Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

Sunday morning I had the television on rather low and was dozing on and off but I heard the speaker say something about the two worst thieves for human beings are called past and future. They rob us of present happiness and joy by filling us with regrets and worry instead.

Since I have just had an experience with thieves (well actually one thief, two robberies) I opened my ears to listen to the voice more intently. If you grew up in the South most of us heard the expression “Don’t go borrowing trouble“….in other words don’t worry about the future ….the future will take care of itself.

And it is true…between anguishing over something in our past that we keep pouring ‘salt in the wound’ into and worrying about something that may or may not come to pass…it doesn’t leave the moment, the present, to be filled with happiness and joy. God did not want us to live this way.

And sometimes when we get overloaded with too many problems hitting at one time it is easy to succumb to these greedy thieves. But we are better than that….God knows exactly how much we can take and we, too, soon come to discover we can take a lot more than we thought.

I don’t have the time to write out the whole story but if you have never read the true story of Phan Thi Kim PHuc (famously known by the Vietnam photograph as the “Napalm Girl”…take some time to pull her name and read her biography. )

She fought the “two thieves” throughout her past (childhood and adolescence) present adulthood and future. She could not find the peace she so desired until she found Jesus at a rally one night. It changed her life around. She went from being that “Napalm Girl” to (today) a motivational speaker in Canada. She beat the “two thieves.”

Her story is so powerful.

So until tomorrow….Remember…being strong helps us to keep calm and protect our happiness and joy for life.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

I woke up early yesterday morning and decided to check the blog post because I remembered an excerpt I forgot to place in it. It was a little after six and just as I was finishing the addition to the post I glanced out my side window and saw the most beautiful peach-colored clouds gathering in the sky. The miracle of morning.

It reminded me of a workshop Kelly Rae Roberts and a friend, Lacey, were launching under the theme of a Self-Care Sanctuary. They were tuning into two important times during our day that are important to recognize as critical catalysts to starting and ending each day with gratitude and blessings.

These two times are called: “Creating and writing down a morning flow called “Rise + Soulshine” that will support nourishing mornings vs rush rush rush. Ditto for the evenings but I’m calling it “Evening Flow + Let Go”

As I stared out my window yesterday at the beauty of an early fall sunrise the term “Soulshine” felt nicer and nicer. Early morning is the time for repose…as much as the evening. It is a time to reflect on our lives, our goals and directions, letting our soul and heart be our guide and just not our minds.

Apparently Kelly Rae Roberts has pretty much had the same challenges in her life as I have recently experienced. Hers centered around vertigo, a knee injury, some weird scalp affliction that made her hair start falling out, two workshops out of state, selling their house, living with her parents until their house is completed in Three Sisters, Oregon…her son starting second grade and her husband starting a new job….plus a terrible airplane flight debacle.

After reading Kelly’s last few weeks scenario…mine pales in comparison….but it is the reason why soothing mornings are so important… leaving time to chat with God about His guidance throughout the day and our lives. Leaving Him off the ‘to-do’ list is never a good idea. When we try to do this thing called “life” alone…we are never successful. We end up butting heads instead of holding hands.

I love this poem by John O’Donohue titled: “On Waking”

“The waves of possibility breaking on the shore of dawn”.…isn’t that the opportunity each fresh new dawn gives us…hope? Hope for a better tomorrow and the perseverance to see each day through to the fullest….squeezing all the richness out of life we can every day?

So until tomorrow….May each morning be blessed by our Creator …Who watches in silent expectation to see which path in life we choose.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

I felt as if my home missed me when I returned Friday…so much so that it was going all out to let me know how glad it was I had returned.

While sitting in my recliner (with my foot propped up) two beautiful birds perched on the top of the ‘chapel of hope’ bird feeder. I couldn’t leave the recliner and get over to the window in time before each flew off so I just took the picture from the recliner and tried to enlarge it….in both cases it worked. Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal sat there for several minutes each as if posing for me.

I was still so excited about getting these photos as I went into my “office” to check yesterday’s post. Casually I glanced outside at the bird feeder (which needed filling) and the trellis (where once the moon flowers bloomed.) But with the hot, dry drought in September I had not seen a bloom in weeks.

Still something kept making me ‘curiosier and curiosier.’ It looked like a little ghost was flying in the breeze behind the array of large moon flower leaves. Perhaps it is some trash…a little white piece of paper I thought….finally I couldn’t stand it any longer. I had to satisfy my curiosity.

It was the largest moon flower bloom of the year that was blooming backwards…not towards the front of the trellis and my vision from my window… but behind it….and was it ever a beauty! Hidden beauty.

Jake was so excited about going to school Friday because that is ‘Treasure Trove’ day. If they have been good all week they get to pick a ‘treasure’ from the box.

Jake thought he had a pretty good shot at the trove and Mandy told me Friday evening he had picked a red car hot wheel and was beyond thrilled.

What is it about a hidden treasure that is so much more exciting than a visible one? Aren’t we reminded through scripture that God is our greatest Treasure. All the treasures of wisdom, knowledge, and truth are hidden in our Creator… if we put Him first?

For some reason as I stared at that beautiful moon flower bloom a phrase I heard recently came back to me “Abide in the calm.” It was exactly what was happening. For that one perfect moment of beauty…all the craziness of the past two weeks melted away and I lost myself, and my cares of the world into the beauty of one of God’s marvelous creations.

Abide is a tricky little word. It is a contradiction within itself….we can abide or reside, dwell in a certain place or we can respect (abide) certain rules or we simply can’t “abide” (tolerate) change or diversity.

How we abide in life is one of the most important decisions we make early on. Will we choose to ‘abide in calm’ grateful for every moon flower bloom or creation God gave us or choose to live a narrow, negative life of not being able to “abide” other people or places or situations we perceive as opposite to our way of thinking? The choice is up to us.

So until tomorrow….May you all ‘abide in calm and peace’ and have a beautiful day.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

The two “bestest” nurses in the world came over to help change the bandages on my “boo boo owie” yesterday and it feels so much better with all that tight-garbed pressure gauze off. I have, also, been craving fruit and Carrie brought some back, along with bandages from Target, where she and Doodle went. Thank you my guardian angels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Reader:

John (my son-in-law) took me back to Summerville yesterday morning after dropping everyone else off at school. He also helped me limp into the Summerville Police Department to get my copy of the final report. I now have a name and address for my car thief….a teenage boy and his address is in the same proximity of where my car was left the first time.

I don’t know how all of it is going to shake out…but it will come to pass soon enough I imagine. I am still waiting to hear the final verdict on my car.

As far as the Mohs surgery on my left foot…it was pretty deep and Dr. McGowan had to go in twice to get it all. I will have to admit that it is one of the most painful (after math) procedures. I was so numbed up during the surgery I didn’t feel anything but once it wore off…I was in some pretty serious pain. It was a deep throbbing ache like a toothache with burning stabs of pain.

My foot was also doing a lot of extra bleeding so I had to go in the next morning to get it checked again and cleaned up. I literally slept on and off again all day Thursday which ended up being a big help. Dr. McGowan put me on a second antibiotic…since my white blood count is so low and puts me in a more compromising position to heal naturally.

He is just fabulous! He called me twice Tuesday evening to check on me and then had me come in Wednesday morning to check everything one more time. So nice! The foot will take some time to heal…an Epi skin transplant is being used to fill in the wound little by little. But I certainly don’t mind returning….because look at my doctor.

Wow….is he cute and he is from Laurens where I graduated high school. He knows my cousins and we figured there were less than six degrees separation between us.

He made me his V.I.P. patient and I felt like I had a tiara sitting on my head. What’s a little pain when there is so much to gain, right?

I return next Tuesday for a follow-up appointment and to keep adding more skin transplant to the wound. Sadly Dr. McGowan will be gone on vacation but I will see him soon enough when he returns.

I read somewhere recently where it is “okay to not be okay” We can allow ourselves the moment…however long it lasts…an afternoon, day, or week…to not be completely in sync and to not have it all together.

There is no need to force ourselves back on top when we just aren’t feeling it….life is full of ebbs and flows, highs and lows. We need to learn to ride them out instead of trying to fight them back. It really is “okay with not being okay.”

So until tomorrow…This series of unfortunate episodes in my life lately (car stolen twice and wound showing squamous cells) reminds me to always be ready… We shouldn’t always get so attached to routine that we miss out on a chance to make something big happen. If we look for opportunities inside problems we tend to find them. We must be ready for whatever life gives us.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

One nice thing about being at John and Mandy’s is that the children and grandchildren (and grand dogs) ended up stopping by to see me and I loved it. Mollie sent some pictures of Walsh with Eloise and another family picture by Sarah.

Little Jake became my right hand man (literally)… he would walk me to the bathroom and back…my kindred birthday soulmate! Who needs a walking cane when you can have a little Jake waiting to escort you anywhere.

I had not been home two hours when I looked up and saw Doodle and Lassie coming in the house….Doodle had made me some homemade chicken salad and as she remembered (Dee Dee’s chicken/rice pileau with butter beans)…the best medicine in the world! It was so fun to catch up since we weren’t together on the Race for the Cure day for the first time in eight years!

I cut and pasted these sweet comments of support because the computer wasn’t letting me reply….but when I read these different comments it reminded me again how the blog post is a two-way street.

Dear Reader,

I wanted to give you a quick update on the last couple of days. I had the Mohs surgery on my foot on Tuesday morning. It took a while but they did get all the cancer cells which is a relief. However, it has been extremely painful and I have been very limited in my ability to get around. I am supposed to stay off the foot for the next few days so I will probably not be at home until Friday. I’m on lots of medication which was added to the already heavy medicated schedule.

So I am not going to post a blog until Saturday. Thank you for all your emails, text and telephone calls… Your thoughts and prayer have been most appreciated. I am glad to say that is over but it is a process and will take a few weeks until I’m back to walking.

Take care if you are in the path of hurricane Micheal – Looks like we will miss the major force of this hurricane.

Dear Reader:

In case I didn’t get home last night and spent the night with John and Mandy until John can bring me home today…just wanted to have quick FYI why there isn’t a regular post today.

So much went on Monday before I could even leave for Mt. Pleasant with Tommy…that I had no time to do a Wednesday blog on top of a Tuesday one.

Just know I am with family…in good hands…and will catch everyone up on tomorrow’s post.

Thank you.

Dear Reader:

Whenever I am affirming my address for a package being sent or even working on this oral and written theft affidavit (I am completing on the car)…I find myself making the same joke. Some get it…come don’t. I tell the caller my address is 100 Rainbow Road...not to be confused with Rainbow Row.

Anybody who knows anything about Charleston history or geography laughs…while I hear others pause and just move on with the verification questions. But you know what…I wouldn’t trade my life on my little “road” for a famous Charleston “row” address for anything in the world!

We were created to be social creatures and depend on each other for a fulfilling life. The only way to obtain this sense of security and happiness is through connections to people…nothing else.

The neighbors on my small little street consist of only 5 residences on “officially” Rainbow Road. And what wonderful friends they are…the picket fences in the garden were given to me by my neighbor Julie when she moved in…Dan has looked at my car several times with his computer and told me exactly what was wrong with it and how to fix it. Luke and Chelsey nursed “Little Red” through the scary first days of a “cloned” life… and look at him now.!

Luke changes my light bulbs, puts my address number on my porch steps, builds the floor for the new tree house and helps me move large debris or cut down tall limbs…while Chelsea brings me fresh eggs and greens. Luke even put in a deer light stand, following the car theft, so our street will catch anybody now on someone’s property without permission.

Vickie and Jane are always up for a quick lunch out and cart me to appointments when one’s car is being worked on or stolen. Yesterday Vickie drove me to the Charleston Cancer Center to get my prescription and then to Norton-Richardson to drop off the car for the claims assessment.

On Good Morning America yesterday they shared one of the 10 Nicest Places to live and this episode was on Burbank, California. This location wouldn’t pop out immediately in our minds but after watching the video…this community is amazingly close-knit.

A Burbank neighborhood near the airport and the border with North Hollywood may look like any other neighborhood.

But the way neighbors treat each other like family is what has made North Evergreen one of the 10 nicest places in America, according to an ongoing Reader’s Digest survey.

“You have people looking out for each other, coming together, drinking wine with each other, celebrating with each other, walking dogs with each other. You can’t find a nicer block than Evergreen,” said Rachel Diana who lives on N. Evergreen.

Ashley Erikson, who nominated her neighborhood, says it’s unlike any place she’s lived. For birthdays and holidays, residents host huge block parties which has helped build lasting friendships.

Joining North Evergreen on the list are Kalamazoo, Michigan and a free library in Baltimore, Maryland.

“We share produce. We share babysitters. We share events. We love spending time together. There’s 30 kids that live just on this one block so we love trying to find activities for them to do. Crafts,” said Erikson, a mom of two.

According to Reader’s Digest, the finalists are places founded in trust and civility and where everyone is treated with respect.

The residents represent many different nationalities with differing political views, a broad spectrum of socieo-economic levels and ages…but none of that matters. If you need a helping hand…you will get more than one from this neighborhood. They have discovered that by connecting together…no one is lonely or left out…their children have friends, as well as, the adults. They discovered the secret of happiness….staying connected to each other. Examples:

When you get home you might find a bag of freshly picked limes hanging from your doorknob or a dozen eggs from the backyard coop next door. When one woman decided to redo her front yard, the local recycling center held a mulching and composting workshop—then everybody pitched in and helped. Folks wave when you pass by. It’s hundreds of neighborly acts like these, both large and small, that make the street exceptional to its residents and the judges—especially in a region of millions, where, when you step outside this little haven, nobody knows your name unless it’s in lights.

A neighborhood group on Facebook reads like that of 200-person extended family. They post everything from free jalapeños to give away to a stray pig sighting (true story!). In her nomination, Ashley Erikson told us, “One time I was very sick and out of coffee. I posted on the neighborhood page and within minutes three neighbors had walked over coffee for me.”

Barbara Streisand sang it best “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.” 

Ashley Erickson, who nominated their neighborhood, said it all started when one woman (alone and at home with a small child) reached out for help…She felt like the world was closing in on her…she needed another adult to talk to and perhaps share a glass of wine. She got up the courage to walk over to a neighbor’s house…introduce herself and tell her she was lonely, insecure, and could sure use some advice on child-raising, some friendship, and a glass of wine.

They then started sending out messages to other young mothers who felt the same way, isolated, and then expanded it to everyone who would like to be more connected with their neighbors….children, teenagers, young people, working people, stay-at-home people, and seniors who wanted to be more active.

The neighborhood all agreed it started because one person had the courage to reach out for help and friendship.

So until tomorrow… “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one.”
― John Lennon

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Amen.

• A huge shout out to Stephanie Rankin for coming over Monday and helping me fill out the claims affidavit….what an amazing insurance agent….go Horace Mann….go Stephanie…an “extra mile’r”!!!
• And another big thanks to Gin-g for stopping by yesterday afternoon with pumpkin bread…plan to eat a slice this morning for breakfast before surgery for good luck!

Dear Reader:

After reflecting on the past three crazy days (Friday – Sunday) I realize that I have been given an opportunity to grow as an individual…to face obstacles head on and learn from them.

Tomorrow I am having Mohs surgery to remove some squamous cells from my left foot. I have had a “boo boo owie”  on my left foot (right beside my ankle) that has not responded to the usual anti-bacterial medicine my primary doctor prescribed. At my last visit she decided it was time to get it checked out and biopsied by a dermatologist.

I was supposed to get a report back in two weeks, but due to the closings from Hurricane Florence it took three weeks for a call and it came the day (September 25) my car was stolen for the first time. Needless to say the call got lost in all the commotion…but finally last week we connected and got the surgery set up for tomorrow in Mt. Pleasant.

My daughter Mandy is going with me since (as many of you know who have had this procedure) it could turn out to be a longer day than expected based on the results. My hope, of course, it that it can removed the ‘first time at bat.’

I had big plans to chill this past weekend and “baby” the foot but that didn’t come into the fruition after realizing my car had been stolen again Friday night. On the bright side, however, I had no time to think about the foot procedure for all the new facts arising from the case…and that is always a good thing!

The damage to my car is considerably more than I first thought… seeing the car in the middle of the night under street lamps. By daylight the front panels are dented and bashed, the radiator exposed, the light fixtures broken…..Another discovery emerged when Luke and Chelsea looked at the car…Luke found hair stuck to the front of the car…deer hair. Apparently my car burglar hit a deer sometime throughout the weekend.

Today I hope to have the car assessed…it looks like it will probably be deemed “totaled” due to the age and net worth (less) of the car. If this proves true…I will miss the “Vue” terribly…she has carried me safely to and fro life’s events… for over a decade.

I have learned lots from these two incidents….I am more knowledgeable about police procedures in a stolen vehicle case but even more importantly I have learned about human kindness from police who work on the front line day in and day out. I have received nothing but support, encouragement, humor, laughter, and compassion from our brave men and women in blue. Thank all of you from the bottom of my heart!

*Now why I am thanking our “courageous protectors in blue” let me take a minute to thank YOU. I received so many emails, comments, texts, and calls from you just checking in and each communication picked me up just a little bit more.

*And Carrie…thank you and the Presbyterian Youth for the special prayer you initiated. What a wonderful person you are my adorable niece…an amazing young woman!

When I am going through challenging times like this I like to surround myself with my “favorite” things. A good book and/or movie, pictures from my garden, cards from friends, paintings that appeal to me, and always laughter.

The doorbell just rang a few minutes ago and it was Luke…he had picked me up a sub at Harris Teeter….he and Chelsey are the best neighbors, along with Vickie and Jane, that any gal could ask to have.

God continues to watch over me. God is good… life is good.

So until tomorrow….

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

My “soft surroundings”

*Oops, I almost forgot. I have not asked to befriend anyone through Email…apparently it  is being attacked by hackers and it appears to be a growing problem….so delete any friend request from me…it is not me.

I like to be “befriended” by people I know who are my friends in real life…not some cyberspace fantasy friendship.

Dear Reader:

I don’t even know how to tell you this…it is beyond bizarre…but my car was stolen, again, out of my driveway in broad daylight sometime Friday afternoon!

I am seriously “bummed!” Who has that much audacity to come into someone’s driveway and steal their car a second time…after stealing it once before? The police think (obviously) it is the same person (s).

Whoever stole it the first time apparently didn’t want it…leaving it in an abandoned field…so why steal it again? Is this just some freaky ‘cat and mouse’ game for a bored teenager or loner? Or did they never expect it to be found and were angry the police found it and returned it to me.

Every evening I faithfully have checked my car to make double sure it is locked, have left on the two driveway floodlights and porch lights all night since the first robbery 10 days ago..so what does the culprit do….steals it in broad daylight.

While the police start searching again…my job involves a tiring paper trail instead of a criminal trail. I have decided the only way we get out of living in a paper trail world is to pass away…then the next generation gets all the fun of filling out the forms on and for you.

Even though I was tired yesterday (hardly slept any Friday night) I had a lot of nervous energy. I found myself cleaning out book shelves, dusting off photo frames and the polishing the coffee table. While moving items around the table…there was one of my niece Carrie’s birthday gifts to me. Perfect timing. Great God Wink.

I knew immediately what I was going to write on the first slip of paper…Thank you God for never letting go of my hand.

Reverend Sidney Davis (of Zion Olivet Church) said something last Sunday during our church service that has stuck with me. He said it is almost impossible to tell a lie to another person while you are holding hands and staring into their eyes.

How very true! I suddenly pictured God and me sitting across a small table holding both hands together while staring at each other….no lies could penetrate the hand clasp or the look…only the truth. Neither one of us could look away or unlock our hands. We were one in the spirit.

So until tomorrow….God has never left me for one moment since He first took my hand May 29, 2008…the night before my first surgery and He is still holding it now. It will all be “good” in the end…I just must be patient to see how these latest challenges play out

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Even Clemson helped me out by playing so beautifully yesterday with little stress or concern (over the outcome) affecting their loyal fans and supporters. Of course my “Terrific Trio” platter is always out on game day for support too….keep those lights burning tigers!

*...The Rest of the Story (I couldn’t make this up if I tried….Reality really is stranger than fiction.)

It is now 12:30 a.m. (early this morning) and I just got back from retrieving my car. They caught the car thief at an intersection when a wonderful policeman checked the license plate and discovered it was stolen. A chase ensued and the car is slightly damaged but drive-able. The thief is in jail.

I won’t know all the details until the final report but I am beyond thrilled that the “Vue” is back home once again. She is going to need some fixing up…but she’s back and that is what is important. What a weekend…but God was with me all the way…especially since the high beam front car lights are stuck on high beam. The policemen gave me a card to show if I was stopped for not dimming my lights…my grid was torn off the front of the car and my tires feel funny…like maybe they are low on air or something.

I got the call at 11:00 p.m. from a dispatcher that the car had been found and a very nice policeman came and picked me up to take me to the car to drive it back home. The police chase took place off Ashley Phosphate Road back in the Windsor Hill subdivisions….the thief drove the car into the front yard of some apartment buildings where he was literally chased down, tackled, and captured.

I will sleep well tonight knowing that the thief has been caught and I have a car again. Good night and I mean “Good” Night! (or Good morning actually)

Dear Reader:

If you are a Nutella “junkie’ and love eating this popular product on bread or toast for breakfast you are not alone. Millions of Americans cite this product as their ‘go to’ breakfast as they ‘go to’ work.

The most important ingredient found in this spread is the hazelnut. (Of course the cocoa goes a long way in its popular promotion.) The notoriety of this product has given hazelnuts a huge boost to many foreign economies, as well as, experimental test growing in states like Oregon.

Nutella was the product of hard times. During World War II, an Italian chocolate-maker named Ferrero couldn’t get enough cocoa, so he mixed in some ground hazelnuts instead. Then he made a soft and creamy version. It conquered Italy and soon the world.

“The recipe for world domination, it turns out, isn’t too complicated: Sugar, cocoa, palm oil and hazelnuts. Three of those ingredients are easy to get. Sugar, cocoa and palm oil are produced in huge quantities.Hazelnuts, though, which some people call filberts, are a different matter. Most of them come from a narrow strip of land along the coast of the Black Sea in Turkey.

 The hazelnut trees grow on steep slopes that rise from the Black Sea coast. The farms are small; grandparents and children help to harvest the nuts, usually by hand. “It’s a very traditional way of life,” Azzaoui says. “The Turkish family farmers are extremely proud of the hazelnut crop, as it has been part of their family history for centuries. Farmers have been growing hazelnuts here for 2,000 years.”

Nutella is now making this traditional crop extremely trendy.

Ferrero, the Nutella-maker, now a giant company based in Alba, Italy, uses about a quarter of the world’s hazelnut supply — more than 100,000 tons every year. Other countries are trying to jump in on this product and in the United States Oregon is expanding its hazelnut farms. 

(Source: “Thanks to Nutella, the World Needs More Hazelnuts”)

Hazelnuts just aren’t nutritionally sound but they have a long, rich history based on folklore and religion. The story below is one such story that has been passed down from generation to generation.

Of all the myths and legends of nature’s gifts that creep their way into our lives, the vivid story of the magical Hazel tree is one that is most celebrated.

When we look to the ancient stories of Celtic lore, we hear tales of how the Hazel is associated with wisdom and inspiration. This sacred tree is said to be cloaked in a powerful magic which can imbue those who eat its fruit.

Nine magical Hazel trees were said to once line the borders between the human world and the realm of the gods; these Hazel trees  bore branches laden heavy with fruit and their nuts would often fall into a nearby stream, where they would be consumed by the salmon. After eating the hazelnuts, the fish would gain all the knowledge of the world and were known as the Salmon of Wisdom! Bright, glistening spots appeared on the sides of the salmon to show that they had been blessed by the Magical Hazel trees. Those who ate the hazelnuts (or the fish) were said to gain prophetic abilities and live a life full of wisdom!

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Today in many European countries hazel tree branches are used in any kind of religious rite involving water…including baptisms.

Hazels have been used for divination throughout the centuries. Druidic wands were made from the wood, and it has always been the preferred wood for water divining and dowsing.

Until quite recently young lovers roasted hazel-nuts over fires at Hallowe’en, which was also known as ‘Nut-crack Night’. The way they burnt steadily together or flying apart, foretold the course of their relationship in the coming year.

It is, however, in a passage from Julian of Norwich that I discovered a beautiful message from God about His place in our lives…and it deals with the hazelnut.

According to Julian, as she gazes upon a hazelnut God placed in her hand, she hears God describe it thusly: It is all that is created….It lasts, and lasts forever, because God loves it.   Everything that is, has its being through the love of God.  

God creates, loves, and sustains hazelnuts and all creation, one microsecond at a time.

This passage made me think about the messages God sends us daily… letting us know His Presence is with us always…even in the seemingly trivial everyday aspects of our lives. Mustard seeds, sparrows, lost lambs, small saplings and now hazelnuts are equally precious to our Creator because He created everything to be loved and cared for by us.

So until tomorrow….Blessed be the hazelnut and the mustard seed, for such is God’s realm of Omnipresence.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Patience paid off….my iPhone camera caught a chickadee on top of the ‘little chapel birdhouse.’

I caught my hybrid pastel Mexican petunias smiling in the early morning sun….so pretty! A great way to greet the day!

Anne and her sister are in Rome painting and Anne has proclaimed that she is in love with Rome…her pictures made everyone want to be able to snap their fingers and be there. Have fun girl and make lots and lots of sisterly memories!

*Speaking of God’s love for small things…this kindergarten photo of Rutledge made me pause and gasp…he suddenly looks so much older …It reminds me that Rome and I have a lot in common….ancient! 🙂

*Sis Kinney is doing some dog sitting for her family in Raleigh this weekend so she decided to take some back issues of Southern Living magazine to read. Lo and behold she came across a Summerville Tea article ….dating back to December of 2013. Since we had just talked about the origin of this title a few days ago she sent me this picture. I think I will try to buy this back copy of the magazine if there is a still a copy around. Thanks Sis for thinking of all of the blog family when you read this!