STORYTIME TAPESTRY

April 4, 2005

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Today we have another brand new writer to introduce.  Diane Tegarden ??“ writer # 191, for Storytime Tapestry.   Her first piece will certainly make you cry

We are glad to announce that Victor Buhagiar has become our latest senior writer for Storytime Tapestry.  Victor has always captured out hearts with his poetry.

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

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

A Pale Shade of Red

Diane Tegarden

once I was hidden away, sneaking through
brown hills In summer,
gliding from behind a rock??™s shadow,
to stand on parched grass,
snapping and cracking beneath my paws.

my eyes gaze upon a vast expanse of gray-white,
long as the day, It stretches on from the beginning
of light
to the end of the world In the other direction.

I see It
and
I fear It.

Inhaling deeply, I taste the mountains behind me,
they are dry. they urge me onward towards
the cold and wet. I know water lies beyond.

my puppies cry, squeaking softly
deep In their burrow,
waiting for my return, for my food and warmth.
I must let them wait.


my eyes, blinking against the hot sun,
a fireball hanging In the sky,
burning the cool and wet out of all below It.

the world is dry,
It chafes my belly as I lay In the grass,
looking at my enemy-
the big/noisy/ gray-white.

I can smell the water that runs from
an open pipe.
It Is on the far side of . . .
that thing that awaits me.

I wait and wait-
the cries of my pups call me back.
I have no choice, I must drink or die.

when I leapt onto the monster??™s back,
I expected It to buck and twist me off,
throwing me down.

but when I landed on It,
It did not move. so alien,
this hard, gritty surface, Its unyielding heat.

I was surprised at Its stillness.
here was no monster, It wasn??™t even alive!
In my joy I bounded across, unafraid and strong
In my yearning to leave behind the uncanny pathway.

too late, I turned yellow eyes on the
metallic hate screaming towards me.
I was hit, my back broken and legs crushed.
the next hit ground me Into the road.

I die In agonizing pain
still thirsty.
as I leave this, the only place I have ever known,
I hear the shrill cries of my pups, calling me back.

soon, these too will be stilled,
as I slowly dissolve Into
a pale shade of red.

By Diane Tegarden
Author Bio-
Diane Tegarden is a freelance writer living in Pasadena. She is the owner/publisher of FireWalker Publications; having published her first work entitled ???Getting OUT of Limbo- A Self-Help Divorce Book for Women???, April 2004.

She has been a published author since 1992, covering a wide range of subjects including renewable energy, environmental concerns, holistic health, women??™s issues, and native spirituality. Her work has been published in: The Pasadena Star News, Security Sales Magazine, The Pasadena Weekly, The Solar Flare, The Feral Forest, Earth Luvyrs Calendar, The Daily Sundial, and the West Coast Well Being.

www.firewalkerpublications.com  
 

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Today's Queue Stories
~**~**~**~ 

 HIS CREATIONS AND MANS

BY: GEORGEWATERS OJEIGBE

??“         Lagos, Nigeria

??“         gojiegbe @jhplc.com

When I was a kid still in the children??™s Sunday school, then in Benin City before Lagos, Nigeria, I was often told in the Sunday school that God created this on the first day, and that till the sixth day His creations continued only to rest on the seventh day which probably He is still resting up till now.  The story was supported with the aid of the famous ???MY BOOK OF BIBLE STORY??™ where beautiful pictures of biblical times were wonderfully displayed in.

Logically, according to the HOLY BIBLE, from day one to day six God created and created all that is within, both in the sea or on land and in heavens without resting. 

On the sixth day, God might have said to himself ???hummm??¦ I have tried enough by creating all these things.  They look wonderful and beautiful.  I opt to rest, but before then let me create the one who will continue on my behalf, the troubles of creating???. 

And so God now created the man ???Adam??™ and gave him Eve; a helper to continue the creation.

Since then man has succeeded in duplicating God??™s creation like the electric bulb for the light which are the sun and moon that ruled over the day and the one that ruled over the night.

The swimming pools, aquariums, water fountains for the waters (oceans) that God made to cover the seas.

The air-conditioner units/heaters and fans for the seasons; men have turned the wet land to dry land by sand-filling the water lands and has made the dry land to become river by dredging.

God gave us the air for respiratory purpose but man made the oxygen gas.

God created the birds of the air and the whales of the seas, but man made the aero-planes for bird of the air and the submarines for the aquatic creatures in the oceans.

God created the man, but man has created robot like human in place of himself and also clone other living creatures.

Men imitated God??™s creation in heaven by creating musical instruments in place of Lucifer??™s lost glory.

God gave us mole, donkey, horse and camel for transport, but man made for himself a land moving vehicle such as a car, truck, trailer, bicycle, motorcycle, train etc.

God made prayer for easy communication between Himself and us but man has made the mobile phone an easy reach in time of distress.  

God sees our affairs with His omni-presence power but man made the spy camera to view others.

On and on man continue to duplicate God??™s original creation on daily basis since the day of Adam and Eve to date.  And that is how many days now??¦? 

When will man rest from his own creation and probably pass the continuity to a creation of his as God left His to us!? 

But all, God??™s creation still supercede even the best discovery of man??™s modern day gargets.

THE END.

Georgewaters Ojeigbe

gojiegbe @jhplc.com

BIO-DATA

I was born on 21^st April, 1970.  I live in Lagos, Nigeria the most populous city in Africa. I sing in a Church music group where I fellowship.  I love sports.  I love admiring the heavens and other wonderful works borne from Jehovah??™s hands.  I discovered the power of writing stories, encouraged by Carol.  Thanks for her existence!  I am pet lover minus snakes; I so much hate this creature called snake but others I prefer.  I like to do lots of home works like creating my art works, gardening, making some home furniture, fitting electrical appliances etc.

~**~**~

Picture Book 

Charith Pelpola

Beyond the comfort of perspex and glass, a vengeful, unyielding storm beats down upon the earth. Dust and fine sand cascades into the atmosphere, tainting the air with a crimson, bloodied hue. A tired old sun fights for supremacy over thickening, intoxicated clouds.

But inside, a five-year-old is safe from harm. Her room is a window on the past, cluttered with picture books and faded old magazines. The walls are a mosaic of her vibrant, one-dimensional drawings of matchstick things.

On her bed, Emily traces her finger along the lines of a strange drawing; a rendition of a bizarre creature, with a long neck and eyes set high upon its narrow head. She ignores the lines and lines of unnecessary and complicated words, and turns another page. She is greeted by another strange beast; obviously huge in life - the artist capturing its hulking grey body and pillar-like feet in unnatural menace. Emily shuddered. But such things enthralled her; she gazed at her window, at the haze and heavy sun. In deep concentration, she screwed up her eyes, blurring her vision, and conjured these creatures from the dust.

One grey giant nodded its head at her and blew a great gust of wind against the window. Emily laughed and clapped her hands in triumph. She had a fruitful imagination.

As she turns another page of her picture book, lost in the details of a world, long gone, a faint, reassuring voice rings from beyond her room door.

???Emily, are you asleep yet????

A moment later, Emily??™s mother appears in the doorway, laden with milk and cookies. ???My dear girl, why am I not surprised to see you up with your books? Anyway, I??™ve got the last of the cookies for you. A special treat!???

???Thanks mommy.??? Emily??™s mother sat quietly by her daughter??™s side. She stroked her raven hair tenderly. This clever, curious little one; preferring books over sandcastles and playdough. She was proud of her daughter, her one and only.

The picture books and magazines were once hers, long forgotten in the trials and turmoil of adulthood. But now Emily was breathing new life into them. She was exploring their pages; bringing life to the past.

???Mommy, I like the pre-his-tor-ric animals.??? Emily has just conquered the hardest world in her life, so far. ???But how do they know what they look like? Did somebody see them in real life???? Her mother ruffled her hair affectionately. ???Of course not, silly, those animals lived millions of years ago. Those pictures were drawn from old bones and clever guesses from lots of clever people. Like you just said Emily, they??™re from the Prehistoric Age. They disappeared a long time ago.???

A sad expression moved for a moment, along Emily??™s young face. ???Now don??™t be sad, Emily, you know they??™ll always be with you if you need them. You can draw them, and you can imagine, right???? Emily nodded diligently, ???Yes, Mommy.???

???There??™s a good girl, now say goodnight and let??™s get ready for bed.???

Emily carefully closed her books and magazines, and stacked them in a neat pile beside her bed. She leafed one last time through her favourite picture book, running her fingers along every favourite illustration. ???Good night Mr. Giraffe, goodnight Mr. Elephant.??? As she closes the book, she glances at the hard cover, ???The Last Great Extinction??™. She was still having trouble with that last word.

Emily??™s mother kisses her daughter on her forehead, and tucks the blanket around her. ???Goodnight, honey???.

She crosses silently to the window and reaches for a concealed switch. The thick insulating pane of glass and heavy duty perspex flushes inky black, and the room is thrown into comforting darkness.

Emily??™s mother watches the world through the dimmed window. While her daughter dreams, the storm beats down relentlessly. It is a storm she has known since childhood, and it has never stopped.

As she moves across the room, she whispers a consoling word for her daughter; hoping, as she has done for her entire life, that tomorrow, the storm will cease.

?© Charith Pelpola, 2004

Charith @starwaves.tv

As for me: I'm a wildlife documentary maker, have been in the business for almost 10 years and have spent most of my life in the field of environmental conservation. After qualifying in environmental science in '96, I moved out of the UK where I was brought up, and proceeded to lead a nomadic existence throughout South and South East Asia, and have now taken root in the island-state of Singapore. My factual and scientific writings have appeared in several publications, from wildlife periodicals to in-flight magazines, to coffee-table photography books. My fictional writing has remained entirely personal - until very recently! 

I am of Anglo-Germanic Sri Lankan heritage, 32 years old, husband to Kristen and parent to four cats and two dogs.

Cheers,

Charith.

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Poetry Section

~**~**~

 A Prayer

 Victor Buhagiar

Lord, why do I search in vain?

I yearn for peace as fish for water,

As flowers for fresh air,

Yet my life lies in tatters.

Where are you hiding, Lord?

What kind of peace can I find?

Mine or yours? Thus do I search.

Need I climb treacherous mountains?

Or meander down the verdant vales?

Trek narrow paths or saunter wide roads?

Utter prayers or flirt with temptations?

Suffer anguish or relish in relief?

Until it dawned on me that

You can only be found

Deep down in my heart,

Surrounded by all my good and bad.

And all I want is experience the feeling

That you love me as your child.

My heart urges me to shout,

My joy will echo among mountain tops,

Or reverberate in deep lush vales.

Oh let me follow you in new ways of life.

That I might love you for the good of the world.

That You accept me and forgive me,

In Our Father's name, amen.

Victor Buhagiar
kearrmell @yahoo.com

**~**~

Cowslips

 Victor Buhagiar

Listen carefully: those are bells ringing.

To whom are they calling?

From where come the peals?

Here in the wild countryside

the pale yellow cowslips

dance a lonely jig

to the tune of the wayward breeze,

dispersing their melliferous fragrance,

gracing us with their herbal remedies.

And still the bells peal!

Do they toll for me?

Reminding me of my needs?

Shall I gather the cowslips?

What shall I do with weeds?

There see them grow in the vale

or along the river banks

where waters rush headlong,

zigzagging through the silvery alleys,

making their way to the far off sea.

And the bells still peal!

The cowslips sway in the breeze.

And I stand still devoid of fantasy,

empty of coherent dreams.

What will I gain from cowslips:

except distil it in my cellar

and enjoy its narcotic sips?

Victor Buhagiar
kearrmell @yahoo.com 

**~**~

The Breath of God

 Victor Buhagiar

Listen carefully every morning,

you hear the breath of God.

Listen to the birds' symphony,

the melodious hum of bees

the wish wash of the breakers

that blast the rocks down near the sea.

Hush, that's the wind whispering,

perhaps it's praying too

and clouds race overhead in laughter

a race to reach the hills

where trees bow down their heads

and leaves rustle in tonal patterns

as gentle rain pitter patter

a gentle lilting rhythm to soothe

my turbulent thoughts.

Oh to have lived in David's time,

dance each dawn to a lively tune

played upon a zippy zither

giving praise to Thee, O Lord.

Is it a wonder then 

that with each noise 

at break of dawn,

my thoughts turn to You

Oh my dear God?

Victor Buhagiar
kearrmell @yahoo.com


About Me:

My name is Victor Buhagiar. I live on a small island in the

Middle of the Mediterranean, called Malta. I was born in a

tiny suburb called Floriana where I attended primary school.

From there I progressed to higher studies until I
became a teacher after completing a course at St. Michael

Training College.
For some strange reason I got fed up with my job, went to

Malta University where I graduated as Bachelor of Arts

(specializing in English Literature, Maltese and Economics).

Then I joined the Civil Service (which many consider to
be neither civil nor a service) and ended up as a Director

Of Corporate Services in the Ministry of Agriculture and

Fisheries. Thank God I got rid of all that in 2001 when

I retired.

I am married to Liliane and have one daughter Sandra. I have

Many hobbies but I prefer indoor plants, writing short stories,

cooking and browsing the internet.
I have written a lot of short stories in Maltese and English,

had five novellas published in Maltese and three stories were read

on the BBC World Service, one of which was published in the

Commonwealth magazine. I am now more interested in poetry and

had some published in WynterBlue Thunder, a Canadian magazine.

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Writers Feedback

Listen To The Chimes - Excellent, Carol   So poetical.

Kay Seefeldt

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Announcements

Seeking pastors and writers to submit articles for a monthly Christian newspaper, which will begin Jan. 2006. Stories pertaining to the intervention of God's hand in people's lives and uplifting the Lord Jesus Christ. E-mail james4436@charter.net

Forty Years Ago.. Reunion


    Celebrating America??™s Military <http://heartswithsoul.com/Military.htm>

Jerry Turner

egtwarrior25@sbcglobal.net <mailto:egtwarrior25@sbcglobal.net>

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Forty years ago this year (1965) was the first time that an Assault
Helicopter Company of the 101st Airborne was committed to combat. It was
the first time since WWII that any unit from the 101st had been
committed to combat.

It was done in the form of Company A, 101st Aviation Battalion, 101st
Airborne Division which very quickly became know as the "Warriors and
Thunderbirds".

We are planning a 40th reunion (many of us may not be around for the

50th) in Houston, April 22-24, 2005. As soon as a place is secured you
will be informed. It will be somewhere in the vicinity of Hobby Airport,
just south of the city which is most accessible by air and convenient by
land.

Our aim is to contact as many as possible of those that served at Soc
Trang (April 65 - Sep 66) as a Warrior or T-bird and all of our
supporting troops. We solicit your help in contacting as many you can
and inform them and or provide us with the e-mails, addresses or phone
numbers of those that we may not have contact.

Our goal is to have at least 50 that served during that period in
attendance. This can be accomplished if we will all get behind this and
contact our contacts.

Our point of contact will be:

Ken Harmon kharmon3@houston.rr.com H 281-343-7788 O 281-561-7111 C
713-816-4422

Ron Crotty hcrot1ps@ont.com Ed O'Quinn edoquinn77@charter.net

Jerry Turner egtwarrior25@sbcglobal.net AGENDA; Our Hospitality Room
will be open continuously for BS and other sessions From Friday through
Sunday.


  Itinerary

1. Friday 04/22/05; Welcome Meet & Greet, Cash Bar, hors d'voeuvres 1900
til 2200

2. Saturday 04/23/05; Reunion Dinner 1830 til 2000, $45.00 per person
(est.).

3. Sunday 04/24/06; Departure Brunch (Hail & Farewell) 0930 til 1130.

NOTE: I am trying to arrange a tour of The Johnson Space Center on
Saturday 04/23/05, time TBD, will confirm as soon as possible (probably
3 hours in length).

Please let me know what you think about this and any suggestions or
ideas that you may have will be welcome, thanks.

Hotel Info; HOTEL/RESERVATION INFO A101 40th Anniversary Reunion

22 April through 24 April 2005 South Shore Harbor Resort

2500 South Shore Blvd., League City, Texas

77573, United States Reservations: 1-800-442-5005 (When calling be sure
you tell them that you are with A101 40th Anniversary Reunion Group.)

Contact; Sharon Whitten Sales Manager Room Rate: $99.00 plus tax (12%)

I have blocked 50 rooms, with 30 rooms we get a free Hospitality Suite.
There is no penalty if we do not fill all the rooms by 15 April, any
excess will be released for normal booking. If we drop under 30 rooms,
no complementary Hospitality suite.

Reservation cut off date: 14 April 2005.

If you are interested please let me know ASAP, so I can get you on our
Morning Report and make your reservations before 14 April 2005, thanks guys.  

Sharing Gods Word, www.s-g-w.org would like to extend our
offer to you, for a free subscription to our Christian
Information Publication. It is a daily Christian e mail,
filled with devotionals from many different ministries. It
also has a full chapter of Bible Verses daily for Christian
Study. Another feature is links to other Christian Web sites
to give you additional information you can send for. You may
cancel any time with out obligation. We look forward to
serving you with Gods Word. Thank you. Put Subscription in
the subject line. Send to Brother_jim@S-G-W.org

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Prayer Requests

 Dear Prayer Warriors

Please keep my friend, "Boots" in your prayers.

He is having a biopsy to check for prostrate cancer tomorrow.

He is in need of our Savior's touch and our love.

His wife is my childhood friend.

Love to each one of you,

Barbara

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SENIOR WRITERS

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

Boda, Ginger;  Bryant, Sharon;  Buhagiar, Victor; Cassady, B.J.;  Crider, Mark; 

Deming, Barb; 

Goodier, Steve;  Harris, Kathy Anne;  Hunt, Sharlette;  Jacobson, Gary; 

Kiser, Roger Dean; Kerens, Claudia; Jenkins, Pamela;

 Liles, Norma;  Mazzella, Joe;  Ojeigbe, Georgewaters; Shaw,Bob; Sims, Richard; Vaknin, Sam; Walker, Joe;  Warner, Gorden K; Whirity, Kathy;  White, Robert;

STORYTIME TAPESTRY STAFF

Publisher: Carol Roach-founder

Moderator: Thelma Hartselle-co founder

Moderator: Clara Westerfer

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