Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

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

March 24, 2008

 Today’s Announcement

Have a happy and blessed Easter Monday everyone from Storytime Tapestry Publisher, Carol Roach, Moderator: Clara Wesrterfer

 Don’t forget to order your copy of Angels Watching Over Me, the story of an ordinary woman facing less than ordinary challenges.  Angels Watching Over Me is a story of family love, sacrifices, poverty and an undying faith that makes heroes out of all of us. Here is the link in case you have forgotten it: http://www.lulu.com/content/964306

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

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                        This is a short story I wrote for Easter this year, it's been published in a limited issue magazine and I wanted to also post it to be shared (this is a legal posting :) ). Feel free to pass it on to your friends and family. Please leave my name and information in tact on the message. It is a copyrighted piece, but I'd like it to be shared. It is also posted on my website at http://writerthoughts.com if you'd prefer to send a link. If you wish to print and share it via publication, please let me know. There is NO Fee for this piece, the PRICE has been paid. Blessings, Jan Verhoeff

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Morning of the Rising Son

By Jan Verhoeff

Deep in the burrow mama rabbit hummed a happy song. “The weather is fine,” she sang to the tune she’d been humming and danced around the burrow with bunnies hopping out of her way. She gathered the leftover carrot scraps from dinner to scatter on the garden overhead and carried the basket up the long dirt walled corridors to the land of green above.

“The sun is shining, and I’m about rhyming. I tweet till the lambs come home…” a robin sat amid the tulips watching for worms to come to the surface, “there’s a bunny a hoppin’ and I wish she’d be stopping’ before she comes near my worm…”

“Oh, little robin,” mama rabbit chortled in a sing song rhyme of her own making, “if you’d stop bobbin’ and look near the cave where we dwell. You’d find more worms than you’d ever eat. But there you sit ne’r do well.”

Dancing in the spring, the animals kept up their singing and I watched from my hole in the ground. A rabbit sang to a robin, and a woodchuck scampered up the tree. You probably wouldn’t know it, but I see most everything that happens in the green land up above, from my own little hole in the ground. I even know that pesky robin is listening for me to pop through the soft moist dirt so he can nibble away at my tender hide. But, I’m not going to let him catch me.

Mama rabbit hopped near her hole in the ground and called out the bunnies, all appeared to be safe. She brought them all out into the sunshine and the early morning dew. I watched as they played near the entrance to their hole. Mama rabbit was determined to keep them safe.

Before long there was singing in the heavens and I looked up. There just above the shelter near the entrance to the garden was a host of angels. I watched. They hovered close by and one of them swooped down low and pushed a big heavy stone away from the wall to reveal a doorway. A light shown from within. As the stone rolled off to the side the angel stood back, his wings slowly fluttering in the breeze, gilded by the light, there appeared a gold aura about the angel.

A man appeared from the hole in the wall dressed in tattered linen, with a holy light shining round about Him. His hands were pierced and the crown on his head poked into his skin. I watched and listened. I knew he was the King of the Jews, the Son of God sent down to man. But… did the other animals know?

As he appeared, the animals stopped their singing, the angels lingered nearby, and a woman came from the city below with gifts of spices and perfume. She carried a basket and looked so forlorn. I wished I could tell her of the wonderful scene she’d soon behold.

Then she looked upon Him. Standing there in the garden. The man surrounded by an aura, with angels singing. But she didn’t appear to see him. She gasped at the sight of the empty tomb.

“Mister, mister, where have they taken Him?” she called out.

“Mary, it is I. Do not come near me, for I’ve yet to visit the Father,” H answered.

“Jesus?” She wept. Bowed down before Him, her face in her hands, she wept tears of joy.

The rabbits stopped their dancing to watch in awe as the Savior stood quiet in the garden. The woodchuck ceased to chatter, and the robin concluded his search for worms. The birds in the sky stopped in mid flight, to watch in wonder.

All of heaven’s glory shown down on the man in the garden. The animals knew. This was the Christ Child sent down from the heavens, the God of the Universe who had borne the Sin of man upon the Cross of Calvary. The day was Passover, a celebration of the Jews that would forever become Easter, the morning of the Rising Son.

The animals of the garden gathered close. They shared the light. The animals felt the glory of the heavens as it shown about them there amid the flowers of the early dawn. The animals nodded in recognition of the Lord before them. A blue bird lilted out in song, chirping out the good news of the heavens, and the angels kept chorus. A morning dove came and blessed the day and all the animals of the forest lifted their faces toward heaven in gratitude for this moment.

From my burrow, I watched, satisfied by the presence of angels, warmed by the light, and comforted by the love of a God so amazing that He sent His Son to be a man loved by the world to bring the Light of Heaven and the Grace of God to a fallen universe.

Would you know the Lord, if you saw Him there in the garden? He’s knocking now at the door of your heart. Reach out and open the door, let Him come in.

Copyright (c) 2008 Jan Verhoeff

http://writerthoughts.com

http://janverhoeff.com

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Three Very Important Days In History
Bill Walker
missourisage@yahoo.com

There are three very important days in history, that are Christian
days. Many important days  happened in between those three days.
We are not sure of the one date, that is called Christmas. The date
that we use as the date that Jesus was born. But we do know the date,
maybe not the year for sure, but we know the date of Good Friday, and
Easter. Some say the Bible is bunk, and fiction. They say the Bible
was written by fiction writers. Now lets do a bit of side step here.
If that is the case, if it is fiction, the writers are sure good fiction
writers. I have found in my time on this earth, a story teller
often gets mixed up on telling a story or a lie. The Bible was written
by many different people over quite a long span of time, I find no mix
ups on the story. In the old Testament, every thing points to the
cross. The New Testament tells of the cross, and the fulfillment of
what was told in the Old Testament.
We also know from histories of other peoples and at the times nations,
that things happened, which is recorded in those history books. The
Romans did control a place called Bethlehem. There was a ruler by the
name of Herod, that got all shook up by the news a King was born in that
small village. It is recorded about the killings of all male children
under the age of 2 years in that village, and there abouts. This is
history, it is not so called fiction.
The Romans did control a place called Jerusalem. There was a ruler named
Pilate, who was a flunky puppet ruler  like Herod. But these things
are in Roman history. This flunky was in power, and he  knew, even
with a large number of soldiers, his power might crumble if he didn't
let the  people who were worked up by these priests and so called
leaders of these Jews have some say. If he lost control, he had Rome to
answer to, and he might find his own cross. He sent Jesus to
Herod, who was a son maybe of the first Herod. This Herod wanted
favors of Jesus, he had heard of things this man Jesus done. Luke 23;
8
And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to
see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him, and
he hoped to  see some miracle done by him. You see this Herod was the
same that ordered the death of John the Baptist. How he might have
thought Jesus would have John the Baptist restored to life, as he
had been tricked into ordering the death, he was sorry of his deal.
Now Jesus did nothing, not even answered him, and Herod and his
soldiers mocked him, put a robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.
Just another case of buck passing. I got a hot potato, I will throw
it back to you Pilate.
When Jesus stood before Pilate again, Pilate caved in to the
demands of the mob. He tried to offer them a deal, thinking that the
mob would surely not ask that a murderer be turned lose. What had
this man named Jesus done, but cause a little trouble, he had not killed
anyone? But the mob cried turn the murderer loose. In the customs of
the times, he went with the mobs wishes, he called for a bowl of
water and a towel. He washed his hands of the matter, and threw in
the towel.  In his thinking, he was done with the problem. Now he
might have thought that the priests and the mob, would have second
thoughts, but that was not to be. The mob came to see a man beaten
half to death, and then hung on a cross. And the beauty of it was they
could get the Romans to do their dirty work. So you see, if you stop and
think. Where were you when Jesus died on the cross? We  were
there, all of us, Jews, Romans and all.
The man Jesus was beaten half to death, what he suffered, would have
killed many a man. He then was forced to drag a heavy wooden cross
through town to a place called the place of the Skull.
There he was nailed to that old wooden cross, and then the cross was
lifted and dropped into a hole dug to receive it, in doing so every
major joint in his body was thrown out of place. He suffered for some
hours and then died. This is the day we call Good Friday. The day
Jesus took your sins and mine also to the cross. Paid the price in full
for the many sins we have done, and will do. That is for the ones who
believe and accept him as personal saver of the soul.
On the third day, he walked alive from the grave. We call that day
Easter.
Now for all that don't understand the counting of the days. Remember
he said before what would happen, and he said three days. He died on
a Friday, and it was still Friday, and placed in the tomb. That is one
day. He was in the tomb on Saturday, that was the second day. Any
time after 6 PM our Saturday, would be the third day. Jewish
customs is what is used to figure the days. Yes it was Sunday morning
when the ladies made their way to the now empty tomb. There they met the
Angels who told them, he is not here, he is alive. He has fulfilled the
promise of the Old Testament books.
Jesus won out over the grave, he lives today, so you too can live. He
will return, and take you home some day. The Bible tells me so.
Home to your Mansion on the hill top. Did you wash with the blood of
Jesus, or did you do like Pilate, washed with a bowl of water, and threw
the towel in, and took the easy road out?

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

Poetry Corner

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Easter's Promise

 Cynthia Groopman

Easter's promise is one of renewal and hope,

As God comforts us with courage and resolve to face challenges and to cope.

Easter's promise is one of resurrection of the soul,

To cherish every moment, find a rainbow and attain a desired regal dream and goal.

Easter's promise is remembering that God holds our hand,

Guiding us as we traverse the rough highways of our life's land.

In the radiant sunshine, glowing with peace and love,

You will find Easter's promise, 

As God caresses and embraces us with mirth and blessings from heaven above.

Cynthia Groopman

Copyright ©2008  CynthiaGroopman

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Readers Feedback

Pamy Perry Blaine,

It is wonderful to see your stories in Storytime again. Your stories are always so touching, you have been given a great gift of writing and I anticipate your next entry.
Have a blessed Easter!
Mary M. Little (Dees)
marlena7694@yahoo.com

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 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, Marilyn Sink, Victor Buhagiar, Clarice Hinson, Conrad