STORYTIME TAPESTRY

The Newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world

May 16, 2005

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

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

How Could You?

Sharon Bryant

Today we got an answer from the Humane Society.......the check we sent in Pokey's memory, will be used to feed another little dog who is waiting for a home.  They thanked Ladybug for her letter and for remembering her "sister."

Tonight I again read the story, "HOW COULD YOU" and as before, it brought a lump into my throat.  How when a dog's days are numbered..........someone disposes of them.

I could never do that.

Two weeks ago in my state, a law was passed that you either get your dogs vaccinated or else you are going to be fined.  I watched the news that night and saw the MANY dogs that were being brought to the shelter because the "People" didn't want to spend the $9.00 for their shots.  A discount being given so that folks would get their dogs shots.

How can anyone have a dog in their home, or on their property and say it's "their" dog, and yet not want to spend $9.00 for a shot, to protect that animal?  How can they be so cold hearted?

When our precious Pokey took sick a little over a year ago and she had to have exploratory surgery, I never hesitated.  I'd have taken a loan out to pay for her surgery if I didn't have enough.  I loved her that much, and still do.  I will never forget the eleven years of love and devotion she gave my family and myself.

And all I can say to anyone who says they love their dog or cat and don't want to spend $9.00 on them for shots to protect them, is:  "How could you?"

Sharon Bryant

1946 @bellsouth.net

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

Today's Queue Stories
~**~**~**~ 

Angel in Disguise

Kathleen Ann Shelton

Unseeing, hurriedly, I raced out the elevator into the hospitals??™ corridor, nearly colliding with him. ???Sorry???, I muttered as I quickly glanced at my victim. Automatically, I recoiled, aghast and in revulsion.  Quickly, I darted my eyes, attempting to look past this grossly disfigured guise of a human being and sped away.

That was my first encounter with Dennis.  Even now, I am washed over with shame as I reflect upon my actions and reactions.  I was guilty along with the rest of society, for passing judgment, rejecting, shunning and scorning another human being, based not on a crime or anything he did, but rather on circumstantial evidence, appearances, a birth defect.

Although bound in a wheelchair, his body contorted, facial features distorted; his mind remained intact, his brain unaffected. As I came to know and respect, admire and even love him, I never failed to be amazed at how he never complained about his condition, never spoke of the pain he endured.  Instead, he was a volunteer at the Children??™s Hospital, reaching out to, consoling others who suffered others in pain.

Countless times, I unwitting became a witness to his selfless love, his devotion, his prayers and the mysterious miracles that took place in his presence.  I??™ve observed him cooing gently to newborns, encouraging them, telling them of Gods??™ love for them.  I??™ve seen despondent children, others rejected by society because of a birth defect or maiming accident become alive, vibrate in his presence. One image stands prominently in my mind to this day. A once beautiful teen was severely burned and scarred for life.  One day, searching for Dennis, I began to walk into her room only to quickly and silently slip back out the door.  Dennis had a mirror in his twisted hands, encouraging the girl to look at her reflection. His words to her were so full of love, conviction. ???Don??™t look at yourself at others see you, but rather as God sees you, beautiful, perfect and unblemished.??? And when he held the mirror up to her, she smiled, radiantly! Somehow, she saw past the ugly burns, the scarred flesh, visualizing herself as Yahweh, God, Himself saw her.

Dennis had the ability to discern who would live and those who would succumb to death.  To those that would live, he gave encouragement, wisdom, hope and faith. To those who were to die, he gave the same.  One day, a little boy, badly beaten and abandoned by his parents was lying in bed, fighting for life, gasping for breath.  Dennis sat by his side, gently took the child??™s hand and guided him to the other side. ???There is nothing to fear,??? he softly whispered, ???God is waiting for you, wanting to take you home with Him. Just hold onto my hand, I??™ll walk with you to Him???.  A look of utter, complete peace spread upon his youthful face as he surrendered his young, battered life into Gods??™ hands.

Parents of these special children also were benefactors of Dennis outreaching. He instilled in them a sense of hope and even acceptance of their children and their limitations.  He would pray with them, for them. He taught them how not to rely on their own selves, but, rather to call upon Our Father for the strength they needed, for guidance.  Group prayers, with parents, families and friends, holding hands became frequent scenes.  Parents and relatives began to reach out to other parents and relatives, unknowingly creating their own support groups.

When I asked Dennis about his own parents, he relayed to me an extraordinary and peculiar story.  He was adopted.  His parents prayed for a child to bestow their love upon.  They vowed to God that if he would bless them with a child, they would always nurture and cherish this gift.  One day his mother had the urge to go check her car. She attempted to dissuade this foolishness, but finally gave in to its persistence. In the backseat, lying in a makeshift cardboard box for a crib, atop a pillow for a mattress and swaddled in blankets, she found him, a newborn, umbilical cord still intact.

I cannot help but wonder if Yahweh, in His divine love looked down and saw His children in their suffering, and sent His angel to bestow comfort and hope. I believe that this outcast, who faced rejection by society, yet in return, gave not bitterness and anger, but rather unreserved love was in fact an angel in disguise.

Kathleen Ann Shelton

kathleenannshelton@yahoo.com

  ~**~**~

 ValueSpeak

A Weekly Column

By Joseph Walker

valuespeak@msn.com

THE ALURE OF ???RIGHT NOW???

          A few years ago I tried an experiment with a group of 10-year-olds I was teaching.

          ???You have a choice,??? I announced as I held up a bowl of M&M??™s.  ???You can either have a handful of M&M??™s right now, or you can each have an entire bag of M&M??™s tomorrow.???

          ???Why don??™t we try it the other way around???? Brady suggested.  ???Give us a bag of M&M??™s now, or a handful tomorrow!???

          The rest of the class loved Brady??™s idea.  But I didn??™t.

          ???Nope,??? I said.  ???A handful now or the bag tomorrow.  That??™s the way it??™s going to be.???

???How about just a few now AND the rest later???? Megan asked.

          ???Sorry,??? I said.  ???No compromise.  You have to make a choice.???

          ???What if some of us want our M&M??™s now, and some of us want to wait???? Adam asked.

          ???Good idea,??? I said.  ???But no.  Whatever you??™re going to do, you??™re going to do it as a group.  You guys figure it out.  I??™m going to get a drink.???

          With that I stepped into the hall and wandered down to the drinking fountain, making sure to pause and stretch and meander.  I wanted to give them plenty of time to hash this out.  We were, after all, talking about chocolate here.  If there??™s one thing 26 years of marriage has taught me it??™s that you have to be very careful about decisions that involve chocolate ??“ even if it??™s the kind that melts in your mouth, not in your hands.

          When I finally poked my head back into the room, the decision had been made: the bowl of M&M??™s was empty, and there were chocolate-induced smiles all around.

          ???Actually, it was pretty much a no-brainer,??? Nancy said of the decision.  ???The hardest part was figuring out how to divide them up.  The boys wanted to go first, but we didn??™t want to take a chance on the boys actually touching the M&M??™s before we got them.  You never know where boys??™ hands have been ??“ you know????

          Nancy, I should mention, has brothers.

          So one of the boys ??“ out of respect for delicate feelings I won??™t say who ??“ arm-wrestled Nancy for the right to go first.  I didn??™t see the actual event, but I??™m confident the end came surely and swiftly.  Think ???Harry Potter Meets Xena, Warrior Princess.???  A battle of wits would have been competitive, but this wasn??™t about brain power.  This was about brute strength.

Advantage Nancy.

          The next day when I came home from work several of the kids from my class were hanging out around my front lawn.

          ???We were just sort of thinking that . . . you know . . . maybe we should have waited to get a whole bag of M&M??™s today,??? Brady said.  ???And we were sort of wondering . . . you know . . . if it is, like, too late to change our minds????

          I smiled.  ???Yeah, it is,??? I said.  ???Sorry!???

          ???But the girls ate most of the M&M??™s in the bowl,??? Colton said.  ???We hardly got any.???

          ???That??™s too bad,??? I said.  ???If you had waited not only would you have received more M&M??™s today than you got yesterday, but you would have received your own bag and you wouldn??™t have had to worry about how to divide them.  But you decided not to wait, so you??™re pretty much stuck with what you got.???

          They didn??™t like that answer, but brought new insight to our Bible class the next Sunday when we talked about how important it is to always stay focused on our ultimate, long-term goals and priorities no matter how alluring and intoxicating the diversions Right Now may be.

          You know, the story of Jacob, Laban, Leah, Rachel ??“ and the M&M??™s.

 ~**~**~

AN OLD FRIEND

By: Joseph J. Mazzella

     I am looking at an old friend of mine as I write this. He has been one of my best friends for almost twelve years now. He has blessed my life with his loyalty, kindness, wisdom, and love since the day that I first met him. It doesn??™t matter to me then that he has four legs instead of two, fur instead of clothes, and barks at me instead of talking to me.

     As I watch my friend sleeping in the sun, I can??™t help but think of all the goodness he has brought into my life. He has been a protector of my children, a companion to all of my family and a fountain of love and affection to everyone he meets. He has been with me everyday through good times and bad. He has always reminded me that I am loved and showed me how to love at the same time. He has been more than just a little, 20 pound mutt that my father-in-law gave me. He has been rather a teacher, a friend, an angel in disguise, and a gift from God in my life and in my family??™s lives.

     My friend has aged far quicker than me and has had more and more health problems over the years. I can see now the end approaching of his time with me. I am not sure how much longer we will have together before he passes from this world to await me in the next. One thing I do know, however, is that I will always thank God for bringing a tiny, mixed breed puppy into my life. This wonderful dog has showed me that it is natural to be joyous, that it is so easy to be loving, and that life is always wonderful when you choose to do both every single day. He has showed me again and again that you don??™t have to be perfect to be loved and that you can be happy in spite of all the difficulties life throws at you. He has showed me that poor health and old age might affect the body, but they don??™t have to diminish the spirit. He has shown me what it means to be a good friend and I will always

Joseph J. Mazzella
joecool @ wirefire.com

Joe lives in West Virginia with his wife

and three children. Various dogs and cats

have adopted Joe and his family for their

own. Joe enjoys his family, beauty, love

and hearing from his email friends. Joe

likes to take the time to smell the

roses and enjoy the beauty around him

as he goes about his daily life.