Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

Yesterday the little decorative dish (on the pineapple saying) arrived…so Honey… I re-packaged it and sent it on to you. Your surcie is in transit! But before I re-sent it… I noticed the young girl (supplier) of this pineapple dish (Lisa’s Boutique) had put a  card inside the box that said, “There is Always, Always Something to be Thankful for.”

Archibald Rutledge would call it a ‘life’s little extra.‘ Lisa didn’t have to do that…but she did. This speaks volumes for this young entrepreneur and I will definitely seek her out again when ordering more ‘surcies.’

The little card did make me stop and think about all the blessings I have in my life and how thankful I am for so many friends whose lives and mere presence have been a “life’s BIG extra” for me along my journey.

Take Friday for example…Rose at the Publix Customer Service is trying to reach me telepathically to pull me into the store for the commemorative Clemson cokes and is overjoyed when I show up unexpectedly.

Then, out of the blue, Stephanie calls Publix at 9:00 Friday night to see if they have some more for Tommy and when she discovers they do…she is off and running…with her mother Greta telling her to wait for her…then they can both get two cartons.

I mean ‘Really’...who does that kind of thing any more?….Stephanie and her mother Greta do…the “Determined Duo“- Y’all will always be superheroes in my eyes!

Then my neighbor, Jane and her friend Liz, decided to go to Krispy Kreme yesterday morning (St. Andrews) to get a box of the special “Solar Eclipse” donuts and called to say they would bring me some back…which in turn I planned to share with another neighbor, Vickie… to keep paying it forward!

Unfortunately they had an unsuccessful mission…by the time they got there they were out….but these two ladies don’t give up easily so they found out the time they would be ready todayand they are going to try it again….our own Lewis and Clark Expedition.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it….I am praying for success on today’s expedition.!

And of course…then there are all of you…who not only take time to read my little blog but converse and share thoughts and ideas.

***Speaking of…I have already gotten a few of your ‘Solar Eclipse’ memento photos and I am dying laughing. They are adorable…and some are downright hilarious! I don’t know where you found these things…but it appears that everyone is having just plain homespun ‘fun in the sun.”

Please keep those photos coming in…so we can have a cool collage tomorrow to remember this 99-year-spectacular event for the rest of our lives! *If you would get the pictures to me by 7:00 this evening…I would be most appreciative so I can get everyone’s added.

Remember to send your photo or idea to:  [email protected]

So until tomorrow…

Aren’t we blessed to be alive at this very moment? A miracle for all of us!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

And I am “always, always thankful” for my garden…especially at twilight…the magic hour when the fairies drop their pixie dust.”

Dear Reader:

I thought it would be fun to create a compilation of ‘eclipse of the sun’ mementos for this Monday’s blog….so the post is filled with your personal or favorite photos of souvenirs and/or keepsakes of this once-in- a -lifetime event!

So if you have picked up a t-shirt or cap, found a memento in a gift shop or department store, postcards, notecards, etc….take a photo and email it to:

[email protected]

(*Would love to see some modeling going on with you readers too…perhaps with your cool protective glasses on! 🙂

I was trying to remember if Due West, South Carolina (my alma mater- Erskine College) was in the viewing path of the March 7, 1970 last total eclipse in S.C.)

*That path came up from Mexico through Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia and then headed out to sea around Nantucket, MA.

I found a school picture of myself from 1970…my junior year at college and somehow I think the eclipse missed Due West…imagine that…a huge metropolis like Due West, S.C.?

(Either that or I was a typical college student… too involved in my “extra-curricular” dating activities to worry about some little dark circle covering the sun…having a date for Saturday night was eons more important back then!

As I stared at this projected map of the path of the total solar eclipse through South Carolina Monday…something started nagging at me…and then I realized what it was: * Look at the second map

The path Hurricane Hugo followed in September of 1989. The only difference is a slight turn to the right at the last minute as it headed to Charlotte.

*History repeating itself….did you notice how close Summerville came to not being in the viewing path of the total eclipse of the sun in the top map…we just squeaked in!!

You might have seen in the Post % Courier that NASA has arrived at the College of Charleston…Charleston is the last point in the U.S. where the eclipse will be seen until it heads out to sea. NASA’s first item of business is making sure that Clyde, the cougar mascot of the College of Charleston, has his protective glasses on.

BUT WAIT…there’s more. The God Wink of all God Winks…I still can’t believe something else special  is happening Monday, August 21…I have checked and re-checked this amazing phenomena…but you will have to wait until Monday to discover what it is!

Bring on those photos of the solar eclipse mementos you have -think of  pictures of posters, billboards,  signs along the road….there are a lot of public mementos…even if you don’t have a personal one.

*Email them to me by late Sunday afternoon so I will have time to get them added for Monday’s blog.

So until tomorrow…Just think…the wonder of the universe is about to be revealed to us.

Psalm 8: 3-4

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*****! And here is a free ‘Solar Eclipse” gift from Anne to anyone interested in having one of her post cards as a keepsake of this very special event. (She ordered 50 more postcards to give anybody who would  like one as a memento…You can email Anne to get her home address, then send a self-addressed enclosed… return/stamped envelope for the delivery back to you.)

Thank you Anne…how generous of you to share your talents for this special day!

* If you are interested in ordering several postcards or in bulk just let Anne know what you need when you email her and she can provide the information  needed for your individual wants .

[email protected]

(*You just aren’t going to believe this)

Stephanie emailed me last night and asked if I would like any other commemorative Clemson Tiger coke cartons and I said that I was sure Tommy could probably use some for clients if she just happened upon another carton anywhere when she was out and about…. but I was fine…don’t go to any extra trouble. (This was after nine o’clock last night) so I didn’t give it another thought.

Later I heard a ping on my Iphone and there was Stephanie again…saying Publix still had some and they were off. “They?” I thought!

The next ping said: “Score! Double God Wink. Mom went with me and we got you 4!  And we met Rose!”

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were at it again! Thank you Stephanie and Greta…y’all are amazing…I am still laughing and shaking my head!

Dear Reader:

Wow! I am still musing over one of the nicest God Winks… that took place yesterday. It is hard to decide where to start this story…so I will go way back to the beginning.

A few months after Clemson won the National Football Championship some crates of canned cokes with Clemson Tigers and National Football Championship insignias on them… came out as mementos to the big event last January.

You might remember I drove like a wild woman to Spinx gas station, late one night, on Old Orangeburg Road to buy a crate…there were two left and one slipped out of my grasp trying to get it in the back of the car…so I had a few “normal” coke cans…and lots of pretty beaten up-looking ones…but I distributed them to Tommy (my youngest son who attended Clemson) family and friends.

Then about a week ago…Tommy emailed the family to give us a heads-up that coke was coming out with small glass-bottled cokes ( 6-packs) with more Clemson National Football Championship insignias on them and he would appreciate all of us keeping our eyes out for them and grab any we could.

I kinda dropped the ball (or the bottle) on this request…life got crazy with a lot going on and I forgot about it. Then Tuesday night Tommy emailed to let us know he stood in line to get the last two six-packs and the woman in front of him grabbed them at the last minute.

I told Tommy I would check around for him since I have more time these days than all the “kids”who are working.

So I called Sphinx and their supply had come in last Monday and was gone the same day. Bi-lo, I was told, probably wouldn’t get any here in the lowcountry…they were being sold out in the midlands and piedmont.

So I called Publix. The Publix grocery store at Knightsville didn’t think they were getting any but thought the Publix on Trolley road would be getting some. So Wednesday evening I called that Publix…a young man answered and said they didn’t know when they would be getting some…he thought maybe Friday morning or next week.

Yesterday morning…I woke up and had a funny feeling…like I should check one more time. This wonderful voice answered at the Customer Service desk at the Publix on Trolley and again reiterated that she just wasn’t sure if they would get any but she felt like the Publix on Ashley Phosphate and Dorchester Road (behind McDonalds) definitely would. She even graciously gave me their number and directions how to get there. I thanked her for all her time and patience, hung up and called the other Publix.

I was told they were thinking the cokes would arrive Friday afternoon and they would probably be put on the shelves – ready to purchase Saturday morning.

With all that information swirling around I decided to use Thursday morning to just get caught up on some things around the house…first in order…watering the garden before it got any hotter.

As soon as I turned on the hose…a thought started running through my mind…what if the cokes came in today (Thursday) at Publix instead of Friday or Saturday? I kept pushing it out of my mind as I tackled another area of the garden… But, then while watering the morning glories…this strange sense of urgency swelled over me. .

By the time I got to the rose bush by the driveway…the sense of urgency to go to Publix had grown stronger. (I always carry my Iphone with me in the morning when I water so I can take photos in the early morning light.)

There was one rose bloom that was caught in the sun’s rays and so pretty I stopped to take a picture. That strange feeling came over me again so strongly this time it felt overwhelming. I needed to drop everything and go to Publix. I gave in to it.

I quickly put the water hose up…grabbed my purse, keys, and found myself heading down Trolley Road towards Publix. I tried to reassure myself that this would not be in folly since I needed to pick up groceries anyway for the weekend. It would save me from having to do it later when it was  crowded.

I pulled in and first went to the deli to get some turkey. There was no one waiting in line or getting a number…in fact, there was no one even in the area. Now those of you who shop Publix know that this is a daily miracle in itself…at least a good sign.

I finished shopping and went to get in line to check out. It was then I noticed a coke distributor putting new drinks in a cooler right beside me. Out of the blue I stopped and asked him “By any chance do you happen to know if this store will get any of the commemorative Clemson National Championship cokes?”

He immediately stopped putting the bottles in, turned around, grinned, winked and in a conspiratorial whisper said “I just dropped some six packs off with the manager…they are behind the counter at Customer Service.”

We gave each other a high five and then I did a u-turn in the waiting line…apologizing for “forgetting something.” I literally ran… pushing my cart to customer service. One lone lady stood there…and I whispered…”Do you have the commemorative Clemson coke bottles? ” She pointed to the stacks of drinks in the corner.

“Yes we do” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “We are limiting each customer to two six-packs.  She continued, “We didn’t think we would be getting any but some of the other stores kindly shared some of their allotment with us.”

“I think that is only fair to limit the personal distributions to customers” I commented and then added, “Can I get two now?”

She winked and nodded and returned with two six-packs. Then she stopped and looked at me inquisitively…“You aren’t, by any chance, the woman who called earlier this morning about these cokes are you?”

I grinned and told her I certainly was. And then came the God Wink.

“As soon as you hung up this morning…I knew I should have gotten your name and phone number…just in case. And then, sure enough, here comes the coke distributor with a surprise supply of the commemorative Clemson coke bottles.” 

“I kept thinking to myself that somehow I wished I could just “will” you in to  the store today…because I would have felt so badly if you had come tomorrow and missed out on our supply. “And now here you are right in front of me.”

“A God Wink” I said and we both nodded in unison. “Something just told me to come on in today…just to check…and there I found the coke distributor right in my check-out aisle…the feeling in the garden was leading me here…particularly one rose.” 

I asked another woman, working in the store, if she would take our picture together…it was then that I asked my new friend what her name was.  “Rose” she replied.

Of course it was…why would it have been any other name? Rose…with a big heart and a sweet smile…a messenger indeed for a Clemson fan in need!

*Rose even went so far as to check me out right there at Customer Service so I wouldn’t have to get back in line again. Don’t we wish there were more “Roses” to go around for everybody?

Rose, thank you for your kindness and for going the extra mile! It made this customer’s day!

So until tomorrow…“Love planted a “Rose” and the world turned sweet.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Sam and Donna…so happy you stopped by to show me that adorable grandson, little Sam, and that you were able to get your two six-packs, also, at Publix! Good news spreads fast!

*For Charleston County students school started yesterday…for many other school districts… next Tuesday (after the eclipse) will be the starting date…so I have been kinda holding off with the Back to School theme until everyone is back.

But… as a grandmother, of course, I just have to show Miss Eva Cate’s first day of back-to-school picture…back at James B. Edwards Elementary and this year starting school with a friend (Lilli) from the neighborhood she went to school with last year….isn’t it wonderful to already have a friend the first day of school?

Dear Reader:

Thank you for your overwhelming responses to your favorite “heavenly” smell. I so enjoyed reading them and after each….I would say “Oh yes…that’s a wonderful choice…how could I have forgotten that scent?”

We use the expression that something “smells heavenly” when we smell something delicious cooking on the stove or upon entering a garden filled with floral scents of every kind. Perhaps this expression appears when we are trying on different perfumes or colognes to see how they mix with our own chemistry.

The one thing we don’t know, of course, is how heaven really does smell. So it is left up to our imagination to fill in with the scents we so love here on earth…the ones you selected…many coming from earlier memories as a child.

So I thought it would be fun to take an imaginary journey through heaven where all of our selected scents, our ‘heavenly smells’ are ‘just around the bend’ awaiting our arrival.

For me…heaven would be in the form of a garden…but unlike any garden we have experienced here on earth…. this garden would be comprised of beautiful waterfalls, mountains, rocks, forests, jungles, lakes, river, ponds, and deserts. This never-ending place of beauty would have little paths running through each terrain…even under waterfalls. One never would know what is around the bend and what scent awaits at the end of the turn.

We would never be wary of the ‘next bend in the road’ because we would know it is going to be more beautiful than the one we just completed…no scary surprises like on earth…just a garden shaped by joy and happiness filled with all God’s children and creatures living together in perfect harmony…in unconditional love.

So come with me as we travel through the “heavenly smells” of eternity…the scents that have captured our love in this life.

Now imagine being able to fly along the paths of this garden, set within this never-ending perimeters of beauty, and we meet each bend in the road with the same excited anticipation we had as a child on Christmas Eve.

Let’s start under a waterfall…we discover, to our amazement, that we never get wet…we can smell the wonderful scent of clean, pure water without a drop falling on us…we are seeing heaven through only the two sensory gifts of smell and sight.

Upon leaving the waterfall…to our amazement…..clotheslines filled with clean sheets, clothes, and linens appear that have dried in the sun. The most wondrous scent of freshness and cleanliness permeates this spot filling the air completely.

As we fly around  the next bend a field of lilacs await us…the scent of these beautiful plants fill us with joy.

This field stands out from all the other parts of the garden because it has rows…whereas everything else is made up of wildflowers….growing at will where they simply want to grow.

Baskets of lilacs await anyone who wishes to sit awhile and simply be with the lilacs.

“The gardens that make us happiest
flourish because we have taken the time
to make sure they feed our souls
and fill a special place in our lives.”

Suddenly rain begins to fall…and oh what a wonderful fresh smell arises from the field of zinnias in all their bright rainbow colors!

Around the following turn the smell of cookies await us…followed by the scents of people we have loved…the combination is almost overwhelming in its fulfillment of sheer joy.

A field of corn appears around the next bend and it reminds us of just how wonderful corn on the cob smells and tastes.

Puppies in baskets with little children…oh the beauty of creation and all who dwell within. A scent unlike any other rises to meet us from the basket…scent of new life.

The smell of freshly cut hay consumes every fiber of our being as we slow down to take in this beautiful pastoral scene.

Suddenly we see a farmer bend down and pick up a fistful of of rich, black dirt and the scent sends us flying in circles…the smell of the land…the foundation.

Then from dirt to cleanliness…the scents of clean babies and small children to husbands caught shaving…the scent of cleanliness provokes wonderful memories of love.

Who would have thought that the next turn in the garden would carry us into Fall with all its beauty and scents of the season?

The smells of bonfires, pumpkin pies… the feel of warm mittens and hats…the season of Fall is the most beloved season of all.

And speaking of bonfires….a sudden turn takes us to an area filled with freshly cut wood….the smell brings back so many memories of warm winter nights beside the family fireplace.

Upon completing the next bend in the path a beautiful lemon tree, filled to capacity, patiently awaits its time to be picked for the wonderful aroma to be released and fill the surroundings.

Suddenly…all the different terrains and bodies of water start appearing faster and faster…as our trip continues at almost neck-break speed.

The colors of all the wildflowers and natural resources are blending together in a wild escapade until suddenly Stephanie hears a voice from her mother…“Are you daydreaming or something? Here dry this last plate and we are finished with the dish washing tonight.”

Little Stephanie stares at the Ivory dish detergent with that wonderful smell she loves and somehow knows that she will always connect that scent to this special time spent with her mother. (And she did!)

So until tomorrow…I hope you enjoyed our reverie into “heavenly smells”…it took a little bit of “finagling” to try and get everyone’s favorite scent selection in….but hopefully I got close at least. I finished the blog around 7:00 so if you sent in something after that it probably didn’t get in the story but thank you for participating. I loved all the ideas and selections.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Susan Cadwell, her mom Nancy, and granddaughter, Ady came to Summerville tyesterday…we went over to the Presbyterian Village to see Rainey Bernhardt and Connie Judson before heading out for lunch. It was so good to see our church gals again! We got a picture with Rainey but Connie was hard at it in physical therapy…next time.

*Honey, thank you again and again for the little flower vases you make…they are just perfect to hold flowers from the garden and just the right size for small bed-side night tables…like at the Village.

Dear Reader:

It all started with my neighbor Vickie. She texted me Monday afternoon, as a summer thunderstorm rumbled through Summerville bringing us lots and lots of rain. Since we are both gardeners rain makes us very happy.

Vickie texted “Rain, yeah!” and I texted back: “I know! I am SO HAPPY! I was dreading watering this evening with this suffocating humidity! Happiness is a summer shower!” Vickie then texted back: “Smells wonderful!!!!”

I immediately jumped up and ran to the deck where my new pink “Honeymoon” hisbicsus sat drinking up the water while it and the lounge chair both dripped large droplets of rain off them.

I took a deep breath and breathed in the scent of fresh rain. I had forgotten (until Vickie mentioned it) just how wonderful an aroma it is! Even with my smell and taste senses slightly challenged by long periods of past chemo infusions and now oral daily chemo pills …I could still detect that alluringly refreshing scent.

Suddenly a true story came flooding back to me that I have posted a couple of times over the past seven years…but I would like to share it again (like I did with Vickie in our last text Monday)…

The Smell of Rain

 A cold March wind danced around Dallas as the doctor walked into Diana Blessing’s small hospital room.  It was the dead of night and she was still groggy from surgery.  Her husband, David, held her as they braced themselves for the latest news.

    That rainy afternoon, March 10, 1991, complications had forced Diana, only twenty-four weeks pregnant, to undergo emergency surgery.  At twelve inches long and weighing only one pound, nine ounces, Danae Lu arrived by cesarean delivery.

    They already knew she was perilously premature.  Still, the doctor’s soft words dropped like bombs.  “I don’t think she’s going to make it,” he said as kindly as he could.  “There’s only a 10 percent chance she will live through the night.  If by some slim chance she does make it, her future could be a very cruel one.”  Numb with disbelief, David and Diana listened as the doctor described the devastating problems Danae could face if she survived.

     She would probably never walk, or talk, or see.  She would be prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to complete mental retardation, and on and on.  Through the dark hours of morning as Danae held onto life by the thinnest thread, Diana slipped in and out of drugged sleep.  But she was determined that their daughter would live to be a happy, healthy young girl.  David, fully awake, knew he must confront his wife with the inevitable.

     David told Diana that they needed to talk about funeral arrangements.  But Diana said, “No, that is not going to happen. No way!  I don’t care what the doctors say, Danae is not going to die.  One day she will be just fine and she will be home with us.”

   As if willed to live by Diana’s determination, Danae clung to life hour after hour.  But as those first rainy days passed, a new agony set in for David and Diana.  Because Danae’s underdeveloped nervous system was essentially “raw,” the least kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn’t even cradle their tiny baby.  All they could do, as Danae struggled beneath the ultraviolet light, was to pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl.

      At last, when Danae was two months old, her parents were able to hold her for the first time.  Two months later, she went home from the hospital just as her mother predicted, even though doctors grimly warned that her chances of leading a normal life were almost zero.

      Today, five years later, Danae is a petite but feisty young girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life. She shows no sign of any mental or physical impairment.  But that happy ending is not the end of the story.

     One blistering summer afternoon in 1996 in Irving, Texas, Danae was sitting in her mother’s lap at the ball park where her brother’s baseball team was practicing.  As always, Danae was busy chattering when she suddenly fell silent.  Hugging her arms across her chest, Danae asked her mom, “Do you smell that?”

      Smelling the air and detecting a thunderstorm approaching, Diana replied, “Yes, it smells like rain.”

      Danae closed her eyes again and asked, “Do you smell that?”

      Once again her mother replied, “Yes, I think we’re about to get wet, it smells like rain.”

      Caught in the moment, Danae shook her head, patted her thin shoulder and loudly announced, “No, it smells like him.  It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest.”

  Tears blurred Diana’s eyes as Danae happily hopped down to play with the other children before the rain came.  Her daughter’s words confirmed what Diana and the rest of the Blessing family had known all along.  During those long days and nights of the first two months of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive to be touched, God was holding Danae on his chest, and it is His scent that she remembers so well.

…………………………………..

I would love to think that God smelled like a recent rain shower…so fresh, clean, and inviting. It got me thinking of other scents I could easily associate with our Creator…scents that I love.

1. Old books…not new ones (along with old libraries)
2. *Freshly cut grass
3. popcorn
4. bacon
5. fresh mountain air
6. new car
7. vanilla
8. fresh rain
9. campfires
10. newborn baby

I imagine that God will be exactly what we think and imagine…smelling and looking like our favorite things in life.

*If you have a minute…let me know what one of your favorite scents in life is.

*And speaking of the smell of freshly cut grass Tim, my wonderful grass cutter (and fireman) cut my grass for me yesterday afternoon and when he finished he said he had some news he needed to tell me. His wife, Stephanie needs surgery…a hysterectomy…and after much prayer he has decided to stop cutting lawns on the side until she has completely recovered…their third child, a little boy, is still just a baby and Stephanie won’t be able to lift him for the first few weeks.

Tim has someone else set up to help me keep my grass cut until he can return. I assured him…that this was no problem and then asked him if it was okay to ask all of you (blog readers) to say a prayer for his family as they face this challenge in their daily lives.

He was so grateful for the gesture. Tim is such a hard-working young man and as I have discovered, like all firemen, he must find other ways to supplement his income. All prayers for a successful surgery and complete recovery for Stephanie will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

*Later yesterday afternoon I walked around the yard where Tim had just cut…and that wonderful aroma of freshly cut grass enveloped me. Thanks God.

Yesterday I also had a chance to meet Walsh, my oldest son for lunch on Daniel Island and we got to ride out to see how his and Mollie’s house is coming along…it is coming along very well it appears.

Meanwhile Mollie and the boys are having fun in New Hampshire…peeking out of tents! Tell Nana and Papa hello!

So until tomorrow: Here is a new word for a great meaning.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

In between all the Louise Penny detective series of novels…I squeezed in this book that I had been wanting to read (for quite awhile) over the weekend. Lassie had it on her table in the living room and I begged to borrow it. It was calling my name.

It is actually a short read…one afternoon and evening…but it is filled with so many  God Winks that came to Joanna through God’s whispers and miraculous events timed to perfection in both of their roller coaster lives… combining family, marriage, risky business opportunities, and God’s helping hand guiding them through it all.

Joanna first heard the little whisper inside of her (that she later recognized as God’s voice) while on her first date with Chip.

Chip was the opposite of everything she wanted in her life (or so she thought) as she watched him on their first date: “ I’ve always been attracted to quiet guys and I liked stability. I liked traditional and I liked people being on time.” (Chip showed up an hour and a half late for their first date.)

….“I know this is going to sound strange to some people, but right in the middle of these thoughts-of me trying to figure this guy out, a little voice in my head said, That’s the man you’re going to marry.”  – It seemed like the voice of God to me.

….And soon married they were.

When Joanna decided to open up a little design shop in Waco…it was Chip who was her best supporter…who encouraged her to stop doodling and dreaming and just do it. Together they both decided the little shop would be named Magnolia. Joanna explains the symbolism behind the name and their life together starting from seed.

“There’s something so beautiful about a magnolia blossom. It demands attention, It’s a  tight little pod that stays closed up for a long time on the end of its branch until one day, out of nowhere, it finally bursts open into this gigantic, gorgeous, fragrant flower that’s ten times bigger than the bud itself. It’s impossible to imagine that such a big beautiful thing could pop out of that tiny little bud, but it does.”

The shop was an instant success…drawing in a wide diversity of customers that lead to offers for Chip and Jo to help design rooms or homes for several of their customers. But at the peak of their success over the shop…the voice reappeared. It said: “Jo…it’s time to stay home with your babies.” (She was expecting her second child by then…Ella.)

She fought the voice for weeks ‘but the voice kept on telling me, Jo, its time.” When she finally got up the nerve to tell Chip he was more curious than upset…Why?….“God told me to do it.” (There was no argument there.”)

Still…on the day she turned the lock on the door for the last time, sobbing, she asked again “God, are you sure this is the right move…because it seems so painful and hard?”

That’s when I heard that gentle whisper, “Joanna, if you trust me with your dreams, I’ll take you further than you could ever have imagined.”

Joanna realized later that even locked doors can be unlocked in time. “I simply never could have imagined just how much God had in store for us and I certainly couldn’t have dreamed just how many keys together for future doors God had already placed in our hands.”

Years later…the voice returned to tell her it was time to re-open the store and take it even farther than her imagination could have predicted. That is not to say that everything just fell into place…their greatest risk and challenge almost lead to total bankruptcy at one point in their lives, now with four small children. They both realized that they had to shift their way of thinking from just surviving to thriving…no matter what circumstance was unfolding in their lives.

“I always thought that thriving would come when everything was perfect, and what I learned is that it’s actually down in the mess that things get good. If you can’t find happiness in the ugliness, you’re not going to find it in the beauty, either.”

Joanna ends the story with a tongue-in-cheek response to Chip’s role in her life…“Is he really that funny?” “Oh yeah, says Joanna. “He was, and still is , my first fixer upper.”

So until tomorrow…Come to think of it…aren’t we all God’s “fixer-uppers?” He designed us each to be an unique child of God. (P.S. If you would like to do some renovations, God, you have my blessings! Love, Becky)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*While visiting Mollie’s parents in New Hampshire….Mollie’s dad, Bruce, took Mollie and Rutledge mountain climbing. Rutledge’s first hike- up Mount Auscutney. He made it to the top! (Symbolic I am sure of things to come!)

Dear Reader:

My butterfly bush (Beauty Berry) is loaded down with grape-shaped clusters of berries. I sat outside for awhile yesterday looking to see if any butterflies were drawn to it  (since it is covered in purple clusters) but none showed up on my watch.

When I asked Doodle about this ….she said she hadn’t seen many butterflies…maybe they were waiting for it to cool down. The more I thought about it…the more likely that explanation is…I mean it must be tough flying through thick humidity like we are experiencing now…just better to park it for awhile until the humidity drops some.

I did see other flying insects buzzing around so apparently it provides food for a lot of nature’s “flyers.” Faith is reciprocal …the insects and butterflies depend on the bush to produce fruit for eating and the bush relies on the return of butterflies and insects to share in its bounty. A faith win-win situation.

And faith can be a win-win for us mortals in communion with God, too, if we just didn’t keep dropping the ball…or in this case our faith. I think I am doing good with my faith until something comes along to shake it up and suddenly my great faith becomes little and starts running away to find a place to hide.

I get so aggravated with myself when I hear that tiny (exasperated) voice inside me whispering…”Oh you of little faith.”  How many times have I questioned God and how many times has He proven His faith and love to me over and over again…only to discover that it is never enough when obstacles re-appear….”little faith” keeps wanting to pop out from its hiding place and yell “BOO!” as loud as possible at me.

I had this on my mind yesterday after church so God did it again…He provided two ‘God Winks’ with two little sets of verse from two unknown authors that spoke directly to me…hope you enjoy each as much as I did.

A traveler crossed a frozen stream
in trembling fear one day;
Later another drove across,
and whistled all the way.
Great and little faith alike
were granted safe convoy;
One had pangs of needless fear,
the other all the joy.

How powerful is that thought? Why do we humans insist on making life harder for ourselves than necessary…God has given us the bridge of faith to cross in any emergency…so we should be joyful  in His gift and let needless fear empty itself into the deep, dark crevice under the bridge.

Doubt sees the obstacles
faith sees the way.
Doubt sees the darkest night
Faith sees the day.
Doubt dreads to take a step
Faith soars on high.
Doubt questions ‘who believes?’
Faith answers, ‘I.’

So until tomorrow…Father…help us grow stronger and fearless in our faith…standing up for it with outreached arms stretching to the stars…yelling loudly “I have FAITH in You GOD!”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Over the summer I decided that there was one wall in my “Happy Room” that needed a ‘renovation.’ I usually kept some kind of artwork/painting on it…but since I have Mandy’s beautiful painting on the other side of the room…I felt like I needed something different.

Here it is…the sconces came in over the weekend…and just completed the decor. Right now I have rocks/plants in the mason jars but I figured over the holidays I will add candles for a really festive look!

Dear Reader:

Trying to “one-up” Honey Burrell when it comes to surcie giving…is a lesson in futility. No one will ever do it…for every gift or card you send…it comes back ten-fold. It is just who Honey is…deep down inside the core of her “pineapple life.”

When I found these cards and coaster…I knew I had finally found the right gift to thank Honey for arriving each Christmas…(a few days before the big event)…laden with a pineapple, a bag of apples and all kinds of greenery and berries. In five minutes she has assembled my “Apple” centerpiece for another Christmas. In colonial Williamsburg it was known as “The Apple Tree”…today it is the “Pineapple/Apple” centerpiece.

Here is Honey arriving in 2014, 2015, and last year…2016. It is better (more exciting) than waiting on old “Ho Ho Ho”himself!

…and the end result…is always beautiful and it makes the whole “Happy Room” (den) smell wonderful…like Christmas has arrived.

In one of my earlier blogs I researched the connection and symbolism of the pineapple to generosity….and the tradition of a beaming Honey delivering the most special gift of all…her friendship!

Columbus and his crew “discovered” the pineapple in Guadeloupe in 1493 on their second (less famous) voyage to the New World. They called it the piña, due to its resemblance to a pine cone, and brought the “exotic” fruit back to Spain.

It took awhile but England and a few other European countries figured out how to grow it and soon it became a sign of hospitality. Captains of ships going to and from Central America, upon their return home, would often spike the pineapple and display it on their front porch as a way of letting the town know that the Captain was home.

Soon the hospitality extended to carving the symbol of the pineapple on bedposts to show their guests that they were receiving the nicest room and bed in the home in honor of their stay.

Today there is a town by the name of “Pineapple” in Alabama. It was originally named “Friendship” but another hamlet had beaten them to that name…so it was changed to Pine Apple… (this area was filled with pine and apple trees.) It has eventually evolved into one word.

(Signs of this universal symbol of hospitality are seen painted on the front doors of homes and the town’s welcome sign, carved in fanciful Christmas decorations, atop gate-posts and roof-tops, carved into bedposts and head-boards, and found in a variety of table centerpieces).

***I have come to realize, however, that even if I could manage to stick the apples in the nails correctly (Mike built the platform) and get the pineapple on and the greenery and red berries in place…it wouldn’t be the same without Honey. Christmas doesn’t come until Honey arrives bearing friendship…which is the essence of Christmas.

We’re not having Christmas in August…but I am storing up all the essentials to make it a wonderful one this month. “Miss Organized” is putting the pineapple/apple platform in a special cabinet, along with Honey’s piece of pottery- original snowman – and left-over snowballs from Marcia’s most fun gift last year for the children…and adults.

*The greenery in the vase is natural poinsettias…I leave them in the shade by the side of the house and they are so happy ….as December approaches…the stems will start to look like red and pink veins…by Christmas the most beautiful poinsettias will be on the front porch again!

So until tomorrow…”Live a pineapple life, be sweet on the inside…Stand tall and wear a crown.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*I should have known yesterday would be a good day when I found a breakfast treat on the front porch…Anne’s oatmeal and peanut butter muffins…de-lish! Thank you Anne…what a way to start the day. One down….three more wonderful breakfasts to go!

Dear Reader:

When I saw this message on the Wakendaw Lakes’ neighborhood bill board (John and Mandy’s neighborhood)  I had to smile and nod in agreement. Summer should get a speeding ticket!

Even now, as a retired school teacher, empathy pains set in every August for fellow colleagues and family members still in the “system.” Friday was Mandy’s second day ‘back at it’ since Charleston school teachers started back last Thursday.

I remember a motivational speaker once said “I do believe all teachers will go to heaven….for just being teachers…one of the most demanding professions around….but just in case someone doesn’t I have heard that most teachers believe “Hell is in the shape of a yellow school bus.”  (And if anyone has ever experienced bus duty for three or more decades first thing in the morning and last thing in the afternoon…they certainly agree!)

I had to laugh when I walked Lily and Eva Cate to Lily’s grandmother’ s house for shift #2 (Lily came and played with Eva Cate for the morning and lunch time….and then I walked both girls over to Lori Hollister (Lily’s grandmother) for the afternoon shift) so I could beat the interstate congestion from Mt. Pleasant to Summerville.

This was the flag on Lori’s house. Eva Cate observed how pretty it was and Lily said it wasn’t…it was all about going back to school…and both 7-year-olds groaned like middle-schoolers. I had to laugh. Really! Tired of school at seven?

*However, trying on their eclipse glasses made them happy…because they will have no school that day…a nice long weekend right after starting school. Apparently playing doctor is still much more fun than readin’, writin’, and arithmetic.

Recently I have decided that …”You know you are getting old when…you and your friends spend the majority of time together talking about the weather, health issues, and the tempo of time…going faster and faster each year.

*(The last big chunk of time is spent on family with all their issues…good and not so good.) We all still want a magic wand to wave and make everything better for everyone we love…until one day the reality of life turns into an epiphany...Sometimes saying nothing is the hardest form of love there is.)

* Did I mention something about leaving early to miss the I-526 and I-26 parking lot congestion yesterday? At 1:30 I was headed home and after going about two miles… here is where I landed. *No fear of getting a speeding ticket here!But it was worth it…for the memories. Thursday night John, Mandy, Eva Cate, Jakie, and I went to Wild Wings for an early supper. A very talented musician was setting up (named Robert) while we began to eat.

Both children wanted to dance (it was early so still pretty empty of customers) but they kept getting the ‘shy’s so I got up to dance with Jakie and Eva Cate joined in. There are no photos, thank you Lord, of my ‘creative movement steps’ but just my “prancing” presence turned the grandchildren into ‘rock stars.’ Even Robert came down off the stage and danced along with us too. It was too much fun!

So until tomorrow…Thank you Father for letting us do crazy things later in life that we wouldn’t have done earlier because we know life is short…too short not to dance with your grandchildren every opportunity that comes along.

“Today is my favorite day.”  Winnie the Pooh

*Yesterday evening...two moon flower blooms popped out at the same time…so exhilarating! (front and back)

Dear Reader:

So many times, as I am going through just a normal day, I feel a need to stop and send God a thank you note because of something I saw or heard around me. In a perfect world all six (plus) billion of us living on earth should form a perfect circle and make the ‘Biggest Thank You Card’ in the world…attached to thousands of balloons that slowly takes it up, up, up into the sky. A thank-you for life.

One of my thank you notes would definitely be to thank God for my home, my sanctuary. I know how lucky I am to have a home. I breathe a sigh of relief each time I walk through the door…coming back to “My Happy Place.” It is a place of peace and serenity…I have filled it with flowers and bright colors which make me happy.

The other day I came across a book of poetry Bill Barutio sent me that his wife (creator of St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope) Beverly had written. It was sent soon after I discovered St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope (seven years ago) and the story of the miracle of this little chapel and its creator, Beverly Barutio.

As I read the dedication on the front page of  her volume of poetry … it said:

To my children:

You are the flesh

of my flesh,

Blood

of my blood,

But more than this

You are my

“Thank you” note to God. 

………………………….

What a beautiful dedication…the idea that the gifts we have been given are all ‘thank you notes’ to be sent to God to be served by Him.

Many of you have heard the story of how Beverly Barutio ended up in Trust, North Carolina forming one of the two-person population (she and her husband Bill) living there.

In the eighties Beverly discovered she had advanced cancer that had spread to other parts of her body. She turned down more chemo treatments after a year …to live out the rest of her life her way…so she and her husband moved from Savannah… ending up in Trust, North Carolina where they lived in an old post-Civil War stone home and ran a general store and diner.

She prayed to God and St. Jude…the patron saint of improbable (but not impossible) causes for a longer life and her cancer miraculously went into remission for over fifteen years. Beverly was soon known for her culinary cooking talents, especially with pies, and people started coming from miles around to eat at their place.

But Beverly knew she had made a promise…that if she was given more time on earth she would reciprocate by giving back to St. Jude and God…thus St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope was built. Today it is open 24/7 and welcomes one and all to pray there and take refuge if needed.

It was on a hot July day in 2010 that I first saw this chapel and it changed my life forever…the blog was born. I will be forever grateful to Honey and Mike for discovering it and then sharing it with me.

I felt Beverly’s kindred spirit immediately upon entering and since then have been told by others who knew her that our personalities were/are a lot alike. She had a wonderful sense of humor….as you can see in this first line of her life story.

“I was born at a very young age in Jefferson County, Iowa, because I wanted to be near my family. I moved to Savannah, Georgia because they didn’t raise very much corn there, and it was near a body of water larger than our cow pond in Iowa.” 

Beverly also dedicated the poetry book to her husband Bill…about whom she said:

“To my husband Bill, without whom I am only Me; with whom I am, at last, totally Myself.”

So until tomorrow…I believe if we wrote God a similar thank-you note…telling God that without Him we are only a little “Me, but with Him, we, at last,  are totally Ourselves” …it would be the perfect thank-you note for the gift of life. What a beautiful line of prose.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

My new mouse pad arrived yesterday (my last pad literally fell apart from use and old age)…has five letters on it…S T O R Y. That’s my life in a nutshell. Thank you for letting me share it  with you.

Over the weekend I made my annual donation to ETV. This is a donation that I gladly give. I watch more ETV than the other channels together. The quality of their programming is simply superior to so much stuff on television these days….in the form of just mindless watching.

Last Monday I got a call from Jonathan Faulk, Web Member Services Coordinator, concerning something I had said when asked why I made a contribution and he asked if he could use the quote and if I would send a picture because they were starting a new addition called “Donor Highlights.” I did but was never sure exactly how it was being used for publicity until he sent me this yesterday.

It’s been lovely speaking with you. Please share your Donor Highlight with your family and friends! You can tell them you are the first person ever to have a Donor Highlight on the ETV website!