STORYTIME TAPESTRY

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

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Jan 8, 2006? 

Today??™s Announcements:

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

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

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? A True Christmas Miracle

Angela Walker

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In June 2005, Sarah and her family were moving from Idaho to Virginia and her two dogs were flying to Virginia with a layover in Houston.?  Her dogs were to be kenneled overnight at a boarding facility in Kingwood, Texas.?  Somehow, her Border Collie mix, Zach, escaped from the kennel and was lost.? 

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In August of 2005, several local rescue groups were contacted by a very distraught 12 year old girl, Sarah, from Virginia, who was looking for her lost dog Zach.?  She was at the point of desperation not knowing how to find her dog from so far away.?  Sarah and her Dad had flown to Houston once to find him but had not been successful.? ? ?  An email was sent out to several rescue groups to be on the look out for Zach in the shelters.? 

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Volunteers have searched for Zach for months, never giving up hope that one day he would be found.?  However, as time went on the hope was growing dim that anyone would ever find him alive and well.?  He was lost in a strange city without his family and no one to care for him.? 

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In December a volunteer for Twyla??™s Friends, Mary, was contacted about a dog that was sleeping underneath a dryer vent in a neighborhood in Kingwood.?  The kind Samaritan had been leaving food for the dog, however with the weather turning colder he needed to be rescued.?  The dog would not let anyone touch him so they had to use a trap to catch him.?  After comparing previous emails and pictures it was determined that this was Zack.? ? ?  He had not been to a vet or in a warm home for six months.

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Zack will be flown home for Christmas to one very happy girl and her father.?  This will be a Christmas to remember, a true Christmas Miracle.

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Angela Walker

karasaunt@yahoo.com

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have had stories published in petwarmers, Storytime Tapestry, 2theheart, write2theheart and fuzzywarmers.

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Angela, Mom of Chloe, Bella, Madison and? Rascal.? 

http:www.loveourpets.com/mycolliehaven

Petfinder Administrator

www.houstoncollierescue.petfinder.org

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

? The First Day Of School

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By

Pamela Perry Blaine

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???How was school, Ben?????  I asked my Grandson after he began kindergarten this year.? 

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???The work is too long??¦and there??™s not enough time to play,??? he replied with a deep sigh.

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There are some things that never change, I thought to myself as I remembered my own first day of school.?  I vividly recalled sitting with my cousin, Suzanne, on her back steps at the end of the first day of school.?  We had been so excited about going to school.?  We sat there with our elbows on our knees and our chins propped up on our hands as we lamented, like Ben did, ???the work is too long??¦ and there??™s not enough time to play.???

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I couldn??™t help but remember Ben??™s own mother, my daughter, and her reaction to the first day of school.?  Julie was also disappointed with the first day of school and so was her little sister.?  ???I want to go ???sool??? and you not let me!????  my three-year-old daughter announced resentfully after her big sister boarded the big yellow school bus.

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When Julie returned home that afternoon I asked her the same question that I had asked Ben, ???How was school, Julie????

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? Julie also replied with a long, sad face but her answer was a little different from Ben??™s as she announced, ???I didn??™t learn to read today.???? ?  What a disappointment for a little girl who thought she would magically know how to read her little books after the first day of school.?  I had to explain to her that she would eventually learn to read but it didn??™t happen quite that fast.

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This year as the school bus went by my house, my mind went back to those school days again.?  I could almost smell the chalk dust in the air.?  I suppose few, if any, schools still use chalk and blackboards.?  They have probably been replaced with newer equipment and large computer screens.?  One thing that I don??™t missed is the irritating sound of the chalk as some ornery student caused it to screech across the board.? 

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I also wonder what new occupation the children these days manage to get elected to do in order to get out of school for a few moments since there are no erasers to clean.?  It was fun to be ???chosen??? for eraser cleaning duty.?  This was a task accomplished by going outside and beating erasers together while sneezing and coughing.?  No wonder so many baby boomers now have allergies, it??™s simply because we all have chalk dust in our lungs!

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I remember the excitement of the first day of school when my friends and I would go peek through the windows of the school house to try to see what improvements had been made to the classrooms.?  It was during the summer months that the gym would be varnished and rooms that needed it would be repainted.?  We probably added to the janitor's work with all the little finger and nose prints of curious children? smeared all over the windows.

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On the first day of school, the anticipation was so great that I would be up early in the morning and ready long before it was time to leave for school. We walked about 6 blocks to school in new shoes that felt stiff and restrictive after going barefoot so much during the summer months.

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We didn??™t use back packs when I was in school but there wasn??™t very much to carry.?  We had some notebook paper, a pencil or two, crayons, a pair of scissors, and paste.?  The paste smelled so good that it was sometimes a challenge for the teachers to keep some of the smaller children from eating the paste.? 

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We didn??™t miss having back packs because who needs them when we had cigar boxes!?  We carried our small supplies inside of a cigar box from one of the local stores. The stores in town must have saved cigar boxes all year just to give to us children because all we had to do was ask and the store owner would give us one. We saved them and used them from year to year until they fell apart. A notebook full of paper, the cigar box with it??™s contents, and we were off down the road headed for the schoolhouse.

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The first day of school was exciting.?  It was a new beginning.?  The doors of knowledge had been opened and we anticipated great learning adventures.?  The school had lots of books and no wonder that a little girl might be disappointed that she ???didn??™t learn to read today???.? 

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The first day of school is a milestone or a significant event in our lives that most of us remember.? ?  It??™s?  a big step for a small child toward leaving babyhood behind and so ???there isn??™t enough time to play???.? 

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We might simply remember that first day of school because of a new tablet of paper, a pair of new shoes, or our picture being taken by our parents to commemorate the day.? 

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All too soon small children grow up and get to go ???to sool???, and although there might be disappointment on that first day because ???I didn??™t learn to read today???, they do eventually learn to read.

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It does seem that Ben is right about one thing though??¦no matter how old we get, nor how much we learn, it still seems like ???The work is too long??¦and there??™s not enough time to play.???

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By

Pamela Perry Blaine

?© October 2005

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About Pamela:?  I enjoy writing, music, and country living.?  I write "Pam's Corner" for the local newspaper and many her writings have been published on the internet as well as in several books.
I have loved music and writing ever since I can remember. I play piano at church and I'm an avid reader. One of my goals is to be able to write for my children and grandchildren so special memories will not be forgotten.?  We have a CD entitled "I'll Walk You Home".?  If you would like one, they are available by freewill donation.?  More information as well as a clip from the CD is on the website at:

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http://blaines.us/PamyPlace.htm

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e-mail: pamyblaine@blaines.us

Poetry Section

~**~**~

A Gift For Grandma

Janice Bumbalough Marler

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In the heat of the noonday sun
we picked apples from
an old apple tree that
stood in an open field
where we once run;
We waded through a little stream
and climbed a rickety fence
to give our fresh picked fruit
to Grandma;
she would bake them in
the old wooden stove
while the heat was so intense,
Every year, at the county fair,

Grandma would enter her melt-in-your mouth

apple pies;
people came from far and near
and cheered when she walked

? away with first prize,

That's why God made Grandmas;

He made them patient, wise, and kind;
and that's why God gave them grandchildren,
we are the fetters that bind.


Janice Bumbalough Marler
?© First Serial Rights
poetrybyjan@aol.com

September 11, 2003
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? ~**~**~

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A Mother's Broken Heart

Janice Bumbalouh Marler

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I live in the city of ???Broken Heart??™,

On the streets of Desperation and Despair,

The number on the mail box has faded

? And is no longer there.

The house appears to be empty,

? But it's not, do come inside;

Here you will be met with tears...

This is where loneliness resides.

This dwelling, full of pain, from words sharp

? As arrows, that have perforated its heart,

The house is filled with darkness, black as ebony,

? Where once was light;

Erstwhile the wonder of children??™s laughter

Illuminated It??™s night.

The arena feels their absence;

They??™ve taken their leave

And have not looked back.

My soul rents; I am desolate.

Who am I?

? It's not their pity I seek; I have not lain upon their

Threshold my responsibilities, nor do I bespeak.

My head I placed, once again,

Upon the chopping block; I visit, and I call,

Their eyes and hearts have not seen or heard

The truth, but God knows, to my prayer He lends His ear;

The axe of rancor finds its target; it falls!

I hide the tears that wail up from my bowels;

It's time to take my leave I fear.

What do they care?

Quietly I slip out the door;

My heart is heavy as I wonder back

? To the streets of Desperation and Despair.

???What heinous crime did I commit????

I mull over and over in my mind;

Perhaps I misinterpreted motherhood

Because it??™s definition wasn??™t clearly defined.

Who of us is without sin?

Jesus said, ???Let them throw the first stone.???

The day will come, when they sit all alone.

My days are numbered; my time draws near.

Of death I am not afraid,

For I know that God will wipe away every tear,

With Him I will not be dismayed.

None of us are assured of living another day;

Just like those who have gone on before us,

In the end, death WILL have its way.

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Janice Bumbalough Marler

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? poetrybyjan@aol.com

Psalms 90: 10 - 12

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Prayer Requests and Updates

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Thank the Good Lord above.... Nikki is at .7 and rising... She's in her own room and everything is on the rise.. white cell count,hemoglobin, platelets.. it's all coming up.?  She is feeling tons of pain, but even she says pain lets her know she's here.?  Just a little confusion remains... not like before at all.?  Prayer works!!!!!?  Thank you all for everything... Love always, Al

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? SENIOR WRITERS

Chief Writer: Sharon Bryant

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

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

Deming, Barb; Doherty, Maria; Gilbert, Robert Jr; Goodier, Steve; Halley, Ellie Braun;

Harris, Kathy Anne;? Hunt, Sharlette;? Hymes, Christina

Jacobson, Gary;? Kiser, Roger Dean; Kerens, Claudia; Kevin, Tim Jenkins, Pamela;

Liles, Norma; Lilly, Jodi Flesberg; Lock, Joyce; Mazzella, Joe;? Morris, Deepak;

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

Weymouth, Barbara; Whirity, Kathy;? White, Robert;

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STORYTIME TAPESTRY STAFF

Publisher: Carol Roach-founder

Moderator: Thelma Hartselle-co founder

Moderator: Clara Westerfer

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