Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

In June of 2015 a high school in the Oklahoma City School District (Emerson High School) was undergoing renovations for the new school year when an amazing discovery was made.

As the construction crew began to take down some chalkboards to be replaced by “white boards” in four classroom they came across hundred-year-old blackboards with writings and drawings dating to November-December of 1917…the year the United States entered World War I.

What they found was enlightening to modern day educators…the penmanship was beautiful, lessons were aligned across the curriculums and problem solving for math used different (but successful) techniques to arrive at correct answers.

Obviously, the students were transitioning from Thanksgiving into Christmas and had started their December count-down calendar to Christmas.

Civics (good citizenship) was practiced every morning with this altered Pledge of Allegiance. (Definitely can see the influence of  WWI on families whose fathers, uncles, and sons had gone off to war.)

And check out the penmanship displayed by students….don’t we wish we could see this quality of writing again.

The students were definitely using their own personal hand-drawn visuals to help them with arithmetic/math concepts.

The principal and staff were astounded how bright the colors from the colored chalk still were after all that time. The mystery is why everything stopped sometime around December 1. No one knows why…here is one thought on the puzzle.

“It’s like I walked into a time capsule,” said Sherry Kishore, the principal of Emerson High School in Oklahoma City. The school is being remodeled, and contractors taking down chalkboards in four classrooms discovered another set of blackboards hiding underneath.

The bottom sets seemingly haven’t had eyes on them since 1917, and while some of the teaching methods are dated, many of the pictures, words and numbers are in near-perfect condition.

I was shocked, first of all, that the colored chalk was so vibrant and still very colorful,” Kishore said. The pictures, probably drawn during November/pre-Thanksgiving lessons, show pilgrims, turkeys and children. A calendar is in the process of transitioning into December.

And a note from a custodian leads many who work at the school to believe that the preservation of the boards was intentional:

“We this day give this room slate blackboards,” says the note, signed R.J. Scott, custodian.

“We don’t know if anybody knew about the plan, but now we get to reap the rewards of his plan and get to see this beautiful work of art. That’s all I can call it, a work of art. It should be in a museum somewhere,” said Emerson teacher, Cinthea Comer.

Wherever the chalkboards end up, Robert Neu, the superintendent of Oklahoma City Public Schools, said they will definitely be preserved, no matter what it takes. “It may mean we have to delay the start of school in these classrooms, but we’ve got to preserve these,” he said.

In addition to figuring out how to keep the boards in their pristine condition, school employees are also looking forward to the next phase of restoration on other floors, in which they hope to unearth more of the historic boards.

“We are all just like holding our breath because we don’t know if there’s going to be anything behind those boards,” said Comer. “We’re so excited to see and have all this wonderful history come to life for us…hopefully by Christmas we will have found a place to house our school’s history.”

………………………………….

*Thanks Joan for sharing this story with me…I loved it…the mystery of the chalkboards ending in December…a great Christmas gift for the newly renovated school.

*Anne texted me a picture she found on Facebook from a friend…obviously we were on the same thought line Wednesday. God Wink!

*Isn’t it amazing how light can bring magic to anything…even a wreath? The other evening I had turned on the porch lights and Christmas lights while I was adding baby breath to the green pine cone wreaths on each front door.

The wreath was serene in its simplistic state…but when the decorative lights hit the glass storm door with the lights reflecting off the glass…the image of the wreath completely changed…magic at Christmas.

Happy Birthday to my eldest son….my Walshie- He arrived on December 23 and we got back home from the hospital on Christmas Day- Kringle Dingle! A wonderful Christmas present for all…well, maybe not exactly all… big sister Mandy wasn’t too thrilled.

Happy Birthday Pap….You and Woo Woo….a great day for birthdays! Have a good one Pap!

Dear Reader:

As a lover of stories and history…I have long recognized the power of the ‘story behind the story.‘ If one simply recites facts about an incident and never takes time to question the personal reasons behind courageous undertakings and accomplishments…one never hears the true story, the lingering message, that should stay with us long after the classroom bell rings.

Today’s story falls into both categories…it is the story behind a poem (later turned into a Christmas Carol)  and it teaches a powerful lesson about the true meaning of Christmas.

Cindy Ashley sent it to me yesterday and asked if I had ever heard the story…I had not and after reading it and listening to the original music about the (now popular carol) “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” I knew it needed to be shared. Thank you Cindy for the best gift of all…a story!

THE TRUE STORY OF PAIN AND HOPE BEHIND “I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY”

In March of 1863, 18-year-old Charles Appleton Longfellow walked out of his family’s house on Brattle Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and—unbeknownst to his family—boarded a train bound for Washington, D.C., traveling over 400 miles across the eastern seaboard in order to join President Lincoln’s Union army to fight in the Civil War.

Charles (b. June 9, 1844) was the oldest of six children born to Fannie Elizabeth Appleton and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the celebrated literary critic and poet. Charles had five younger siblings: a brother (aged 17) and three sisters (ages 13, 10, 8—another one had died as an infant).

Less than two years earlier, Charles’s mother Fannie had tragically died after her dress caught on fire. Her husband, awoken from a nap, tried to extinguish the flames as best he could, first with a rug and then his own body, but she had already suffered severe burns. She died the next morning (July 10, 1861), and Henry Longfellow’s facial burns were severe enough that he was unable even to attend his own wife’s funeral. He would grow a beard to hide his burned face and at times feared that he would be sent to an asylum on account of his grief.

When Charley (as he was called) arrived in Washington D.C., he sought to enlist as a private with the 1st Massachusetts Artillery. Captain W. H. McCartney, commander of Battery A, wrote to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for written permission for Charley to become a soldier. HWL (as his son referred to him) granted the permission.

Longfellow later wrote to his friends Charles Sumner (senator from Massachusetts), John Andrew (governor of Massachusetts), and Edward Dalton (medical inspector of the Sixth Army Corps) to lobby for his son to become an officer. But Charley had already impressed his fellow soldiers and superiors with his skills, and on March 27, 1863, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry, assigned to Company “G.”

After participating on the fringe of the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia (April 30-May 6, 1863), Charley fell ill with typhoid fever and was sent home to recover. He rejoined his unit on August 15, 1863, having missed the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863).

While dining at home on December 1, 1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow received a telegram that his son had been severely wounded four days earlier. On November 27, 1863, while involved in a skirmish during a battle of of the Mine Run Campaign, Charley was shot through the left shoulder, with the bullet exiting under his right shoulder blade. It had traveled across his back and skimmed his spine. Charley avoided being paralyzed by less than an inch.

He was carried into New Hope Church (Orange County, Virginia) and then transported to the Rapidan River. Charley’s father and younger brother, Ernest, immediately set out for Washington, D.C., arriving on December 3. Charley arrived by train on December 5. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was alarmed when informed by the army surgeon that his son’s wound “was very serious” and that “paralysis might ensue.” Three surgeons gave a more favorable report that evening, suggesting a recovery that would require him to be “long in healing,” at least six months.

On Christmas day, 1863, Longfellow—a 57-year-old widowed father of six children, the oldest of which had been nearly paralyzed as his country fought a war against itself—wrote a poem seeking to capture the dynamic and dissonance in his own heart and the world he observes around him. He heard the Christmas bells that December day and the singing of “peace on earth” (Luke 2:14) but he observed the world of injustice and violence that seemed to mock the truthfulness of this optimistic outlook. The theme of listening recurred throughout the poem, eventually leading to a ‘settledness’ of confident hope even in the midst of bleak despair.

Longfellow began to write:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,

and wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,

And with the sound

The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,

And made forlorn

The households born

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;

“For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

…………………………………………………………………..

Isn’t that still our hope and prayer today in a world filled with conflict and turmoil? Peace on earth, good-will to men?

This short video clip (below) has been set to original music re-telling Longfellow’s story behind the story. So moving! You won’t forget it any time soon.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day (Civil War background) – YouTube

So until tomorrow…Isn’t it amazing when we discover that it is only when we come to really know someone, the human point of view, that the real story behind historical events begins to make sense?

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Yesterday was the winter solstice…the shortest day of the year…but do not fear…be of good cheer…days will start getting longer and longer. Merry Christmas!

Joan sent me this picture of her modeling a scarf I gave her a few months ago on her birthday…thought the colors would be good for Christmas and they are! (Of course anything looks good on Joan!)

I had just gotten off a Christmas photo of all the grandchildren in the family and Joan emailed that it had arrived…and she had added it to her Grandmother Refrigerator “Gallery”! Merry Christmas Joan!

*We can’t leave the blog today without listening to the beautiful (more modern melody) of “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”  from St. Peter’s Choir!

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day — St Peter’s Choir – YouTube

*Happy Birthday Mother! I love you! Thanks for my life! You were my anchor of hope and I miss you very much!

There are quite a few white anchors on the SBC Christmas tree this year. The books we used for directions named them “the cross of hope.” The ladies had lots of fun decorating them with gold braid and pearls.

Dear Reader:

When my family moved to Laurens, SC… after I finished junior high at Horace Sisk Jr. High School in Fayetteville, NC… we attended our extended family’s church-The First Presbyterian Church.

It is a beautiful old church (dating back to 1832) with red velvet pews, a chandelier hanging down in front of the choir loft with gorgeous stained-glass windows throughout the sanctuary.

For the four years I lived in Laurens before heading off to college I sang in the choir each Sunday…my voice wasn’t and isn’t great..but the choir was always desperate for alto’s. The beautiful stained glass window behind the massive organ depicts a crown in the middle of the abstract…just beautiful!

I remember one stained glass window always puzzled me…it looked like Jesus was kneeling on the shore (maybe by the Sea of Galilee) and something was in front of him…I deducted, one day, that it must be an old heavy wooden anchor. It never made sense to me then, but it does now…Christ is our anchor at Christmas; Christ is our anchor every day.

I had these thoughts on my mind when I stopped by Honey’s yesterday morning…and then came the God Wink. On the way out of the garage (after looking at some pottery pieces I was interested in for different people) there was the neatest decorative anchor!

Honey said it was Tarshie’s and I told her to grab it and hold it while I took a photo…while telling her about my “church” story and the blog title for today. Then she looked at me and said that she needed to take my picture…because the initial on it was “B”! A God Wink… Honey said!

Hope and an anchor…or perhaps strong roots. This is one of my favorite true stories I had on the blog two years ago…hope you enjoy it again!

Over the years I have told many Christmas tree stories…the perfect ones and the imperfect ones…and I have loved them all. Then  I came across a true story of a lone Christmas tree….told by Charles Kuralt through his popular television series (and later book)…“On the Road.”

While traveling America’ back roads one year he discovered the story behind a tree adopted (by motorists driving by and local townspeople) as their beloved annual Christmas tree.

The strange thing about this tree, that caught one’s attention immediately, was that it grew on the high plateau of the Rockies where neither weather conditions nor soil were conducive to sustainability of life.

Yet it lived….and was considered something of a miracle to the people who took the time to stop and pull over to marvel at this miracle of nature in their midst.

The tree was a juniper and grew beside U.S. 50 all by itself…there was not another tree for miles. Nobody remembers, today, who put the first Christmas tree ornament on it, perhaps a motorist just passing by on a whimsy.

But soon after…others stopped to do the same thing and now by Christmas Day…the tree has transformed into a Christmas Tree…beloved by all who see it and understand its miracle existence.

One year it was almost bulldozed down by road workers, widening that stretch of highway…but Kuralt said something stopped them and they decided to start the widening…a few feet away…past the tree. So close to the highway now…that the trucks rattle its branches…but still it survives.

The tree’s closest town neighbors live in Grand Junction on one side and in Delta, Colorado on the other. Both towns love their tree. Each family in these towns have their own Christmas trees, of course, but it is something about this tree, who continues to live, in spite of the odds that makes it “belong to no one and yet everyone.”

Charles Kuralt finishes his Christmas tale by declaring:

” Just looking at it makes you think about how unexpected life on Earth can be. The tree is so lonely and so brave that it seems to offer courage to those who pass it-and a message. It is the Christmas message: that there is life and hope…even in a rough world.”

……………………………………

So until tomorrow: I saw my own “juniper” survivor in the form of a rose bloom. I looked over at my and Vickie’s rose bush by my side fence…and one lone bud had bloomed…”Lo how a rose ere blooming.” It was so beautiful it took my breath away! Everything else on the bush was dead (dormant) except for this one bud…an example that life and hope endures under the most trying circumstances. A God Wink.

“Today is my favorite Day”  Winnie the pooh

*(Our little gentleman Rutledge has made sure he is covered for Christmas morning…first the Polar Express Santa, then the “Sneak-up” Santa and now the sleepy-looking Santa…his list should be complete by now!)

Dear Reader:

For the first time since buying their mountain home… Honey and Mike are going to see how staying in the mountains goes during the winter months…a test run this year.

Since I haven’t made it up to Honey’s and the chapel for an entire year…I am thinking I would like to see the Chapel in the winter time…the only season I haven’t been in Trust, North Carolina. I imagine there is a deeper sense of stillness and peace during the more isolated winter months…refreshingly so.

It is “hope” that brings me, as well as, hundreds of other visitors and pilgrims, to this unique, little chapel nestled in the North Carolina mountains. From the moment I walked inside on a hot day in July 2010 I knew I was home. I could feel such a spiritual presence…something I had never experienced before. It is still that “something”…that hope…that keeps pulling me back again and again.

Yesterday I came across an email that I received from a Matt Oliver shortly before Christmas of 2012. It contained a message that made me realize the power and magnetism of the chapel. It is so powerful to some people that it can, literally, provide hope to someone on the other side of the world… who has only seen a painting on Facebook. A person who will most likely never see the chapel ‘upclose and personal.’ It is the magic of  St. Jude’s Chapel.

(It was Beverly Barutio’s hope that the little chapel would provide a safe refuge for reflection, healing, and prayer…this it does…but there is something so magical about this chapel…it provides hope for all who come looking for it. Isn’t that the greatest gift? Can anyone out there imagine living in a world without hope…it is inconceivable for most, if not all, of us.)

…Here is the first email I received from Matt on December 15, 2012…Because of authoring the blog, he mistakenly thought I was the owner of the chapel. Message:

Hi there, 

I have recently acquired an artwork which I have tracked down to be a picture of your chapel. If you are interested I’d love to email you a photo of the painting. Please send me your email. 

I remember being beyond excited …I quickly emailed Matt back and explained who I was and how excited I was about seeing the painting. Little did I realize that I was communicating with someone from New Zealand who had never been to St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope but was drawn to it from the painting.

The next day I heard back from Matt with this astonishing story of hope and faith…the foundations for Christmas.

Hi there

Attached are a couple of pictures, one from the artist when she posted it online, and the other from my wall, where is now sits as an inspiration. 

No, I have never been there, or seen it. The artist, Gerda Smit, posted the picture on facebook about a week ago. I saw it and it just spoke volumes to me, that no matter how tough things get (been going through one of those phases) the reason we believe is hope! Hope for a better life when we pass from this into the future. I guess I could say hope is why I have faith. In a world where I am bombarded by the requirement for absolute proof every day, having faith can be challenging, yet I know the moment God shows himself and provides the absolute proof there is no longer any need for faith.

Anyway, back to the picture. After securing the purchase I asked where it was from…thinking that it may have been small chapel nearby that I could go and see, and perhaps just contemplate in. She said it was St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope and that she painted it from a picture. I just did an internet search to put the pieces together. 

So there you have it, a tiny chapel, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, now hangs on the wall of a house literally half way around the world, in the North Island of New Zealand, where we have another wonderful summer morning, and promises of more sunny weather on the way! A white Christmas is something we’ll never see here. 

Hope you enjoy the picture, and never underestimate just how important a tiny chapel may be. 

Thanks, Matt.

………………………..

Isn’t that a most beautiful Christmas story…a story that tells of the influence of  one “tiny chapel” and how it can change a person’s life halfway around the world. Hope, faith, but the greatest of these is love. 

*Matt, My Christmas wish for you this year is happiness and good health and continued blessed hope! You will never know how inspirational your message to me four years ago has gone on to touch so many lives!

So until tomorrow…We never know when someone’s life is going to intercept ours and leave a lingering memory of the true meaning of Christmas.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Mandy opened up a Santa Workshop for the kids yesterday to keep them busy on a cold, rainy day. She had brought home some extra left-over art supplies and Eva Cate loved it.

Eva Cate’s cute little snow girl! Then using ‘model magic clay’ and cookie cutters the kids made Christmas ornaments.

While Eva Cate made ornaments and Christmas gifts…Rutledge had lunch with mom…and he was clearly “decked to the halls with boughs of holly.” What a handsome lunch date Mollie! He was practicing his letters for his name-good job!… while waiting for the food.

I had two adorable elves stop by and see me yesterday afternoon…Jo and Colby. They always bring a smile to my face! Love my surcies girls but most of all I love you two!!! Merry Christmas!

If you missed yesterday’s blog…my brother Ben’s book is on amazon.com now…just google the title and it will pull right up. We are all so excited! Or click on this link below:

Grace Under Fire: One Marine’s  Journeyhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1540875032/ref=cm_sw_r_taa_FRQvyb9W5WZ6W

Dear Reader:

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas  (maybe not feel it) but look like it. Honey called yesterday to check and see if I was home and then brought the Williamsburg Apple Tree center piece for my dining table…an annual tradition that I LOVE! (She also had made me a gardener snowman for Christmas…precious!)

Her “secret” surcie…greenery….smilax….oodles and oodles of smilax. She said it was growing in the back yard, she saw it on the way to her daddy’s cemetery Thursday…she has never seen such abundance.

By the time the smilax was placed…the whole “Happy Room” had grown so much happier…doesn’t greenery just change everything? It makes a room so much cozier! Here are some of the places we put it.

Some of you might remember I discovered an historical tidbit about smilax dating back to the Civil War period last year. Sometimes smilax is called the Jackson vine in honor of Stonewall Jackson. The following excerpt explains why:

Smilax gets its common name from the fact that during the Civil War, ladies in Alabama used it to decorate tables with smilax when Stonewall Jackson came to town. Today, many of the older homes in Huntsville and Birmingham used it to frame the front door at Christmas.

Smilax is also used at weddings…one reason for the popularity is that there are no thorns to have to work with and it looks very pretty as a “garnish” for a long dining table at elaborate celebrations.

Anne had come over earlier to see if she could help me get some computer gremlins dashing off somewhere, anywhere else…but (before she came) I had turned off everything I could find to turn off so by the time she stopped by…a Christmas miracle…they had disappeared…hoping they don’t return over the holidays.

“Miss Sneaky” had secretly gotten me the prettiest angel of joy when we went to Mepkin Abbey earlier with her sister…I love it! My tree is now full of joy, happiness, and love!!!

…And speaking of angels…I stopped by Eva’s after church and picked up a meal and there were the three sweetest waitresses in the world…had to get their picture. (Only thing missing are their halos) From left to right: Katie, Audrey, and Jessica. Do drop in Eva’s and give them a hug…everyone is a big hugger at Eva’s….

WONDERFUL NEWS!!!!! Ben’s book GRACE UNDER FIRE is now available for purchase at Amazon! Ben will be here for Christmas so if you want to order a book today to get here before Christmas and would like him to sign it while he is in Summerville…just let me know and we will work out a time.

The miracle worker behind this success story is Dawn Meehan (she was Ben’s secretary when he worked with Special Needs students in the Horry Country School District.) She pulled everything together for him…amazing! She sent me this link you can use to expedite orders.

Grace Under Fire: One Marine’s  Journeyhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1540875032/ref=cm_sw_r_taa_FRQvyb9W5WZ6W

***

*Just as I was going to put the blog to bed…I got this beautiful photo from Kaitlyn and Tommy. They were at the Thomas Bennett House…a friend from Clemson was having an engagement party…so beautiful…the tree and the couple! Love you Tommy and Kaitlyn!

Dear Reader:

When Gin-g and I had lunch last week…she kept fumbling through through her purse…When I asked her what she was looking for…she replied “The ‘Boo’ ornament Debbie Baker gave me to give you.”

The little ‘Boo’ sign had fallen off an old Halloween decoration and Debbie was about to junk the whole thing when the small “Boo” block came loose…and she decided to save it for me. “Tell Becky she can make a Christmas Tree ornament with it”…like she did the lucky penny a week ago.” 

Yesterday I was cleaning out my pocketbook and found it. I decided to follow Debbie’s advice and make a Christmas Tree ornament. I went rummaging through my box of unused or broken Christmas tree ornaments and found this strange cloth-colored bird. I glued the wooden square box onto the bird and thought to myself…“Now I have a Christmas Tree Boo Bird!”

I read where decorative birds were the most popular ornaments on early Christmas trees in Europe because they all symbolized good fortune…and if a bird nest was in a tree with the bird it symbolized family and home unity. Like this:

“Bird nests are symbols of home; they represent the love, commitment, and effort it takes to build a happy home. Bird nests are also good-luck symbols. Legend has it that prosperity will come to any home that finds a bird’s nest nestled among the branches of the family Christmas tree.” – Inge-Glas

The symbol of a bluebird as the harbinger of happiness is found in many cultures and may date back thousands of years.

The Navajo identify the bluebird as a spirit in animal form, associated with the rising sun. The Bluebird Song is sung to remind tribe members to wake at dawn and rise, happily, to greet the sun:

Bluebird said to me,

“Get up, my grandchild.

It is dawn,” it said to me.

…………………………………………….

So, let’s see if we can come up with a legend for a Christmas Boo Bird…It could be a ghost spirit who comes to live inside a little bird who has been rejected by all the other birds because of his myriad of colors. He isn’t a red bird or a bluebird…but a kaleidoscope of colors. No one will play with him.

There is also a little ghost spirit who feels isolated ..he is supposed to be a Halloween spirit but he jumps every time he says “Boo” and scares himself. All the other ghosts taunt and make fun of him. He knows he doesn’t belong in this holiday…but where?

Suddenly a guardian angel appears and tells little “Boo” that he is needed as a Christmas spirit inside a little bird who feels alone and sad. In a blink of an eye little “Boo” finds himself inside the little bird and with a magic swish “Boo Bird” is frozen in time.

Now the little bird hangs proudly on a Christmas Tree depicting all his colors with a  block sign…BOO. He doesn’t scare anyone but instead makes people smile and point to him. He is quite loved by the homeowner whose grandmother name just happens to be “Boo” too. He doesn’t want Christmas to ever end and hopes more “Boo Birds” will appear each year on the tree in Boo’s home and many other homes too. Then he will have a real “Boo” family tree.

So until tomorrow…Let us welcome Christmas “Boo’s” to our home in every shape and size…If you make one for your tree, the legend says…the Surprise of LOVE will come your way. BOO!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

• Don’t you wish we could all can a jar of Christmas spirit so we would have it every day of the year?

Dear Reader:

Yesterday was the annual Summerville MS Christmas luncheon at the Crossroads Community Church. This event brings much joy to everyone and I look forward to telling a Christmas story there each December.

Elizabeth Peterson is the President of this local MS affiliate and what a tremendous job she does with lots of help from dedicated members. Every year the dining room is decorated beautifully to coincide with the theme of the luncheon. This year it was all about the candy cane and legend behind it. (You can see how much work went into the candy cane center pieces on each table from the top photo.)

There was even a “J” for Jesus candy cane added on each cake square for dessert. The detail that goes into this luncheon is unbelievable!

The food is delicious, the fellowship is friendly, and everyone’s hearts are open. Another tradition is that I ride with Mike and Honey Burrell to the event each year… Honey always gives her pottery away as a gift to each person present. Amazing. *Plus Mike and Honey walk fifty miles each year to raise money for  MS, including the Summerville affiliated organization.

The Rudolph nose photos continued with Honey and Mike as good sports. They are, one of my all-time, favorite couples to be around. They might not know it…but so many people admire their love and care for each other….great mentors for a good marriage.

And I have decided that Honey IS Santa Claus…because when she goes to give you a gift…it is never just one…the gifts just keep coming and coming and coming…like pulled from a magical extending bag. Here are a few of the gifts Honey had waiting for me…

Look at this beautiful camellia bush ready to be planted….I gasped in delight, but believe me, it was just one gift out of many! I love it! *Look below at the beautiful (natural wooden) tree angel.

Honey gave me a beautiful dolphin necklace that I immediately put on for good luck. And then when I got home there was another present in the bag and it was a Santa Dolphin Figurine…only Honey could find a Dolphin Santa for me…(I’m telling you Honey IS Santa! The secret is out!)

Andrea Andrews, my friend from our teaching days at Alston Middle School, was there to greet me and introduce me again. Another reason I look so forward to this event each year. (You notice I have Honey’s gift to me…the dolphin necklace on)

It was not until I was walking towards the podium that I realized what my opening remarks would say…it came across as clear as crystal:

“I have become aware, as I have gotten older, that a very important part of life is simply showing up.”

Everyone in the audience had their own cross to bear, whether it was MS or breast cancer or any other health issues residing within the room…yet everyone there had made a decision, a choice, to get up, get dressed, (for some this meant getting help from a caregiver) and then show up.

Show up for life. Show up to be with friends and supporters, show up to celebrate being present for another Christmas, show up to let others know the appreciation you feel for all the trouble they go to.. to provide a delicious lunch, Christmas music, storytelling, and prizes. Show up to show the world you are still alive and still love life. Show up because sometimes it is the most courageous thing we can do.

So until tomorrow…Every morning let’s make the choice to “show up” and spread the Good News of Christmas through actions and acts of kindness.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh (at Honey’s home)

Dear Reader:

The days are just getting “funner and funner.” Yesterday brought creative ideas, delicious cookies from my neighbor, and whimsical decorations to enjoy.

The picture, above, came from my adorable neighbor, Vickie, who is Nana to her granddaughter, Crystal, a student at USC.  She has raised Crystal from a tiny little thing and what a wonderful job she has done! They have the cutest, warmest relationship…you might have noticed the names on the greeting card…FROM: Nana Claus and Crystal Belle.

*Great Idea: Vickie is a December birthday girl and Crystal came up with the cutest idea…She made a list for “Nana’s Birthday” ….titled: “What Nana Taught Me About Life”…some funny, some poignant lessons…but all memorable. Vickie said it was the best birthday present she had ever gotten. She will treasure it forever!

Vickie came bringing the most attractive variety of cookies on a plate! (Martha Stewart’s cookies would pale in comparison)  She was also completely attired in Gamecock clothing from her cap down to the jeans. I told her that only my deepest love of cookies overcame my reluctance to let so much Gamecock into my home at one time.

She started laughing and I had to tell her about an incident that took place recently with Rutledge. I think it was Tommy who found a photo of a (supposedly) Gamecock player with just one tooth in his head and as you can imagine…there was quite a few puns about it.

(Usually Clemson players are shown with blackened, “rotten” teeth …the good ole’ boys who never went to the dentist…so I reckon this was something along the same line.)

But it is Christmas and peace has come to Earth everywhere… even on the Clemson-Carolina gridirons. Mollie told me yesterday when Rutledge was saying his prayers (Walsh must have shown him the photo on Facebook) the other night, he prayed earnestly that the Gamecock Football players got some teeth for Christmas. He was very concerned about the poor player with one tooth left.  (Too sweet!)

I actually got lucky (website sweepstakes) and won two autographed ‘Mary Alice Monroe” name plates to go on her new Christmas novel “A Lowcountry Christmas.” I read the book a few weeks ago and enjoyed it very much…I always love novel settings in the lowcountry and this story involved a family member suffering from PTSD…so it really hit home for me. Do take time from all the bustle, grab some cookies and a drink (hot or cold) and curl up for a good Christmas read!

Gin-g and I did find time to have lunch at Time Well Spent…we didn’t have reservations so glad we went early around 11:30 because we got the only table not reserved…lots of Christmas functions going on now. As usual everything was so delicious and so whimsical that I took photos while waiting on the food. The scenery and decorations had changed even from two weeks ago when Anne and I had lunch there. We put on our Rudolph noses and even got Matt Furlong, our server/former student to go along too…

Remember how much I love my nativity scene inside the O with Hope…look what at I found at Time Well Spent. I love it too. JOY with the nativity scene in the O! So beautiful!

*Maybe it is just me…watching too many Hallmark movies like Gin-g and I talked about…but wouldn’t you love to see a beautiful gazebo bandstand like this one (in the wall painting)… in Town Square at Christmas and listen to different groups of carolers each night leading up to Christmas! I sure would!

So until tomorrow…May the whimsy of Christmas, creative, thoughtful ideas/memorable lessons, and joy fill our hearts these days.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Eva Cate lost another tooth today…she is going to make the football player feel much better…will have to tell Rutledge!

Dear Reader:

It came! I have been waiting and staring at my “Joan Turner” Advent Calendar… which means checking the mail throughout December looking for my annual, original Christmas card from the talented artist, John’s mom, Joan!

When I returned home from Mt. Pleasant late yesterday afternoon there was a box sitting on the porch and it didn’t say Amazon. Now that really caught my attention…and then I saw Joan’s address. I ran into the house, tore open the package and there on top was the Christmas card I wait each year to receive.

There is something so beautifully comforting about Joan’s artistic Christmases with her dogs, toys, and Christmas tree filled with ornaments and birds. I always feel like I am just walking into the room (through her artwork) and can reach out, pet the dogs, hold the stuffed Panda Bear, and walk around the tree in glee…staring at all the pretty ornaments. Joan’s talented paintings bring me comfort and joy each year! Thank you from the bottom of my heart Joan for my Christmas card.

Here is a look at a few of the sights of other whimsical objects in the box. Joan…you spoil me! Christmas Tree ornaments-(a bluebird of happiness and “bejeweled’ cross) along with a beautiful angel card with scripture message that I will keep close to me….

Yesterday I was keeping the Dingle boys for Walsh and Mollie while they worked…so, knowing the weather forecast was for rain, I spent the night with Mandy and John to be closer to them… and also met Mandy Tuesday afternoon at Tapio’s for a family invitation to watch the class practice.

All I could think of….as I watched Eva Cate and the rest of the class do their warm-ups is that I never could have gotten that low or been that flexible…even as a child I don’t believe. I hurt just watching.

We went to Wild Wings for supper Tuesday evening and then Eva Cate and Jake had a little play time before bed time…Jake almost got away with stuffing a chocolate cookie in his mouth before the second picture…almost, but not quite…the dark lips gave him away.

Brookie…I love wearing my birthday moon flower pin! (Poor Jake couldn’t take his eyes off Jim Carrey’s Grinch which really is scary!…until he dragged Mandy into another room waving bye-bye…too much Grinch for him!

I decided after I saw the weather forecast for Wednesday to bring out the rainy day stuff for Rutledge and Lachlan….Thank goodness for all my amazon boxes with their plastic packaging bubbles inside…it was a free for all.

Rutledge soon got the hang on making the bubbles pop with a resounding boom…but Lachlan resorted to rolling and sitting on his bubbles. Sometimes the best things in life are free!

We have been looking at the sights and sounds of Christmas but smell yesterday had to be imaginary…an adorable cookie tray that Rutledge could use to make and decorate imaginary cookies to serve.

Mollie had all her doors and walls decorated so cute and whimsical…I was asking her where she got the decorations from and some were from Kirklands...oh my…don’t we miss that store in Mt. Pleasant…it was one of my favorites for unique gifts and decorations. Walsh gave Mollie the natural wood angel wings last Christmas… which I love too.

So unto tomorrow…Christmas is all around us…in every errand we run, rehearsal we watch, hug we extend, and laugh we share. Let’s go get us a little bit of Christmas today.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Brookie babysat Caleb, Little Boogie, yesterday, also, and got a chance for a photo opportunity with almost one year-old-Caleb…all dressed for Christmas. Happy Birthday Caleb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Reader:

Yesterday the blog decided to take me on a trip. I was reading an article which lead to another thought and article involving a poem which lead to a song and painting. When these days occur…I just keep typing and let the story tell itself.

It started with an article called “How Do You Live if You know You are Going to Die?” The author (Blanche Hartman) recalls a time when she, a minister, went to be with a friend who was dying and was surprised to hear this response from her friend.

“Well, Jenny, it looks like you’re going to find out about the great mystery before Pete and I do.” She was on a hospital bed in her room, but she jumped up and threw her arms around my neck and said, “Blanche! It’s all about love and joy!” 

We are judged by the amount of love and joy we bring others in our lifetime…by our actions.

As I was contemplating this thought from the article…. I read a comment from someone else about the same article (at the bottom of the page) and he made an interesting link…to another poem  A Summer Day by Mary Oliver. (While playing with a grasshopper the author makes this life observation.)

………………………………..

What do we plan to do with “our one wild and precious life”? Shouldn’t our lives (like Blanche’s friend said) be about bringing love and joy into the world?

Isn’t that what every mother hopes her newborn child will do…that love and joy will become actions? When mothers look into their newborn faces…don’t we all see the Face of God staring back at us? The miracle of birth. Isn’t this the true Christmas Story wrapped up with a bow? Jesus came to bring love and joy into a “weary world” and our world has never been the same again.

And isn’t the light of Jesus, reflecting on us, suppose to show us His example of spreading this light of joy and love to to others?

While gazing through many of the early famous paintings of the scene of Jesus’ birth in the manager… a pattern emerges. There is always a light radiating from the newborn to His mother Mary…making her face luminous with the light of joy.

There are also angels in many of the paintings…and children which I find quite comforting. In this painting it was explained that only the cow and oxen could gaze fully upon the Christ Child…since as animals they had never sinned. (Interesting thought)

Finally…my “Christmas Scavenger Hunt” brought me full circle to one of my favorite Christmas songs…”Mary Did You Know?” The questions are asked how much Mary knew concerning the future of her Son at the time of His birth. Like most mothers…I imagine she prayed for love and joy to follow her Son. And oh…how love and joy did!

SO UNTIL TOMORROW….JESUS BROUGHT LOVE AND JOY INTO THE WORLD BY HIS PRESENCE…AT CHRISTMAS TIME DON’T YOU THINK THAT IS WHAT WE SHOULD OFFER OTHERS? OURSELVES?

“TODAY IS MY FAVORITE DAY”  WINNIE THE POOH