STORYTIME TAPESTRY

March 26, 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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The Empty Chair  

Bill Walker 

I believe around your heart is rows of chairs. In
these chairs set people who hold a special place with
you. The closer to your heart sets the real special
ones. That would be your mother, your father, your
life mate, and your children. Also we have in most
cases brothers and sisters.  They have the front row
seats. I sure hope so. But there are other chairs. A
few of these also are front row chairs around your
heart.
Those other chairs, the special friends set in. Some
special friends are in the first row, some set in the
second row. They are still close.
I know a lady who has an empty chair around her heart.
This was one of those special chairs up front. A real
special chair. It for some reason was close up front
on the first row. Her heart has taken note of the
empty chair.  And her heart is sad at the sight of
this empty chair.
I know full well, as my heart has some empty chairs
around it. Some chairs will remain empty as long as
the heart beats. The heart will never allow any other
to use those chairs.  Her heart may over time say that
someone may use this one chair. But it is going to be
sometime before that happens. In fact her heart may
just set up another chair. That chair is to be never
used again. You know I do on second thought believe
that to be the case.
Her heart will dust the empty chair from time to time
with the memories of the one no longer using it.
I have not called the name of this lady, nor do I care
to. As I think this fits each and everyone of us. That
is if you think about this life we live. You cannot
say that you do hold certain people close to your
heart. Those would be the chairs up front row center.
It also comes to me there is others that set or lay in
these chairs up front row center. In my case that
would be Bob, MengToy, Chinker, Chinker Boy. Those
chairs get dusted with memories. Tinker and Poo still
dust their chairs next to my heart.
Yes I must say those that have had pets, those do have
a chair next to the heart. I have heard this lady
speak of hers. So I know her heart is dusting the
empty chairs with the memories.
Now her heart has another empty chair to dust with the
memories.
Remember this. The happy memories will carry one over
the road ahead. Until it is time for your heart to
join the ones on the other side of the thin veil. Also
remember there will be an empty chair at someone??™s
heart when that happens. I sure hope so in my case;
hope it is true in your case too.
The heart is a little sad today....
Another Empty Chair around the Heart

Update..  Tinker and Poo has been gone, and is

waiting for me also at the Rainbow Bridge now for a year.  

Those chairs are now dusted by a sad heart. I am quite

sure those two chairs my heart will never let any other

use them.

Bill Walker

wildbill6807 @yahoo.com

About Me:

Well I??™m a story teller, not a writer.  Never learned the art of fancy English. I

happen to live in Nebraska, but im still  Missouri. Never married, all the Dollies I

ever took a second look at was too smart. Now at 74, just turned that other day, I

figure they all home safe. I love Doggies  and Dollies in that order. Lost my two

true friends this year, that be Tinker and Poo. So I found me a new one. This

time a little girlie Peke. She is a normal female. Got a mouth, talks all the time.

She will never be a great writers of stories like Tinker and Poo. They have

about 50 stories on HWS. And now writing back from Rainbow Bridge.

I just try to write about people, places and things best I remember. Have something

over 250 stories on HWS. under three names.   

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Today's Queue Stories
~**~**~**~ 

 The Old Wool Sweater

by

Nanci Stroupe

I think we were at recess playing hop scotch, as I remember that day. It was a

cool day and winter was on its way. It was not cold enough for a coat so Mama

put a sweater on me that day. I was in the third grade and I really loved

school for the most part.

As one of the girls, Emily was her name, jumped one two three on one foot and

she put two feet down on the five and six, she was doing real well, I heard a

boy hollering not far from us. We all stopped to listen to what he was saying.

He was singing it loud and using my name.

He sang "Nanci goes to the Holy church, Nanci goes to the Holy church" and on

and on he went 'til I figured he must not know that I was Baptist and always

had been.

I said to him, "Jimmy, I go to the Baptist Church, same as you do, silly boy."

He pointed to my old wool sweater that had been my sister's until someone

washed it and it shrunk up. No one could wear it but me, and it DID have a

hole in the elbow of it, a big hole. I was so embarrassed, all I could do was

cry and take the hateful sweater off and roll it up in a ball and put it with

my other things.

That didn't stop him from his taunting and a few of the girls giggled and

snickered about it too. Emily didn't though. She came over to me and held my

hand and told me not to pay any attention to him, and that he was just a stupid

boy. But it hurt. It hurt real bad. I don't know why I wore that sweater and

didn't notice the hole in the sleeve. I guess I was too little to worry about

such things. After that day I never wore the sweater again and it

was too far gone for mama to fix it so it went into the t rash heap. I hated

that boy for many years because of how he made me feel that day. I really did.

I know I didn't hate him but I hated the way he made me feel. I guess I

should have thanked him for making me more aware of how I looked before I left

the house. But all I could think of was the chant "Nanci goes to the Holy

Church" and my stupidity of thinking he was talking about my church instead of

making fun of the hole in my sweater. After that, I became somewhat popular

in that small school. I was the captain of the patrols, I was in all the plays

and in sixth grade I was May Day Queen. Guess who tried to be friends with me

all those years and guess who I ignored like he didn't even exist.

I guess I was just as hateful as he was behaving like that. It took me a long

time to get over the embarrassment of that day and to get over hating him and

realizing he was just a kid trying to be funny. I learned to understand that

children can be very cruel and I tried to teach my children that lesson at a

young age also. Young children have very sensitive feelings as they try to

make their way while growing up. I always loved school and have wonderful

memories of all those years. I heard a few years ago that Jimmy died and I did

feel sorrow, sorrow for a young boy who was part of my youth. I hope he had a

good life. I can still visualize that old wool sweater with the hole in the

elbow of the sleeve. Nanci L. Stroupe Onenoni @aol.com Nanci has written many

short stories for Starfish over the past four years and also has had several of

her stories published in Heartwarmers, Stories for a Woman's Heart and the last

one was in Half Full.

She and her husband enjoy their life together. Their church is very important

to their spiritual growth. As he golfs, she writes, reads and has joined the

Red Hatters Society recently. Her daughter, Sher helps her format her stories

and deserves a lot of credit for all that have been published.

(C) 2004 Nanci Stroupe

Onenoni @aol.com

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Poetry Section

~**~**~

The Lonely Cross

Dedicated to my Mother and Aunt Opal

B.J. Cassady

I am alone, yet I am not sad.
I once held the Savior, for that I am glad.

I am but a piece of wood
who held Christ, who gave all He could.

I once belonged to a grand old tree.
Yes, I held Jesus who died so your soul could be free.

He carried me though the evil city.
I held him while few of you took pity.

My job is done. His body is not here.
I wonder . . . did you shed a tear?

I stayed for days upon the hill.
I saw Christ return again. Can you image the thrill?

A piece of wood is all that I am meant to be,
But the Prince of Peace is here for all who have eyes and wish to see.

The question remains deep within my heart--
Would you be willing to take His cross and do your part?

B. J. Cassady

Copyright ?©2001 B.J. Cassady

B.J. Cassady

BJ.Cassady @ af-group.com

B.J. Cassady is a Stephen Minister at

Edmond Trinity Church and ISD professional

in Guthrie, Oklahoma.  A disabled Vietnam

era USAF vet,  BJ enjoys giving back to

the world with his writings and is putting

together a CD audio collection of his best

writings.  For further information please

write: bj.enterprises  @juno.com

Also look for his story 'Medals' in

"More Patriot Hearts" by Lt Col William

Coffey and "The Quilt".

 ~**~**~

A Question of Belief

Gorden K. Warner

Let me pose a question and see how you'll react

will you show real tolerance or show how much you lack?

What if I said that Jesus is part of each new child that is born today

and his mother was a lady or an addict who had lost her way?

Would it serve to change your perception of the reason that He came

or would you look at me in horror and your voice fill with disdain?

Could you still say there's a reason for a celebration of love

or would you in intolerance pray that I be forgiven by the Good Lord up above?

What if I said He's here today in all the loves we share

could we be proud of how we act, or would there be reason to care?

What if I said I saw Him in the way that sisters act

or how daughters treat their mothers or the way they're treated back?

Would we have to show more tolerance for the ones we say we love

in order to gain approval from our Father up above?

Would the lesson be to much for us? Would it be more than we could take?

would we once again forget His teachings and watch His poor heart break?

Think of how we treat each other, can there be peace within our hearts

be honest now, not selfish, are you positive you did your part?

Jesus came to save us, can we look to Him with pride

or do you have a loved one that still has been denied?

Before we get to pious, we all should stop and think

Is the way we treat each other why He got vinegar to drink?

Written by Gorden K., "Pop" Warner

Gorden K. Warner

gkwppw1963 @cox.net

~**~**~

 LOVE IS

Gorden K. Warner

If I could take a moment of time to tell you how I feel

to let you know what's in my heart and assure you that it's real.

I would stop you from your busy day and hold you for a while

I'd caresse you oh so tenderly and try to make you smile.

We all need reassurances, we need to know that we belong

we need to know that others care even when we've done wrong.

It's such a driving force we feel, that comes from deep inside

and we share the deep conviction that it will not be denied.

It's not as though we never hear it but that we need it still

It's the thing that serves to keep us happy just like we know it will.

Love is such a curious thing but it's the mightiest force I know

when experienced in all its majesty, it leaves such a powerful afterglow.

So recognize its potential and learn your lessons with grace

then bask in all its splendor cause they're feelings you cannot replace.

Written by Pop Warner

 Gorden K. Warner

gkwppw1963 @cox.net

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Writers Feedback

In response to Sharon Bryant's story
about Terri, I say Amen!
I still find it unbelievable that any one
would allow a person who had been
in the same condition for 13 years and
never gotten any worse to just starve
because her husband and some judges
say so!
As far as I know, she has been no problem to anyone, so why now?
I agree with Sharon that we don't know
the whole story.
Why did her husband refuse the offer of
a million bucks from the man in California?  He wants her dead for some
reason and it isn't compassion!

Clara Westerfer

I just read "Still He Walked" by David Langerfeld and must say it was so beautifully written, it brought tears to my eyes!  Such a way with words!  I have not only sent it out to all I know, with his name on it, of course, hope he doesn't mind, I have also printed it to take to some of my neighbors!  Wow!!!  Blessings to all, Sharlett Hunt

That is a wonderful incite to peoples way of thinking. ( Joe Walker story) I of couse go to church to celebrate the victory of Christ. Isn't it nice that 2 people can discuss their beliefs without getting upset .

nathalie Symonds