God’s ” People Garden ” … Closely Planted to Help Us Grow

Dear Reader:

When I first scrutinized the following line (from the recent book series I have been reading)… it produced a long pause for self-thought. The line read:

” There is nothing of which every man is so afraid, as getting to know how enormously much he/she is capable of doing and becoming.”

If I am honest with myself I can remember this observation being true in different stages of my life… as strange as it sounds many of us fear the unknown of success more than the familiarity of continuing with settling for mediocrity.

I needed some strong shoves from colleagues, friends, and even strangers to push myself up to the next rung of new opportunities in education that forced me out of my classroom cocoon into a world I would have never seen or traveled… if left to my own inclinations.

Every time I received recognition or an accolade for teaching in the classroom or conducting workshops, I was content with that being enough. But God had other ideas and sent people into my life to pull, push, and convince me to get my Masters, then Masters plus 30 while sending me applications for every graduate school scholarship around… against all odds … it worked.

No one would let me use three children, or financial deficits as an excuse… I was forced to consider my future after the children were out of the house… and then what? What did I want to do with the rest of my life and what must occur before my personal dreams could materialize.

Sometimes when I am working in the garden I sense a feeling of connection between all the plants encouraging small buds to bloom, pulling for older plants to reappear again for another season. A community of hope and beauty.

So until tomorrow… Take some time and reflect on the people in your life who took time out of theirs to encourage you to believe in yourself and recognize that you deserved to be the very best you could be.

Today is my favorite day… Winnie the Pooh

Neighborhood Mailbox covered in yellow Jessamine
Vines and stems with beautiful leaves making their first appearance
Summerville is so beautiful right now with tulip magnolias bursting into glory

Over in Mt Pleasant this weekend for early Valentines… picture when I return!

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”
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4 Responses to God’s ” People Garden ” … Closely Planted to Help Us Grow

  1. Johnny Johnson says:

    Well, you learned me something today, as a friend said frequently at work. He often said I don’t understand all I know about that one. He retired moved back to his home near Hampton South Carolina. Just a couple of years later he won the lottery! He wasn’t all to happy when he found out he had to split it with 2 others, his 1.2 or 1.4 million should have been triple that!
    Oh yeah you learned me something, I knew of all the honors and positions you achieved, and all well deserved! Where the Lord led you was exactly where you needed to be to show off his works through you! And boy did the Lord put you right in the right spots, right time, right everything and with all of it you gave it back to the men, women, and Children of the district and the State and beyond. But outside of that, today, you learned me a new tree! See your knowledge of trees, plants, and shrubs and you share that knowledge with all of us too. I have seen these trees and asked about them but nobody ever knew the name, or the people I asked. And what do you know you have them as an illustration of the Beauty of our Town of Summerville, the Tulip Magnolia! Maybe to some this wasn’t a revelation or even oh yeah, I knew that. I didn’t know and I wanted to know for quite sometime now. Thank you, now you are a floral and tree specialist too! Thank you! Try to explain a Tulip Magnolia to someone without knowing the name! You learned me something again today, and I love it! Thank you for all you have done Teaching our Children and now Teaching us of the movements of the Lord in your life and his blessings, but also for Teaching this Old Boy the name of a tree I have wanted to know the name of for years! Love your writings, thank you!!!

    • Becky Dingle says:

      Thank you Johnny for your compliments … so very nice! I love being able to say I learned something new everyday and can tell you do the same!!!

      Sent from my iPhone

  2. Lifetime Chicago says:

    Just beautiful!

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