THE CAT’S MEOW
FOR WRITERS & READERS EZINE®
Not Your Typical Internet-based
Magazine!
Issue
45, Volume 08, AUGUST 2008
Ezine: ISSN:
2237-65
PLEASE NOTE: Although this is an Internet-based magazine, we have 2,010+
subscribers who receive notification every month when a new issue is on this
website. And we would like you to know that our subscriber list is NOT made
available to others, including companies. We value every subscriber and respect
your privacy. Although, we are NOT responsible for website links that do not
work unless they have been inserted into the publisher’s corner; then she is
responsible, she apologizes and will correct it as soon as possible… However,
please notify us at
The
Publisher’s Box™
if
any links are not working or are the wrong links so that we know. Thank you!
IN THIS ISSUE:
ROSANNE
CATALANO, aka R.C.KAYLA
BIRTHDAY AND ANNIVERSARY WISHES CORNER
CONTRIBUTORS
FOR THE AUGUST 2008 MAGAZINE:
“Young Souls,” “Still Free,”
“Pot Luck Dinners” and “Love and Understanding”
( nonfiction Articles and
Stories )
“Alone in the Crowd,”
“Emotional Garbage Can,” “Integrity,” “A Whisper” and “I Wonder”
( Poems and nonfiction
Short-Piece )
“My Mental Seat,” “Where
Silence Speaks,” “A Vision Fair” and “No Escape”
“The Clouds of Life,” “Moments”
and “We Are All”
“The Laughing Baseball,”
“Sing Song,” “Taking Up Collecting” and “Deep Courtesy”
“Questions That Changed My
Life”
CONTRIBUTORS
FOR THE AUGUST 2008 MAGAZINE:
“Please Don’t Say That,
Please Do Say This”
( nonfiction helpful
Article )
(“Or… What Really Makes
Me MAD!”)
( nonfiction helpful
Article )
“A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing – The Trauma Underlying
Addiction”
( nonfiction helpful Article )
“Solving Discipline Problems in Children”
( nonfiction helpful Article )
“Scammers in Your Face – Are You Being Scammed and Not
Even Know It?”
( nonfiction helpful Article )
“True Leadership in American Politics Requires
Informed Voters”
( nonfiction helpful Article )
(Looking
for a Great Book to Read? Well look no further!
The Best
in Literature by many authors can be Purchased right here!)
ROSANNE CATALANO, aka R.C.KAYLA
Hello dear readers, all new members and writers! Thank you for joining us this month. Our August 2008 issue
is
back
to a single one and has lots of
wonderful fiction and nonfiction stories, poems and helpful articles for you! Before
you begin reading, however, I would like to bring to your attention the IMPORTANT
NOTICE in our table of contents under the sections: Coffee House 4 Readers
Corner and Helpful Nonfiction Articles Corner…
The reason I wrote it? Because one of our subscribers wrote
in to say: “All large
magazines, be it hard copy or internet based, provide direct access to author’s
work…your magazine does not. This can be, and should be, done to eliminate the
lengthy search! Hope you accept this suggestion in friendly spirit.” Yes I
did accept this suggestion as it was meant; to help improve this magazine! And
my response is: “First, please know that right now our publishing program only
has the capacity to access each individual ‘section’ of this magazine rather
than the author’s individual work. I am sorry about this. But, as soon as I’m
able to, I will obtain a publishing program that will make your reading
experience here more pleasurable! Also please remember that this publication is
a two-woman operation, where one is residing in the
I wanted to also tell you
that lately I have been writing more on my Blog. Yay! However, I do see
that no one has commented on my recent entries
of July 4th and August 8th, 2008. I’m assuming it’s because my dear readers do not know that
I’ve been writing on there more often than I did in the past. To rectify this
situation, and get your opinion of what I wrote about, I would like for you to
read my Blog; my recent entry was me writing about my controversial response
to, and opinion of, a CNN email-alert I received on Friday, August 8th.
Click here to read My Blog. And thank you
for leaving a comment afterward!
Now it is with a heart
full of sorrow for my friend and contributor, that I am saddened to tell you of
the passing of Sandra
Hoynacki’s Dad, Jesse W. Allen, on July 14th, 2008. Sandra thanks everyone for their prayers for her Daddy.
But please continue to pray for her and her family at this sorrowful time in
their lives! For those wishing to send their
condolences to the Hoynacki and Allen families, please e-mail Sandra at: sandylh@cox.net. Your cards or letters are
very much appreciated. If sending condolences via snail-mail, please do email Sandra FIRST! Also do read her heartfelt poems
in tribute to, and about, her Dad in our Coffee House 4 Readers column. Her
poems are excellently written but, I must WARN you, that you’ll be crying like
a baby while reading her poetry. Sandra, please
know that your daddy will live on in the hearts and minds of those who knew and
loved him, and in the written form [Jesse W. Allen was a creative published writer
too]…
Also heartbreakingly there
have been way too many fatal drownings this summer in the
Although the
water
also applies in a swimming pool, whether it’s in your backyard or at a
community park. If you don’t know how-to float or tread water, it is extremely
important that you take swimming classes to learn how! I only wish I had taken
a class before I almost drowned in one of our neighbors’ backyard swimming
pools when I was little… I did not know how to tread water or float on top of
the water at that time, so I thank God my sister saw bubbles floating to the
surface and she swam to the bottom of the pool to save me! Thank you Father.
Amen. So please STAY SAFE this summer while swimming at a beach or in a
swimming pool by following the
Now I’d
like to tell you about a wonderful way you can help our animal companions who
have been rescued from neglect and abuse and are now residing in shelters
and / or sanctuaries! With our
contributor Helen Dowd’s permission, I mention the free newsletter she
writes titled “Other Pets,” and the fact that in her newsletter of July 23rd
she indirectly reminded me that I had not told you about The Animal Rescue Site!
The Animal Rescue Site.com is also affiliated with The Hunger Site and The
Literacy Site (two of the Click
for Free websites that I wrote
about in the June/July 2008 magazine issue). For forgetting to tell you last
month, I apologize profusely!! But with The Animal Rescue Site, you can make a difference in an animal’s
life by just clicking on their site daily, or as often as you would like, and
it’s all FREE! Although all of these Click for Free websites do
not require you to purchase anything from their stores, buying their cute products
does help to keep these sites FREE to you. Below is Helen Dowd’s special newsletter in which she tells her
subscribers about The Animal Rescue site and that the site is currently
celebrating their 6th Anniversary…
“Other Pets - Extra-Extra! Read all about it.
Dear Friends:
You
are receiving this e-mail because you chose to be on the "Other
Pets" mailing list... Thank you so much for being a part
of our newsletter.
Subject:
Celebrate The Animal Rescue Site's 6th Anniversary... this is what
your free clicks accomplish... God bless you!
ABOUT OUR PROJECTS
These stories are real-life examples of
how your actions at The Animal Rescue Site and store are helping our Charitable
Partners rescue animals in need. We hope you enjoy learning more about how you
and The Fund for Animals,
the North Shore Animal League,
and the Petfinder.com Foundation
are working to make the world a better place.
THE FUND FOR ANIMALS
Rounder was born in a backyard rabbitry – one of the thousands across
the country that supply local pet shops. These facilities rival the conditions
seen in puppy mills but because they are smaller and scattered, and because
rabbits suffer in silence, they operate with impunity. At six weeks of age
Rounder and his siblings were taken to a small pet shop. Rounder was to fulfill
the role of a "live toy" for a small child.
Soon, though, he was left lonely and
forgotten. After what seemed a very long time at the child's house, Rounder was
once again transported. This time his cage was placed in an open-ended shed.
Rounder's new owner opened his cage door and walked away.
Rounder hopped out through the shed
doorway and began grazing. For the first time he felt the power in his muscles,
the speed of his legs, and the wind blowing his long, floppy ears straight over
his back. He would hole up and wait for the other rabbits. Surely there would
be other rabbits. But by the third night, no rabbits had appeared.
Rounder heard a rustling in the leaves,
very close. Startled out of his hiding place, he began racing for all he was
worth. He felt a dog's hot breath on his back. Suddenly he was wrenched out of
mid-flight into the jaws of the dog. A woman's panicked voice called out,
"No! Lady! No!" Lady had caught Rounder as he leaped through the
fence.
At the Rabbit Sanctuary, a physical found
that Rounder had sustained a grievous injury to his back. He never fully
healed, and will always be a special-needs bunny as a result of his ordeal. He
now has a beautiful companion named Skippers and a territory all his own.
Rounder won't be bought, traded, or chased ever again.
To learn more about Rounder, and about other animals you are
helping, please visit The Fund for Animals.
Help Rescued Bunnies Like Rounder”
CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS TO ALL WRITERS:
CORRECTION:
In last month’s issue [June/July 2008], I made an error when I wrote in my column that the
publisher of
Storytime
Tapestry, Carol Roach,
only wanted stories and not poetry!
Unfortunately
it was too late to correct my mistake, as we had already gone to press. For
this, I’m so sorry!
Please
read the below corrected Call for Submissions from Storytime Tapestry publisher
Carol Roach…)
Call for submissions: Storytime Tapestry is in need of
more stories please keep them coming in.
Also help support the continued running of
Storytime Tapestry by joining me on MyLot and getting paid while we talk to
each other and others all over
the world: http://www.mylot.com/?ref=winterose
(if the link doesn’t work just cut and paste)
From my son Steven Roach:
“I was
thinking you should advertise the link regularly in your newsletter (if the link doesn’t work just cut and
paste)
http://greenhorse.com/join_now.ghc?r=177952857
tell them it would help support the
newsletter and they can earn money from it. They need to sign up and install it
but they don't need to do anything else. They just do what they normally would
anyways on the net and they earn money while it’s on. In other words they just
keep it running while they are online. Its small doesn't take up much system
resources and they can earn more if they advertise their own link and get people
under them as well. Let them know some people make 5-10$ a day on it and it’s
been open since 2002.”
Another Call for Submissions is from Robert Laughlin, Micro
Awards Administrator. In Robert’s email, he says:
“Submissions
are now being taken for the 1st Annual
Micro Award, an award for Previously Published Fiction not over
1,000 words in length. Authors and editors may each submit one story published
in 2007. The submission deadline this year is: September
30th. Submissions must be snail-mailed to:
Micro Award,
And last, but
definitely not least, author and child advocate Roger Dean Kiser is asking anyone
interested in getting their pet remembrance stories published in his new
book anthology, titled “Crossing the Rainbow Bridge—Stories of love and
devotion” to please contact him at: trampolineone@earthlink.net
AN EXCITING POETRY CONTEST FOR ALL POETS:
High
Prairie Poets
ELIGIBILITY: ALL POETS –
12 point Font
is a must. DON’T “CAP” Titles.
DEADLINE: POSTMARKED BY The 20th
OF THE MONTH.
LINE LIMIT: There is a 32 line limit.
ENTRY FEE: $2.00 entry fee for the
first poem and $1.00 each for additional poems. NO EMAIL ENTRIES.
PRIZES: $25.00 1st Place;
$10.00 2nd Place; $5.00 3rd Place; 3 HM’S; WE DO NOT
PUBLISH ANY POEMS.
SUBMISSION: Please send TWO
COPIES of each poem (poet‘s choice), ONE BLANK
and THE OTHER WITH NAME, ADDRESS,
and TITLE OF
POEM. DO NOT SEND COVER LETTER OR
BIOGRAPHY; One Poem on a Page; 66 characters per line. No Themes.
NO OBSCENE LANGUAGE.
NOTIFICATION: By the tenth of the
following month, IF you include a SASE. ALWAYS INCLUDE A “SASE.”
JUDGING: Qualified, blind judging;
Judge’s decisions are final.
NEXT
CONTEST: SEPTEMBER 20, 2008.
ADDRESS: SEND ALL
ENTRIES TO:
CAROL DEE
MEEKS, Silver Arrow Estates, 2601 South Elm
Place, Apt. #108,
BETH ANN ERIKSON, “The Queen
Bee of Filbert Publishing,” WROTE AN INFORMATIVE BOOK THAT MAKES A GREAT GIFT FOR THE WRITER IN YOUR
LIFE!
In her book, Beth helpfully guides you on
how to earn more than pennies for your freelance writing. To purchase her informative eBook, “101 No Cost or Low Cost Techniques to Turbo Charge Your Freelance
Income,” go to Filbert Publishing today!
Lastly, do
check out the ‘Helpful Links’ and
Home Page on this web site for other
interesting, fun and informative sites for you! Plus the new link to The
SHINE! Journal, where Pamela Tyree Griffin is the
publisher and editor (and a contributor to this magazine)! Also our new banner
link to the Boomer Babes Rock ezine for
the Boomer generation women and men (yes, men too should read the Boomer Babes
Rock ezine!).
See you
all in September… until then,
ENJOY the Rest of YOUR SUMMERAND TO MY AMERICAN READERS HAVE A WONDERFUL LABOR DAY!
BEFORE I GO –
DON’T
FORGET TO PICK UP YOUR COPY TODAY
OF MIRRORED
IMAGES; A COLLECTION OF MY STORIES & POEMS
JUST FOR
YOU!
Now I give
you my many contributors to enjoy! Please do WELCOME them via email, or visit
their websites, after you have read
their stories, poems and
articles. [Email addresses and websites are listed in the
author’s bio.]
Copyright © August 2008 Rosanne Catalano.
WISHES CORNER!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:
Lina D’Onofrio, Birthday: August 1st
Cynthia Groopman, Birthday: August 3rd
Annette Welch, Birthday: August 14th
Trisha Martin, Birthday: August 23rd
Deborah Shepard, Birthday: August 25th
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO:
Les and Marie Umland, Anniversary:
August 25th (1957)
Hart and Helen Dowd, Anniversary:
August (1957)
To see your birthday and or anniversary wishes here,
Email us with your name (first & last, or just first name) and
birth-day or anniversary date (year is optional for both)
COFFEE HOUSE 4 READERS CORNER!
(Bringing You Published
Written Talent
Every Month for YOUR
Young Souls
By
Joseph J. Mazzella
One of the most interesting things that I have found out about my life is that
as my body seems to get older and older, my spirit seems to keep getting
younger and younger. As my hair grays and my skin wrinkles, my heart sings and
my souls dances. As my body slows down, my love speeds up. As my brain gets
more forgetful, my soul gets more mindful. I think all of this is because the
closer my body gets to death, the more aware my soul becomes of what it means
to live.
It has taken me many years, for instance, to fully realize just how important
and enjoyable it is to give someone a hug. In fact, giving out some hugs can be
the most important thing you do all day. The same is true for saying, "I
love you." Nothing you do at work today will be as valuable as letting
those you care about know just how much you love them. This is also true for
singing, dancing, laughing and loving. These things add more joy to your hours,
life to your days, and length to your years than anything else you can do. You
can even mix them up into a glorious whirlwind of delight. I know that my own
singing and dancing always tends to bring out laughter in others for some
reason. Children seem to know all of these things instinctively, but it often
takes us adults many years to get our souls young enough to realize it as well.
Don’t let your soul age with your body then. Keep it always full of love, joy,
youth and delight. Share its energy, vitality, and goodness with everyone you
meet. Let it make your old body into a singing, dancing, laughing, loving and
hugging machine. Let it always be full of God’s ageless love, endless joy, and
limitless light. Let it live to the fullest every single day of this life and
grow ever more loving, joyous, and at one with God for the next.
Copyright
© 2008 Joseph J. Mazzella.
*
* * *
Still Free
By
Joseph J. Mazzella
I winced as I filled up the tank on my car the other day. Seeing another record
high at the gas pump didn’t bode well for the rest of the day. I knew too that
the food prices would be up again as well. I put just what we needed on the
shopping list and nothing more. I had promised my boys that we could eat out
first, so we headed to a local fast food place and gazed at the value menu. On
the counter by the cash register was the half-empty box for a children’s
charity. I had often put my extra change in it over the years but this time
when the cashier handed the coins back to me I slowly put them in my pocket. I
ate sadly still wondering about how high the prices would go when I heard my
thoughts echoed by the couple in the next booth. "The prices just keep
going up," said the dejected husband. "I know," his wife replied.
"Everything costs an arm and a leg these days."
In that moment of stress and worry, though, somehow the sweet voice of wisdom
sounded in my mind. "God’s love is still free," it said, "and it
always will be." I got up then and smiled at the couple. I fished the change
back out of my pocket and some bills out of my wallet, walked over and put them
in the children’s charity box. "Prices may keep going up," I thought,
"but the most priceless thing in the world is still free to us all."
The next time you feel squeezed by the price of living remember that the thing
that makes life worth living is still free. God loves us and is willing to fill
us with His love everyday of our lives. Even when our wallets are empty, our
hearts can still be full. God will always give us what we need as well as to
live, learn and love. There is no supply and demand with God’s love either
because the supply is endless. The more love you give away, the more love you
will have. May we all help God share His love today and everyday; it costs
us nothing but gives us everything.
Copyright
© 2008 Joseph J. Mazzella.
*
* * *
Pot Luck Dinners
By
Joseph J. Mazzella
When I was a boy our church would sometimes have potluck dinners in the church
basement. Tables would run from wall to wall as sixty people would crowd
in for the feast. The serving table would always be groaning under the weight
of all the different dishes people brought. There would be baked ham,
turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, lasagna, green beans, brown beans, corn bread,
pies, and cakes ready to fill every stomach and warm every heart. Children
would be running in and out while adults talked and laughed and enjoyed being
together. Soon grace would be said and the plates would be stacked high with
all the fantastic food. It was such a wonderful time. Everyone was happy. The
happiest of all seemed to be the Mothers and Grandmothers who had spent so much
time cooking the wonderful delights before us. They got to not only enjoy the
dinner themselves but also to see everyone else enjoying the meal they had
prepared. And that is what gave them their most joyous smiles.
Life can be a lot like a potluck dinner at times. There are so many different
and wonderful things to feast upon. There are so many delicious dishes to delight
in. The greatest joy of all, though, comes from sharing what you bring to the
table. The most lasting happiness of all comes from feeding others from your
own heart, soul, and mind.
Are you ready to bring your own course to the feast of life? God gave you
something special to prepare and to share. It is up to you, however, to bring
it to the table. You are the cook of your own goodness, your own love, and your
own life. Put on your apron then, throw in a dash of delight, and make it the
best dish you can. Then bring it to the table and set it down with a smile. You
will be amazed at how much it will add to the feast. You will be overjoyed at
how much you will nourish the souls of everyone around you.
Copyright
© 2008 Joseph J. Mazzella.
*
* * *
Love and Understanding
By
Joseph J. Mazzella
I was in a local grocery store the other day when suddenly I heard the sound of
breaking glass behind me. I turned around to see what had happened. A young
mother had turned away from her shopping cart for a second to look in one of
the freezers. That second was all it took for her growing, baby boy to test out
his new found ability to grab and lift things from his seat in the cart.
Unfortunately, the big jar of spaghetti sauce was more than he could handle. I
smiled when I walked back to help and saw the look of utter surprise on his
face. His arms were still outstretched where the jar had been a few seconds
before. On the floor below the puddle of red was slowly oozing across the
aisle. After making sure that both Mom and baby were alright I headed down the
aisle to get help from a store employee. As I glanced back at them, though, I
saw something that truly warmed my heart.
The baby had finally taken his eyes off the shattered jar and looked up at his
Mom. Instead of scolding him or even giving him an angry look she smiled down
at him with eyes full of gentle understanding and unconditional love. Her
tender gaze and kind smile never changed either; not even when a friend gave
her some good natured teasing about the mess. I knew then that this Mom was
going to give her son a lifetime full of laughter and love.
I think that God must smile down on us with that same look at times. We are His
beloved Children, and yet as hard as we try, we often make a mess of things
too. We want to learn to love. Still, we stumble, fall, let important
things slip through our fingers, and even break a few hearts along the way. God
never gives up on us, however. He forgives us and fills our hearts, souls, and
lives with His gentle understanding and unconditional love. May we all learn to
love each other as He loves us. May we all learn to live our lives in joy,
laughter, love and understanding.
Copyright
© 2008 Joseph J. Mazzella.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Joseph J. Mazzella, a published writer, was born, raised, and still lives
in the mountains of
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Quebec City’s 400th
Birthday Celebration
By
Carol Roach
For separatist French Quebecers (not
the entire French speaking population of
Jason Kenney, Canada's secretary of
state for multiculturalism and Canadian identity, quoted: "We think it's a
national celebration, not just for the
Commemoration
They go on to say, “A common
identity, history and culture are the essential parts of a personality that
make a people," the group's website also says. "In order (for the
province) to remain attractive, this personality of French
The Federal Government of Canada is
trying hard to promote national unity through this celebration and at 11AM
bells were ringing all over Canada to celebrate the arrival of Champlain in
Quebec City with approximately 4,000 Churches taken part. The opening bash
features, "a salute to Champlain attended by Prime
Minister Stephen Harper and other Canadian and foreign dignitaries, and
a military parade highlighting
Our Prime
Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper is
quoted as saying, "If French continues to be spoken in Canada today, it is
thanks to the courage, tenacity and creativity of generation upon generation of
Francophones who brought their old-world values and hopes to the new world and
helped them take root and grow."
French sovereignists (protesters)
have their own alternative celebrations going on in the Province's capital.
There will be week-long celebrations
for the
There will be fireworks, parades,
speeches and more. The regular
* * * *
Sources:
http://www.theglobeandmai...
http://archives.cbc.ca/do...
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet...
Copyright © Carol Roach,
M.Ed, B.A.
Check out her newest
book, “Angels Watching Over Me”: http://www.lulu.content/964306
* * * *
Oh
By
Carol Roach
July 1st was
Canada is a sovereign country, we
are self governing, but we still have traditional ties to the
We do have a modified British system, meaning - style of government, and
we have the Governor General. The present Governor General is Michelle Jean,
and she is the traditional (not a position of power) Queen’s representative in
The two official
languages in
Canadian Legal
System:
English Canada follows the English civil law system in which cases are
tried according to precedent (how similar cases in the past have been tried)
and the French Napoleonic Code in Quebec, where cases are tried by codes or
statuettes fashioned by the French (France) legal system.
In other words
Today
Four
Pacific or West Coast
Three Territories:
Canada occupies most of North America and
touches three oceans, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean
and from the Artic Circle to the Canada / United States Border. The
The majestic
Canada is 141
years old, and we love our country; we also celebrate in style.
There is the celebration, of course, of fireworks, parades, skits,
concerts and all kinds of other festivities going on. I once went and had a
piece of
Now that I am disabled, I do very
little outdoor activities.
* * * *
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Act_1982
http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Americas/Canada.html
http://www.ec.gc.ca/Water/en/info/facts/e_contnt.htm
http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/freshwater/1
http://www.ec.gc.ca/Water/en/info/facts/e_contnt.htm
http://www.pch.gc.ca/PROGS/CPSC-CCSP/JFA-HA/canada_e.cfm
Copyright
© 2008 Carol Roach, M.Ed, B.A.
Check out
her newest book, “Angels Watching Over Me”: http://www.lulu.content/964306
* * * *
Tommy Never Made Me Cry
By
Carol Roach
My elementary school years were not a
pleasant experience for me. I grew up with a grandmother who was overprotective
and as a result, I never really knew what it was to have friends. I was never
allowed out of her sight and I grew up in a world of adults.
Oh,
I loved her greatly and she loved me. You all know this from the previous
stories I've written. Whatever she did, she always thought it was in my best
interest.
My grandmother, or my "Ma" as I
called her, never left the house herself, so it just seemed natural to her that
I would be the same way. I was her treasure and she never wanted anyone to hurt
her baby (me).
Nevertheless,
my elementary school years were not remembered fondly.
My
first day at school was a disaster. Here I was, Ma's big girl, and I had to go
and cry. After all the support and coaching that she gave me, I cried!
"You are a big girl now, you are
going to make friends, and you're going to love school. You will be so happy at
school. You are finally going to be with children of your own age. You won't
want to be with an old nanny like me," she said.
I
was scared to death but all revved up and ready to go, and yet I cried!
Being the very sensitive child that I was,
I carried that embarrassment with me all throughout my elementary school years.
After all, Renate, the daughter of a friend of the family and my only friend,
started school the same day but she didn't cry.
I used to cry quite a bit at school and
the other kids just thought I was a sissy. They enjoyed seeing me cry. I was
always overweight and if they wanted to make me feel bad and make me cry, all
they had to do was to call me fatty and I would start bawling.
In fact, in the first grade there was this
boy that I remained terrified of until he left the school three years later.
His name was Glen, and one day he cornered me at recess and said "Hey
fatty, I am going to punch you in the stomach until you're not fat
anymore."
He
did punch me. So what did I do? You guessed it. I cried.
I hated to go to recess after that and I
would make up stories about why I was not feeling well and why I could not go.
Nobody called me Carol except for Renate and later on, Brenda, who also became
my friend. Everyone else just called me fatty.
Skipping
recess worked up to a point and then the teachers said it was not healthy for
me to be cloistered like that and I was forced to go to recess.
One thing I couldn't get out of from
the very beginning was gymnastics.
I was always slower than everyone
else. I couldn't run fast, wasn't good at playing sports, and I just felt as
stupid as I must have looked to the other children.
The gymnastics teachers never understood.
They just kept yelling at me to run faster, work harder, practice more. When I
told them that when I ran too much it gave me a pain in the side (which was
true) they ignored it and said, "Run anyhow!"
I
was always the last to come in on the girl's team.
There
was a boy named Tommy whom I knew from my classes. Since I was shy and
uncomfortable talking to boys, I never really spoke to him.
Tommy never talked to other people
himself. He was very aloof.
Although
in my case though I was too shy to talk, to me he seemed like he really didn't
want to talk to anybody. He really liked being alone.
Not only did Tommy and I share a
discomfort with the other children, we were both fat! Tommy never appeared like
he wanted to do anything with anybody, ever. Now that I am older I feel it was
because he felt the same way as me. He knew he was not accepted by the others
because of his weight.
In gymnastics, Tommy got yelled at by the
teachers more than I did simply because he was a boy. They tried to encourage
me, as they were generally nicer to girls, but they were downright cruel to
him, threatening to call his parents, suspend him from school, etc.
Though all the kids would want him on the
debating team by the time we were in our last year of elementary school, since
Tommy was the best male debater in school, they still didn't want this fat boy
on their team in gymnastics.
Of all the things we did in gymnastics, I
hated races the most. Instead of the teacher picking the teams, he would
appoint two team captains and they would pick the kids they wanted. Of course
it went without saying that the captains wanted the fastest runners and if a
captain made a mistake in his or her choice, he was told about it in no
uncertain terms by his team.
We all would line up against the wall and
the team captain would start. Captain one would take the fastest runner,
usually Rocky because he was taller and bigger than the rest of us and
respected by all the kids. Then captain two would pick another fast runner.
This would continue until they came down to Tommy and me.
Tommy was considered faster than me, so I
was always the last to be picked. When a team got me, you heard very loudly,
"Oh no! Not her! We are going to lose for sure."
One particular day, I guess the hurt was
showing on my face and I was trying to be brave and keep the tears back. Tommy
looked at me as we both stood there alone; knowing what would happen next and
he spoke to me for what I think was the very first time. He said, "Don't
worry about them, I don't care, you shouldn't either."
Tommy was picked for team one and I was
picked for team two. The races began. Team one had a lead on us. Then it was
down to the wire, Tommy and I were the last up. I could hear my team mates
behind me saying, "Oh no, she’s up."
The
teacher shouted "Go!" but Tommy didn't move.
I didn't start running because I was
waiting for him and the teacher yelled, "Go!" yet again. I started
running but Tommy wasn't following.
The
teacher yelled at Tommy, and Tommy responded "I have to tie my
shoelace."
The
teacher yelled, "Why didn't you do that before!"
I
was dumbfounded. I didn't know what to do. I stopped in my tracks and the
teacher again yelled out, "Go, go!"
By now I had such a lead that I knew it
was inevitable that my team was going to win. Tommy waited for the return lap
before he started to run. I finished the race and my team actually cheered for
me,
"Come
on Carol! You can do it."
No
one said a word to Tommy when he finally came in. Nobody really knew what to
say. All I knew was that I felt so good with my team mates rooting for me.
I don't know if Tommy did that deed for me
or for himself. I don't know if he ever really knew what he had done for a
little girl with no self-esteem, regardless of his motives at the time.
But
one thing is for sure. Tommy never made me cry!
Copyright © Carol Roach.
Check out her newest
book, “Angels Watching Over Me”: http://www.lulu.content/964306
* * * *
For Love of Poodles: Coca’s
Story
By
Carol Roach
My life was just fine the way it was, I
had Ma and I had my dogs. Who could ask for anything more? Often, my mother
wanted me to come and spend the weekend at her house. However, my mother was a
lady I hardly knew at the time due to her frequent absences in my life.
Although she tried her best to entertain
me on my visits, due to the lack of bonding, I just did not feel comfortable
and I definitely did not feel like I was "at home" at her place at
all.
Going
to her house was really boring. There was nobody to play with since all the
children in the neighbourhood were French. Furthermore, since my visits were so
infrequent, I really did not have a chance to cultivate or sustain friendships.
Frankly, when I agreed to go, it was out of a sense of duty on my part and
persistent nagging on hers.
When I was about 12 or 13, she offered an
incentive that would make the weekend trip to her household worthwhile. My
mother, who had never been an animal lover, got herself a dog. But why did she
do that, this lady who never liked animals? Could it be the enticement to get
me to her house more often? I think that may have been part of it, but I think
the real reason was that my mom was a woman who loved to "keep up with the
Jones" and she did everything that was fashionable at the time.
In the early 70s, it was fashionable for
ladies with means in
So
.
I, on the other hand, adored him. I would
take him for walks and feed him when I was there. He would lie quietly by my
side all night long as we would watch TV together while my mother did whatever
she was doing in any part of the house. It wasn't that he was a very
exceptional dog, but he was my friend and my main reason for wanting to visit
my mother.
When I was 16, my
mother, her new husband, my sister (by this time my sister lived with my mom),
myself, and
I was very disturbed that when we went out
to do various activities,
My mom, not really being an animal
connoisseur, didn't understand the danger to the animals. In her defense I must
say that she would never hurt an animal. She did not understand the love that
true animal lovers have for their furry friends. Had my mother known that
leaving an animal in the car was dangerous, I am confident that she would never
have done it.
On our way back from the trip as we were
passing through
I didn't think twice, I said to my mom,
"You know
My mom was so impressed with me. She had
never thought about that herself. She said to my sister, "You see how much
heart your sister has for animals; you would never have thought of anything
like that, would you?"
The fact of the matter was neither would
she! Furthermore, my sister was just like my mother only worse. She admitted
outright that she did not care for animals at all and could not see what the
big fuss was over them.
I
was devastated the day that
The next morning when she was getting
ready for work, a young boy came to her door and said he knew where
The vet took x-rays. He found out that
The
vet said it was best to put him down; he could not recover from that much
trauma to the brain.
I only hope that poor
The experience profoundly affected my
mother as well. She has never owned another animal since then. Her decision was
not made because she wasn't really an animal lover, for the loss of
Copyright © Carol Roach.
Check out her newest
book, “Angels Watching Over Me”: http://www.lulu.content/964306
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Carol Roach, M.Ed, B.A., a native of
Montreal, Quebec, is a publisher, author and freelance writer who is the author
of “Picking up the Pieces: A Woman’s Journey” (www.publishamerica.com) and “Angels Watching Over Me” (www.lulu.com/content/644485) More info about Carol’s second book, “Angels
Watching Over Me,” can be found in our Off The Press! column! Carol holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s
Degree in Counselling Psychology from McGill and
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Alone in the Crowd
By
Conrad S. Cardinal
Some are alone, in the midst
of a crowd
Alone with their thoughts, though voices are loud
Uneasy, different, than those
that surround
in a vacuum, no feeling, no sound
Wondering why they feel this
way
how should I act, what should I say?
Wanting to break out, join the
fun
at the same time wanting to run
A challenge to live this way,
wanting to love; afraid to say
Sound familiar, is this you?
I understand, I’ve lived through it too
To beat the demon, realize
we’re all the same;
those that win learn to play the game.
Copyright © August
2008 Conrad S. Cardinal.
* * * *
Emotional Garbage Can
By
Conrad S. Cardinal
When things go
bad, you become distraught
Disappointed you become over wrought
Emotions are a two edged
sword, cutting up or down
They can put a smile on your face or serve to
make you frown
For each the trigger may be
different, the results the same
Depression, anger, a temper you can’t tame
Emotions not handled, stored
in a secret place
so disturbing, you’re afraid to show your face
Our emotional garbage can,
where we store our woes
How fast it fills up, depends on how it goes
Your mind says stop, get a
grip
Your computer says, let it rip
Do something before you
explode
Find someone to talk to, take time to unload.
Copyright
© August 2008 Conrad S. Cardinal.
* * * *
Integrity
By
Conrad S. Cardinal
Integrity: to have moral and
ethical character, honest
For many, this is not what they do best
Most of our sources of
information mislead us
We sit back and accept this without making a fuss
We don’t even try to find out
the truth
A poor example for our youth
When we become liberal, we are
easily deceived
The lies we hear, readily believed
I believe integrity is the
fabric of our nation
The lack of it brings about degradation
I feel we must support the one
who’s life
and work reveals this trait
One who loves
Copyright ©
August 2008 Conrad S. Cardinal.
* * * *
A Whisper
By
Conrad S. Cardinal
As I contemplate my life and each
choice,
I realize how often I’ve ignored the still
small voice
Father in heaven has moved to guide me
in all that I have done
The times I have prayed and listened, are
the times I’ve won
Experience, a harsh teacher, rarely
gives
one a break
Making choices with out guidance is a
sad mistake
Listen for a voice that whispers, a
fleeting
thought indeed
The Spirit will guide, if one chooses to
heed.
Copyright ©
August 2008 Conrad S. Cardinal.
* * * *
I Wonder
By
Conrad S. Cardinal
Have you ever wondered why the creation is
in color instead of black and white? Why don’t we all have the same face or the
same color? I’ve written a poem that discuses this and hope you will read it
some time. My point is that instead of making us look the same like cows do or
the earth colorless, God has made each of us unique and the earth full of
color. Many different looks and nothing is black and white.
I believe most of us have an idea of what
an acceptable appearance is and what acceptable behavior should be. When it
comes to a relationship with God we tend to judge who is and most probably who
isn’t acceptable to God. Each denomination has certain guidelines that should
be followed. My question is, how important are these things that we use to
judge others and do you think God really cares about them? Most of what I’m
speaking about revolves around the way one looks. For example, I have an
earring, tattoos on my arms and a full mustache. I would be wasting my time
trying to speak about God to some folks. They simply couldn’t accept me as a
minister because of my appearance.
The ministry that I was a part of taught
me not to judge a book by its cover. If you do you’ll miss out on a lot of good
reading. Some of the folks we dealt with were different to an extreme, others
just as normal as any one of your friends. By the way, what is normal? God’s
children come in all sizes and all sorts of packages. I’ve met some of the most
spiritual and knowing people that many would pass because of their look; compassionate
and caring folks who would go to great lengths to help you. Honest and loyal
friends who would continue to support and comfort you when necessary.
So perhaps the answer to my questions is
simply that we should give each person we meet a chance before we decide their
worth. I believe we pass by many of Gods angels daily because we judge them by
the way they are dressed or the way they wear their hair or because they have
tattoos. Please understand, I’m not implying that you should throw caution to
the wind and invite every one into your house. However when an occasion arises
and you are safely put in contact with someone who looks different, don’t
disregard them without giving them a chance to show who they are. After all you
might be speaking to me.
Copyright © 2008 Conrad S. Cardinal.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Conrad S. Cardinal is a published poet and writer who was born in Brooklyn, New York USA,
and played professional baseball for 4 years. Due to an injury, though, he
retired from professional baseball and moved to
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My Mental Seat
By
Sandra L. Hoynacki
Two mallards gliding between lilies on a pond
Nestled in a bowl between mountains beyond
A quaint little village, a cobble stone street
Where a mind crosses over, takes a mental seat
Colorful symbols in peace and tranquility
Multicolored birds embracing sociability
Evening shadows wave, unwrap an ocean dream
A couple on the fore tasting sweet sea bream
Ideas birthing visions, marionettes on a string
A pond of white pages add words with a fling
The old moon is lying in the young moon's arms
Another look at fantasy mixed with mental charms
Stroll through a village in the milky way of night
Unmask your hidden face and sip the coral light
When the clock is running, spilling all of your hours
Smell nostalgic dusk and build your ivory towers
Hello world!
Copyright © August 3, 2008 Sandra L. Hoynacki.
* * *
*
Where Silence Speaks
By
Sandra L. Hoynacki
