Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

The first text I got early yesterday morning was from Honey. She said “The views from our mountain deck have been different and beautiful these last few mornings. The birds are singing and entertaining us at the feeders.

I do (like the blog post title said yesterday) feel a sense of hope and gratitude here in our permanent mountain home. I am where I am supposed to be. Love to you. Honey

In precarious times like this…it is so easy to fall back on negative connotations that contain thoughts bordering on punitive actions by our Creator towards us or martyred laments like “Why me, Lord….what did I ever do to deserve this?” 

The problem lies in our inability to foresee anything past the immediate present. We get to only watch a few plays in the game of life… but not the final outcome. Thus… we have no way of knowing if our lives and personalities won’t actually benefit from this universal pandemic of unparalleled challenges.

Once again…it comes down to faith and trust…trusting that where we are today matters in how we will change and grow in directions never considered before. It is a a huge mind-shift.  We have the opportunity to stop growing in the cocoon until we drop lifelessly off the branch or turn into something or someone more beautiful and freer than ever imagined.

Instead of looking at life as mundane, repetitive, and sometimes just plain boring…we can ask ourselves the right questions to produce that important shift in “being.” Questions like “What can I learn right here and now in the moment?” How can I make this time more meaningful and significant in my life?  “Has my time on earth been well spent?”

It is comforting to know that every human being is going through this process…no one has arrived yet or beat us to the prize. If we can learn to live more intentionally we can find purpose in each and every day we live.

So until tomorrow…Let’s get back down to basics like love….When I randomly came across this message…I thought to myself…this pretty much sums up our purpose towards each other right now.

*(Artist/illusrtator Brad Montaque)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Right after I got Honey’s message I came across this hilarious take on parenting/ turn teaching/ turn home schooling dilemma and laughed uncontrollably. It felt so good…hope you can get at least a chuckle from it!

*Sorry… I am still laughing. Maybe it is just a teacher ‘thing.’ 🙂

Mandy and Mollie are finding activities on-line and in other areas to keep the kids motivated…especially visually with art….Mandy teaching  planets  and Rutledge is drawing  animals creatively from “lunchtime doodles with Mo Willems”…Rutledge loves it.

*I did finally find my state flower- the yellow jessamine growing…it has been really late appearing in my yard…I realize now that it has been playing ‘hide and seek’ among the azaleas, wisteria and other flowering trees and plants… just beautiful!

Dear Reader:

One positive thing to come out of this period of growing uncertainty is more communication from family and friends. I have talked to my children more in the last couple of days than I have in quite awhile with their earlier  busy & (exhausting) schedules.

We would certainly text or email…but one does miss the human voice with all its inflections of honest dialogue flowing between caring/loving adults and children.

Occasionally I find myself taking a deep breath while clearing the cobwebs from my over-processing brain. I think all of our minds need some good old R&R….we have overtaxed it trying to figure out how to understand and react to certain aspects of this pandemic….when in reality it is beyond the proximity of our allotted space on this planet to do so. When our whole world is afflicted….there is no place to run or hide or even brainstorm collectively.

Yet…like the title says….I am filled with daily divine reassurances that I am suppose to be right here, alongside everyone else on our planet, to experience this rare, once in a lifetime (for that matter…many lifetimes) dilemma far beyond the human capacity to absorb the enormity and complexities of this universal game of coronavirus dominoes. 

Some moments during the day I feel an overwhelming aura of peace consume me and I submerge myself in its sensation. God is present and it is such a relief. Yet, somehow I can’t seem to keep the peace from quietly and softly drifting away as other mundane obstacles interrupt the feeling.

I should have known (from these experiences of late) that God was leading me to a story. I found it in a magazine-Paris Review...about an unknown female author (with her story half written) who for forty years following WWII remained nameless and unsung… until her story emerged from obscurity.

Her name was Etty Hillesum. There was  one powerful, mind-blowing line I discovered (in one of several articles about her)…that correlated with where I am right now in my thinking….trying to contain peace and then pass it on.

“Ultimately, we have just one moral duty,” wrote a young Etty Hillesum shortly before she died at Auschwitz at the age of twenty-nine. “To reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will be in our troubled world.”

That was it! That was what I needed to hear and now do during these troubled times…“Reclaim peace in myself and reflect it towards others.” 

Even within the horrors of the barbed wire walls of Auschwitz Etty Hillesum’s optimism was unwavering. In July 1943 she wrote:

The misery here is quite terrible; and yet, late at night when the day has slunk away into the depths behind me, I often walk with a spring in my step along the barbed wire. And then time and again, it soars straight from my heart—I can’t help it, that’s just the way it is, like some elementary force—the feeling that life is glorious and magnificent, and that one day we shall be building a whole new world.

So until tomorrow….Wouldn’t it be grand to think that out of all the stress, worries, illnesses and death that we, as a world are experiencing together, we can wipe the old slate clean and together build a whole new world….filled with kindness, compassion, acceptance, tolerance, humor and love?

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Lachlan had a wonderful birthday on St. Patrick’s Day….Mollie started it with birthday candle in a donut….a winning combination for a five-year-old!

Lachlan got to go to school since he is in a small private pre-school and there the children sang Happy Birthday to him and made his day quite special.

Dear Reader:

As further restrictions on human gatherings tighten and time approximations for the length of these quarantine controls increase…due to the predicted intensification of the coronavirus outbreak…the reality of this unknown and unexplored situation is feeling completely alien to most of us.

It is like reality has gone askew…and we can’t quite lasso it back.

We are all going to have to take that deep breath and let it go.

And ‘letting go’ is one of the hardest human actions in life.

It is also one of the most important facets of faith…that we can turn it over to Someone Greater than Ourselves…our Creator. 

Earlier yesterday as I unpacked from last week, washed clothes, worked in the garden…I felt a real sense of normalcy returning…”I can do this”…and I found myself lost in thought about the lowcountry schools being out for three weeks (tentatively) and suddenly that number brought back a powerful memory. Hugo!

Students were out of school for three weeks following Hurricane Hugo in September of 1989…it is hard to believe that it has been over three decades since Hugo hit. *(The one emotional piece of baggage I still carry from that terrifying storm is the wind.)

I start getting quite antsy whenever the wind picks up…whether it is due to a summer thunderstorm or a smaller tropical storm…it was the sound of trees falling the night of September 21 and parts of the roof cracking that are hard for me to forget…even after this lengthy period of time.

I recall we teachers went back a few days earlier than the students. Our wonderfully, talented team of social studies teachers at Alston brain-stormed a way to help students work out some of their emotional scars they might be returning with….as well as, create their own memory scrapbook of this historical time period in their lives.

Since eighth grade teachers teach South Carolina history (along with American) we created different maps for the students to fill in..perhaps drawing in the path of Hugo as it went through our state into Charlotte and further upward as our geography lessons.

We then had students study the paths of other destructive endeavors like Sherman’s March and compare/contrast the two paths and the amount of destruction each left behind…including the students’ original picture drawings.

After pulling in more academic lessons…we then went to the personal memoirs of each student. I remember telling them that this memoir booklet that each was creating…if saved carefully, would one day be a story told to their children remembering Hurricane Hugo and later their grandchildren. (Of course the 13 and 14 year old students thought that was funny…but to date I have had several former students write me and thank me for this memoir that they found (perhaps in the attic) and have now shared with their own children.

The questions asked in the personal memory section were questions like:

What was the scariest part of the storm for you? Discuss your feelings when seeing the outcome of the storm early the next morning on the 22nd? Was your home completely damaged or salvageable? Are you living in your home now or with friends or relatives? If you are living in your home, what are the conditions there? Was anyone physically hurt in your family?

What positive things came from the storm? Are you and your neighbors sharing food and supplies? Did some stores open to let customers get fresh bottled drinking water? Have church groups, out of state militias and other benevolent groups come through to help cut down stumps, and/or move trees to help get power back up?

Do you appreciate inventions like electricity, radio, television, air-conditioning and  the phone more since going without? Make a list of the inventor and inventions that you have missed most.

Do you feel stronger and more confident now in certain areas about yourself that had never been tested before in an extreme circumstance? List all the positive changes that came out of this disaster that taught you more about yourself…your strengths and weaknesses.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

You get the idea. I think it was one of the best projects we teachers ever created for the students. It had meaning to everyone on a different personal perspective.

With children home from school now….teachers and parents can create the same type memoir for their students and children. Small children can answer your questions as you write down their answers and perhaps let them draw scenes or pictures of what is happening.

Examples: A picture of their school with an X over it for closed or ask children to draw what they think a coronavirus actually looks like in their imagination. (For many it will probably look like some kind of monster for knocking them out of their little soccer games, baseball games, socialization with their friends, missed parties and holidays…and yes…missing school and their teachers and friends.)

I have decided to keep a journal myself…because how quickly we soon forget if we don’t….I want to list as many positive things to emerge than just negative.

So until tomorrow…Let’s get creative during this unusual time period and look for everyday miracles because they are there…in fact everywhere.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

AND HERE IS ONE EVERYDAY MIRACLE!

HAPPY NEWS!!! The CT Scan showed no cancer in Poogie! She is back home and up to her old tricks…finding left-overs on the table!

The family is overjoyed and wants to thank all of you for your prayers...it did the trick…from a scary prognosis probability to a clear report and hope…alive and well.

Well…I still haven’t gotten a photo of Sammy the cardinal on the cardinal suet cage but got one of him on the newest bird feeder and on my car. Now Sammy….let’s don’t get any ideas about being a bad birdie again…and pecking out my mirror!

Here’s to my latest additions to the garden and around the house….hoping for rain tonight to plant the flowers around the tree tomorrow.

*Remember beauty and courage go hand in hand…surround yourself with beautiful things! 

In our family Happy St. Patrick’s Day means HAPPY BIRTHDAY LACHLAN!!!!!!

Boo Boo loves you Lachlan!

Five Years Old Today!

We love our Irish Dingle….what a blessing you are to your parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, and all who adore you!

*Remember always wear a green shirt on your birthday!   🙂 (Left)

Dear Reader:

On my first full day home from Mt. Pleasant I hurried outside to bring in some new plant pots from the car to be planted and decided to change the “plant pitcher” on the porch to something orange! (My favorite color!)

Some of you might remember when I bought it a couple of summers ago…I thought I had bought a cute water pitcher for watering the hanging baskets in the garden. However… as I first filled it up with water…I felt this strange sensation running down my pants, legs, and shoes…water. I turned the pitcher over and there were the circle holes for a plant pitcher…not a water pitcher.

At first I was disappointed…I really wanted and needed a water pitcher but as time passed…I realized how beautiful every flowering plant I put in the decorative pitcher was… adding so much beauty to the front porch.

Today the world is facing a different “pitcher” of life, culture, and customs…not unlike my misconstrued water pitcher mirage. But just because life changes or alters temporarily doesn’t mean that one still can’t find wonder, love, and joy in it.

I haven’t talked too much about the Coronavirus on my blog posts to date… except how the pandemic is starting to change the daily habits of families and varying age groups in this country. Believe me…I am not in denial…in fact just the opposite…with both age and a cancer issue putting me in a highly susceptible target group…I am well aware of the potential risks.

It is simply that (for me at least) too much information coming in too fast is hard to process. (Especially when it has to be corrected the next day 🙂 I feel like I have overdosed on it these past few weeks…and the virus is just in the early stages around here.

It is probably the Libra in me (the scales) but I have always sought balance in my life and am out of my comfort zone in the extreme…so I am quite aware of the different risks, understand the procedures and what to do if I take ill…but I have to rely on good old common sense to see me through this…it has worked pretty well with surviving breast cancer to date…much longer than expected.

So you won’t find me hoarding toilet paper…I mean come on….the vast majority of people who have lived on this earth for millions of years… never had such a luxury…it is a relatively new invention. (1857)

As far as hand sanitizers go… as long as we have any kind of washing detergent, shampoo, soaps, dish washing detergents, cleaning products around….one’s hands can get quite clean. 

The schools in South Carolina are now officially closed until the end of March…fingers crossed…children can return in April. It will be a big adjustment for families…harder at first while acclimating…but I suspect it will also open up possibilities for some real dialogue (between parents and children) that is hard -pressed to find time for in our modern “go go go” lives from dawn to dusk.

If nothing else…a lot of memories will be made during these uncertain times. Think about it…These children will one day tell their children  about living during the famous coronavirus pandemic.

I found the following headline (below) pretty sad…but understandable for long periods of time…it also (on a lighter note) brought some chuckling…especially among  men who nodded in recognition of a tough situation.

BEIJING — Millions of people across the world are settling into the new disrupted routines as the coronavirus began to uproot almost every facet of life.

One of the unexpected side effects of the outbreak in China is a spike in divorce rates, according to the local media. The Chinese city of Xi’an has seen a record-high number of divorce requests in recent weeks, Global Times reported last week.

Over 300 couples have scheduled appointments to get a divorce since Feb. 24, Lu Shijun, the manager of a marriage registry in Dazhou, Sichuan Province of south-western China, was quoted in the local press. “The divorce rate has soared compared to before [the coronavirus outbreak],” he added.

Couples spent too much time in home quarantine…

This phenomenon was caused by the prolonged time married couples were stuck at home following quarantine measures…some couples were cooped up at home with each other for an entire month.

So until tomorrow….Perhaps “Silence is Golden” or “Patience is a virtue” might be the appropriate answers to the Chinese divorce spike.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Our “funny”  today comes from Butch and Susan Swicegood…too cute.

What is the old adage with Walmart?…“You can get in…you just can’t get out!” 🙂

My plants will be my peace of mind saver over the next few weeks….Look at all the “almost” blooms on “Little Big Red!” It will be like watching a movie unfold.

My wonderful neighbor, Vickie, got my mail last week for me, while I was gone and she also left me a surcie! Several months ago she transplanted/ cloned a stem that fell off this clone hydrangea of the original “Big Red” (who lived for over a decade)….Look at our newest addition to the “Clone Family!”

*Walsh and Mollie are meeting the vet at 3:00 today to go over the results of Poogie (golden retriever) CT results and prognosis. I know they would appreciate any prayers  for their beloved pet. Thank you!

Dear Reader:

What a God Wink awaited me these past two days- Thursday and Friday…(yes the 13th)…and as much as we thought we had successfully ignored that old “13” it came to fruition Friday afternoon.

When I am gone for several days I do the blog posts ahead of time…so any predictions I make are made on my personal faith and hope. And actually the week with getting the grandchildren up and out in the mornings to school  and planning afternoon/evening excursions worked beautifully…Mandy and I made a great team…divide and conquer- between Jake and Eva Cate! 🙂

Like yesterday’s blog post read…It really was a Week of Faith…unfortunately one with a twist… one of faith being tested. Harriett Edwards message explaining faith’s role in our lives (shared on Saturday’s post) came “home to roost” when tested with our two other family members in Mt. Pleasant… Walsh and Mollie and Tommy and Kaitlyn.

Early Thursday morning…a text pinged from Mollie letting me know that their beautiful golden retriever, Poogie, had collapsed on the stairs late Wednesday evening (thank goodness after the children were asleep.) She was immobile and her heart beating irregularly. Walsh could barely get her in the car to take her to an emergency vet at that time of night.

They had to drain fluids from around her heart twice…but by morning she was stable…they suspected cancer in or around the heart but wouldn’t know for sure unless a CT scan was done which happened first thing Friday morning. As of the time I closed down the computer for the night Walsh and Mollie had not gotten the results back.

They opted to do the test because they couldn’t be at peace about a permanent decision without knowing what was really going on and the quality of life expectations from the test results.

I went over early Thursday morning and spent the day so Mollie could talk to her vet and get Poogie moved for the CT scan…as you can imagine it is a pet owner’s worst nightmare…Poogie was the first “child” in the family before Rutledge, Lachlan, and Eloise arrived. The children were confused as to what happened and when Poogie was coming home and why she had her patient’s name on her paw.

I was just glad I could be there to hopefully help Mollie decipher some of the medical information (from different perspectives and several options) flying at her. Later while Eloise slept taking her nap… Mollie left to conference with the emergency surgeon…so necessary information about Poogie could be carried out, transferred and important procedures completed at their regular vet’s office. Walsh had to work but they were conversing on and off all day with emotions running so high over their first “baby.” (I was definitely supposed to be in Mt. Pleasant this past week)

Please keep the Dingles in your prayers as they go through this scary and heart-breaking wait-time to see what the final test results will be.

Then, completely, out of the blue, Mollie called Friday afternoon and said Kaitlyn just called from work…Tommy had left to hurry home because the house and newly completed Air B&B were on fire! I almost dropped the phone….this could not be happening!

I must admit it shook me to the core…Tommy and Kaitlyn have been working like Trojans to get the Air B&B ready…spending every penny to do so fixing it up…and then being so delighted with the initial positive tourist evaluations. They had the apartment booked ahead for several months. Life was looking up.

In a very quick synopsis…there was a plumbing problem around an old faucet not working properly…a plumber had been called to fix it…he came but while sautering…a spark hit some wood and caught fire going straight to the attic and in just minutes the two sides, especially the Air B&B was in flames.

Pictures below: both guest bedrooms

Thank goodness the plumber was able to call the fire  department immediately and they arrived quickly…several trucks and 15 firemen worked hard to extinguish the flames. Two of  Tommy and Kaitlyn’s dogs were in one bedroom and the door had to be knocked down to rescue them but they were rescued and are fine.

The plumbing company is, thankfully, taking full responsibility for the tragedy…in fact a SERVPRO team was already there and working hard when Mandy, myself, and the children ran over. The real problem, of course, is major financial loss from earlier bookings, smoke-smelling wardrobes, curtains, beddings, and especially the time needed by contractors to get the two sides back to “normal.” They can’t live there until it is fixed.  Once again, prayers are welcomed by all the family.

So until tomorrow…as the message on faith ended…

“Faith doesn’t always take you out of the storm, Faith calms you in the midst of the storm.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

I don’t want to end the post on  sadness and tragedy because it was a beautiful week with lots of fun…I actually got to attend Lachlan and Jake’s first soccer practice and watch them get their team shirts…so happy! They are the BLUE SHARKS! Rutledge is now a pro having played several years and their team is hoping to win some tournaments this year.

Mandy and I planned special excursions like picnics at the park under the Ravenel Bridge and ice cream runs to Baskin-Robbins on the afternoons after school.

Even Thursday among tears and sadness over Poogie…little children keep you smiling and laughing in all their innocence and love.

Butch, Kaitlyn’s Dad, told me a funny cartoon about the coronavirus and Walmart but when Susan, Kaitlyn’s mom, tried to send it…it didn’t come through.

*Will work on it for tomorrow’s blog…but it did get me thinking…a little humor goes a long way in uncertain times….so I will try to share one cartoon or “funny” per post with you- if you find a cute one do share…we all need to be able to laugh more.

*Don’t forget everyone to take time to love each other and all God’s creatures each and every day…more important now than ever. We can love our way through this and love always wins.

Dear Reader:

Home again after spending most of the week with Mandy and the children….you might remember that in spite of the “crazy” events happening this week…daylight savings time started, a full moon, and a Friday the 13th…we all did just fine. “We think we can” became we did.

I find myself these days saying more small prayers of faith throughout the day than I used to …perhaps praying that one of the grandchildren did well on a test or had a good day at school. I find myself telling the children to always have faith that everything will eventually work out.

In the famous painting (found in the post title picture) the man and woman have heard church bells ringing far off and stopped work in the fields to say a prayer to remember those departed and for the living as they keep the faith in their daily lives. (The Angelus by Millet)

What has had me thinking about faith periodically throughout the past week was a message on faith Harriett Edwards had posted on Facebook right before I left for Mt. Pleasant. For whatever reason the message stayed with me all week. I would like to share it with you.

I like this interpretation of faith…because this idea has certainly held true for me in my life fighting my own personal challenges.

So until tomorrow….Faith is what makes life bearable, with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden, startling joys. – Madeleine L’Engle

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

You see how I am purposefully not mentioning that today is Friday the 13th…I think we have had enough “crazies” this week… yet we have all hung together and had a great time!

The children get to ride the bus home early on Fridays and I can stand on the corner and wait for them…a lot of fun for grandmothers who plan special after-school treats for making it through the school week!

There is a lot for the children to look forward to this weekend 1) Dad is coming home!!! 2) Jake has his first soccer game and 3) Mandy is taking both children to a fun birthday party after the game. I have planned my departure at that time so the kids’ minds will be on the party and not on Boo Boo leaving.

The week was sometimes busy and somewhat tiring when one is not used to as much activity living alone…but still I had my down time too while everyone was at school…Tigger and I had nice walks and plenty of time to just enjoy the warm weather and beautiful surroundings…even do a little shopping.

It is always good to be back in one’s own bed…but still it will take some time to acclimate to the quietness again…I will miss the nightly  ritual…”I love you Boo Boo.” Nothing can take the place of that…nothing.

So until tomorrow…

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Honey Burrell is one of those remarkable women that you know, intuitively when you meet her, that you have been lucky enough to be chosen to come into contact with her in your lifetime…handpicked from God. That’s the way I feel about Honey.

It doesn’t matter geographically where Honey calls home or resides…she will make a difference in that community. After retiring from teaching and moving to the North Carolina mountains with her wonderful husband, Mike, she decided to pursue pottery… but instead it pursued her…as she used her learning skills and growing talents to help others.

Case-in-point: A service project that started over a quarter of a century ago with a goal to address hunger needs in a community in Michigan has now grown and spread nationally and internationally.

“Taking place in Flat Rock, North Carolina… inside the Parish Hall at the Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness…the “Empty Bowls” event continues to feed local school children. Potters (like Honey) have worked tirelessly to create ceramic bowls for the community meals benefitting the Flat Rock Backpack Program, which provides supplemental weekend food to students receiving free and reduced lunches.”

*Honey created the three bowls in the magazine article front page photo. (title photo)

“The potters have been called for bowls, and food and volunteers are being lined up, says David Voorhess, coordinator of the event. “Hundreds of handmade pottery bowls, gallons of soups, and piles of bread will all be ready.”

Honey Burrell says,

“I am passionate about the Empty Bowls initiative…it’s one way I can give back to those in our community that are suffering from food insecurities. I am a strong believer in helping others. Each bowl that I make is made with love, and it’s my hope that the love is felt by the individual who receives it.”

*This program might come under more pressure to feed more children, as well as, adults if the Coronavirus affects school closings. So many children depend on school lunches  (breakfast/lunch) for the only meals they receive on a daily basis. If schools close…even temporarily… these children will definitely need help to provide food assistance to them.

And I know who will be there for them…Honey!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Life is a beautiful balancing act..when I return home to Summerville it is, on the whole, a leisurely life…working in the garden, planting new life which always thrills me, and as of a couple of days ago…lying in one of the lounge chairs in the afternoons on the deck… soaking in a little sun…such a treat after a chilly, cloudy, rainy winter!

Monday afternoon while washing clothes and re-packing to return to Mount Pleasant (to help out with the kids while John is gone this week)…I found myself strolling through the garden…peeking to see if a little green, new life was starting to sprout up under dead stems of plants from last year…amazing how many spots of green I found. (Maybe plants like St. Patrick’s Day too! 🙂

For the first time, in a long time…I wandered in the far back of the yard…close to the property line separating my back yard from another neighbor’s and it was there that I discovered Mother Nature had made all these shrubs, bushes, and trees start turning and blooming in overabundance…yet hardly anyone knew it existed…as to be able to actually see it to enjoy it…enclosed far back in the wooded area. Yet now…it was breath-taking.

I felt such a sense of serenity envelope me late Monday afternoon after discovering all these “hidden treasures.” There’s a part of me who could live ‘happily ever after’ exploring the terrain in the garden and back yard while ‘fiddling’ with new plants…but then I realize that this wouldn’t really be living life to the fullest.

Nope…in order to do that…you have to jump back in, get down and dirty playing with squealing grandchildren…seeing the world anew through their eyes. Life should not be lived in solitude but in the midst of lots of “craziness” that keeps us reminded that we belong to family, community, and the universe. It is our job to contribute back to it whatever talents God bestowed upon us.

So until tomorrow….”Don’t be afraid your life will end…be afraid it never did begin.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

I am pleased to announce that there are more buds on “Big Red” the clone…than it has had since life re-started for it. It looks healthy and I think this spring will be its crowning glory!

Dear Reader:

Last Saturday night after John and Mandy returned from their dinner…Eva Cate, Mandy, and I  watched “International House Hunters” (HGTV)…Eva Cate and Mandy have an on-going date to watch it together in the evening and talk decor.

Jake fell asleep watching television with dad in another room so soon it was just us girls discussing which house to pick at the end of each episode. After Eva Cate fell asleep…Mandy was laughingly telling me to take a deep breath before I return for the week…because John informed her that this week (the week he is gone and I am there ) is one crazy week. For example:

Not only was yesterday (Monday) the first back-to-school day since daylight savings time… which makes getting little ones awakened in the dark a much more difficult chore than when it is light in the mornings…plus their little personal time mechanisms are off…they are sleepier and grumpier. (All adding up to the real possibility of more chaos than normal getting ready in the mornings for school.)

Then we have to add the fact that Monday, March 9 has a full moon…Mandy has the same problem I did…when you are a teacher and a mother…full moons create craziness and “lunacy” (named for the word lunar-meaning moon) not only in your own children but everyone else’s you have to teach in your classroom. Exhausting! (Especially after adding the loss of an hour’s sleep due to daylight savings time to the normal challenge)

As I was typing away Sunday night on these posts for the week…I looked out and saw the 99.9% full moon out my window. The (almost) full moon is beautiful…even if it does seem to affect children…making them especially hyperactive.

Now if Mandy and I make it to Friday with everyone still intact…you would think we would be sliding into home base…pop the wine corks. But does anyone know what this Friday is….that’s right! Friday the 13th! I mean “Really”…”Really”!

So until tomorrow…

You just have to laugh when too many crazies come together all at one time…(prayers will be appreciated 🙂 Will give you the whole scoop upon my return this weekend. I am positively staying “positive” however! “We think we can, we think we can.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh