Dear Reader:

A piece of advice given one of the main characters in Karen White’s latest novel is “to quit running in circles.” A good piece of advice for all of us.

If we think about it…the sun always rises in the east and sets  in the west….we don’t wake up to crazy circles of light and darkness. Yet we humans can find ourselves in self-imposed circles for fear of continuing our life journey with all the unknowns that lie within it. The familiarity of running the same pattern around and around and seeing the same sights and people make us feel somehow secure…but, unfortunately, we never complete our dreams and life journey to fruition.

In White’s latest novel (personally, I think my favorite) there are circles forming on top of circles….especially circles of secrets that threaten to undermine the main characters’ threads of hope for stability.

But don’t we all get a big surprise when the truth wins out and the world keeps circling, the birds keep singing, the sun rises and sets, and we realize that we finally are free to continue our own personal journey through life, to leave our self-imposed circle and get back on the highway of goals and dreams to be fulfilled.

In Flight Patterns Karen White uses the pattern of bees as an analogy to human flight patterns. It is most interesting and a couple of bits of information about the bees made me pause and remember mother’s funeral again.

According to some folklore, White writes, the bee shape is the pattern shape of our souls. Other ancient cultures, like the Celts, believed that bees were the messengers from this world to the next and vice-versa.

At my mother’s funeral in November of 2000, I gave our pastor, Rev.Richard Cushman, the little anecdote to read about why the bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly due to size of its wing span proportionate to its head/body. But nobody told the bee. so it just flies anyway

Mother managed to raise three children, as a single parent, and work as a secretary, minus one hand lost to bone cancer. She didn’t know she wasn’t supposed to not be able to do it…she just flew with the situation….she flew higher than the angels.

At her funeral, just when Rev. Cushman began the story of the bumblebee, one flew in under the grave site  tent and came to land right on my head. . At the time I didn’t know what it was but I felt something and was scared to swat at it for fear of being stung. It sat right there until the service was over and then flew away.

It was Walsh who called me, upon getting back to college, to tell me how amazing it was that (1) a bumble bee in November was still flying around and (2) that it chose me to land on. He felt sure it was Me-Mommy checking on me before departing.

So you see why this book brought back personal memories and why it has endeared itself to me accordingly.

Remember last year….Karen’s book, that many of you read, was “The Sound of Glass.” From this book I bought “sea glass” chimes for my garden as a memento of the story.

One of the favorite of all the Ya’s was White’s novel,  Folly Beach, in which the plot took us back to WWII and German submarines off the coast with lots of fascinating history that I had never heard. It was in this book the origin and significance of bottles trees was mentioned and all the Ya’s immediately got some for themselves and each other.

Yesterday the Public Library offered a tea with Karen White, author of Flight Patterns which I attended. It was beautifully organized with vendors selling paintings and jewelry that were mentioned in the novel. I wore my bee bracelet. (One of many bee gifts given by wonderful friends upon hearing mother’s story.)

Limoges (Chinese china) plays a large role in the story and as luck would have it….Anne had some pieces in her family that she had painted and was asked to bring her artwork to the tea. Karen White, herself, bought several packages of the note cards containing assorted patterns of Limoges china from Anne.

I had time to tell Karen about mother and the “bee” connection in her story and she was so sweet listening to my personal take on the book’s importance to me. Everyone had a fabulous time. Karen is witty and charming and talented all rolled up into one. What you see is what you get! Memorable Experience.

***Brooke called to say that the internet is down at the beach so if I don’t respond or if there is a technical “boo boo” while I am away this week chalk it up to computer monsters. Will be back on Saturday “live” with lots of stories no doubt.

Look who stopped by to see Boo Boo before leaving for the beach this week? Mollie and my precious Rutledge and Lachlan! Mollie was trying to get some of the items to me for sun protection I ordered from her before I left.

Too sweet. Please check Mollie’s facebook and pop-ups for her products on “Beauty Counter Momma.” They are for everyone and since I have to be so careful about any skin product these completely safe (no chemicals ) are perfect for me. Have a great week!