STORYTIME TAPESTRY

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

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Jan 17, 2006? 

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

Angel With ???Light???

Susan Stevens

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My son Jeff was the Deli Manager for a grocery story in the small town of Colfax, WA, which is about 50 miles south of Spokane where he lives. His days started very early, usually leaving for work around 3:00 AM.?  The stretch of highway between Spokane and Colfax is rolling "Palouse", or wheat field country, with farmhouses dotting the highway here and there.

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Earlier January 2000, Jeff was making the familiar trip along the empty rural highway when his dashboard lights went out.?  He carefully continued to his destination and began to work on fixing the problem.?  Once the problem was fixed he was able to put it out of his mind and carry on with his daily routine.

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The next morning Jeff was again making the long trip from Spokane to Colfax when his headlights went out.?  He slammed on his brakes as he faced a wall of total darkness.?  Frustration set in as he found himself sitting in the middle of a dark highway with no lights to warn another car he was there.

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Jeff tried to locate the problem, and finally resorted to frantically pushing every button on the dash.?  Suddenly, the flashers began to beat their steady rhythm and Jeff sighed with some relief.?  At least others could see that he was on the highway and an accident could be avoided.

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Jeff noticed that he could see the centerline, with the aid of the flashers, if he drove five to ten miles an hour.?  Since there were no other options, Jeff decided to creep toward Colfax at the snails pace.?  About that time a car's headlights appeared in his rear view mirror.

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The car went around Jeff, but after pulling back in front of him it continued up the highway a short distance then stopped and waited for him to catch up. Once Jeff was behind the car, the driver put on the high beams and continued toward Colfax with Jeff able to see enough to follow.

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Just at the edge of Colfax, where the street lights begin and about two blocks from Jeff's work, the road forks to the right and goes south to Walla Walla.?  The driver turned off at this point.?  Jeff continued on to work never knowing if the driver of the other car was a man or a woman, for words were never spoken and in the darkness he couldn't see.

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After Jeff told me this story, I felt compelled to write about it.?  What I realized is that it doesn't matter if the driver was a man or woman, young or old, Earth born or Heaven sent - they were literally an angel with light to Jeff that morning.

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Susan Stevens

Copyright?© January 2000

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Bio:

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Susan is the Mother of seven grown children and Grandmother of 14.?  She grew up an Air Force brat who lived in various states, mainly California.?  In the 70's she moved to Washington State where she now resides.?  She is in management for a background screening company and enjoys her hobby of writing about her family, her friends, and her life experiences.?  She has been published in several short story books, including Heartwarmers, Hoof, Heart and Soul, and online e-zines.?  She can be contacted by email at summr@msn.com or through her website at www.geocities.com/summr7 .

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~**~**~? 

The Good Ole Days?

Norma Liles

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"Gee, Mom, this is so different than where we used to live!?  We kids are

not used to going to school in the city.?  Do you think they will make fun

of the country way that we talk and such?"?  "No dear, they will not make

fun of you as they are just normal kids like yourself.?  Now hurry on and

take your little sister by the hand and see that she feels comfortable when

you get there.?  You will be just fine!"? 

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All the Mother had to say was all well

and good but my legs were trembling as I held my sister's hand in mine and

walked into the strange new school.?  It seemed larger than where we had

went before but we had no choice but to do as we were told.?  After I saw

my sister to her room and knew that she was ok with her new teacher, I had

to go outside and set on the steps to try to control my upset stomach.

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We finally made it through the first day.?  I was so glad to leave that new place

and as if that wasn't enough, we were not in the district that allowed us to

ride the school bus so we had a two mile walk to and from school to our house.

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After some time, I found a short cut through some fields which took us home

sooner but that was short lived.?  When we came in the house with mud all over

our shoes, I was the one that was reprimanded.? 

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No matter how much I disliked

looking after my little sister, the tag-along, it didn't get any better with time. One

evening after school had been dismissed, I waited a long time for her to appear

but to no avail.?  I walked to the school office to find her and I found out that her

class had detention so you know the rest??  It was more or less as if I had detention,

too, because I didn't dare walk in the house without her.? 

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The longer that we

lived in this new place, the better I began to like it.?  I found a new best friend,

Teresa, and we used to climb the little hills behind our houses.?  We tried to

swing on the grape vines just as we had seen our favorite jungle queen do.

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The yard behind our garage was a steep drop to the level ground.?  My father

put that yard into a vegetable garden the first year that we lived there.?  The

harvest from this space turned out real well.?  He grew more things than we

could use so he allowed my sister and I to sell green beans to the area neighbors.

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Another thing that he raised was corn.?  My girlfriend and I went down to the

bottom of the garden and thought we were being oh so smart.?  We took the leaves

from the corn and tried to smoke them.?  We didn't find this to be as exciting

as we thought but the aftermath was something else.?  We did not cover our tracks

very well as we had left the box of kitchen matches in the garage and my Dad

found them.?  He knew what had happened as there was no other reason for the

matches to be there.?  To this day, I can hear his voice of anger and lecture.? 

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Were those the 'Good Ole Days' or what?

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? NormaLee Liles ?©

hoopla214@yahoo.com

Norma Liles is a retired data entry

clerk/supv who is 76, a native of Ohio

and still resides there. She is very

outgoing and loves to make new friends!? 

Her hobbies are: writing poetry and

stories, living for Jesus, reading,
enjoying her family, and her use of

her computer.Her ambition is to add

pleasure to those who read her writings

as well as sharing her faith. She enjoys

Southern Gospel Music and loves to sing.

Her writings have been published on Starfish,
Driftwood, Sandollar, Morning Spirit Lift,
www.poetry.com, PrayerofGod, Jan Karon's
newsletter, American Poetry Writer's league,
Lucy's Inspiration, Faithful Hope reading room,
Poetry of Today publishing, Hope in Him,
Bonnie's Place, America will remember,
News Moose & Penworm prayer warriors as well as

a senior writer for Storytime Tapestry.

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? ? ~**~**~

~ A Little Bit of Something ~

Joyce C. Lock

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? ? ? ? ?  ???A Little Bit of Something is Better Than All of Nothing??? is a phrase I remember since early childhood.?  In theory, it sounds logical.?  I'd rather have a little piece of candy than none at all.?  Wouldn't we all (unless you're diabetic, allergic or something)?

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? ? ? ?  But, in reality, that phrase has very little truth.?  Though we still believe in its merit, it really means to settle for second best.

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? ? ? ?  So many times, people settle.?  They settle for mediocrity in their walk, less than prosperity in their finances, a second rate calling when they rejected the first.?  They settle for a church closer to home, friends that don't place too many restrictions on their lifestyle, a quick prayer instead of quality time with God.?  They choose the easy road, a low road; the path of least resistance.

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? ? ? ?  As a result, they choose a life of few blessing and even fewer miracles.?  They choose to barely squeeze through Heaven's gate when they could walk a life of victory now.?  They choose to leave loved ones behind, to do everything the hard way, to live a life of heartache and despair.?  They choose to be their own God.

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The truth is, a little bit of something isn't worth much at all.

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?© by Joyce C. Lock
http://our.homewithgod.com/heavenlyinspirations/

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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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