Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness around the world.

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Feb 19, 2006

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Today??™s announcements

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Now onto the good stuff!

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Today??™s Valentines Contest Stories

~**~**~

Coat of Arms? ? ? 

Bob Shaw

Around the time the mini series, Roots came out on TV, everyone started getting interested in tracing their family tree. Dad received something in the mail from some kind of family tree research outfit, and ordered a copy of our family crest. They sent two or three different ones, and expected him to pick out the right one. Or at least one that he was satisfied with.

Wondering which one would be the right one, he showed them to Grampa. He looked at them for several moments, raised his cap and set it back in place, and took a long breath, letting it out in deep thought. ???Nope, ain??™t the right ones.??? Dad looked at him and asked how he knew it wasn??™t there.

Grampa explained that when he was just a youngster, he was in his Grandpa??™s room and saw an old sea chest. It had a picture on it with the family name at the bottom of the shield. He chose his words carefully, thoughtfully, going back so many years to his early childhood. It was barely an obscure moment in a lifetime of memories. Shortly, he remembered a Deer??™s head with the name scrolled across the bottom. It was all he could remember, but it was enough. Dad knew the ones he had were the wrong ones.

He spent quite a bit of time researching, trying to find the right one, but finally gave up. He figured it was lost in all the time that had gone by. An extensive search for something ancient in those days would be more expensive than he could justify.

Many years later, I happened to remember this story and told it to Ronni. I should have known she wouldn??™t just leave it there. With the era of the internet, there??™s an army of searchers with an almost unlimited amount of information right at the fingertips.

I came in from work and found Ronni at the computer with a silly grin on her face. She said ??? I found something you might like to see???. She pulled a picture up on the screen, and I just stared. It was the family crest, the Coat of Arms that Grampa had seen so many years before. Ronni just smiled and said ???Happy Valentines Day???. She knew what it meant to me.

Grampa??™s been gone for a lot of years now, and Dad has Alzheimer??™s. I??™m sure he would have loved to see this, and know it had been found. I guess I??™ll just have to remember it for both of us.

Written by Bob Shaw CapeRabbit@semo.net

Bob and Ronni live in the Cape Girardeau, Missouri area.

~**~**~

SPECIAL TIME? ? 

By,

Kathleene S. Baker

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What an embrace!?  Dad was holding on tight and stroking my back as we said goodbye.?  Over the past few years, it seems we both hang on a bit longer each time we part.

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The sun was just about to show its face on the horizon, and Dad was ready to head north for home. It had been two years since he??™d made the journey from Kansas to Texas by himself. But with his new knee and a few minor health problems under control; he was back in charge at the age of 88 and darned proud of his independence.? 

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Admittedly, I had pitched a bit of a fit prior to his trip. ???Dad, I??™ll just have a pow-wow with Jerry and Marland and see what they think about you driving.?  I??™ll let you know what we decide.???

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???Well, you guys just pow-wow on!?  I??™ll call when I know what day I??™m coming.???

That was it.?  Period!?  End of conversation.?  He hung up the phone.

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My husband, Jerry, and older brother, Marland, didn??™t like the idea much more than I did ??“ but what do you do??  Our pow-wow was a pitiful failure.?  Dad??™s driver??™s license had just been renewed, and he had a brand new reliable car. Short of hog-tying him, there was nothing to do but wait, wonder, and pray.?  We lost ??“ Dad won another round.

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The phone call finally came.?  ???I??™ll be coming on Wednesday or Thursday.?  I??™m expecting a bill and want to get it paid before I leave.???

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???Just let me know which day it is, so I??™ll know when to start worrying.????  I made it sound light-hearted, but I was dead serious.?  On the other hand, Dad thought it was hysterical and nearly broke my eardrum.

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The highlight of his trip was a few days at The High Lonesome deer lease in Central Texas.?  He??™s hunted all sorts of game in numerous states, but he??™d blindsided us announcing he needed to hunt down a wild hog.?  Again, what do you do??  You hustle to make plans, and thank your lucky stars that an aging father is still able to enjoy life and tackle new adventures.

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After the excitement of the hunt, I was concerned that the rest of his visit might seem on tad on the tame side ??“ two solid weeks of being stuck in the big city!?  But, we wrestled a couple of jigsaw puzzles ??“ a great way to stay busy and visit at the same time.?  He told wonderful stories of his childhood as we stewed and fought over puzzle pieces; and I hung on to each word as if I might never hear them again.

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Dad delighted in the discovery of our new Western Channel, and I watched more westerns in two weeks than I had in my entire lifetime.?  After about a week he remarked, ???I??™ve seen some old movies I didn??™t even know existed, and I thought I??™d seen them all.?  Most of them several times, in fact!????  He shook his head at the revelation, and then tuned in for the next one about to air.? 

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We shopped for a new suit, found one, and he looked especially handsome as he modeled it.?  Driving away from the mall he announced, ???This won??™t get much wear except to church, and the last time I wear it I won??™t ever have to change clothes again.???? 

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It took me a minute to grasp what he was saying.?  ???Oh, Dad!?  If I??™d known we were looking for burial attire I wouldn??™t even have even taken you shopping.????  He simply laughed at me, his blue eyes dancing with mischief.

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I let some things slide around the house in order to savor every moment of our time together.?  Evidently Dad noticed!?  The day I ran a few crucial errands; he cleaned all the tile floors while I was gone.?  I was humiliated!?  Within the hour, one of the dogs deposited a piece of dead grass on ???his??? sparkling floor and he spied it in a flash.?  ???How the heck did I miss that???? he questioned with a frustrated scowl.

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All too soon it was time for our visit to end.?  Dad??™s car was packed, hog meat and all, and he was heading home.

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???I love you, Dad.?  I hope you weren??™t bored ??“ I don??™t feel like we did anything very special while you were here.?  At least nothing that compared with your hunting trip.????  We were still hugging and neither of us made a move to let go.

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Dad squeezed me a little tighter and his voice cracked, ???Every single minute we were together was special.????  I pulled back slightly to see tears in his eyes and his chin quivering.?  It??™s a sight seldom seen from a man that still envisions himself as John Wayne.

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???You??™re right.?  Nothing is more special than our time together.????  I was batting back tears hoping he wouldn??™t spot them.?  Feeling the need to lighten things up, I jokingly said, ???You call as soon as you get home so I??™ll know when I can stop worrying!???

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???Yeah, yeah!?  You need to quit all that worrying ??“ don??™t you know it??™ll make an old woman out of you.????  With that he climbed in the car, waved, and drove away just as the sun made a spectacular appearance.?  It made for a perfect, sunny finale to our ???special time??? together??¦

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?©2005 Kathleene S. Baker

Lnstrlady@aol.com

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Kathy was born and raised in the small town of Augusta, Kansas that is only a few miles outside of Wichita.?  She married a native Texan in 1977 and was soon transplanted to Dallas.?  A large city offers many things, but she misses the slower pace of small town America.?  She has two stepchildren and four grandchildren.?  Pets have always played a huge part in her life.?  In fact, they were her inspiration to begin writing.?  She??™s had stories/poems featured on many websites, in numerous newsletters, as well as several publications.?  Recently she began writing a column for Frank Talk Magazine entitled, ???Heart of Texas.????  This publication can also be viewed online at: http://www.franktalkonline.com/? 

? Kathy??™s website can be viewed at:

YELLOW ROSE

http://www.txyellowrose.com/
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Please visit my website:

YELLOW ROSE

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~**~**~

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Valentines Story? 

Susan Roberts

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The first Valentine day my husband and I were together, he surprised me with a yellow rose and a ring.

He smiled REAL BIG when he handed me the one yellow rose in a plastic holder. "When this one dies, I will get you another one." then he chuckled.

He handed me a little box? that I opened to find a "ring". This ring was made of green plastic and? made to look like a pineapple man. He chuckled again. Oh he was getting WAY TOO MUCH FUN!!

But you should have seen his face when I took? out "what he THOUGHT was an artificial rose" and it turned out to be a real one. "Well, I should be getting another one of these in about a week, right?" I asked with a big smile.? 

Then I put that green plastic ring on and wore it ALL DAY LONG! I still have that silly looking ring in a ring box. I think I am going to have him put that ring on my finger when we reach our 25th anniversary!

It may have been a silly Valentine, but it was one of the best I have ever had.

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Susan Roberts

twofamily2 @earthlink.net

About Me:

I am now married to my second husband. We live on five acres outside of a little town in the Florida Panhandle. I take care of my 92-year-old mother in law. I have two living children, two stepchildren and seven beautiful grandchildren. I am an author of a recently published book GOD and The Hillbilly, published thru publishamerica.com, about a young woman I met online who was in a
very abusive marriage with two little children. It is based on her life and what happened when she
reached out for help and got out of the situation. She was a blessing to know. I have been blessed so much in my life with wonderful family, friends and online friends. If you go to publishamerica.com and click on "search," that will take you to the book site. If you click on the reviews, you will find that I have two pages of reviews, all giving the book five stars. There is a review from the Victim Advocate for the Wakulla County Sheriff Dept. as well.

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Poetry Valentines Contest Section

~**~**~

Kiss

Steve Johnston

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Summer sweetness,

Sucking nectar,

Smooth and wetness,

Circling vector.

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Silken soft,

Velvet seduction,

Teasing aloft,

Gentle suction.

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Hard and probing,

Passionate venture,

Senses flowing,

Oral quencher.

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Eyes now open,

Thoughts return,

Nothing spoken,

Feelings churn.

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She is gone.

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And I am left??¦wanting.

Steve Johnston

stevenmjohnston@yahoo.com

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~**~**~

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A Moist Whisper

Steve Johnston

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A moist whisper,

fell upon my lips.

An angelic secret.

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The soft caress,

echoing in my heart,

a breath of roses.

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Inhaling you,

the taste of your lips,
sensation on mine.

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Safe in your arms

wrapped within a shield,

far from any harm.

The moment ends,

exhaling perfume,

lost within your kiss.

Steve Johnston

stevenmjohnston@yahoo.com

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~**~**~

Candle

Steve Johnston

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You opened the door,

unafraid of the darkness,

and stepped inside.

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You lit a candle

melting the haze,

and opened a window.

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You looked out,
upon my ruins
and found my treasure.

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You looked beneath,
the shell I left behind,
and found my heart.

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And so it was,

that I came back,

and felt you there.

My heart,
in gentle hands,
quietly trembling.

My mind clear,
and warmed by the light
of your candle.

Steve Johnston

stevenmjohnston@yahoo.com

Steven Johnston has been a professional writer for more than 10 years.?  His work includes articles from the former music.com, ghost articles for a number of companies, and technology magazine, poetry and prose.?  He is a graduate from the college of New Jersey, (formerly Trenton State College, and he lives in Levittown, Pennsylvania with his wife and dog. ? For more information and additional pieces visit Steve??™s blog at:

http://sparksofinspiration.blogspot.com/

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Readers Feedback

Carol, I very much enjoyed this story and analogy, what wisdom and truth. Thank you for writing this and sharing it with me.?  I hope I always remember this when I talk to those who need support and for myself also. M. Ann

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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; Braun-Haley, Ellie; Harris, Kathy Anne; Hunt, Sharlett; Hymes, Christina; Jacobson, Gary; Kiser, Roger Dean; Kerens, Claudia; Kevin, Tim; Jenkins, Pamela; Liles, Norma; Lily Jodi Flesberg; Lock, Joyce; Mazzella, Joe; Morris, Deepak; Ojeibge, 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, Gordon, K; Walsh, Sue; Weymouth, Barbara J.; Whirity, Kathy; White Robert;

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Storytime Tapestry Staff

Carol Roach - Founder/publisher

Thelma Hartselle - Co-Founder, Moderator

Clara Westerfer ??“ moderator

Bob Johnston - moderator

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