STORYTIME TAPESTRY

March 15, 2005

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Animal awareness series endorsed by Shiloh and Hank our mascots; all stories must receive their approval. /

Now on to the good stuff..........

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"Lucky"

Sharon Bryant

I should have known. When he walked through the door and said, "Come, I've got something to show you," I should have figured something like this was waiting on the other side of that door.

I went outside, wrapping my fuzzy lavender robe around myself. The wind was blowing in gusts and my hair stood on end. I wrapped my robe around myself a little tighter. I heard the chimes ring out a beautiful tone as the wind whipped between the metal pipes.

"There." he said. "I found her; she jumped into the truck when I stopped. She ran out in front of me. Look at her chin; she's graying, so she's older."

I looked at the German Shepherd lying on the ground by our gate. Her golden eyes looked up at me, that long tail started thumping. I reached down to pet her when she reached up and licked my hand.

He had to leave for the day and I spent the day home washing clothes, doing chores around the house that I know I will have no time for this weekend. She laid by the gate all day long. She ate the big bowl of food I placed by her. As before, she came and licked my hand. She is beautiful.

The temperature is going down to 24 tonight. I can't leave her out there to fend for herself in that cold. That old green thick blanket in the closet will work just fine. When I took it outside, she jumped all around me. I think she knew I was going to make a bed for her.

We put her inside a utility trailer, and propped the door open so she can come and go. I dug out a thick pillow I was going to give away just two weeks but something told me, "Hang on to it." Now I know why I got that feeling.

I just went out to check on her. She's already let us know she appreciates her new bed with the covers and pillow. She licked my husband's hand and mine when we sat out another bowl of food. Her tail thumping proved to me she was grateful for her new "room" and bed.

I called my vet and said, "I think I might have another dog........." and he started laughing, and said, "Yep, I just bet you do. What kind is she?" "A beautiful German Shepherd with golden eyes," I said. "Well, bring her in, we'll check her out." he replied.

We haven't picked out a name yet, but I think Lucky would be fitting for her. She's lucky she was found on a desolate dirt road last night. She has a collar on, but no tags. My son could not leave her to fend for herself, so when she hopped into the truck with him, she found a new home.

I look into those golden eyes. I see the gray hair around her nose and I know she's over five-years-old. I can't help but think of my Pokey who had turned gray. I could never imagine her having to sleep out in the cold without covers and something soft and warm to lay her head on, shielded from the wind.

Go on, call me a softie. My family loves dogs. Besides it will be fun for Ladybug and Bob to have a bigger sister. And "Lucky" IS a big dog. The size used for K-9, but she's gorgeous and very gentle. I can't leave her out in the cold, can I? I can't let her starve. Besides, my vet is anxiously waiting to see the newest member of our family. I think she's pretty lucky to have a family find her that cares about animals. I think we're pretty lucky to have found an older dog that just needed a home and someone to care about her.

Sharon Bryant

1946 @bellsouth.com

About Me:

I am Sharon Bryant, 59 years old and reside in Alabama.

I lost my child in 1977 when he was five and I write
articles on bereavement often.

I am a chocolate/candy maker and also a wood crafter and knitter.

I am married to a wonderful man, and have two remaining children, a daughter 25,
Amy, and a second son, Randy, age 22.

My main goal in life is to help those who
have lost a child. My website is: www.angelsremembered.tk

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Today's Queue Stories

~**~**~**~

Wouldn??™t You Know It

Loren Moore

IT??™S HAPPENED AGAIN. I GOT ANOTHER PACKAGE IN THE MAIL. IT HAD A BAR OF LIFEBUOY SOAP IN IT. THE PACKAGE WAS MAILED IN GLADEWATER, TEXAS, MY OLD HOME TOWN. IT HAD A RETURN ADDRESS ON IT THAT READ ???1950 MEMORY LANE??? BUT THERE IS NO MEMORY LANE IN GLADEWATER. I CALLED CITY HALL TO MAKE SURE.

THERE WAS A NOTE IN THE PACKAGE WITH THE BAR OF SOAP. IT SAID;

???HELLO, IT??™S ME AGAIN. THIS WAS NOT WRITTEN ON A TYPEWRITER SO DO NOT LET YOUR DETECTIVE WASTE TIME TRYING TO IDENTIFY A TYPEWRITER. THE PAPER IS CLEAN (NO FINGERPRINTS OR IDENTIFYING MARKS). IT IS XEROX PREMIUM MULTI-PURPOSE PAPER THAT MAY BE PURCHASED AT ANY DISCOUNT CENTER. DO NOT ADMIT YOURSELF TO THE HOSPITAL. IF YOU AND/OR YOUR DETECTIVE DO NOT SOLVE THIS MYSTERY WITHIN 30 DAYS I WILL REVEAL MY IDENTITY (IF I STILL KNOW WHO I AM).???

IT WAS SIGNED ???THE LIFEBUOY PHANTOM??? AND I AM BEGINNING TO BELIEVE IN PHANTOMS.

I??™M STILL WAITING FOR THE 30 DAYS TO BE OVER BUT I DON??™T KNOW WHITHER TO BELIEVE THE PHANTOM OR NOT. IF HE/SHE HAS KEPT HIS/HER IDENTITY SECRET THIS LONG WHY REVEAL HIS/HER SELF NOW.

ANOTHER THING, IS THE PHANTOM THE ONE WHO SENT ME THE LIFEBUOY SOAP TIN BOX? THAT COULD BE SOMEONE ELSE ALTOGETHER.

THEN THERE IS SOMETHING I??™VE BEEN KEEPING SECRET ALL THIS TIME. I RECEIVED TWO BARS OF LIFEBUOY SOAP FOR CHRISTMAS 2001. THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT DIDN??™T COME IN THE MAIL IT JUST SHOWED UP UNDER OUR CHRISTMAS TREE WRAPPED IN CHRISTMAS PAPER WITH A BIG RED BOW ON IT.

DOES THIS MEAN THAT JOHNNIE IS IN ON THE CONSPIRACY? I DON??™T THINK SO. I??™VE LIVED WITH HER TO LONG FOR HER TO GET AWAY WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS FOR THIS LONG. BELIEVE ME I WOULD KNOW. YOU CAN??™T STAY MARRIED TO SOMEONE FOR 52 YEARS WITHOUT GETTING INTO THEIR MIND.

BUT THAT??™S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.

?© COPYRIGHT 2003


Loren Moore
caddo @ digitex.net

MY NAME IS LOREN MOORE AND I'M 72 YEARS
OLD AS OF 11-12 04. I HAVE BEEN MARRIED
TO MY WIFE JOHNNIE FOR 53 YEARS AS OF
11-14-04. NOW THAT I'M IN MY OLD AGE I
DECIDED TO WRITE ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS
THAT HAPPENED TO ME AND MY FAMILY. THESE
STORIES ARE 90% TRUE AND 10% FICTION. MY
WIFE JOHNNIE SAYS THEY ARE 10% TRUE AND
90% FICTION. MAYBE THEY ARE SOMEWHERE IN
BETWEEN. BE THAT AS IT MAY HERE ARE MY
STORIES. I HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM.

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Don??™t walk off the Set Called Life!

Claudia Kerens

Life??™s smorgasbord is digestible or at least palatable if humans can understand that the human survival instinct is fueled by the need to control the power of healthy decision-making.

This salient wisdom had to be learned to survive a period of my life that would have sent some people over the edge of reality into insanity.

I know what it feels like to survive the pitted webbed depths of despair back to return to the reality zone. Momentarily I would see the blue skies - only to slip and free fall back to the bottom of this dark black hole. I would have to make the climb back up again. Every time I made the effort to come back into the reality zone, I visualized my nails and arms ragged, bleeding, scraped raw by the will to survive while I made the weary assent AGAIN- my feet heavier than the last time I had made the climb. Survival was the instinct that fueled the efforts.

I don??™t learn life lessons in one take. I usually have to hit the life wall a few times before I can make the adjustments needed to go forward. Given that self-esteem was not my strong suit during maturation, I so desired human acceptance I trusted people at face value. I did anything to be a ???friend??™ only to be thrown out of the social limousine once my talents had been used for others to claim.

When the value of trust is bruised, scraped and sometimes severely ruptured, the climb back is not a given. For as less trust is given, less trust is felt, and eventually you don??™t even trust yourself.

For me, that was like entering a haunted set; draconic in appearance, fogged up as if in Trafalgar Square on a rainy misty night. The vision is dull yet ???Jack The Ripper??? could jump out around any corner. All clarity and concern is lost; nothing will improve the picture that has ragged edges mauled- spit back out by the Jaws of Life. The ability to lift one??™s head is beyond physicality; the ability to blink too tiring, the ability to live is questionable. This is depression.

I was so depressed that I couldn??™t move out of my bed. It was a stretch to arise to void myself of bodily fluids. I would think I must have crawled to the bathroom and back through an emotional minefield. That??™s why I was so tired. That??™s why I needed so much sleep. That??™s why I had no energy. That??™s why I just couldn??™t possibly pick up the phone if perchance it rang. There certainly was no joy nor did a glimmer of a smile etch itself anywhere within my ken. I envisioned that death was near.

I prayed to hear God say: ???Cut! Print! This life is over! Can the film and let??™s move on! Here??™s another potential blockbuster gone awry! Instead it will decay on that metal reel of life! Too bad -this Director walked off the set! This film is over!???

That, my friends, was my experience into the eerie world of ultimate depression. I was 1500 miles away from any support system. I had no desire to see another human face. I lost all ability to carry on a real conversation. I wasn??™t happy; I wasn??™t sad. I was void of any real feeling. I operated- functioned mechanically by rote. I now think that on the outside, I looked perfectly fine.

Not one person would have even suspected things were not quite right. I was raised to be a very good actress. ???Never show them what you??™re thinking! Feeling! Take that life??™s punch with a strong stomach! Move on! Don??™t dwell! Don??™t stop to grieve! Get on with it! Quit wearing your heart on your sleeve! Don??™t let those tears see the light of day!???

Those were BOB??™s survival skills developed by his own potholed life. BOB meant to give his baby girl defensive strategies to protect herself. I know he didn??™t mean for the hard knocks to shut me down and turn me into a robot. But they did.

I made up my mind to refuse to open the door when life knocked. I couldn??™t be hurt anymore if I didn??™t open the door. Life in that stuffy acrid boundary ridden existence grew stale- musty from disuse. The door rusted shut.

In three years, I had suffered a major illness, lost a child, lost a husband, lost a second husband, almost died due to an accident, lost a third fianc?©, couldn??™t stand the thought of living and tried to die because I didn??™t want to be labeled crazy, nuts, insane! ???Oh, Poor thing, she wasn??™t the strong woman we thought she was! Too bad!???

The only one left to blame for this war torn emotional morass life was myself. And I punished myself. Boy, Do I know how to sucker punch myself better than my worst enemy.

As God would truly have it, a new friend appeared on my spiral path that with effort hung onto me for dear life. Evelyn was a psychologist of much repute. I didn??™t know that on one early fall day while going through the motions of shopping at H.E.B. I trudged up and down the aisles holding onto the shopping cart more for balance than for toting groceries. I couldn??™t seem to find anything I wanted to put into the basket.

Evelyn had been hired by the school district. She tried to strike up a conversation about school. Apparently I was unresponsive, she had the experience to recognize the signs of depression. The most salient thing I remember from that day was the smell of ???Lilies of the Valley??? perfume and maternal arms encircling me. She said, ???Now, Honey, Why don??™t we go have a nice cup of tea!???

To this day, I don??™t know why I went. Evelyn was a stranger to me. But, she offered a hand when I knew I was drowning. And like all drowning victims I was seeing life flash before me frantically. I took the hand. I took to the therapy.

This was a phenomenal transition to me. I had to admit my weaknesses to another human being. When I did, it felt like I had released all the ???bats from the belfry!??™ I learned more about spirituality and the need to integrate God into my life. I learned to be less like a robot and more like a human- to actually show I cared outwardly rather than hide it in the deep recesses of my soul.

One day the moving van came; the crew packed my belongings to take back home; Evelyn pulled up in my driveway. She handed me a large book and told me not to open it until I boarded my flight to St. Louis. She hugged me assuring me I would be fine! Half way over the State of Texas, I opened the book lying on my lap. I laughed! The person sitting next to me gave me a strange stare! The book was by A. A. Milne. It was about the friendship between Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh. Evelyn had placed a bookmark in the book and circled the below passage:

Christopher told Pooh, ???There are plenty of times when you are going to be afraid. You are going to be uncertain. You??™re going to have self-doubt. You??™re braver than you believe. You??™re stronger than you seem. And you??™re smarter than you think.???

It was like she had begun the nurturing healing process for a wild bird and now was the time to let that bird go back into the wild. The bird did. And because her childlike love for flying returned, she soars even today. She??™s not afraid to open the door when life knocks. She??™s not afraid to feel.

Claudia Kerens
mina1986 @ midwest. net

About Me:

General Bio - 51 year old educator who has
worn several hats in the broadcasting,
office and restaurant worlds. Turning 50
is a freeing experience thus most of my
writing revolves around lessons learned
and wisdom to pass on so that others don't
hit the same brick walls I did. The sooner
folks love themselves, they can give love
to others. And that, is the greatest
gift of all.

Memories

Nanci Stroupe

Carol has published one or two of
Nanci's stories in the past.
Nanci has written for Starfish several
times and for other inspirational sites
also. Three of her stories are in print
in Heartwarmers, Stories for a Woman's
Heart and Half Full. She shares her life
with her husband, Doug for the last 46
years and her hobbies besides writing are
reading and spending quality time with her
dear husband.

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Writers Feedback

Congratulations to our newest senior writers! You all do a wonderful job!

Proud founder of:
Women With A Unique Soul
www.womenwithauniquesoul.com
Webmaster of Short Stories
http://diannapetry.tripod.com
Webmaster of Poetry From Life
http://www.geocities.com/diannawv/
Poems By Dianna
http://members.tripod.com/~poemsbydianna/PoetryofLife.html

----- Original Message -----

Thanks Carol. I've really enjoyed the site. And it's nice writing to a friend. Thanks too, to everyone sending their congrats. Bob

Congratulations goes out to Bob Shaw who has become our newest senior writer!

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Announcements

Help If You Can ??“ Operation We Care

I'd like to ask if anyone would take the time to write a letter, send a note, or just a card to a soldier in Iraq.

She is the sister of my post master. She's been deployed for over a month in Iraq.

She's left behind four children. She misses her family, and she's pulling long hours of duty.

Her brother is also military and is leaving for a two-year deployment to Germany. Many of you will recall, his baby was diagnosed with cancer at 6 months and many stepped in to send a card when his life was in total turmoil. Again, I thank all who helped make his and his wife's life brighter knowing people cared.

If you'd like to write to this solider, would you please email me and I will give you her address.

Thank you,

Sharon

Operation We Care

1946 @bellsouth.net

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Prayer Requests

Dear Prayer Warriors,

Love to each one of you,

Barbara

Dear Prayer Warriors

Please keep Dee in your prayers, she is in a crisis

situation in her home and she in need of our Savior's Touch...!!

Note from Dee:

They had to come & shut our gas line...There is another gas leak in our house.
They fixed one thing and broke another. They just came at 2:30 AM...I am filled with despair.

Dee

Dear Heavenly Father

Please keep Dee and her neighborhood safe from harm, and fill them with your peace that passes all understanding You are in charge and we trust you for your infinite faithfulness and mercy.

In Jesus Precious name,

Amen

Love,

Barbara

his blood work and the doctor told him that ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SENIOR WRITERS

Agee,Vance, Apted,Violet, Baker,Kathy, Batt,Al, Berry,Nell,

Boda,Ginger, Bryant,Sharon, Cassady,B.J., Crider,Mark, Deming,Barb, Goodier,Steve, Harris,Kathy Anne, Hunt, Sharlette, Jacobson, Gary, Kiser,Roger

Kerens, Claudia

Dean, Jenkins,Pamela, Liles,Norma, Mazzella,Joe, Moore, Loren, Ojeigbe,Georgewaters, Shaw,Bob,Sims,Richard, Vaknin,Sam, Walker,Joe, Whirity,Kathy, White,Robert

STORYTIME TAPESTRY STAFF

Publisher: Carol Roach-founder

Moderator: Thelma Hartselle-co founder

Chief writer: Loren Moore-co founder,

Moderator, Publicity Director

Moderator: Clara Westerfer

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