Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

As much as we parents and grandparents want to lead…and guide our children and grandchildren around all the daily obstacles that come with the ‘art’ of growing up…the best results at the end of the journey come when we take a back seat and let the child lead by showing us what his or her passion is…their unique God-given gift.

Not easy, is it? Parents and grandparents are notoriously bad back-seat drivers.

Esther Wojcicki — “Woj” to her many friends and admirers — is famous for three things:

*Teaching a high school class that has changed the lives of thousands of students

*Raising three daughters who have each become famously successful as, the CEO of YouTube, the Founder and CEO of 23andMe, and a top medical researcher

*Inspiring Silicon Valley legends like Steve Jobs

What do these three accomplishments have in common? They’re the result of TRICK, Woj’s secret to raising successful people: Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration, and Kindness. Simple lessons, but the results are radical.

Woj’s methods are the opposite of helicopter parenting. As we face an epidemic of parental anxiety, Woj is here to say: relax.

1. Talk to infants as if they are adults.
2. Allow teenagers to pick projects that relate to the real world and their own passions, let them figure out how to complete them. 
3. ***Above all, let your child lead.

One of the most powerful lessons I heard one time was a reminder to all parents that our children are only on loan to us…we don’t own them. So we have only a limited amount of time to help them discover their true selves and the gifts they will leave behind.

Woj would give each daughter a small laundry basket that they could fill with their own self-interest books each Saturday when they went to the library. Upon reflection each daughter drifted to the section of the library that most appealed to them…with one daughter it was math, another technology, and another medicine. From early ages on…left to their own personal choices and devices,  the daughters have stayed true to their individualized initial choices.

When asked why she wrote this book on raising children WOJ replied:

“This is my legacy—I’m trying to make sure that people understand the power of giving children control of their learning.”

It might sound crazy, but when someone believes in you, you’re willing to take more risks and willing to be more creative. As parents, we need to recognize that the little person in front of us is a time-bomb waiting to explode and disperse all the unique gifts lying dormant within. All a child needs is unconditional love, support and independence…they will do the rest.

So until tomorrow….Let’s make sure that every child born in this world knows:  BE(YOU)TIFUL! 

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*I caught a little bit of a discussion on Facebook yesterday about teaching,  salaries, and blatant discrepancies throughout counties in South Carolina…not just states.

One of the responders put this cartoon in the mix and I had to laugh… since some of my own children (and their spouses) are still caught in this cobweb of student “spider” loans...ad nauseam.

• Eva Cate just completed Adventure Camp with rock climbing and ziplining...it was just a couple of days this week and she got lucky…both days the sun was out…

Dear Reader:

Yesterday Ann and I had a conversation (during her last chemo infusion) about how important it is to remember that children and youth’s eyes are watching us to see how we handle different diversities of problems. In Ann’s case this person is a fourteen-year-old neighbor…a sweet girl…who likes to ‘hang’ with Ann and is very involved and curious about her cancer treatments.

Ann has begun to realize just how important it is to demonstrate a positive attitude throughout her treatments and answer her young neighbor’s questions frankly and honestly…treating her like a young adult.

“Watching and modeling human behavior starts in infants as young as one day old behavioral scientists have discovered. Immediately upon birth, babies begin to reflect the emotional states of people around them thanks to “mirror neurons.”

This begins a cycle whereby positive emotions and interactions beget more positive energy. Children who feel safe, secure and loved, early in life, grow to be more sensitive and empathetic to others’ emotional needs. Let’s model kindness and empathy from day one.”  (Resource: Editor’s Note/KindSpring)

As a teacher it was always easy to pick out the young students in my classes who felt compassion and kindness to their peers (coming from loving happy homes) while observing other students, perhaps as a result of not feeling loved enough or accepted in a family, acting out and intimidating others at school simply because they could. Bullying is a search for power as a substitute for love …not received when little.

Planting those first seeds of love within a newborn is critical in their overall perception of themselves and their place in the world.

When we do see young children demonstrating compassion for other children…adults need to nourish these observations with praise and encouragement.

Kindness Observed: Kindspring.org

“I spotted a small child, maybe 6, who noticed another child, who looked maybe 3, on the playground when that little fellow dropped his cupcake.

The older one walked across the entire playground and tried to help the little guy pick up the cupcake. The cutest and kindest thing  he did was offer the sad little fella his own sleeve to wipe his tears.

A mom came over pretty quickly and thanked the older boy, and together they cleaned up the dropped cupcake. When the mom and little one walked away hand in hand, the little boy turned around and waved to the older child, who waved back.

The spontaneous act of kindness on that older child’s part, and the simple gratitude shown by the little one was pure and beautiful. It was a gift to me…for having caught that magic moment. I’m grateful for seeing it.”

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At a time when we hear such terrifying examples of young bullies intimidating children and youth at schools and on the internet…parents live in fear of this happening to their child.

So any times we have an opportunity to teach, watch, or witness something pure and kind happening between children and youth. When this happens we need to, not only recognize it, but applaud it and thank the children and parents for the great job they have done with their families.

So until tomorrow….

• Happiness is more contagious than sadness, so try to surround yourself with happy people. However, don’t avoid people who are sad, we all need support sometimes and giving them love might help them recover faster.
• Imitate happy and positive people, do what they do. Practice sports and smile more (even if you don’t feel like it, you will later feel better). Keep a healthy self-esteem and stop thinking negatively.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

When it comes to storytelling…Libby is the champion. Her true stories of just plain daily life in her world will keep you in stitches. Only she can experience the most bizarre circumstances imaginable (that a sitcom writer couldn’t even think up)…and they happen to her all the time.

By now most of you readers know the basic scenario of what happened last Sunday upon returning home from the beach for a family July 4th gathering. Libby tripped going up the back steps and ended up with a broken right wrist, cuts and bruises all over her, but ironically no serious damage to her neck or back from the latest surgery. God is good.

This is not a funny story so far but a thankful one…But wait.. it just hasn’t started yet. Here we go…(excerpts from Libby’s text).

“Oh my Loves…I have now “come to myself” and can regal the story of Sunday evening. (* Let’s pause here in the story and let me explain Libby’s original expression. Libby doesn’t do mornings…period. She must have several cups of coffee before she can articulate and/or communicate at the most basic level of conversation.

If any of us Ya’s forget (at any one of the beach retreats) and make a cheery good morning salutation or ask if she would like one of us to reheat the breakfast casserole…you just get a hand with palm open and upward letting you know to “leave her be.”  

If any words are muttered… it is only later after a lengthy immersion of caffeine. She quietly announces…”It’s okay to talk now…I have “come to myself.” Yesterday when I asked her (via telephone) to define the expression…she said it is a state of semi-consciousness…somewhere between sleep and waking. She can only exist or “be” while in this state…but can not “do” or participate.

This expression now defines her…to the point that when the grandchildren spend the night they know the morning ritual consists of Nana driving them for a breakfast of biscuits or donuts BUT they also know the morning rules… when to approach her. Libby says they select one brave soul to come ask her if she “has come to herself” yet and if so can they go get Krispy Kreme donuts?

(Back to the story)

Libby was put in an ambulance …bumpy but so far normal. And then it happened…While wheeling into ER…the hospital went on LOCKDOWN! A schizophrenic had taken down five hospital security guards. As luck would have it…the mentally ill perpetrator, along with four police, were in the room next to her. It was very loud, disruptive and unsettling. (It took 5 hours to get all the tests done)

Meantime Libby realized she was in Room 13….she thought to herself…’Of course I am…where else would they put me?’…and then lost it hysterically when she saw the sign on the back her hospital door “Please Call…Don’t Fall”!  (A little late for that warning she giggled out loud!)

Libby finished up with a warning and suggestion for all the Ya’s…“The Ya Ya’s are gonna wrap ourselves in bubble-wrap, throw Life Alerts around our necks and find a way to get together to “lay our eyes on each other” and celebrate life…no matter what state or condition we are in.”

*(I told Jackson that since we are the two Ya’s who haven’t reached the big benchmark year yet…that after observing the other two’s awful predicaments…I would be more than willing to skip the “zero” year and move on into the “one”…there is something strangely unsettling about a 7 and a 0 next to one’s name.)

So until tomorrow…Libby…Like I tell my grandchildren…the “boo-boo’s” on your legs and knees from the fall are correctly called “boo boo owies”…never to be confused with their beloved grandmother…who would never want any negative connotation associated with her name.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Yesterday I carried Ann Graves, a friend from church, who is undergoing chemo treatments for breast cancer, to the Charleston Oncology Center for her fourth and last infusion.

It is a tradition that following this treatment the patient gets to ring a special bell of hope at the exit door. It was very touching…and several members of the medical staff joined Ann for the ceremony.

*Libby…I think there should be a DO NOT DISTURB sign on your tombstone…with an added message: ...”Until Libby Bennett Clarkson has “come to herself” (usually mid-morning!)

Dear Reader:

Some days I think remind us of a past day so we can better understand how priceless the wonder and mystery of any ordinary day can be.

This is the beginning of a new day.

I have been given this day to use as I will.

I can waste it or use it for good.

What I do today is important.

Because I’m exchanging a 

day of my life for it.

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone

forever leaving in its place whatever I have traded

for it. 

I pledge to myself that it shall be;

Gain not loss; Good not evil;

Success, not failure; Love not fear

in order that I shall not regret the price I paid for this day.

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On patriotic days we hear much discussion about the high price of freedom in human lives and immediately images of names on tombstones and memorial walls flood our memories.

However…as observed in the prose above…don’t we have the choice to make every single day of our life the best day we can possibly make it…so if it is our last day…”we shall not regret the price we paid for it?”

While going through some old blog photos a couple of days ago…a picture of a Thomas Jefferson puppet doll stared back at me, with a pair of earrings on it…I started giggling and then completely burst out laughing because yesterday had just repeated itself again.

The Jefferson doll picture accompanied one of my old blog posts about the antics of little Eva Cate when she was about five…(four years ago.) She was a “tinkerer, a putterer“…nothing brought her more joy than finding loose coins, jewelry, scraps of paper, markers, pebbles, etc. She would  take them from the spot of discovery and move them elsewhere. She could spend hours doing this over and over.

After Eva Cate spent one weekend with me (during this time) I was running late for an appointment the following Monday morning and couldn’t find my favorite clip-on earrings.

I had left them on the computer table…where were they? Just when I was about to give up and put on the “pinchy” ones I noticed that the Jefferson doll looked differently…he was wearing my favorite earrings. Case Solved…Culprit Caught….Eva Cate.

Saturday morning…I was folding laundry on my bed and putting things back in their rightful drawers or closets. A Fed-Ex knock on the door sent me scurrying to the front to discover that some earrings I had ordered on-line (wooden ones) had arrived.

I tried them on, really liked them, and decided when and with what I would wear them first. Since Rutledge and Lachlan weren’t here at Easter two of the stuffed rabbit/eared dogs were lying at the foot of the bed. I placed them on one of the pillows to try to remember to put them up to have for next Easter.

Yesterday when I went to get my new earrings the box was there but no earrings…what in the world could I have done with them….I was beyond frustrated with myself…I had just had them the day before in the bedroom.

Suddenly as I gazed around  at the bed covering…there on one of the pillows was the stuffed dog/rabbit ears with two wooden earrings on top. Too funny! I have become Eva Cate I thought to myself…the putterer “acorn” doesn’t fall far from the tree!

So until tomorrow…In defense of all of us “putterers”…our “condition” does bring us closer to God in prayer.

“Oh God please help me find my car keys so I won’t be late for this or that… “Oh God…please tell me that I didn’t leave the car windows rolled down halfway this afternoon now that it is midnight with torrential rains and gusty winds blowing. “Oh God…I know I am a lamebrain…but You do know that I love you, don’t You?…and this child scatterbrain of Yours appreciates everything You do for me every single day…I couldn’t get through a day without You.” 

Yep, we putterers and tinkerers are lost little lambs when it comes to remembering where things are…but we never forget Who keeps bringing us back in the fold.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

P.S. I hate to admit it but Eva Cate has gone from putterer to organizer these days…thank goodness she is turning into “her mother’s child.”

Dear Reader:

I have started reading David McCullough’s The Pioneers and as usual, am riveted to all the history of our country told in good old storytelling fashion.

I love learning new things about the one subject I have adored since a child…history! The story of the settlement from the Northwest Ordinance has kept me shaking my head…saying “I didn’t know that…or I didn’t realize that?” 

And “That” person who teaches me every time I pick up one of his novels is “that great” historian author David McCullough! My “A-ha” moment while starting this book was contained in the three major segments of the Northwest Ordinance that changed our country’s ideals. They  were three remarkable conditions: freedom of religion, free universal education, and most importantly, the *prohibition of slavery.

*The prohibition of slavery: “There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory,” (this being agreed to in Congress when slavery existed in every one of the thirteen states!) It was almost unimaginable that throughout a new territory as large as all of the thirteen states, there would be no slavery. God’s miracle for this new land!

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 would prove to be one of the most far-reaching acts of Congress in the history of our country. Historians today place it alongside the Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence as a bold assertion of the rights of the individual.

Based on John Adams’ Massachusetts constitution…the ordinance was quite clear…“Religion , morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of educations shall forever be encouraged.”

At a time when there were no state-supported schools of any kind in most of the United States and the few areas that had these schools were poorly supported and supervised…plans were now being made for a section in each township to be reserved for common schools and ultimately a university for all.

Manasseh Cutler, a minister and top planner for this new massive settlement consisting today of five states…Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio…believed strongly that “Wisdom is the principal thing…therefore get wisdom and with all thy getting…get understanding.” (Proverbs)

Isn’t that true about everything in life? Wisdom alone is not enough, unless accompanied by understanding and compassion!

Of the first pioneers in the Northwest Territory, forty-eight men in all…a few were as young as teenagers…the oldest at 67. Obviously there were mixed feelings among the families left behind with many prayers uttered as the husbands, sons, and relatives departed.

*I remember reading one time in sample diaries written by early pioneer women that one woman begged her husband not to leave her behind at a fort with the children (in relative safety) while he, alone, explored new lands…she was afraid for him and all the unknown dangers in a new frontier. He looked at her quietly and said: “Stopping me from living isn’t going to stop me from dying.”

Wow! That’s pretty powerful isn’t it? I think about it a lot these days…even though my energy might not be quite as ‘up to speed’ as I would like with this darn “elevator” white cell count…lying around and doing nothing is absolutely no way to live.

So until tomorrow…As Theodore Roosevelt said: …“Let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

When I walked outside Saturday I noticed this plant blooming in the garden and couldn’t figure out where it came from? I texted Doodle and she replied:
“Butterfly weed. It’s a host plant for the Monarch butterfly. It lays eggs on it and when they hatch, the caterpillars eat the plant.” 

(New meaning for “Eating yourself out of house and home” 🙂

*Up close the bloom are so intricate and delicate…lovely!

*Had a text from Betsy, Libby’s daughter….Libby fell going back in her house after the holidays at the beach with family. Betsy and Robby took their mom to the hospital emergency room where they checked her thoroughly…thank goodness her neck and back were okay (area from the surgery) but she broke her right wrist.

*Today she was returning to the surgeon to get the official “OK” to start driving again…so (as you can imagine) this set-back is definitely a little hard to swallow…even though we all realize it could have been a lot worse. If any of you have had to go without driving for quite awhile you know how much you crave that independence again…so please keep Libby in your prayers! Thank you!

Dear Reader:

Have you ever considered that happiness and strength are one and the same? Think about it…when someone enters a room whose personality is upbeat and happy…doesn’t a sense of strength and confidence  exude from this person? People are drawn to them like moths to light.

Yet when another enters the room with a somber overtone and averted eyes don’t we (more times than not) discover that this type of personality usually is not confident, always comparing themselves to others and coming up short in their own eyes, pouty, and disdainful of others who do have positive upbeat outlooks on life.

…And it really has nothing to do with social or financial status…it is an inner sense of contentment and joy that prevails with certain people… no matter the circumstances in their life at the time.

When people go through life always dissatisfied, always looking for greener pastures, always believing they are getting short-changed… …they never break out of these outlook on life patterns. They never see themselves the way God sees each and every one of us.

When we judge ourselves lacking…we not only aren’t helping ourselves but we end up serving no one. God gave each of us an unique strength…we each have what it takes to inhabit it fully.

Kate Wolfe Jensen perhaps says it best ” You can begin to catch a glimpse of your brilliance by noticing what brings you joy. What’s easy for you? What makes your heart sing?

When you are happy, you are strong and you can share your delight with others. That will bring them strength.”

It is only through sharing our strengths and weakness that we can allow others to strengthen our weaknesses while using our strengths to do the same for them. We each have personal gifts to share.

We each are enough…we are unique…in fact we are downright magnificent! 🙂

So until tomorrow…If you want a memorable life, the research is very clear: You have to live a life worth remembering.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Loved getting my postcard yesterday from Rutledge while he was visiting  grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in New Hampshire and the White Mountains! Love you back Rutledge! Boo Boo!

Dear Reader:

More and more lately I find myself purposefully pausing in the midst of family gatherings (with all the fun and craziness associated with them) to ponder the moment. *Before most of the family crowd arrived last Thursday (July 4th) John took a moment from chef duties to grab a picture of the first swimmers (or like Eloise..floaters) in the pool.

It was the ‘calm before the storm’ arrival of the rest of the ‘gang’ …amazing aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended kin from each and all sides. As I watched John take the photo from the screened porch…I realized that a memorable pictorial moment was being frozen...and would soon go down as a ‘good old day‘ memory before much time had passed.

As time seems to go faster and faster…”Good old days” have begun blurring into each other with comments like ” What happened to June….summer just started and now here it is July 4th” or as Walsh left to go pick up Mollie and Rutledge from the airport… the family insisted he leave Eloise and Lachlan in everyone’s care to make it easier for him.

We were all remembering the fateful day he left John and Mandy’s to pick up Mollie and newborn Eloise from the hospital with the boys in the car fighting treacherous snow and icy conditions during the great snow storm of January 2018.

Walsh and the boys ended up staying one day and night over at John and Mandy’s since Eloise had to have a last-minute treatment for jaundice before she was permitted to leave (a fateful delay)

All the cousins knew was that they were snowed in with their other cousins and having a ball…(It was all the adults who were worried about the weather and getting Mollie and Eloise home safely…along with the boys.)

This is definitely a memory the children will remember as the best time of all…snow in the low country!  (While as adults…we loved it too…but were so anxious about getting Mollie and Eloise, our snow angel home. Eloise wasn’t worried…she slept right through it all.

Everyone held their breath until we got the text they were all home safe and sound with the newest addition to the family. The electricity was working and they all got to sit around the fire and enjoy a beautiful rare snow fall with little baby Eloise. (So many family stories return when we all gather together to remember them…good, bad, scary, sad, or just plain funny. Family goes through it all with each and every member.)

Another observation I have made upon reflections of daily encounters with our fellow man is the amazing things that can happen when we stop to help someone else…sometimes we end up helping each other when we both need it simultaneously.

…Such is the case in this true story by a contributing member (KindSpringer) of the KindSpring website. “They help me, I help them“) dibhook

“It was raining hard and nearing dusk. I was late for an appointment in a nearby city that I knew only by GPS. And now my phone had died. The usual interstate exits were closed. I couldn’t see, it was raining so hard. I couldn’t figure out how to get where I was going or how to let my appointment know I was likely not going to make it there.

I stopped at a McDonald’s in an impoverished part of town and walked up to what appeared to be a mother and her teen daughter. “I’m sorry, but do you mind, is it possible for me to look up a number on your phone and then call the place and let them know I’m lost?”

She handed me her phone and then told me she was lucky she had her phone, it was getting ready to be turned off because she didn’t have enough money to pay the bill.

The young girl and the mother seemed to be clinging to each other and talked together as I made my phone call, not really paying me much attention as the people at the other end of the phone told me to come on, I’m not too late, and then told me how to get there.

As I stood to leave, on an absolute unplanned whim, I reached into my wallet where I don’t usually have cash and pulled out all I had, a $20 bill. I pressed it into the mother’s hand and then turned to leave quickly, because I didn’t want it to be about me, but not before seeing that she was crying and her daughter called after me, “You have no idea how you just helped us.” And yet, they really helped me. Funny how that works!

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So until tomorrow…”Embrace the amazing potential magic of today’s small everyday moments” (Zina Harrington)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

I saw this picture on Facebook and discovered it came from a wonderful friend, Jane Eason, a  marvelous social studies coordinator in Columbia whom Carol Poole and I used to work with and for….when we traveled the state putting on presentations for different districts.

Jane had found this photo, earlier, on FB and decided to ‘pass it on’ in memory of all the wonderful history teachers in our country ….way to go! The Declaration of Independence written in chalk on the driveway!

Dear Reader:

It finally happened! Wednesday evening the booming sounds heard from far off gradually grew closer and closer until lightning was flashing outside my front windows. The electricity flickered…*I had just run out minutes before to roll up my windows ( in the nick of time) and grab my lit patriotic lanterns…not wanting them destroyed in the powerful summer thunder storm which was now gusting across the neighborhood.

After two more electrical flickers I turned off my computer and television…sitting in the growing darkness with two patriotic lanterns glowing  on the fireplace mantel. Suddenly I felt overwhelmed with appreciation for this country, for freedom, and sacrifice.

The loud thunder that shook the house amid the lightning streaks flashing across the sky was God’s own fireworks for this special occasion. Somewhere in the midst of watching it all play out through my happy room windows… I had an epiphany.

It dawned on me…we can’t have independence without being dependent on God and His guidance in our lives. I felt myself thanking God for His blessings upon us…

And so, God
On this memorable occasion,
In the midst of Your Mighty fireworks
Help me  remember that…
Our independence from tyranny
Is based on our Dependence
On You.

I then walked out on the porch and placed the last lantern on “Little Big Red” ….proudly blooming on yet another Independence Day!

What a wonderful family gathering this Fourth of July…with more family than we have had in quite awhile…which made it even more memorable and fun. Mollie’s and Rutledge’s plane landed in Charleston around 5:30 and it was great to have everyone home safe and sound. Eloise was so excited to see mommy and Rutledge!

Surcie (my car) is really getting spruced up but I must admit I was sad when (in over a decade) my new license plate arrived after I paid my taxes…I will miss AID 500….I never forgot that license plate and this one is just some numbers and letters. I saved my old license and propped it up by my desk computer.

 “Bye Trusty License Plate…You served me well and saw a little excitement there at the end too!”

I will always remember when I got my new cloth steering wheel covering…July 4, 2019! Looking good Surcie!!!!!

Dear Reader:

Traditional fireworks that increasingly brag about being bigger, better, and louder than previous years… are now being re-examined by many Canadians and Italians…can America be far behind?

We all are aware that the loud fireworks from July the 4th celebrations…whether displayed by town, city, community, or even neighbors’ fireworks cause our pets much distress, as well as, small children (many who cry and  hold their hands over their ears)  along with veterans suffering from PTSD…another oxymoron since we are supposed to be celebrating the bravery of our veterans who  helped preserve our country’s freedom.

Two specific locations have stepped up to re-create fireworks that are still beautiful for observers but quieter on the nervous system of wildlife, pets, children, and some veterans.

Banff, Canada: (Title photo)

Banff, a resort town situated near the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, switched to low-noise pyrotechnics in order to lessen the stress on wildlife and pets, according to Corrie DiManno, the deputy mayor.

“We wanted to minimize the impact on wildlife in the town site and obviously the surrounding national park, as loud fireworks can be stressful to them,” DiManno announced. “And for us, moving to special-effect pyrotechnics helps us to walk the walk, so to speak. We consider ourselves leaders in this environment preservation.

…The process of launching fireworks requires two stages.  The first stage includes the firing of the propellant charge, which shoots the fireworks into the air. The second stage contains the explosive charge and the material that makes colorful patterns. The noise level of the fireworks depends the chemical composition of the explosive charge and how tightly it’s wrapped.

Quiet fireworks aren’t a new invention, but they’re gaining popularity in parts of Europe.  *Collecchio, a town in Italy, banned regular fireworks in 2015. In Britain, venues near residents, wildlife or livestock only allow for quiet fireworks.

According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), shelters across the U.S. report an increase in the number of lost animals after the Fourth of July, as panicked dogs and cats flee from the booms and bangs of typical fireworks.

Collecchio, Italy:

It just wouldn’t be a Fourth of July celebration without fireworks — but for some, the fireworks display is less than enjoyable.

Young children, wildlife, pets and even veterans can have a difficult time with all of the noise that comes with seeing beautiful streaks of color in the sky. That’s precisely why Collecchio, Italy, passed a law that only permits the use of “quiet fireworks.”

“Quiet fireworks” may seem like an oxymoron, but there is a good chance you’ve seen them before, as these types of fireworks are usually seen within a traditional display. Ever seen the “comet tail” type that shoots a streak across the sky and then sparkles before it fades away? Then you’ve seen “quiet fireworks” — and you probably thought they were just as beautiful as the loud, booming ones.

Wildlife animals, like deer and coyotes are killed more on July the 4th than any other night as  animals panic and run into the highways to escape the sounds. 

When around fireworks, dogs panic and are known to jump through glass windows, jump over fences, get lost or even killed.”

Animals aren’t the only ones who find fireworks bothersome. Some children have a sensitivity to sustained loud noises. As Dr. Alan Greene wrote for Parents Magazine:

“All of our ears are vulnerable to loud noises, especially sustained loud noises … Some of kids’ senses aren’t as well developed as [adults] (vision, for instance), and others are even more acute, such as taste and hearing, so the fireworks may sound louder to [them].”

For combat veterans or others dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the loud noises could trigger a “fight-or-flight response,” according to the National Institute of Mental Health.  Some combat veterans have taken to posting signs outside their homes  asking neighbors to “be courteous with fireworks.”

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The longer I fight my particular cancer with its ups and downs concerning my white cell count…a condition that leaves me feeling depleted of energy a lot …I realize that when I “hit the wall” and my body tells me to rest…I must do it right then. I rest, relax, and then am ready to go again.

Eating small amounts of food several times a day and resting small amounts of time throughout the day seem to be the secret for me to keep my whole system functioning better than the traditional three meals and no naps that was previously my habit.

So when I read this recent observation by Kaitlyn, my lovely daughter-in-law, about a situation she experienced while hiking in Ireland…I could easily relate…it is the way I live my life more than before.

I am rested. I am whole
🌑
One day in Ireland Tommy and I hiked around a mountain lake in Annascaul. Tommy wanted to walk ahead and I felt ready to rest. I remember laying my head in the grass next to the stream and wanting to freeze that time. All I had to do was be: to lay on the earth and listen to her. I knew I would reflect back to this time and wish so badly for this simple state of beautiful being, and here it is.
.🌑
Tonight while meditating for the new moon and thinking about all the things I wanted call into my life, I realized@at the root of it is a desire to feel whole.
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I’m sure most of us can relate to the feeling of running on fumes: of feeling incomplete and unable to even accomplish the tasks we want because were so exhausted. I find myself lacking the will to even complete the most restorative tasks such as journaling, or meditating.
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When I’m done, I’m done and we live in a world that never rests. I KNOW I need to rest and rejuvenate and yet I still find myself committing to things that deplete me.
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So this month I believe I will focus on rest. We don’t have to do more to be more.
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I am rested. I am whole

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So until tomorrow…Native-Americans understood  the need to pause and rest on Mother Earth…to take time to listen to her ‘heartbeat’…letting ours go in sync with hers. Even on a holiday finding time to “be” is an important part of the celebration.

Happy Fourth of July!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Beverly Parkinson is so excited…she got her first morning glory bloom yesterday…she has waited all summer…I told her she got her natural blue…now just add a little red and white. Happy July 4th.

*Remember Brooke and Ted today…still at the rehab center in Hendersonville…prayers are needed to give Ted the strength needed to be able to return home…that would be the best celebration of all!

Rutledge took his last hike yesterday before heading back to the low country…(the third hike in three days)…

Enjoy it now sweet grandson because it is so hot back home… your Boo Boo feels like she is about to pass out just hiking from the house to the garden and back…unbelievably  toasty…it makes everyone pretty testy!

Dear Reader:

When I came across this sample bumper sticker in a magazine article (on humorous bumper stickers) Monday while waiting on my appointment to see my oncologist…I laughed out loud, in the waiting room, because it brought back a wonderful memory.

I have never been good at math…so by the time I started junior high in Fayetteville, North Carolina I would get a a queasy stomach just walking in my math class. I was in the seventh grade and we had just started a new unit on fractions and percentages. Since I had never “gotten” fractions…I had acquired no foundation to build on to figure out percentages.

I was hopelessly lost and too embarrassed to ask for help. After the first nine weeks report card it was obvious I needed help. Apparently mother talked to my teacher and asked about getting me a math tutor. My teacher told mother that she would keep me after school twice a week and work with me…no charge.

…And because mother worked until five…she said she would bring me home those two afternoons…after she discovered she lived only a few blocks from our house.

Mother was so grateful and appreciative. I was horrified. I was stuck with my math teacher for another long hour after school…just her and me! But by the third session I was actually beginning to understand fractions and found myself really liking this young math teacher.

One afternoon after my tutoring session,  I went to walk around the back of her car to the passenger side. I accidentally dropped my math book and while picking it up I noticed the bumper sticker…”4 out of 3 People Have Trouble with Fractions!” I stared at it a second, finally caught on, and burst out laughing. My teacher came around to see what had me so tickled and then she started laughing too.

On the way home she told me she hated math as a child and was terrible with fractions too…so when she saw this bumper sticker at a recent math conference she had to have it for her car. Suddenly my feelings of inadequacy slowly faded away…if my teacher once hated math and fractions but grew up to become a math teacher…surely I could learn fractions too…and I did.

My oncologist is young and has three adorable little children…we spend part of each appointment talking about her children and my grandchildren (exchanging smart phone photos) each visit between us. I had seen another adorable bumper sticker on the drive over Monday morning which reminded me of her.

It read…”Attitude On Board….and It Ain’t the Driver”! There was one arrow pointing to the passenger side and two arrows pointing to the back seats where I could see three little heads bobbing up and down from the side and back.

When I told my oncologist about the bumper sticker she laughed with tears in her eyes…”Exactly Right!” “I must write that one down.”

Haven’t we all  experienced seeing verses appear in the strangest places with just the right message for us within the verse? That is what happened in the following Guidepost article “Verse of the Day” by Jeff Little.

It’s time for the verse of the day!” the radio DJ announced. “Isaiah 41:10: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee…” The local Christian music station was my constant companion on my delivery drives, but until the DJ’s voice piped up, I’d barely been listening. Too many thoughts filled my mind. All the work I needed to do before my wife and I went away for the weekend.

If I could just get rid of my fears. I’d recently taken over the family business, a machine repair shop, and things hadn’t been going well. First, an employee brought a frivolous lawsuit against us, which crippled our finances. Then my shop manager and right-hand man had a heart attack. While he was recovering, I had to handle everything on my own. The stress and worry were eating me alive. I prayed, but was anyone listening?

My wife was convinced a weekend getaway to a scenic mountain town in North Carolina would help me relax. “It’ll be good for you, Jeff,” she said. I couldn’t imagine how. Not when the machine shop was on the edge of disaster.

After a few songs, the DJ spoke again. “For you listeners who missed it, the verse of the day is Isaiah 41:10: Fear thou not…” He read out the verse a second time. That was odd. I’d never heard them repeat the daily verse before.

Over the next few days, I struggled to figure out how to keep the business afloat. Soon the weekend arrived, and my wife wouldn’t let me back out of our plans. So we went. The mountain town was peaceful, but I’d lost the ability to relax. My wife and I ducked into a gift shop, and while she looked at postcards, I half-heartedly browsed the aisles, wondering how I could cut our trip short.

I stopped in front of a display of small cards.  Each one was printed with a different name on the front and a different Bible verse on the back. Curious, I thumbed through and found mine. Jeffrey. I pulled it from the box and flipped it over.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee… Isaiah 41:10.

My fears lifted then. I knew I we would be okay, no matter what. I was listening now.

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So until tomorrow…we keep talking about the messengers and messages made available to us in unexpected places at just the right times…letting us know God is listening to our prayers and responding accordingly to our needs.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

I have started getting ready for the Fourth…a little flag here, another there…another decoration hiding in the bottle tree.

Mollie just posted the most recent picture from the retirement retreat celebration for her dad, Bruce. The proud daddy of three beautiful daughters…from left to right…Whitney, Mollie, and Chelsey. (along with Mollie’s Rutledge and Chelsey’s Madeleine)

Adding to all the fun…the family had the “revealing” of the gender of Whitney’s baby…a little boy! That evens everything up…now Bruce and Marcia will be the proud grandparents of  three grandsons and three granddaughters…*with Rutledge being the oldest grandson and Madeleine the oldest granddaughter!