When Life is a Mystical Choice…

Posted on March 26, 2023 by Becky Dingle
Old Tree …Reading Books

Dear Reader:

When I, coincidentally, came across this artwork with its simple title.. I had to grin and admit… it was certainly symbolic of me!

I am that old tree …reading books as furiously as I can… and with each story… adding more thoughts and choices to my on-going life.

Even before finding this picture …while perusing through some old books ( cleaning out closets) I had come across some workshop folders and found this cartoon inside… that immediately brought back teaching ” tricks” of the trade.

I have to agree with little sister Sally that too many times standardized multiple choice questions should have been called ” Gotcha” questions. Instead of three choices with different answers… two extra letters ( d. and e.) were added to the original (a. b. c. ) selections . Remember… the extra two letters read … All of the Above and None of the Above.

So now the student has to stop and re-examine all the previous choices… confusing and frustrating. Was the test designed to really find out what one knew or to simply make learning harder for the average Joe’s…

… And even when we leave school and standardized testing behind, don’t we soon realize that life is full of mystical choice decisions… we might have multiple choices in choosing our careers or life partners or personal changes … but this time the final choice gets to be shared with the ” Teacher Himself”… our Mystical Creator!

When it comes to making choices and decisions in our lives … if we believe we have a purpose in this life and God is guiding us to finding this purpose (through choices that continuously arrive throughout our lives… like waves upon the shore) then it is our faith that pulls us in the right direction. And no matter what… the right choice is the one that will bring us peace.

” Carolina Girl” … Brooke took this picture ( unknowingly to me at the moment taken) while I was in reverie … feeling God’s peace wash over me. I had just observed how turbulent the waters closest to me were but the horizon… oh the horizon, was calm … I would get through the cancer treatments and peace was waiting for me on the horizon.

The Ya’s gave the original photo to Anne and she created this beautiful watercolor moment for me to remember forever… peace in my heart!

So until tomorrow… Trust your ” gut” when your choice has been made … because God is residing right there!

Today is my favorite day… Winnie the Pooh

While Anne and I were book swapping yesterday she showed me the first blooms on her pink dogwood tree set against the backdrop of the last azalea blooms! So pretty!

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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2 Responses to When Life is a Mystical Choice…

  1. Gin-g Edwards says:
    March 26, 2023 at 2:45 pm

    So very true…all of it. Enjoyed Ellie this wkd for her “time alone” visit. We took her to see Charlotte’s Web at the Dock Street. She loves being in plays so the adventure was too fold…to watch the play and to see the oldest theatre in America. Then on to the marker and Charleston Place…today we headed to the park before we took her back…always a treat.

    Reply

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