Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

It never ceases to amaze me that if I put something out there in cyberspace…an idea or story or song on the blog post, someone will pick it up, like the torch in a relay, and run with it. That “Someone” this time, is Jo Dufford.

Her connection bell began to ring when she listened to the “Garden Song” again and its metaphor to life. Suddenly she knew a song from her hymn book that was the perfect analogy to it. The name of the hymn is “Moment by Moment, Oh Lord I am Thine.”

Jo told me to listen to it, read the lyrics and I would see the connection…instead of “steps and rows” the lyrics describe “moments by moments.”

 Moment by moment I’m kept in His love;
Moment by moment I’ve life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.

Never a trial that He is not there,
Never a burden that He doth not bear,
Never a sorrow that He doth not share,
Moment by moment, I’m under His care

……………………………

As I listened to the tune and lyrics I decided to check on the origin of the song too and it told its own unique story.

One day while at­tend­ing the World’s Fair in Chi­ca­go [Il­li­nois], Hen­ry Var­ley, a lay preac­her from Lon­don, said to Major Whittle: “I do not like the hymn ‘I Need Thee Every Hour‘ ve­ry well, be­cause I need Him ev­ery mo­ment of the day.” The seed was planted. Major Whittle started working on the hymn.

Soon af­ter Ma­jor Whit­tle wrote this sweet hymn…He brought the hymn to a distributor in man­u­script, saying that he would give the co­py­right of both the words and mu­sic to the publisher if he would print (for him) five hund­red co­pies on fine pa­per, to distribute among his friends.

His daugh­ter, May Whittle,, who lat­er be­came the wife of Will R. Moo­dy, com­posed the mu­sic (on this organ.) The music was sent to Eng­land, where it was (ironically)  co­py­right­ed the same day as at Wash­ing­ton. D.C.

In Eng­land the hymn be­came ve­ry pop­u­lar. Fall­ing in­to the hands of the well-known Rev. An­drew Mur­ray, of South Af­ri­ca, then vi­sit­ing Lon­don, he adopt­ed it as his fa­vo­rite hymn. A year lat­er the Reverend Mur­ray vi­sit­ed North­field [Mas­sa­chu­setts], and while hold­ing a meet­ing for men in the church he re­marked, “If someone on­ly knew a hymn which I found in Lon­don, and would sing it, everyone would discover that it em­brac­es my en­tire creed.”

The famous distributor (Sankey) happened to be in the congregation and was  anx­ious to know what hymn it was. After Rev. Murray re­cit­ed it to him, Sankey announced: “Doc­tor, that hymn was writ­ten with­in five hun­dred yards of where we are stand­ing.”

For years Rev. Mur­ray had his wife sing this hymn at near­ly all his church gatherings. It be­came a great fa­vo­rite hymn in South Af­ri­ca dur­ing the war.

…………………………

It doesn’t stop there…it isn’t just the connection between these two ideas…Jo Dufford and the hymn, lyrics, and origin…the connection takes on a more modern twist. “Before telling you this part…I would advise everyone to learn the lyrics and tune so you can sing it in the car…you might be surprised why.”

In an excerpt from an article titled: “It’s a Time of Miracles” a minister (Rich Nath) tells his Christmas Eve congregation the story of something that happened in his family many years before…the family miracle. 

“This event took place late in 1981 before my sister was born when my brother and I were kids. Mom went out Christmas shopping one evening while we stayed home with Dad. I remember Mom coming home shaking and crying. I didn’t know why until the story was related to me years later.

That night, while on the way home, she was driving along River Road. Most of that road is unlit at night, as there are no streetlights. Mom was about three or four miles from home when she got to a dark bend in the road that also has a dip. As she came around the bend and up out of the dip, she saw a pickup truck in her lane coming right toward her! There was no time to swerve out of the way and no time to stop. In that instant she thought her life was over.

She immediately cried out to Jesus and closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable collision. Only, it never happened. Literally, the next moment she was on the other side of the truck, still moving and still in her lane.

She opened her eyes and looked in her rear view mirror. The truck, behind her now, was still going and still in the wrong lane. Somehow, some way, Jesus saved her life. Whether she was picked up or transported or just allowed to go through the oncoming truck, Jesus saved her. There’s no other explanation.

I’m a scientist by degree, and I’ve taken enough physics classes to know that a car just doesn’t fly, and while teleportation is really neat in sci-fi shows, it doesn’t exist. Yet that night the laws of physics were changed to keep my mother alive.”

*Apparently Nath also shared his story on a blog because another minister responded with this amazing story…this time…connecting the hymn (in discussion) to a similar incident.

(Ken Lombardo)

“I had a similar experience while driving home from an evening church service more than ten years ago. We’d just sung Moment By Moment as our closing hymn, a hymn that’d been on my mind all day. I was singing it in the car.

In the chorus, I sang Moment By Moment I’m kept in His love, Moment By Moment, I’ve life from above… just then a car suddenly tried to make a left turn right in front of me and, in one motion, I swerved my steering wheel to the right and then back to the left to stay on the road and try to avoid the other car.

There certainly was no time or space to allow that… the funny thing is I was still singing as it happened so fast, so during the swerve,… Looking to Jesus His glory doth shine… then back on the road, I, too, looked in my rear view mirror to see the car had made the turn and I marveled thinking the Lord had allowed our cars to pass through each other… I continued singing, Moment By Moment, Oh Lord, I am thine.  (And of course, weeping to consider the depth of meaning now applied to that lyric. I can’t sing that hymn anymore without remembering that miracle. Thanks for sharing your mom’s testimony and reminding me.)

So until tomorrow…Jo, you make one connection that makes another that makes another…”We are all connected under the sun.” It just takes one domino to start the journey.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Moment by Moment – YouTube

Dear Reader:

Tuesday I had my regular visit with Dr. Silgals…we are coming up on the ending of the third cycle (3 months) since I started the new medications to try and stop “little c’s” re-appearance and “spread sheet.” I was cautiously optimistic. I didn’t feel ants crawling under my skin, which has happened in the past, when the cancer is active…but I also knew the “afflicted” area still had some lesions present.

The body is so amazing….when one part of it has health issues…sometimes the rest of the body makes up for it by “shaking what your mama gave you.” My blood pressure, sugar levels, cholesterol are the best they have been in years since getting off the last “miracle” drug. Everything is returning to what it was before “little c” entered my life, with all the treatments (radiation, chemo, surgery) that take a toil (over time) on different parts of the body systems.

Even though I am still (somewhat) anemic with a slightly low blood count, Dr. Silgals reassures me that these side-effect factors are still in the do-able perimeters enabling us to “carry on.” In other words, they are medically induced as common side effects of the drugs.

(To counter-act I am beefing up my Juice Plus (thanks Janet) supplements in the vegetable and fruit departments. )

***I was thinking the other day that I am taking more vitamins for my body now but what about my soul. It was then that it hit me, an epiphany…that every time I sit down and start to write a blog…I am feeding my soul…whether with laughter, family, stories, ideas, observations and/or new perceptions. My blog time (each day) is my time to converse with God and let Him in to guide me through thoughts and ideas to share.

…And on the up side…”little c” hasn’t spread since starting the new regime and everything remains stationary…even slightly improving. It is easy to see that this isn’t an instant “cure-all” drug but it is steady. It reminds me of the “Garden Song” that I sing or hum to myself a lot while working in the garden. (“Step by step, row by row; I’m gonna make this garden grow…”) 

Dave Mallet, originally wrote this song, but it was popularly sung by The Muppets, Peter, Paul, and Mary, John Denver, and Pete Seegar (to name a few.) Peter and Paul sang it as an eulogy to Mary following her death. As I listened to the words carefully in the following rendition…I realized for the first time that the song is a wonderful metaphor for life. Listen.

Dave Mallett – Garden Song – YouTube

A garden does teach us “Everything in God’s good time.” I understand, now, that this is true in everything in life…including health and healing.

Here is a copy of the lyrics…read them, ponder them, and tuck them away for a rainy day. (which I hope is today…no pun intended)

Inch by inch, row by row, I’m gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe and a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row, someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below ’til the rain comes tumbling down

Pullin’ weeds and pickin’ stones, we are made of dreams and bones
I feel the need to grow my own ’cause the time is close at hand
Grain for grain, sun and rain, I’ll find my way in nature’s chain
I tune my body and my brain to the music of the land

Inch by inch, row by row, I’m gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe and a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row, someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below ’til the rain comes tumbling down

So plant your rows straight and long, temper them with prayer and song
Mother earth can keep you strong if you give her love and care…

So until tomorrow…Father, remind us to take our doses of soul vitamins to not only supplement, but to spiritually improve our daily lives.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Look at my first blooming daffodil from the bulbs Anne and I planted in December…we have eight “teams” of five each circling the camellias…I can hardly wait to see them all blooming. Yellow, yellow, everywhere! How can one not smile when surrounded by daffodils?

Libby is one of the most caring people you will ever know…but that poster behind her at the Peace Center should have been a “Most Wanted” Poster.

I mentioned, in an earlier post, that Libby’s pocketbook is so heavy that if she plops it on the passenger side of the car the belt signal light comes on and she has to strap her pocketbook in…before she can drive.

Libby does admit to being a “portable” hoarder…but this “affliction” really came to light during intermission at the musical last Saturday. She got up to tramp over those 50 people sitting on each side of us to get to the aisle…and while trying not to trip or break anyone’s toes (step by step and row by row) she, inadvertently “cold-cocked” this poor man innocently sitting in her row.

Since she was dragging her ‘groaning’ pocketbook two seats behind her she didn’t realize what had happened…until Brooke, following in her wake, yelled out in the theater, “Libby you bashed that poor man right there in the head with that pocket book of yours.”

Libby said she was so horrified (intermingled with mortified) that she just kept right on going…pretending that whoever that “Libby” was ….it wasn’t her.

Yesterday she texted the cartoon “portable hoarder purse” to us and admitted “My name is Libby Clarkson and I am a purse hoarder.” We are proud of you Libby for seeking help. PHPA (Portable Hoarder Purse Anonymous) is lucky to have you. Good luck!

Dear Reader:

I don’t know how many of you have seen old re-runs of the Alfred Hitchcock (1954) movie Rear Window? It is about a professional photographer (James Stewart) who accidentally breaks his leg and is confined to a wheelchair looking outside his apartment window in NYC. Out of sheer boredom, he gets a pair of binoculars and becomes involved in his neighbors’ lives. His life suddenly revolves around the world he can see from his binoculars in the wheelchair outside his window.

His girlfriend, Grace Kelly, at first, teases him about his curiosity until he convinces her that a murder has taken place and he knows who did it. A typical Hitchcock thriller, with a twist.

The world outside my window isn’t that dramatic, but it is just as special. When I got home late Monday afternoon and went to my computer (idly gazing out the window)….all my azalea bushes were in full bloom. Varying shades of pink mixed with purple greeted me back home.

Once again the ally (driveway) has retained its original name…“Azalea Ally.” (You might remember I had to re-name it “Cat Ally” when my neighbors, across the street, had two cats who spent most of their time walking up and down the ally and making themselves at home on the back deck.) Now that the neighbors have moved…it is just “Azalea Ally” again.

But it is breath-taking…with the window up…all I can hear are birds, squirrels scampering around looking for nuts, the laughter of children in the distance, and young people grilling up the fire most evenings…the sights, smells, and sounds are the most melodious…because they represent life at its best. Peace and normalcy…too often forgotten…the life thread of our lives’ tapestry.

And speaking of Peace…I kept waiting to plant my camellia bush that I got from Hollow Tree Nursery until it rained and the ground was soft but, unfortunately, that hasn’t happened yet. Yet when I walked past it in its container on the deck yesterday…there it was blooming radiantly…pure white…and the name of the camellia is “Peace.”

Honey has the memory of an elephant….do you remember when I mentioned that I was looking for a t-shirt or souvenir that mentioned how it only took a second to become a hero…a champion..sometimes our lives are turned upside down, for better or worse, in a fraction of a second. We all remember that one precious second Clemson had to come back and win the National Championship.

So when I looked in my goodie bag from Honey…what had she made me but a clay plaque with this inscription…which now hangs by my Clemson orange bottle tree.

I told you yesterday that I wanted to share something special that happened with Rutledge and Lachlan while they were visiting Mollie’s parents…Nana and PaPa. Mollie wasn’t sure if it would work so it was kept a secret until the last minute. It did! Bedtime stories come to life.

*

They went to see the real Sweet Pea and friends at the Vermont farm where the stories originate. (*Last time I kept the boys I read one of the stories to them, before bedtime, and they loved Sweet Pea….can hardly imagine what they felt holding a story character in real life!)

Happy First Day of March! Remember to say “Rabbit” so you will have the good mojo all month. For me…this means I want March to stay cool in order to  avoid trying on bathing suits at all costs…it is much too early to start that annual agony. Our Irish roots look forward to St. Paddy’s Day which is also Lachlan’s birthday….his second! A fun month!

Dear Reader:

Our new “Win-Spring” (Winter-Spring) season is really giving us some crazy weather. I think the biggest surprise was seeing Saluda more in full bloom than we are in the lowcountry. We all thought that we would be going back to winter heading to the mountains last Thursday. Boy, were we in for a surprise! We did go from 80’s to 70’s and one night of near freezing Sunday but that was it…and the forecast was to warm up again this week for Saluda.

The flowering trees, unlike my own Bradford Pear, were in full bloom…the streets lined with pink and white trees were dazzling. Daffodils were in so many yards completely at their peak with yellow smiles greeting us. *We think of Summerville as a “Fairy Land” in the spring…well, Saluda has it right now…at the end of February. Crazy!

…It was so Beautiful! And speaking of Beautiful, the Carole King musical was unbelievably good! We danced in our seats for two and a half hours with one intermission, but while the performance was going…not one second was lost between songs or dialogue…fast-paced and marvelous! We were exhausted at the end but also so pumped!

(The only down-side was the longest rows of seats in the world. Once you were seated (and we were in the middle) getting out was near-impossible without knocking over fifty other people on either side of you. Whoever designed that beautiful building must never have had to use the restroom. We practically knew everyone’s name on a first-bump basis, at least the shoes they wore, by the end of the program!)

And it wasn’t just the crazy weather…. as we watched the Oscars Sunday night and got to the climatic ending…wow…now that was some crazy! Yet, I couldn’t help thinking to myself that it was also an opportunity to show what real character looks like in a stressful, emotional moment. My vote is for both La La land producer Jordan Horowitz and Moonlight producer-Barry Jenkins. A confusing mix of emotions for both men but both men were gracious in defeat and victory. A lesson for us all.

How we managed to get up to Saluda and back down with our car packed to the hilt is a miracle, but one we embraced. A fantastic get-away and a chance to see our friend Honey, have a birthday celebration with and for her and share time and surcies to someone we all admire and love. (Of course Honey “surcied” us right back…love you Honey!)

So until tomorrow…While our mountain trip didn’t bring any snow…Mollie and the boys sure did….will share some of their adventures with you tomorrow! Trying to get settled back in as I type away…have a Dr. appointment in the morning…so signing off for the evening.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*I just knew my Bradford Pear would be in full bloom like the ones in Saluda but it is just barely starting to pop out!

Our last meal was at our favorite grill in Saluda-a perfect way to say good-bye!

*Thanks for all your comments…internet service came in intermittent intervals in the mountains so I haven’t been able to catch up with all the correspondence with everyone yet…but thanks for continuing to keep up with all the adventures….”Life is an adventure or nothing at all.” 

Dear Reader:

How lucky are we…I mean really…could we possibly have landed in a better place? First, by simply being born in America…we won the greatest lottery in the world! Then…to live in South Carolina where we can go from the ocean and beaches to the mountains in four hours or less…is nothing short of miraculous.

It is hard to believe that some people live and die without ever seeing these two geographic features (oceans and mountains) and here we are in a small state that showcases both of these breath-taking spots!

And I love both! When I left the Piedmont, after college, to move to the coast my heart filled with joy because I had landed in the place (lowcountry) that suited my personality best… It is now the home of all my precious memories and my “pursuit of happiness.”

I have learned, however, that I can find happiness wherever friendship abides. This continued sense of happiness was reiterated upon our return these past few days. The last time we were here it was Matthew’s wedding and the warm memories from that special event were still cemented in the cabin when we arrived ..the mountain cottage was welcoming us back home…to Saluda!

The mountains really do feel like a mama tucking all the small towns, that dwell within her embrace, in at night with a sense of security that watches over us all.

At dusk when one looks out over the mountains at the purples and pink streaks of color…it is hard to imagine that heaven can top it.

Sometimes I feel my eyes empty themselves to make room for more beauty to fill them back up…that is the way I felt when looking out over the mountains these past few days…that I was immersed in indescribable beauty and had an unquenchable thirst for more.

As you can imagine I am returning with pictures and stories packed away in my memory box and IPhone. Will try to get some out to you tomorrow for you to share… what we saw.

So until tomorrow… Let’s all get out more and play in God’s Playground…we are better for it.

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Man has questioned if God has a sense of humor since the beginning of time, but have left it up mainly to comedians to answer it. Jokes, like pointing to giraffes or a platypus, aimed at the audience…question how could God not have a sense of humor when He made them.

However, I came across an article on the same subject and some true encounters with God’s sense of humor left me chuckling. Enjoy!

Does God Have a Sense of Humor?   By Sue Bohlin

My dear friend Holly told me this story:

“One time I was reading a story in which the author tells the reader that God delights in wooing us and that we can even ask Him to give us a love song. After all, Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that He will quiet us with His love and rejoice over us with singing. So why not ask Him for a love song?

“I was thinking about that one day while waiting for my lunch order. I was sitting outside a cafe in the beautiful sunshine, when two girls walked up to the outdoor picnic benches I was at, put down their purses and went inside to order their lunch.

“I smiled at them as they walked inside, and then went back to pondering what kind of love song God could possibly give me. Would He honor the request right away, if at all? Maybe He’d send a bird chirping a beautiful song. Maybe He’d just splash a beam of sun right across my lap. Maybe He’d . . . oh, never mind. It’s just silly to think about these things.

“But . . . the author did say that God delighted to do these kinds of things.

“Well, here goes nothing.

“‘God, would you send me a love song?’ I squeak out meekly.

“No sooner had the words left my lips when this girl’s cell phone started ringing in her purse loud enough for me to hear the ring tone. Over and over again it just kept repeating this phrase from a song by The Doors: ‘Hello, I love you, won’t you tell me your name? Hello, I love you, won’t you tell me your name?’ I laughed and laughed and laughed! That crazy God with a GREAT sense of humor and perfect timing!!”

Holly’s friend Sheila read that story and responded with this:

“God is definitely funny. Just today I was praying that I wouldn’t step on a dead mouse in the attic today, and I ‘heard’ the reply, ‘How about tomorrow?’ I laughed out loud.”

I never thought of God as witty like that, but why not?

This is my all-time favorite, told to me by Angie herself:

When she was mothering three young children, she was struggling with a number of severe stressors when she sensed God calling to her. Literally. In her spirit, she heard Him say her full name: “Angela.” Only her mother and God call her Angela. So she knew He wanted her to do something and whatever it was, she knew she didn’t want to do it.

She heard, “Angela,” and she held up her hand to the Lord and said, “Talk to Moses.”

Some time passed, and she heard His voice again: “Angela.” Again, she said, “Talk to Moses.”

More time passed. And then one day she was cooking dinner, stirring the pasta into boiling water, when she distinctly heard His voice again: “Joshua 1:2.”

Oh boy.

She turned off the stove, told her son to watch his younger siblings, grabbed her Bible and went to her room to read, “Moses My servant is dead. You, however, arise and go . . .”

Now that’s funny. I don’t care who you are!

…………………………..

So until tomorrow….one last laugh to start the day…

SCHOOL LUNCH

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun had posted a note on the apple tray: “Take only ONE. God is watching.” Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, “Take all you want. God is watching the apples.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

When Mandy and I took Eva Cate to see the Disney movie SING Monday, we was saw a lot of previews…a lot. The one that already had us tearing up was A Dog’s Purpose.

I might have to wait and watch it when Mandy and John get it on Netflix. (I still haven’t gotten over “Old Yeller” yet!) And don’t even bring up Bambi to me.

Intellectually we hear people say that pets can’t go to heaven because they don’t have a soul. When I look into Tigger, Poogie, Pip or Atticus’ eyes…they always seem to contain a secret deep inside…that if they could only speak they would tell us…and believe me…I think it would be deeper than we think.

In the movie trailer it states that a dog’s purpose in life is to lick and love. To be brutally honest, being a history teacher, that puts them (in my book) on a much higher spiritual rung than man’s inhumanity to man as witnessed through war, torture, and discrimination.

Here is the two minute movie clip to it…have some tissue.

A Dog’s Purpose – Official Trailer (HD) – YouTube

When I came across this unexpected twist in one’s sense of humor…I loved it.

HOW ENLIGHTENED ARE YOU?

IF….

If you can live without caffeine,

If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,

If you can resist complaining,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,

If you can ignore a friend’s limited education and never correct him or her,

If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,

If you can face the world without lies and deceit,

If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can relax without liquor,

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

If you can honestly say that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion, gender preference, or politics,

—Then you have almost reached the same level of spiritual development as your dog!

……………………

Tuesday, when it was just Tigger and me in the house after everyone had gone to school and I was waiting until 10:00 to head over to James B. Edwards, Tigger crawled up by me on the sofa to lick me and cuddle. I tried to sneak out without him hearing me but to no avail. As I pulled down the driveway there was his little face pressed up again the window side of the door.

He stands guard there when someone arrives and remains there until the car is out of sight…his purpose in life is to love, lick, and guard the house…no one enters that he doesn’t know without a lot of barking going on. He might not be able to take someone down in a fight but he is definitely going to sound the alarm.

So until tomorrow…I think it is the non-judgmental, unconditional, trusting, and faithful love of dogs that appeals to so many people in this unpredictable world we live in. No matter what happens…your dog will be waiting for you at the end of the day with love and licks. That’s a promise that few others can keep.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Mollie and the boys are back home in NH enjoying the Snow! They left 80 degrees for freezing temps! The boys are loving it!

Dear Reader:

Winter time for a gardener is a much needed period of time for reflection. Gardens have taught me that spirituality belongs to no particular denomination or religion, it is just a beautiful connection between us and our Creator in a place where we see, first-hand, the miracle of life.

Winter gives us time to reflect on the sights and lovely scents of summer and fall moon flowers, bright cheery gerber daisies, mums of all colors and sizes. Spring with azaleas, pear tree blossoms, and camellias all vying for most beautiful bloom in the garden and yards.

And right now, here in the lowcountry, we are in a new season, thanks to global warming, that I will call “Win-spring“…a little winter and a little spring sprinkled over the awakening plants and flowers. They look a little perplexed as if to ask, “Is it time to pop up already…our alarm was set for a few more weeks of snooze time?”

As I scurry to start watering plants again (really in February?) I think that, not only did the plants get cheated out of some probably much-needed rest, so have I. Watering a garden is a chore and not one I anticipated having to start this early…but the new plants have worked hard to pop up and they are really thirsty…deservedly so.

So until tomorrow…true spirituality is founded in harmony, balance, history, and healing. No matter the time or “off/on seasons” the garden is where I connect with God.

*It is so strange that this memory came back as I was just typing “harmony and balance.” I was probably about seven and was in a row boat (with an uncle I believe) and I was letting my hand trail in the water…mesmerized by the lazy ripples it made.

The rest of the family was on-shore (probably waiting for their boat ride) and the sun was just beginning to set. It must have been summer time. But suddenly…I felt connected. For the first time I realized that I wasn’t just connected to the people on shore, but to the boat, the water, the trees along the water’s edge, and the waning sun. I felt a surge of happiness like no other. At that moment I understood my connection in life.

Isn’t it strange that we spend the rest of our lives trying to re-capture these incidents of true connections to our universe and our Creator?

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Photos of my garden waking up – February or not…my first rose bloom and pear tree bud. My daffodils are almost ready- can hardly wait to show them to you!

*

Dear Reader:

Yesterday I sent a copy of the photo of the “Terrific Trio” of Eva Cate and her two best friends, along with Mrs. Kent their teacher, to Mandy to forward on to Mrs. Kent to have with an enclosed note: “Thanks for letting me come learn with your first graders.”

The impact of technology on children today never ceases to amaze me. About halfway through my presentation on learning a few of the Presidents names…I saw my IPhone and remembered I wanted Mrs. Kent to take a few photos of the class and handed it to her…she asked what my password was to unlock it….and I whispered four numbers. Immediately, the same children who were still trying to tell the difference between Washington and Madison…(the white wigs were giving them trouble) immediately chirped up with the numbers.

“So, I said, you have trouble identifying Presidents but no trouble remembering my password to open up my Iphone…am I getting this right?” (Mrs. Kent, bless her heart, is boy heavy in her class and every one of them giggled and nodded…no problem with numbers!)

As I was talking about dispelling the myth that Washington had wooden teeth, I told them he did have false teeth made from humans and animals, even ivory from a hippo tusk. Mrs. Kent looked up some images and portrayed them on the smart board so that the children could see Washington’s false teeth immediately. Instant gratification in teaching and learning! Wow!

Interesting tidbit: George Washington started losing his teeth in his twenties and by the time he was inaugurated he only had one tooth left in his head. Many dentists tried to help him with creating different types of dentures…but the truth is that he spent most of his life in pain with abscessed teeth. How this poor man could lead a revolution and then a country (being in constant tooth pain) tells us even more of the courage and fortitude of our first President. And it certainly explains why we never saw him smiling.

Those dentures just reminded me….the Ya’s and I are off today (all wearing smiles) to see the traveling Broadway Musical Beautiful. It is playing at the Peace Center in Greenville and we have tickets to the Saturday matinee performance. We are staying in Saluda at Ted and Brooke’s mountain home and making a mini-vacation of the trip. In fact we are meeting Honey tomorrow in Hendersonville to hang out and get caught up with all of Honey’s amazing projects. Too excited!!!

Beautiful is the story of Carole King’s life and we are beyond excited. A synopsis of the show says:

Dear Reader:

Isn’t it a nice feeling to be needed? If I had to make a list of my greatest fears in life, I think this would top the list…no longer being needed. (And just not needed, but a burden to boot.)

I mentioned in yesterday’s blog that I returned to Mt. Pleasant Monday to have a “Girl Day” with Mandy and Eva Cate. Eva Cate had brought home her interim report with checks on all the progress she has started making. So Mom and Boo Boo took her to see “SING” at the movies (adorable, loved every minute) and then we got some frozen yogurt while still managing to  squeeze a little shopping in. A fun day!

Yesterday I returned to James B. Edwards Elementary School to share some fun facts with Eva Cate’s first grade class on the Presidents. They were excited and hands were constantly raised like the 3-year-olds from Primrose. That excitement was still there…alive and well.

It makes me wonder when that love of learning stops. By the time I got eighth graders in my own social studies class…the love of learning, for learning’s sake, had just about disappeared from the horizon. And even if a few students still enjoyed learning…they kept it quiet for fear of being ridiculed by their peers.

When does the magic wand ( the love of learning) vanish like the rabbit in the hat? All I know is that it takes a lot of teacher encouragement, by middle school age,  to bring that rabbit back again. That’s why it is so encouraging when I do storytelling in any form or/on any subject and get an enthusiastic response…for those precious minutes I spend with  “sponge minds and hearts” I feel needed. To keep the love of learning shining brightly!

There is an excerpt in the book, Simple Little Words, that tells the power of feeling needed throughout life. The story is all about a wedding and some church flowers.

A woman was putting on a wedding for her daughter and had everything down and planned, with one exception. Decorating the church with flowers. To save money the floral decorator persuaded Mrs. Ellison to use magnolia blossoms and greenery from her own neighborhood. The florist told her, precisely, where some magnolia trees were in full bloom that she could use. The plan was to decorate the day before the wedding, turn the church air-conditioning on low over night and they would be perfect and ready to go on the wedding day.

Everything went well, at first. Mrs. Ellison and some friends and family helped her decorate the sanctuary…it was gorgeous! But the next day when she and her son-in-law went to check on last-minute details they discovered a storm, the night before, had knocked the power off. The once glossy white magnolia blossoms were wilted and black.

Her son-in-law said he would clean up the mess and get the vases ready to house new magnolias and greenery while she cut some more. In sheer panic she saw one tree, near the church, covered in blossoms…this tree might save her terrible situation…if the owner were willing to let her have them for the ceremony.

When she knocked on the door an eighty-six-year-old man answered. Without a word (after hearing of her dilemma) he grabbed a step stool, cut the blossoms and handed them to the mother. She thanked him profusely.

But it was the elderly man who stared at her intently and thanked her, even more profusely. “My wife died on Monday. Tuesday night, we received friends at the funeral home. We buried her on Wednesday, and on Friday, all my children went home.'”

…“Now it is just me and the house feels so empty. I took care of my wife these last few years and now she is gone and doesn’t need me. My children are grown and don’t need me any more.” Right before you came, I shook my fist at God and shouted, “God, does anybody in this whole world need me?” (As the words left my mouth…you drove up and the first words out of your mouth were, “I need you.”

“While I was cutting the magnolia blossoms for you, it dawned on me that I could have a flower ministry. Some of the caskets at the funeral home didn’t have flowers…and I could take some to nursing homes and hospitals to brighten patients’ days.”

………………………………….

So until tomorrow…“You know, life fractures us all into little pieces. It harms us, but it’s how we glue those fractures back together that make us stronger.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*I just have to tell this story because it is funny. As Eva Cate’s class came in from recess and got settled in…one little boy asked me if I were Eva Cate’s mother. I beamed and said “No” I am her grandmother, Boo Boo.” He giggled and left. When, later, Mrs. Kent was going over listening instructions and why we should make eye contact so the speaker knows we are listening…the same little boy said aloud…“And we should always show respect to old people.”

I gulped and then started laughing as Mrs. Kent’s face started turning red. I explained to her what had happened prior to to those remarks…and how I had loved being Eva Cate’s mother before confessing to be “Grandmother Boo Boo.” After all…being a grandparent automatically puts one in the old category, especially to a six-year-old!

Yes, I think that little fella will probably be a mathematician when he grows up or a scientist…he has his data and categories in right order.

*The funniest little fella, however, was one I bumped into, literally, last Friday while waiting for Mandy to use the restroom after the leadership program.

I was standing against the wall and a teacher had taken her CD (four-year-old) class to the restroom. While she was helping some finish washing their hands…a few others had straggled outside by the wall. One little boy bumped into me and then looked up startled. He had the cutest little lisp and said:

“Shorry…I didn’t shee you.” He then looked at me again closer. “I like your lip “ca-lor”, ladee, it is purdy and brwight.” What ‘ca-lor’ is et?” (I just happened to have bought it and told him the name. “The name of my lipstick is Uptown Mauve. It has some pink and purple in it.” He squinted back up and nodded approvingly. ” “Et look good.” He then traced his own lips and smiled again. The teacher came out and the little class left me with the biggest smile on my face. Now that ladies and gentlemen is a fashion designer in the making.

*I noticed that the last picture in yesterday’s blog didn’t pop up…so I want to share it with you today. No wonder the boys were so quiet Sunday night…they were sleeping together…no monster will take on two little boys, especially one with “Woody, the cowboy.”