Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

Yesterday I babysat Eva Cate and Jake and while pulling in to Wakendaw Blvd (Wakendaw Lakes) I was stunned by the beauty of the freshest green on the new oak leaves shining in all their glory. There must be over twenty big oaks that line the long boulevard entrance into the neighborhood.

Even with overcast, chilly, skies….the look of the “new” oak leaves was inspiring. I couldn’t help but think that the process of old oak tree limbs shedding their last vestiges of brown leaves in exchange for soft, emerald green must be metaphorical for us leaving our old shells for new life one day. Heaven must be the same emerald shade of green always shimmering in its own beauty at the beginning of spring.

Later, as spring turns to summer, the green shades on oaks and other green plants tend to turn from the lively bright, fresh color of green to a darker green…still pretty…but lacking that fresh look of wonder.

Jakie loves the Disney film “Finding Dorie.” I have watched it with him at least four times in the last few weeks; John has assured me that Jakie has seen it at least twenty times by now. He is mesmerized by it….his eyes filled with wonder…he never blinks except to point excitedly and repeat different sea animal names.

Looking at him watching the movie…an outsider would never guess that he has watched it so many times prior to the immediate viewing. It is just as fresh to him as it was the first time he saw it.

As many seasons as I have lived now (Thank you God!) the first green of spring still fills me with wonder and delight. I can’t get enough of it. By now I know this shade of green is temporary and that makes it even more intoxicating.

Isn’t that, also, what makes life so exciting? We all know that we will go through many different stages and “shades” of life…but if we keep the faith and follow God’s directions…He will provide us with “fresh eyes” to see life for the first time again…over and over.

If we take the expectation and anticipation we have for spring and direct it towards an expectation and anticipation of what God is going to do in the lives of those around us, as well as our own, truly powerful things can and will happen.

So until tomorrow: Father, never let us stop looking at life with the fresh, young eyes of wonder and anticipation. Through your Son, we have been given the opportunity to a renewed life, like spring green leaves on oak trees. Let us not take this gift for granted.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Yesterday Frances Townsend (Miss Effie’s daughter) responded to the picture of “Out of Plumb”  and blurb with another funny anecdote. *(The floor wasn’t level as a result of the famous Summerville earthquake.)

“When she was making a 2-layer cake, Mother would have to turn the pans half-way through cooking so the cake would not be lopsided.”

And lastly…don’t we all look through fresh pairs of eyes when it comes to love…a love  soon to be united in marriage. Kaitlyn had a few sneak peek photos taken over the weekend with the photographer for the wedding. I told her if these were practice-run sneak peeks I could hardly wait to see the wedding photos.

Dear Reader:

I know I find myself drawn back to the subject of azaleas but when you are blessed to live in a fairyland filled with them, it is hard not to immerse ourselves in their history and beauty during this time of the year.

Friday, my designated “uncomplicated” day of fun, food, and adventure, I began aimlessly driving around  “old” Summerville with its beautiful winding streets. I, abruptly, turned off Carolina Avenue onto Linwood Lane (or as I like to call it…”Miss Effie’s (Wilder) “E”venue.)

This winding, circular lane is absolutely gorgeous this spring. I was surprised to realize how long it had been since I had cut through Linwood. Now new homes intermingle with the old…but they compliment each other well…the little street is stunning.

“Out of Plumb” was the name of Miss Effie’s home and I remember her placing a marble on the floor to show me how it rolled to one corner that was “askew” with the floor’s lack of leveling…thus the house was “out of plumb.” It was the most enjoyable hour ever spent with such a warm personality during an interview for a history project.

Linwood drops right onto Salisbury where the remnants of the gates to the old Pine Forest Inn still remain. When I stopped to take this picture after leaving Miss Effie’s…I saw the beautiful azaleas still blooming behind one of the stone gates (possibly dating back to the days of the inn’s glory days?) and it still takes my breath away.

Talking about town pride…When I pass Azalea Park coming and going down Main Street, practically on a daily basis, the word “persevere” readily comes to mind. The idea of putting a park smack dab in the middle of Summerville, started back in the 1920’s, with a women’s civic community organization (today the Flower Town Garden Club.)

Sixteen acres were purchased and with the help of Mayor Grange Cuthbert writing and filing for New Deal projects during the Great Depression, he was able to get the W.P.A. on board to help with this project.

Two other instrumental people involved were natives George Segelken and his wife, Evelyn, who planted most of the azaleas themselves. George was quite the expert on them… producing the “Pride of Summerville” salmon-colored azalea for which Summerville is now famous for having in abundance.

If you ever take time to read the whole history of the development of Azalea Park… right up to the Sculptures in the South addition… a pattern quickly emerges.

Every time it looked like a natural disaster (Hurricane Hugo) or financial downfall might bring about the end of this gorgeous park (free for anyone who wants to stop and smell the azaleas) someone or a group of people refused to see it happen. Time and again, the park was, not only rescued, but improved upon for the enjoyment of all Summerville natives and visitors to our fair town. It has been the “perseverance” of its people that has reassured the existence of this park for years to come.

Now that brings me to my last Azalea…Summerville’s wonderful seasonal magazine! I, so enjoyed the last spring edition of our local magazine, that I felt a need to write its creator and innovator, Will Rizzo (and his lovely wife) to thank them for its existence. I got a response back within minutes! (*The whole magazine staff at Azalea is composed of the most friendly, accessible, warm, and talented writers and poets in Summerville.)

Here is what I wrote and the response.

With all the rapid changes in development in our beautiful “Flower Town in the Pines” it is easy to grow nostalgic for the “old” Summerville. To be truthful some days, while driving around town, if I blink or daydream for a second, I have to think where I am.

Every day seems to bring new shops and businesses to our fair town.( It makes me feel as confused as a pine tree in a parking lot.) That said, however, it is the people who make this town… and that has never changed. Innovators and creators like Will Rizzo and Azalea Magazine, preserve the essence and beauty of this growing “ville” through its pages filled with history, progress, and homespun lore. Summerville is my town and I love it…’Sho’Nuff!”

……………………….

Azalea Magazine Thank you so much for your kind words Becky! You are right, it is all about the people. And we are so blessed to be able to showcase all of the incredible folks that make our community so unique.

*I would encourage as many of you as possible to take a minute and make a comment back to the staff at Azalea Magazine. It only takes a second to make someone else smile. We all like to feel appreciated for hard work and effort…and Azalea Magazine, our town’s magazine, deserves that and more!

So until tomorrow…Take time to park your car and walk through Azalea Park…allowing time in to count our blessings for the history of the people, who came before us… who made a dream come true.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh.

*Caught yellow jessamine spreading over our street’s electric lines- sure adds decor to ugly lines!❤

Dear Reader:

Don’t we all have days that are so hectic we feel like “re-booting” (Anne’s 2017 word) by unplugging everything in our life and welcoming the peace and quiet that quickly invades our surroundings?

It is amazing how technology changes our every day conversations and movies are dated now by the communication instruments used by the actors in it. The other day the 2000 movie Hanging Up came on one of the cable stations and I found myself watching this chick flick again…and feeling just as tired at the end of the movie as I did the first time I saw it.

The year was 2000 and look at the telephones still being used in the poster. The theme of the movie was the hectic lives of these three sisters trying to cope with raising children, balancing work, and taking care of an elderly father who was showing signs of dementia. Today this movie poster would have all three actresses clicking off their Iphones and the title of the movie would be: “Clicking Off.”

By the end of the movie Meg Ryan’s character pulls out all the phone plugs and dumps the phones in a trash bin, unplugs all the big desk-top computers,  then turns off the safety system that annoyingly talks down to her all the time, and falls into a delicious sleep. It was what she needed most of all…a break from daily hectic life where other people put too many constant demands on her.

Maya Angelou, upon finding herself completely exhausted from a talking tour, told one audience that she had decided to finish up her tour with them….her body and soul were depleted: “Each person needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”

Kate Wolfe-Jenson made this observation in one of her latest posts:

“It’s so easy, these days, to rush from one task to the next, one email message to the next, one drama to the next. We become addicted to the adrenaline rush of making the next check mark, clicking the next link, crossing the next finish line. Bathing our bodies in stress hormones is not conducive to well-being. Instead take time to unwind. Sit in silence. Connect deeply with friends and family. Bask in sacred space.”

Kate loved visiting a Galapagos tortoise who came to the San Diego zoo in 1928 when she was 89. “Galapagos tortoises, the zoo website tells us, “lead an uncomplicated life grazing on grass, leaves, and cactus, basking in the sun and napping nearly 16 hours per day.” Many live to (and over) 150 years.

What would it look like for you to lead an uncomplicated life? Well, why don’t you, at least, treat yourself to one uncomplicated day?

So yesterday, I did treat myself to one quite uncomplicated day. I caught up with some correspondence, made a few telephone calls, started a new book, watered the garden and daffodils.

I then treated myself to a BLT from Matt’s Place and then….and then…true confession time… I got two, not one, but two cupcakes from Bubbie’s Bakery (right next to Matt’s.) *I think I am still about five years old and rationalize the same…after all I need a goodie for each hand. All my children did…especially Mandy at Poppy and Dee Dee’s.

Soon guilt began to creep into my “uncomplicated day”…I needed to do something, accomplish something that I didn’t want to do. Bingo! Start the heinous project of raking the leaves off the driveway that extends into the backyard…outlining Azalea Alley.

I figured maybe I could work a few calories off and give my heart a workout if nothing else. I can cut grass all day, plant flowers most of it, but raking leaves is my number one most un-favorite yard task to do. All that bending and pushing the wheel barrow back and forth.

But I did it…and the job did assuage most of the guilt from one of those persistent seven deadly sins…What is the name of it…oh yeah…gluttony and maybe throw in sloth for good measure.

My Before and After Photos: (I just did the front part of the driveway yesterday…The worst part, the biggest pile of leaves are in the back part of the driveway…blown up against the house (right under my computer room window) and these piles will take many, many wheel barrow loads to complete. But “inch by inch” and “row by row” this project will get done…a little bit each day!

Part One of Project Rake Leaves is accomplished!

So until tomorrow..Let us remember:

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Bubbie’s does try to make you feel better by the sign on the display case.

“Once you lick this frosting off a cupcake

It becomes a muffin and muffins are healthy.”

(I will take that philosophy and run with it!)
 

Dear Reader:

Have you ever observed (on television) terrible areas of the world afflicted with AIDS, starvation, and unhealthy drinking water…yet the little children are excited over every small improvement in their lives and bright smiles flood their little faces? They are warm, friendly and hospitable…always welcoming.

These images put things quickly into the right priorities in life…family and faith are their most important values…values that trigger smiles and grins with eyes still alight with hope.

Yet here, in our country, so many of us sit and play the “When-Then” game of prerequisites to happiness. It starts early in life. I remember thinking that my life would be perfect “when” my braces were removed (finally) my senior year in high school and then I would look better and be more popular. I did smile more and admittedly my confidence grew a little more…but deep down inside nothing had changed…I was still the same old me…with the same hang-ups as before. My hair was still frizzy and I was still a stick. (Ah…the good old days!)

Don’t we all become pretty adept at this game? I hate to admit it…since I truly am happy most of the time…but I still play the game in ‘down’ moments. My personal game looks like this when the worry monsters attack my sleep in the middle of the night.:

When I get one  bathroom completely over-hauled, one kitchen floor repaired…then I will be happy.

When I gain control over my pending health issues, then I will be happy.

When I see my last child, Tommy, marry Kaitlyn this May, then I will be happy. 

When I get this or that payment paid off, then I will be happy. When I get this much in savings, then I will be happy.

When everyone in the family is happy, then I will be happy. (right!)

You get the picture…in fact I bet most of us can still play it quite well when we get in the slumps and let those worry monsters dominate our thoughts instead of counting our blessings.

I have already seen more of the world than many people on this earth ever will. I have never gone hungry or homeless or destitute. I have and am living a “charmed” life.

I think I need to write the two words “WHEN” and “THEN” on two poster boards and burn them both in a  bonfire…because happiness should have no prerequisites. It should be instantaneous…felt straight from the heart at that very moment.

It should read NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happiness came yesterday when Anne stopped by for supper and took pictures of the daffodils we planted.

The sun was going down and it’s rays seemed to be going straight through the flowers- they were all lit up!

Azalea Alley! I wake up to it each morning!

Happiness is good friends and watching my garden grow!

 So until tomorrow Father be with our church community as they mourn the loss of an already much-loved child we all adopted in our hearts…even before his birth. Please be with the parents and families involved and also provide all of us the faith we need during this difficult time for a courageous couple in our midst.

Merciful God, your Spirit intercedes for us even when we do not know how to pray. Be present among us now, that we might find comfort through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Savior.

Libby’s granddaughter, Hailey had surgery yesterday to remove tonsils and adenoids….little sister stayed with “Nana” throughout the surgery and was so happy to be reunited with her big sis. So glad things went smoothly Libby for all the family.

Dear Reader:

Besides retirement meaning “No more Sunday Slumps or Monday Melancholies ” it also lends itself to a new expression from us retirees that takes awhile to adjust to…we even surprise ourselves when we first utter the words “Oh no hurry…take your time…I’m not going anywhere.”

We might be standing in line at the post office, or grocery store, or pharmacy and everyone else looks like they are about to jump out of their skin while we patiently wait because we have no place that we just have to be ….at a certain time. Who knew a life like this existed beyond the veiled curtain of rushing, pushing, speeding, hustling, forcing, darting and sighing…lots and lots of impatient sighing?

These days when I look around and see an anguished expression of desperation on someone’s face in line and realize that man or woman is probably running late getting back from a lunch break from work…I find myself tapping the person on the shoulder and telling whoever to take my place in line….”I don’t have to be at any specific place right now…and it looks like you do…here, come take my place.”

I am rewarded with the biggest sigh of relief and usually an explanation from the person on the “rat trap” of time he/she has found him/herself in and must get back. It is one of the most rewarding parts of retirement…giving others a brief but crucial gift of time…at just the right time.

…And you know what…it does give me a “rush”…a different kind of “rush” (exhilaration) when I am able to do this. A “rush” that has taken a life-time of work to accomplish- concluding in  a “wait no worry state.” Time is the best present we can give someone in this hurried/burried society.

Right now I am in no hurry for hot weather to come….I want spring to last and last so I can enjoy Summerville’s mind-boggling beautiful azaleas for as long as possible. Everywhere I go these days around town…I just want to slow down the growth of each bush and bloom.

Each morning when I wake up and walk around my own yard filled with azaleas of every color I just want to pinch myself with happiness….how did I come to deserve this place, this beauty? Like the song sung by Julie Andrews that says… (The Sound of Music)…”Somewhere in my youth or childhood…I must have done something good” …I reckon I must have. 

How in the world did I end up from Fayetteville, NC to Laurens, SC to Summerville, SC …the most beautiful “Flower Town in the Pines”? Of course I know the answer…God lead me and He couldn’t have picked a more beautiful place outside His own garden to place me in.

So these days…don’t ask me to rush…I only get a “rush” when I don’t have to (well) rush! Let me have the opportunity to help you not rush…a gift from one who has been there, who knows and understands your hectic life, and who wants to give you a temporary reprieve from your hustle and bustle.

So until tomorrow…maybe some day we will meet in line…and you will be the recipient of my gift of time. Time should be shared between those who have it and those who don’t. And one day time won’t be an issue at all for any of us…at least for an eternity.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Honey mentioned a moving “connection” story that happened at the MS Challenge Walk.

Becky, you know one of my words for this year is HOPE. As we boarded the bus to return to Tybee after finishing our first day, there was a lady with visible signs of MS on it. She had not been able to walk very much of the route and now appeared confused.

We sat next to her and began talking. We assured her not to worry we would help her get to her room. She thought she was in one tower, but no it was the next one. Trying to make her feel better I commented on her pretty bracelet. She said “Yes, it is full of hope…HOPE charms.” I told her I felt Hope was one of the most important things in our life and that was the name of my team for the past 11 years. 

…Fast forward to the next day. The woman was helping at a rest stop, since she was unable to walk. She recognized me and called me over, thanked us for helping, took her bracelet off and gave it to me. Yes…the tears did flow. Connections!

*Honey’s word might be HOPE but what she was doing to help connect with her new friend in need was LISTEN. And Honey is the best listener…her latest plaque to me about my chosen word.

*

Dear Reader:

While we are reassured by scripture that “We are made in the image of God” today this message is visibly evidenced by Holographic images of our universe…. God’s Creation.

Everything in life points back to one simple observation: “We are all connected in the universe.”  I was a late bloomer/learner when this concept hit home to me…but ever since it did…it is the one thing I feel most confident about in my personal universe and life’s list of truths…that there is nothing that exists alone…no matter how distant or minute…eventually we will be connected to it. “We are one in the Spirit”…”We are one in the Universe.”

I wish I had recognized this important idea when I was younger and went through some lonely times…because it would have been reassuring to know that I was not alone…but connected to everything I saw in my life…animal, plant, even microscopic life. I was a piece of the big picture of life and as a living organism I had my role to play in God’s production.

A few days ago I came across an old newspaper article, written in 1991 when Beverly Barutio, had just finished her gift to St. Jude, God, and God’s travelers- St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope.

In the article she stated that if just one needy person came over the mountain and found refuge in the little chapel…then her mission, her odyssey was complete and a success! She had beat cancer and lived long enough to complete her promise to God and St. Jude.

To date….thousands of visitors have come to her chapel, some planned visits, some not…but something or Someone brought them to a sanctuary in the mountains, unlike any other. A small chapel that is filled with the spirit of Beverly and welcomes the curious and the lost. It certainly welcomed me and changed my life forever!

I didn’t build a chapel…but instead I built a blog (after experiencing the chapel for the first time in 2010)…a way to communicate my  life’s thoughts and observations as I journey along… a sometimes smooth, sometimes bumpy path. But now I am not alone. I have you as a fellow traveler…encouraging and supporting me through thick and thin. You can not imagine how your presence has changed my life.

When I started the blog…I thought if it fizzled after a few days and I never heard back from anyone then at least I tried it. My goal was to hear back from at least one person…someone who encouraged me to continue.

I remember exactly who that first person was…Cherry Farthing! She was so excited and encouraged me to continue writing…then she spread the news and within a couple of days single digits changed to double and finally triple.

And it all started with one reader who came across the blog accidentally and became a long-time loyal reader and cheer leader.

Thank you Cherry for being there for me on the evening of August 7, 2010…there was a very nervous writer holding her breath but you gave me confidence to continue. Thank you!

What I love to hear from readers now is when we have serendipitous moments together…with remarks like “I was just thinking the  exact same thing” or “I always felt that way too.” A moment of connections between thoughts and ideas…mind-boggling some days.

That is what happened a couple of days ago. I have written so much about the importance of making connections in our every day life…that when Michele Robertson found an article she knew I would love she sent it on to me. I did love it…and would like to share it with you right now.

“We Are All Connected”

Madisyn Taylor ( Daily OM)

There are times when we may feel disconnected from the world. Our actions can seem like they are of no major consequence, and we may feel like we exist in our own vacuum. Yet, the truth is that our simplest thought or action – the decisions we make each day, and how we see and relate to the world – can be incredibly significant and have a profound impact on the lives of those around us, as well as the world at large.

The earth and everything on it is bound by an invisible connection between people, animals, plants, the air, the water, and the soil. Insignificant actions on your part, whether positive or negative, can have an impact on people and the environment that seem entirely separate from your personal realm of existence. Staying conscious of the interconnection between all things can help you think of your choices and your life in terms of the broader effect you may be creating.

Think of buying a wooden stool. The wood was once part of a tree which is part of a forest. A person was paid to fell the tree, another to cut the wood, and yet another to build the stool. Their income may have had a positive effect on their families, just as the loss of the tree may have had a negative impact on the forest or the animals that made that tree their home.

An encouraging word to a young child about their special talent can influence this person to develop their gift so that one day their inventions can change the lives of millions. A poem written “merely” to express oneself can make a stranger reading it online from thousands of miles away feel less alone because there is someone else out there who feels exactly the way they do.

Staying conscious of your connection to all things can help you think of your choices in terms of their impact. We are powerful enough that what we do and say can reverberate through the lives of people we may never meet. Understanding that you are intimately connected with all things and understanding your power to affect our world can be the first step on the road to living more consciously.

…………………………………..

So until tomorrow…The next time you withdraw from a situation that forces you to ‘put yourself out there’ sharing your passion, or talent, with known and unknown faces…stop and think: “I am not alone in this endeavor…succeed or fail…God is holding my hand and will lead me where I belong.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Susan Cadwell mentioned that her sadness over Sunday evenings and Monday mornings started back in college when she would go home for the weekend and have to get ready to pack back up and catch a ride and/or drive back to college…a long, sad trip with flashes of anxiety over the week ahead with tests, labs, and projects.

(I remember feeling that too in college…as much as I loved Erskine and later teaching…it is just something about getting back in the “rat race” that leaves us feeling hollow inside…doesn’t it? I suppose it is those words “change” and “transition” that still bother us as we fight to keep a constant in our lives.)

Dear Reader:

Yesterday, Monday morning, I woke up with such a sense of peace and tranquility. I just lay in bed and listened to the birds announcing the new day and then went out to check my flowers. The daffodils are popping up, like popcorn…more each day.

It had, obviously, been a busy weekend so Sunday night it felt good to warm up in the Happy Room, read, and watch a little television. I started thinking how far I had come with my relationship with Sunday evenings. I spent so many Sunday nights (of my adult working life) in dread and foreboding…of having to start back to work the next day.

In fact…by Sunday afternoon the “invisible, but deadly, malaise” would completely consume me…I never felt at ease or relaxed on a Sunday. By Sunday night I was rushing around putting up clothes…checking to see if everyone had something to wear to start the week and praying no one had a project due the next day…resulting in a midnight run to Walmart. (Believe me, it happened more often than I care to recall.)

But now that is all changed. From the moment I retired… Sunday night took on a new image. I don’t rush around in a panic any more trying to get things ready for the week….I read, talk with friends and family, watch a few favorite shows and completely relax. (I have finally broken out of the self-imposed prison of the Sunday Slumps.)

Most Monday mornings…I leisurely wake up and listen to the rest of the world starting another week. I can hear school buses rolling through the neighborhood, screeching brakes on cars driving down school-congested traffic on Highway 17, but, as for me, I roll over and think about a week ahead filled with lunch dates, neighborhood garden talks, strolls around the neighborhood, and I smile.

My favorite part of the day is the time I spend with God working on the blog…I set aside at least a couple of hours and sometimes more…depending on photos and other things that require more time… like research. Most days I get so caught up in my thoughts and memories that I find myself stopping to allow myself time to go back down memory lane.

I have been retired for over a decade now but I still have to pinch myself, in happiness, every morning when I don’t have to get up and rush around to get ready for work.  “For a date, a date, a very important date…I’m late, I’m late…for a very important date.” (There is a reason “dead-lines” are called “dead”…the stress of them can lead you to an early demise.)

I, honestly, can’t believe that I am so lucky today! Like the tortoise in the hare race,  I just kept plodding along, while Lady Luck put me in positions to get higher degrees to put me in the highest level possible before retirement which has come back each month as a wonderful gift…SC Retirement pension.

And as difficult as it has been going through the ups and downs of “little c” these past eight years…medically/financially it bumped my social security up into the highest bracket too. God works in mysterious ways.

So, even though, I am a senior now living off a retirement pension and social security, I have never had it so good. I make more off of these two pensions than I did teaching all those years with my monthly paycheck.

(***And thank goodness for the state health plan that has covered so much of the unbelievably high costs of on-going cancer treatments…the “Lord is good to me.”)

Now when I think back to those crazy, sometimes stressful, Sundays when the children were younger…I see it differently. Sure, it was pretty chaotic…but the piles of laundry, floors waiting to be swept and dishes washed, meant we were blessed to be together as a family and our priority was spending as much time together doing things and less with the futility of house-cleaning with growing children.

So until tomorrow…the greatest prize we can win at the end of a fulfilling career is time. The tortoise won the race of time and today can even outlive humans. Slow and steady and one day, like me, you can linger over breakfast, eat lunch out, take strolls,  work in your garden, write a blog, or take up any hobby of passion…there is a world of peace and serenity awaiting us tortoises…especially appreciated on a Monday morning.

Retirement: When Sunday evenings and Monday mornings become your favorite part of the week.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Look what Honey, Mike and family did as an amazing team in Savannah….50 miles for the MS Challenge Walk….Brandon and Tarshie joined in to help out also. Honey told me she fell and  hurt her knee twice…it was bruised but she kept going. She’s my hero!

Anne received an “Honorable Mention” Award/Recognition for her painting “Hot Tea” at the Summerville Artist Guild…Way to go and Congratulations my talented friend!

Dear Reader:

After discovering that my brother David died on the same day of the month as Kaitlyn’s sister, Amanda, (March 4)  I got interested in pulling out an old scrapbook…filled with tributes to him like kind notes, cards, letters, and a copy of the memorial service in it. I was putting it away when another stapled paper fell out.

This was something I had never seen. It was written by Dr. Randall T. Ruble, the College Chaplain at Erskine College in 1973. At the weekly required chapel sessions on Tuesdays the chaplain had used this time to talk about David’s passing. It was dated March 6, 1973… two days following David’s death and the day after his funeral. (This is just a short excerpt from the original speech)

Scores of Erskine students attended David’s funeral and the chaplain commented on this fact…attesting it to David’s integrity, popularity, and his quiet demeanor…a gentle soul who “quickly made friends and gained the affection of his peers and respect of all his professors.” Chaplain Ruble quoted many lines of scripture (many of the psalmists) on the brevity of  life.

…But then he told a story about an ancient king and his quest for finality.

“Because life and human history are in a constant state of change, it is difficult for us to lay hold of that which is permanent and which can make the quality of our lives worthwhile.

This difficulty was experienced by an ancient king, who, perplexed by the changing character of life, summoned to his side the wisest men of his kingdom.

“I charge you to discover for me a statement about life which will never have to be revised or changed. After more than a year of hard thinking, those wise men came up with this statement: “All things come to an end.”  

Chaplain Ruble continued:  “All,” I would add, “except God.” Before the mountains were brought forth, He was there. Though the hills be made low and all created things should pass away, He will continue to be there. More to the point, life, though it occupies but a short span of time, can be meaningful and productive if it is firmly rooted in God himself.”

...”Or to put it another way, God alone is the answer to the mystery of life and death. Because this is so, we can give thanks to Him for the life we shared on this campus and elsewhere with David Barbour. Let us bow in prayer.” 

So teach me, Lord, to number my days, so that I might grow in wisdom, so that I might live each day in the best possible way. To you be all the glory! Amen.

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It is only when we can release ourselves from the chains and restrictions of chronological time that we can begin to understand the significance of every moment we breathe life in and out of our bodies.

These days this epiphany is not as apparent in the mirror as it is in watching the grandchildren grow. Each opportunity and moment to observe their life growing up is one that will never be repeated. Today I look for bits and pieces of my beloved brother in my children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, and their children. Now and then I catch a glimpse of David’s quiet observation in the room or his gentle smile. He still lives in our hearts and memories.

So until tomorrow:

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Saturday and Sunday I got to share moments with all the grandchildren. First I kept Rutledge and Lachlan from noon to 4.

And then I headed over to John and Mandy’s to keep Eva Cate and Rutledge…ended up with some help (Tommy and Kaitlyn) a.k.a. dance instructors who kept the kids dancing until bedtime. Thanks gang.

And Eva Cate will always remember her climatic moment from “Dirty Dancing” soaring over Tommy shoulders…”You can’t put Baby in the corner.”

*

Wax Lips: You can’t beat this deal…fake lips at the Dollar General buys your grandchildren a lot of giggles for a buck!

Dear Reader:

Now I am really dating myself…but how many of you can recall having to wait to go on a date or outing until you found a dime in your purse to show your parent? I remember it well. Every girl of date-able age had to have that dime to use on a coin-operated telephone (inside a booth) in case of an emergency. (Defined by a wide range of mishaps.)

Soon the coin-operated telephones were replaced by credit cards and now even the booths are gone…the mid-eighties bade farewell to them in our country. The last country to, begrudgingly, let go has been England…after all the public red telephone booths are an iconic symbol of the country.

But don’t despair London travelers…the British have stepped up to the challenge…using good old creativity! These booths (or as the British affectionately like to call them- (“Red Telephones Boxes“) have been turned into food-stands, aquariums, inverted red sofas, libraries, toilets, and art galleries. (Just to name a few)

I love it when society steps up to create something new out of something old, especially lovingly old…in order to retain the history and story of the origin…that is the best kind of history…one that is always evolving.

I digress, however. As much as I fondly remember public telephone booths…it is the dime in the story that should have the leading role in its history. Many a baby boomer pre-adolescent and young teenager can re-tell a personal story on how that dime saved them from awkward social situations that could have easily gotten out of control.

But what about today? With all the new technology and widespread, available communication…how can young people find a way to get some help out of a sticky social situation they might find themselves in (alcohol, drugs, sex) without losing face with their peers.

The X-Plan. A friend of mine shared this new concept with me that she had received from her daughter. (Her daughter had also written a sweet note thanking her mother for helping her out of sticky situations, with no judgment, long before cell phones, IPhones, IPads, etc. came into existence.)

Here is an excerpt from an article showing you how the plan works today.

“To give our children a way out of sticky situations, we now have something called the “X-Plan” in our family. This simple, but powerful tool, is a lifeline that our kids are free to use at any time. Here’s how it works.”

“Let’s say that my youngest, Danny, gets dropped off at a party. If anything about the situation makes him uncomfortable, all he has to do is text the letter “X” to any of us (his mother, me, his older brother, or sister.) The one who receives the text has a very basic script to follow. Within a few minutes, they call Danny’s phone. When he answers, the conversation goes like this:

“Hello?” “Danny, something’s come up and I have to come get you right now.” “What happened?” “I will tell you when I get there. Be ready to leave in five minutes. I’m on my way.”

At that point, Danny tells his friends that something’s happened at home, someone is coming to get him, and he has to leave. In short, Danny knows he has a way out, at the same time, there’s no pressure on him to open himself to any social ridicule. He has the freedom to protect himself while continuing to grow and learn to navigate his world.

This is one of the most loving things we’ve ever given him, and it offers him a sense of security and confidence in a world that tends to beat our young people into submission…

………………..

So until tomorrow…Growing up is never easy but as parents we have to trust and have faith our young adolescents will make it through with God’s guidance, their parents’ support, and a loving community. Let’s be there for all our young people during this tough transition into adulthood.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

 My niece Bekah and her daughter, little Ady, came this weekend. Ady swims on a traveling team and the swimming meet was in Mt. Pleasant. So glad I have the other B&B side for just these occasions. Ady is quite a swimmer and continues to excel in this sport. Go Ady and thanks mom for supporting her with all the travel and planning that goes with it! Stay warm!

Dear Reader:

I do remember telling you that this is the first joke I ever recall being told and (for at least three times at bat) I struck out and didn’t ‘get’ the joke. When I finally did I thought I was so smart and told it to everyone who wanted to hear it… or not.

Isn’t it strange the things we remember from our childhood and youth? It is never “big” events (graduations, birthdays, etc.) but every day conversations or discoveries. I think there is a lesson about life in that observation…it, truly, is the little things in life that are the most important.

However, the reason I “repeated” the ‘Pete and Repeat’ joke was that I had started this blog off looking for a title with the word “green” in it and then remembered that every spring I do the same thing… another blog on green. There must be a neuron button, stuck on that color in my mind… that springs brings back up each year at the same time.

*When I looked it up…sure enough…the blog post dated back to March 26, 2015…almost two years ago. I was even dressed in green because little Lachlan had arrived less than two weeks earlier on St. Patrick’s Day.

My post, two years ago, was “50 Shades of Green” and I had gone around taking photos of all the different shades of green in my yard. So let’s try it again…three weeks ahead of nature…but thanks to global warming…probably at the same “spring has sprung” time array of colors!

March 26, 2015 (excerpt)

Dear Reader:

Within a two foot radius in my garden…there are three different shades of green growing stronger every day…stemming from dark to light to yellow-green…all strikingly beautiful.

I remember a couple of years ago when I toured Linwood’s Bed & Breakfast gardens…(Linda Shelbourne’s beautiful home and gardens)…she told our group that she didn’t try to keep blooming flowers alive in the hot summer months in the lowcountry…she simply diversified the shades of green in shrubs, bushes, and trees through-out her exquisite gardens.

It was a lesson that stuck with me. If I were running an “official” B&B I wouldn’t have time for all the pruning and watering necessary to keep flowers alive in the hot, humid months of the lowcountry  either. (So I pay the price for my love of flowers with high water bills  through-out the summer and early fall months.)

But I did take to heart the lesson of planting varying shades of green… and now I purposefully look for flowers or plants that diversify this color- the color that dominates nature.

The word “green” has a Germanic origin and consists of two root words “grass” and“grow.” Perfect combination, isn’t it? The color green symbolizes the hope of life and continual renewal of it.

Because the color green is so familiar to us (through its dominance in nature) it is a peaceful color to use and hospitals have traditionally gone with it to help patients heal in calming harmony with nature.

And speaking of hospitals…our latest arrival, Lachlan, arrived on the “greenest” of days 9 days ago. The journey looked a little bumpy for him when he first popped out…but his coloring is already rosy and healthy…our latest little “greenhorn.”

…………………………

It is hard to believe (almost) two years have passed since Lachlan arrived and soon he will celebrate his second birthday! *(sample of birthday announcement for family/friends)

….And now some man-made green and nature green surprises!

So until tomorrow: This green/growing period is the best time of life…after all, like Kermit the Frog always contended: “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.” We are never intended to reach perfection or a finished product…until the day we die…we should be continuing to grow in faith and love.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Remembering:

Kaitlyn’s sister, Amanda, passed away one year ago today. A memorial service to remember her on this first anniversary will be given, in her honor, by Kaitlyn’s parents (Sunday)- Butch and Susan Swicegood in Chattanooga.  *It is a tough one, as many of you readers know from first-hand experience. Please keep Kaitlyn’s family in your thoughts and prayers this weekend.

***I don’t think I made this connection last year…but my younger brother David (who died at 21) died on March 4, 1973 also…44 years ago and yet, sometimes, it still seems like yesterday. Chronological time on earth can play tricks on our memories over time. Like Amanda, David is and will always be forever young. I love you David.