Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

While cleaning out (yes, I am still at it!) my file cabinet filled with stacks of old worksheets I used when presenting social studies workshops (for so many years) I found a Chinese quote I had used in one workshop I did on patterns of the past and how to detect and connect them to the present.

It was a Chinese Proverb that read: “An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break. 

Yesterday I was lamenting the closing of a popular Greek restaurant that signaled yet another change in my life, while forgetting to focus on the forty-plus years of happiness it brought me. Continental Corner was a long-lasting gift that brought so many people together to share a moment breaking bread with each other. (There is no doubt in my mind that many destinies were connected by the invisible thread in this beloved restaurant.)

 The link of one invisible thread lead me to this book published in 2011 that tells the true remarkable story of author Laura Schroff, a busy sales executive, and an eleven-year-old boy, a panhandler, from New York City. Their relationship will last for over a 100 Mondays…the day they eat together each week. Maurice likes McDonalds but he also likes having food in a bag because, as he explains to Laura….

“If you make me lunch,” he said, “will you put it in a brown paper bag?…Because when I see kids come to school with their lunch in a paper bag, that means that someone cares about them. Miss Laura, can I please have my lunch in a paper bag?”

The strange thing about relationships  we form is that they don’t always fall into the “Ozzie and Harriett” definitions of relationships that we all grew up dreaming about and wishing for….or as Laura explains:

“We all want relationships that are healthy and resolved, and sometimes that simply doesn’t happen. But the beauty of life is that inside these disappointments are hidden the most miraculous of blessings. What we lose and what we might have been pales against what we have.”

I think there are a lot of “middle school” attributes that stick around a lot longer than they should inside each of us. Everyone remembers those terrible years when fitting in was the most important thing in life and the art of making oneself invisible (as needed) the second most important…the scary Wonder Years. No one wanted to be different, heaven forbid; instead everyone wanted to be, look, and act like everyone else…dress the same, speak the same jargon, and never, ever show intellectual aptitudes by raising one’s hand to answer a question. It was the death knoll on acceptance.

I taught eighth graders for three decades;  humor and empathy were my tools to open communication with each and all of them. It is such a tough stage in human development…painful for the students going through it and even more painful for teachers to watch.

But then one day… one of these students returns…and guess what…the butterfly is now self-assured, confident, and proud of his/her individuality.

It is this appreciation and acceptance of individuality that is the key to living a fulfilled life…it is also the invisible thread that will connect us to the people who are destined to play an important role in our lives and we in theirs.

So until tomorrow…“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”
― Bernard M. Baruch

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Honey Burrell added a wonderful personal anecdote about Ernest and Tom (owners of Continental Corner) while growing up in Summerville.

Very well put Becky. I was a lucky little girl growing up across the street from the wonderful Yatrelis family. I enjoyed Greek treats and salads long before the Corner opened! Ernie and Tom rode my horse, Charcoal one day. Then they bought several Appaloosa horses which they enjoyed over the years. What wonderful memories I have and will always cherish. To everything there is a time and a season. Hold tight to the great memories. 

Dear Reader:

Yesterday morning started out so wonderfully…it had rained the night before so I didn’t have to scurry out to water the garden and plants…a lazy morning to stay in after a crazy week of wonderfulness-combination of  America’s birthday, the reveal of baby Dingle’s gender…(a little girl) and a fun ‘girl’ day with Eva Cate.

Then I heard a ping on the IPhone and there was a “message” from  Mollie with one word on it…“Nooooooo!” Half-awake now….my mind started scrambling in a panic….”No, What, What?” My imagination was conjuring up a host of terrible possibilities…then I backed up one message and Mollie had written in disbelief “Continental Corner is closing?” (with an attached crying icon)

My heart started pounding….”NO…….this can’t be true!” But then I noticed a picture with a message under it that must have come out on FACEBOOK….suddenly my ‘surely this is fake news hope’ dissolved in shock and distress.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) – A popular and longtime Greek restaurant downtown Summerville has announced it is closing.

The announcement was posted on The Continental Corner Facebook page on Saturday.

“Farewell, we announce this with joyful sorrow. Since November 3, 1973, we are grateful for and indebted to our faithful patrons of several generations. Additionally we are appreciative of the dedication, service and assistance of the town, our staff, purveyors, suppliers, technicians, service & delivery personnel who contributed to and made our four-plus Decades possible. We thank all of you and ask your pardon when we fell short of your expectations. May god bless you, yours, & all of us! In memory of Tom- Padre & Plato”

The restaurant is located downtown on W Richardson Avenue.

According to comments on the Facebook posting, it will be missed by many who grew up going to the eatery.

………………………………………

It will take me a day or two to ingest and absorb this unwelcome change…it is like when I get a ‘not-so-good’ medical report…it takes me a couple of days to swallow it and push it out of the way and move on. I am one of those people who need some reflection time to ponder potential life-altering changes. I don’t like to be surprised by bad news. I’m more of a ‘small doser’ kind of personality…I need to process changes in small steps.

*Continental Corner has been, in  many ways, more like a ‘cornerstone’ in my Welcome to Summerville personal history. Brooke, my former college roommate, and I both ended up getting teaching jobs in Summerville (while living in Charleston) upon graduation from Erskine College.

It was only a year after my first year of teaching that Continental Corner appeared on Richardson Avenue. Everyone was so excited that month of November, 1973!…a Greek Restaurant in the tiny little hamlet of Summerville? With only ‘Ma and Pa’ diners and hot dog/hamburger joints to select from (at that time) this concept was really big. Skeptics didn’t think there would be enough interest in Greek cuisine to keep the restaurant open…Boy…were they proven wrong!

I remember around the same time the restaurant opened my Aunt Eva (mother’s sister) came to visit bringing mom with her. While talking one day she asked me if I knew or had heard about a Greek restaurant opening with two men named Ernie and Tom. I, excitedly, told her “yes” and suggested we go eat there for lunch right then. It was the first of many such memorable occasions with my aunt and mother.

Eva knew Tom and Ernie from working with them at DSS in Greenville…where (prior to moving to Summerville) they lived and worked. I think it was Tom who sat down with us when he recognized Eva at the table (first time in 1973) and started reminiscing about Greenville and their jobs. Tom said he and Ernie felt like they would be accepted in Summerville (right outside Charleston) because it was more open and cosmopolitan when it came to accepting a diversity of cultures.

*I remember Tom saying that where they lived outside  Greenville….neighbors and clients thought they were “foreigners” and they were not readily accepted. However, in Summerville, there was already a strong Greek community that would help support their efforts in opening a Greek restaurant.

From that day on…every time Aunt Eva, mother, and I went there to eat…either Ernie or Tom would come over to chat and somehow, magically, desserts were always sent to the table…compliments from them. They stayed loyal to their long-standing customers the same way.

When all my children had ‘flown the coop’ and it was just me again at home…I found myself frequenting Continental Corner at least every other week. In the winter I would order one of their delicious omelets…eating breakfast at night has always been one of my favorite things to do.

Then, for years, my Christmas Eve spread (following my story at the church Christmas Eve service) was their fabulous assorted meat tray with rolls/bread of every kind imaginable, cheeses, pickles, condiments….it was a feast we all looked forward to each holiday.

When I introduced my daughters-in-‘love’ to Continental Corner they both fell in love with it too. In fact Mollie and I have gotten the routine down to a fine art when she and the boys visit….we  let Rutledge and Lachlan play at Boo Boo’s for awhile, then take them to Laurel Street Park, call Continental Corner and get our Greek salads with chicken, turkey and fruit for the boys…pick it up, go home and end the activities with a delicious lunch. (We did this just last Saturday a week ago!)

Kaitlyn fell in love with their shrimp sandwich and pasta salad (as well as their delicious tea)…so every time she and Tommy have come…she knows exactly what she is going to order. She told me one time…that as much as she likes trying out new restaurants she can’t make herself go anywhere else but Continental Corner when they come to Summerville because she is drooling over the thought of her shrimp sandwich.

It has even become Eva Cate’s and my restaurant to go to…when she spends the night here in Summerville…she loves the turkey and tea also.

So…as you can tell, my family is ‘hooked’ on Continental Corner… and has been for over several generations. For me, it embodies what Summerville has meant to me since living here from 1973 to present too…warmth, kindness, friendliness, loyalty…amid personal memoirs and history.

There is another part of Continental Corner that I will miss too…the beautiful hibiscus that bloom there in late spring, summer, and early fall. The blooms are huge, gorgeous, and colors of every shade and combination. It is hard to enter or leave Continental Corner without marveling at their beauty.

Writing the blog today, while remembering so many happy times associated with this restaurant, is the first step in helping me assimilate this sad news concerning this unexpected closing.

*Doodle just called with more sad news…Lassie walked over to Continental Corner and the note left on the door said that Saturday was their last day. So it is over. I wanted to say “Good-bye” and ‘Thanks for the memories.” I wanted ‘Just one more time‘ to experience the atmosphere again.

My last hope is that someone else will buy it and keep it going with the same cuisine or at least Greek food. Time will tell.

*For whatever reason, many times I found myself in this corner of the restaurant with friends and family…especially the little table in the left corner by the windows that allows one to look down Short Central, E. Richardson and see the heart of Summerville while eating. I will miss this experience.

My thoughts and prayers go with Tom Mavrikes’ family since his passing this past March in Florida where he had gone to live to help his mother a few years ago. I will always remember him for his wit and kindness. I don’t know if this sad occurrence correlated to the restaurant’s closing or not…but the closing feels like another ‘death’ to all us patrons and friends of Continental Corner.

So until tomorrow…We will miss you dancing ‘Plato” and Padre Ernest Yatrelis…your spirits will live on long after your departure. Thank you for being a part of all of our families for over four decades. “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

“Today is my favorite day” (though a sad one) Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Being a grandmother, storyteller, and proponent of the recognition of all the creative, imaginative children (in our school systems) who march to the beat of a different drummer…this novel had my name written all over it. I admit, during several points in the story, I had to put the book down and reach for the kleenex. A beautiful, poignant story about the relationship between a grandmother and her seven-year-old granddaughter Elsa.

The first lines in the novel read: “Every seven-year-old deserves a superhero. That’s just how it is. Anyone who doesn’t agree needs their head examined. That’s what Elsa’s granny says at least.”

Elsa is going through a tough time in life…highly intellectual in imagination and  love of words and their meanings…she struggles academically and socially at school…daily tormented by her peers. Her only friend is her grandmother…definitely a tad crazy but also Elsa’s closest confidante who understands her and loves her beyond measure.

Granny reassures Elsa to “ignore those “muppets” at school because all the best people are different. Look at superheroes. After all, if superheroes were normal, everyone would have them.”

When Elsa has had a particularly concentration-challenged day at school Granny assures her that there is nothing wrong with her…she has no problem concentrating..she just concentrates on the right things. (“Idiots can’t understand that non-idiots are already done with a thought and moving on to the next before they themselves have…that’s what makes them aggressive and jealous…nothing scares idiots more than a smart girl.”)

Her parents have just gone through a divorce, with her dad leaving the premises, and now mom is expecting another child with a new man in her life. Elsa has read on-line that sometimes children simply die in their sleep at night so she has gotten in the habit of running from her apartment to her granny’s flat where she spends the night.

She and her Granny sit on the floor in Granny’s wardrobe and wait until they, both, are almost asleep. It is then that they get to fly to the “land-of-almost-awake”- when the mists come rolling across the boundary between what you think and what you just know, that’s when you set off. “

You get to this imaginary land by riding on the backs of cloud animals…they come in Granny’s balcony and carry them both far away until Elsa can see all the magical creatures that live there; they guide her and Granny to the Kingdom of Miamas.

Granny tells Elsa that the kingdom has been named Miamas for an eternity of 10,000 fairy tales, but Elsa knows that Granny only made this up. (Elsa couldn’t say “pajamas” when she was small, so she used  to say “mjamas” instead.)

Granny isn’t very good at living in the real world (too many rules) but her life in imaginary lands is quite impressive. She tells the very best fairy tales ever, and “for that Elsa can forgive quite a few character defects.”

“Miamas is Granny and Elsa’s favorite kingdom, because there storytelling is considered the noblest profession of all. The currency there is imagination; instead of buying something with coins, you buy it with a good story. 

Libraries aren’t known as libraries but as “banks,” and every fairy tale is worth a fortune. Granny spends millions every night; tales full of dragons and trolls and kings and queens and witches. 

And shadows. Because all imaginary worlds have to have terrible enemies, and in the ‘Land-of -Almost-Awake’ the enemies are the shadows, because they want to kill the imagination.  (Wolfheart defeated the shadows in the ‘War-Without-End’. He was the first and greatest superhero of all.”)

*But one day, Granny warns the shadows will return…and Elsa must remember all the 10,000 fairy tales to beat them back into reality where they belong,  so imagination can reign supreme again!

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Einstein said it best: 

 As a lifetime educator I really do lament the emphasis placed on assessment in today’s educational environment… and not enough time given to creativity and imagination. It is the children who live in these worlds who will be the change-agents for our future.

So until tomorrow:

“Share our similarities; Celebrate our Differences!”

“Today is my favorite day:  Winnie the Pooh

I had two wonderful responses to yesterday’s blog on GodWinks that I would like to share with you.

Bill Dingle says:

July 8, 2017 at 9:32 am (Edit)

Good word, Becky. I have been telling folks that come to Icthus for going on 28 years that Jesus is a 24/ 7/365;366 on leap year JESUS. Meaning that He is speaking to us every day, throughout the day, if we will put on our “God receptors. “ At any given time, there are cell, TV, radio, etc. signals passing through the place we are. Unless we have the right receptor, we have no idea what message /information is available to us.

LOVE you! So happy for Walsh and Mollie. Blessings!
TRUSTING JESUS,
Bill
Proverbs 3:5-6
http://www.icthusministries.com

 

bcparkinson says:

July 8, 2017 at 10:29 am (Edit)

Yes…He is there in every breeze,every leaf that flutters and every smile that come our way. Thank you

*I had a wonderful surprise yesterday…it started with a knock on the door and there was Stephanie Ballard holding a devil trumpet plant she had gotten at the Farmer’s Market for me with “all that jazz!”. It is exquisite! Just took a picture as the sun sank beyond the horizon. Gorgeous! It went from a limp sunken bloom to the last photo as darkness descended. I love it Stephanie and will always remember you every time I look at it.

Dear Reader:

Some of you might have seen the interview between Hoda and Kathi Lee on their show yesterday with Squire Rushnell and his wife Louise DuArt…authors of this (most recent) tenth book in the GodWink series. (*Lisa Register did and immediately emailed me the interview because she said she knew I would be interested. Thank you Lisa…I am and want to share some new information about this popular series of books.)

 I watch the Kathi Lee and Hoda show only sporadically…but have been fortunate to have seen a couple of interviews with Squire Rushnell where he shared a GodWink story with them.

What makes this book different is that Rushnell and his wife took time to reflect on the past ten years since the first GodWink book was written (When God Winks) and they realized a pattern formation that had not come to their attention earlier.

They have discovered that the term GodWink is synonymous with answered prayer and even more importantly…GodWinks are never isolated…like a pebble thrown into water…a GodWink has a rippled effect on others beside the one(s) who first observed it and, most importantly, recognized it for what it is…an answered prayer.

 I paused myself during this part of the interview and thought…they are right. GodWinks are never isolated to just one person. I thought back to two weeks ago when I first discovered the pink seeds of happiness Honey had made for Rutledge’s revealing…she had also made some blue seeds of happiness. (They were all given out at Rutledge’s revealing four years ago.. but I had kept the pink ones in a bag in the guest bedroom dresser drawer.) Two more boys followed Rutledge so the pink seeds of happiness stayed in the dark corner of the drawer.And then right before the revealing I find them while on my “mission” to clean out stuff.

*Some of you who voted for a girl said it was my discovery of the pink seeds of happiness, a “GodWink” you mentioned, that persuaded you to go pink in your prediction. ( Of 38 participants…four went boy and the rest (34) went girl…great work blog readers…thanks for all the fun!)

Then came the next GodWink with Mandy, Carrie, and Eva Cate when the pink petals (off the crepe myrtle tree) started falling into the pool just hours before the revealing. Everyone thought it was a GodWink too. Rushnell and his wife are right…like seeds of happiness GodWinks spread to other people connecting us together.

*On a personal note…I realize now that I spent far too much of my life oblivious to GodWinks…or Divine Interventions. They had been there all the time…but it took the presence of “little c” to open my eyes, heart, and soul to the everyday interventions taking place around me. The whispers were coming, first softly, then louder, but I simply hadn’t been listening. Then, one day, with a very ambiguous future looming over me, I suddenly began to see the guideposts pointing the way… where I once had been lost.

An example of the contagious nature of GodWinks was shared as one of the true stories from Rushnell and DuArt’s latest book.

*Here is an excerpt from a newspaper article on the incident.

Dying single mother with terminal cancer whose nurse agreed to raise her son spent the best ‘five months of her life’ with the family who has since embraced her child after her passing

A single mother who was battling terminal cancer spent the ‘best five months of her life’ living with the family who ended up taking in her son after she passed away.

Two years ago, 45-year-old Tricia Somers from Pennsylvania, a single mom with no family,  who was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, found help in the most unlikely of places.

After learning she did not have long to live, she asked her nurse Tricia Seaman if she would raise her then eight-year-old son Wesley after she passed away.

(In what would become a heartwarming story shared by Squire Rushnell, the author of the Godwinks book series, Somers and Wesley ended up moving in with the Seamans after Somers’ health deteriorated.)

She later said it was the best five months of her life… her last five months.

The Seamans have since adopted and embraced Wesley, who is now 10 years old, according to Today. Tricia Seaman had been praying for another child to complete their family but was told medically she couldn’t have another child… when, as a nurse, she was assigned to Tricia Somers case and room…the GodWink was answered for both women. GodWinks connect people to people. We are all connected!

………………………………..

I think perhaps GodWinks might also be synonymous with daily mini-miracles that affect several people at the same time. That has surely been my experience to date.

Some more good news…coming this Christmas Hallmark is going to start showing a movie series based on the true stories in the GodWink collection. Kathi Lee Gifford will co-produce, host the program, and also act in some of the episodes.

When God Winks at You (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)

 
“This is about true stories demonstrating that God communicates with us, making incredible things happen in our lives every single day. As you read the riveting accounts of everyday and famous people – you will begin to recognize that God winks in your own life, both past and present. Through these tangible signposts from God, we receive personalized messages that reassure us, stop us from worrying, chart our path in life and help us keep the faith.”

*Rushnell added that the term GodWink is now being accepted as a term recognized in dictionaries due to the popularity and interest in the GodWink personal stories…ordinary people and celebrities.

So until tomorrow….

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Several of you asked about the status of the oak tree, sung about in Vikki’s song, wondering if it had been cut down or damaged. Lee and Vikki  both replied to my question on  its latest status… to tell me it was still standing. Lee added: ” That oak tree is too big and old to cut without going through lots of red tape. It is, however, overlooking a parking lot now.” (That’s sad…it was a beautiful lot.)

*I would like to provide you with a link to Kaitlyn’s latest post…she has taken time to write down a type of personal guide for having a wedding, doing it basically yourself, and keeping it reasonably priced so there is money to share an adventure with your best friend and love…that you just married. (*Lots of good ideas on how to pull off a memorable wedding on a budget.)

I asked Kaitlyn for her link because I thought this information could be quite helpful for others, perhaps even one or more of the blog readers…mothers, fathers of the bride and groom and/or the bride/groom themselves… to get ideas on how to make it all come together. Thank you Kaitlyn! Excellent job!

KS

Kaitlyn Swicegood

https://legallyohmm.wordpress.com/2017/07/07/dingledidgood/

Dear Reader:

With so much excitement going on with the Dingle/Turner families …other “going-on’s” with the talented Barbour family have gone quietly unnoticed…until I got an email from Vikki…(my handsome nephew Lee’s  beautiful wife) letting me know about the release of her latest album (Good Life by Vima) and about a performance coming up…tonight! (The venue for the release of the album)

She sent me a write-up from Charleston City paper that I want to share with you…and then add some ‘ rest of the story‘ thoughts behind the music.

FOLK | Vikki Matsis featuring Lee Barbour
w/ Peter Kfoury & Pete Cortese, Ulyana Machneva
World Music Cafe
Fri. July 7
8 p.m.
$12
South of Broadway

As a co-founder of OHM Radio and manager of Spring Street’s Notso Hostel, Vikki Matsis, a.k.a. Vima, knows how important community is to success and growth. On her second EP, Good Life, Matsis worked with her husband, producer, and guitarist Lee Barbour, producer Wolfgang Zimmerman, and other local musicians to help her explore the joys and challenges of her life.

Matsis describes herself as a folk singer at heart, but after taking songwriting classes through Berklee Online, she wanted to push herself to find an authentic voice through different genres. Matsis collaborated with Barbour to write a collection influenced by electronica, country, and R&B. The result is an eclectic mix of songs unified by Matsis’ clear voice and passion for her subject matter.

“I love writing songs that have meaning and are really personal,” Matsis says. From the title track’s serenade for an old oak tree in Matsis’ backyard to a lullaby written by Barbour for their new son, Good Life shows listeners emotional, relatable moments of an always-changing life. Matsis says that playing cover songs is easier than writing such personal songs, but the challenge is worth it.

“It’s so much more fun,” she says. “These songs I feel so good about sharing.” Good Life, recorded at the Space with Zimmerman and featuring Charlton Singleton, Stuart White, Gerald Gregory, and more, will be released this Friday, with the release party happening the same evening as part of the World Music Café series at Park Circle’s South of Broadway Theatre. —Laura Cergol FRIDAY

…………………………………………………………………………………………

*For those of you who live in the area….do go see Lee and Vikki perform tonight….you will fall in love with their music and storytelling at its best!

*I got permission from Vikki to share with you the first song on Good Life…It was recorded about a year ago and I was completely ‘smitten’ with the song then…and now.

(A little history of Lee and Vikki from Aunt Becky’s eyes)

Vikki was running a hostel in downtown Charleston after graduating from the College of Charleston when she and Lee started dating. I remember her name first coming up when Lee arrived at my house with some furniture/belongings that he  asked if I could keep (in the back yard garage) that he had in NYC and didn’t have room for until he got settled back in Charleston.

I asked if he needed help with a ride (he had a rental car) or getting back to Charleston but he said that his “friend” Vikki was going to help him during this transition. And guess what…she has been helping him ever since!

For a long time there has been an empty lot next to the hostel Vikki runs (where she, Lee, and Rhodes live now) and in fact Vikki and Lee used this lot to hold their beautiful out-door wedding.

There was a gorgeous old oak tree on this property that Vikki wrote about in her song…using it as a metaphor for their relationship…strong roots and continuously ever-changing .

The property was sold about a year ago or more  and it was this uncertainty for the tree and the property’s future that was the impetus for the creation of the song. I find myself humming or singing the lyrics around the house a lot. Every time I see a beautiful old oak tree now the song immediately pops up in my mind.

Lee and Vikki made a video to go along with the song and asked family and friends to bring their small children to be in it….Mollie took Rutledge and Lachlan…if you look carefully you will see all of them at different points in the video.

*Vikki was expecting with little Rhodes when the video was made…and now that precious child is nine months old with his birthday coming one day before Jake’s and mine in September. (Lee’s lullaby to him that he wrote is unbelievably beautiful and moving…and is on the album)

Enjoy!

Here’s the video Aunt Becky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOqe6OG6PCw

So until tomorrow…“Where words leave off, music begins.”
―Heinrich Heine

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Found this picture of the first revealing for Mollie and Walsh…this was taken right before they cut the cake revealing  a blue slice of cake….it would turn out to be Mr. Rutledge

Dear Reader:

This was definitely a “Fourth Celebration” for the books…scrapbooks that is. There were so many things going on…it made your head swirl…It is one of those special occasions that requires removing the ‘bone from your hair and chewing on it awhile’…a lot to digest and take in.

One thing I will remember…is that it felt like the hottest Fourth of July to me in a long time. I am my mother’s daughter apparently…my face was red as a beet and I had to succumb to sharing the sofa with all the little dogs…it felt more like the “dog days of summer.” I just couldn’t get cool.

Part of it, of course, was more emotional than physical…I was just so happy to realize that the next grand baby will be a little girl. I have missed buying little girl baby and toddler outfits for Eva Cate already…Instead I have been absorbed in looking for super hero outfits and trucks of every creation made for three adorable grandsons!!

Now it is dolls and cute little outfits again….Pinkalicious !!

Let me share some of the photos taken from the family celebration (Thanks Carrie for getting pictures for me of the “pink explosion” moment.)

I have (in earlier blogs) mentioned several “pink” signs I had experienced prior to the gathering. The Dingle family arrived in pink shirts/blue pants or some combination there of…they were ready either way. I was greeted at the pool with Carrie, Mandy, and Eva Cate telling me that pink crepe myrtle blooms had started blowing into the pool and earlier (before I arrived)… little pink petals floated on top of the pool. Another good sign we all thought!

The children’s outdoor prediction chalkboard: …and reality!

It was still so hot and muggy by 8:30 that I would have been content to watch the fireworks (somewhere else in the U.S.) on television…but we did our patriotic march and went to the neighborhood fireworks gathering… the mosquitoes were fierce and the fireworks slow in coming…so we ended up watching from our front yard….and then ran back in the house.

Yesterday was girls’ day….Carrie had spent the night, as well as myself, so we had a nice lazy “sweet roll” morning… after the boys left for school and work.

Then I took Eva Cate to the movies to give mom some free time and appointment time…we ate lunch at the Atlantic Bread Company, got earrings at Claires, ice cream at TCBY, played games at Barnes and Noble, went to the Old Navy 60% off sale and got Eva Cate some sandals…just a lot of girl fun.

Mandy had gotten her hair done while Eva Cate and I were doing our thing…so Eva Cate wanted to have “hair salon” at home…which she did …the result…beautiful mom and daughter.

So until tomorrow:

Dear Reader:

Last evening the humidity was so thick (like Nancyjean says) one had to chew it before you swallowed. But the humidity was not the only thing thick…so was the air of anticipation…waiting to find out the gender of the latest, littlest Dingle.

*Honey…as soon as the pink confetti/silly string came out of the cannons…I ran to Eva Cate’s closet where I had hid your pink ‘seeds of happiness‘ and put them on the table for everyone to take one as a souvenir! Everyone was so happy for Walsh and Mollie and Rutledge and Lachlan…they have their little “sistah.”

I went prepared…I had the bottle of pink seeds of happiness as souvenirs if it was a girl  and I also packed Cassidy the Cabbage Patch doll (Walsh’s doll) with a blue cap on (Walsh’s when he was teeny-tiny) if it was a boy. So either way…I was covered!

*I brought Cassidy out to see all the festivities…he has been pretty lonely waiting around in Walsh’s old bedroom… waiting for another child to love him….maybe once Walsh and Mollie get settled in their new home he can find a home there too with Rutledge or Lachlan…

Perhaps nature’s prediction was the best…I have one hydrangea bush in the garden…it is only about two feet tall but this year it has had several blooms on it…about as large as the plant itself. All blue. In fact I cut two of the blue hydrangeas to take to Jackson when we went up to Columbia last week. (she has the proof)

But yesterday morning I got out early to water the garden( since I would be gone most of the day Tuesday and Wednesday)…and to my surprise and amazement…the last little bloom had turned from blue to pink…in fact it was a mixture of both…but with the pink definitely now dominating the bloom.

It was as if Mother Nature wanted to play too…and she was letting me know her prediction. Isn’t life beautiful, amazing, and mysterious?

*I spent last night  at John and Mandy’s  so I could keep Eva Cate today while Mandy gets a few errands and appointments out of the way…so if I didn’t get many pictures on this blog it was because it was pretty crazy last night…I will get them put on tomorrow’s blog when I get home later today.

Suffice to say happiness abounds and all our prayers and hopes were answered to the hilt…we are so blessed and filled with gratitude! Thank all of you for your love and support… and, especially, for participation in this special occasion…***The predictions were right on…pink won heavily over blue. (I think everyone thought it would be nice to have a little girl to complete the family…more info on this tomorrow)

So until tomorrow: Every child begins the world again.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

“Big Red” is bursting with patriotic pride and big red geranium blooms. It has just outdone itself this holiday. If a plant could salute…I do believe “Big Red”  would be standing tall in position.

 It’s overflow of health and happiness takes a little of the sting out of the demise of Hope, the rocking dolphin. I went to pull the heavy rocker out on to the middle of the deck Saturday when the boys were here and suddenly I found myself holding just the top fin… still attached to the handles. The wood had rotted and it just completely pulled off. So sad! I loved that little dolphin and so did the grandchildren…they always ran to ride Hope each visit.

(I think that is why Rutledge was a little sad at the park with the other riding animals)

Sunday afternoon I found myself in line with the other ice cream ‘groupies’ waiting my turn at the Tastee-Freeze for a zebra ice cream cone…vanilla with chocolate swirls in it. It tasted so good…with the ‘fourth’ almost here my brain was automatically connecting the two items together.

On a recent survey done…asking Americans what food item they most associate with the Fourth of July holiday festivities...ice cream took first place (38%) with watermelon, corn on the cob, and a couple of other selections all coming in around 14% each.

In a recent Washington Post article…this very subject was discussed under the title: “How Ice cream Went From Elitist Indulgence to America’s Favorite Frozen Treat”) Amy Ettinger

Here are some excerpts:

Our Founding Fathers helped create a nation of ice cream addicts. Going back to George Washington, they spared no expense or hardship in making and serving frozen treats. While many 18th-century foods have fallen into obscurity (eel pie, anyone?), ice cream remains a dominant force.

Even in times of political strife, Americans are united in their ice cream fixation. The average American devours 45 pints per year, which equates to about $10 billion.

We can thank Washington for America’s early interest in the treat. Renowned for his sweet tooth, Washington was hooked when he got his first taste of ice cream in the late 18th century. (…The first couple bought pricey ice cream-making equipment and fancy dishes and served it at soirees in New York City and Philadelphia. A detailed list of ice cream paraphernalia — such as a 309-piece service that included “2 Iceries Complete,” 12 “ice plates,” and 36 “ice pots” from the estate at Mount Vernon.)

Thomas Jefferson, who first tasted it in France, helped popularize ice cream by recording the first recipe for it in the United States. The ingredients were simple enough — six egg yolks, a half-pound of sugar, two bottles of good cream, and one vanilla bean — but cooks had to go through an arduous, 18-step process and use a little muscle. The ice cream maker hadn’t yet been invented; Jefferson recommended making it in a primitive “sorbetiere,” which consisted of a covered pail with a handle, and churning it by hand in the ice for 10 minutes before sticking it in a mold to set.

 Dolley Madison served vanilla ice cream and strawberries for her husband’s second inaugural ball.

Historians argue that President Zachary Taylor’s death was caused by improperly un-pasturized ice milk eaten with warm cherries following a July 4 laying of the Washington Monument cornerstone ceremony.

A welcoming gesture for immigrants coming into Ellis Island, involving ice cream, became a memorable and later laughable mishap.

Ice cream even became a rite of passage for newcomers to the United States. Immigrants who landed on Ellis Island were often given a scoop during their first meal in the States to help them get acclimated, but sometimes this gesture of goodwill backfired. In 1902, several arrivals from Italy, waylaid on the island during the Easter holiday, were alarmed by the strange temperature and texture of this unfamiliar foodstuff and asked for it to be “warmed up” according to the New York Times.

Richard Nixon fell in love with macadamia nut ice cream while visiting Hawaii and had it continuously flown into the White House throughout his administration.

Ronald Reagan declared July National Ice Cream Month in 1984. So today America’s birthday is just not a celebration without ice cream included.

 Joe Biden calls himself the “ice cream man” …he said he doesn’t smoke or drink but now ice cream…he admitted he couldn’t get enough of it…the one bright motivating moment while on the campaign trail.

So in conclusion: Although it’s probably never a good idea to discuss politics while eating — even eating ice cream — in these heated political times, cooling down with a cone has never been a better idea. This summer we may agree on little else.

One survey taken says Republicans prefer chocolate while Democrats go with vanilla…so I say…how about we all eat “zebra” ice cream cones like me (chocolate and vanilla)….it’s an easy way to “give peace a chance.”

So until tomorrow…Let’s all join in together with a chorus of: “I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Ice Cream.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh 

***Remember to tune in tomorrow….to see what color confetti came flying out this evening during our country’s birthday party!!!!

Dear Reader:

It is at exciting times, like our family is experiencing now, that it is easier to become immersed in the delight and exhilaration of life. We find ourselves wishing we could just “skim” over the troubled waters of daily living and float over all the impending crashing waves without having to experience the tumble and chaos of the nature of life.

But then…that would be a life only half-lived. It is out of the turmoil and darkness of our lives that the appreciation for life, in all its diverse forms, emerges making the good times even better and brighter.

Everyone on Earth will experience the wide diversity of life…the secret to a good life is how we embrace it all…the dark and the light, the good and not-so-good…we must set our own criteria for squeezing out the moments of exhilaration and awe at God’s Creation.

I love this stanza from Mary Oliver’s volume of poems...Blue Horses and give it as a gift to our little one growing and waiting for the special moment to join our family.

I know, you never intended to be in this world.
But you’re in it all the same.

so why not get started immediately.

I mean, belonging to it.
There is so much to admire, to weep over.

And to write music or poems about.

Bless the feet that take you to and fro.
Bless the eyes and the listening ears.
Bless the tongue, the marvel of taste.
Bless touching.

And oh how I look forward to touching another baby…it is God’s greatest gift and hope to mankind.

Kate Wolfe-Jenson’s (blogger/Dancing Journey) thoughts were running along this same line in her latest blog “Fully Awake, Fully Alive”. She talks about living with MS and watching her body decline unable to respond correctly to the instructions from her brain…like walk, talk, use her hands and feet. But instead of bemoaning the loss of certain functions…she is in admiration of this ‘temple’ God created.

Here is an excerpt:

Be still and listen to your body as you breathe in and out…the art of breathing is made more beautiful with each passing year. Social and cultural messages that declare your body as being  “inadequate” are simply the gabbles of a lost flock of geese. Pay them mo mind. They are not the truth. Puff them away as you breathe out. 

Creaturely bodies grow up, grow old, and die. It’s perfectly normal and natural. It’s only our attachments to youth and vigor that bring confusion. Puff them away as well.

*(Jenson’s last piece of advice I give to all my grandchildren and one to come…it is important to remember.)

Each day…give yourself a fresh start. You are a fleck of color in the rainbow of the universe, simultaneously infinitesimal and grand. You need only to shine! 

So until tomorrow…when the dark days and storms appear on the horizon (…and they will) remember to picture yourself as a “fleck of color in the rainbow of the universe” …a fleck of color so grand that the exquisite beauty of the rainbow would be nothing without it.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

The long-leaf sun flowers have grown so tall…some are tumbling over and Boo’s Pottery Barn sign (Anne painted for me) is almost hidden behind the sunflowers…but to me the sun flowers are a beautiful addition… an adornment to the sign.

*

*John and Mandy kept Rutledge and Lachlan so Walsh could meet the new buyer of the house Thursday evening…they all dressed up as super heroes. (*It makes Boo Boo feel so safe to know I have four super heroes to protect me and another in the making!)

Kaitlyn shared some newly arrived wedding proofs/photos last evening..and it just took me right back again to that memorable day/evening. Tripping the light fantastic and just enjoying the moment.

*Thank everyone who has participated in prediction of the gender of the new baby….such fun! There is definitely a pattern emerging ….BUT will it be the right pattern-that is the question…blue or pink.…If you haven’t voted yet…Think…and do so….voting stops at noon tomorrow and Wednesday’s blog will reveal the gender of our latest addition to the family! Not too late to join in the fun!!

Dear Reader:

I have been hinting that there is some “changes in the air” feelings circulating around our family homestead. Ever since Tommy and Kaitlyn’s wedding some speculation that Mollie might be expecting again (no celebratory champagne indulgence at the ceremony) has been whispered about with communal nodding. But no one knew for sure…

After Mollie’s doctor confirmed what she and Walsh, both suspected…the secret slowly began to unwind and infiltrate throughout the close-knit web of family and friends.

Of course now that the ‘expecting’ disclosure has been confirmed…the second tier of anticipation centers around the question of gender. As you can see Rutledge is very protective of the baby…and when asked if he would like a little brother or sister…his quick response a “little sistah.”  (Lachlan ‘parrots’ his big brother’s response automatically…whatever he says…goes.)

Our latest little Dingle is due either the end of December or first of January. We all want a healthy little baby…boy or girl. So now let’s have some fun with predicting like we did Mollie’s last pregnancy…because you readers predicted the gender overwhelmingly correct…a boy!

We know it is pretty early ‘in the game’ but Walsh and Mollie’s next-door neighbor has the tightly concealed envelope with the three-letter or four-letter word in it….she is going to get some some confetti “cannons” for our family’s Fourth of July party and whatever color confetti shoots out…blue or pink… is it! The excitement is mounting as the revealing for one and all draws closer.

So come join in the fun! Pick a color and let me know what you think (Boy or Girl)…no players’ names will be revealed…just the total number of tallies for each gender. The prediction tally stops at noon Tuesday on the fourth so I can get them counted and make the prediction Tuesday evening right before the confetti flies. A little added excitement to the Fourth of July festivities!

* In the last pregnancy Anne even predicted the exact date that Lachlan would arrive…St. Patrick’s Day…so you readers are good!

You can email me at [email protected] or just write the gender on the comment section under the post.

*Honey…remember those seeds of happiness you made for Rutledge’s revealing a little over four years ago…you made both blue and pink seeds of happiness. Well…while cleaning out bedroom drawers in the guest bedroom last week…look what I found! All the pink ones that were never used. So…what the heck…will take the bag and leave it in my car until we know…too funny!

This event also might clear up another mystery to any of you Facebook readers who happened to see several announcements about a house for sale in Mt. Pleasant (next to the Wando River) by family members trying to help get the message out.

Walsh and Mollie were needing a larger home to meet the demands of their growing family so they had put down some security money on a home being built near their present home and were under a time-line to get their home sold in time to meet the next installment deadline.

Suddenly lo and behold…a gentleman came to look at their place Thursday…loved their home, beautiful property and made a cash offer right there and then. It was all very exciting…what made it even more interesting was that the buyer told their realtor that from the moment he turned onto their road…he felt that he was being lead to the right place.

He was looking for a home for his parents who had just sold their home in the midlands and were moving closer to them. He saw the pictures of the family on the walls and felt goodness and happiness within the walls. He wanted to meet the owner so Walsh immediately ran over to meet with him. The buyer’s mother is in a wheelchair so the small one-level flat compact home was perfect for her and her needs.

*The only snag is that Walsh and Mollie must be out of their house in two weeks because the buyer’s parents’ house sold in one day and they are needing a place to move and live in quickly.

Whew! It has been a crazy roller coaster ride for all the family the past few weeks…little did we know the wedding would be an impetus to a whole set of family surprises. God is the Master of Surprises and He must be smiling down on all our excitement.

Yesterday Mollie and the boys came and spent the day with Boo…the weather cooperated…we played hard…at the park, on the deck, in the neighborhood…as you can see!

Our breather inside was when the boys were watching 20 Trucks, Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the computer screen.

At the park…Rutledge was hugging Barney the Dinosaur because he said Barney missed him so much when he wasn’t around to play with him and he told Lachlan to go play with “Pony” because he looked sad…to kiss him. Rutledge is a very sensitive child.

So until tomorrow…

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*More fresh flowers from the garden to brighten my day!