Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

I mentioned a few days ago that I had a story to tell about last Wednesday, May 2…the same day ‘The Dingle 5′ flew out to start their new adventure…I had one of my own. Only mine wasn’t much fun. It did give rise, however, to the age old question of right and wrong.

It started innocently enough. When I went to stay with Mandy to help keep  Eva Cate and Jakie a week ago this past Sunday…I just grabbed my spare single key with my house key attached….simple, light…all I needed. Right?

To be perfectly honest I am not a good car locker ‘rememberer’…especially since the car has gotten older and older which my Saturn Vue has done…I mean, honestly, who would want to steal it? Having passed the 100, 000 gas mileage mark months ago ….oops, no…make that years ago now…I would hide an inner smile of glee if someone tried to take it…the joke would be on them.

During the days I left the windows down to keep the car as cool as possible since the air conditioning unit  doesn’t work that great either. Mandy remembered that I had forgotten to roll the windows up the last night I spent with her so she got my key, rolled up the windows and hit the automatic lock for all four doors.

The next morning while the children were being locked in their car seats I went out to unlock my car. There is only one door lock on the driver’s side on this particular car make and model…and guess what? The spare key didn’t open it. It worked in the ignition but not to unlock the door.

Mandy had to leave to get the kids to school on time, plus herself. She said she would call me when she got to school. We tried a couple of neighbors who weren’t around so she called a car locksmith company to come unlock it around 8:30. They told her they were ‘on their way.’

Normally this would have just been an inconvenience, nobody’s fault… just one of those things that happen, except I had a bone density test scheduled for 11:00 and they wanted me there early around 10:30 to meet with the computer registrar lady for information to fill out plus the regular paperwork.

This meant I needed to leave Mt. Pleasant to get to North Charleston by (9:45) in case traffic was heavy… which it usually is in the morning. But no problem, right…they were “on their way.”

8:30 turned to 9:00 to 9:30 to 10:00 and no locksmith. By then I was in a panic! What to do? I didn’t have time to make up this two- month pre-scheduled appointment before my next oncology visit ( which is scheduled the first work day after I get home from the beach) to go over the results…

I called the office and told them the situation and was told to please try to make it…it would take awhile before they could re-schedule… but they would try to work me in if I wasn’t too late for my appointment.

By then my hands were literally shaking with the credit card scrunched in my fist. I had my suitcase and belongings on the grass beside the driveway. At 10:10 the truck pulled up. A nice-looking young man  got out…I quickly told him the situation and how both Mandy and myself had called the company four times letting them know how important it was to come on and was told each time that they were coming…’15 minutes.‘ (sounded like a broken record)

The young man pushed in the deflated blood pressure cuff which had a noose attached to which he deftly hooked over the door lock and with one swift upward pull…the driver’s seat door was unlocked.

He glanced at the credit card and said “No charge.“ “You called at 8:30 and were told four times “15 minutes” even after explaining your medical situation. “No charge.”

As he started walking back to his truck (he was angry at the company I could tell.) I thanked him. He stopped and said, “No Ma’am…you don’t shouldn’t thank me for just doing what is right.” 

Before I could respond he got in his truck and quickly pulled out of the driveway. He looked like a college kid or someone working who was just moonlighting and trying to pick up some extra money. I felt badly…but his words kept re-playing in my memory as I literally raced down I-26 to my appointment.

I knew God would have to steer me through traffic to get even close to my appointment time but He did it. It was like the parting of the Red Sea…hardly any traffic (which is a miracle in itself on I-26) and I hit every green light on Highway 78.

The staff was so sweet and even gave me a bottle of water when they saw how red my face was…as I rushed in…the registration clerk said “You must be Rebecca. So glad you made it!”

While I was waiting on the car locksmith…I had received a picture of ‘The Dingle 5” leaving Charleston airport to JFK in NYC. While I was waiting for my bone density test I got another beep from Kaitlyn letting me know they were in New York. I told them since they left I have waited for my car to get unlocked, raced to an appointment, and now I was still waiting to get called back for the test in the time it took them to leave Charleston and get to NY. A very strange day!

As I flipped through magazine after magazine waiting to be called back for the bone density test…I saw two pictures that just made me smile…they were actually advertisements for  furniture and another for a shade of Benjamin Moore Nantucket paint. But I didn’t see any of that…I just saw two soothing pictures that made me smile.

So until tomorrow…Later that night I thought about what the young man had said…”Don’t thank me for just doing the right thing.” (There is still a lot of teacher left in me…still wanting to recognize and promote good behavior I guess. We see so little of it today where “Me, Me, Me” seems to be gaining popularity over ‘doing what is right for others.’.. I console myself with the thought that only God is  ‘Large and in charge‘…”Alleluia: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Kaitlyn sent me a sign about a family tree garden they visited (reminded her of me and my family grandchildren tree garden)…I wanted to know more about it….so she gave me a synopsis ….so beautiful!

“Each tree has a guardian family. It was made with the intention of strengthening community. It’s made of alternate birch and Rowan trees. In Irish tradition birch trees represent a fresh start. They are a potent symbol of purification and renewal. They hold the energy of embracing change and remind us that life always follows death in the circle of life. 

Ancestors believed the Rowan tree was a symbol of the hidden mysteries of nature. It has been known as a guard and “Protector.”

Dear Reader:

Yesterday when we discussed the importance of taking time out of our busy lives to live the ‘pastoral life’ I realized that when I went to water the plants (a daily ritual these hot days) that my garden is my daily pastoral life…the place I go to…to reflect on the day and give thanks for it.

I feel like I am checking in on my children each day….has everyone been fed, had enough water, pruned , and talked to by their caregiver? Have the new arrivals acclimated to their new home…is it time to say good-bye to some plants until another season?

A garden requires constant attention…. much like small children. It is in the care given, tending to each plant that I most feel God’s presence with me in the garden…His pastoral care giving.

I realized when I was talking to Vickie, my neighbor yesterday, that I was truly now a gardener at heart. The irony of the beautiful days we are all experiencing here in the lowcountry is overshadowed, somewhat, by the dire need for rain. We are still in a drought and need consistent rain for awhile. It is quite obvious for anyone with a garden just how badly we do need some more “soakers.”

There is only a 30% chance of rain for the early part of the week but I was telling Vickie that hopefully we would luck up and get some of the scattered showers so she wouldn’t need to water but maybe once mid-week until I get back. She started laughing…here I am heading to the beach and praying for rain at the same time. This is a pivotal moment when you know gardening is now in your blood and ranks first in your decision-making.

Vickie invited me over to see her Rhododendron show off its first bloom. It has been a long time coming. It is so beautiful and like every good gardener ‘mother’ Vickie named it Rhoda!

Latest happenings in the yard and garden….

Sometimes it is almost a teary good-bye when I leave my garden for a few days…and I am always anxious to check it first thing when I return. If you had told me ten years ago…that gardening would be a top priority in my life I would have fallen off the chair laughing…me….gardening? I don’t think so. But God had other plans for me….to teach me about pastoral living and the importance of caring for His creation…even down to its smallest flower.

So until tomorrow…take time to admire a piece of  God’s world every day…because no matter what it is…plant or animal…we are all connected in this universe and as such we must care for each other.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Yesterday afternoon I had a call from Anne…she told me she was kidnapping me for about an hour…no questions asked. It was an Irish group (Savannah Ceili Band) playing and singing from Savannah, Georgia…and they were wonderful! Some of my family might be in Ireland but I got to stay right here and enjoy absolutely fantastic Irish music…part of the programming at St. John’s Catholic Church.

Tommy and Kaitlyn went out to eat at the Chart House for their first anniversary dinner in Dingle. Happy Anniversary you two!

Dear Reader:

Traveling vicariously does have its benefits. It’s free! (Quite cost-effective) Stress-free (No panic attacks over the location of your passport, or waiting in long lines, or going through customs, learning to drive on the other side of the road, swerving for cattle or sheep, figuring out money exchange, etc.) And most of all…feeling happy for your friends and/or loved ones who are doing all that…experiencing a new country and culture ‘upclose and personal’…while having a ball!

I can hardly wait for the photos to arrive each day from the “Dingle 5” and they did… yesterday afternoon. The first thing I noticed (in the photos) was that the sun was finally out, a beautiful day, which only enhanced (if possible) the beauty of the Emerald Isle.

The scenes take one’s breath away…since I have been lucky enough to have traveled to Ireland (in 2014) I know how much more beautiful it is just being there…when all five senses are on elevated ‘alert’…one is seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling (still remember that delicious fresh smell of Ireland) everything around him/her.

The photos yesterday are a study in pastoral living. Pastoral can be defined in different ways but in the larger context…it all pertains to the same theme.

Pastoral:

2.

pertaining to the country or to life in the country;rural; rustic.

3.

4.

of, relating to, or consisting of shepherds.

In the 90’s Hollywood returned again with the production of Far and Away starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman…who would marry and honeymoon in Dingle.

So until tomorrow…It is exciting to wake up each day and wonder what the new day brings to me and those I love…a sea away…but we are all living together in God’s creation here on earth…a nice thought…home is home is home. Temporary perhaps but still home.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Today. May 6,  is someone’s anniversary. Tommy and Kaitlyn (or as Ambika named the couple Tomlyn!) Please go out and celebrate it to its fullest today…it was a marvelous day a year ago and now another one. You went from Ireland to Ireland…pastoral living at its best.

Since I will be at this beach this week until Friday the 11th…the blogs will be smaller…just a little check-in with a small, simple thought each day until my return. I will catch you up with Ireland highlights then, also, upon my return . In the meantime…I am planning on relaxing with old friends…the best kind.

Dear Reader:

So many flowers…so many stories. Everything in life has a story and this picture/painting note card Honey sent me by a local artist and friend of hers touched me… Honey bought it because she knew the bee would remind me of my mother and her last communication to let me know she was just fine in her new life.

The artist’s name is Jane Voorhees…who comes from a talented family of artists. Her brother is a famous potter and hosts all kinds of fund-raisers to help the needy…one such event being the “Empty Bowls” fundraiser for the “Back Pack Program” – children who need food to take home on weekends and holidays because there is no food at home for them.

Honey participated in the “Empty Bowls” soup/bread dinner to raise money for the “Back Pack Program.” She made 50 bowls and took half of them into the church, buying glaze for the children to add their own personal touches to this worthwhile project. After firing them she returned so the children could see their finish products that they were raising money for… such a great cause!

What a wonderful idea…. but then Honey is always ready to help with any new endeavor that helps others through her talents as a potter.

After resting Wednesday night I returned bright and early to Walsh and Mollie’s house to help out with the children while Mollie is at a conference. This will be the first time she has left Eloise and she is somewhat nervous about it….but as we experienced parents and now grandparents know…”This too shall pass” and the time away will be just a distant memory one day.

So if my blogs seem somewhat disoriented…chalk it up to grand-motherhood…then everyone will understand.

*Just got back yesterday afternoon…I really hated to leave….we had a good time and a chance to see Walsh and Mollie’s new family routine. It is a busy life…but such a rewarding one. Eloise and I just laughed through most of it….those silly older brothers…she thinks they are so funny. But then Eloise is pretty much a captive audience.

She was up for everything…new hair accessories, bonnets…whatever Boo Boo put on her. I left her yesterday in good hands with dad!

• (Lachlan…didn’t mean to leave you out…but you were indisposed in the bathroom when I took the one of Rutledge…and y’all had to get to school…next time…your time!)

Speaking of flowers and a mystery surrounding them…the last road that I take in to Walsh and Mollie’s house –  Clements’s Ferry Road (North) is being widened and there is so much construction going on that sometimes I feel like I am in a pinball machine trying to drive around equipment, merge onto one lane roads, all while rolling up the windows from the tar smell.

But then a few weeks ago, these mysterious bright yellow wildflowers began springing up. Mollie and I have been trying to figure out if they are some type of Black-eyed Susans or wild sunflowers. The problem is the construction equipment is everywhere… so crowded…that if you take your eyes off the road to look at the fields of these beautiful visions of yellow…there is a really good chance you are going to plow right into someone. There is a lot of stopping and starting on this road.

I have diligently tried to find out who planted these flowers which give everyone hope of how things might look, along this road, once the construction and the widening is finally over. Just when we mortals think we can’t be any more frustrated with all the road delays…Hope appears in the form of hundreds and hundreds of beautiful yellow flowers! * This time when I passed the fields of flowers…they started showing up near the relatively new schools -Phillip Simmons elementary….maybe it was done as part of the school beautication?

* Finally had a chance to pull over coming home yesterday. Had time to take one small section of the flowers before pulling back on the road again.

So until tomorrow….For the special person or persons who planted these yellow beauties originally…thank you from the bottom of my heart. What joy you bring us disgruntled drivers! Thank you!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Soon I will have my pretty yellow flowers out front too…my lantana is popping open a little more everyday…I love it when it spreads all over the right side of the front yard…and they will keep blooming and blooming.

The Dingle Clan has arrived in Dingle, Ireland. They went from plane, to train, to rental car and have arrived safe and sound. Kaitlyn said the temperatures are running about the same as last year at this time but it is a little rainier so far…but just a couple of days in…the sun will arrive. In the meantime the photos look like there is a lot of fun going on…chilly, cloudy, rainy, or sunny…Ireland, in all its best-dressed greenery is beautiful!

I thought it was funny that May 4 is Star Wars Day everywhere…even in Dingle, Ireland! And Carrie is the true Irish-blooded one in the group…when everyone fell right to sleep after settling into their rental home….Carrie took advantage of the landlord’s gift of scones and champagne for the group…but substituted hot tea and scones while looking out at Dingle Bay! Way to go Carrie!

Keep storing up those memories….taste, smell, touch, see, and hear the sounds of Ireland as your keepsake!

Dear Reader:

While I was at Mandy’s helping out with the children from Sunday to Wednesday this past week…I found myself drawn  to the lake and the soothing scene of the ‘lilies of the lake’ as I call them, that bloom each spring this time of year. They are just beautiful. As the sun would start to go down each night…I would go to the porch and watch them waving in the evening breezes and think to myself  “All is right with the world.” Such a calming effect.

As I helped get the children up each morning, dressed, encouraging them to eat breakfast, and brush their teeth…then out the door by 7:00 am…this almost forgotten past ritual brought back such memories of my “former working” life as a single mom and teacher.

I kept thinking to myself….”How did I do it?” But I already knew the answer…”I did it because there was no other option…we all do what we have to do when ‘push comes to pull’ don’t we? “

Bath time and brushing teeth were actually some of my favorite routines this time because of one memorable object in the bathroom. It was one of those gifts that I thought would be helpful to John and Mandy when Eva Cate was a toddler and starting to walk and brush her teeth…to have a little stool to stand on in front of the sink. It is still there today… seven years later…now helping Jakie wash his face and brush his teeth.

It is the one gift that has endured the stretch of time when others have long been given away, broken, or discarded with age. Little did I know when I bought it…it was would be the gift that would “Keep on giving”… withstanding the trials of time and childhood.

After supper each evening it was playtime…I loved seeing Eva Cate so enjoy the jump rope she got recently…again…one never knows which toys will endure generation after generation. It was a pink jump rope for Eva Cate and little trucks for Jakie. He loves looking for rocks and dirt to fill up the backs of his trucks.

As Mandy and I held the rope for Eva Cate to jump…I kept remembering the jingle we used to chant while jumping rope at school…now as a former history teacher…I realize how inappropriate it really was…but no one gave it a second thought back then. Too funny. We all just laughed.

“Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks…when she saw what she had done…she gave her father forty-one.” (1, 2,2 3, 4, 5, etc. until the jumper missed a hop.)

The best memories now from staying with the grandchildren is the hugs and kisses…soon that won’t be ‘cool’ any more but now I can store them up like a squirrel finding nuts for the winter years for when it will get harder to get those kinds of spontaneous hugs.

The kids missed their daddy and they were so excited when they left for school Wednesday. Welcome home John…I hope you rested up some but I know you also missed those same hugs and kisses I will.

Jo Dufford sent a witty observation she had heard about genetics ( following the blog on pink and blue hydrangeas…definitely ‘food for thought.’)

“It seems as if a very self-absorbed smart-acting man said to God…’I can do anything you can do. Why I can even make a man.” 

So God took some dirt, molded it, blew His breath on it, and He created a man.

The guy said, ” Well...Watch this, God.”

He reached down to pick up some dirt. But then God stopped him in the process and said, “Just a minute, you will have to make your own dirt. I created the dirt too…remember?”

So until tomorrow…”God has allowed man the ability to do marvelous things, but, we must never forget… in the beginning , God created it all and then set it in motion.”  (Thanks Jo for sharing!)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

(Artist:  Kimkhansen. blogspot.com)

Dear Reader:

Aren’t there some words that are just fun to write with lots of squiggles and funny lines…and even more fun to pronounce? For me “persnickety” is one of these words.

If you look up the meaning in the dictionary…it varies from positive attributes to somewhat negative ones….for example: From being fastidious (a “detail” person) to performing tasks requiring great precision…to being somewhat snobbish or uppity.

I remember when mother would get completely exasperated with me (usually over pouting about shopping for clothing during the middle school years…I stayed small a long time and had to wear the Bobbie Brooks children’s clothes while my cousins had all shot up and gotten curvy in the right places. They could wear cool teenage clothes and I couldn’t…”Not fair” I pouted each time we went shopping.)

After complaining about the selection of “kiddie” clothes mother had pulled out for me to try on…she would finally yell “Quit being so persnickety and be thankful for what you have!” (That kind of common sense parental advice never works on pre-teens and young teenagers!) I was a victim of being too small for cool clothes.

Since I have always been a “big picture” person…I try to surround myself with friends who are definitely more detailed. I need the balance in my life. Someone to slow me down when I get in high gear about an idea… without considering all the minute details needed to pull it off. Socrates was right “Moderation in all things.”

So when I think of God being very ‘Persnickety” I mean it in the best way possible. God is quite the “detail” Creator…I only have to walk through my garden to see His Hand of Pure Precision in every single bud, bloom, flower, plant, tree, or blade of grass.

Just watching one episode of Animal Kingdom or National Geographic…and I am always blown away by the distinctive, unique traits of every single living organism on earth…created precisely for plant life and animal life to have the best chance of survival. Amazing…absolutely amazing.

So until tomorrow….God IS “Persnickety” and aren’t we thankful for it?

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

God’s “Precisive’ Beauty!”

Butch and Susan, Kaitlyn’s parents are in town to dog-sit while Tommy and Kaitlyn are in Ireland. We went out to eat (Five Loaves)Monday night and catch up…we had a good time!!! It even got chilly that evening!

* In a few days I will tell you what happened to me on Wednesday, May 2, a crazy start to the day…in the meantime…this date was quite a joyous one for our Dingle Clan heading across the “Big Pond” to go hang in Dingle, Ireland and just have the time of their lives.

Kaitlyn sent me their first take-off photo…Suddenly all the planning and preparation is over….it is really happening. Everyone leave your cares and concerns behind and live each moment to the fullest…in Dingle style! Make some lasting memories! Love you all!!!!

Dear Reader:

In Charleston Magazine’s May Edition…there is an article on my nephew Lee titled “Dream Project.” It is about a dream that came to him months before his wife Vikki announced that she was expecting. In the dream he saw a little boy with big blue eyes, like his, and the scene inspired an album of music about this central theme.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

“It all began with a dream about a baby boy with blue eyes. “I still remember it so vividly,” says Lee Barbour, local jazz guitarist, composer, and owner of music production company Avant Garage. “I put more weight on that dream than I normally would.” Two months later, he and his wife, Vikki Matsis, learned they would be parents. “I felt the dream was a sign that I should do something artistically with the experience,” he recalls.

Barbour’s blue-eyed baby boy, Rhodes, is now a year and a half old. And this month, Ultrasound, the artistic project he inspired, debuts, tracing a family of two’s journey to becoming three. It’s a big departure from Barbour’s last solo release, Nonfiction (2012), and an ambitious undertaking—especially considering that the musician composed, recorded, produced, and mixed everything himself.

Each song has a distinct identity. The first to follow a musical prologue is “Angels Makin Angels,” with a funky, playful structure that seems to represent the very process it describes. Many songs employ audio samples, such as Rhodes’s in-utero heartbeat (on “Safe Now”) and the newborn’s first cry (“Birth”). In “Ms. Emily,” Barbour cleverly transforms a family friend’s reaction to the pregnancy announcement into a hip-hop track. And “A Quarter Of An Inch” is particularly arresting; hearing Barbour’s father recount a Vietnam War firefight, the listener is struck by the delicacy of life, realizing how lucky we are to be here breathing at all.”

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

When we look at dreams in the Old and New Testaments we see that Lee’s dream encompassed so many of the same themes recalled by famous men throughout the scriptures. The themes deal with life and death, hopes and fears and promises that God will be with them…no matter what.

Abraham: God used a vision to restate the Abrahamic Covenant,  reminding Abram that he would have a son and be the father of many nations.

Jacob: With his mother’s help, Jacob stole Esau’s firstborn inheritance. Jacob then fled Esau’s anger, and on his journey he had his famous dream of a ladder reaching to heaven on which angels ascended and descended. In this dream Jacob received God’s promise that Abraham’s blessing would be carried on through him.

Samuel: Samuel had his first vision as a young boy. God told him that judgment was coming upon the sons of Samuel’s mentor, Eli. The young Samuel was faithful to relay the information, and God continued to speak to Samuel through the rest of his life.

Daniel: As He had done for Joseph, God placed Daniel in a position of power and influence by allowing him to interpret a foreign ruler’s dream. This is consistent with God’s propensity to use miracles to identify His messengers. Daniel himself had many dreams and visions, mostly related to future kingdoms of the world and the nation of Israel.

***Two famous dreams dealt with future heirs and the talents that would lie within each…plus God’s  protection that would surround each one growing up. (*Lee, this bodes well for Rhodes!)

Zacharias: God used a vision to tell Zacharias, an old priest, that he would soon have an important son. Not long after, Zacharias and his wife, Elizabeth, had John the Baptist.

Joseph: Joseph would have divorced Mary when he found out she was pregnant, but God sent an angel to him in a dream, convincing him that the pregnancy was of God. Joseph went ahead with the marriage. After Jesus was born, God sent two more dreams, one to tell Joseph to take his family to Egypt so Herod could not kill Jesus and another to tell him Herod was dead and that he could return home.

Article: “How did God use dreams and visions in the Bible?”

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So until tomorrow…Congratulations Lee on another successful album and continuing your passion for your music and your family!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Sunday morning, as I was watering the garden and plants around the yard, before leaving for Mt. Pleasant to spend the next three days…I noticed that the two dwarf hydrangeas I planted outside my office window (a few months ago) were just starting to bloom.

You might remember that this was the same side of the house that had leaves piled up by the feet, not inches. Finally I got  the lawn workers to remove all those years and years of leaves which turned into my hydrangea plot of land. It is rich with compost and the two plants look very happy.

Blue or Pink? It looks like from the slight tinge I can see…at least one is going to be a boy…and most likely since the soil is the same…so will its twin. That is fine with me….by the time I get back Wednesday…I should be able to tell the colors of both plants.

I looked up all kinds of theories on the colors and then even an article on how to change the colors from one to another…pink to blue or blue to pink. It gets slightly technical…but basically the color is based on the amount of acidity and pH alkaline in the soil. By adding garden lime to one element or another…the color can be changed.

But would I even want to do that? Personally no. Whatever color these particular hydrangeas turn out to be…they are going to be beautiful! They will bring me such joy …just peeking out my window (while I work on blog posts) and looking down to see the beauty of new life (where once just piles and piles of old dead leaves, twigs, and branches lived) will be reward enough!

It did get me thinking, however, about genetics today and how far scientists and researchers have come. Just recently there was a CBS show on cloning race horses and using new genetics to recreate duplicates with hopefully the same running ability as the original horse. When it comes to man….I have noticed, too often,  greed is always at the center of controversial ploys involving genetics.

I am all for the study of genetics, helping people with genetic diseases and other health problems, providing possible solutions for more people to have a better chance at a life lived in good health.

Today young couples can make the decision to find out the gender of the baby early on in the pregnancy or wait and be surprised (the old fashion way…like we did) at birth. Walsh and Mollie experienced both and all three of their children’s births were equally exciting…life is life is life. We wouldn’t trade any of our beautiful grandchildren for another gender.

However, at the rate we are going….it won’t be that long in the foreseeable future that couples will be able to decide ahead of time what gender they want the baby to be. The only good thing to come out of this is that it might have saved a few heads under Henry VIII’s reign but today…I think not.

For me personally…I have come to the conclusion that God is a far better judge of life than I am. We fickle humans don’t always know what we want or what is best in the long run. The old adage “Be careful what you wish for…it might come true” rings even more true when life-altering decisions are made by us alone.

I would rather leave the decision of the gender of a newborn up to God and definitely leave the exit date of all God’s children up to Him too. I do believe we will not remain one second longer or leave one second sooner than God’s time allotment for us. For that lack of knowledge…I am most thankful!

So until tomorrow…I am quite relieved to leave life’s most important decisions in the Hands of God. He has never steered me, never guided, me wrong yet!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Don’t forget…today is May 1! Say “Rabbit” first thing today and have a wonderful, amazing month ahead. There are few months as beautiful as the one we are getting ready to experience. Live it to the fullest! Happy Maypole Day!

Dear Reader:

All of us ‘Baby Boomers’ remember singing the lyrics to “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” throughout the year of 1965 and for many more years to come. We couldn’t get enough ‘satisfaction’ from that song if we didn’t hum or sing along.

As legend has it…Keith Richards wrote the melody (in his flat) while sleeping…remembered it in a dream…then four days before they recorded it Mick Jagger wrote the lyrics beside a pool. And the rest is history.

The lyrics suggest that (even with all) the rock and rollers’ fame…they couldn’t get no satisfaction in relationships or commercially. “Can’t get no satisfaction….no no no no no!”

Today we still seem to have a problem feeling satisfied…whether it is overeating (past satisfaction) or satisfied in our personal relationships, or satisfied with our health or financial well-being. The majority of Americans seem to always want more…never content with being satisfied with less.

This short anecdote teaches a great lesson. “True Satisfaction”

A Quaker had this sign put on a vacant piece of land next to his home: “THIS LAND WILL BE GIVEN TO ANYONE WHO IS TRULY SATISFIED.”

A wealthy farmer who was riding by, stopped to read the sign and said to himself, “Since our friend the Quaker is so ready to part with this plot, I might as well claim it before someone else does. I am a rich man and have all I need, so I certainly qualify.”

With that he went up to the door and explained what he was there for. “And art thou truly satisfied?” the Quaker asked.

“I am, indeed, for I have everything I need.”

“Friends,” said the Quaker, “if thou art satisfied, what dost thou want the land for?”

(Source: The Heart of the Enlightened, a book of spiritual stories by Anthony de Mello)

So until tomorrow…It is prudent to look over our personal wants and needs list every so often…because there is always something new out there, a new car, house, new technological gadget, to spur on our wants…but is it necessary for our daily needs or just another unnecessary toy?

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

I can honestly say when I walked out on my garden early Sunday morning…I was…I am…I will be always satisfied with the joy I feel from it.

Happy Birthday to my longest loving-ness friend…my sister …Brooke Price. A treasure in my life always….Happy Birthday college roomie! (The Ya’s celebrating Brooke’s birthday two years ago!)

Dear Reader:

The other evening, as darkness descended, the lantern on the upper deck of the recently renovated outside garage apartment came on, as usual. But for me…what it symbolized was hope that slowly but surely I can start fixing problem areas that have been on hold, a long time, due to tight retirement budgets.

The lantern now shines on a safe, sturdy, deck with new stairs leading up to the garage apartment with extra boards to secure them and the banisters.

I haven’t won a lottery…nothing has changed…but I realize now that there are people out there in the world who are willing to help others and perform work that doesn’t rob one’s piggy bank…but just  gets the major repairs done….just sticking with the basics…nothing fancy or extra…just complete. And they are willing to do it for a basic price. So my purse strings haven’t changed…but the people I needed in my life to help me slowly get this old house back in good condition  have arrived at just the right time.

They have appeared in my life in God’s Time. He knew all along that I just had to wait until the time was right for the right people to appear.

God always has the solution to our problems…but since He can see around all those future bends and twists in our journey’s back roads…(unlike us) He know that timing really is everything.

It was the following anecdote that made me conscious of this fact over the weekend.

“This Can’t Be Happening Twice”

Years ago, a fishing fleet went out from a small harbor on the east coast of Newfoundland. In the afternoon there came a great storm. When night settled down, not a single vessel from all the fleet had found its way into the port.

All night long, wives, mothers, children and sweethearts paced up and down the beach, wringing their hands and calling on God to save their loved ones. To add to the horror of the situation, one of the cottages caught fire. Since the men were all away, it was impossible to save the home.

When the morning broke, to the joy of all, the entire fleet found safe harbor in the bay. But there was one face with a picture of despair – the wife of the man whose home had been destroyed. Meeting her husband as he landed, she cried, “Oh, husband, we are ruined! Our home and all it contained was destroyed by fire!”

But the man exclaimed, “Thank God for the fire! It was the light of our burning cottage that guided the whole fleet into port. Praise God for His Mercy Upon Us All.” (spiritual short stories)

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

When I came across this visual message recently…the theme, I realized, connected to the theme of the short story. We humans think our solution to a personal problem is the only solution. God, however, knows He can get us to the same safe shore …but do it using a different method. As in this visual thought…

I would add….respect God’s way of thinking.

So until tomorrow…Let us not waste time mulling over incidences from the past…If it was something good…then wonderful…if it wasn’t…chalk it up to experience and move on.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Yesterday Mandy’s house felt like an airport. There was family in and out during the day…John is leaving for Vegas for a technology conference, Tommy, Kaitlyn, Carrie, Catherine and Calvin are heading to Dingle Ireland Wednesday. It was a time of good-byes, well-wishes and kissing Eva Cate Happy Birthday! Lots of activity!

Eva Cate’s birthday celebration had been going to Disney World a few weeks ago…but family members dropped by and some neighbors’ children who are in Eva Cate’s class…so we got to wish her Happy Birthday. (I am going to be heading Mandy’s way Sunday to help get the kids off in the morning and, also, help with afternoon/evening routines while John is gone this week.)