STORYTIME TAPESTRY

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

Oct 10, 2005 

Today??™s Announcements:

Three Happy Birthday wishes goes out from all of us here at Storytime Tapestry to our wonderful writer Ellie Braun Halley, our loyal member Sheila Talley and a long time personal friend of mine, Jim Geddes, husband of Bonnie Geddes.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to all my Canadian brothers and sisters.

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

Today's Queue Stories
~**~**~**~

The Touch Of the Moment

Saskia Nienna Streidel

The touch of this moment is like the cold wind of the longest night, like the shine of t he brightest star.

It smells like the ocean and like an old forest ??“ deep, wild, dark, wise.

The touch of this moment is a mystery. A whisper of mother earth in my heart.

The touch of this moment is the pulse of life, running through the vanes of earth, through my feet, through your hands ??“ straight to my blood and soul.

Saskia Nienna Streidel

saskiaofthewoods@yahoo.de

My name is Saskia Steidel, I am born the 17.10.1981 in Germany. I live in a small  village in the middle of the woods and love to write. Right now I study learn therapy and music therapy and I just quit my job as a ticket manager in the administration of an soccer club, to have more time to study and to write and to work as a Nanny, what I really love. So far I published poems and some other pieces in different books and published one book called "Am Ende der Nebel". Right now I am writing on a children??™s book.

~**~**~ 

 ValueSpeak

A Weekly Column

By Joseph Walker

valuespeak@msn.com

THE WAY THE GAME WAS MEANT TO BE PLAYED

            It was the kind of situation of which baseball dreams -- not to mention movies -- are made.

            Bottom of the ninth, two out, runners on first and third.  We were behind by one, and I was up to bat.  A single would tie the score.  An extra-base hit, and some producer would be looking for actors to play me in the film biography.  I'm thinking Robert Redford -- sort of a "Natural II" kind of a thing.  Only he'll need to be taller.  And heavier.  And less . . . you know . . Robert Redford-ish.

            I squinted into the field to see how they were playing me.  It was hard to tell.  Maybe I confused them.  Maybe they didn??™t know whether to play me for power or control.  Then again, maybe the fact that most of them were 6 and were playing their first year of Little League has something to do with it.

            "Justin, get up!" Coach Kerry barked at his son, who was playing second by sitting on the base.

            "Natalie, where's the play?" Coach John called to his daughter, who was covering first base.

            "Third base?" she asked innocently.

            "No," he said patiently.  "If the ball comes to you, just step on your base.  We only need one out, and I know you can run faster than Coach Joe."

            He was right, of course.  But he didn't have to say it.

            "Jon," I shouted to my son, who was the runner on first, "are you ready to go?"

            Jon was busy picking his nose and talking to Natalie.  In first grade, this is considered suave.

            "Jon!" I shouted, a little louder.  He looked at me, his finger still in his nose.  "Ready?"

            "Ready!"

            I decided not to mention the nose thing.  I figured it's better than chewing tobacco.

            Instead, I checked with my daughter, who was the runner on third:  "Elizabeth, are you ready?"

            "Ready for what?" she asked.

            "Ready to run home!" I told her.

            "Oh, Daddy, can't I stay until the game is over?" she wailed.

            "I don't mean run to our home," I explained.  "I mean, run here -- to home base.  As soon as I hit the ball, you run in here as fast as you can.  You got that?  Run to home base!"

            Elizabeth smiled, nodded and immediately started running for home base.

            "Not yet!" I yelled.  "Wait until I hit the ball!"

            "Why didn't you say so?" she asked as she made her way back to third.

            With everybody ready and in position, I prepared to swing.  I knew I had to hurry, since "ready and in position" lasts for about three seconds with 6-year-olds.

            "Come on, Dad!" Jon shouted from first base.

            "Don't blow it, Dad," shouted Elizabeth, who was older and had been around me longer.

            But what constitutes "blowing it" in this situation?  Do I hit it where the little fielders have no chance at making a play so my kids can score -- and win?  Or do I take a chance on the other team making the play that will win the game -- or lose it, as the case may be?

            Thankfully, the debate didn??™t last long.  These were, after all, children, and for them, baseball was still just a game.  It wasn??™t about winning or looking good or huge endorsement contracts.  It was about fun, pure and simple.  And even though their skills were unpolished and their understanding of baseball's intricacies was incomplete, they played the game the way it was meant to be played: smiling.

            I hit the ball to Justin, who made a heck of a stop then threw the ball to his dad, who got Jon out at second.  Game over.  Handshakes all around.  But even more important, smiles all around.

            Except, perhaps, for Robert Redford, who had just lost one heck of a part.

  ~**~**~

Woman Of Earth
By Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha

Outside, the morning suddenly explodes - raw and whole - filled with the
rhyming twitterings of an early morning bird. She holds her breath awhile
and hears the music of the rising earth. Slowly, she gathers herself and
steps outside to a fresh, clear and crisp morning. She hears some drumming
in the distance - the promise of a new beginning. The she looks up at the
dawn star glowing in the sky and cries out: "I will rise!"

The flame-lily climbs up to her lips, filling her with implacable sweetness.
She gazes to the side and the fire inside her bossom explodes like a
thousand orgasms. Speechless, she sees a ray of the rising sun fall from the
sun to pierce the great roots of her Soul.

And the fear that she had hidden for so long appears naked in the valley of
her being, ready for slaughter.

A light wraps her.

mbiriwasha@zan.co.zw
Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha
154 Samora Machel
Belveder

~**~**~

Don't Ever Give Up

By Richard D. Sims

I have a large picture of a large bird, I think its an egret and it has a frog in its mouth. The

frog has its hands or what we call front legs around the egret's neck choking off the

birds throat then in big letters it says at the bottom, "NEVER GIVE UP!" It says

never give up not give up after a good fight.

Now days it is so much easier just to throw in the towel and give up, or just say the

heck with it and quit. Alot of us are doing that these days, at our jobs, a love gone wrong, just problems in our lives. Why not? Whats the use in trying to go on? No one seems to care one way or another what happens to me, no one loves me.

Then of course there is always the easy way out of all your problems, just commit         suicide. Of course if you can't make it in life you had better not try to commit suicide

because, it requires a little effort too! Suicide is also the cowards way out. No one or

anything in this world is worth taking your own life.

Everytime I read a story and someone talks about suicide it just goes all through me,

I just get so mad, I can't stand hearing it, or reading it. What gets into people these

days. Before you say I am going to kill myself, think about it first! What kind of

problems is it going to cause? If something goes wrong and it doesn't kill you, you

might just wind up living the rest of your life in intolerable pain! You can always go

to counseling for help, believe me there are other ways out of your problems. Or...........

take from the frog in the egrets mouth, NEVER GIVE UP!!!!

About Me

I am Richard D. Sims 48 years old, I was born in a small town called Granby, the oldest

mining town is Southwest Missouri. I am the youngest out of five children ( The Brat )

I am just a simple back woods country boy, I wear Dan post western style boots and

western shirts, wrangler jeans and my black western hat. I am a jack of all trades yet

a master of none, I have found out I can do most anything and what I can't do I am willing

to learn.

I moved here to Arma, Kansas 3 years ago when I married my lovely wife Jackie, I have

two children of my own, Richard II ( Rick ) Sims 26 years old, and a daughter Rebecka

Sissom age 22. A stepson James Morrison 26 who lives with Jackie and I because of his

birth defect of Spina - Bifida.

We have found a great church here called the Arma Family Christian Center, My wife

Jackie and I are online prayer warriors so if you have a prayer request just send it to us

to receive a written prayer, please make sure you don't have your E - mail blocked.

My hobbies are building quarter mile dragsters and drag racing at Asberry, Mo. at

Mo-kan dragway. I also do wood working and wood crafts, Bow hunting and fishing,

motorcycling, and just spending quality time with my family and spoiling my

granddaughter Destiny Dawn Sims age 5.

Richard Dean Sims    armaksman@yahoo.com

Prayer Requests and Updates

 Carol,

Yesterday, on 10th day from my mother-like aunt's death, I lost my
real mother too. Grieving for one mother was not enough perhaps...

Rajendra

Dear Prayer Warriors

Please keep Loren and Johnny Moore in your prayers.  Loren has MS and is very ill.

Here is a note from Shirl via Bill Walker

Thank you for your love and prayers!

Love,

Barbara

Hi everybody, My online friend  whom I get stories from almost daily has MS and just sent this note, Loren is 72 years young and a loving family man . He writes stories for his kids and grandkids, he got MS when he was in his late 50's. I ask all of you to cover him in prayer right bombarding the throne room asking God to restore Loren to his home and the family that needs him. Also pray for Johnny , his wife for strength to get through this battle with the evil one. Thank you all, in Jesus name, Shirl

I need prayers for my Cousin's son Joe. He runs the farms for them in Kansas. The main worker. Keeps all going for the family. They found out that Joe has Lung Cancer. He is such a giving person. His family always comes first. Please put Joe and his family into your prayers.  Thank you..   Peggy

There is so much power in prayers.

 SENIOR WRITERS

Chief Writer: Sharon Bryant

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

Boda, Ginger;  Buhagiar, Victor; Cassady, B.J.;  Cavalera, Robyn; Crider, Mark; 

Deming, Barb; Doherty, Maria; Goodier, Steve; Halley, Ellie Braun;

Harris, Kathy Anne; Hunt, Sharlette; 

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

Liles, Norma; Lock, Joyce; Mazzella, Joe; Ojeigbe, Georgewaters;

  Petry, Dianna Doles; Roberts, Susan;  Shiveley, Debra; Shaw, Bob; Sims, Richard; Streidel, Saskia; Swarner, Ken; Vaknin, Sam; Verhoeff, Jan

Walker, Bill; Walker, Joe; Warner, Gorden K; Walsh, Sue

Whirity, Kathy; White, Robert;

STORYTIME TAPESTRY STAFF

Publisher: Carol Roach-founder

Moderator: Thelma Hartselle-co founder

Moderator: Clara Westerfer

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