Feathers and Faith…

**Forrest Gump examining the white feather that fell at his feet**

Dear Reader:

Did you know that the floating white feather ( in the opening scene of Forrest Gump) was launched and floated from the Independent Presbyterian Church Steeple in Savannah, Georgia? ( We members of the ” Frozen Chosen” really like that! )

Forrest Gump opens and closes with the image of a white feather floating through the air. In the opening it comes to rest on Forrest’s shoes… he picks it up and puts it in his suitcase. At the end it flies back up into the air ( after his son’s school bus leaves) symbolizing the cycle of life and change… life, death, and new beginnings.

When you think about it… Forrest lived his life like a feather… not planning but simply doing what felt right in the moment. Floating free in no particular direction but having faith he would be okay. As a result he ends up in more world changing events than all the other ” planners with certain expectations” ( that gone array) send them into the depths of depression. ( Jenny and Lt Dan)

Yesterday was my day for the feather… still blustery so I was picking up sticks… branches and pinecones while straightening all the overturned planters… I got really tired so went to sit on the front steps and just bask in the sun. It felt so good…I was almost dozing… when something brushed by my face.

It was soft but still scared me… what had brushed my face? Suddenly the wind picked up again and my peripheral vision just barely caught something that had plopped in my new planter of red and white petunias.

A feather. It was striped-very pretty and looked like it was just part of the decor… peeking out from the petunias…

**Anybody recognize the bird this feather belongs to?**

I plucked it out of the planter and just stared at it for a few minutes… surely a God Wink… a lesson or observation to learn… perhaps something new is coming into my life… a different perspective on life? Only time will tell… but I left it in the planter ( stuck it in tight) as a reminder to stay open to new possibilities leading me to a closer walk with faith and love.

So until tomorrow…

Today is my favorite day … Winnie the Pooh

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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