Be The Star You Are!® 501 (c)(3)

riting Contest

The Contest is Over!
Our Winners Have Been Announced!
and
We have co-winners this year!

Shirley Cheng
The Jewel From Heavenly Father
and
Barbara Blomquist
A Tribute To My In-Laws

Sponsored by:

Elsworth Berg Capital Management, San Diego, California

and US Bank, Lafayette, California

The Jewel from Heavenly Father

Heavenly Father bestowed the most precious jewel upon
me on the day my life began. This treasure has shone
endless light upon me, bringing unconditional love,
unwavering support, overflowing happiness, and softest
serenity to my life. I have never felt empty or alone,
as I know the gem has me wrapped in its warm blanket,
protecting me from the darkest corners of the world.
Although twenty-two years have flown by, battling
through wind and storms, its sublimity is undaunted,
and not a speck of dust has ruined its beauty. It
continues to shimmer, not flinching away from any dirt
or mud. I always have it near me; if it is physically
away, it is always locked safely in my heart.

That diamond is my beloved mother, Juliet Cheng, a
beautiful woman in every sense of the word. When she
smiles, the world lights up alongside her. When she
cries, the days seem to dim in sorrow. Together, my
mother and I have shared laughter and tears; the best
of times and the worst of times. We have fought as a
team with our swords of justice. We have conquered
fiery oceans and thorny jungles and come out with
stars in our arms. She has climbed all the high
mountains with me, supporting and encouraging me every
step of the way. She has carried me on dangerous roads
and saved my life numerous times from the grasp of
death. I would have been long gone if it has not been
for her invincible stamina and courage to fight for my
life to the very end until she wins.

My mother has done all this while battling her own
horrendous illnesses. But she keeps on moving forward,
never abandoning me or faltering in any way. Her light
shines ever so brighter, never dimming as the years
pass us by. She does everything in her power to keep
me well and happy. Her love for me is "higher than the
sky and deeper than the ocean." With her love always
within me, I feel all the wonders of sensations. I am
a billionaire even though my pockets are empty. I have
all the riches in the world: love, happiness, peace,
security, and support. What more is there to life than
those pearls of the universe? She gives me all of
those treasures without expecting anything in return.
She is my life, and I give her all I can offer--my
love, heart, and soul.

She is as gentle as a summer's breeze, but the lioness
in her jumps out when she defends and protects me from
the harshness of the world. Her wit is as sharp as a
sword, and she is unafraid to use it against injustice
whenever it tries to harm me. Not only is she a
protector of mine--she embraces everyone, but the
world has not always returned her hugs. Nevertheless,
she remains a lover, never being sour with anyone.
No one is able to separate us. They may separate us
physically (and no doubt the world had tried very hard
several times), but we could never be spiritually
separated. We live within each other's hearts; we
could be oceans away, but we would still be near to
each other. She calls me her star, and I, too, call
her my star. We are binary stars, ever revolving
around each other, never drifting apart. She will
never be absent of her fiery glow, and I will forever
shine by her side. As long as there is life, there
will be her love and mine.

Shirley

Author's bio:
Shirley Cheng (b.1983), blind, disabled author, poet, has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis since eleven months old, and received no education until age eleven. She hopes to earn science doctorates from Harvard.

A Tribute to My In-Laws

Ozzie and Harriett, Ward and June Cleaver, and the Andersons of Father Knows Best, these were the television parents I remember from my childhood, but, they weren’t like my parents. I thought they were totally fiction, until I found them, in the flesh, in my in-laws.

My parents are loving and supportive, but that was where the similarity ended between the make believe parents of early TV land. Those parents, and my in-laws, were middle class and white collar. My parents were working class - a janitor and a cleaning lady. We lived in an urban inner-city, my in-laws and the TV families lived in small towns or suburbs, and my parents were black, not white like the TV families, and my in-laws.

When I met my husband in 1969 the world was changing, but race was still an issue. Martin Luther King was assassinated the year before, and the Weathermen and the Black Panthers were in their heyday. But, such radical elements meant little to me. I was a product of Detroit’s inner city and lived at home while I worked my way through college. In September 1969 I enrolled in graduate school in Pittsburgh on a teaching fellowship. I was achieving the American dream and there was little room for radical politics. I kept a low profile, worked hard and was overjoyed to be finally living in dormitory like a regular college student. Therefore, I was personally surprised when two months after I met Roger, I was seriously thinking of marrying him. Marrying this man would have meant that people would have noticed me and I didn’t want to be noticed, just to succeed. Roger WAS from the home of the Nelsons, Cleavers and Andersons, his great-grandfather had actually changed his name from Anderson to Blomquist before he immigrated to the US from Sweden.

My in-laws were as traditional as they come. They were suburban middle class. Vic was a chemist for the government and Mildred was a homemaker. Little sister Linnea was the cutest little sweet tempered blonde teenager. Having their son and brother hook up with me was not an exactly welcoming situation. There were some tears, but there was also genuine Christian acceptance.

When we married two years later, my in-laws invited their friends and relatives, they paid for the rehearsal dinner and they were perfect hosts, to my family and friends of factory workers, nurses and clerks.

Mildred and Vic shared many significant events with my husband and me. During three months of bed rest with our first child, they were there making a Sunday brunch for our eleventh anniversary. Two years later they were there again, volunteering to take care of our daughter when we took a trip to visit friends in London. Our youngest daughter was even born on her grandfather’s birthday - 76 years later.

Throughout the years, my in-laws provided parental love, support and much joy. They treated us and our daughters equally as they treated my sister-in-laws husband and her daughters. I have never had the desire to make any jokes about in-laws because mine were precious beyond description. Today almost six years after their passing, I still rejoice that they were a part of my life.

So, were television families of the fifties real? With a resounding North Dakota Swedish accent I say “You betcha” - they were my in-laws!

Barbara

Author's bio:
Barbara Blomquist is a wife, mother, screenwriter, SAG/AFTRA actress, volunteer community cable producer and a substitute teacher at a local middle school and she does windows.

Here are the contest rules:

Welcome to our second
Be the Star You Are!™
Writing Contest!

WIN $100 AND A GUEST SPOT ON OUR RADIO SHOW!
Be the Star You Are!™ 2005 2^nd Annual Essay Contest
Sponsored by:

Elsworth Berg Capital Management, San Diego, California

and US Bank, Lafayette, California

TOPICS:
You may choose from the three following topics. One Grand prize will be awarded. Runners-up will have their essays published in our newsletter, StarSearcher’s Express and will be noted on our web site at www.bethestaryouare.org.

1. Write an essay or personal story on the influence that adults have as role models for kids.

2.Write an essay or personal story as a tribute about great parents from the children who were loved by them.

3. Write an essay or personal story on how we can see the positive in world disasters and how we can help our children learn from them.

FEE $10 donation per entry

1st Prize - $100 plus guest appearance on the nationally syndicated radio program, Be the Star You Are!™ (Total value, $700) Additionally, story will be published in our StarSearcher Express newsletter and at www.bethestaryouare.org.

Runners-up –Published in our StarSearcher’s Express newsletter and noted on web site.

Winners will be notified by email and telephone. Winning entries will be published on the Be the Star You Are!™ web site (http://www.bethestaryouare.org) and in the Star Searcher’s Express Newsletter. Other publishing opportunities and/or prizes to be announced. Radio interviews are over-the-phone. Program broadcasts live and is archived from San Diego, California every Wednesday from 6-7pm PST on World Talk Radio, Visit: http://www.worldtalkradio.com/show.asp?sid=118 to tune in.

All submissions must be received by Be the Star You Are!™ by midnight December 20, 2005. Essays accepted by mail or email.

You may enter as many essays as you'd like, however each one must be in a separate email or envelope accompanied by a $10 donation entry fee.

Be the Star You Are!™ is a 501 C3 charity. All entry fee donations are tax deductible according to the law.

Any statistics must be documented with researched sources.
Word Count: please keep stories between 300-600 words.
Email address: – cynthia@star-style.com (no attachments, please - place your essay within the body of the email)
US mail – Be the Star You Are!™ charity, PO Box 376, Moraga, Ca. USA 94556
All submissions must be original, unpublished, and the sole property of the author. Author retains all rights to submission. Winners and runners-up entries will be published on Be the Star You Are!™ web site effective January 9, 2006. Winners notified by that date. Winners will be listed in the newsletter and on the web site. No additional mailings will be considered. Payment accepted by check, money order , VISA, MasterCard, or PAYPAL.
If sent by US mail, all submissions must be double spaced, neat and typed on 8.5 x 11 white bond paper. Handwritten submissions not accepted. No stories or materials will be returned. Provide contact information on first page of submission including:
- Author's name
- Mailing address
- Email address
- Phone number
- Word count
- 30 Word Bio

Direct any additional questions to Cynthia Brian at cynthia@star-style.com.

Thanks for entering our Be the Star You Are!™ essay contest. Enjoy the process. Reach for the stars!

For more information, please visit: www.bethestaryouare.org

Be The Star You Are!™
PO Box 376, Moraga, CA 94556
Tel: 877.944.STAR or 925.376.7126
Fax: 925.376.7142

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