Dear Reader:

Yesterday the shutters were thrown back, the windows were raised, and the sunshine warmed up my usually chilly sunken den. To hit 80 degrees in February is really pushing it…but after the cold, cold, weather of January…I felt like singing for joy. (Thank goodness I didn’t succumb to this aspiration since my windows were up and any unfortunate walker, passing by, would reap the dismal “benefits” of my monotone voice.)

What is it about opening up our space to light that instills such a sense of freedom and beauty…a true example of the gift of a “Life Extra.”

I came across one passage from Archibald Rutledge’s book (Life’s Extras) and I found it so charming…the perfect passage for the perfect day of opened windows, warmth within, and God’s extra gifts to us.

(Excerpt from Life’s Extras.…Archibald Rutledge…Poet Laureate)

…”I remember walking early one July morning down a thickety path. Trees completely overarched it; but far ahead light gleamed. The path and long and straight, and terminated in a wide meadow. 

As I glanced upward, my eye caught sight of what I supposed to be a knot on the end of a dead limb that hung directly over the pathway; it was clearly silhouetted against the sky line ahead. In a moment something had darted over my head and had alighted on the knot. 

It was a hummingbird on its nest, which hung like a fairy bassinet in the lonely woodland. I looked at the nest and at the bird, with its elfin grace, its delicate sheen of brilliance, its jeweled throat. And I thought: This whole matter of grace, of elegance, of delicacy and felicity of beauty is a life extra. It is not necessary to have it so. But God has willed it so, because He loves us and knows our hungry hearts need this kind of beauty.

For many years, I had an idea that nature had for man an active sympathy; but now I have changed my opinion. There really seems a superb indifference about nature. It is what lies behind nature that really has sympathy. For example…the rose does not of itself bloom for us; but God has made it to bloom for us. 

Surely this beauty is not  a random affair; it is too authentically a sign and symbol of love. All we know about the highest form of affection we have learned directly from God’s affection for us. We not only “love Him because He first loved us” but we love one another because He teaches us how. We originate with Him; and our sublimist art is nothing but attempts to imitate the thing in nature that He has created.”

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When I put thoughts “out there” in cyberspace…I just hope for the best and that perhaps (at least) one person can relate to something in the blog. Who knew that the “Scandinavian crossroads” of South Carolina would make one of our well-known readers stop, pause, affectionately remember, and finally wipe a tear from her eyes.

Jo who married a Joe (Dufford) sent me this God Wink yesterday and it was just too sweet not to share. Thanks Jo!

As I read your blog and saw the name of a town in SC named Norway, my eyes lit up, my heart skipped several beats and a tear came to my eye. About 84 years ago on Oct. 15th, a young lady who was expecting a baby in late Dec. was making her last visit for a while with her parents in Norway,SC. Of course, babies don’t read calendars and often follow their own whims, so a small 2 and half pound baby boy made his debut into this world in that small farm community. They didn’t have a lot of hope for him, but they named him after his father and called him Joe. Needless to say, he did make it and later married a girl called Jo, so even though your blog today is about ancestry, it woke other feelings in me. But I guess when you get down to it, since he would now have 2 children, 5 grand children and 2 great grands, it is about ancestry in a way. I, too. would love to visit the Danish towns in Iowa. There is so much history to be found in small towns scattered across America.

So until tomorrow…Thank you Father for Life’s Extras and special God Wink connections…reaffirming one more time that we and the universe are all connected  during our lifetime stay here in this beautiful world of light, sunshine, remembered loves, and hummingbird nests.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

John sent me this photo of the family at Epcot…At first I just thought they were jiving and clicking their fingers…and then suddenly I spotted the flying dragon with a paintbrush…the magic of Disney! (It is in the 80’s and feels like a summer day there.)

And lastly…I glimpsed the very last rays of light (last evening) before darkness descended…I sat on my front porch steps…scared to even blink or I would open my eyes to darkness…such is the beauty and gift of God’s light on our lives.

Dear Reader:

Ever since learning (surprisingly) that I have 22% Scandinavian “blood” in my genes matching another 22% Irish, and 44% British…I have become more interested in pursuing this unknown part of my ancestry. Go Vikings go!

 When Benedikte Christiansen, my Danish exchange teacher, visited me in Summerville we drove the back roads home, one day,  from Orangeburg, South Carolina so we could let the Scandinavian teachers see our little communities (and I mean little) named for four Scandinavian countries.

They are: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. I assumed falsely that Scandinavian immigrants must have settled around there…Wrong!  Now I know the story behind the story.

*Information taken from a series of 50 historical tidbits about Bamberg/Denmark

BAMBERG-DENMARK 50 THINGS/DAY 33: Railroad officials responsible for Scandinavian names of crossroads, municipalities

Those traveling north on U.S. 321 into Bamberg County may suddenly think they’ve magically arrived in Scandinavia judging from the town and crossroad signs along the way.

 Dennis and Cindy went to Elk Horn where the Danish Museum is located and had a “Dane good time.” But then they ran out of time before getting to Kimballton, the second Danish settlement and they now want to return. (I think we all would.) Look at these pictures and see what this small town has done to promote their Danish ancestry. Amazing!

When one enters the little town of Kimballton…you immediately sense something different is going on here…they even have two flags flying proud and tall….the American flag and the Danish flag.

These Danish-Americans even have a “Little Mermaid” Park and several statues from the stories of Hans Christian Andersen. They are serious about keeping their culture alive. *See statues of the Ugly Duckling and Thumbelina below

Here is the link to this article which has some spectacular photos of this quaint Danish little town right in the middle of Iowa…you will love the pictures. I might have to add this to my ‘bucket list”…go to Iowa to see “my people.”

…And here are our girls in center stage…so talented and so generous with their passion for art!

I hope many of you made it…I went early and stayed for about an hour talking (my forte) and then had to leave but there were delicious appetizers and drinks…a whole lot of fun!

I loved this painting by Anne…this beautiful creature of the ponds and lakes…What is that old metaphor….most of us are like ducks:

We are seemingly calm on the surface, but paddling furiously underneath to stay afloat. 

If you haven’t made it to (The Little Cafe) yet, please do…wonderful selections of food and very reasonably priced. It is located at 106 Doty Avenue.

Dear Reader:

When Doodle called to let me know that there was an article in the Post and Courier (Sunday newspaper)  remembering the 1948 Abraham Lincoln Friendship train…it brought back memories of the fictional children’s story I wrote about this incident several years ago.

I named the two sisters (main characters) in the story, Arrie and Evie…for mother and my aunt Eva. I placed the setting in Ames, Iowa…one of the actual stops along the train route from Los Angeles to New York.

The research for this relatively unknown historical event was so much fun and the historical society in Ames gave me a lot of wonderful information.

*Maybe this newspaper article’s appearance is a God Wink for me to go back and work on the story some more, because world hunger is as bad now or worse, in other locations around the world, as it was in Europe following World War II.

In 1948 the food, accumulated in over 200 boxcars crossed the farming fields and “bread basket” of the nation until finally leaving New York City and heading to France and Italy…Later France sent back a Gratitude Train (sometimes called the Merci train) to thank our country for their help. Jackson let me know that the South Carolina boxcar (from that original train) was still on exhibit in Columbia. So one day all the Ya’s went and found it.  It was located in an American Legion parking lot…looking kind of forlorn and forgotten.

Since last June, 2017 the Gratitude/Merci train has been moved to Bishopville, SC and placed in the Cotton Museum there. It has finally found a home…after years of futile searching for one.

This recent newspaper article today titled World hungers for new Friendship Train  (by William Lambers…historian and author of “Ending World Hunger”) noted that last Monday’s (Lincoln’s birthday) also marked the 70th anniversary of the 1948 Friendship Train named for him.

Lincoln once said that the United States should “do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” That sums up the purpose of the United States Food for Peace and other aid programs. For peace and freedom cannot be founded on empty stomachs..

In 1948 Americans fully understood this, which led to Lincoln’s Friendship Train but also much more. President Harry Truman and the Secretary of State George Marshall were leading the way on a massive European Recovery program. The Marshall Plan, as it was called, was also signed in 1948 and helped rebuild Europe. Food aid was essential for this plan to succeed. 

As we search for ways to find world peace today… stepping up to the plate to increase U.S. food aid programs to assist in fighting this on-going massive world hunger crisis is an idea based on successful programs in the past. (This includes the “Food for Peace programs and the McGovern-Dole global school lunch program.)

Food can write the peace today as it did after World War II with Abraham Lincoln’s Friendship Train.

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This article reminds us that peace can be achieved through kindness and humane outreach programs without always resorting to more weapons and destruction for humanity.

So until tomorrow... Isn’t it wonderful what man can do when we pull together for peace, not war?

Below is the summation of the success of the Abraham Lincoln Friendship Train of 1948 in aiding Europe following WWII by the National Chairman. Great message.

This amazing endeavor is a glimpse into the very heart of America – a record of what American men, women and children did in true friendship to give hope and strength to the famine-driven peoples of Europe. No pleas, no urging, no promptings rallied these people to meet the cry of need.

United by the common bond of human sympathy they responded with a mighty volume of food and a priceless cargo of good will. This is in thanks to the hundreds and thousands and millions who joined to make possible the Friendship Train…to all who gave to the free people of France, whose children gave us our Statue of Liberty, and to the free people of Italy, whose Columbus found our shores.

( Harry M. Warner, National Chairman, American Friendship Food Train Committee.)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

I did it…I went back to Tractor and Supply and got my Mister Lincoln red rose plant and planted it so I will always remember I planted it on Valentines Day preceding Presidents’ Day Weekend 2018.

My first pretty little delicate camellia bloom from Hollow Tree Nursery  planted a year ago…popped open yesterday. *And Harriett…thank you again for the day lilies…they are letting me know it is time to knock on the door above ground . “Bliss” is happy to see them again!

And finally here come my slow-growing daffodils…but they are coming.

Dear Reader:

I saw an article that touched my heart a couple of weeks ago…so I stored it up among my “favorites” to bring out on a special day…and Valentines is that special day…the day of hearts. The day of taking heart that we are all stronger than we think and more united than we believe. And on “heart day” it would be wonderful to see our core values shared together again.

Here is the article I saved for us all to read and contemplate and pray for a day of unification, not in some foreign country…but right here. Americans together forever…by asking ourselves one question…”What breaks your heart?”

“What Breaks Your Heart”

The other day, I had the chance to speak with Architect of Change, Dr. Tererai Trent, about her new book, “The Awakened Woman.” In addition to being an author, Tererai is an internationally renowned scholar and humanitarian whose voice and incredible life story have inspired millions, myself included.

After Tererai and I finished our Architects of Change interview, she turned to me and asked a very simple, but profound question.

“Maria,” she said, looking me dead in the eye. “What breaks your heart?”

I stared at her for a bit, knowing that this was a big question to be asked. I knew this was not a question for my mind to answer. This was one for my heart and soul.

“What does your heart ache for?” Tererai asked, expanding upon her initial question. “What do you envision for the world, and for yourself?”

Over the years, I have interviewed many Architects of Change. I was also raised by two formidable Architects of Change. All of these individuals, in their own way, have asked themselves this kind of question — a question that has led them to their life’s purpose. But, no one I’ve met has ever posed it to me quite the way that Tererai did.

What breaks your heart? What does your soul long for? And, how is that connected to how you are living your life now?

I love this question because it’s made me think about my passion and purpose in a whole new way. I wanted to share it with you today because I believe this is a question that applies to all of us. And, I also believe that the answer lies deep within each and every one of us.

I deeply believe that each of us is here to move humanity forward. I deeply believe that each and every one of us longs to be of service to others, and also to live our lives in a way that matters.

“What breaks your heart?” is about the best question I’ve ever heard to help you get closer to your soul’s longing and closer to your life’s passion and purpose. But, I think before you can even answer that question, you must first acknowledge that your heart is broken, or has been broken.

I think we often think heartbreak is the result of lost love. Of course, it can be, but heartbreak also happens when what you value isn’t valued by society, by your community, or by others.

For example, what broke my mother’s heart was the way that society treated those with intellectual disabilities, and so she created the Special Olympics. One of the things that broke my father’s heart was poverty — financial poverty and spiritual poverty — and so he created the War on Poverty. My daughter’s heart breaks when animals are abused and left by the side of the road, and so she wrote a book about it, “Maverick and Me.” My other daughter’s heart breaks when she witnesses how indifferent and insensitive people are to those struggling with mental health, and so she’s made it her work to write articles that promote understanding of these issues. And so it goes…

There are several things that break my heart today. It’s broken by the fact that we still don’t have a cure for Alzheimer’s. It’s broken by the injustice so many of our fellow Americans face as they work so hard, yet still live paycheck to paycheck. It’s broken by the state of our criminal justice system and the way it treats many Americans. It’s broken listening to the young women of the USA gymnastics team speak out against the abuse they endured for far too long. (We honor them today as our Architects of Change of the Week for their bravery, their boldness, and their resolve to keep fighting.)

But, what really breaks my heart right now is how divided we are as a nation. How mean we are to one another. How critical we are of one another. How judgmental we are of each other and how angry we are at each other. Also, how lonely we all seem to be.

Yet, what moves me is the deep belief that we are all longing for the same things. We are all longing to be accepted, to be seen and understood, and to be invited into the space that unites us.

This space, I believe, is a big open field filled with dreamers and explorers. It’s filled with teachers and doctors, with mothers and fathers, and with the young and the old.

What breaks my heart is also what simultaneously fills and fuels my heart. It is a deep belief that we are more alike than we are different. It is the belief that we long to be more united than separate. It is the belief that we ache and break and want to put the pieces back together again, and that we want to do it together.

I’m not saying the anger that many of us feel today is not justified. But, let’s parlay our anger into action and allow it to fuel our purpose. I envision all of us with broken hearts coming together to heal and get to work, mending the crack in our divide. After all, the “United” part of America is what truly makes us great.

(Maria Shriver– Awakin Weekly)

So until tomorrow…Libby attended a Methodist church in Columbia last Sunday to hear her adorable little niece sing. She ended up getting a bonus by the minister finishing the sermon with a quote from Archibald Rutledge of Hampton Plantation. It is so beautiful and just… so “Archie.”

“I do not need some tremendous miracle to give me Faith in God; A violet would do, or a spire of goldenrod, or a daisy or two. But if I had to have a magic and wonder, to render any doubts asunder, To prove God true…It would be you.” (Now that’s a Valentine’s card!)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

 Yesterday was a cold winter day again…so Eloise and I decided to just snuggle and stay warm inside…she was waiting on me with hearts on and a twinkle in her eyes. We are both at such compatible stages in life…we just want to eat, smile, rock and sleep during our winter hiatus. My kind of gal.

Here are four sample shots that Sarah Liz (professional photographer)……took and sent Mollie and Walsh as preliminaries to look over…she is an amazing photographer and such wonderful friends of Walsh and Mollie. If you are looking for someone to take pictures of your family…look no further.

*https://sarahlizphotography20.pixieset.com/

*Open up the first photo ( Baby Eloise…on the website) and you can see more!

Ah….we know spring is coming when the redbud trees start blooming…Between Town Hall, the statue of long-time Mayor Berlin G. Myers, and some restaurants several rosebud trees were planted. They are just now getting tall enough to show off their pink glory. Just in time for Valentines Day. I hope you all  have a wonderful one!

Dear Reader:

I believe the longer we live the greater our respect for time and change become. As much as we profess to dislike change… with all its uncertainties.. the more we realize that it is the changes in us, throughout our lives, that have made this life journey so fresh each day.

It is only when we recognize the impermanence of life that we are free to live. As wonderful as some memories are of my past…I would not have wanted to be stuck there forever….in order to have grandchildren…we must first have children. If I had never grown up…I would not have had children…if my children had never grown up… I wouldn’t now have grandchildren…and so on and so on and so on. How much I would have missed out on.

Even when we are just sitting or sleeping the cells in our bodies are ever-changing. Everything that comes into our lives, categorized seemingly good or bad, are there for a purpose. It is only later, upon reflection,  we realize that the polar opposites of good and bad turned out differently than we first assumed.

Bob and Fran German say the “meaning of life” is a life lived with meaning. Every day we have the opportunity to take a normal, daily routine and turn it into something meaningful…for ourelves and others.

Today we hear more and more terms about life-threatening diseases and the people who have them…as those “living” with cancer or whatever disease… when just years ago this term would have meant”terminal” patients with little life left. Changes. Good changes…but only if we use our “living” time wisely.

Some medical reports now cite that people aren’t living longer…they are dying longer. The quality of life is not matching the longer lifespans of life. What a sad commentary on modern life!

So how do we turn around the quality of life (within us) to match the quantity of life we are being given? Obviously taking time to eat, exercise, take care of our bodies (our physical shells) and live healthy is one..but it means even more than that…

It all comes down to how we wish to live our lives each and every day with a higher purpose and respect for life and everyone in it. Like the popular mantra says “ Die young…as late as possible.”

In Bob and Fran German’s book ( 101 Ways to Be Young at Any Age) one idea includes making a specific intention, each and every day, to touch the hearts of others. (And with Valentines coming tomorrow) what better time to start.

1. Pay a compliment to three people you never interacted with before….”Nice shirt, great smile, thanks for helping out the community by giving used books to it.”
2. Call someone to walk with you…have lunch…or just talk.
3. Do something for someone else that you know will lift their spirits.

These acts of kindness not only lift their spirits and ‘make’ their day but ours too.

So until tomorrow (Valentines Day)…why don’t we all give away a little more of our heart this year…and let the “beat go on” for ourselves and others “in the most delightful way.”

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Yesterday’s neighborhood walk…”Happy Beauties”

Dear Reader:

Guess whose birthday it is today? Why President Lincoln’s of course. I don’t do math for a profession but if my calculator is right…our Mr. Lincoln is 209 years old….being born February 12, 1809.

Last week I stopped by Tractor and Supply…they had their roses out and sure enough there were some Mister Lincolns among the potential purchases. I thought about it over the weekend and must return to get one. Today would be fitting. ( I mean really…what American history teacher with a garden…would dare be caught without one. Quite unpatriotic!)

I do have neighbors who have Mr. Lincolns...and besides being such a deep beautiful, visual red…they also smell luscious! (Two “senses in one.”)

The CBS Sunday Morning Show had a cute segment on a log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky that has claimed, for quite awhile, to be the actual cabin where Lincoln was born (209 years ago) on Knob Hill.

*Rumors, though, persisted that it was not the actual cabin…so some tree specialists were brought in to count the rings and figure out the age of the wooden planks in the cabin. 1861. Lincoln was President by then so it could not be the original cabin he was born in. (Today the label says the cottage is symbolic of the one Lincoln was born in.)

*”Honest” Abe would appreciate the truth….trees never lie about their age…just people.

At first the townspeople feared when this news leaked out it might cut down on  tourism that keeps the little town running. After all, just about everything in Hodgenville, KY is named for Lincoln…a national park memorial, a museum, a general store, a car dealership, and jamboree…to name a few.

But no fear. Cars still pull off the interstate to visit the birthplace of our 16th President. Like the National Park Ranger wisely commented..“People don’t stop to pay tribute to President Lincoln for the age of the wood that surrounded him at birth…it is the man and his story they want to hear and see.”

So much truth in that statement….people don’t care if we are from the “sticks” or come from straw, wood, or brick homes. It is the story we live for others, during out lifetime, that makes people want to pause, stop, and remember us.

So how do we  go about making changes in this world that will have ourselves remembered? Bob and Fran German ( 101 Ways to Be Young At Any Age) tell a story that they believe originally came from an unknown monk centuries ago (now modernized)…which answers that very question.

“When I was a young person I wanted to change the world. This was impossible, so I tried to change my country. That didn’t work out so I decided to change my home state. No luck. Next, I attempted to change my community. Nada. So, as I aged I thought it wise to just change my family. Failed. 

So now, as an old person, I realize that I can only change myself. Oh, how I wish I understood this long ago as I could have made a positive impact on my family. Then my family and I could have made a difference in our community. Together our community could have made great changes in our state, and then our state could go on to impact our country and then…I could have said that I changed the world.”

So until tomorrow…”The next time you want to change something or someone, look in the mirror first.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Since this is Valentines Week…and it is starting out pretty dreary (weather-wise)…I decided to splurge and get some bright spring-looking flowers to fill  my vases…it is like adding sunshine to my “Happy Room.”

The neighborhood walks just get more beautiful every day…

…and what Valentines arrangement doesn’t need chocolates?

Dear Reader:

Like many Americans I watched in awe and excitement at the Opening Ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympics Friday evening…the pageantry and comaraderie…the sense of hope for peace and global understanding…if only for those precious moments.

Of course the uniting of the athletes from both South and North Korea and its potential as a benchmark for some type of unification was the main topic of the discussion among the NBC commentators…Mike Tirico and Katie Couric with Ramo delivering the Otto Van Bismarck quote at the end:

“A statesman… must wait until he hears the steps of God sounding through events, then leap up and grasp the hem of His garment.”

The more I thought about that quote the more I thought about its meaning to all of us…not just for statesmen or politics today. Everyday, in our own personal history, we are being revealed, for better or worse; but then sometimes we are given that quick glimpse into the miraculous possibilities of our own personal time-lines in history…if we just pause long enough to let God show us the way and then follow.

John Eldridge (author of Walking with God) reflects about Lent and its real meaning in our lives. He doesn’t think it is about giving up something we like to eat or drink or losing weight. Instead it is about giving up SELF and taking up LOVE...in other words…replacing us with GOD. His prayer for Lent is:

I ask You to heal the things in me that have led to this self-obsession, this looking to my ability to get it done, get it right, stay on top of things. Forgive me. I want to be centered in Your love in me. You in me. Heal me.

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Yesterday Mandy, Eva Cate, and I had a girls’ day out. PBS had sent me notification (which I forwarded to Mandy) about a free family program KIDS PBS was hosting at the Gibbs Museum in downtown Charleston. (I am a contributor to PBS which is why I had gotten notification…I love their programming!!)

KIDS PBS was letting the children “test” out (for the first time) a new children’s television series. The group of children got to watch five episodes from the upcoming series of “Pinkalicious.” Eva Cate adores Pinkalicious!

Leading up to the viewing…”stations” were provided where the children could draw, color, and even create paper robots. It was impressively pre-planned. Smart Cat was there to lead the little participants into exercises to stay healthy. Storybook time, along with a reader for the Pinkalicious series of books, was also provided.

The nice thing about this event is that it was free… which meant also free admission to wander around the Gibbs Museum. Eva Cate loves history and art…so she was totally enthralled looking at everything the Gibbs Museum had to offer. (And the beauty of the building itself.)

It was when we came to this gigantic two story “bird nest” that Eva Cate’s face said it all….it was filled with wonder and awe… the realization of what it must be like to be a little bird in a nest…one of God’s creations.

Eva Cate experienced (perhaps) her first real epiphany…her first steps towards finding her niche in the world… layered with pure imagination and the endless possibilities and surprises of life. For a moment she was no longer “hemmed” in by laws of nature but glimpsed the endless infinity of the human mind through the eternal universe of God’s creation.

Eva Cate got to pick out one “surcie” to remember the day…and she picked out a little “recorder” like the one Pinkalicious used in one of the video segments. (*Grandmothers can get away with buying “loud” items because we leave and don’t have to listen to it…one of the perks of grandmotherhood.)

With all the illness around the Turner home previously…this was the first time I had had a chance to see the completely re-decorated bedroom. She is a lucky little girl…an artistic mom and a doting daddy.

Jakie and I (and “night night”) “hung” together for awhile watching race car animated movies…his favorite. The family is excited about going to Disney World over  Presidents’ Day weekend.

So until tomorrow….”It’s not about me…it’s about you God.” Instead of counting sheep I think I will practice saying this line every night until I fall asleep. This two-step thought is essential, I believe, for spiritual growth….”Give up self; Take up love.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Dear Blog Readers….my very talented nephew Lee (Barbour) is up for Best Musician in Charleston and since the family has always thought that anyway….(jazz guitarist/writer/composer) it would mean a lot to our family if you would be willing to take a minute and vote for him for this position. Thank you in advance! *February 23 is the deadline. *You will find the link below.

In other local news, I’m very honored to be nominated for Best Musician by the City Paper this year! And, while the nomination is awesome, it would be even more incredible if I won! I’ve always hoped to earn that title but did little to promote that goal. Self promotion is a difficult one for me, and getting better at it is another goal for 2018! So, if you think it is a fitting title and are willing, please go vote for me here. Also, if you wanna vote for Gradual Lean for Best Jazz Band, by all means, go for it…thanks in advance!

Dear Reader:

Do you remember that momentous moment in your life when you realized that you had been trying to follow someone else’s path and not your own?

Twice prior to my teaching career…I had opportunities to switch majors over to medical/service or a secretarial career but something stopped me each time. I truly entered education thinking I would probably teach a year or two and then quit, marry, and stay home with family/children. Little did I know that ‘staying home’ was 34 years away when I entered Alston Middle School.

Little did I know that I would find my passion…and it was teaching. Who knew? God knew. My life turned out just the way it was supposed to turn out. And the wait to stay home and be with family has come true too…grandchildren family…the best. And wow…was it worth waiting for…

When I think back to the shy, introverted child I was at the beginning of my life and the “angels” who were planted to help me find my way…I am eternally grateful. I realize the biggest difference for me came from people (I knew and some I didn’t) who moved me along my path with encouraging words. These words literally steered me in the right direction.

And the wrong words…the hurtful words…they taught me how not to act and how not to go down the wrong path. I subscribe to Kelly Rae Roberts website and she had written a personal story on her blog about the amazing power of words…and how they can change a person’s life for better or worse.

How true…and we all need a reminder how important it is that we never say something that causes a loved one or stranger to detour off their given path. Thoughts from Kelly’s blog…

Rediscovering Our Brilliance

Dear Reader:

I love historical stories with a fun twist and last Sunday as Tommy, Kaitlyn, and I were eating our brunch/lunch….Tommy was checking the beer selection and commented to Kaitlyn…he wondered if they had Tojo Pale Ale. Kaitlyn laughed and I knew there was a story behind this beer…and there was…a great WWII saga! Music to this trivia history teacher’s ears.

After reading several samples of Tojo the monkey…I thought this version of the story had the most complete re-telling.

“The Monkey Who Dropped in for a Drink” (BBC)

A flying monkey with a taste for rum is to have a permanent memorial in an Irish town.

Tojo dropped in to the County Cork seaside town of Clonakilty during the Second World War when a US bomber had to land nearby.

On board with Tojo were 10 crewmen and a supply of rum.

The plane, christened T’Ain’t a Bird, landed on 7 April 1943 after running low on fuel (a misleading radio report threw them off course.)

Local businessman Thomas Tupper has grown up with the story of Tojo and how he came to be in Clonakilty. It is an interesting tale.

“An American Flying Fortress on its way to Britain from the southern states of America crossed the Atlantic from south America and on their way they picked up a monkey as a mascot,” he said.

“They actually circled the town here in Clonakilty at midday when everyone was having their dinner and this enormous plane, it must have seemed like a space ship, was flying low around the town.

“People were terrified it might knock the spire off one of the churches. It headed out towards the sea and landed on a marsh.”

The airmen who initially thought they had landed in German-occupied Norway were armed and preparing to take the cyanide tablets in their possession until they were reassured that they were on friendly soil.

A crowd gathered as they were taken into custody by local police.

“The custody consisted of them being in a local hotel where a party ensued for three days,” he said.

Irish Welcome

The visitors provided some welcome relief and excitement to the war-rationed residents of Clonakilty.

During their stay, the US airmen were able to reciprocate the warm Irish welcome they had received by sharing their 36 bottles of rum with their hosts and Tojo.

After several days, the crew was taken to Cork before they were driven from the neutral Irish Republic into Northern Ireland where they were handed over to the RAF.

But one very important primate was missing when the the airmen left the west Cork town.

Tojo had taken too much of a liking to the rum and other beverages.

“The efforts of local doctors, chemists, and vets failed to save the monkey and Tojo died of pneumonia,” said Mr Tupper.

“It was a great tragedy and people lined up and queued to see the dead monkey laid out on a sheet in a bed upstairs in the hotel.”

Tojo was buried in soil at the back of the hotel, which has since been flattened out and built over.

“No-one ever dug him up. His little bones are still there, under the floorboards of the dance hall,” Ms O’Donovan said.

Ms O’Donovan’s father Thomas and his sister Bernie ran the hotel when the American visitors arrived.

Tojo had made a lasting impression during his short stay and was given a funeral, with full military honors.

On Sunday, a statue of the unusual visitor who became a local legend will be unveiled in Clonakilty. (April 7, 2013)

Kaitlyn took this photo of Tommy beside the famous O’Donovan hotel and the Tojo statue while they were honeymooning in Ireland last May.

*… And as if that isn’t enough monkey business the stuffed monkey I gave Nala when she was a baby…(Anne said her favorite toy)…came to a sad end about a week ago. In this case, closer to home, it wasn’t the “demon” rum that took the monkey but Nala…who, literally, loved the stuffing out of the monkey.

So until tomorrow…Love never dies a natural death…but it is dramatic to the end…because it never ends.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Haven’t we always wondered about what happens to our beloved pets when they die? Don’t we want reassurance that we will see them again, also, in another life?

I have heard so many people talk about seeing their pets again in a dream after they left or appearing in God Wink situations in daily life…like their special water bowl turning up on the sidewalk and other incidents that seem to reassure us that there is a  connection between the owners and their deceased and beloved pets.

Proverbs 12: 10 says: “The righteous care for the needs of their animals….”

This scriptural quote starts the little Berenstain Bears story – Bless our Pets. In it…the local pastor is having a Blessing of the Animals…of the pets and encourages everyone to bring their pet. Some strange-looking creatures arrive and along with it typical fun chaos until the pastor is able to restore order with one word “Peace.” It is a sweet little story.

Quinn Caldwell searches scripture too to find the answer to the relationship between human and God’s other creatures here on earth. I enjoyed this daily devotional…and I hope you will too.

Animals, Human, and Otherwise

Quinn Caldwell

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.” – Genesis 9:8-17

Did you catch that?  In today’s story, which comes near the end of the whole ark episode, God makes a covenant not just with Noah and his descendants, but with every living animal, everywhere.

How does one make a covenant with an animal?  A covenant is a contract, pure and simple, an agreement between two parties that spells out how they will behave with one another.  “If you give me X, I will give you Y.”  “If I do this, you will do that.”

So what is the birds’ quid to God’s quo?  What is it that God needs, or even wants, enough to make a contract with zebras?  What could dinosaurs or dolphins possibly do that’s enough to pay for God’s offer of a future?

It turns out that what your cat can offer God for her salvation is just what you can offer: exactly nothing.  It turns out that covenants with God aren’t quite the same as covenants with everyone else.  It turns out that with God, it’s not so much a quid pro quo as a quid pro nil.  The promise, the salvation, the future on offer to every living thing is free, and there’s nothing you or your cat can do to earn it, or to lose it.

So why don’t you go find an animal you know, and celebrate?

Prayer (best said while holding or snuggling your favorite animal)

God, I thank you that in you, through you, and with you, the world, the animals, and I have a future.  Amen.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Here are some of your “blankie” examples of memories past and present….thank you for sharing. (I just got back from Mt. Pleasant….looking after Eloise….and the rains that had been predicted came crashing down on me as I turned into my driveway.) I was pretty wet by the time I raced back in the house…so what was the first thing I did? Put on Pinkie. Here are some of your “blankie” memories you shared.

Three others shared their love of the same pink robe…we all have such great taste…Actually Libby gave me mine before my big surgery. Thanks girl!  Carol Poole and Joan Turner both told me they have my “Pinkie” robe too and adore it. Joan said what makes her robe even more endearing is that she got it as a Christmas gift from John and Mandy the first year they were married.

OMG!  Just sitting here sipping coffee and “hooting” while reading today’s blog.  Why?  Because, I am all comfy and warm snuggled up in my older than old tattered, torn, to-the-floor terry cloth (PINK) robe!!! (Newer “presentable” robes in the closet, but they just don’t cut it with me!  As the song goes, it’s “Terry Pink and Apple Blossom White” or words similar to that.  Have a GREAT day, Becky!  Hugs, Dee Lesko

Sue Anne had a doll she called “Pouty Bear” as a child…and today has a shirt of her husband Randy’s that she wears around the house when she needs an extra hug…memorable “blankies” both. 

isaiah46ministries

“I did not have a blanket or anything like that, but for part of my childhood I slept with the Bible under my pillow. My aunt made me stop when I was about 12, saying it would run me crazy. I felt such peace and could sleep with the Bible under the pillow, and knew nothing could hurt me because God was watching over me. Before she died, she kidded me about taking the Bible away, as she attended my pilot sermon before I was ordained. She said, “Well sleeping with the Bible under your pillow didn’t make you crazy, it made you a preacher.” We laughed about that unexpected call on my life. I still find so much peace in reading the Bible, as it’s signifies God’s love for us and makes me feel special, something I missed as a child constantly changing homes. The Bible was my one constant source of joy in so many new places to get used to living in. Wonderful post. Thank you.”

Beverly Parkinson agreed that it was a “given” even adults need “blankies” or she called it “Loveys.”

…And speaking of “Loveys”…I got to love up on Eloise yesterday….I, also, got my first smile and was feeling so smug when I took a couple of pictures of Walsh holding her and that little girl turned on her charm…that sweet little smile that will get her anything from her daddy. It must be instinct between daughters and daddies.

(* I asked Eloise why it took her so long to figure out I was a  crazy grandmother… and a funny Boo…everyone else knows it.) I had been sticking my tongue out at her and she was trying to imitate me.

So until tomorrow…“I like the idea of being warm and secure. That’s what home should be. That you have a sense of warmth, security, love, and you love the things around you and surround yourself with beauty.” Andre Leon Talley

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

A “Happy Beauty” to make eating at my table even more enjoyable.

• We heard good news from Patty Knight concerning her daughter Kristen’s surgery yesterday….I am sure it was all your prayers…thanks so much blog readers!
• “Thank you, sweet Becky for remembering Kristen. She is doing very well! God is so good and we appreciate your precious prayers.”