Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

I realize now that timing plays a big part in how one’s neighborhood comes together. For years tiny little Rainbow Road with basically five houses on it (not counting the end of the street houses that have a different road address since they face in another direction) were simply five little houses.

When the children were small two of the houses across the street had neighbors whose children played with mine and the neighbors were always so kind to mother, who at that time, lived on the other side. They would keep me abreast of her activities and how she was doing which was a relief to me since I was a single mom then and working full time.

Time passed, different people moved in, mother was gone, the children were gone and the five houses went back to just being five house connected by one road…but that was really about the only connection. I kept praying we would get some “new blood” in the neighborhood and lo and behold it came with a young man, Luke, who wanted to buy his first house and was about to be married to Chelsey.

But long before that Vickie, my wonderful neighbor next to Luke lived close by… for the longest time we had beeped and waved but that was about that…she was raising her granddaughter and on the go all the time… as well as I was when I worked around the state giving social studies presentations. I was always in and out.

But time has a way of slowing down life… Crystal (Vickie’s granddaughter) left for college, all my children were out of the house and we discovered we each had secret gardens in the back of our houses… so we started sharing plants and information about new ones on the market. Suddenly Luke, Chelsey, Vickie and I became close…Vickie watches the “children’s” (as we call them) chickens for them while they are gone and we share desserts and food regularly across the street now. Our neighborhood has turned into a Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood.

We watch out for each other houses (and cars) and Luke has added security lights to cover our section of the street. Rainbow Road is now one of the merriest streets in town.

We share happy news together…which reminds me of a saying Grandmother Wilson used to tell me…“Always be happy for your neighbors when things are going well for them…it means God is in the neighborhood!”

Saturday night I woke up with stomach cramps and by Sunday morning I felt like someone had siphoned all the life out of me…I have never felt so weak…could hardly get up and move around. What in the world I thought…must be some kind of stomach bug. Then I fell asleep and slept on and off all day and night. I was supposed to get my blood work checked yesterday but called and cancelled…there was no way I had enough energy to get there and I can only imagine the results of any blood test.

Vickie called to check on me and yesterday afternoon here came homemade chicken soup and cornbread…she had already brought over banana nut bread a couple of days earlier. Unbelievable.

Well…I just finished a bowl of Vickie’s homemade soup and her mother’s recipe for cornbread…(first thing I have eaten in over a day) so the “Boo” is back. The “rag doll” isn’t limp any more. As Poppy used to say, “I’m fine…I can still sit up and take nourishment.”

So until tomorrow...”We make our friends, we make our enemies, but God makes our next door neighbor.”- Chesterton (Can we hear an “Amen! 🙂

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

*Here comes my forsythia…the precursor to spring….much better indicator of spring than Phil the groundhog…sorry about that Phil! Though I do hope you are right this year.

Dear Reader:

Doesn’t this old decorated shoe box… transformed into a Valentines box bring back memories…especially for you Baby Boomers? It looks almost exactly like the Valentines box I found in the attic when we were cleaning it out to move from Fayetteville to Laurens.

I had made it in the fifth grade. That was the year I had my special teacher, Mrs. Williams, who took a shy introverted child and turned her into an out-going gregarious one. She had a stroke prior to the school year and as a result had a withered left hand. Since mother had lost one arm to cancer…she decided to make me her special project that year and as such I got to hand out the valentine supplies and shoe boxes to all my classmates…and then stay after school to deposit all the cards into each student’s box.

Those students, who were better in art, helped the students who were struggling and or eating more glue than pasting…So by valentines day everyone’s boxes were ready for deposit. The valentines day party and boxes was one of the highlights of children growing up the fifties and early sixties.

It was only after we left that safe secure cocoon of elementary school where everyone had everything given to them they needed to share equally in the valentines day celebration that valentines suddenly became more stressful, tearful, and lonely for many students, young people, middle-aged and older. It became more of a chore than something one wanted to do.

“Yesterday, on CBS Sunday Morning, the topic of loneliness arose and for the majority of Americans ….this condition is most prevalent around valentines. “

Anyone who feels lonely is far from alone. According to a recent study, over half of Americans now say they sometimes or always feel alone, and one in five says they rarely or never feel close to anyone. The new Cigna study reveals loneliness is at epidemic levels in America.

So, to be lonely, do you have to be alone?

“No,” former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “Because it’s about the quality of your connections with people. It’s not just how many friends you have.  It’s about, do those friends know you authentically?” It doesn’t matter who you are, or even how old you are. “The assumption that many people often have is that it’s older people who are lonely, but it turns out youth and young adults may have the highest rates of loneliness.”

The amount of loneliness (the program went on to explain) that one feels is in direct proportion to the amount of time spent on social media. (Especially among millennials, the ever-present phone may in part be why. Among the people who use social media the most, the higher the odds are of feeling lonely.)

One has to have an opportunity to build a long lasting friendship to dispel loneliness…someone you can call at a moment’s notice and talk to and feel connected to ..whether it is a spouse, sweetheart or simply a long-time friend.

Architecture is also making the workplaces lonelier than ever before…cubicles or even ‘think rooms’ don’t work unless there is already a true relationship of respect or caring built among its workers.

Psychotherapist Traci Ruble came up with an idea called “Sidewalk Talks” in San Francisco where people can pause in their daily lives and talk to someone ( chair to chair on the sidewalks) they just met. It’ s easier talking to a stranger many times than a relative, especially when you are trying to explain why you are feeling lonely.

Ruble went on and further explained:

“A few months ago, I had a young guy sit down – he was just fresh out of college – and he said to me, ‘I didn’t realize that work was gonna be like this, that I would sit in a cubicle all day looking at a screen talking to no one.’ And he didn’t say anything else. He just sat and cried for about 10 minutes. And then he said, ‘Huh, great, I feel so much better, thank you.’ And then he left.”

Strong relationships are the glue to a fulfilling life…if we feel left out or alone…it doesn’t matter if we live alone…most people admit to be lonelier around others than when alone by themselves. Personally I seek solitude every single day. I need my “pause” time to reflect on the day and assimilate all my thoughts and feelings.

So until tomorrow…the next time you feel lonely…”Don’t eat your heart out” ….go visit a neighbor or friend or simply call that someone from the past or present who you can pick up a relationship with… as if no time has passed at all. Always remember….If you are feeling lonely sometimes…you are not alone.” We are all connected under the sun.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

I gave the Ya’s these magnets the last time we were off together…because it is true…if anyone is lonely or feeling down…24/7 we know we have a friend.

The Columbia ‘Ya’s’ got treated to a James Taylor concert last Friday with Betsy and Colin (Libby’s daughter and son-in-law.)* No matter what has been going on James Taylor can heal every illness known to man or woman. Looking great girls!

Dear Reader:

Each lovely day with sunshine abounding I have been cutting back the dead stems on the potted plants hidden in the bushes and woods for protection this winter. Underneath the seemingly dead “stick-looking” stems is green…the most beautiful shades of green symbolizing the resurrection of life in each of these plants.

What is even more exciting is to find the first bloom among the green sprigs of life within the pots and planters. As in the title picture…I lovingly held this bloom softly upright for it to feel its first unobstructed taste of  the light of the sun. “What a bold pioneer” I thought to myself…to take a chance on the unknown and lead the way for the others to follow.

Aren’t we, too, suppose to live life boldly…love boldly, laugh boldly, pray boldly, take leaps of faith boldly…while traveling our own path with no one to follow but our intuition and faith…making bold decisions along the way each and every day?

We are told in scripture to “Come boldly to the throne of grace.”

If we don’t live life boldly…then what? The only alternative is to live it rigidly and habitually narrowing our perimeters as much as possible through each stage of life…taking no chances…better safe than sorry… becomes our motto. “No changes” becomes our mantra. We might not like all the restrictions we have voluntarily placed on our lives but, still,  isn’t it better staying put in the “known and expected” than in the “unknown and unexpected?”

In the Mitford series one of the residents tells Father Tim that he read  “Lindbergh often flew with the windshield iced over.”

Don’t we all sometimes feel that we are going through life the same way…flying by the seat of our pants..sometimes blindly? Yet for Lindbergh… he saw this problem differently…he now had an opportunity to figure out exactly how low he needed to go… to fly to melt the ice. This situation was a welcome challenge in what might have been a boring flight. He had a chance to learn something new that might help save other pilots’ lives.

Max Lucado shares several open short stories on-line with readers…this one “The Cave People” originated  from his book A Gentle Thunder (Thomas Nelson 1995) 

*I think you will see the metaphor in this story for living life boldly, meeting changes with courage, and sharing the light.

The Cave People 
by Max Lucado

He came to the world that was his own, but his own people did not accept him.
John 1:11

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LONG AGO, OR maybe not so long ago, there was a tribe in a dark, cold cavern.

The cave dwellers would huddle together and cry against the chill. Loud and long they wailed. It was all they did. It was all they knew to do. The sounds in the cave were mournful, but the people didn’t know it, for they had never known joy. The spirit in the cave was death, but the people didn’t know it, for they had never known life.

But then, one day, they heard a different voice. “I have heard your cries,” it announced. “I have felt your chill and seen your darkness. I have come to help.”

The cave people grew quiet. They had never heard this voice. Hope sounded strange to their ears. “How can we know you have come to help?”

“Trust me,” he answered. “I have what you need.”

The cave people peered through the darkness at the figure of the stranger. He was stacking something, then stooping and stacking more.

“What are you doing?” one cried, nervous.

The stranger didn’t answer.

“What are you making?” one shouted even louder.

Still no response.

“Tell us!” demanded a third.

The visitor stood and spoke in the direction of the voices. “I have what you need.” With that he turned to the pile at his feet and lit it. Wood ignited, flames erupted, and light filled the cavern.

The cave people turned away in fear. “Put it out!” they cried. “It hurts to see it.”

“Light always hurts before it helps,” he answered. “Step closer. The pain will soon pass.”

“Not I,” declared a voice.

“Nor I,” agreed a second.

The stranger stood next to the fire. “Would you prefer the darkness? Would you prefer the cold? Don’t consult your fears. Take a step of faith.”

For a long time no one spoke. The people hovered in groups covering their eyes. The fire builder stood next to the fire. “It’s warm here,” he invited.

“He’s right,” one from behind him announced. “It’s warmer.” The stranger turned and saw a figure slowly stepping toward the fire. “I can open my eyes now,” she proclaimed. “I can see.”

“Come closer,” invited the fire builder.

She did. She stepped into the ring of light. “It’s so warm!” She extended her hands and sighed as her chill began to pass.

“Come, everyone! Feel the warmth,” she invited.

“Silence, woman!” cried one of the cave dwellers. “Dare you lead us into your folly? Leave us. Leave us and take your light with you.”

She turned to the stranger. “Why won’t they come?”

“They choose the chill, for though it’s cold, it’s what they know. They’d rather be cold than change.”

“And live in the dark?”

“And live in the dark.”

The now-warm woman stood silent. Looking first at the dark, then at the man.

“Will you leave the fire?” he asked.

She paused, then answered, “I cannot. I cannot bear the cold.” Then she spoke again. “But nor can I bear the thought of my people in darkness.”

“You don’t have to,” he responded, reaching into the fire and removing a stick. “Carry this to your people. Tell them the light is here, and the light is warm. Tell them the light is for all who desire it.”

And so she took the small flame and stepped into the shadows.

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So until tomorrow…Don’t we see daily opportunities when we can step out of the shadows and bring light into another’s life? God is the “Father of Lights.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*It’s “Peek-a-Boo” time in the garden for the new flowers/blooms arriving. (Little Big Red has one bud in the cluster about to take the leap!) And one camellia bush that has never bloomed before has produced these camellias…for beauty inside and out.

Dear Reader:

Coke used “the pause that refreshes” as one of its many advertising campaign slogans over the years and it is a good one. My diet coke does refresh me when I need to take a pause…and my 2018 National Football Championship (Clemson specialty coke) makes me pause too and remember the happy moments of that final game this year…a memory for the ages!

But actually that isn’t what I want to talk about when I say “the pause that refreshes“…I want to talk about the moments in our lives when a scene or a comment or perhaps a lingering floral smell or a gift of laughter forces us to pause, reflect, and leave refreshed.

I remember reading about a little town that used this slogan for their welcome sign….”Welcome to Eden… the “Pause that Refreshes.” I like it!

Yesterday when I finally got home and plopped down in my recliner I noticed the new wooden cross I bought in the ETC. shop behind Hutchinson Square….simple but pretty in its simplicity…just seems to take a planter up a notch!

I got a little ‘delaying’ news at the weekly wound center examining room in Mt. Pleasant yesterday. My wound has come so far since early October and is about 90% there but the most important ending is still pending. My skin just doesn’t seem to want to finish the job of covering the wound.

So it looks like Dr. Stroud (and the rest of the medical team) concur that we will drop back and punt by going to plan B…using another (more regularly used procedure) to hopefully get the job done. It will happen…I know that..my immune system is just having a hard time right now ‘sealing the deal.” For me it is going to require patience and ‘amazing grace’ to see me home’…100 Rainbow Road home! 🙂

But the good news is….I am completely free from pain and can continue to maneuver through the normalcy of daily life with the help of my beloved car Surcie and my own two God-given feet…so all is good.

And…I can even walk around a couple of blocks with absolutely no trouble….Mike and Dee Lesko  kindly sent me another kind of “surcie” yesterday! When I saw their names on the card in the box I knew I was in for a hoot of a surprise! I was not disappointed.

It is an indoor exercise block to help me with my daily exercise regime. Before I show you the picture of this ‘machine’….Thank you Dee and Mike…you made my day. I have never laughed so hard in all my life. Love you two! Perfect timing!

  ***And I found the accompanying card absolutely prophetic! A hairy evangelist from the wild…and you two do get an “Amen” from me as soon as I can pick myself up off the floor! I think you just gave me Plan C and it sure sounds quicker than A or B! 🙂

If laughter is the best medicine…then I am miraculously healed…God provides exactly what we need when we need it…to remind us not to take ourselves so seriously….just enjoy each moment and all the wonderful surprises life can offer!

After I left the office I went by Walsh and Mollie’s and we took Eloise and went out to eat lunch…so much fun! I then surprised Rutledge by showing up with Mollie to pick him up from school and got a four-leaf clover in return…Rutledge was really surprised to see Boo Boo and I got to see all his newly acquired football moves when we got home!

So until tomorrow…Thank you God for sending me “the spiritual pauses that refresh” yesterday…a reminder of Your love and the love and support of friends, family, and laughter!!!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

As I walked through the garden yesterday morning…I spotted this adorable little “Daisy Falls” osteospermum”…a fairly recent addition to the horticulture world. It is an African daisy…and sometimes regarded as a weed in Australia…they love early and cool spring days but they are also drought-resistant and sun-loving. (Supposedly an annual…it is popping back up again this year…just the kind of plants I love.)

As I took the picture I recognized its shadow behind it and smiled to myself. How proud this little African daisy must be…to pop up for the first time this year and be alive…so alive it can have a shadow.

That was an “aha” moment for me…one way we can tell if we are alive and on top of the ground is that we can make a shadow. Shadows and life go hand in hand.

All throughout literature… stories of humans searching for their shadows to reassure themselves that they are alive and complete… show up in different arenas….from Peter Pan chasing his shadow to vampires…since they don’t have a soul… they can not have a reflection or a shadow…technically they are dead creatures…not living creatures in the sense of soul and spirituality. (And of course…even ground hogs…who we all hope don’t see their shadows.)

If having a shadow means so much to us…surely it is just as important to all God’s creations on earth…including plant life and this pretty little pink bold African daisy who popped up on the first warm day in February. (I think we actually set a record yesterday…my car said 82 at one time outside…so a hot day!)

Gin-g and I decided to have a “snapshot adventure” on this gorgeous day…getting our favorite chocolate milkshake from Arby’s and returning to Hutchinson Square….to sit around the fountain and catch up on our own memories of Summerville and this square.

For me it played an important role in my life…from Scarecrows on the Square, my ghost storytelling I did for about two decades each Halloween and then watching Mandy’s art classes compete each year for the winning Halloween display. Lots of fond memories.

I believe the town is trying to keep the final section…around the train depot pavilion…a secret. But I climbed up on the cement border and shot this picture over the fence that surrounds it. Still just a hint of what is to come. And it does look like it will be complete before the end of the month!

We, also, went in several unique merchandising shops around the square…Summerville is so blessed to have such a diversity of local shops. I even found a Valentines card for Sammy the Cardinal to give his wife…but everyone will have to wait until Valentines Day to see it.

Gin-g told me about a fun scavenger hunt for children the Visitors Center has that I want to try out with the grandchildren. It involves birds…finding them…not the live ones…the architecturally building decor kind. We found some…but don’t want to give away the fun. And never tell the children about the whereabouts of the snowman…they must find it on their own with your own scavenger hunt perhaps as the grand finale ….he does exist…always looking down on one section of the town.

Here are some photos of the garden before I left to pick up Gin-g and other photos taken walking and riding around town.

So until tomorrow…”Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Long before the invention of electricity… when candle light and fires were the only lights to be found at night…medieval mystics wondered and pondered the question in nightly darkness… “Where does the light go when the candle is blown out?”

I had a moment of wonder myself, concerning the subject of light recently, which had Luke falling all over himself laughing when I told him about it.

*But first let me give you some precursor information on the electrical wiring (or lack of ) in my home. It was built back in the late 70’s by one of the coaches back then who was doing construction/real estate on the side.

To say he cut corners when it came to saving money on construction is an understatement….I wonder if he didn’t use high school kids to put the electricity and plumbing in actually…because this house has lots of idiosyncrasies…especially when it comes to electricity.

Every time Luke comes over to change a ceiling bulb or front porch light for me and asks if the switch is off…I think to myself…your guess is as good as mine…sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. For example I have one front porch light that stays off…until it doesn’t.

There seems to be a pattern to the craziness of it all….three nights off, two on, three nights off, two on. I never know when it will turn on when I flip the switch. I told Luke I would wait until a whole week has gone by before getting him to replace any one of the porch light bulbs permanently.…(that term being used lightly.)

My den and kitchen lights sometimes require me running back and forth between two different sets of outlets across the room or even in different rooms to find that special combination that will turn the lights on. It can be frustrating when you are in a hurry to cook something.

The strangest episode of all, however, happened about a week ago. I was watching television one night and fell asleep on the sofa which happens occasionally…no big deal..I keep an extra blanket on the sofa for just this occasion if needed. I stirred around 5:00 a.m….realized what I had done… got up, turned the blue screen on my television off and fell back asleep on the sofa.

Right before dawn suddenly I experienced it. The brightest light filled my closed, sleeping eyes….suddenly in my dazed state…I felt like I was swimming in light. As I struggled to open my eyes a sense of wonder engulfed me…and I immediately thought…”Is this it…is this the light I have always heard about…leading me to that next world?” As beautiful as the flooded light around me was…I was also nervous. What if this was it…suddenly the faces of everyone I loved flashed through my mind….and it took every ounce of courage I had to brace myself and open both eyes.

I was still in my ‘Happy Room’ (Whew!)…the shutters were closed and pre-dawn shadows filled the room except for the two large ceiling fan lights (3 bulbs per fan) beaming down on me. One fixture was directly over the sofa with all three bulbs beaming down right on top of me…and they were on the brightest/highest setting…mystery solved …It was the bright lights that  had awoken me.

But how? How did lights that had been turned off for weeks prior to this bizarre event suddenly turn on…all by themselves?

When I re-told the story to Luke when he got home later that same day…I said, “All I could think about was…I’m not ready Lord…I want to see my foot completely healed, I just got my new car and still have lots to learn about how to work all the “extras” on it, I have a doctor’s appointment and I haven’t given them 24 hours notice that morning, and I planted five Japanese Maples that I wanted to see completely grown…for each of my grandchildren. Do we get one turn-down option and can throw the card back into the pile?”

Luke was chuckling loudly and assured me that he and Chelsey were certainly glad I had not followed a crazy fan light to the life hereafter.

I replied, “All I read about in magazines today is how the sixties are supposed to be the new “forties”…I am beginning to think it goes the opposite way…the sixties now are the new “eighties!” 

So until tomorrow…I don’t know where the light goes when the candle is blown out…no more than the medieval mystics did…In fact I don’t even know why the light can suddenly appear all by itself…just because it can… I reckon.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Speaking of the five Japanese Maples….here they  are…looking like each survived the coldest weather, none the worse…and I can hardly wait to see how much growth takes place this spring and summer. So much fun watching them grow!

*It reminds me of a favorite quip…“At my age one doesn’t permit oneself two things: young wine and small trees.” *( I guess I am just hopelessly optimistic that I will see them all grow tall and strong…the children and the trees.“)

From the oldest to the youngest: (L to R) Eva Cate, Rutledge, Jake, Lachlan, and Eloise.)

• A shout-out to my niece, Bekak…who started her first day at Fort Dorchester High School (yesterday) as an assistant teacher. Congrats and good luck!

Dear Reader:

Many of you have probably seem all the news about the problem with finding Valentine’s most popular candy…NECCO’s Valentine wafers with conversation messages on them. (As you can see from the title picture…NECCO has kept up with technology…encompassing ‘tech talk’ in love expressions on their Valentine wafers…until this year.)

The historic candy maker (which stands for New England Confectionery Company) had been in operation since 1847 and was the oldest continuously running candy company in America. Less than two weeks from Valentine’s Day, we’re facing a mild catastrophe: We will not be telling each other “I Love You” or “Fax Me” or “LOL” with Sweethearts conversation hearts this year. There will simply be none for sale anywhere in 2019.

The new company, who bought out NECCO simply didn’t have time this year to produce the annual 8 billion wafers…but promises they will return next year.

Actually, however, the post today is not about valentine candy…no matter how good it is and how much we will miss it. It is about a “God shaped vacuum that resides in the heart of every person”…at least according to mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher Blaise Pascal.

Pascal was born in France in 1623 and died in 1662 at the young age of 39. His father, a judge and tax collector kept his frail son at home to educate him.

He believed in only educating Blaise in the classics…Greek and Latin…he was forbidden to study math…which meant, of course, that is all he wanted to study.

At 12 he found a geometry book and after reading for a few minutes created his own proposition that the sum of a triangle is equal to 2 right angles. His father, realizing his son was a child prodigy…gave in to his son’s interest in geometry.

By 16 he had written several essays and treatises on geometric theories, analytical geometry and physics. He made important contributions to geometry, calculus, and helped develop the theory of probability. Pascal’s law is the basis for hydraulic operations. At l9, he invented the world’s first mechanical calculator. The computer language known as PASCAL was named after him.

Then, for no apparent reason, he abandoned mathematics to pursue religion and to “contemplate the greatness and misery of man.”

It was during this time as he searched and struggled to find his own meaning of life and religious beliefs that he had a near-death accident. His two horses and carriage got away from him and went over the side of a bridge (over the Seine) almost taking him with them… but, at the last minute, he managed to escape and jump onto a busy street thus saving himself.

“That night he experienced a Christian conversion that would cause his outstanding scientific work to take second place in his pursuits. Light flooded his room. He recognized Jesus as the Word. For the rest of his life Pascal carried around a piece of parchment sewn into his coat in front of his heart describing the accident. He also included and inscribed these ecstatic phrases:

“God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers and scholars…Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy…’This is life eternal that they might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.’ Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ…May I not fall from him forever…I will not forget your word. Amen.”

(Source: Blaise Pascal’s Conversion: Diana Severance, PH.D Edited by Dan Graves, MSL.)

Pascal wrote “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.”

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Don’t we all see what happens when people try to fill that sacred vacuum with any man-made created thing…if we try to fill  it with drugs or alcohol, jealousy or hatred, envy, self-arrogance, money, possessions, apathy, ungratefulness or greed. The list could go on and on.

People fill this God-given sacred heart vacuum expecting much and receiving nothing…and we can’t figure out why?

So until tomorrow…Let us remember God that “things” can never take the place of love…”things” can never take Your Place.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

I know this tree-like plant looks really pretty so I took a picture before Luke cut it down ..he thinks it is called a ‘Prickly Something” …he sees them a lot in his work in forests and clearances. Even though the leaves are beautiful…the thorns that protrude from the stems are so long they are scary. It had to come down…it was potentially dangerous for the grandchildren who might be playing or running close by.

Besides…Eloise’s little Japanese Maple  needs more room now because spring is popping up behind her small sapling…in the form of soon-to be daffodils.

Dear Reader:

Yesterday was so absolutely gorgeous…it literally took my breath away! There was not a cloud to be seen in the bluest of azure skies…it felt more like a typical late October blue than a February one.  With little or no humidity… walking around town was like a 3-D experience or a pop-out greeting card come to life.

I decided I must return to Hutchinson Square and sit down and relax… thinking back on the history of this park located in the center of town…named for Summerville’s first mayor Edward L. Hutchinson.

Summerville started out as a resort town to help Charleston residents escape the summer mosquito infested lowlands and move to a higher elevation of cool pine trees….by 1828 twenty-eight well-to- families had made the move to Summerville as a second home (summer cottages.)

It didn’t take long for this quaint village retreat to become popular. By 1830 the South Carolina Railroad came through Summerville and a new town plan was laid out with streets parallel and perpendicular to the tracks for easy travel access. The “new town,” as it was called, was just east of the original settlement of Old Summerville and Mayor Edward L. Hutchinson became its first mayor.

*Several times in my blog posts… I have mentioned that I wish our town would fix up this old square and add an old-fashioned Victorian bandstand/pavilion for entertainment and speeches….to provide many more benches, plants, flowers,fountains, statues, and trees. And my wish is coming true!

(Photo: Images of America Summerville  by Jerry Crotty & Margaret Ann Michels.)  The original train depot, dating back to the 1880’s had a classic Victorian style building with elaborate gingerbread trim.

(It was later moved to Ladson to make way for the larger depot that was needed.)

(Resource: Flowertown Realty- Susan Gardner- “Hutchinson Square-History and Renovation Update”)  *Great research!

“The road was paved with bricks shortly thereafter, as seen in the photo dating back to 1916 with T model cars and horse and buggy.  The train station was a landmark in Summerville at that time and many business men commuted back and forth to Charleston daily. 

***During the current renovation, over 20,000 bricks from the original road were recovered. Surprisingly, they were in great shape and because they were such a part of the history, they were preserved and are being used in the current renovations.”

It is so nice to have a central walk-way that will connect the park from end to end….the tree and sitting area  (title photo) to the middle (the fountain) to the replica of the old train depot, now the pavilion.

The pavilion and surrounding area is the last section to be completed but every day, while driving by, there are signs of progress and the excitement builds! It is scheduled to be finished by the end of the month.

I can’t stop the post here without adding a bizarre legend concerning the original Summerville train depot. Every year around Halloween my students would always talk about the “lights” on the railroad tracks running through Summerville… accompanied by screams of fear. The stories varied somewhat but I think the legend probably originated from the largest earthquake to hit the southeast….destroying many buildings in Summerville and Charleston area…August 31, 1886.

(*Earthquakes are most expected in the Charleston area, particularly near Summerville, because of the faults in the earth here. The Charleston area was the site of the largest earthquake ever recorded in South Carolina, a 7.3 magnitude quake in 1886.)

Out of this horrific calamity of nature came an old Summerville story… concerning a train coming through Summerville the night of the earthquake and the miracle that saved it.

Rick Dunbar, a well-known author (“Vacation Rick”) on  local legends and ghost stories in the lowcountry area… tells this bizarre tale about a near calamity that would have killed many people except…

It was 9:45 p.m.. August 31, 1886. A commuter train that had just passed Jedburg was due to arrive in the Summerville station within a few short minutes.Frank Doar, the station master, was half asleep waiting on its arrival.

Suddenly he felt himself being shaken by an elderly black man who excitedly told him that the tracks farther up the line were twisted so badly it would derail the train. Frank had to send out the flares, called torpedoes back then, to warn the engineer and the train’s passengers.

Normally Frank would have asked more questions before reacting but there was something about this man, who appeared out of no where, that made him believe he was telling the truth. Immediately he sent the flares out into the night and then turned around to thank the unexpected messenger/visitor but no one was there. He had vanished.

At 9:50 the earthquake struck…walls of buildings began toppling, large trees were uprooted and the engineer was desperately trying to slam on brakes but to no avail…the waves coming from the quakes was making the train go faster and faster.

He looked up and saw the flares coming at the train and once again hit the brakes as hard as he could…the train miraculously started slowing down and stopped one mile before their approach into Summerville. Everyone was terrified but all had survived.

 When it was light enough to see the next morning everyone walked up the track and just a few miles away the quake had twisted the tracks into a “S” shape which would surely had derailed the speeding train.

Frank Doar was proclaimed the hero of that famous incident…but he refused any accolades…he said it was the elderly man who saved that train…but no one knew him or had seen anyone like the person Frank described…Frank then decided the stranger was indeed an angel and as such deserved everyone’s prayers and blessing of thanks.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

So until tomorrow….Let us always remember to look forward but to also never forget the past….the foundation on which each generation stands…and learns from its history.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

It’s camellia season in the lowcountry…all the famous plantations are having special events built around this beautiful, glorious and historical lowcountry flower. However, I need not leave my home or yard to find the same beauty.

Gin-g ran by yesterday with a Valentines cookie and a camellia which she added to one vase….what a beautiful season of the year!

My camellia “tree” is right outside my window when I type…it never fails to lift my spirits.

Dear Reader:

Saturday morning I got a call from Mandy inviting me for supper and a spend-the-night over because John was trying out his new waffle toaster for a  breakfast brunch the next morning. Eva Cate got on the phone and wanted me to come play with her and Jake. A grandmother can’t turn down an invitation like that…good food, good company.

One of my favorite quotes (loosely connected to St. Francis of Assisi) says: “Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary use words.”

Most of us probably (hearing this phrase for the first time) interpret this quote as meaning to show our faith by sharing it with others through deeds over talk.

According to most dictionaries a “sermon” can be defined formally or informally. A sermon is a speech, usually religious in nature, given by a priest, preacher, rabbi, or other religious leader as part of a service. Although most sermons focus on Bible passages, you can use the word sermon more generally to refer to any speech that contains a moral or insightful lesson on life in a more informal setting.

This second definition brings us to the title picture of Jake and “Donkey” looking rather despondent and reflective yesterday morning when I found him lying on the living room floor staring out the side windows by the front door.

Jake made his first appearance in the den (where I was sleeping on the sofa around 6:30)…I was groggy and still “out of it”  so he left but returned a few minutes later riding “donkey”… his favorite mode of transportation. (You can hear Jake and donkey bouncing along from each room in the house…even with the doors closed.)

Everyone was asleep but the “donkey ride” woke John and he admonished Jake to stop bouncing and be quiet…everyone was still asleep. (John has been feeling slightly under the weather for awhile and everyone at the Turners’ home was hoping to get a few extra zzzz’s  in yesterday morning.)

So Jake  positioned himself on the floor with “night night” (his blankie) in his mouth lying on his beloved donkey and staring out at the early dim light of an overcast morning. The weather was not a deterrent for Jake. He was completely bewildered as to why anyone would want to sleep when it was obviously morning and time to rise and “shine.”.

I draped a blanket around me and softly walked over to where he was and sat down by him. I didn’t say anything…I just waited to hear what he was going to say…and I got it…my “sermonette” for the day.

“It is morning Boo Boo…I hear the birds and the ‘gooses’ flying over…they are all awake and they can bounce up and down in the sky and sing and talk loud…and no one tells them to be quiet. I wish I was a bird or a goose!”

Life in the eyes of a four-year-old…is there anything better? Jake always surprises me with his insights…the funniest one happened a few weeks ago while I was still hobbling around and hanging on to chairs from room to room….I saw Jake watching me and he seemed somewhat distressed.

“Boo Boo…how did you get to be old?” Trying to keep a straight face to match his concern over this personal revelation, I replied…“I think I just got lucky Jake.”

He thought about my response for a few seconds and then starting laughing and rolling over on the floor telling everyone “Boo Boo just got lucky to get old!” This thought tickled his funny bone apparently!

Aren’t there “sermons” around us all the time as we go through each day? Sunrises and sunsets are some of the most spectacular sermons I have ever witnessed… along with the ordinary gifts of beauty (wildflowers in a jar, gardens, blue skies without a cloud, etc.) from God that touch us every day and lifts us up.

The Word of God, audible or inaudible, visible or invisible is a constant in our lives if we recognize it as such. It can come from the most amazing experiences to the most mundane…like from the voice of a four-year-old and his “donkey.”

So until tomorrow….If you wonder where God is…you need look no farther than the space and people who  surround you on any given day.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Eva Cate and I got some “girl talk” time and she modeled an adorable 50’s style dress Mandy got her for the American Girl musical show coming to Charleston next month. And Jake was just happy to be able to continue bouncing on donkey.

I had to do a ‘double-take’ when I went in the kitchen and saw the latest message on the chalkboard. Eva Cate made her debut writing on it by announcing Happy Groundhog Day….Punxsutawney Phil…accompanied by her artistic rendition of a groundhog.

*Eva Cate…your display must have brought us good luck since old “Phil” didn’t see his shadow so perhaps spring will come early this year. For us in the lowcountry…it is happening this week…we are leaving freezing temps at night and cool days behind to have some sun out again and temps in the 70’s this week!

***Today is the 100th day of school so Rutledge’s school is having the students dress up like they are 100 years old. Mollie sent me these pictures this morning. I told her what a great job she had done and if she could do that in reverse I would call and make an appointment!:)

Dear Reader:

Yesterday Kate-Wolfe-Jensen’s post theme dealt with creating pockets of joy in our daily lives. She reminds us that we need to stop and record mentally when something makes us feel joyful so we can experience it again… if possible. Jensen writes:

Choosing joy is simple

“Choosing joy is simple. You decide to lean into joy. You take a look around and notice the colors, the light and shadows, the beautiful forms around you. You smile. You feel a lightning of your spirits.

Then life intervenes. You get busy. You hear the news. You learn that a friend is in the hospital (or you are in the hospital yourself.) You realize that you have forgotten to choose joy.

No problem. You remember your choice and begin again. You notice the texture of your clothing against your skin. You feel the air as it caresses your cheek. You smile. You feel your spirits rise.

Choosing joy is as simple as experiencing this moment.”

Yesterday on my way home from getting my taxes done in Goose Creek…( I came out a little on the good “refund” side so I am happy about that…even happier to have the process complete and checked off) I saw a truck that I occasionally see in the lowcountry area. It was a couple of cars up from me but I could just see the tip top of the lettering and it always makes me smile.

Linda Carson first made me aware of this truck when she sent me a picture and told me how happy it made her when she catches it on her way to work some days. A simple message “Keep on Smiling”….but what a difference it makes to so many who see it….it starts our days off right or end wonderfully.

When I went to feed the birds I saw this hanging basket along side my driveway…so pretty in its beautiful simplicity…and joy filled me.

Then my wonderful neighbor, Vickie, sent me this picture from an article showing a half-male, half-female cardinal discovered in Erie, Pennsylvania….An one in a million rarity of  this genetic occurrence. Studies of these rare genetic birds show that the affected cardinals never have a mate or sing…which makes me kinda sad. They are accepted by other cardinals but largely ignored since they don’t have a mate. But what a beautiful design God gave this little creature.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/01/half-male-half-female-cardinal-pennsylvania/

All of these things yesterday brought pockets or moments of joy to me but let me confess a true “pocket of joy” that I play occasionally. I love life-savers so about once a month I buy a bag of them, all separately wrapped, and put one of each color down in one of the pockets in my new handbag for about a week.

While driving I will randomly feel for a lifesaver…whichever one I pull out I eat…but I experience an extra thrill of joy if it is the orange lifesaver…my favorite or the cherry red...my next favorite. (If it is the lime or grape I eat it…but they aren’t my favorites.) It is the suspense of seeing if I can pull a “pocket of joy” or perhaps just a little smile…that makes the day bright and sometimes even brighter.

So until tomorrow…Look for joy every single day…because a day without joy is like a day without a smile. Life is too short to miss out on either on any given day.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh