetry

And the newest winners of the prose contest is:

In First Place

Hart Dowd

And

Runner Up

Sharon Bryant.

Thank you everyone for participating and making this contest a huge success.

Important notice: Storytime Tapestry is a free e-zine, however donations are always needed to help with the operating expenses of running the newsletter and to keep Storytime Tapestry the quality newsletter you are so accustomed to.   You can make your donations to paypal at: winterose@videotron.ca, or if you would prefer to use the mail system contact the publisher at the same email address: winterose@videotron.ca

Today’s Stories

~**~**~

Thanksgiving Day, 2007

Bill Walker

Missourisage@yahoo.com

To all my friends, my thoughts, and wishes for this special day.

We have much to be thankful for, makes no difference if one be rich or poor in cash flow. If one stops and thinks, we are most richly blessed.  I know times may be tough for many.  There is many today that has seen things not work out for them.  But if one looks around, I am sure your going to find someone in worse shoes, and those keep plugging along.

Most to day has something to gripe about, but please take time to think of all the blessings one has. We do not live in a perfect world, make the best of what there is. One should remember to think this. Things may be bad, but things could be worse.

Now I am old enough, that I remember what was hard times in the 1930s.  I also remember the stories of the hard times of my mother's family. Most people today is going to have a great day, a great meal for Thanksgiving.  I remember Thanksgiving days of long long ago.

It was just another day, hard times, what was a turkey dinner?  Many people seen pictures of a turkey dinner, many also dinned on a pot of beans, and a bit of meat for season, and a slice of cornbread.  Hard times you know.

Yes we have much to be thankful for.  We need only remember what was, what we have now, and be thankful.  Remember it could be worse.

I hope and pray each has a most wonderful Holiday, be sure and thank God for your many Blessings.

May God bless,

Bill Walker

Tinker and Poo; The Boys Write

http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-35741-5

 ~**~**~
  

A Day to be Thankful

Dianna Doles Petry

Someone asked me today about my favorite Thanksgiving memory. Naturally, my mind started to sort through all of the Thanksgivings that I could remember.  I would like to share some of the walk down memory lane with you if you don't mind.

Thanksgiving Days spent visiting my grandparents always excited me.  My mother was from a family blessed with nine children, eight daughters and one son.  All eight daughters married and started families of their own.  By the time the last grandchild was born there was a total of thirty-two of us.  So the normal head count at my grandparents house would be somewhere around fifty if not more.  Needless to say, fifty people could not sit down at one table to eat dinner and one turkey was not going to be enough to feed that many people.

One of my mother's sisters lived right next door to my grandparents so she and my grandmother both baked and cooked for two days prior to the big dinner event. 

The scents that came from that kitchen were heavenly to say the least.  I really believed that my grandmother was devoutly religious for a long time because she seemed to be uttering prayers almost continually on the holidays. I didn't realize until I was much older that the prayers were actually meant to ask for strength so that she might survive the day.  She asked for a day free of disputes, hard feelings or ego competitions. She prayed that all of her children made the trip safely back home.

My grandparents did not have a formal dining room. The food was brought into the kitchen, prepared in the kitchen and eaten in the kitchen. In the middle of this modest sized kitchen was a long hand-made wooden table with pull out benches on each side.  That table was for the adults even if they did not always act like adults.

At the adult table, important matters were discussed that the children were not meant to take part in. I'm sure you know about those conversations, you know, finances, jobs, pregnancies, and of course, who could do a complete rendition of Jingle Bells with arm pit sounds.

Several smaller tables, about the size of our card tables today, were set up along one wall and that was meant for the 'tweeners', the older kids who were not quite adults yet too old for the 'baby' table.  Some of the younger grandchildren, namely myself and a couple of others, ended up on foot stools placed in front of wooden chairs that served as tables.

At the smaller tables, conversations would be held that the adults weren't meant to hear. You should know about those too. They were important to the younger crowd, cooties, flatulence contests and the always popular wedgie attacks that were planned for unsuspecting cousins. 

After all of these tables were set up, the women were basically maneuvering around an obstacle course. My grandmother supervised every detail while wearing her tattered and torn apron, her hair twisted into a bun on the back of head, her heart swollen with pride at the sight of her grown children who seemed to grow up and leave the nest all too soon.

The men folk found their way to the living room to gather around a radio to listen to ball games or in later years, a television to watch the games. What they watched or listened to was decided by my grandfather and no one ever dared to try to change his mind about what station to listen to at the time.  I did hear that someone tried it long before my birth and apparently my grandfather stood up, unplugged the radio and then took it to his room where he left it for the rest of the day.  After that, some of the men who did not want to listen to the games would migrate to the front porch to exchange hunting memories, fishing tales or war stories.

The women spent hours chopping, baking, slicing, keeping children content, washing utensils and sometimes, arguing over rehashed memories. Somehow, the main table was finally filled with turkeys, salads, vegetables, breads, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberries, and just about every trimming you could think of preparing for a feast.

Once everyone had been called to the kitchen to eat and had been seated, my grandmother would put my grandfather on the spot by insisting that he give the blessing for the meal. My grandfather was not a church going man so the blessing was never the same twice and Heaven help us if anyone interrupted him after he started because that meant he would have to start all over again from the beginning.

There would always be someone who would find something to complain about whether it be lumpy mashed potatoes or dry turkey meat. This was usually the same person who would never let anyone else get a word in edgewise if she could stop it. By the end of the meal, at least two people would get up and leave the area in a huff. A couple more would break into hysterical laughter at a recantation of a hemorrhoid surgery or a hair styling appointment gone wrong and at least one child would throw up the food they just ate.

I learned a lot from those family gatherings at Thanksgiving. I learned that I had to wait to hear "Amen" before I could dive into the food. I learned that trying to sample food before the adults were ready to seat everyone could result in bodily injury, mercy, my Aunt Gladys could have conquered a war with her fork. I'm telling you, she was better than Chuck Norris with that thing. One attempt to get to touch any of the cake icing on the several available desserts or even a finger full of dressing would have her stabbing at you while you were only thinking of committing the deed.

I also learned to keep all four of my chair legs on the floor at the same time. Do you have any idea how a young girl looks with her best dress on, brand new shoes, jewelry that she is not allowed to wear any other time and then mashed potatoes and gravy dripping down the front of the ensemble because she flipped her plate into the air when she leaned backwards in her chair? It's not pretty and your mother will give you a look that totally melts your insides and you fear the time to go home.

The most important thing I learned, though, was that all families have differences of opinion, good times and bad times, laughter and tears, but no matter what, they should share it and be thankful to have each other.

What am I thankful for this year?  I am thankful for the roof over our heads, each new morning, teenagers, a daughter who has become a fine example of a woman, a mother's strength, friends, women who became my sisters by choice, neighbors who worry if they don't see me out and about, pets who build their world around me, relationships that remind me that I am needed, I am appreciated, I am human.  I am even thankful for the trials and tribulations of life because they make the small blessings so much sweeter when they arrive.

I am thankful for all of you who read this message today. I love each and every one of you, with all of my heart and soul.

©Dianna Doles Petry

November 21, 2007

Poetry Corner

~**~**~

An Ode To The Turkey
Cynthia Groopman

Oh, such a fluffy, beautifully feathered bird are you,
running around and nosily chanting "gobble bobble,"
are the only things that you can do.
You are so largely plump and very tasty too,
and that is why we certainly enjoy eating you.
We clean you and spice you up, preparing you for Thanksgiving Day,
as we enjoy our feast with you in every way.
Your dark meat is so juicy, tender and of course sweet,
which indeed is a delectable culinary treat.
Your white meat on the other hand is sometimes dry and hard to taste,
many people do not like it, as they reluctantly eat it in haste.
We stuff you so you can become as fat as can possibly be,
and when you are nice and brown,
we place you in the center of our table,
for all to admire and to see.
Dear turkey, thanks so much for being our Thanksgiving meal friend,
you are worth all of the hard earned money that we spend.
For we are very hungry, as you can plainly tell,
and as we are cooking you,
we are enchanted by your delightfully delicious smell.


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

  ~**~**~

What I am Thankful For

Cynthia Groopman

Many wonderful things I am truly thankful for,

Life is a cherished gift and a blessing I deeply value and adore.

friends are to me so supportive, loving and truly dear.

Their words, kind thoughts and sentiments soothe me with majestic cheer.

Living in a free nation,

Causes my heart to dance in grateful elation.

Sharing and caring for others and donating my time

We all rejoice and embrace basking in golden spiritual sunshine.

Marvelling at God's creation in every season, in a rejoicing way,

Is indeed a reason for being grateful on Thanksgiving Day.

Physical health is a gift I deeply appreciate,

Enabling me to enjoy festive holidays and to happily celebrate.

Memories are jewels that will eternally reside in my heart,

Forever  they shall flourish grow and never ever depart.

I owe everything to God, who has given me courage, faith and hope to carry on,

With dignity, grace, smiles and charm.

Cynthia Groopman
Cynthia.groopman@verizon.net

 ~**~**~

Readers Feedback

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To the Thanksgiving Edition - people of the Storytime Tapestry
 
this deserves a big WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Wonderful ezine today on such a special day as well.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one.  I printed it out to add to my SPECIAL ITEMS TO KEEP CLOSE AND DEAR.
 
Thanks for all who contributed and have a GRAND Thanksgiving.

carol dee meeks

2007 Senior Poet Laureate of New Mexico

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, 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