Dear Reader:

 “Pete and Repeat were sitting on the fence, Pete fell off…who was left?” (“Pete and Repeat were sitting on the fence, Pete fell off…who was left?’) ETC. ETC. ETC. (Um…Repeat?)

As far back as my memory goes ….I do believe this was the first riddle I ever heard. It took a few try’s for me to figure out the object of the riddle….but when the light bulb finally came on….I thought it was so clever. (I was probably six and wanted to be “clever forever.”)

Today I came across a great addition to the theme of following and living one’s dreams (from yesterday’s blog) in so far as my garden. I knew I had to have a “revised repeat” addendum to the blog.

I have been re-reading several daily messages from Sarah Ban Breathnach’s New York  Best Seller Simple Abundance.Cindy Ashley wrote me saying that she had decided to re-read the book again and I think that is what put the idea in my head…..thanks Cindy.

When I opened the book yesterday….it fell on a story from June with the quote: “Within your heart, keep one still, secret spot where dreams may go.” (Wow! I thought….Where were you yesterday when I needed your quote Louise Driscoll?)

It went on to tell the story of Frances Hodgson Burnett, the bestselling author of Little Lord Fauntleroy and the renowned The Secret Garden. The metaphor in The Secret Garden ties man’s health directly to nurturing and healing a garden first.

This had happened to her when she escaped America at the turn of the 20th century ( avoiding the scandals of her divorce and affair with a much younger man)  to live in England. Depressed she began growing a rose garden….it got bigger and bigger. She later gave this “secret garden” credit for bringing her back to health and providing the seed for the idea leading to  her best-selling book. (The Secret Garden.) 

Sarah Breathnache tells about a wonderful dream she had while working on her own, soon-to-be, best-seller- Simple Abundance.

“I was led to an old walled garden and shown a golden key that was lying on the path. As I turned the key, a heavy wooden door easily swung open to reveal a dark, dismal wasteland of dead and overgrown plants. Everything was dark.

“But once inside, I could see an archway leading to the most beautiful garden I had ever seen, bathed in warm sunlight. Yet I was unwilling to leave the desolate garden behind to step into Paradise. Something invisible held me back, tangled in the underbrush. Finally I struggled through the archway. When I did, the wasteland disappeared. I was surrounded only by beauty and abundance and experienced great joy and serenity.”

Breathnache said she knew exactly what the dream meant. The lush garden was the awareness of abundance in her life, and the wasteland was the manifestation of her thoughts of lack.

Abundance and lack exist side by side as parallel realities. We always have a conscious choice which secret garden we shall tend.The invisible underbrush holding us back is our own thoughts. When we choose not to to focus on what is missing from our lives but on the abundance we have the wasteland falls away and we experience joy in the real lives of our daily existence

Just the message I needed to hear today. I am so glad I got a second chance to examine dreams and possibilities: A “Repeat.”

So until tomorrow….we will continue following our dreams, whatever they may be, by learning from others’ dreams. I will take you for a “thrill on blueberry hill” and a quick tour of my neighbor Vickie’s rain forest garden tomorrow. When we share dreams….they grow larger and larger.

*Brooke missed Caleb so much while we were in the mountains but she was happily back keeping him yesterday.

I had given him a little golf outfit/shorts/shirt which he is modeling! Now I just need to get him a golf cap….Caleb is going through his hair loss stage….don’t want his little cute head to get sunburned.

Don’t worry Caleb….it happens to the best of us!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Saturday Rutledge fought falling asleep for a nap or ‘night-night’ as hard as he could….and won! When Mollie and Walsh, Kaitlyn and Tommy returned from the golf tournament a little before 10:00 Lachlan was sound asleep but Rutledge was still talking non-stop about his future as a hero and a fireman.

Several times on the water taxi he almost fell asleep but then when the second photo was taken his eyes popped open with a devilish grin….the little possum!

The Ya’s have decided that this will be our new mantra for the upcoming year ahead. (Thanks for sharing Jackson!)

Dear Reader:

Sunday evening as I was showing Anne the garden…she was pointing out the diverse variety of flowering plants, shrubs, and trees that were living in the garden now, the sound of the water fountain gurgling, and the smells of the blooming gardenias, confederate jasmine, and mint.

“I think you have achieved what you set out to do…you have all the “senses” in full force in your garden” Anne mused and it suddenly hit me. I had! With the help of family and friends the garden, that once had just been a distant dream and hope, is now vibrantly alive and blooming before me in all its splendor and scents of spring.

It isn’t too many times in life that we realize we are living the dream we have imagined from afar? But I, personally, know that this time is now for me and it is just as amazing as I thought it would be!

The Japanese maples….each named for a different grandchild are growing stronger and taller….just like Eva Cate, Rutledge, Jakie and Lachlan- in that chronological order.

The best way to teach the grandchildren about miracles is through the garden….watching the miracle of life as flowers and their trees grow more beautiful each year.

It was still foggy yesterday morning when I went out to the garden around 7:30. The air smelled so fresh and clean and I found myself ‘tearing up’ at the sheer reality of a dream come true.

Oh, there will always be much to do and add on to in the magical moon gate garden….after all the garden is filled with living organisms and life always changes….but the ecosystem is in place and now I get to experience the joy of watching it grow.

I decided to take many different angles of the garden for posterity….I climbed up on benches and stairs to see the garden from diverse perspectives….so come see the garden now through my eyes on a foggy morning in early May.

May is one of my favorite months and the first peak of glorious splendor when the flowers seem to be at their most beautiful. Before the month is over I want to set aside a day, maybe two, as “open house” for anyone to drop by for dessert and a tour of the garden. More information will be forthcoming!!!!!

So until tomorrow I now realize that it was the garden that kept me cheered up while fighting off viruses earlier this spring. So when I saw this saying, it seemed appropriate to close out this blog.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

“May all your weeds be wildflowers”

Dear Reader:

Even though this particular minted nickel stopped distribution in the late 1930’s I remember using it as a child growing up in the fifties and sixties.. It was my favorite coin with the Indian “head” and the buffalo “tail.”

My favorite black and white television shows were all cowboy shows like: Sheriff Cochise, The Tall Man and Overland Trails with that cute actor Doug McClure….later came The Lone Ranger and Roy Rogers. I was definitely a “Happy Trails” television fan.

So when I saw on the news that legislation was pending to add the American Bison to the Bald Eagle as the symbol of America my heart swelled with pride and nostalgia.

Here is a quick synopsis of the history behind this historic political decision.

The bald eagle may appeal to America’s sense of self – soaring, majestic, hard to tame – but as a national symbol, the more humble bison paints a truer picture of the strife and redemption that has marked US history.

The bison is to become the first national mammal of the U.S.  elevating it to the giddy heights of symbolism currently occupied by the bald eagle. Little more than 100 years since it was virtually exterminated in America in a manic bid to demolish Native American resistance, the bison now has establishment status.

Around 30 million bison, possibly many more, once roamed across what was to become the US. George Washington once shot a bison, also known as a buffalo, in present-day West Virginia. Within a century, numbers had plummeted as bison were slaughtered by hunters and ravaged by disease as settlers moved west. By 1889, it was estimated that just over 1,000 bison remained.

No one felt this loss quite as Native-Americans. The US army had an official policy of wiping out bison in order to buckle the will of the tribes, who relied upon the animals for food, clothing, tools and spiritual sustenance.

“Our relationship with buffalo has been there since time immemorial, our creation stories involve us living underground with them and coming to the surface of Earth with them,” said Jim Stone, executive director of the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council.

“There was no way for us to sustain ourselves when the buffalo were exterminated so we handed over vast tracts of land. The buffalo and the tribal Native-Americans were put on the same path by the government. It was a tough time for tribes.”

*An interesting tidbit that I didn’t know what that the buffalo provided the Plains tribes with family order and societal customs. The article concludes:

Many tribes modeled their family structures upon the bison, viewing the animal as a family-orientated, healthy creature that was to be carefully managed. That link was severed by the arrival of European settlers. Stone’s tribe, the Yankton-Sioux, was unable to husband a single bison for more than a century, until the 1990s.

“People talk about the Great Depression in the 1930s but at least people then weren’t trying to go around and kill you,” Stone said. “It’s not a good story. Our social structure was destroyed. When we bring the buffalo back, we’ll bring the people back because we’ll re-learn how to structure our lives.”

So, personally, I will have a big smile on my face when this piece of legislation passes…..a story of redemption for the wasteful slaughter of this magnificent animal and the role it played in our country’s history.

So until tomorrow….It is stories like this that just reaffirm my conviction that we are all connected under the sun….whatever we do to one living creature will come full circle….either positively or negatively depending on our actions. There are consequences for our choices here on earth.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Anne reminded me of  this sign we saw throughout our stay in Dingle, Ireland with its rocky cliffs…If you get too close to the edge you will probably fall. Since there are no words even Dick, Sally or Spot could figure it out without reading!

May 1 did brings wonderful showers and even though I didn’t do a Maypole dance….I did eat well. Anne is back from Paris….after four days of “bad bugs” upon arrival.

She emailed and said since we could both “sit up and take nourishment” now hamburgers and fries were in order…along with some French (well California actually) wine. It was a banquet!

Anne even brought tulips as a remembrance of the gardens in Paris. A wonderful first day of May!

Then we took a stroll through Boo’s garden….might be a ‘tad’ smaller than the gardens in Paris but just as loved!

Dear Reader:

Friday night I found myself engrossed in yet another Ken Burns’ documentary on The National Parks. I have never seen a documentary by this amazing director/producer that didn’t touch me while at the same time educate me. (Just finished the history of Jazz documentary)

The history behind so many national parks’ creations were filled with dissent, politics at its worst, state rights vs federal laws….conflict upon conflict upon conflict. And yet now most Americans take these magnificent national parks for granted and marvel in their awe-inspiring splendor and grandeur. What in the world would our country be like without these “gifts” to humanity?

Of all the stories surrounding so many of the larger, more well-known national parks….it was one statement in the story of the Isle Royale National Park in Michigan that made me pause and reflect.

 Isle Royale National Park is only accessible by boat or seaplane, which explains why this gorgeous, isolated archipelago of islands in Lake Superior sees just 16,000 visitors per year. The misty main island, Isle Royale, is the perfect place to retreat from civilization. There are no roads here, and wheeled vehicles — including bikes — are not permitted in the park.

FDR approved this beautiful area as a national park but because of the limited transportation access to it and because there were and are no roads on it….FDR could never see it.

The documentary showed a “Road Ends” transportation sign as it explained that there were no roads on Isle Royale. Something clicked as I listened and watched that sign.

Isn’t that the way it feels sometimes in life for all of us? We think we have come to the end of a road, only to discover that one road’s ending is another path’s beginning?

I remember the first time I met Linda Carson, my oncologist nurse, she took me to the chemo treatment room and the first thing I noticed was a poem that I remember asking her if I could make a copy of and a cancer detour sign.

What Cancer Cannot Do

Submitted By: constancelynn

Cancer is so limited…
It cannot cripple love.
It cannot shatter hope.
It cannot corrode faith.
It cannot eat away peace.
It cannot destroy confidence.
It cannot kill friendship.
It cannot shut out memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot reduce eternal life.
It cannot quench the Spirit.

Author: Unknown

Since those early readings and thoughts about cancer and its life-altering entrance into one’s life….I have come to realize that there are no real road endings in this world. There aren’t even any dead-ends. This life, as we know it, will simply turn into “Heaven’s Highway” in another world.

In fact I have discovered that detours can sometimes become the new road we are to travel upon leaving the more populated highways behind….and I find myself liking the off-the-beaten paths….they give me more time to pause, reflect, rest, and talk to
God.

The most important road signs for me these days are crossroads or intersection signs. I see these as opportunities to intersect with God. My prayer is “Please intersect with me God.”

A crossroad can simply mean a point where two roads come together or it take on other meanings….a central meeting place  : a crucial point especially where a decision must be made.

I have certainly had my share of personal crossroads, just like you, as I have gone through life and I have  passed the various crossroads in a better place when I took time to let God guide me.

Maybe I will add Isle Royale to my personal bucket list because I would love to see a place where no roads existed….a rare phenomenon (for sure) in this world.

So until tomorrow: Let us never forget the close connection between beginnings and endings….and remember there are no real “dead-ends.” I find that quite comforting!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Don’t forget today is the first day of May so say “Rabbit” for good luck all month! (I decided to give Miss Rabbit an umbrella ) “April showers bring May flowers” – April didn’t bring us much rain but May is looking more promising.

*Yesterday Mollie, Kaitlyn, and I took Rutledge and Lachlan on the water taxi from Patriot’s Point. We had a ball….The driver let us use his seat and made Rutledge the honorary captain for the voyage.

We just stayed on the boat as it hit all the drop-offs and made the complete circle. Rutledge’s eyes were as big as saucers seeing a cruise ship up close, the USS Yorktown and the WWII submarine that was his favorite. So relaxing…while waiting for the next boat the boys played in the sand and had a grand time! A friend of Walsh and Mollie’s gave Rutledge a Scottish insignia shirt and he was very proud of it.

As you can see (from the last two photos above) Lachlan and I finally bonded. He is such a mama’s boy that he is usually terribly upset for most of the time I babysit him after Mollie leaves. But this time he was happy as a lark!

Lachlan, Rutledge, and I took a wagon trip around the neighborhood when Mollie and Kaitlyn left to join Tommy and Walsh for the fundraiser dinner following the golf tournament and silent auction that honors Tim Touchberry and raises money for Parkinson’s Disease. What a great cause!

Dear Reader:

As I watched Eva Cate accepting her kindergarten graduation “diploma” Thursday evening… my thoughts went back over three decades when Mandy graduated from the Summerville Presbyterian Church kindergarten with “Miss” Kitty Murrell as her teacher. Wasn’t it yesterday? Now it seemed like (the title of Madeleine L’Engle’s popular children’s book) a “Wrinkle in Time.”

Proverbs 18:9:  “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.”

Thank goodness for God, not only directing my steps, but literally pushing me in the right direction…to where I am today…as close to heaven as I will get here on earth.

I have my grown children and their families living close to me, my garden, a diverse group of friends and health that allows me to not only “sit up and take nourishment” but go basically wherever I feel like going! Pure freedom! A blink and all my dreams have come true!

But besides blinking….I had to laugh at a God’s Wink that hit me square in the face when I discovered what part Eva Cate had in the graduation skit.

The children wrote and scripted the play….the basic plot was that the mean old wolves were trying to prevent graduation…. all the other animals and hunters had, in turn, to try to stop the wolves from ruining the ceremony. As the “ELEPHANT” Eva Cate used her trunk (arm) to squirt water on the wolves to push them back. Obviously the hunters and forest animals were successful since the “show went on” as scheduled.

So there I was remembering my request to God to be present for Eva Cate’s kindergarten graduation so she would remember me….and the role of the animal known for its extraordinary memory is given to Eva Cate at graduation. A Wink for the Blink!

I am just so happy at this stage in my life….I can finally see God’s blinks and winks and share His smile in the God-made “coincidences.”

Here are some pre-graduation surprises….even Jakie was  excited on the way to the ECDC Graduation at the Stern Center Garden (ended up inside the building….rain.)

*Anne…Eva Cate loved the watercolor painting and poem…she took it to graduation with her and had me show it and read the poem at the dining table. Thank you again for sharing your remarkable talents so generously!

As we were heading out of the Stern Building the children spotted a game room for the college students and made a mass invasion. The way Eva Cate was holding that pool stick….I think she learned more than just the ABC’s in pre-school. (“Yes….we have Trouble…right here in River City…it begins with “T”  and rhymes with “P” and stands for “Pool.”)

So until tomorrow…Remember there’s no “Trouble, Trouble, Trouble” if we follow the footsteps and direction God has provided  us…nothing we can’t overcome with His guidance .

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Happy Birthday to my “sistah” Brookie! (Reminds me of another cupcake devoured lately!)

May you always wear a feather in your hair my dear friend!

*Kaitlyn and Tommy….Eva Cate loved her own and her doll (Gracie) matching nightgowns! All three of us slept together Thursday night!

Gracie is very well behaved and rarely talks!

With spring here….thoughts turn to baseball and hot dogs. Lachlan is getting prepared for the season….Now will someone please bring him a hot dog?

Dear Reader:

I would hate to have to count back throughout my life to see how many promises I made and then, unfortunately, how many I kept. Such is not the case with God and His promises.

There comes a moment in everyone’s life, when facing the possibility of our own mortality, when we find ourselves falling on our knees and making a promise to God. It is an universal prayer. A prayer for more time. (Probably the most requested prayer of all.)

The quote: “Time is more precious than money, because you can always make more money, but you can’t buy back time” is so true if you have ever gone through that experience.

After Eva Cate was born April 27, 2010 my whole outlook on time changed. For two years I had been living with rather bleak predictions and outcomes of my particular form of breast cancer and I had started facing the consequences of that possibility….but suddenly there was a grandchild coming. I was going to get to see my first grandchild during my lifetime! Now time became of the utmost essence!

It was about then that I started writing a diary to Eva Cate (my little “Butterbean”) telling her about me and how much I loved her while she was still growing and getting ready to join the family. I ended the diary with Eva Cate’s birth and my excitement over it…..I believe the last page talked about the Chapel of Hope and the message I left there the first time I went…written on the back of a photo I had….a picture of me, Mandy, and Eva Cate.

On the back I wrote the famous quote by  William Blake: ‘Love is the child that breathes our breath. Love is the child that scatters death.’ (Little did I know how appropriate that quote would be.)

It was then that I privately made a plea to God…that I would love to live long enough to see Eva Cate graduate from kindergarten.

Since my own father had died when I was five…and I had a few memories of him….maybe Eva Cate would remember a few memories of me if I could make it that long. My promise was to find a way to help others, using the gifts God gave me… if I could have that time.

And now here it is. (I must admit that strange combo of viruses I fought for about a month had me a little worried a few weeks ago…was hoping I would not drop the ball this close to my goal.)

Jackson’s mother, our beloved “Mama Mia,” and I would talk on the phone weekly when she was valiantly fighting her brain cancer while I, also, struggled with breast cancer. We each confided our potentially final goals.

Hers was to see Jackson retire. When we realized that this probably wasn’t going to happen we dressed up like sunflowers (some of you might remember) and played out Jackson’s retirement on Jackson’s birthday. Mama Mia passed away just weeks later…satisfied knowing Jackson was officially retiring.

Of course, out of this promise to God, came the blog. And time, so far, to see three more amazing, adorable grandchildren enter this world. I am one lucky gal and I know it!.

So until tomorrow…Let us never forget that time is more precious than gold….especially time making memories for eternity.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

There are all kinds of ways to remember special gatherings in life but for me getting to bring home these beautiful calibrachoas to plant in my back yard (by the fence) is the best way I know. Now all the Ya’s can enjoy the memories of the wedding flowers with me when they come to visit.

Saturday morning Libby, Brooke, and I re-packed for the wedding and overnight stay at the Pisgah Inn ….sitting on top of the mountains overlooking Brevard. Because of its altitude Matthew said the inn is only open from April to October and then closed the rest of the year. In fact when he and Jhasmany went to check on the wedding plans the weekend before… it was snowing!

Jackson called before we  left for the Pisgah Inn to warn us that it was quite cool and very windy. And it was…but thank goodness the inn, itself, blocked the wind for the outdoor ceremony so everyone was quite comfortable! Everything else was inside.

It was getting to Mt. Pisgah (from Saluda) that proved a little nail-biting. Libby accused Brooke and me of withholding important information before she agreed to drive….information like dark, long, scary rock tunnels built into the mountainside (nine of them….we counted them on the way back) and a windy day that felt like it was going to blow our car right off the edge.

Libby said she needed time to have a complete “melt-down” before the ceremony….her nerves were shot! But boy was she a pro coming home….she was ready for those dark tunnels with motorcycles passing you inside the tunnel and the sharp curves with drop-off cliffs.

We weren’t able to get photos of the ceremony itself….we were all too engaged in the vows and readings that were beyond beautiful. After the ceremony we ate for hours…literally hours…first came wine/beer and heavy h’oeuvres, followed by a buffet supper of barbecue with all the trimmings….followed by cakes and pies that Jackson  brought from Columbia. And then the partying went down.

Brooke and I fought over the cutest eligible bachelor at the dance.

It was when Brooke got back to our room that she called me out on the deck to see the moon….it looked like a full harvest moon…the most brilliant shade of orange was coming up over the mountain….this had to be a great sign for such a wonderful day filled with love.

This was the scene from Brooke’s and my room when we arrived Saturday afternoon at The Pisgah Inn. Just breath-taking!

Sunday morning we woke up to this awesome sight….it was as if the orange moon sprinkled some orange flakes on the mountain before disappearing the next morning.

I am going to stop at this point and just put in the random photos I took of Jackson and her sister Em….photos of the Ya’s with different family members and friends, as well as Matthew and Jhasmany. Some are from Saturday and some from Sunday or Monday…..

 And as for Brookie….she did wear a feather in her hair. Carrie Bradshaw- a.k.a Sarah Jessica Parker-  (in the old Sex and the City series) didn’t have anything on our Brooke when it came to wearing a feather in her hair at the wedding. Go Brookie!

So until tomorrow….We thank you Father for memories and togetherness….unity in humanity!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Isn’t there something quite special about the mountains? I’m not sure if all of us just needed a change of scenery quite badly from medical and daily problems….but, for whatever reason, our stay at Brooke and Ted’s mountain cabin was the magical medicine we all needed to recoup and regroup!

Part of the magic was just the physical aspects of the mountains themselves. I am truly in love with Saluda! It is such a cute mountain town that someone just needs to put a big red bow over the entire village nestled so snugly in the mountains.

And the best part about Saluda is that you don’t have to travel that far to get there. Sam Clark has said on a good day he can lock one door in Summerville and three hours later be unlocking the door to their family mountain house. In other words, one isn’t completely exhausted from a long trip but filled with pep and ready to roar when arriving in Saluda!

If you have been to the mountains lately….you can readily concur with Libby’s jaw-dropping gasp as she left Spartanburg and went around the curve to see (seemingly out of nowhere) the majestic outline of the Blue Ridge Mountains right in front of her.

I told her that I always squeal when I see the mountains again…it is  like seeing them for the first time. We all added similes to this amazing visual sensation… such as seeing the Ferris Wheel each year at the local fair and then dreaming of stopping on the top and looking down on the fairgrounds. Or going down the waterfalls in rafts and not seeing the “big drop” until one’s raft is right in front of it.

Last Friday was cooler with drizzle that steadily got stronger the farther we got to Saluda so that first mountain visual was even more spectacular because it was hard to tell where the outline of the mountains began and the fog and mist ended. I was so glad I had brought Grandmother Wilson’s quilt for Friday and especially Saturday night.A little chilly!

Libby hadn’t been to the mountains since her own children attended the Methodist camp at Camp Lake Junaluska. She was so inspired she started quoting scripture:

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help.”

Like St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope The Ya’s need to get a wooden sign and put on the front of the Parker cabin that says” Everyone Welcome! Stop, Rest, and Reflect. (And that is exactly what we did!)

Saluda was running (weather and temperature-wise) about three to four weeks behind us….meaning the azalea bushes were in full bloom…come join me on a jaunt with my camera. (Breath-taking climbing clematis, azaleas, gerber daisies, etc.)

Monday the wonderful Honey Burrell joined us for a birthday lunch for Brookie whose birthday is this Saturday the 30th! But Brookie surprised Honey first with a gift for her since she missed her March birthday!

Actually the rest of us had received these amazing (SC) “Spartina clutches” from Em, Jackson’s sister….right up this old history teacher’s alley. Aren’t they wonderful? I immediately cleaned out my old pocketbook and carried my new clutch proudly. Thank you EM!!! WOW!!!

Brookie got all kinds of wonderful presents….from outfits for her grandson Caleb (she now nicknames “Little Boo”-Love it”) to a beautiful scarf, yummy candle, and a  pocketbook…you name it…she got it!  The lunch was at the Purple Onion….Matthew was able to join us all and some of Jackson’s nephews and nieces….such fun!

The Purple Onion was delicious and we got two tables out on the patio….the mountain air was spectacular…the perfect day…or like Brooke said a “bluebird day”….not a cloud in the sky. Delicious! And thank you again sneaky Honey for picking up our tab….you can’t take your eyes off Honey for one minute or she is giving, giving, giving. You are one in a million! Look at what Honey and Mike made as a wedding present….hand-made….dip trays and serving utensils….so talented!

After lunch we indulged in ice cream….the perfect day! Here are some photos…..more to come tomorrow…. At that time You can come drive with us through scary dark tunnels and drop off cliffs on our way to The Pisgah Inn and the wedding! (It was a beautiful (Winnie the Pooh) blustery day!)

With some chilly temps, Sam and Donna, your new t-shirt (you gave me) over my turtleneck just hit the spot! Thank you again for thinking of me! Perfect!

So until tomorrow…..God must have made the mountains for a special reason because the spirit of life surely dwells there!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

• A Shout-Out to Eva Cate who is “officially” 6 today! I still can’t get over it! Wow! And then my ‘baby’ graduates from kindergarten Thursday evening. Memories for a life time.
• 
• Video of Eva Cate’s Mermaid Party last Saturday
• 

  Eva Cate’s 6th Birthday Video

   https://goo.gl/photos/2D4oUR5h3xrqebom6

Dear Reader:

A week ago Monday when I stopped by Mandy and John’s house to hide Eva Cate’s doll until her party last Saturday I went ahead and gave her the necklace I had bought for her graduation gift.

She was thrilled and walked around showing it off to everyone. Lately she has become very observant. She loves accessories and all kind of jewelry. During supper she came over and reached for my wrist…”I sure do like that bracelet, Boo Boo”…..”When I get older I want one just like that.”

(I had on one of my Ya bracelets we had bought at one of the retreats- title photo)

I replied “Eva Cate… the way you are growing you will be the girl with the pearls before I know it.”

Then I hesitated and said: “I will let you turn six…but will you stay six for Boo Boo for a long time?”

Eva Cate looked at me curiously with my half-smile on. I could practically feel that little mind churning. “Boo Boo…I will slow down…if you will…so we can always be together.” (Eva Cate has one six by her name and I have two)

“Deal” I replied and we shook hands. Ah…if life was just that simple.

The following story, “The Pearls” reminded me of that incident with Eva Cate and I suppose we both have to realize that no matter what the future holds…God will be there to surprise us with His gift of love…better than any treasure in the world.

Dear Reader:

About a week ago, before Anne left for Paris, we saw a most unusual thing…..a squirrel carrying a baby squirrel in its mouth. It ran through the garden and dropped the baby off somewhere around the side of the house and then hurried back across the garden and scampered up a tree where we could see the nest.

We waited and watched but didn’t see the mother squirrel return. All we could think of was that the nest was in danger from either a bird predator or even a snake. The whole incident was somewhat unsettling but it did re-enforce the notion that mothers are alike, no matter what shape or form they take in their maternal instincts. They want to protect their young and will do so at great risk to their own safety.

*Before we start the story….here is a picture of Anne and her artist friends in Paris ….it is nice to know there are no “starving artists” among them!

Today’s story is another example of this….the love of a mother and the love of our Creator.

“The Fire” 

An article in National Geographic several years ago provided a penetrating picture of God’s wings.
After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno’s damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother’s wings.

The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise.

She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze had arrived and the heat had singed her small body, the mother remained steadfast. She had been willing to die so those under the cover of her wings would live.

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
Psalm 91:4 (NIV)

So until tomorrow….I find it most comforting that I have a Father Who will take me under His wings to comfort me when needed.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh