Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

Friday and last night the temperatures dropped into the mid-thirties…it is time to start a fire. Happiness is….watching a fire burning in my happy room! It is at the top of my ‘happy’ list! It is something so cozy and comforting about relaxing and watching embers burn down low.

Ya’s… I got to try out my new blue jacket yesterday…especially at Hollow Tree Nursery. Anne asked me to go to Dukes to eat barbecue in Ridgeville and since we were so close to Hollow Tree we decided to visit Lisa and take her a plate of barbecue too.

Even after the cold snap…blooms were everywhere…especially the Encore azaleas were out-doing themselves…they were more numerous and diverse in colors than the camellias.

Eloise’s Japanese Maple didn’t make it last spring so Lisa found me a larger gorgeous Japanese Maple…I am now trying to decide where to put it and which grandchild should have the new one. Rutledge’s red ornamental Japanese Maple is just struggling to stay alive…it is located in too much sun and has white spots on all its leaves…but still so potentially pretty too…decisions decisions decisions. It will all shake out in the end.

Before I show you more ‘pretties’ from Hollow Tree and then some more in my own garden…let me share some ideas about life with you from the author Emilie Barnes and her book Everything I Know I Learned in My Garden.

It’s Never Too Early to Start…or Too Late

If it doesn’t work, try something else

Life is fragile. Protect it. 

Life is enduring. Trust it. 

Life is daily. Water it. Weed it.

Life is indescribably beautiful. Enjoy it and say thank you. Growth takes time. While you are waiting, pull a weed.

There’s something for everyone-different blooms for different rooms.

Pruning hurts. Pruning helps you grow. 

Sometimes the tiniest flowers smell the sweetest. 

Everything does have a season but the secret is…know what season you are in. (That is getting harder and harder isn’t it? 🙂

Dream big. But try not to let ambition turn your joy into drudgery.

Grow what you love. The love will keep it growing. 

You reap what you sow. But there will be surprises.

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Jo and Colby…when we got home one stem on your rose bush had reached towards the sun laterally outward….with two beautiful roses on it.

I am so thankful for my garden…what a difference since 2013…six years ago…when it was just a bare patch of ground with an orange circle surrounding where the garden would go…and hopefully grow. And now…it continues to grow.

So until tomorrow…”More than anything I must have flowers, always, always”– Claude Monet

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*** Wonderful news! Kaitlyn’s beloved grandmother, Judy, has taken on cancer for a second time (breast cancer) and beat it back! The bells (actually one) rang for Judy, her husband Bill, her daughters, Becky and Susan, and niece Sara plus all the rest of her loving family and friends! Way to get “little c” and put it in its place. The bell rings for YOU Judy and deservedly so! 🙂  🙂  🙂

From left to right: Sara, Becky, *Judy, and Susan! What a beautiful support group and warrior…a cancer thriver…no doubt! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I was showing Anne my Christmas moose ornaments from Sherry…Anne sent me a photo of a puffin (Anne adores puffins) Christmas tree ornament that Sherry sent her too. *What a gal you are Sherry…we will all have memories of Maine at Christmas…thanks to you!

Dear Reader:

A couple of years’ back we selected new words for the new year and many of you shared your selection with the rest of the readers. Each year I selected (and continue to select) the same word…Listen. 

I wish I had read Mark Nepo’s book Seven Thousand Ways to Listen back when I first made the selection but now I have read several excerpts from the book and it has impressed upon me that this word will be my “word” for the rest of my life. One quote from the book I especially liked had to do with wildflowers. It read:

“The wildflower’s reward for trusting what it senses but doesn’t yet know is to become what is was born to be—a flower whose inevitable place is realized in a small moment of listening to the Oneness, as it joins with elements that were here before it came alive and which will live on once it dies.”
― Mark Nepo, Seven Thousand Ways to Listen: Staying Close to What is Sacred 

The wildflowers in Maine were unsurpassed in beauty…from the parks in Portland to the back country roads and especially the land surrounding the famous lighthouses…where it appeared that the butterflies lead us to the most beautiful wildflowers of all.

Can you find the butterfly hidden in the photo to the right?

Heading out early one morning Sherry took us to see the blueberry fields which quite honestly look like they should be called strawberry fields for their red color.

This observation led to one of the funniest moments in Maine…As we got closer to the fields…Sherry started singing “Blueberry fields forever” to the Beatles tune. I laughingly told her she was a true blue Maine native to change the lyrics to blueberry.

Sherry looked startled and then confused…”It isn’t blueberry fields forever?” she asked puzzled. Then I did lose it…’NO…it is Strawberry fields forever.” 

Sherry kept shaking her head in denial as I poorly sang the first stanza from Strawberry Fields Forever so she could hear the correct lyrics…

Let me take you down
‘Cause I’m going to Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real
And nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever

…S0 just for you Sherry…the Beatles song (on tune and off u-tube…listen and smile!)

Mark Nepo got the idea and title for his book when he spoke with a Nigerian linguist who told him there were 7,000 different languages spoken around the world. Nepo reasoned if there were 7000 languages spoken…then there must be 7000 ways to listen.

He tells this true anecdote:

“He watched a well-dressed man  step over a homeless man on the street to peer more closely at a sweater in a department store window. Observing this scene and how both the homeless man who didn’t flinch and the well-dressed man who stepped over him struck Nepo.

“I stayed there quite awhile, not sure what to do or where to go,” he writes. Then his eyes met those of a man in a wheelchair. He describes how their eyes met and connected for ten to fifteen seconds. “”Neither of us looked away. I heard all he did not say,” he writes. “It pierced my heart.”

At a time when our country is more divided than ever around politics, race, and religion…the importance of listening quietly rather than shouting loudly is more critical than ever.

Mark Nepo explores how listening… this gentle act of kindness… moves us closer together as humans.

“When we dare to quiet our minds and all the thoughts we inherit, the differences between us move back and the things we have in common move forward.”

Yesterday as Luke was examining the old bench and how best to move it…we both heard a woodpecker pecking at one dead tree branch as hard as he could. We both grew quiet at the same time.

A particular rhythm took on another sound…quiet, soothing gurgling from the fountain set against loud pecking on wood…we both started laughing at the same time…a duet perhaps?

Luke spotted the hardworking woodpecker and then pointed him out to me. In this photo look carefully at the dark dead branch in the middle of the tree leaning to the right… and then look halfway up…hard to see…but you can just make out the woodpecker’s outline and reddish tinge on his head.

Let us all practice listening closely to others at what is not being said verbally but is being said from the heart. Let us listen with an Oneness in the Universe.

So until tomorrow

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

***Here comes another God Wink!!!! I can’t believe I was typing the “Sherry” story about the “blueberry fields” when suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by the mailman yelling from the front porch that he had a package for me. I went running in excitement and it was a “surcie” from Sherry. Unbelievable timing!

The note attached to the gifts started out “Dahling”…so funny! Sherry I love love love my ornaments…can hardly wait to put them on my Christmas tree this holiday season and remember my Maine adventure!

These “meeces” 🙂 are precious…the one in front looks like he is wearing an LLBEAN plaid outfit and look at the other moose with “Sammy the Cardinal” sitting on top of his moose snout. The third gift is a Christmas ‘basket tree hanging’ filled with lights- the basket is made from miniature antlers…love them all!…each individual moose and all the moose together! 🙂  🙂  🙂 What a thoughtful, fun gift Sherry…one I will treasure and remember each Christmas!

*Mandy sent me this picture of Eva Cate’s new reading buddy…a little kindergarten boy she is helping…what a confident ‘boost’ for both students. Great idea! And the secret to success is listening...listening to each other  read and encouraging each other. A wonderful gift of kindness.

*** Look who won third place  in the Summerville Artist Guild Exhibition! — at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center (*I am sure it was our title we readers gave the painting that took it over the top “Come Sit A Spell”!!!!!) 🙂 Congratulations Anne!

Dear Reader:

Yesterday I confess I had a few moments of nostalgic sadness over the loss of my Ya Ya “bench” mark for the garden. The Ya’s gave me the bench for my birthday on September 24, 2012. It would turn out to be almost a year before Anne, Doodle, and I “officially” planted (first shovel of dirt) the first bushes/bulbs/flowers in the Boo’s Garden. (Date: September 6, 2013)

(*Meanwhile (during that year of indecision) the bench would stare back at me accusingly…”Just do it Becky..begin your garden!”)

Luke came over to spray for bugs yesterday afternoon…(such a continued wonderful neighbor…even after the move.) As we walked back in the garden towards the fountain…I hesitantly made the sad decision to ask Luke to remove it and take it to the street for pick-up.

*(The wood had rotted and the arms and legs left were lying on the ground.)

Luke could tell how sad I was and I told him about how I got it and from whom and what it symbolized in my garden….hope. The bench sat in one of the bedrooms on the other side of the apartment for a year…waiting for me to get the courage to start my dream . And when finally I did…it was the first piece of furniture placed outside. I knew I wanted it under the old oak tree for shade.

A year later (2014)…the fountain joined it…. already it was obvious the wooden bench was struggling against the elements…Still it stood sturdy for several more years…six to be exact…until November 7, 2019…the end had come.

For so many years it was my go-to bench when I needed to reflect on life while listening to the fountain gurgle…it was my bench of refuge and rest.

I still remember the first evening I sat on the bench following the initial planting of the garden…so many hopes for the future…so much excitement in the creation! Nothing will ever erase that contented feeling I felt on the evening of September 6, 2013…the bench’s first night in the garden.

I read somewhere recently that memories are closely tied to the senses…especially smell. I do remember the smell of fresh wood when I first got the bench but now that fact about remembering saddens me because of all the chemo I have taken. It has caused me to lose my ability to smell things. I wonder how that will affect my memories going forward?

In fact…after Luke sprayed yesterday…he went around opening windows so it wouldn’t be too strong for me…I told him that I couldn’t smell one single vapor of bug spray. Sometimes I suppose not being able to smell has its strong points too. 🙂

So until tomorrow...“Our memory is a more perfect world than the universe: it gives back life to past loves (people and things) that no longer exist.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

***As you clicked on Chapel of Hope Stories today…there was a surprise…a new ‘header’ for the blog post. It is way past time to have updated it.

Initially John and I were just going to update the grandchildren’s picture (within the four photo collection) but then I decided that the original four pictures were a little “busy” for a heading. I looked around my “office” and saw Joan Turner (John’s mom) whimsical creative painting she did of the Chapel of Hope steeple several years back. I knew this was it!

The two “benchmarks” in my life that have changed it the most…(Discovering the Chapel of Hope...(lead there by Honey) and my five treasured grandchildren)…they are the catalysts for my new life and perspective on the world. Hope you like it.

Dear Reader:

What an unexpected and joyful day yesterday was..filled with surcies and God Winks! My friend K.C. and I planned a picnic on my back deck…but first (like “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”) it was too foggy and dampish, then too “pine strawey”…(literally falling off the trees into our plates) and finally too hot to sit out in the direct sun. So we ate lunch inside and then went on Boo’s garden tour…having the best time.

K.C. made the most delicious chicken salad sandwiches. I added some potato salad, chips, and a creamy slice of pie for dessert…along with some ice cold half and half tea. Perfect picnic!

Before she left K.C. handed me something completely unexpected but yet something I love. It started out as a package in a Christmas bag…she wanted it to be my first Christmas gift…a pre-season introduction gift.

Five different blocks were bubble wrapped…and as I put them together in the correct order..it was a most unique nativity scene. (title photo)

K.C. left while I was still playing with my nativity blocks…staring and studying each painted figure in the manger scene. What a way to start the Christmas season right!

Suddenly the doorbell rang and the mailman handed me a large box…’Who could this be from?‘ I thought to myself. Something was in a large plastic bag and it was blue. Suddenly I, intuitively, knew what it was.

Brooke and I gave Libby and Jackson a blue jacket for their birthdays at the beach and now Libby and Jackson were reciprocating…

What fortuitous timing with the possibility of the first frost arriving this weekend! Bluebirds are calling! I asked Vickie if she could take a quick photo of me in my new blue jacket (to send my “beautiful benefactors”…in the back yard/garden. She did and then showed me some of her hanging plants blooming for the first time unexpectedly…another happy unexpected encounter.

Isn’t life exciting? On any ordinary day something unexpected can take place that is also in your favour…as if the universe has singled you out with a big smile and a wink. When you receive unexpected surcies that you love and hold dear…a warm fuzzy feeling settles inside.

So until tomorrow…Always cherish the unexpected encounters that lift your spirits and make you feel connected with everyone and everything in the universe…a sense of completion engulfs you…You feel a  part of the whole…Savor these special surprises!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

I fell in love with this whimsical imaginative painting the minute I saw it pop up on-line…Oh what I would have given to have had a tree to go to like this (instead of the downright uncomfortable crab apple tree of my reading childhood.) * Still… even this didn’t stop me from climbing it to read my Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden series books.

Louise Penny has just completed her first draft on the next Armand Gamache mystery novel which she talked about in her latest newsletter. Anne sent me a link to it because it contained several items of interest…and some of the best quotes around…all by Winston Churchill.

The one I liked the most was a rather long quote…but it touched a chord in me and, no doubt, millions of other avid readers around the globe…those of us who love reading and make it a prioritized passion in our lives.

“If you cannot read all your books…fondle them – peer into them, let them fall open where they will, read from the first sentence that arrests the eye, set them back on the shelves with your own hands, arrange them on your own plan so that you at least know where they are. Let them be your friends; let them, at any rate, be your acquaintances.”
– Winston Churchill

*I remember my third grade teacher, Miss Johnson, pointing at each of us students before reading time in the third grade exclaiming…”Be a reader, then  a leader.” We had to repeat this phrase after her… day by day.  She was right. Winston Churchill is a great example…avid reader…amazing leader.

I will have to remember this Churchill quote each time my next Gamache novel arrives. I get so excited…it really is like seeing an old friend again and welcoming his wisdom and kindness back into your life….you know, without doubt, that the next few hours spent with ‘him’ will be forever memorable! The hardest part is slowing down the “visit.”

I have come to realize that making time for myself and not getting swept away with the busyiness of life depends on having a good book. Give me a good book to carry and I can be happy anywhere in any situation.

I love that so many book cafes are opening now…the two ideas just seem to go together…a cup of coffee or tea or hot chocolate on a rainy or cold day spent in a reading cafe is as about as perfect a day as I can imagine. When this photo popped up…I wanted to walk right into the picture and start reading in the alluring shop.

So until tomorrow…Spending time with a good book is really like spending time with a friend or old acquaintance…but remain open to new and/or different books because…(as in life)…“they might be angels in disguise.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Eva Cate’s Japanese Maple is starting to turn pretty fall colors while the ‘whirling butterflies’ are turning a light shade of pink!

Thank you Doodle for the towels on gratitude…perfect for this time of year or any time!

I always need to be reminded of this important universal message.

Dear Reader:

As I have been pointing out these past few blog posts…my garden seems to sense now that the difficult struggle to survive seasonal summer heat and drought has passed. The summer flowers that took up their individual spaces are now, mostly, gone…leaving more room and fertile conditions for the fall foliage and fauna.

*The Confederate Rose continues to bloom endlessly… thriving in the cooler, wetter climate…it brings me daily joy to watch it turn colors.

My morning glories …counted at 13 this morning, are finding new undercover paths to pop up on the ground, as well as, the fence, window paintings, and wooden fence rails.

I had an epiphany yesterday…a moment when I recognized that my life puzzle is anchored by my spiritual experience with a dolphin at Edisto Beach in the fall of 2008…soon after being diagnosed with breast cancer. (My surgeon, at the time, thought I had the disease about a year before the diagnosis…but it had atypical symptoms,,, unlike most breast cancers.)

So my work and theirs was cut out from the very beginning. Then four months following the initial diagnosis…a dolphin performed a vertical leap in front of me, while sitting on the jetties at Edisto Beach. As this large dolphin stared down at me (with its gentle little smile plastered on its face) I, immediately, sensed what the  message was.

“All is right with the world…everything is just as it should be…”  It has taken me years to recognize the significance of this universal thought and connection. I wasn’t promised a quick fix or for that matter, any assurance that I would or could be cured. And to date…I haven’t.

But…everything is as it should be…I have learned to live with my antithesis -cancer.  And what a life I am living…filled and surrounded by wonderful friends, doctors,  neighbors, and family…I wake up grateful and happy to see each day…and this feeling of peace and serenity is the anchor in my personal puzzle of life.

I don’t ask why anything happened the way it did… because I know why…what I have learned from the ups and downs of living with cancer and adapting to all its on-going treatments and side effects has made me the person I was created to be.

This “anchor” has never left me…the parts of my personal puzzle that I fill in daily are the perimeters that include opportunities and possibilities to share my joy in life.  I seek and find serenity and peace on a daily basis… hidden deep within me despite the troubles that come our way as part of the scheme of life.

We can’t change the politics, rifts, and greedy nature of mankind that evolve into constant clashes and wars but we can demonstrate what a world could look like on a street, neighborhood, or community. We all have to power to change life for the better for those around us.

So until tomorrow…“If your life is in harmony with your part in the Life Pattern (our personal puzzle) and if you are obedient to the laws which govern this universe, then your life is full and good but not overcrowded. If it is overcrowded, you are doing more than is needed…more than your job to do in the total scheme of things.” (Peace Pilgrim/Awakin.Org)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Eloise received her Maine moose cap today from Boo…too cute Eloise.

Eloise likes having her big brother Lachlan at her school this year…but it is only for a year…next year Lachlan will be in public kindergarten…both boys at Phillip Simmons Elementary School. In the blink of an eye…Eloise will join them…time is flying that fast!

Don’t forget to vote today…or if you are like me…I took advantage of voting early and voted last week…it is important to put good decent people in office for local positions, mayors, town council, etc…so hopefully we can have a trickle up effect on getting honest hardworking, caring and respected candidates in at state and national levels…it all starts at home!

Democracy…Let us never take voting…this most important freedom, for granted…too many people have sacrificed their lives for us to have this rare opportunity- Vote!

Dear Reader:

I think Honey’s hand-made clay turtle represents my thoughts on slowing down in the best and cutest way! I have so much fun changing flowers in it…enjoying the different attire of the creative ‘Honey’ turtle planter!

Slowing down is hard…whether one is in the throes of a growing family and a challenging job or simply retired…because slowing down means breaking so many habits and beliefs that keep our lives harried and unsettled for far too much of it.

Slowing down means letting go...and as we have all experienced in other arenas of life ( letting go of problems, letting go of old hurts, letting go of envy or jealousy, letting go of loved ones,  etc.)  is never easy.

It is the November theme of being grateful for our lives… just the way things are… that gets to the bottom of the time dilemma. Even in the busiest schedules we still have the ability to prioritize the most meaningful things in it to us. We must remind ourselves  that each and every day can not be re-lived…so what small change can we make to put joy and others first… to feel the best sense of gratitude possible when it ends each evening?

Author Mike Robbins sums it up with his famous quote… “Gratitude and victimhood can’t exist in the same space.” 

We might have to get up and go to work each day but that is because we have a job to go to…we might struggle over balancing time with family and our job but that means we have two things some people would give anything to have…a loving family and a job.

Once we stop whining and pouting about the lack of time in our lives…(which by the way is the same 24 hours everybody else on this planet has)… and, instead, start looking for ways to improve our quality of time…our emotional state changes from poor me to thoughts of our spouse or children or pets and the famous maxim returns…

“Your worst day may be someone else’s best day. It’s all perspective. How we see ourselves changes how we see the world.” 

Julie Andrews was right when she sang about “Some of her favorite things” in the Sound of Music. Psychologists today tell us gratitude opens the door to happiness and joy. If we’re feeling frazzled, we need to think of something or someone we love… our kids, favorite hobbies or past-times, our dog… or home. Within seconds positive thoughts stimulate the release of feel-good chemicals in our brain.

And for heaven’s sake… we need to stop trying to be a perfectionist in every teeny, tiny aspect of our life. We aren’t made to be perfect…it is not in our DNA…we were created to be happy and grateful to our Creator and the friends and family around us who love and encourage us. Then we should  pass this same love and encouragement on to others.

So until tomorrow…Let us strive for a purposeful life…not a perfect one. Find time to enjoy the greatest gift we have..life…and with it…meaningful  relationships throughout our lives!

“Today is my favorite day”   Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

The last two nights…Halloween and All Saint’s night…I have slept so soundly. It was 48 degrees when ‘Summerville’ woke up yesterday. Thursday night, as the cold front arrived following the record-breaking 86 degrees Halloween…lightning, thunder, and pouring rain ensued. The perfect ingredients to sleep by.

So for two days I have awakened with energy to spare…taking down Halloween ghosts, ghouls, and witches under the bluest blue sunny skies.

*(We have waited close to six months for this weather, 1/2 a year for the humidity to leave or at least lower…and it has just made life even sweeter than ever. Big breath…I am so glad to be alive to enjoy these days! The best…the very best!

Yesterday I shared with you my ‘de-booing’ chores and today I watched the sasanqua camellias begin blooming into bright specks of different shades of pink…while the confederate rose is blooming pure white and the rose bush deep rose-red. The scent of all the different flowers and bushes is beyond comparison…so delicious!

I was outside just about the entire day yesterday…puttering in the yard and garden…walking around Miler and Tea Farm…it was just too spectacular a day to stay inside. I just felt…well..”joyful” all day!!!

The red petunias are  amazing…blooming for six months straight…they are like a “little little big red” in past years.

Added some fall colors to the table centerpiece…with a miniature birdhouse ‘Chapel of Hope!’ (Thanks Honey…so adorable!)

Love this house over in Tea Farm…symbolic of fall at its best…with perimeters of mums!

Kate Wolf-Jenson’s latest post talked about ‘cultivating gratitude‘…perfect thought for November. There are so many benefits for giving to others.. that encircle back around to us in this endeavor. Jenson wrote:

***Welcome to November, the Thanksgiving month. Please take advantage of the season to begin or renew a gratitude practice. There are many reasons why practicing gratitude is valuable…and beneficial!

Gratitude is good for your body. People who are higher in gratitude have lower blood pressure, better cholesterol scores, exceptional kidney function, and higher quality, longer sleep.

Gratitude is good for your mind. People practicing gratitude report feeling more alert, alive, and awake. They experience more joy.

Gratitude is good for your spirit. People practicing gratitude feel more supported and affirmed by others. They practice generosity and compassion. They feel less lonely and isolated.

Gratitude is good for your soul. It connects you to the Source of all creation –people, creatures, and all living things. You realize your place in the web of life.

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

So until tomorrow…Wake up and smile! You are alive!

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”   Winston Churchill

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

***Look at this adorable photo of Brooke with her “Boogie” boy (Caleb) the firefighter and little Emma Grey (the cutest bunny rabbit!)

Way to go Clemson…a beautiful fall day at Death Valley and another “Dabodacious game!”

Dear Reader:

The day after Halloween is always De-“Booing” Day. Over the years I have collected so many “Boo” items from friends and family that it takes quite awhile to replace “Boo” Halloween decor with fall wreaths, plain pumpkins (no jack o’lanterns) and every thankful fall object I can find.

The first thing on the porch to go was “The Witch is In” sign…now the witch is out…gone (she flew away)… replaced by fall decorations and Boo’s Blessings…the only “Boo” still allowed…me! 🙂

Out with the “pumpkin patch” and ghosts…Gather stays…as in Thanksgiving gatherings…

I am glad I have so many pumpkins because they continue to work…especially the silver ones on the table….I love this time between Halloween and Thanksgiving…a special time to use to remember to be thankful and so grateful for all our blessings.

The butterflies love my new pansy basket and just resting in the sun!

School picture time…Lachlan and Eloise at pre-school; Rutledge at Phillip Simmons Elementary- First Grade

Anne texted me a creative calendar for November on grace and gratitude that is circulating on the internet…love the idea. Not sure I can participate everyday with a photo but the ideas are marvelous…might save some of them and my responses in  a  ‘grace & gratitude” bucket!

So until tomorrow…

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Ann Graves is doing well with her radiation treatments and won a beautiful handmade quilt… made each year by a generous, talented woman and then given out to one cancer patient in a drawing…Ann’s name was selected! It was definitely a God Wink since she normally would have been finished by now with treatments and thus ineligible…except for  some delays that happened to keep her name on the cancer list through October…Congratulations Ann!

Anne Peterson is putting some of her artwork in the Charleston Convention Center Art Exhibit, along with the local fair…Remember this painting…this was the title that won out….

Dear Reader:

Throughout the past few years super heroes have changed  quite frequently by the costumes of my grandsons….from Captain America (Rutledge’s favorite) to Super Man for little Jake to Spider Man…shared by all…along with Lachlan’s favorite Paw Patrol Super Hero.

(*Eva Cate has preferred princess dresses ( as well as the boys  I recall)…but whether it  was Captain America, Superman, Spiderman or Paw Patrol..the children have all loved  being a super hero at some time.

Earlier in the week I read an ‘aha’ article that made me sit up and take notice….In Spotlight on Kindness the editor remarked:

“Kindness is the ultimate superpower we each carry with us all the time – no special costume or wand is needed in order to completely transform someone’s day. That’s the ultimate in “cool”.

We can completely shift the energy from negative to positive with one thoughtful gesture, one kind word, one look or one smile. This Halloween, let’s all wear this superpower; no mask needed.” – Ameeta

*I dressed up as a superhero fighting cancer three years ago…there are all kinds of superheroes…who take on formidable enemies… like cancer and win by waking up each morning!.

This life lesson on learning and showing who the true superheroes are to children (and as a reminder to us adults) is very important…we all have within us  superpowers to use for good.

Through simply a smile or a kind gesture or look,  we can daily turn someone else’s world into a happier state of being…Everyone has superpowers…we just need to release them.

Today is All Saints Day...and the first day of the month. It is the perfect way to start the month…by seeking out kindness to a stranger or strangers and making their day… one to remember  through an act of kindness performed in an instant’s notice…without thought or hesitation. Let’s all be a superhero today!

So until tomorrow “WHAT AN INCREDIBLE POWER WE HAVE, TO WALK THROUGH THE WORLD, MAKING SOMEBODY’S DAY.” – KRISTA TIPPETT

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh (So let’s now make it someone else’s favorite day because of an act of kindness we bestow today!)

*Please share any super powers you give to a stranger today with the blog post…Let’s make All Saints Day a day worthy of it’s name. 🙂

Don’t forget! All Saints Day or not…it is also the first day of the month of November …..Don’t  forget to say ‘RABBIT RABBIT’!!!!!!!!  Let’s all have a spectacular month of giving thanks and giving back. (Jo and Colby…do you see the sweet crystal rabbit you gave me for my birthday?)

*The Turners were all into Halloween this year…even John and Mandy….Dressed for Mexico’s Day of the Dead...Eva Cate was quite the  bewitching witch and Jake was the character, Dash, from the Incredibles. Tommy and Kaitlyn, with their little dogs, stopped by (we got some cute photos)…Mollie sent a picture from their decorated golf cart with Lachlan and neighbors…the impending storm held off long enough for all the trick or treaters to finish. 🙂

*I barely made it home before the bottom fell out…but the street lightning going over the bridges was spectacular…best light show I have seen in a long time! 🙂

Halloween Photos:

Atticus looked tired after delivering the mail…decided he would like to sleep over with Eva Cate.

Nancy Drew was on the Halloween case today of finding candy to fill the trick or treat bag-*Lachlan left the reptiles to join the SWAT Team!

*I believe Harriett Edwards had this cartoon on her post and I thought it fit perfectly with the “theme” today and a wonderful description of me and my daily “wonders.” 🙂   🙂   🙂