Home  >> Stories  >> The Tale Spinner #2016-28

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IN THIS ISSUE

• From Heroic Stories, here is a story of a dedicated social worker
• Kate Brookfield recommends a book for all Canadians to read
• Burke Dykes explains why men are happier than women
• Shirley Conlon forwards a story about running in the rain
• Rafiki sends an inspirational story about teaching
• Betty Audet shares some senior wisdom
• Catherine Nesbitt forwards facts learned from living in the south
• Gerrit de Leeuw suggests a site for a song about Canada

From HeroicStories comes this memory by Kelly Kimura of Tokyo:

ONE SOCIAL WORKER

We are an American family living in Tokyo. Although we visit our families in the U.S.A. once a year, we didn´t really give much thought to the changes my husband´s aging parents and aunts were? going through. Suddenly there was only one person left: his mother.

His mom is a diabetic in her mid-80s, a heart attack survivor with bad knees, and an independent lady whose English is an increasingly rusty second language now that she is alone.

Her driving has become more erratic, and she falls more frequently. The house she loves and has lived in for over 40 years has become challenging for her. She is faced with making it safer or moving to senior housing.

We made separate yearly visits to give her more company, but otherwise could only try to help from afar. Sometimes our help led to more problems, such as when I arranged to have my mother-in-law´s many medications mailed to her. This eliminated the one-hour drive that she had been making for years to a military base pharmacy. As a result, she had to frequently hobble down her steep front steps and walk up an incline along an open drainage ditch to get to her street side mailbox.

I applied for a nonprofit community development grant to install a ramp in place of her steps, but the slope of the lawn made the ramp too expensive. On other occasions, we couldn´t get the resources my mother-in-law needed right away.

On my last visit, she had trouble standing for more than 10 minutes because of a fall. On her limited income, she couldn´t afford a helper, so I contacted the county senior services for light housekeeping services. However, there was a waiting list, and it was months later when the housekeeping service became available.

During the application process, to our surprise, my mother-in-law was assigned a social worker specializing in senior citizens. I assumed it this was just to verify that she needed the service. I didn´t realize that Lori, the social worker, could and would do much more.

Lori makes home visits and takes the time to patiently understand what my mother-in-law´s needs are. She has gone with my mother-in-law to the doctor, arranged for a mailbox and mail delivery at the front door, and even pushed through a modified, affordable version of the stalled ramp project.

Lori has even driven my mother-in-law to see several senior housing complexes. On top of all this, she e-mails me updates to let me know about options and resources.

I know it´s Lori´s job to know what to do and who to go to in order to resolve issues common to senior citizens; however, Lori doesn´t stop there. When there is something that would help my? mother-in-law, Lori runs with it and sees it through - as if my mother-in-law were her only case.

Thank you, Lori, for making such a difference, both for my mother-in-law and for us.

ED. NOTE: To comment on the above story, or to subscribe to this newsletter, click on HeroicStories.org

THE BOOK CORNER

Kate Brookfield recommends "The Best Laid Plans" by Terry Fallis. She writes that it is a good read, with interesting characters and a predictable plot, with good winning over fools and greedy politicians. Set in Ottawa, it has lots of humour and is really well written. She recommends it to all Canadians.

The editor recently listened to an audio rendition of Maeve Binchy´s "Five Weeks in Winter." It was about an unlikely group of people who ended up spending a week in a renovated mansion high on the cliffs of the west coast of Ireland, overlooking the windswept Atlantic. Guest are introduced separately in individual vignettes before they arrive at Stone House, where they share their stories and some make life-changing decisions. Told with warmth and humour, I found the reading hard to turn off.

Burke Dykes explains

WHY MEN ARE HAPPIER

What do you expect from such simple creatures?

Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack.

You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park. Car mechanics tell you the truth.

The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don´t have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more pay. Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress - $5000. Tux rental - $100.

People never stare at your chest when you´re talking to them. The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected. New shoes don´t cut, blister, or mangle your feet. One mood all the time. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks.

A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.

Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original colour. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.

You only have to shave your face and neck.

You can play with toys all your life. Your belly usually hides your big hips.

One wallet and one pair of shoes one colour for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.

You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.

You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier!

Shirley Conlon forwards this story about

RUNNING IN THE RAIN

A little girl had been shopping with her mom at the Bay. She must have been six years old, this beautiful red-haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside, the kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Bay.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing as carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, "Mom, let´s run through the rain," she said.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Let´s run through the rain!" she repeated.

"No, honey. We´ll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated, "Mom, let´s run through the rain."

"We´ll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won´t, Mom. That´s not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom´s arm.

"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"

"Don´t you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, ´If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!´"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn´t hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No-one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child´s life; a time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let´s run through the rain. If God let´s us get wet, well, maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven. I hope you still take the time to run through the rain.

Rafiki forwards this story by Elizabeth Ungar:

LETTERS FROM TEDDY

As she stood in front of her fifth grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stallard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy, and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant.

It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X´s and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child´s past records and she put Teddy´s off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise. Teddy´s first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners. He is a joy to be around...."

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother´s death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn´t show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren´t taken."

Teddy´s fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn´t show much interest in school. He doesn´t have many friends, and he sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself.

She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy´s. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children´s laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stallard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to." After the children left, she cried for at least an hour.

On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children.

Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class, and despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher´s pets."

A year later, she found a note under her door from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he had ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he had ever had.

Four years after that she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he´d stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best teacher he had ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor´s degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best teacher he had ever had. But now his name was a little longer ... it was signed, Theodore F. Stallard, MD.

The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.

Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr. Stallard whispered in Mrs. Thompson´s ear, "Thank you, Mrs. Thompson, for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn´t know how to teach until I met you."

Betty Audet sends these examples of

SENIOR WISDOM

Lying around, pondering the problems of the world, I realized that at my age, I don´t really give a rat´s ass anymore.

If walking is good for your health, the postman would be immortal.

A whale swims all day, eats only fish, and drinks water, but is still fat.

A rabbit runs and hops, and lives only 15 years, while a tortoise doesn´t run, and does mostly nothing, yet it lives for 150 years. And they tell us to exercise? I don´t think so.

Catherine Nesbitt shares these

THINGS LEARNED FROM LIVING IN THE SOUTH

A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road.

There are 5,000 types of snakes, and 4,998 of them live in the South.

There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in the South, plus a couple no-one has seen before.

If it grows, it´ll stick ya. If it crawls, it´ll bite ya.

Onced and Twiced are words.

It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy!

Jawl-P? means, Did you all go to the bathroom?

People actually grow, eat, and like okra.

Fixinto is one word. It means I´m going to do that.

There is no such thing as lunch. There is only dinner and then there´s supper.

Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you´re two. We do like a little tea with our sugar. It is referred to as the Wine of the South.

Backwards and forwards means I know everything about you.

The word jeet is actually a question meaning, "Did you eat?"

You don´t have to wear a watch, because it doesn´t matter what time it is, you work until you´re done or it´s too dark to see.

You don´t push buttons, you mash ´em.

Ya´ll is singular. All ya´ll is plural.

All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect, or animal.

The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require six pages for local high school sports, the motor sports, and gossip.

Everyone you meet is a Honey, Sugar, Miss (first name) or Mr. (first name).

You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.

You know what a hissy fit is.

Fried catfish is the other white meat.

We don´t need no Driver´s Ed. If our mama says we can drive, we can drive!

SUGGESTED WEBSITES

Gerrit de Leeuw forwards this link to a video of Chris and Dave Hadfield´s "most Canadian music video ever:"

Hydrothermal energy has the potential to deliver five times the power of nuclear energy. The process involves harnessing superheated fluid spewing out from the ocean floor. This astounding energy source is clearly explained in this video:

This video serves as a brief introduction to the work of the British organization Compassion In World Farming. They have worked since the 1960s to improve life for these animals. This is about choosing products that have the least amount of cruelty associated with their production:

In this TED talk, Alexander Betts gives his opinion on the causes of the British vote to leave the EU, and suggests some solutions to the ensuing problems:

If you think it´s wrong that thousands of Canadians continue to get criminal records for personal use of marijuana while the Liberals figure out their legalization plan, sign this petition:

The Kinder Morgan pipeline threatens our communities, coast, and climate with devastating oil spills and spiraling global warming pollution. To call on PM Justin Trudeau and Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr to defend our communities and stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline, click on this site:

The technology exists to turn plastic into oil. Meet the oil conversion machine, developed in Japan, that converts one kg of plastic into one litre of oil. Stuff the plastic right into the household size converter and out comes oil:

Another use for discarded material has been developed by architect Oscar Mendez, who builds houses with blocks made of waste plastic, used tires, and electronic waste. This highly-durable construction material produces bricks that can be used by a team of four people to build a low-cost 40-square-metre house in five days:

To check out the features of the "freedictionary," which changes daily, go to