Dear Reader:

Now this is what I get for cleaning out old suitcases a couple of weeks ago…emptying out chewing gum wrappers and tissue paper. I must have opened the suitcase I took to Ireland two summers ago….and presto...magic! The leprechaun fairy greeted me at the fence yesterday while I was watering some plants. He did scare me initially but he seems like a happy little chap and and to paraphrase Humphrey Bogart (Casablanca) “Conor…I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

Hilda showed back up while cleaning out the garage from Matthew and she was ready to be put back up on the deck in time for Halloween. Now I see why she picked that corner…she has a broom and there is a toadie frog right above her…don’t think it will be there long. A toadie frog for her magical bog. Frankly, Hilda scares me….this witch is missing a screw…literally… that holds in the battery…she is supposed to turn on when motion is felt near her…but with her hanging battery you never know when you walk by if she is going to start cackling at you with her lit-up eyes or not. A heart stopper.

And then there is the “Old Man in the Tree”.…I don’t know if he has come ‘a-courtin” or what? Can’t ever figure out which way he is looking…he is a little creepy but then again at a certain age…I reckon we can’t be too picky. I figure I will let him hang around as long as he stays on the tree and not in the house with me. Mystery, Magic…nah…just really really strange!

Even my calendar “rabbit” (in the mums barrel out front) has gotten into the “spirit.” We know “Halloween’s Coming” ( like Rutledge says many many times a day now) because magic and mystery are paramount.

And now…the mosquitoes! For years they have left me alone (think they are smarter than we give them credit for….not gonna bite someone with cancer) but they obviously are not as picky any more about their victims.

The past few days I can’t get farther than the deck, much less inside the garden, before they are buzzing me. Thought the cooler air over the weekend would do it…but no, no no…I got buzzed last evening running from the car to the house. Think this little poem runs true:

A SOUTH CAROLINA BLESSING

Note: If you are not a resident of SOUTH CAROLINA or never have lived in the hot, humid South, you may not understand the weight of this blessing!

Bless this house, oh Lord, we cry.
Please keep it cool in mid-July.

Bless the walls where termites dine,
While ants and roaches march in time.

Bless our yard where spiders pass
Fire ant castles in the grass.

Bless the garage, a home to please
Carpenter bees, ticks and fleas.

Bless the love bugs, two by two,
The gnats and mosquitoes that feed on you.

Millions of creatures that fly or crawl,
In Carolina, Lord, you’ve put them all!

But this is home, and here we’ll stay,
So thank you Lord, for insect spray.

…………………………………………………………….

But oh how I love home and the low country…wouldn’t trade it for the world! Stopped by to see Bruce and Marcia (while they are in the low country watching Rutledge and Lachlan  until Walsh and Mollie get back this evening from their trip)…and they are “Being Brave” as reminded by Rutledge. It was so good to see them…I am sure when they get home they will sleep for a week….grandparents always do. SHHH!!!!!

Those two little boys are so fortunate to have Nana (Marcia) and Papa (Bruce) in their lives…they went to the pumpkin patch, played games, made crafts….and are loved loved loved!

After I left visiting with the Temples/Dingles I headed over to see part two of the family-the Turner/Dingles….Eva Cate and Jakie….we played and made something special for mommy….mothers always deserve a little surprise along the way….just for mommy.

I love to observe quiet moments when Jakie and Eva Cate are mesmerized together at something going on in nature and they quietly watch it together for moments of pure silence and then shared laughter.

So until tomorrow…Thank you for family and fun and shared moments of mystery and magic….let imagination live forever.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

When I come across a whimsical, fantasy of a place in a painting that captures my imagination I really desire to crawl into it and like Alice Through  The Looking Glass  follow the path to see where it goes. The idea of climbing the book steps in this enticing painting and finding new adventures in each novel really excites me.

It is the same feeling I get when I start a new book and instantly bond with the character in it becoming a part of that world until the last page when I reluctantly leave that time and space to return back to reality. All art affects me that way…paintings, readings, sculptures, architect and music, ah music, now that really does fill my soul with happiness.

When I came across this unknown author quote…I thought to myself I don’t know who you are and never will but we are the same. Isn’t that the essence of great writing…touching the soul and connecting it with others?

Doesn’t that quote say it all? I love the sentence “You are every single day.”   The truth of that statement hits home to me every single day with my first conscious thought: “This is the day that the Lord has made…let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

I know my friends get concerned sometimes over my almost non-stop, whirl-wind life, especially when I am experiencing some health set-backs but deep inside me I just feel this exhilaration to get “out there” and meet new people (even if it is just talking in the grocery aisle) and watching and waiting for a God Wink which surrounds me constantly. I just don’t want to waste time doing nothing. Life is just too short.

Friday night, for three hours, I sat mesmerized watching The American Experience-Hamilton- (PBS) the story behind the creation of the wildly popular Broadway play. I figured, realistically, it was probably going to be as close as I would ever get to seeing it in person. True…only segments of the actual production were shown in sync with the re-telling of the creation behind each song in the play. Still I felt my blood running through my veins and felt so alive as I watched the first showing from 9-10:30 and then when it repeated it…I found myself still so drawn to it that I watched it again from 10:30 until midnight.

* If you missed it (due to its popularity)….PBS is showing it again this Thursday at 8:00. Please watch…you won’t be disappointed and by simply observing this genius creator behind the play…his amazing life will leave you in total awe and admiration for his boundless talents of creativity.

( Lin is the son of a Puerto Rican father who wanted to come to America and follow his dream…which turned out to be his astonishing son.) Let’s hear it for the immigrants who still follow their dreams… like our own ancestors did so many years ago. It is unfortunate that American history repeats itself in that the last group to come in always take the flak for all the problems in America…until the next group comes in.) REMEMBER: WE ARE ONE!

Earlier Announcement of the date for last night’s aired showing:

PBS’ behind-the-scenes special on the Broadway phenomenon Hamilton will premiere on Friday, Oct. 21 at 9/8c.

Hamilton’s America will be broadcast as part of PBS’ “Great Performances” series and will kick off the network’s Arts Fall Festival. The two-hour special will offer a glimpse at the Tony Award-winning musical, and unfortunately it’s probably the closest you’ll get to seeing it — several original cast members are leaving the show on July 9, and it’s sold out through 2017.

I felt like this production (produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda himself…where does he find all the time to do what he does?) gave us, the audience, a glimpse into the mind of a genius. You will hear a renown musical producer declare him “The Shakespeare of Our Age,” explaining that Shakespeare took the common man’s words, turned them into lyrical prose, and then presented them to the audience. Lin takes the common man’s words and turns them into hip-hop, jazz and any other musical medium that touches people’s psyches. And through it all he is simply telling his story.

There are no commercials during the entire hour and a half presentation of the story behind the creation of Hamilton (quite refreshing)…so hit the restroom, grab a snack and be ready to be blown away with history, storytelling, dance and song, and the pure magic of one man’s ability to find common ground today with an historical figure of the past.

rolled american ten dollar notes

You will never look at Alexander Hamilton the same way again…in fact you will learn so much about this amazing man that it will no longer be just his image on the 10 dollar bill that reminds you of him.  ( In fact the Broadway Play saved Hamilton from being removed from the ten dollar bill…quite amazing story there too.)

If by now I have not completely put you to sleep in my zeal and zest for history…I hope that you follow your own personal passions and create time for experiences that lets the world know who you are through them.

So until tomorrow…Remember “You are every single day”…so make it a good one!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Now “The Witch Is In” and the “Witch Is Out” on my mailbox. I have had this little witch for years and found her in a chest I hadn’t opened in a few years. She is happy to be spooking the mailman…maybe she will scare all the bills away.

Look at the beautiful monarch butterfly I found on my flowers on the steps going down…life is so beautiful!

I stopped by Anne’s house to drop off something yesterday and left it on the porch since she was gone…was getting in my car when I spotted her Encore Fall azaleas…so pretty!

Clemson, you know I love you and I am a devoted fan….but these close games have definitely added a little stress these past few weeks also…so I was glad for the break yesterday. Rest Tigers, and come roaring back…you will need it to end the season!

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOAN!!!!

SO HAPPY WE ARE ALL FAMILY NOW! GLAD JOHN AND MANDY GOT TO SPEND A MINI-VACATION WITH Y’ALL …THANKS TO HURRICANE MATTHEW!

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!

LOVE, BECKY

Dear Reader:

Isn’t it wonderful when everyone has “his or her day” every now and then…a time for them to shine? Making the transition from kindergarten to public first grade has been a real challenge for little Eva Cate this year. As wonderful as her kindergarten experience was…(learning by touching, field trips, play and fun) she didn’t know how to work the computers to take the first tests and she definitely was behind in her reading and math skills according to public schools’ assessments.

Nothing that can’t be caught up with time…but you hate to watch her struggle trying to pick up what the other children learned in public kindergarten for preparation for first grade. In the perfect world all children would be allowed to learn by observation, field trips, nature, but sadly in today’s world technology reigns. For better or worse…it’s a new world out there today.

But yesterday…(Fun Run- James B. Edwards big fund-raiser for the school) Eva Cate was the first girl in her class to finish the 35 lap run! 35 laps….I doubt I could do three. Way to go…those teeny tiny legs just flew around those laps….how proud she was and daddy too! She discovered that she could do something better than all the other girls in her class and many of the boys…she could outrun them.

• A special shout-out and thank you for all the family who participated in this fund-raiser for Eva Cate’s school….what am amazing family I am blessed to be a part of….and Pap….you are something else girl! We love you so!

God had a wink for me connecting Eva Cate’s award-winning run with a funny little message from “God” on how He tries to help seniors continue getting much needed exercise. Steve Downey, husband to classmate, cancer sustainer/survivor, and friend at Erskine, Carole, sent me this me funny little ditty. Enjoy!

God’s Plan for Aging

Most seniors never get enough exercise. In His wisdom God decreed that seniors become forgetful so they would have to search for their glasses, keys and other things thus doing more walking. And God looked down and saw that it was good.

Then God saw there was another need. In His wisdom He made seniors lose coordination so they would drop things requiring them to bend, reach & stretch. And God looked down and saw that it was good.

Then God considered the function of bladders and decided seniors would have additional calls of nature requiring more trips to the bathroom, thus providing more exercise. God looked down and saw that it was good.

So if you find as you age, you are getting up and down more, remember it’s God’s will. It is all in your best interest even though you mutter under your breath not-so nice words back at God!

……………………………….

Before we go any further, let me tell you something about Carole, my friend from Erskine. She, too, has been battling cancer for the past several years…a tough, aggressive cancer that pops in and out making it very difficult to contain. Carole was able to attend her only son’s wedding a couple of years back but she let us know earlier this year the cancer was back and aggressive.

She has been in and out of the hospital for all types of treatments…lately, mainly chemo, which recently had a terrible backlash on her health and sent her back to the hospital for another long stay. She has decided to stop chemo, to let go of this treatment, and live life the best she can for as long as she can. And May is her goal…her son and daughter-in-law are expecting their first child, Carole’s first grandchild, and she is determined to be there.

I got a card off to Carole earlier this week and reminded her that “isn’t is wonderful that cancer can not invade the spirit” because Carole has more spirit than anyone I know and an unbelievable support system in her husband Steve, who never leaves her side.

This picture was taken a year ago at our Erskine reunion…since then Carole’s cancer returned and  she was unable to come this year. As a personal favor, I would greatly appreciate prayers for this amazing tower of strength that I am proud to call my friend. You have come through for me so many times…and believe me, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the only reason I am still here is because of the power of your prayers. Would you please spread that love to my friend now…We all want her to see and hold that baby so badly! Thank you.

So until tomorrow…The power of prayer is so amazing that it gives us a tiny glimpse into the power of our Creator.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Yesterday morning, with all the fog, my garden looked a little creepy itself and obviously, my friend, the spider, enjoyed the fog to help hide his/her big webs going up everywhere. Spooky! Here are some samples:

Those sneaky spiders had built webs in empty flower hangers, Rutledge’s beautiful red maple and lots of plants….so sneaky. 

But there was also magic…the kind God makes. In the morning (in the fog) there were two white blooms on the confederate rose.

Look closely at the bottom white bloom in the above picture….three hours later I went out…and magically it was turning pink and ended in a rose color but sadly fell off before I got the photo this evening.

Look who just turned 10 months! Little Boogie Boy…Brooke’s adorable grandson, Caleb.

Halloween is drawing closer…and “The Witch Is In!” Do drop by….AHHHHH AHHH AHHA…you never know what you will find…perhaps a woman with the (oh no) dreaded SHINGLES!

Dear Reader:

What a difference a day makes…Wednesday I spent fleeing from spider webs and Thursday morning I got a diagnosis from Dr. Montoya (actually her student intern) that I was not expecting. *And no, I’m not pregnant!(:

But I am getting ahead of the story. Let’s go back in time just a bit.

Remember the other day when I told you how thankful the family was that both Rutledge (with his ear problems) and Jakie (with his skin allergies) made it through the Race for the Cure before medical assistance was needed? Now let’s add that old adage “All things come in three’s” because it came true… with yours truly making the “trio” complete.

Have you ever discovered, like me, that sometimes the worst place you can be is in your own head? For the past few weeks I have experienced an annoyingly painful  “crick-in-the-neck.”It just wouldn’t go away, the muscles from my neck to my right shoulder felt like rocks and then some sort of pink welts started forming down my neck which felt like insect bites. I thought that maybe a spider had bitten me or “little c” had spread elsewhere. Obviously none of these thoughts were good.

I remember my neck hurting in Asheville so I am thinking it had started before we left to escape Matthew…the hurricane  (Though Jackson’s Matthew actually lives in Asheville…rather ironic?)

…But then isn’t life full of ironies? I think that is what makes it so intriguing and never dull? For example: It takes sadness to know what happiness is. Noise to appreciate silence or absence to value presence…and I can personally add one more-pain to appreciate health…and/or at least pain pills.

I persevered on my usual health train of thought….just keep on keeping on and it will go away. Unfortunately it followed me….to Asheville, the Race for the Cure, babysitting, yard working, etc. Dr. Montoya told me that I had one of the highest tolerances for pain that she knew. But then, after living with cancer for eight years and undergoing more treatments than I can count or even want to remember….believe me, a few welts and a crick-in-the-neck paled in comparison.

Finally yesterday, when I had the whole day to myself, the bee stings got old. I knew it was supposed to be a beautiful fall weekend here and I wanted to enjoy it. So I called Dr. Montoya’s office first thing yesterday and the sweet receptionist told me to just come on in. By 8:30 I was back in the examining room telling Dr. Montoya about my “crick-in-the-neck”… adding that it looked like some welts or something else was, also, down my neck. (Lumps and bumps make cancer patients very restless.)

She took one glance and then turned to her student intern and said, “I want you to make Mrs. Dingle’s diagnosis today.” The sweet intern put down her pad (she had been taking notes ) glanced at my neck and promptly said “Shingles.” In horror I glanced back at Dr. Montoya praying she would say, “Incorrect, spider bite” but that didn’t happen. “Correct” beamed Dr. Montoya at her intern proudly… “Very Good!”

“Wait a minute,” I said…”This is not ‘very good’ ….I have seen the horror commercials with that goofy football announcer (Terry Bradshaw) and they were the scariest things I had ever seen.”

Dr. Montoya said that I was actually over the worst part…and on the back side of it by looking at the dried welts… I told her they never were “wet.” And it could have been worse… I could have gotten them on my face….I don’t even want to go there. Those are the scary commercials!!!! And my eyes…after just getting my new life-time (cataract removal) lens… now that would have been a nightmare. God is good!

Dr. Montoya said that shingles are usually associated or brought on by an unusual amount of stress in a short period of time…which would go back about a month probably. HUMM….A month ago I was in the midst of two cataract surgeries, an unexpected needle biopsy which proved cancerous and an even faster unexpected breast cancer exploratory surgery (looking for margins around the cancer)…which I had to wait two weeks before hearing they were clear….and then worrying about my last summer’s renovated home project (with Matthew coming closer) which cleaned out my savings….Yes, I thought to myself, I was a “poster child” for shingles.

So I have added steroids, pain pills, and something for the “welts” to my daily regime but already (since taking the four prescribed daily steroid pills from one bottle) the stings and itching have stopped. Thank you Lord for Dr. Montoya! Even though shingles is not a particularly great diagnosis…at least it wasn’t cancer on my neck…everything is relative!

*A shout-out to Anne who stopped by and left a Continental Corner goodie-bag consisting of turkey sandwiches, those famous Greek potatoes and their (will cure anything) lemon chicken and rice soup. I ate, then slept, then ate, then slept some more….a wonderful way to pass the day.

So I have to roll up my sleeves, make a strong fist and look upward for guidance…then “everything will be all right.” I told Dr. Montoya and her intern that “I am woman…hear me roar.” (which reminds me of one of my favorite quotes.)

Jakie and Rutledge…I will be brave and make you proud of Boo Boo! Back at you Jakie and Rutledge!

So until tomorrow:

“Today is my favorite day”  (kinda, sorta, maybe?)  Winnie the Pooh

*Maybe I can add some more “moves” to a dance called the “Dingle Shingle’s”…..ah….a new project!

Dear Reader:

Has anybody else, besides me, suddenly realized that outside yard/garden work is turning into the same dull routine as dreaded housework these days? I used to always say that I loved cutting the grass, pruning, picking up debris, whatever in the yard and garden, because it lasted about two weeks and gave you back such a great feeling of satisfaction and pride. Whereas housework lasted only about two days, if you were lucky, and dust settled back in hours after you left the end tables and mirrors shiny clear. Ugh!

Sadly, this axiom no longer holds true. Every single day now, since Matthew left his calling card, I walk outside and more branches are down, more dead leaves have fallen, pine sprigs are everywhere, and don’t get me started on pine cones! My back takes one look and starts to “spasm” out on me. Oh no! Not again. I just raked yesterday!!!

My pile of debris on the street is growing in quantum leaps…the longer it takes the trucks to pick up…the higher my pile is getting. I feel sure this is true of most of my neighbors…that is one job I would not want right now…definitely!

When I walked outside, rather early yesterday morning, I thought I would water the mums since they seem to stay thirsty and maybe prune a little but that should do it. At first glance the garden looked “innocently” benign as it greeted me.

I was so proud of myself for working hard Monday… picking up more leaves and pine cones and taking them to the street in several wheelbarrow turns. But then it happened…the first of three such incidents. I reached between two bushes to turn on an outside spigot and (without any warning) my face was covered with a spider web! Horror upon horrors!

This is what I felt like I was entangled in….and this next “live” photo shows what the web looked like in actuality…but please remember I already had part of it attached to my face, hair, and neck. (Believe me that one strand left was just a memoir of the stringed webs on me)

Interestingly enough I am not an arachnophobiac…I really am not. If I see a spider crawling around I can smash it without a second thought. But a spider web? Now that is an entirely different red flag for me in the fear category of my life.

I am getting “creeped out” just typing about what happened earlier in the garden. It took me a few minutes to get over the first sensation of a spider web on me, especially my face. But I finally did and went into my potting shed to get another style rake that can hold more pine straw and pine cones than the one I was using.

I picked it up, without a glance, took it to the garden, and was just about to rake my first pile of debris when I felt something and looked down on my left arm…a spider was running up it with part of the torn web still stuck to it. Now I really thought I was going to lose it with spider horror number two. I threw down the rake, ran back to the spigot (while checking it out thoroughly this time) and washed my arm in cool water…getting rid of the spider and web. From a distance I could still see part of the web dangling from the rake. Gross!

I went back in the house, consoled myself with a left-over blueberry muffin from breakfast and watched television for about an hour to calm my nerves. While I watched some “quite forgettable” television show… my intellectual mind was trying to restore reason to my emotional havoc.

What was it that frightened me so with spiders and their webs. I finally decided it was (1) unexpected….never like being caught off-guard and 2) the feeling sensation of something on my skin that left my hairs standing on end.

Surely it must have started in childhood with too many campfire “spider in the hair” stories and B Rated horror show movies that I could afford to buy a ticket with….along with my friends. Yes, the idea of spiders hatching babies in your hair, on your face, or anywhere else for that matter is a tough pop culture myth to eliminate from our psyche.

After resting and munching awhile longer I decided I would at least try to salvage the morning and accomplish one thing in the garden…I would clean out all the leaves and tiny broken branches that had fallen in the water fountain.

So I had gotten about as many leaves out of the bottom of the fountain as I could when I started watering the fountain out with a hose and poured a little chlorox in it to help disinfect it.

As I bent down to wash out the underside of the fountain I saw a black spider crawl out from under and cross the top of the fountain. Upon closer inspection underneath I could tell where she had been hiding. I took this as a sign from the universe that I was not supposed to work in the garden yesterday….I threw the hose down, turned off the spigot and treated myself to a lovely late morning nap!

Later after lunch, when I started feeling a little foolish for all my jumping, hopping and screaming antics in the garden earlier,  I looked up garden spiders and most of them are considered “good” or “beneficial” spiders because they eat bugs that eat garden plants and blooms.

I would be the first to sign an armistice if they would just agree to do one thing….Make a big sign warning me where all their webs are so I don’t go charging into them  unknowingly. It is a simple enough request…don’t you think?

So until tomorrow….Grab the book Charlotte’s Web and say Charlotte five times before screaming and hopping around after an unexpected spider web dousing.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

The only kind of spider web that I want to come into contact with….is this creative art work using a webbed design for the wall.

*Delights of the Day extend into Surprises of the Sunset. I got home from the grocery story around 7:00 last evening and my newly placed BOO sign was lit and shining. Then in the backyard a lantern was casting its glow on the latest moon flower bloom. Beautiful!

Dear Reader:

Yesterday I kept Rutledge for part of the day while dad slept getting ready for his night shift and mom met some of her children speech therapy clients. From Walsh and Mollie’s house I left mid-afternoon to go to Mandy and John’s home to keep Eva Cate after school so they could take Jakie to his allergist…his poor skin is so inflamed and the poor little tyke is quite miserable.

Oh, to be needed! It is so important throughout all our lives, but particularly so as we age I believe.  God was so good to keep everybody well through the Race for the Cure Saturday so most of the participating family could attend…so if health issues had to pop up… they did so, after and not before, our annual family care-giving day to others. For that we are all thankful!

When I am eating out and see grandparents eating with their children and grandchildren, as well as, grandparents eating out with their grandchildren alone…it makes my heart happy! It is so important to a child’s early sense of security to understand that extended family….grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. are an essential ingredient in producing self-worth and confidence in future generations’ lives. How very blessed are children who are privy to be a part of a large extended diversified family!

Eva Cate always wants to know about my mother and what she was like, as well as, Poppy and Dee-Dee. She is still confused as to why they are all dead now and curious as to what made them dead. I read somewhere that around seven is when children begin to realize that all our lives end in physical death….so Eva Cate is now in the questioning stage of that eternal truth. It is a tricky one to answer without going into too much detail…but important also.

It helps many times for children and young people to have grandparents they can tell certain problems to that they would not want to tell their parents…no doubt about it…there is something very special about the grandparent-grandchild relationship. And I am just blessed to be a part of that relationship and have my children and grandchildren so close!!!

The nicest thing about extended families is that they just keep extending with time…some go, new ones enter, and life continues. The circle of life.

Yesterday morning Rutledge wasn’t sure which super hero he wanted to be so he changed from Captain America to the Hulk *Life, according to a three-year-old, would make a stand-up comic fall over laughing. But besides being just plain cute, he is also very insightful.  Rutledge’s views on the world should make the political quandary we are in blush. In a nutshell Rutledge thinks we should all be a hero for someone else. He’s got my vote!

I left Rutledge around 3 and headed to John and Mandy’s house to keep Eva Cate after school so John/Mandy could go together to Jakie’s allergist to see if there was something else they can do to help him….even with all food watching, lotions, creams, medicines, poor little Jakie continues to have skin outbreaks that are painful  to him and even more painful as parents and grandparents to watch.

We just keep hoping he will outgrow some of these allergic problems that plague him constantly. He continues to be a real trooper through it all. *I told Mandy I would help Eva Cate with her homework and I was shocked at the amount and depth of work expected in the first grade. I wasn’t prepared for all that…first grade has sure changed a lot. Mixed feelings there????

*Happy Birthday to Mollie and Bekah!! What a lovely day to share a birthday. Love you both very much!

So until tomorrow…”No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of others” Charles Dickens

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

When I came across this little picture message it really made me pause for a moment. “What if trees really did refuse to let go of their dying leaves?” It reminded me of the little story I shared with you a few weeks ago about “Abigail, the Reluctant Leaf?” In the story Abigail was afraid to let go and fall from the tree because she had heard terrible stories about what happened to these leaves. So she held on for as long as she could and then, one day, like the ‘Family Tree’ had promised her…she didn’t leave until she, herself, willingly let go.

We can all appreciate ‘Aibgail’s reluctance’ to let go of security and everything she knew to fall into something new….a fall frontier. In fact most of us try any and everything we can think of, in our daily lives, to postpone letting go for something new…any type of change. (Even going so far as to “clothespin” ourselves to the past.)

When I came across this little spiritual message it definitely hit home…I believe we do come across the right words we need to hear at the right times, don’t you?

Intellectually we all know statements, like these, are true but emotionally it is, sometimes so hard to do it. Yet, when I look back on my life…I see that the times I did leave my comfort zone and crawled out on the end of the branch and let go,  resulted in the best changes in my life. Faith, Becky….I remind myself over and over….keep the faith!”

Like the beautiful leaves we so admire right now…we, too, are dying and have been since birth….it is a process as natural as being born. Yet all of us stay in a reluctant frame of mind to think about our own ending…as if just thinking might hex us or something.

Rutledge always tells me that he is a little bit crazy….but Lachie is REALLY REALLY CRAZY! (And he makes the circle motions by the side of his head.) We all laugh….even little Lachie… who laughs just because we are! But Rutledge is right on target….we humans are REALLY REALLY CRAZY! But also we can be really quite lovable  at times too.

Every day that  I wake up to a glorious Fall day I just want to pinch myself! How I do love this season! And every day my garden continues to bring me surprises that delight and enhance my life! My garden truly is the ‘gift that keeps on giving.’

So until tomorrow…Remember we can all learn from the seasons: “Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.“

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Remembering the Race for the Cure: 2016

*Follow-up on Rutledge’s surgery. He WAS BRAVE, as you can see, but the doctors were really shocked at the amount of infection in both ears…particularly one and had to remove some ear tissue to open it up. Please keep him in your prayers that his ears keep these tubes and that no more infection potentially opens up the possibility of some hearing loss.*Mollie called me and said, after having his adenoids taken out also yesterday… that he was hungry and right back to his old self playing yesterday afternoon. He is a strong, brave boy!

Dear Reader:

I wonder now, when I take time to reflect back on my life, if one of the major purposes of our existence is to get to the place where we finally do emerge from our cocooned youth and become the person we needed way back then to “show us the way.”

Yesterday while eating lunch out with a friend a little toddler unsteadily walked past me on his way out of the restaurant. He kept turning down his dad’s assistance for help by refusing to hold his hand. I gave him a high-five as he tottered past me. He stopped with a big grin on his face and kept coming back for another high-five and then another. He had us all laughing.

He was as proud as a peacock for being so “cool.” I love interacting with children…they are my people. (Maybe because in some ways I never grew up- my personal “Peter Pan” resistance movement.) Despite this, however, I think there is always a longing to become the person who can help someone else out with similarly shared childhood and early youth situations, like our own growing up, especially those with similar  personalities. There are some children out there we just “get”…we know them, understand them, because once we were them.

When I came across the title photo message I liked it. When I was a typically selfish teenager, I remember, often, wishing and daydreaming that dad hadn’t died when I was little and mother hadn’t lost her hand to cancer. How different my life would have been…so much easier. (which translates “more money” in the teenager world.)

My dad would have become partner at the family lumber company, we would have had a nicer home, bigger car, and access to more opportunities, like my cousins in town, whose parents had all these things. Thank goodness most of us manage to out-grow these “Me, Me, Me” years and realize (down the road) that money doesn’t buy happiness.

Instead, being raised by a single parent- my mother with one right hand and a determination to keep us all together as a family unit, made me who I am today…a fighter.

What a gift I was given to be privy to seeing first-hand  how qualities like courage, determination, strength, and faith can take you farther in life than all the gold in the world. Thank you mother for the role model you were for me!

I remember, while watching the ETV Ken Burns documentary on The Roosevelts, hearing a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt concerning her husband Franklin She said that before he contracted polio he was a good man, afterwards he became a great man.

FDR had grown up wealthy, things had come rather easily to him, he had few challenges that left lasting impressions on his life, and then suddenly his world turned upside down- he contracted polio. There was no amount of money that could restore his health to its former self so he had to make the decision to become stronger and better than his affliction. He did…and his life was never the same…it was better.

Saturday, as I watched the strollers, walkers, and runners all around me I thought how each man, woman, and child there had a story to tell. Something or someone, in each of their personal lives, brought them to Daniel Island on a Saturday morning…when many could be sleeping in, shopping, meeting friends for brunch, whatever.

(Here are a few left-over photos from yesterday displaying some family and strangers’ photos demonstrating their sacrifices by simply showing up.) By merely participating in the event, we are all stronger for the effort.

All four grandchildren had their “down times” Saturday… They were hungry and their parents wanted naps for them and themselves…it is tough taking little ones…thank you Walsh, Mollie, John and Mandy for your personal sacrifices. *Even Captain Americas’ and Hulks’ have melt-down periods..sometimes  resorting in sit-down strikes.

So until tomorrow…Thank you God for past challenges that make us who we are (becoming) and who we are destined to be.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Please say a little prayer for Rutledge. He will have surgery early this morning at MUSC to remove his adenoids and then replace his ear tubes again. His ear drum burst before the storm and he has been on antibiotics but the doctor thinks that this cycle will continue… unless his adenoids are removed also.

Rutledge is just one of those unfortunate children whose tubes keep falling out and he keeps an infection in one ear or the other almost continuously. We are all praying this will stop the pattern once and for all. “BE BRAVE CAPTAIN AMERICA…BE BRAVE!”

* And LOOK HE IS! Hot off the press a few minutes before nine this morning I was sent this photo of my courageous “BRAVEHEART” Rutledge. Boo Boo is so proud!!!!

*Tommy and Kaitlyn’s personal memory to Rudy.

Dear Reader:

We were “THIRTEEN STRONG” yesterday on the most beautiful Fall day we have ever experienced with the Race for the Cure!

…And because of  your generous donations we will beat the past previous years’ goals and just might set a new one overall!

*Donations will continue to be accepted for about another month by the Susan Koman Lowcountry Foundation so it is not too late if you still would like to donate. “Legally Pink” has placed twelfth in the Top Twenty Teams with just eight members. Many other teams have three or four times that number. It makes me so proud and it is all because of you, you, and you! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

As soon as the final tally comes in I will let you know the absolute results. Pat yourselves on the back!!  Congratulations to YOU!

When I thought about the title for today’s blog I knew it had to be “Eight Beads” because it would be so meaningful to me to receive these beads remembering that this is the eighth time I have participated in the Race for the Cure since I was diagnosed in 2008. That year was definitely a roller coaster experience….from Mandy and John’s beautiful wedding at Edisto Island to a mastectomy two weeks later….with chemo treatments starting in May of that year.

And yet here I am, here I am.

It reminds me of one beautiful lyrical song we sing in church.

Here I am Lord
It is I Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night
I will go Lord
If you lead me
I will hold your people in my heart.

Believe me…I hold all of you in my heart for continued support of me, the blog, and just plain good old friendship… which we all need in daily doses. Thank you!!

Our two sets of the ‘Three Amigos” ended up being two sets of “Two Amigos” this year. Neither Harriett or Doodle could make it so Lassie and I found Brenda and made one “Three Amigo” group. It was so fun to see Brenda again….and hope both Doodle and Harriett can make it next year! We missed you both!!!!

You notice how dark it still was when we arrived around 6:30. (second photo) As I waited for Lassie to pick me up on the front porch a little before six…I took this picture of the beautiful moon and another shot of the front porch as we left.

By the time we reached Daniel Island the moon had sunk beneath the horizon but the Survivors’ Field had a white globe in the middle of it and we tried to pretend it was the moon…but nothing can compare to the real thing!

One tent had a cute photo idea…a “john” all decorated for the Race for the Cure….they had people make donations earlier for the race while sitting on it….Yours truly had to give it a try! (The fundraising slogan was “Let’s Flush Breast Cancer.”)

Hey, it is all for a good cause! *( I can think of several pun expressions that fit this photo “butt“ I will “pass” on them today.)

The Survivors Ceremony was different but meaningful and fun….closing with a Survivor’s Jive parade. I challenged two other survivors to a “How low can you go” contest dance-off….just let me say I did you proud! (Here is one quick move but I went down to the ground…there is a video (Lassie took) which is locked up in a time capsule for 100 years.)

After all that jiving Lassie and I plopped on the curb and rested. I counted to make sure I had gotten enough pink lollipops for the grandchildren and then darn if I didn’t forget to give them one at the birthday party…(mosquito memory)

John, Mandy, Carrie, Eva Cate, and Jakie was the first family to join us at our usual gathering place before the start of the race. They were looking good! Little Eva Cate had gone all out …and then some!

Every time I look at Eva Cate now I really see a little girl on the verge of leaving pre-school in the dust and becoming her own little beautiful person…such mixed feelings. Once again, an annual tradition, I gave her my rose.

Jakie was in a pink shirt and his cousins soon arrived as Capt America (now I wonder who that could possibly be?) and the Hulk. Mollie was also a super hero and Dad….well Dad had taken on a new ‘do’….hair-do that is. See for yourself with the following fun pictures of all the gang (including Tommy and Kaitlyn) before, during, and after the race!

The recent loss of Rudy to cancer was in all our hearts…but we remembered him as quite a character and loyal to the end…a friend to all. Tommy wore Rudy’s collar as a bracelet for the race.

Before the race was over….everyone found someone to hold….well almost everyone.

After the Race we had a wonderful birthday brunch for Mollie and a well-deserved treat for all the runners…Thanks John and Mandy!

Happy Birthday Mollie! You and Walsh have fun on your mini-vacation!

A birthday is always a great way to end a long project of love…rebirth and an abundant life!

That’s about the “tall and short of it” except for these photos:

*You never know what is lurking behind you when getting your picture made!

The Race really is about meeting new people and seeing new faces and tomorrow I will show some of the fun people we met along the way….but this new wonderful friend (with Brenda and me) Lassie first started talking to and their conversation  made Lassie realize she was by herself and had one bead on….she had just recently discovered she had breast cancer.

Lassie introduced us and Brenda and I had so much fun during the Survivor’s Ceremony dancing, swaying with our roses, and cutting up with her.

I am so glad Clemson pulled out that football game yesterday or I would have thought my t-shirt a “hex” for sure….now I can continue wearing it. (this is the back)

So until tomorrow…move over Rip Van Winkle…I think I can outsleep you tonight! BUT it is a good tired, an exhilarating tired! There is a difference as we all know.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

My lovely niece, Catherine, walked Saturday also in Birmingham, Alabama at the Race for the Cure. We felt your kindred spirit here “Kitty-Kat.” Thank you so much sweet niece of mine!!!

Dear Reader:

While many of you are still sleeping Doodle, Lassie, and I are meeting at 6:00 this morning to head to Daniel Island. We always leave early and manage to usually get a good parking place…meaning one that you can actually get out of when you are ready to leave.

As I thought about the race this year it suddenly dawned on me that it is really a walk (or run) of faith. No one who shows up to participate is guaranteed one minute more of life than anyone else. The difference is that somewhere along life’s path, some people have come to understand that life is about others, helping others…not just about our individual wishes.

I once read a quote that said: “If it doesn’t add to your life, it doesn’t belong in your life.”  After much reflection and many life experiences now…I do understand this quote. Life is really too short to donate too much of our time for wasteful activities that, not only don’t add to our lives, but eventually bring them down.

Then came a God Wink in the form of an article that just popped up on my computer and it was talking about the same idea of unnecessary busyness in our lives that distract us from our true callings.

Reengineeing Our Patterns
by Eknath Easwaran

When I recommend to someone that they slow down, they often raise a legitimate question: “There is so much that I have to do; how can I go through it slowly and get it all done?” I usually answer by referring to my own experience as a teacher in India. As chairman of the Department of English at a large university I had heavy responsibilities. But I wanted very much to train myself to do things slowly and without tension because I knew it would be a help on the spiritual path.
I began by making a list of all the activities I engaged in on the campus, the things I was expected to do and the things I liked doing. It turned out to be a long list. I said at the time what people tell me today: I simply cannot go slowly and take care of all these vital matters.

Then I remembered my spiritual teacher, my Grand-mother, who had great responsibilities in our extended family of over a hundred people and in our village. She always fulfilled those responsibilities splendidly, and I recalled that she had an unerring sense of what was central and what was peripheral. So using her example, I started striking from my list activities not absolutely essential.

I was amazed at the number that could go. I began to avoid those functions that I could not justify to myself. Putting aside my likes and dislikes, keeping an eye on what was necessary, using as much detachment as I could, I struck more and more from the list. Soon half of it was gone, and I found I had more time to give to what seemed likely to be of permanent value.

Re-engineering our patterns in the way I have mentioned will not be easy or painless. It will require persistent efforts for a long time. But the benefits are magnificent and we begin to receive them from the very first day we try to make a change.

I have told you on several occasions that the first thing that pops in my mind upon waking each morning is the scripture: “Today is the day that the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  It is on automatic pilot now….it is my first conscious thought each morning. Every day that God gives me really is a gift.

So when I came across the title message: “God didn’t add another day in your life because you needed it, He added it because someone out there needs you” a light suddenly came on. Again, by putting others first, we get a whole new perspective on life.

Each year when “Legally Pink” walks the race we, unknowingly, are providing someone we might never know, see or meet in our lifetime, a chance at life where before there was no chance. I am a prime example of this…if it hadn’t been for the new market research medicine that came available to me  (just when I needed it) almost four years ago…I would not be here this morning typing this blog. It is just that simple.

So if I am being kept alive because “someone out there needs me” then I best be ready to show up and do my part to help!

And that, in a nutshell, is why we walk…to give back to others what we have been  given…another chance at life. What a gift that is!

Donations are still being accepted so if anyone would like to help us meet our new goal this year of giving….here is the information you need…and thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

***RACE FOR THE CURE – Saturday, 10/15/16.  Gates open at 7:00.  Participate in a morning filled with hope, love and strength as we lace up to run breast cancer out of town!

To give electronically:

http://lowcountry.info-komen.org/site/TR/RacefortheCure/CHS_LowcountryAffiliate?px=13398752&pg=personal&fr_id=6459

To mail in a donation, please make checks payable to:
Susan G. Komen® Lowcountry
50 Folly Road Blvd. | Charleston, SC 29407
Phone: (843) 556-8011
Email: [email protected]

So until tomorrow… We walk, we run, for tomorrow’s hope.

“Today is my favorite day”!!! Winnie the Pooh

*Rutledge loves any service that helps others like the police and firemen. He always says that he wants to be a hero when he grows up. After Mollie sent me these photos yesterday I wrote back that Rutledge is already a hero for participating in the Race for the Cure! He might never meet the people he has helped by fund-raising for them and walking each year…but lives will be saved because of him. And as for Boo Boo he is always a hero to me. (And to his little brother-Lachlan)