Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

After showing you Harriett’s gorgeous pink and white striped symbol of life after breast cancer yesterday…I went out in the back yard and glanced over at the Confederate Rose. Instead of a white bloom….there was the most beautiful pink one! What a lovely wonder of coincidence!

I can’t think of a better mascot for “Legally Pink” this year than this beautiful Confederate Pink Rose bloom.

The garden never ceases to amaze me. Just when I think everything is slowly folding up something new pops out.

For me….that is what makes the world so exciting. Just when we think we have it all figured out and there is nothing new under the sun…God smiles and sends us into a situation that blows our minds away with its uniqueness and newness.

I think that is why I love to travel. Travel forces us out of our complacent 9 – 5 lives and shows us that there is a big world out there, filled with all kinds of new ideas, cultures, and life styles. Returning home after each trip I always want to add something to the house that reminds me of an amazing new experience I encountered along the way.

When I took a break, a few minutes ago, to get something to drink I glanced at my refrigerator and there was  Fungi, the Dingle Dolphin magnet on it. Suddenly the sense of wonder, through memories, came rushing back.

Anne and I took the boat tour to go see this adopted dolphin by the people of Dingle, after playing in the park in the marina.

Fungi just didn’t seem to be too sociable on this particular trek across the bay…but suddenly one of the passengers spotted him. He was definitely playing hide and seek with the passenger boat. One person would get a quick glimpse and then he was gone before everyone else could see him.

I started getting a little discouraged…he just didn’t seem to want to come around on my side of the boat. Ever since the Edisto dolphin sighting I have felt such a universal connection to dolphins and had pictured having another rendezvous with this one.

Suddenly Anne, who was on the other side of the boat looking for him, shouted at me that Fungi was right behind me…I turned around and there he was….leaping in the air  as if trying to tap me on the shoulder. Anne said that the expression on my face was priceless…it was definitely one of wonder and awe!

I turned and waved him good-bye and called out “Thank You” for re-connecting with me.

I think God allows us peeks into the universal connections of life for a few seconds. And if we are open to new experiences of wonder in the world….we get it. We are all connected under the sun.

So until tomorrow …Let’s never lose our childish wonder of the world because the more we think we know, the more we realize we know little about this planet we call home.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Wednesday I received an email from Lisa Jones (Marketing and Events Manager) saying that I was now considered a VIP Participant for the amount of donations raised over the last several years. Tommy picked up the flashing pink bracelet (with the word FEARLESS on it) for me which allows me to go into the VIP lounge with guests before the race….so Doodle and Lassie… we might actually be able to go and sit down and have coffee or whatever upon arrival…I just have to flick my “Fearless” bracelet on and off we go!

***However I know that I didn’t earn this award but received it because of all of you wonderful supporters over the years for the Race for the Cure. Three more donations came in yesterday so really hoping we can go over the higher bar set this year. Love you!

*John is really in the “spirit” this Fall…When he first sent me this photo I didn’t even recognize the house as theirs…I know the kids will love it this Halloween! Way to go…out Halloweening the neighborhood block!

*Marcia Temple sent me a picture of her gorgeous maple at the height of its beauty in their front yard in New Hampshire. This has become an annual event. She sends me the picture and I tell her how much I “covet” it….I really do. So this year I told her she could just Fed-Ex the tree to me. She said she would cut it in half and send half…ah…the wisdom of King Solomon. No…that would never work…the tree would never be as beautiful as it is now. I will just have to admire it from her photos.

Jakie’s Japanese maple tree is the first one of the grandchildrens’ tree to start turning colors…can hardly wait for all of them to turn….my beautiful grandchildren.

Look what came yesterday afternoon in the mail from Honey…I already had my mask…and now I have my Halloween attire! Too cute!

 *Brooke’s husband, Ted, is having a heart valve replacement procedure  this morning at Roper. Please keep Brooke, Ted, and family all in your prayers for a complete recovery!

Dear Reader:

Doodle sent me a text with this picture of me and Harriett Edwards (and Brenda to the left…somehow every year we always end up together…the three amigos) on the front cover of the special magazine edition “Get Your Pink On” in Monday’s Post % Courier. Too funny…. me with my pink queen crown and pink glasses on and so happy just to be there last year…Move forward a year-Just so happy to be getting ready to participate again this year! Every year marks a triumphant benchmark in the on-going fight for life.

...And two other members of “Legally Pink” caught the camera’s eyes too last October….Lassie and Brooke sitting on the front of a pink fire truck waiting for the race to start. 

I have mentioned several times before that I have a problem with the word “survivor” when it comes to fighting breast cancer. To me living life to its fullest is not about just surviving but exuding joy each and every day.

Don’t we all know people who simply radiate goodness, kindness and joy and are such a pleasure to be around? These people have learned the secret of sustaining life to the brim. They are “sustainers.”

They maintain, continue, and prolong life because they love it and want to be a part of life for as long as they can. Life is worth sustaining the effort to be here in the present, in the moment. 

So this Saturday morning “Legally Pink” will once again hit the pavement to reaffirm that life is worth sustaining. It should be lived  as if it were our last day every day, never forgetting to bring as much joy and comfort to others, we pass along the way, as we have received.

*Let me take a moment and try to profusely thank my family and friends for all the sustained support that you have shown and given me along this, sometimes, bumpy path called “little c.” I can honestly say that without all this support I don’t know that I would be here typing away this morning. Like my t-shirt says: “No one fights alone.” 

A special “shout-out” to my oncologist, Dr. Silgals, my primary doctor, Dr. Montoya and my surgeon, Dr. Litton, for being there for me through thick and thin. I am here today because of their expertise… but more importantly… their caring and compassion. 

During the first few Survivors’ Ceremony (before the Race for the Cure started each year) I used to wonder if this would be my last time participating. Slowly, over time, I quit thinking about that because I am improving my quality of life by learning to live more in the moment.

 Saturday I won’t worry about next year, it will take care of itself…I will just enjoy the moment with my fellow “Sustainers,” who like me, just want to live and be with their family and friends for as long as possible.

 So until tomorrow…We are entering the last big push this week to, not only exceed last year’s donations, but to make this the best year of all for those who follow in our footsteps… living on hope and new research!

Thank all of you who have donated this year  and in years past…we couldn’t do it without you! We still have three more days….Let’s make the most of them!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

***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!

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]

Harriet found this symbolic “Pink” striped “sustainer” bloom smiling at her when she returned back after the storm. Beautiful! We are ready for the race!

Dear Reader:

Sunday night, as I sat in the dark, I got very creative with shadow games to keep my mind occupied. I put my one, trusted tiny flashlight, against the table (silver) pumpkins by accident and suddenly two huge pumpkin shadows filled the opposite wall. It was so cool!

Then I used my white sofa to make animal shadow puppets…I had forgotten how much fun that was…..I will have to say that Sunday night and Monday night I probably slept the best that I have in awhile. With no electricity I went to bed by nine both nights and slept until the rays of the sun woke me. I think, biologically, that is how man probably should live (and did for most of time prior to the 2oth century) because I have felt so rested!

I didn’t get my power back on until yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon and I was so happy….it took awhile but eventually the cable kicked back in too…though it is very slow going this evening…like my computer is not happy to be back “at it.” (I think it was delighted to have a break from me while I was gone.)

I went to Asheville with Tommy and Kaitlyn Thursday morning and we did make the most of our two day mini-vacation. We stopped at the Sierra Nevada Brewery and Cafe for lunch going into Asheville and later met Walsh, Mollie, and the boys for supper.

Friday we ate breakfast in Biltmore Village and went to the Grove Park Inn for a mini-lunch, hot cocoa, and drinks. Then back again to the Grove Park Inn  to go to the Edison restaurant/bar for supper and to watch the Clemson/Boston College game in front of a huge fire place. Not bad, huh? On Saturday we went to a wonderful used book store downtown that served drinks with the names of famous books…it was wonderful and also crowded…wonder why?

We met more people from the low country than we did Asheville natives…we low country refugees hung together and just had fun…leaving Matthew in God’s Hands because it was certainly out of ours.

First Stop: Sierra Nevada Brewery for lunch

Second Stop: Our Refuge from the Storm: When we found the house we were staying at….(a friend of Kaitlyn’s -Emily- who was out of town) it was adorable! A treasure hidden on a hilly road surrounded with roses.

Thursday night we met Walsh, Mollie and the boys and found a home-cooking style restaurant (Early Girl Eatery) downtown that we all filled up on. *Rutledge was in heaven because a fire truck came roaring down the street right in front of him and Lachlan….they had front row seats.

Friday morning we went to Biltmore Village and wandered around…started with breakfast at the Corner Kitchen. Would have loved to have stayed longer in the “Village”  but Friday and Saturday we had showers on and off throughout each day. Tommy and Kaitlyn showed me where they stayed last year when they came up for Kaitlyn’s birthday weekend…The Grand Bohemian Hotel.

Later we went to the Grove Park Inn.…I have been fighting a throat/chest cold and I got a hot cocoa….tasted so good! Then we actually got to sit down in front of the blazing fireplace for a few minutes before they called us for lunch….the best potato soup I have ever put in my mouth….just what the doctor ordered!

We spent the afternoon walking around and seeing the spa…maybe one day….it was beautiful! I didn’t realize how many famous people had stayed at this hotel for meetings and vacations….President Obama returned twice as President and on one occasion played golf there. It was so interesting to just wander…we even heard about a ghost story based on (perhaps) the murder of a woman (guest) falling (or being pushed) from a high railing there.)

We returned that night to meet Walsh and Robertson to watch the Clemson- Boston College game….somehow Robertson knew the chef (he seemed to know everyone) and not only got us a table but free dessert for the table…compliments of the chef.

The Grove Park Inn at night is unbelievably beautiful!

There were many Clemson fans packed into the bar/restaurant which made it even more fun. *Robertson, thank you for showing us such a good time!!!! (By the fourth quarter Kaitlyn and I figured Clemson had it so we went to Elaine’s which had dueling pianos and just sang along until the boys came to get us.) A fun last night.

The last thing we did in Asheville Saturday afternoon was to go to a popular used book store ( Battery Park Book Exchange) which also serves drinks with classic novels’ names like these two drinks here. (L to R- The Great Gatsby and the Secret Garden) We just got  three mimosas….but the atmosphere was so much fun!

Dogs were allowed in the book store so it was a fun place to see all the activity going on….

After listening to the weather reports and talking with friends and family in Summerville and Mt. Pleasant we decided to try to avoid the Sunday return traffic and get home late Saturday evening…we ran into very little traffic on the way home but from the time we left Five Points in Summerville….suddenly everything grew darker along Highway 17. By the time we turned into Miler…it was obvious there was no power.

So we went in and checked the house and walked around the yard…satisfied there was no structural damage. I, then, continued on with Tommy and Kaitlyn spending Saturday night in Mt. Pleasant with them. (Strange how family in Mt. Pleasant and Isle of Palms had power and I didn’t….I reckon it is just the way the tree falls.)

I was anxious to get home, however,…power or not…and was glad I was home Sunday since I got a lot of help from friends and neighbors cleaning up. (Sam and Donna got back Sunday evening so Sam came over Monday morning and got my cleaned-out fridge/freezer bags to dispose of in the dump!) Bless you Sam and Donna!

I am still doing some raking but overall I am so pleased, relieved, and blessed for the minor damage to my home and my family’s homes when it could have been so much worse! Thank you God from Whom all blessings flow!

I have missed all of you the past two days and thought about each of you and your stories of Hurricane Matthew. Some of you probably have longer “shadows” (issues) to deal with than others but hopefully everyone escaped with no bodily harm. Would love to hear from you and hope everyone and their loved ones are safe and sound….including your homes too.

So until tomorrow….As I was rocking and looking at the giant fireplace in the Grove Park Inn I noticed that one rock had an inscription on it.

Thank you Thoreau…I need to be reminded of this every chance I get…I hope the Race for the Cure coming up this weekend falls under the second category.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* A shout-out to Doodle who told me to stop by and take a shower yesterday…she left okra soup and pound cake to boot. It was while I was cleaning up and feeling human again…that my neighbor called and said our street now had power. Doodle and Harvey were gone but had provided everything I needed and more….love you both so much! And look at their home…somebody has been working…you would never know “Matthew” came to visit.

*John and Mandy took advantage of this unexpected free time to take the kids to Huntsville to spend their “mini-vacation” with W.T and (Joan) B.B. The kids had a wonderful time with their grandparents. Mandy said surprisingly it was quite hot in Huntsville while they were there…much cooler here…that rarely happens. But everyone is back home….safe and sound!

*The largest moon flower of the season greeted me back home Sunday evening…

*It was Tuesday morning while still waiting for the power to come on that I happened to glance up at my Confederate Rose and there it was… the first bloom off my newest bush. I had tied string around the trunk stem and then attached it to the screen on the pottery shed…no way it should have held but it did and now here was its first bloom smiling down at me!

Dear Reader:

We are heading home….on the way up Thursday afternoon… as we got closer and closer to the mountains there was a sense of thrilling anticipation to see the next beautiful scene awaiting us as Fall in the North Carolina mountains welcomed us.

Just the idea of having a jacket to wear sent goose bumps down my arms…how long had it been since I had worn a jacket?

And now today…there is also another kind of anticipation awaiting us, around every bend, as we look to see what kind of damage we see from the remains of Matthew.

The most important bend, of course, will be turning onto my road in Summerville and seeing the house and garden for the first time since the storm.

A thought and image flickered through my mind…the photograph Donna Clark gave me after her first visit to St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope.

I love this old fallen cross near the chapel in Trust, North Carolina. And it is so true…we don’t know what is around the bend but Jesus does and everything will be all right.

So until tomorrow…there will be plenty of shared feelings, photos, and thoughts about the unexpected detour of the last few days. Deep breath, one last prayer, and home awaits.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Do you remember the “Where’s Waldo” series where you had to look through big pages of detailed pictures to find Waldo? It gave me the idea of putting famous explorers, or inventors, or presidents….any historical figure we were studying (cleverly hidden) in famous paintings of the period. It went over with a bang!

Where’s Daniel Boone or Where’s President Kennedy worked like a charm. Once each team found the famous person there was a date beside his/her name and they had to look up where he/she was on that date and its historical significance.

Well, since Thursday afternoon…if you were looking for “Where’s Boo” you would find her in Asheville. At the last minute Tommy, Kaitlyn, and me (plus Pip and Atticus) went to Asheville to stay at a friend of Kaitlyn’s who was away on business and told Kaitlyn to just come on in.

At first I was a little hesitant at the idea…but the more I thought about it …it started to grow on me. The mountains in the fall with all their beauty…why not? If we stayed at home, more likely than not we would probably be sitting in the dark eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches over the weekend.

Obviously I am going to be anxious to see how my home and garden fared….will be back in tomorrow (Sunday.)

I want to send a big shout-out to Sam Clark for coming over and helping me get deck furniture put up and lots of other odds and ends. He was definitely a messenger from God Wednesday afternoon. And Donna…thanks for the “loan.”

This was a picture of my garden….pretty bare with hanging baskets, flags, bottle trees, chimes and other decorative attire put up…but, surprisingly, also beautiful in its simplicity. I might just leave all the “extras” put up until spring and give the garden a natural siesta time this fall and winter.

So until tomorrow….anticipation and hope until I return home.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

My last glance at my garden Thursday morning made me smile. Like in the title photo… my Encore azaleas were blooming at their full beauty, the long-stemmed sunflowers were full of blooms, the confederate rose is still in waiting with buds about to burst open, and the morning glories were popping their blooms like popcorn. Oh…my faithful little garden!

Dear Reader:

I am hoping this (rather) depressing picture of my empty front porch will be the worst part of the storm. My first responsibility has been to bring “Big Red” in and put it on my side… safe and sound.

So after getting all the newly placed Halloween and Fall decorations back down and put away…the porch does look quite sterile….so un-Becky-like.

The house is ready….so come on Matthew….give me your “best” shot (which I hope comes from way out in the ocean) and then leave my premises, please!

I came across this small but powerful prayer for deliverance from a storm and thought the time was quite appropriate to use it.

God of heaven and earth, God who carries our lives and the lives of our whole community in your hands, be with us in the peril of this day and night.

Help us to release our anxieties and fears into those same caring hands, knowing in faith that your will be there for us is life and everlasting good.

Send your holy angels to watch over us and guard us. May they spread their holy wings to give us shelter against the storm.

For you alone, O God, are all good, all life, all love, and that love is for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

…………………………

So until tomorrow…May God watch over everyone and deliver us safely from the storm.

“Today is my (ambiguous) favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

After putting up (what I thought was) all the “Boo” decorations I opened my linen closet to find a towel and out came more “Boo’s!”

How could I have forgotten my lit “Boo” sign….since it has batteries maybe I will leave it against the back wall of the porch to frighten “Matthew” away…or not.

I know all of us are praying Matthew will just give us a quick peek and then “boo” right on out of here. It certainly is everyone’s wish.

Tuesday I walked around the neighborhood taking fall and/or Halloween decorated pictures of doors, porches, etc. Then, I even, got in my car and found a really cool decorated house in the historic district of town on Sumter Avenue.

Before we probably all begin cleaning up (hopefully) just natural debris….let’s look at Pre-Matthew Halloween decorations.

My neighbor Vickie’s house across the street…

I found this beautiful mum arrangement on a side street in Tea Farm…while cutting through on my way home….wonder why I like it so much??????

The spooky decorations for this “webbed” look on Sumter had to be taken in sections since it was a long fence filled with all kinds of spooks.

On the way home from Dr. Montoya’s office I cut through Marion Avenue to Highway 17 and while I was waiting at the stop sign…I looked across the street and the prettiest autumn scene merged into my vision…there is just something about cool fences, orange pumpkins and corn stalks that take us all back to childhood and fun memories.

Closer to home, at the end of my street, Julie has adopted the webbed, ghoulie look too for her Halloween home!

And my Boo Dingle will stand tall and strong until I take it down before the storm hits….I want to keep that flag for future Halloweens.

So until tomorrow…By now most of us have made the decision to go or stay and with whom…so now let’s all hunker down and pray hard that the winds work for us keeping the storm off land and not against us…towards us.

“Today is my favorite day” (hopefully!) Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

I started this blog Monday afternoon after I wrote a note to my sweet niece, Carrie, thanking her for giving me some thoughtful note cards and also these “Believe” mini-cards with pop-open messages of hope, faith, and belief in miracles.

Little did I know that I had a personal “miracle” waiting on me Tuesday morning.

I had my final medical appointment with my primary doctor, Dr. Sara Montoya, yesterday at 9:30. (By “final” I mean the last medical appointment for this series of earlier unexpected appointments and procedures….my next appointment with any doctor is my oncologist on November 7.)

I am sure you know what a relief it is to finally have a chunk of time with no medical appointments…it is like having a school “snow day” over and over and over again.

*I was actually a little nervous about this regularly scheduled three-month appointment to go over my blood work results. (which I had gone in for the week before)

After all the unexpected medical surprises that had popped up with the biopsy and breast cancer (margin) exploratory surgery…I felt like my blood pressure would be off the charts, my blood platelets askew, the blood sugar and/or cholesterol high and so on and so on and so on.

Lately I have felt, unusually, tired and I didn’t know if it was physical, psychological, emotional or a combination. This added to my apprehension over the blood work results.

Right before I left to go…I grabbed one of the “Believe” pop-up cards and a new shiny penny to take Dr. Montoya with a handwritten message on the back about living a lucky life with a shiny new penny.

(The pop-up message wouldn’t be revealed until Dr. Montoya pulled the tab.)

I decided, also, to put one “Believe” card in my pocketbook to look at following my visit.

© Todd Surber 2008

Dr. Montoya, herself, personally came to get me, and she had a medical intern with her who she introduced to me. We went in and for the first few minutes I caught her up on what had transpired between the last time I saw her and now.

Upbeat and positive she said she thought that this incident simply reaffirmed the effectiveness of the drug I am still on and its power to keep the cancer contained. (That is what everyone wants to see continue for as long as possible…including me too!)

“And now,” she said with a big smile on her face, “I’ve got another encouraging report for you”….this is the best blood work report yet to date since you have been coming to me!”

And it was ….good cholesterol was UP, bad cholesterol was DOWN, My hemoglobin A1C was 5.8!!!!!  My lowest recorded blood pressure- best ever and this went on and on through category after category…with big checks by the tested areas with bigger smiles!

Of course this meant I had to do my “Happy Dance” which I did …the poor intern was probably re-thinking her initial medical/vocational goals! (I told the young woman that she had to come back every three months with me for my check-up…she was my lucky “RABBIT!”)

Dr. Montoya pulled the tab and read her “Believe” message out loud for us and it was all about being lucky and stating that she was. *I told her intern that the only thing wrong with her random message was that we, the patients, were the “lucky” ones to have her.

My next check-up isn’t until January and for one glorious moment I felt the weight of the world fall off my shoulders as I practically skipped out of the office. It was then  I remembered my “Believe” card and pulled the pop-out tab. “Miracles come in Moments. Be Ready and Willing.” (Dr. Wayne Dryer)

I should have known that this latest medical “hurdle” would turn out okay because the signs and winks were lining up Monday afternoon and evening.

After texting Anne and saying that I thought my moon flowers were done for the season….late Monday afternoon I looked out and there was the biggest, most beautiful moon flower staring back at me. Anne reminded me:

“Never, never give up!”

After delighting at the moon flower bloom I stared at the Confederate rose and thought how much taller it had grown. As I stared up at it there it was….dozens of buds about to break into bloom. I was overcome with happiness. Another garden miracle! (Now I am just hoping and praying that rain and wind doesn’t hurt it in the upcoming days.)

We definitely need a miracle with “Matthew” to send him scampering out to sea with no harm to man or property. Our prayers are with everyone’s safety as we face this force of nature drawing closer.

I keep telling myself we are one with nature and then suddenly as I walked through the garden, yesterday, I realized I was….dressed in the exact same colors as my “Sedona” plant.

Then later, as I was putting up the cards and notes from birthday and surgery get-well cards… I came across Joan Turner’s beautiful painted card and realized I matched her card too.

Some days we are just more in tune with our surroundings than others!

So until tomorrow my wish is for everyone’s safety through this potentially destructive storm.

*If for any reason you don’t see the blog popping up for a couple of days you will know that I left or the power went out. I am still trying to decide, with the family, what the best option is….hopefully we will get more encouraging reports with time.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

I just happened to catch the tail end of Good Morning America yesterday before I headed out and the ensuing discussion, among co-anchors George, Robin, and news anchor Amy, caught my attention.

They were talking about the 5/10 theory concerning small talk and its importance in how we address other human beings. I sat down to listen a minute to see what this idea was about…

The premise was that (with the creation of IPads,  Iphones and other communication tech gadgets) people in a crowd or close proximity now see a way out of having to converse with strangers/ other human beings in close spaces. We see it all the time….I even wrote about this dilemma, not long ago, from what I witnessed in a doctor’s waiting room.

Using our IPhones to avoid eye contact and casual conversation with other human beings is truly detrimental to our own humanity. We are basically choosing to ignore another person’s existence by opting out of the situation with a quick glance down at our IPhone.

The five feet/ten feet idea being discussed was that if we are ten feet away from another person…we should make some kind of eye contact, even just a quick nod….a basic acknowledgement from one human being to another.

If we are within five feet of another person….we should enter a casual conversation which can be something as simple as a one statement comment….the content isn’t as important as the gesture…again acknowledging, on a deeper level, that we are both on this crazy journey through life, during the same time period, and I acknowledge you as a fellow journeyman.

Thirty percent of IPhone users admit using their phones to avoid (what they perceive as) awkward conversation starters. Admittedly, the younger the population, the more this habit is practiced….with age the IPhone is used less in public while eye contact and short conversations dominate these unplanned social encounters.

We can only hope that wisdom does come with age and at some point we understand how important it is to acknowledge our fellow human beings… who are existing in time with us on this one-way trip through life.

I have discovered that it is these unexpected conversations (throughout my daily life) that bring  laughter, empathy, and deeper understanding into the shared emotions of others… that define us as humans.

This topic was a lead-in to author Nicolas Sparks’ latest novel….Two by Two which hit the stands yesterday. (The story of a father-daughter relationship that re-defines the role of all of us as travel guide mentors for those following in our footsteps.) Sparks told the Good Morning America co-anchors that we all need someone to travel with through our lives.

They don’t, necessarily, have to be a “soul-mate” or spouse ….these co-travelers can be siblings, parents, children, friends….simply people who know you, understand you, and are there for you.

Which brings us full circle to the reason why it is so important to acknowledge the people we encounter in our daily routines…all of us can use a smile from a stranger, a joke, a pat on the back, or a nod of understanding and sympathy. We need to visually and orally let people know that each unique individual’s  existence is important….that they are not alone on their journey.

So until tomorrow….Let me be open to God’s calling as a messenger …to help another human when he needs an encouraging nod or smile to make his journey easier. We never know when the comment we make turns someone else’s life around…in the right direction.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*As more of the summer flowers begin fading from the scene…other blooms appear, seemingly from out of nowhere, to take their place…such is the nature of nature. *All the hybrid morning glories are now a beautiful, pure shade of white.

Dear Reader:

While I was babysitting the grandchildren this past weekend….I actually had time to think about setting some new goals in my life…nothing outlandish…just more of an extension of what is already in place.

Right now these dreams haven’t been “officially” re-categorized into reality projects…so I will hold off sharing them (at this moment) but certainly down the road as my thoughts start to take shape and transform into a life of their own.

Kate Wolfe-Jenson, one of my favorite bloggers, shared a metaphorical story from her youth that brought back memories of my own childhood.

She remembered how she loved to canoe around a lake her family lived near for part of each year. She soon learned to look for the geographic signs that would show her the way home while out on the lake. In her own words:

When I was young, my parents owned a cabin in the north woods of Wisconsin. I loved to take the canoe out on the lake at dawn, paddling through mirrored waters as lifting tendrils of mist left damp kisses on my cheek. I’d often pass a heron standing on one leg peering intently into the shallows. I might be lucky enough to move alongside a beaver working on its lodge. (Get too close and slap! Splash! It would smack its tail on the water and submerge.)

Sometimes, after I was out on the lake, the winds would rise and the water would get choppy with white caps. I would head back toward shore. It wasn’t as simple as paddling straight home. Near our cabin was a point of land on which stood three tall pines. I would point the bow of the canoe toward those pines and paddle, pulling as strongly as I could against the resistance of the wind and water.

By the time I had brought the paddle around for my next stroke, the waves would have moved the canoe off course. Alone in a canoe, you provide both power to move the boat forward and rudder to steer. Put the paddle in the water and move it, using muscles in your arms and shoulder and legs to pull against opposing forces. Then stop, with the paddle deep in the water, to point the canoe toward home.

She soon realized that no matter what happened, never take your eyes off the signs leading you home…in this case three tall pine trees standing alone.

Jenson went on to ask her readers if they could name the three tall pines in their lives who have kept them on-course and headed home in the right direction.

I thought: (1) GOD (2) Our Inner Voice (3) Family/friends

The older I get the more I turn to God to help me with decisions and directions in my life. At the age I am, I humbly admit these days that, not only do I not know it all, the more I know, the more I know how little I know.

God is working through my inner voice…it is up to me to recognize it and then react to it.

In many cases family and friends are used as messengers to help direct me by being people I trust.

But in all three “tall pines” nothing happens without GOD first.

At one of the camps I attended, as a preadolescent, canoeing was a required activity…we were “partner-ed off, thank goodness, but I soon discovered that paddling was a lot harder than it first appeared. I was okay if we were both paddling on the same side together…but when we switched sides paddling from left to right and vice-versus…I was terribly clumsy and it seemed to take forever to get my paddle switched and placed correctly.

But the hardest thing for me was to keep my paddle in the water (deep and still) to allow us to slow down and then  turn in a different  direction….My paddle kept floating to the top as my strength waned. We had several docking decks at camp and I still remember my partner and mine’s had a yellow flag flying off of it.

I knew if we could just make the turn on this lake and get back into the dock with the yellow flag we would pass the canoeing requirements. The day my partner and I had our “canoe test” the waters were choppy and we both discovered to our “horror” that I would have to hold the paddle still in the deep water in order to make that important turn to success.

There were definitely three “people” in that canoe that day….(three tall pines) because for the first and only time I found the strength to “brake” and slowly help my partner turn the canoe around.

As an adult remembering this incident at camp…I understand now that I was being “tested” in more ways than just a camp requirement.

So until tomorrow…When we are still.…when we slow down our lives and listen deeply to God’s new directions for our lives…we can feel the glow of the aftermath of our reunion with our Creator and His purpose for our lives.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*I even made a change in my photos today…I decided to go with black & white….just to change it up a bit. I kept Rutledge and Lachlan for a little while Friday night and then Eva Cate and Jakie Saturday afternoon until Sunday afternoon.

I loved just watching the antics between the sets of siblings now that they are at different ages…there’s not as much territorial maneuvering going on as I expected. There are more truces than battles. (Of course all of this is subject to “change” without a moment’s notice!)

Tigger, who thinks he is a sibling too….the oldest…maintains his personal “space” and waits patiently by the door until everyone returns home again. He’s not happy until everyone is back together.

Happiness is….Mommy and Daddy are back and Eva Cate has them all to herself since Jakie is taking his afternoon nap! Just having the pleasure of being still with two loving parents can set the stage for a great week ahead.