SAMSON SAVES THE SNEAKERS

       THE SNEAKER PROJECT 
      ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Samson is a real kitty, who lives with his owners, Christy and Ron Smith. Christy Smith, a professor in Charlotte County, Florida, had an idea to help the students in all K-12 public schools. Every single child who needed sneakers would get a pair to start the school year, or any time they needed sneakers during the year. And so, this Sneaker Project began with a teacher, over 16 years ago! From her Storage Closet in her house, the sneaker project grew until she had collected close to 100,000 pairs of sneakers to date. As the project grew, the Kiwanis Club began sponsoring the Sneaker Project. There are sneakers of all colors and sizes that are housed at every school, ready for the boys and girls each year. The story of Samson Saves the Sneakers, is a celebration  of Christy Smith and other good people in Charlotte County, who make the magic happen for boys and girls. Hooray for the Sneaker Project!

SAMSON SAVES THE SNEAKERS IS THE 8TH AND LATEST IN THIS EXCITING FIRST CHAPTER BOOK SERIES FOR  BEGINNING READERS. ENJOY!
 

           CHAPTER ONE

  THE RAGING FOREST FIRE

     It was the worst of times for Samson.

Never had Samson been so

frightened in his itsy-bitsy life. Red

hot flames climbed higher and

higher, choking him. It was the first

time he had ever been so scared,

ever! In his whole itsy-bitsy life! The black smoke made evil faces 

appear, in the dark clouds. He could hear muffled sounds of crying.

 He knew this was not a place he had ever been before. He coughed

 and covered his eyes, hoping the whole thing was a bad dream.

     He had never had a bad dream like this, in his whole itsy-bitsy life.

Yet, here he was, trying to figure out how this possibly could have

happened to him. It all happened so quickly that he hadn’t gotten 

his bearings. Then he remembered the stories told around the 

campfire over the Rainbow Bridge. THIS was The OTHER 

WORLD his parents had warned him about. This was the

world his friends, Paddipaws, and Shannon O’Bean, and Flibberty-

Jibberty told stories about. They had done something most of the

other itsy-bitsy kitties in His World had never done before. They had

survived! “Meow,” cried Samson. Some itsy-bitsy kitties weren’t as

lucky as Paddipaws or Shannon O’Bean, or Flibberty-Jibberty, he

was told. Some hadn’t survived this Other World!

     They had disobeyed their Moms and Dads and crossed over the 

Rainbow Bridge to The Other World, the one Samson had vowed 

never to enter. His Dad had given him a shiny penny for doing all his

chores, for weeding the garden and helping Mom plant carrots for

the rabbits who lived next door. He should have been paying 

attention to where he was going, but he wasn’t. He watched as the

sun bounced every which way off the shiny penny, casting 

diamonds on the Rainbow River below. He leaned over the

Rainbow River on tippy-toes. It was so very beautiful! And he 

waved to Paddipaws, who, as usual, was floating downstream on 

the Rainbow River, with two tiny itsy-bitsy kitties on his wide belly.

     “Hi Paddipaws,” Samson remembers shouting. “Have a nice 

day!” He remembers Paddipaws waving frantically back, trying to 

tell him something. What is Paddipaws trying to tell me, he 

remembers asking himself. Then he made that fatal mistake. He did 

not pay attention to where he was walking and crossed over the 

Rainbow Bridge, landing feet first in the Other World!

Now he was paying the price. Paddipaws was trying to tell him to 

pay attention, but Samson was watching the penny glisten in the 

noonday sun. And that was that.

     “Timber! Watch out for that falling tree,” screamed a black-and-

white skunk, as he waddled as fast as he could to avoid burning his 

feet. “You’re standing in the wayyyyyyy! Get out of the wayyyy!” 

The odor of the frightened skunk trailed behind him and mixed with 

the choking smoke. Samson had forgotten for a minute where he 

had landed. He was daydreaming again, but this time, he was in 

danger!

Samson could barely see through

the plumes of heavy gray smoke

that settled on the forest floor.

Samson could feel the intense heat

creeping up his body, surrounding

him. He could feel and smell fear

in the forest. The forest animals

pushed their way through the blazing

red and orange flames that

licked the trees and burned the

homes of all their friends in the forest. The gray squirrels who were 

usually very quiet were rattling their tails which were now charred

around the edges, and they were chirping loudly. The gray squirrels 

flung themselves from tree to tree, the babies following behind 

their Moms and Dads, high above the ground. The deer fled, too, 

frantically trying to find their way out. Birds screamed as loud as 

they could to warn their friends. The rabbits hopped in circles as if 

they were playing a game. But Samson sensed this was no ordinary 

game. Many little creatures frantically searched for their Moms and 

held each other’s paws. But the black plumes of smoke choked 

them and some fell to the forest floor as they ran. Some of them 

even darted blindly into Samson, knocking him to the ground, in 

their rush to save themselves from the burning blaze.

     The gray squirrels who were usually very quiet were rattling their

tails which were now charred around the edges, and they were

chirping loudly. The gray squirrels flung themselves from tree to 

tree, the babies following behind their Moms and Dads, high above 

the ground. The deer fled, too, frantically trying to find their way 

out. Birds screamed as loud as they could to warn their friends. The

rabbits hopped in circles as if they were playing a game. But Samson

sensed this was no ordinary game.

Many little creatures franticallysearched for their Moms and held

each other’s paws. But the black plumes of smoke choked them and

some fell to the forest floor as they ran. Some of them even darted

blindly into Samson, knocking him to the ground, in their rush to  

save themselves from the burning blaze.

     “Meow,” screamed Samson, in his most worried voice. He spun 

and twirled round and round, trying to follow the other animals, for

Samson instinctively knew he was in grave danger.

      He began looking for his Mom or Dad or his ten brothers. 

Then he remembered that he was now alone. “M-E-O-W,”

he screamed even louder than before! No one heard him. His voice

blended with the cries of all the forest creatures who felt trapped in

the raging forest fire.

     Fear gripped Samson. Then he did what his Mom had trained him

to do if he ever got lost. “Samson, when you are afraid, picture 

Mom and Dad and your ten brothers.

Stand perfectly still, and we will always find you. And don’t forget

the magic in your tail. Never use it unless you absolutely must,” 

Mom would say and smile. But Samson had disobeyed his Mom and 

Dad and crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Samson knew no one 

was coming to save him. Yet Samson stood perfectly still while the 

stampede of forest animals raced by him. He stood perfectly still 

while the wailing sounds of very sad animal families ripped through 

the forest. The forest animals scrambled for their lives.

     Samson tried to move! But he couldn’t! He seemed stuck in one

spot. Maybe he was frightened. He tried to remember what his

Mom had told him about this emotion. “Fear,” his Mom said, “is not

something you ever have to worry about here in Our World, dear 

Samson,” his Mom told him. “You are safe and loved in this world. 

But, never, ever cross over the Rainbow Bridge, or you will find a 

world where strange, scary creatures live.

It is not your world. It is a world of fear, an emotion that is strong 

and makes you afraid to move. We do not know fear in Our World.”

     These words rang out in Samson’s

ears, as he stood perfectly still in the middle of a raging forest fire,

and watched and heard the fear in the other animals in this world as

they scattered here, there, and everywhere,

in search of safety.

     “So, that’s what fear feels like,” whispered Samson to himself. 

He found himself helplessly stuck in one spot, immobile! A tear 

rolled down his tiny white face, and he couldn’t, for the life of him, 

figure out what to do next.

WELL IF YOU WANT MORE OF THE RAINBOW KITTY SERIES JUST CLICK ON THE WEB ADDRESS BELOW:       

      MARGARET'S RAINBOW KITTY SERIES

TOUCHING THE SOUL CONNECTING THROUGH POETRY

In your mind’s eye, picture the last time you were moved to tears, or your heart broke, or your spirit soared,
because of something you read that ignited passion within you. That’s the power of poetry, Touching the Soul,
breathing life and passion into your essence.
Poetry is meant to be read aloud, whether in your head,
or aloud to others. Poetry is meant to be acted out,
each poem staged as a one act play, in, and of itself.
And while it is true that not all poems stir the soul,
those that actually do, are read, again, and again, and again! And embraced as priceless for generations!
My gift to you as reader, is to find a part of this book that connects with you.This poetry, dear reader, is Simply for You!

FOG ,,,,

      

                     Quietly!  At first in patches, floating swiftly                               towards shore,

 The fog, all powerful, gathers without warning—engulfing obliterating,

A white-out, void of time and space,

All things disoriented, unable to see, rendered helpless

…But then, Fog sits quietly, embracing me, wet and sweet,

Coating the shore with silent resolve

A perfect lover, understanding and soft,

It echoes the cries of sounds within its gentle embrace,

And then, detaching, moves on.

f you wish to continue to be moved, purchase this collection of poetry below through Pay Pal. It is easy. You don't need a Pay Pal account. Your signed copy of the book will be mailed in one business day. 

A DAD'S PRIDE

So small and sweet, this helpless babe,

Placed gently in his father’s arms

Bonded with love and gentle hugs

This Dad’s devotion to his first son

           He knows of lessons he will teach,

               He’ll act out stories every night

              …And build a house upon the beach!

          
         And when his son turns forty one--

         With two sons of his own

           This Grand-Dad now will say with pride,

                        “I’d do it all again—my son!”

IF YOU ENJOY WHAT YOU ARE READING AND WANT TO ENJOY MORE VIEWS OF LIFE THROUGH POETRY JUST CLICK BELOW.

TOUCHING THE SOUL ...CONNECTING THROUGH POETRY

HUGS FROM THE HEART

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“I count the days,
Until childhood ends and something else begins
When endless hugs are no longer spontaneously given
For every occasion…or just because....”

                                     --Margaret M. Desjardins

It’s only in looking back that we discover the importance of the hugs we gave and received, from our children and grandchildren.  But it is only in the present that we can truly connect with our children and grandchildren—through storytelling, a remembering of those accumulated moments in time. 

“Dancing in the Rain”

by Amy Ruocco

  We are all faced with challenges in life, but how successfully we navigate through those challenges largely depends on how capable we view ourselves to be. Dyslexic children learn fairly early on that their peers are able to conquer tasks that are seemingly
insurmountable to them. Even the brightest students find themselves shirking opportunities to participate in class for fear of being wrong or worse, different.
Unfortunately, many of these students find themselves focusing all their energy on their weaknesses. Unless these children are allowed to also celebrate their strengths, they will find it hard to develop confidence in their own abilities.
   Our son Andrew is a very bright, inquisitive, little guy, but not long after beginning first grade, we noticed his light was dimming. His love of school first turned into like, but after a while, it turned into dread. It wasn’t until Andrew began going to Landmarkthat we saw his light begin to return. Day by day, we felt our son was coming back to us.
   One day after school, Andrew was especially eager to ask me something. As soon as he saw me he said “Mom, Landmark is having a talent show. Can I do it?” Of course, I said yes immediately. Naturally, I assumed he would choose to play the guitar, since he had been doing so since the age of four. However, when asked, he replied, “Nope, I want to dance.” “Dance, did he really just say he wanted to dance?” Since dancing was
something Andrew would have previously avoided out of fear of embarrassment, I asked again for clarification. Of course, he confirmed that I had heard him correctly and began deciding what form of dance to perform. At that moment, I was both thrilled and
scared to death. Here we were. Andrew was finally feeling at home again. He felt smart and liked and… happy. Although I feared what could happen if Andrew’s performance was not, shall we say, appreciated, I feared more what would happen if we did not support his decision.
   The day of the performance, my hands were sweating and my heart was in my stomach. “Please let this go well,” I kept telling myself. Andrew proudly stepped out on the stage and began to dance. The more he danced, the more I relaxed, because I knew that Andrew was truly confident and happy. He finally felt safe enough to put himself out there in front of his peers and fortunately, they did not let him down. The support Andrew received that day was absolutely amazing. In fact, I would call it life-changing and he would too.
   No one is able to get through life without challenge. In fact, many times, the challenges we face allow us to discover our strengths. Children, however, need to be reminded that their challenges do not define them. When provided with the opportunity to also
showcase their gifts, and feel the praise that comes from doing so, children will begin to experience themselves as capable. The byproduct of those experiences is confidence, which is an essential ingredient in the formula for academic and social success. Looking
back now, I find it somewhat metaphorical that Andrew chose “Singing in the Rain” as his performance piece. While some would seek shelter from the storm, Andrew chose to “dance” in the rain that day.

IF YOU LIKE THIS SAMPLE, PLEASE CLICK THE "HUGS FROM THE HEART"  TAB BELOW TO  ENJOY ADDITIONAL MOMENTS FROM OTHER GRANDMOTHERS ABOUT THEIR MEMORABLE MOMENTS.

                                               'HUGS FROM HEART"