Dear Reader:

The low country has been waiting quite awhile for a good ‘soaking’ and finally yesterday the rains arrived. I did have mixed emotions since the Flowertown Festival is in full swing this weekend…but hopefully Friday’s sales and yesterday’s mornings sales…will tide vendors over until today…the last day of the Festival.

FLOWERTOWN FESTIVAL

The famous Cooper River Bridge Run got participants through the early morning run/walk and subsequent activities, before the rains started around 1:30…so all in all the rains didn’t mess up too many events…and everyone knows we sure do need the rain here in the low country.

Lassie and I walked the Bridge Run one year and I am so glad I did it…at least once…so I can always relate more closely to the race participants each year with that one personal experience. We discovered that there is a special bonding that takes place among all the runners or walkers…especially the people in your group for ‘take-off.’

The race starts out with a fervor…people nudging and/or bumping one another to get ‘one up’ on someone in front of them but then as the race continues…especially once  fatigue sets in…the competitive spirit evolves into a spirit of fellowship and fellow walkers begin encouraging everyone else that ‘we can do it’...just keep walking and talking and laughing…in some cases even holding hands. By the end we all feel a real sense of bonding together to meet each one’s separate but unified goal…completing the race!

This is true of God’s bonding…reflected in the truth that Christ holds all things together. Watching rain fall has always been a spiritually bonding experience for me…in the form of a blessing from Above. In scripture water plays an important role in the creation of our earth. “Long ago by God’s Word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. (2 Peter 3:5)

 Water fills every cell of every living thing everywhere. “We can’t see Christ bonding everything together, but then again, we are not consciously aware of the hydrogen bonds occurring at this moment to keep our world adhered.”

“In liquid water, the molecules are held near each other by the hydrogen bonds. The attraction is not enough to chemically combine the atoms, but it is enough to keep the molecules close to each other…without hydrogen bonds holding the molecules together as liquid, we would have not rivers, lake or oceans because all water would be gas.” – Jean f. Blashfield, Hydrogen, Sparks of Life series (1999)

So until tomorrow:

Isn’t everything on earth so magical, beyond most of our mortal limitations of understanding…only God grasps the universal design of life with all its intricacies…we can only pray for understanding that God knows how we were formed…and He, alone, can hold us together.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Susan Swicegood…I had a ‘year ago today’ memory pop up of us at Kaithlyn’s wedding shower this time last year. Isn’t it hard to believe it has almost been a year since the wedding?

Dear Reader:

As the sun went down behind my fence last evening, the brilliance of a golden-orange sky filled me with exhilaration…all I could think to do was pause a minute to thank God for a hard-working, sense of accomplishment,  fulfilling day!

My day started out with a great life lesson…change can be good…really good in spite of our instincts to initially dislike it. My insurance agent, who has been my go-to guy since I first started teaching and got my first life insurance policy…retired quietly a few months back with no fanfare or good-byes. Like many of his clients it left us all in a daze. He was my anchor for any insurance question or problem. Another person arrived to take his place but only stayed a few short months and then, he too, was gone. It left a very unsettling feeling (I am sure) for all of us who had used this insurance our whole adult lives.

When I got my car insurance bill…earlier in the week…a new name appeared as my agent…a woman’s name. I immediately called, introduced myself,and let her know that I would love to come in, meet her, and go over all the different insurance components I have with the company for an update. She was extremely nice and said she was going to suggest doing that very thing.

So yesterday morning I arrived and this young woman greeted me…she was so friendly and in talking about my needs and my family she picked up that I was Lachlan’s grandmother and her son Harrison went to the same pre-school as he did. They were friends! From that connection on…we just hit it off.

She had some great ideas on where to cut costs on some premiums and fantastic ideas on some new savings programs…An hour and a half later…I felt like a weight was off my shoulders and I was in good hands…no, great hands!

I stopped by Ace Hardware after leaving my insurance agent and there it was…the purple morning glories had arrived that I had been waiting on! From there I stopped by Jo’s house to return her record player and album used for the Easter Sunday blog. Thank you again Jo! I loved the Paul Harvey interview.

When I got home I ate lunch and had a call that my “cancer medicine” prescription was ready for pick-up at the Charleston Cancer Center. I knew this would be a challenge, with the Summerville Flowertown Festival in full swing this weekend…but I managed to get there and back. I had to laugh…the television advertisement about this drug I take…always says that things might be different for patients taking it…but it was simply a “new normal.” I will take that description and run with it…I like my “new normal” life. In fact…I just plain love life.

Luke had gotten home early today, due to the traffic problems also, (between the Charleston Race and the Flowertown Festival)…so he offered to dig the holes for my morning glories. Bless Luke!

I watered the garden and did some pruning…I was just about to doze off after finishing a sandwich for supper when Anne texted me with a photo of one of her three daffodils (out of 90 bulbs) that bloomed. I told her the stats just made these three more special! Beautiful!!! (She said she thought they were rebels with a cause…determined, even defiant, to bloom no matter what or where!)

I texted back that I was doing my last planting and hoped to finish before the last rays of the sun went down….I got it done just in time. I planted my moon flower seeds outside my computer room like last year and added some more seeds along another stretch of the fence!

My red lilies….a flashback to the first three pictures and then yesterday’s picture….I counted 21 more buds ready to burst open!

As if the beautiful sunset wasn’t gift enough, by itself, to end this awe-inspiring day…the lights from the decorative garden pail came on just as I was discovering another left-over Easter egg in it. God…the timing was just ‘icing on the cake’ for a glorious day.

So until tomorrow…“We’re flattered when someone loves our garden, and though we may be tempted to “puff out our chests a bit,” we must confess the truth. We had nothing to do with it. We’ve spent endless hours out there, planning, planting, watering, and the full sequence of cultivating care; yes, we have weeded, sweated, worried, and served the garden with our hands…then again we have done nothing.”

“Growing plants is not our work. God created them to do the work; they grow and sprout leaves and blossoms and form fruit. We feed, coax, and yes, talk to them about it sometimes, but growing is up to them.” 

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Heard from Mandy that they are having a great time at Disney…of this I have no doubt. They love it!

Have fun my little ones!

Dear Reader:

The other day Kaitlyn shared with me a new author (new to me) that has become one of her favorites, along with Brene Brown. I love Brene Brown’s writings so I looked up the other author Glennon Doyle Melton and realized quickly why she was so popular…particularly with young people today. Her outlook on life and down-to-earth observations of it make readers connect to her thoughts instantly…thinking “That’s right…she nailed it.”

Glennon Doyle Melton is best known for her two New York bestsellers, Love Warrior, and Carry On Warrior...she is also a popular speaker and philanthropist.

I decided to read some of her well-recognized quotes and choose some that spoke to me…that I have written and talked about in general on my blogs… but include her nutshell insights that welcome our own additional observations. Here are some of my personal observations connecting her quotes and thoughts.

1. Don’t we waste so much of life waiting for something good to happen, not realizing we are that “good” that has already happened? We are the one we’ve been waiting for. And yet we still wait?  Wednesday I was reminded of this when I spent the day enjoying myself (while waiting on the predicted rain that never came) playing childhood games and opening up my world to imagination. It was the most relaxing, fun day I have spent in awhile. I was  being good to my mind, my body, and most importantly…my spirit.

2. “You are not a mess. You are a feeling person in a messy world.”

This is such an important concept that we all must embrace. It follows one of Brene Brown’s famous quotes: “Want to be happy? Stop trying to be perfect.” Or as Melton adds, “We can choose to be perfect and admired or to be real and loved.” From my own experiences in life…the two thoughts should be one and the same. If we are being true to ourselves…then we will be admired for being real and loving. Not perfect…just caring and loving. We are doing the best we can and we never stop trying.

…And that takes us to the next Melton quote:

As soon as I read this I knew instantly why I feel sometimes that I keep circling the same path over and over. It is because I keep getting ahead of myself and trying to take ‘leaps and bounds’ (to get ahead of the ‘game’) instead of walking down my own path one step at a time at my own pace. All I have to do is one “right thing one thing at a time.” Melton is right…it will “take us all the way home.”

This reminded me of my epiphany I shared with you Christmas a year ago while storytelling at the annual Summerville MS Chapter Christmas luncheon. As I looked around the room (before I started that year’s Christmas story) I suddenly realized the time and effort it took many of the participants in the room to simply “show up” …to get out of bed, get dressed, eat breakfast…for many get helped into the car..it was nothing short of miraculous to see the size of the crowd. It was a great act of courage and bravery that the audience performed each day of their lives. I have never forgotten it.

Showing up for life each and every day is the bravest act we can perform because life is “messy and complicated and sometimes we are afraid, but in spite of it all, we manage to show up.” A pat on the back for everyone!

So until tomorrow…on that high note…Be kind to yourself today. Life is messy, not you; quit waiting for the right moment…it is the right moment for you right now to live life to the fullest; do one right thing each day to help you down your own path; and then just show up for life each day…the world is a better place for you doing so!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Mollie sent me this photo of Rutledge and Lachlan sharing a little “Sissy” time with Eloise! Eloise showed off her new moves yesterday…she rolled over for the first time and then she rolled back with her head up grinning…so proud of herself. Now the fun starts for Boo…I won’t be able to leave her alone for a moment…the pace is picking up!

*My garden let me know it was happy yesterday (even though it was sad too about the lack of rain) with a big yellow smiley face and purple flowers…such a beautiful combination.

Dear Reader:

There are some days that are supposed to be languid, unhurried and just plain relaxing. Yesterday was one of those days.

The local weatherman  predicted a good chance for rain and I was ready for it. We are still in drought conditions in the low country and with all the new plants, bushes, and trees planted in my back yard, I knew they were more than ready for a good soaking. I, personally, was simply ready for a quiet rainy day. Unfortunately…the rains never developed.

That didn’t stop, however, the mood of the day while I was waiting. It started out sunny and then around mid-morning dark, heavy clouds began forming …I lit candles, placed my favorite magazines (Azalea, Magnolia, and Charleston Weddings (magazine in which Kaitlyn’s recent article appeared) on my coffee table to read, smiled at the orange tulips just starting to open, and plopped comfortably in my favorite lounge chair.

I took a picture of the tranquil scene (title photo) from my lounge chair. (Vickie and Anne had stopped by earlier to pick up and drop off items so I fixed each of them some breakfast potato casserole -I had made at Easter- to take home.) The wonderful aroma of the potato casserole lingered in the den while cool breezes swept  into my ‘Happy Room’ from the raised, open windows.

It didn’t take but a moment for my eyes to begin to flutter and I was experiencing a mid-morning nap…a rarity in my life. (It is something about the combination of the smell of comfort foods, candles, and bouncy breezes streaming in a room that set the tone for a personal sauna of the senses…sleep!)

*Taking naps during the day remind me of my childhood; recalling that exhilarating refreshed feeling that envelopes us when awakening with lots of day time still left to play.

From Time:Health magazine Markhan Heid writes: “Actually, naps are good for most people, Dr. Sara Mednick (author of Take a Nap! Change Your Life) says. Her research shows a nap—defined as daytime sleeping that lasts between 15 and 90 minutes—can improve brain functions ranging from memory to focus and creativity. “For some people, naps are as restorative as a whole night of sleep,” she adds.

My nap certainly restored me…I woke up and ran a couple of errands, grabbed some groceries and then returned to snuggle back  in the lounge chair while watching the bellowing clouds float by. It was a “sentimental journey” …remembering how much fun it was to imagine the shapes of certain clouds as animals. Yesterday, as an adult, I had just as much fun as I remembered…even finding a giraffe with an elongated cloud forming the neck.

It was my play day…just me and my imagination. It made me realize how important it is to take time to imagine. With as many different medicines that I have to take…I have come to understand that the best medicines are laughter, rest, and play.

So until tomorrow…Think of a childhood past-time you liked to play and try it again…just have fun! Who knows?..You might even see a heart in the sky.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Here are some daily delights I enjoyed on my “day off.”

*Tigger is so excited! His girlfriend, Khaleesi, is coming to visit for a few days…Tommy and Kaitlyn are dogsitting Tigger while the Turners are on spring vacation and bringing Atticus, Pip, and Khaleesi with them. The last time they  got together…Kaitlyn old us that Tigger was growing “sweet” on Khaleesi.

So this time Tigger got his spring grooming done Tuesday so he would be at his most debonair for Khaleesi’s arrival. Good luck Tigger!

Dear Reader:

Yesterday was so beautiful…it hurt. Have you ever experienced such a moment…when the landscape and sounds of nature produced such a gift of life it was almost overwhelming?

Mandy, Eva Cate, and I were going to do a little girl shopping but we decided to celebrate the beginning of spring break for everyone by being nice and inviting the boys…John and Jakie…to join us for lunch at Vickery’s on Shem Creek.

We got there just a little after eleven…knowing it would be a popular spot with spring break but were told it didn’t open until 11:30. What a lucky break for us…because it gave us the opportunity to walk the long and winding boardwalk that weaves through the marshes out to the ocean…revealing wildlife, kayaks, paddle boards, and the sounds of nature at its best.

In the distance was the Arthur Ravenel Bridge, which from my angle on the boardwalk looked like two gigantic sailboats slanted forward slightly in their eagerness to head out in the big waters. (title photo) There was a brisk breeze blowing but the temps would climb into the eighties so it just felt invigorating…a day when one silently thanks God for being alive to feel it.

One of the cutest sounds I heard yesterday was Jakie’s two rocks (he had diligently held tightly in his hand until we got to the deep waters) that he dropped. Forget a family photo…this was much more interesting.

He and Eva Cate got to climb on a “giant” crab and just enjoy being out on the water.

When I got home…a God Wink…Awakin.org’s message today was on the amazing power of listening. An ancient tale reveals what we already know deep down inside…We don’t need people to tell us what to do…we just simply need them to listen to us. The power of the art of listening…my ongoing word of the year for 2018.

Listening As An Act of Transformation

Doug Lipman

Two villagers came to a rabbi with a dispute. When the rabbi invited them to sit down and talk about it, they glowered at each other as though to say, “If you sit down at this table, then I won’t!” At last, they sat at the rabbi’s table with arms folded, casting angry glances at each other.

Then the rabbi said, “Do you have anything more to say, Shlomo?” Yes, Shlomo asserted, he had more to say. The rabbi kept listening to Shlomo’s answers and asking him questions about them until at last Shlomo said, more calmly, “No. I have nothing more to say.”

Next, the rabbi turned toward the other villager, Moshe, and asked, “What happened?” The rabbi listened to him and asked him questions until he, too, said, “I have nothing more to say.”

The rabbi rose from the table to leave the room, saying, “I will deliberate on this and come back with a decision.”

Less than a minute later, the rabbi returned, sat back down at the table, and said, “I have reached my verdict.” The rabbi described the verdict to them. Shlomo and Moshe looked at each other and each said, “All right. That solves it.” They shook hands and left.

Another man had been in the room and had watched all this. He said to the rabbi, “You found the solution in just a minute. Why did you let them talk so long, when you knew the answer right away?”

The rabbi said, “If I had not listened to each one’s full story, each would have resented my decision. It wasn’t my judgment that solved the problem. What solved it was listening to their entire stories.”

So until tomorrow…

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Every now and then we need to remember to pause, then stop, and finally look up. When I did this yesterday, as I was finishing up watering and putting up the hose…I saw a wondrous site… beautiful orange “wild flowers” growing up and spreading all over this wooden trunk that separates my property from my neighbors on one side.

I sent the picture to Doodle to see if it was some kind of wild honeysuckle and she texted back “No…I believe it is an orange trumpet vine.” I was thrilled…everyone knows orange is my favorite color. For a few minutes I excitedly stared up at it and then suddenly I remembered …two or more years before Vickie had suggested the orange trumpet vine as a fence cover between my property and my neighbor’s…much better than that aggressive bamboo I fight daily that tries to invade my back yard.

Something was nagging at my memory…Didn’t I order the seeds and plant them? I pulled up my amazon orders from the past and there it was…I had ordered orange trumpet seeds. But it was at least two years ago, maybe three, and they were just now appearing? As I followed the vine…it covered the entire fence finally coming to rest on the old oak tree where the rope swing is. Pods were hanging down from the vine in intervals along the fence.

After looking it up on the internet, I read that the orange trumpet vine takes years, sometimes, to get going…now I knew I was just reaping the benefits of my “sowing” from years before.

I ran and got Vickie to show her since she was the one who suggested the orange trumpet vine as a cover for the fence so I wouldn’t have to stare at the bamboo forest on the other side and now, over two years later, my vision is slowly coming true!

As if that wasn’t exciting enough…something else happened yesterday that made me smile and then laugh out loud. Both Anne and I, along with many thousands of other Louise Penny reading fans, are suffering mild to severe withdrawal symptoms waiting on the next novel in the detective series…not due to come out until later in November. So a few weeks back I ordered Anne a coffee mug that read…”got armand?”  (For some reason this little mug must have gotten lost in the mail…because it took weeks, instead of the usual days, to arrive. In fact I forgot I ordered it.)

Then yesterday morning I opened up the door to go out on the porch and there sat the package…I had some daisies left over from Easter…so I put some in the mug with water…and attached an Anne Peterson ‘original’ note card of watercolor daisies.

I ran the gift over to her and got to go in the garden to see all her floral surprises popping up…like her moon flower seeds that are sprouting…and a beautiful little pink dogwood…blooming for the first time after planting three years ago.

On the way home…I thought to myself…’I wonder why I didn’t order a mug for me’…something to remind me that time will pass and soon I will be reading the next thriller in the series.

When I got home there was a package with two bags inside… waiting for me…the last two Louise Penny books in the series (were in one bag)  I had loaned them to Donna Clark. Then there was another little package. I pulled out the tissue paper, opened it, and there was a ‘Three Pines’ logo picture from the series on the front of a coffee mug. What a God Wink! What a friend! Thank you Donna…I love it! It will sustain me until the next novel appears.

I think this incident surely demonstrates…“Give and you will receive”…unbelievable!

So until tomorrow…When I survey the wondrous orange trumpet vine…I want to blow out ‘trumpet’ notes revealing how awesome our God is!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*I forgot my sunglasses…left them in church Sunday…When I went to retrieve them yesterday I passed the Memorial Garden where the decorated cross had been placed after church service…the hot weather had wilted the flowers somewhat but it still took my breath away.

* I have received some other Easter photos from Mollie and John I will share with you to end the blog today. We all took turns holding Eloise so everyone had a chance to eat.

Great memories…it is nothing short of a miracle to get a picture of me with all the grandchildren (well…minus Eloise) and especially looking in the same direction…an Easter miracle…thanks John for making it happen! (*So glad I could reciprocate by getting a great family picture of them after church.)

Dear Reader:

My wish came true. I have been watching the Asiatic Red Lily for a couple of weeks now since Honey gave it to me as a gift. The buds have been growing  ‘red-er and red-er.’ Last night before I fell asleep I thought…“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it were blooming in the morning…for Easter Sunday?”

 It wasn’t…but close!

I was so busy getting casseroles in the oven before church…hiding eggs and getting dressed that it completely slipped my mind to check again on its status. After everyone left yesterday afternoon…I went back out on the deck to clean up the children’s plates and pick up left-over Easter egg hunt bric-a brac. As I was cleaning up the deck table (that the lilies were on) there it was… one bud, mysteriously, during the day (without any of us seeing it) had popped open! I had gotten my Easter Surprise…my miracle! And how beautiful!

I think all the good luck started with my first sighting of the day while I was hiding eggs…Sammy, the cardinal, and his wife perched on the side fence and chirped away at me…as if wishing me a ‘Happy Easter.’ *And I remembered to say “Rabbit” first thing yesterday morning! :)April 1 !

A milestone at church …Jakie made it through the whole church service without having to leave. He announced to anyone interested (within hearing distance) that he was really “good” during the children’s sermon…and he was. He helped me decorate the flower cross with a flowery gift from Michele Jones… accompanied by Eva Cate.

Another “surprise”… all the grandchildren had done a good deed for someone in need and their magical seeds produced lollipops. Imagine!

I have decided little ones never eat Easter lunch…they are way too excited about opening Easter baskets, eating sweets, and waiting impatiently on the hunt. For the little little ones some directional markers helped the hunt move briskly along.

Rutledge was the first to find his “gold egg”…his $1 dollar bill.

*Marcia…the children loved the cookies…Jakie fell and dropped his on the steps… Lachlan found it later while leaving and finished it off…they might not be “kissing” cousins….just simply ‘dual time-share cookie eaters.’ (Mollie and I half’ed one…and then another one and so on.)

Kaitlyn sent some Easter pictures of their day in Chattanooga…I hope for one and all it was a glorious day! (Even three little doggies)

Poor little Jakie fell going down the porch steps and left with a puffy bruised eye…hated he left sad…he was so happy today and proud of his conduct! He will be fine…a bit of a shiner…but Jakie is tough…just ask him!

So until tomorrow…Father lead us safely though each day…helping us meet surprises head-on…the good and the not-so-good surprises…because sometimes, every once in a while,  a red lily blossom surprise can take one’s breath away.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

The title of this painting is ‘The Release of Barabbas.’ Barabbas is only mentioned in the Bible a few times and for most of us…the memory of him is simply that he was saved by the Passover crowd at the trial and Jesus died in his place on Good Friday.

Mark 15:1-14  (Mark’s Version of the exchange of prisoners)

Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.

“Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”

But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising.The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.

“What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.

“Crucify him!” they shouted.

“Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

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

BARTER- to make an exchange using something other than a form of currency.

As a social studies teacher the one word that I never had to teach was the economic term barter-From first grade on school children”barter” their lunch bag contents intuitively. *I remember I would trade Freddie Jones 10 potato chips for his Twinkie. (Of course he always said he got to get one bite before we traded…and we wonder how the flu spreads so rapidly at school?)

When it comes to personal bartering…the largest and saddest exchange was between Jesus and Barabbas. No money involved…but something more precious…life.

My story today is a creative interpretation by Paul Harvey asking a question few of us have probably given much thought to…did the exchange of Barabbas change him in any way? Historically we don’t know…Barabbas is left behind on Good Friday and never mentioned again.

Paul Harvey decided to take a different angle on the story and as a fictitious “roving reporter” for Jerusalem, get an interview from Barabbas after the exchange.

It was our beloved Jo Dufford who remembered this story and when she went to look for it….the old album magically popped right up. It was a story that wanted to be told.

Since I couldn’t find a printed copy of the “interview” anywhere on the internet, Jo brought the album and record player for me to listen to it several times so I could pass the story on to you.

“The Interview with Barabbas”

*Paul Harvey pretends to be a seasoned news reporter in Jerusalem (with the language and customs of modern times) at the time of the crucifixion of Jesus. He has worked his way up the ranks from covering petty crimes and misdemeanors to criminal activity like murders.

While the crowds are still gawking at the “show”…watching three men, slowly and painfully die…Paul Harvey decides to seek out Barabbas. Now there is a story waiting to be told…a new angle on just another crucifixion. He was spared for murder and set free as a Passover traditional gesture while Jesus, who calls himself the Son of God, was slowly and painfully dying in his place.

As Harvey starts down the slope from Calvary Hill he sees Barabbas in the crowd shuffling his feet, mumbling to himself, and shaking his head. Some men who recognize him call out “Hey Barabbas…you lucky son of a gun, come have a drink on us….you should celebrate still being alive while that poor fella, who didn’t kill anyone, is dying.” They burst out laughing again.

Barabbas walks away from the group of men and finally notices that Harvey, a recognizable reporter for the local Jerusalem newspaper, is still following him. When he looks at Harvey… he asks “Did you see what happened at the trial…did you see that man say nothing to defend himself?”

“I saw” Harvey said quietly.

“Well what do you think it was all about…I mean…what was the angle…always has to be an angle…but I sure can’t figure it out. “Did you see it? Barabbas asks strangely again. “I saw” Harvey repeats but doesn’t answer the question. He wants Barabbas to figure it out on his own.

Now walking together they take a ‘camel short-cut’ through an alley by some flat-roofed buildings where vegetables are drying and fruits are ripening on the roofs.

Barabbas is moving like a sleep-walker. Harvey knows him from covering other ‘indiscretions” he has committed and been caught for…leading riots, robbery, and now murder. He is known to be hot-tempered, sullen, violent, and abusive. Today, however, he is none of these…he is deep in thought…completely puzzled.

Both Harvey and Barabbas have watched men die…just like these three…still Barabbas can’t figure out why Jesus took his place?

When they arrive at his humble home…with mud walls and evidence of stable animals on the lower floor…Barabbas’ wife opens the door. She stares in disbelief…not delight. The woman’s face says it all…she has opened this door so many times to a drunk husband, or an abusive one that her heart can no longer open and let him back in. Her face is devoid of expression. Harvey can tell she is not happy to see him again.

Barabbas pushes past her with no greeting…waving for Harvey to follow where he finds a seat on a bench. Finally his wife asks…”What happened…I thought you were dead.” As if talking to himself…Barabbas mumbles…”Pilate gave the Passover crowd a choice between that other guy and me to spare one life…and encouraged by the chanting priests…they all cried out my name. I couldn’t believe it…my name! Barabbas’ tone is  incredulous and his expression … one of solemn wonder.

“Who was the other fella?” his wife asked.

Barabbas replies: “That man Jesus…and all he had to say was that He was not the Son of God…I mean how hard is that?”

His wife muttered and said in disdain”Oh, THAT one!” “The King of the Jews!”

Immediately Barabbas yelled back…“Don’t say THAT ONE THAT WAY woman” he growled. “He gave His life for me…(tears fill his eyes)…he says softer…”He gave His life for me”

To break the tension Harvey interjects…“So what do you think Barabbas…you think he is the Son of God?”

Barabbas answers slowly, “I doubt it…I mean he looked just like any of us…nothing special that way. But I am going back up there…to watch them cut him down…and if he can come back to life and he does, then I am going to become one of his followers.”

Harvey asks, “Why?”

Impatiently Barabbas yells at him “Because, Because..he died for me…ain’t that enough?” “And besides if He can come back…then can’t we? I want to learn how he did it.”

Quietly the wife… whose eyes have suddenly softened…walks over to Barabbas and holds his hand.

When Harvey leaves with his article intact…a good article…he finds himself walking back up Calvary Hill instead of going back into town to get the article finished for the paper. The talk is that if Jesus does return from the dead…it will be in three days. Harvey wants to be there if it happens…now that would be a story…maybe even a book?

Like Barabbas said...If Jesus is resurrected, then anyone can do it. Harvey looks up at the waning sun and pink skies…he supposes he will camp out with the other reporters around a campfire because this is a tough neighborhood to be alone in…but somehow he understands that the shadow across the cross is beckoning to him…if he just follows the cross …then he will find his way.

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So until tomorrow…Christ died so we can all have everlasting life. Amen.

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

And Easter is on the first of April…so we know what that means…say “Rabbit” for a good month ahead! No April Fools’ here…I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

*Received this from Shelly Baker, my one-time eighth grade student, and later secretary at the district office who helped me move mountains while I worked there…  she also sent me this note about connections and God Winks and proud mothers.

Okay, here is  ‘a small world’ moment for you. Our youngest daughter, Julie, and her husband Tommy closed on their new home in Summers Corner yesterday. Yes, they will be right down the road from us but there is a curve between us so I tease we can’t see what they’re doing and they can’t see what we’re doing. So, we had them over for dinner after the closing & before the moving started and they were giddy with details of the day.

As they were talking about the closing, they said how much they liked the attorney & how funny he was, what a nice experience they had enjoyed. As we talked more, they said his name was Tommy Dingle! What a small world we live in full of intertwined threads. And the next generations are crossing paths following in our footsteps.

*So true Shelly…thanks for making Easter also Mother’s Day…a proud Mother’s Day.

Dear Reader:

A God Wink has definitely been in the making. Jo Dufford referred me to a wonderful story she still had on an old album from a 78 record player that would make a great Easter Story by Paul Harvey…and Thursday Jo actually brought the portable record player over and we listened together. She left it so I could take notes since there is no available  print-out of the story…just an audible one. It will be Sunday’s Easter Story.

In the meantime I discovered, quite by accident, another Easter story from the famous storyteller and broadcaster Paul Harvey and this is the one I am sharing with you now.

“The Story of the Birds”

There once was a man named George Thomas, a pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Several eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak.

“I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.

I stopped the lad and asked, “What you got there son?”

“Just some old birds,” came the reply.

“What are you gonna do with them?” I asked.

“Take ’em home and have fun with ’em,” he answered. I’m gonna tease ’em and pull out their feathers to make ’em fight. I’m gonna have a real good time.”

“But you’ll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?”

“Oh, I got some cats,” said the little boy. “They like birds. I’ll take ’em to them.”

The pastor was silent for a moment. “How much do you want for those birds, son?”

“Huh??!!! Why, you don’t want them birds, mister. They’re just plain old field birds. They don’t sing — they ain’t even pretty!”

“How much?” the pastor asked again. The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, “$10?” 

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill.

He placed it in the boy’s hand. In a flash, the boy was gone.

The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars…persuaded the birds out, setting them free.

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit; however  then the pastor began to tell this metaphorical story.

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting.

“Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn’t resist. Got ’em all!”

“What are you going to do with them?” Jesus asked.

Satan replied, “Oh, I’m gonna have fun! I’m gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I’m gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I’m really gonna have fun!”

“And what will you do when you get done with them?” Jesus asked.

“Oh, I’ll kill ’em,” Satan glared proudly.

“How much do you want for them?” Jesus asked.

“Oh, you don’t want those people.

They ain’t no good. Why, you’ll take them and they’ll just hate you. They’ll spit on you, curse you and kill you!! You don’t want those people!!”

“How much?” He asked again.

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, “All your tears, and all your blood.”

Jesus said, “DONE!” …Then He paid the price.

Then, without another word being spoken…just a long look at each parishioner in the pews…the pastor picked up the cage, he opened the door, and he walked from the pulpit. The Easter sermon was over…but never forgotten.

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So until tomorrow…Let us open the cages of our fears and worries and replace them with happiness and love from Love Himself…the Hand Divine…the Son of God…the Risen Savior. Happy Easter!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Happy Birthday Doodle! The wonderful matriarch of the Dingle family! I hope you know how much you are loved by all of us and by all you do for family! And your amazing gardens and knowledge of them!

It was so good to see my grand-dogs last night for a few minutes…I needed to get some medicine to Khaleesi. Hope you feel better little one. Love you Kaitlyn and Tommy! Happy Easter!

Dear Reader:

Yesterday was clean, clean, clean day! It all started when I went to the mailbox to drop a letter off for someone for Easter and noticed that my mailbox…a gift from Mandy who painted magnolias on it… now was covered in pollen and dirt.

So I thought I would get it cleaned up…but before I could get back to the front porch…I passed my bottle tree and noticed how filthy the bottles were so I started taking them off and bringing them inside to get washed too. This was just the ‘tip of the iceberg’…I ended up sweeping and mopping floors, loading and unloading dishwashers, washing clothes, dusting, sweeping the deck (again) …and vacuuming.

As I am typing the blog this Maundy Thursday afternoon…I am exhausted but I have a big grin on my face…because I am so happy that these (not fun) chores are over. The cooking I like…and the final decorating…the fun stuff is left. Maybe  symbolically  yesterday was all about more cleansing than cleaning...because, tired, I feel so much better…even lighter. I am ready for Easter…ready for renewed life.

I think the discovery that came while I was rearranging some books (while waiting on the kitchen floor to dry)was actually a reward for all the hard work. I couldn’t believe it… it did make me tear up. As I was putting Archibald Rutledge’s little book Life’s Extras away…something made me stop and look at it again. It didn’t look quite like the one I ordered a few years ago.

So I opened it…and saw the publication date was 1947…the first original publication had been 1929. Inside was a greeting that read “To Lucille from Janie B.” Then when I turned the page…the book was signed by Archibald Rutledge himself…I thought I was going to faint. I love Archibald Rutledge and now I had discovered a link between him, mom, and me. What a treasure!

The book was given to mother by Miss Janie Black. When mother graduated from Winthrop and went to work in Fayetteville for Uncle Max…she found lodging in a beautiful old Victorian style home in the heart of Fayetteville, NC…where five “old maid” sisters lived…The Black Sisters. (* One of them, Miss Polly, stayed a child all her life and I remember playing dolls with her every time we went to visit…that is why my beautiful old doll is named Polly…for her!)

It was while mom was boarding there…that she accepted a blind date…and it turned out to be my dad…all their ‘courting’ and ‘romancing’ took place there until daddy went off to war…they were married as soon as he returned in 1945. The Black Sisters loved mother and for as long as they lived…we went to visit them weekly.

While re-reading some passages from Rutledge’s book…I came across these phrases that spoke to me as Easter is quickly approaching…deepening and “resurrecting” my own faith.

“I realize that we live in a time when force seems to be the prevailing power in the world; but it is always temporary. The finer things that make the good life are not subject to change. The stock market may go down but the man or woman with a heart of “gold” always stands above par in value. 

All spiritual qualities appear to me to be extras; generosity, aspiration, courage, beyond the call of duty, and the love that outlasts the years. These things did not just happen; they could not appear in an accidental world. They were so ordered by the Hand Divine which made our spirits what they are and tenderly ministers to their needs.

Faith is one of life’s extras. We do not need it to live; but it is essential to the development of our spirits. It is the covenant which, if kept with God, will keep our pathway clear and our feet from falling. Life is instinct with mystery; but that very fact makes faith both rich and necessary.”

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So until tomorrow…I love Rutledge’s name for God…the Hand Divine because that is how my faith was restored…and continues to be…by holding His Hand Divine!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Joan…so happy I saw your beautiful card the other day and have added it to the new photo table…it is one of my favorites! And it does look like a little fairy entered your painting…the light on the bloom by the pink, yellow, and blue egg! Easter is full of surprises.

*And speaking of fairies…look where Honey was yesterday…she was at Bullington Gardens waiting for her Fairy Garden class! I am so jealous but happy for Honey!

At the end of the workshop…look what Honey made and took home! Adorable!