Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

Yesterday morning I woke up to the strangest kind of quiet. My Iphone wasn’t beeping text noises or letting me know emails were arriving and especially…the phone wasn’t ringing…it never rang all morning.

None of the usual walkers or young mothers, with baby strollers, meandered down the street. For almost two hours even a car didn’t drive on Rainbow Road. Something strange was going on?

It was overcast and cool…as I looked out my bedroom window…everything looked the same, yet  different. The only time the strange silence was broken was when the wind picked up and dropped falling leaves, unceremoniously, on the ground. It sounded like rain then…but it wasn’t.

The strange quiet settled into and around the house like a fog rolling in for an indefinite stay…an uninvited guest… at best. I opened my “Notable Quotable” notebook (I keep by my computer) to search for a phrase I had read that would apply to this situation and I finally found it.

One author had written: “It was an unfamiliar quiet…like an incomplete sentence.” 

I began to feel more comfortable immediately…someone else out there in cyber space had once felt the same strangeness I was feeling now. Isn’t that the real reason we love to read…to be able to connect with people experiencing similar thoughts and insights as ourselves?

As the morning wore on, with no interruptions from the outside, I began to feel a certain sense of peace in the quiet…like a piece of art that grows on you the longer you stare at it or a colorful quilt to immerse yourself within.

I began thinking about the earlier metaphor of an unique type of quiet being similar to an incomplete sentence. Wouldn’t that mean that it is the quiet before a new front or change arrives to end one stage and begin another?

There was a sense of expectancy in the air…and I have lived long enough now to know that changes can arrive like ghosts at Halloween and catch us unprepared with a big “Boo!” if we aren’t careful.

This anticipatory quiet became more (as Alice in Wonderland would say) “curiouser and curiouser.” (As I was later making my bed and stretching out the sheet wrinkles another quote-I had found in my notebook of quotes by Madeleine L’Engle from a Wrinkle in Time- came to me.)

“Don’t hope it was a dream. I don’t understand it any more than you do, but one thing I’ve learned is that you don’t have to understand things for them to be.” 

So maybe the strange quiet of a mystifying Monday morning is supposed to remain a mystery…at least for awhile. I do sense, however, a change in the air…perhaps it is just a seasonal change…though somehow I think it is more than that….time will tell.

I just finished a story (by my new favorite author Sarah Addison Allen/The Girl Who Chased the Moon) in which a strange daily ritual repeated itself throughout the novel… with no explanation given.

In Allen’s latest novel…A young girl returns to her mother’s home town to live with her grandfather (she never knew existed) following her mother’s death. There appears to be lots of unexplained phenomenon throughout the town, including her grandfather’s strange antics.

Several times a day he opens the dryer, bends way down, and checks to see if anything has been left in it. Then with a sigh, that sounds like a sigh of disappointment, he closes the door and walks away.

The granddaughter finds this strange but is afraid to ask about it since she doesn’t know her grandfather and is scared she might anger or offend him by her questioning.

At the end of the book…when all the mysteries of this little North Carolina town are peeled away, like an onion, this ritual, too, is finally made clear.

When her grandmother had been alive…she would sometimes forget and leave a piece of clothing, unknowingly, in the dryer. She never gave it another thought but it bothered her husband, who had been a long-time bachelor and pretty set in his ways, when they married.

He would always check the dryer after her for left-over clothing. She decided to play a trick on her husband one time and she left a frog in the dryer….when he opened the door the frog came hopping out and it later became a family joke between them.

After the grandmother’s death, the grandfather would  check the dryer every day thinking perhaps that his wife, Lily, would try to send him a message through it. He had loved her so and missed her terribly.

Instead…he opens the dryer one day and a frog comes hopping out again….it stares at the startled grandfather and then hops to the front yard, turning back for one last glance, before disappearing.

That night the grandfather realizes that his wife had put the first frog in the dryer to shake him up from his old bachelor routines and rituals and, instead, begin making changes for their future together. The second frog had arrived to repeat the message with a different twist.

It was time for him to leave the past behind, fix up the crumbling – down house, and finally start a new life for himself and his most precious gift of redemption-his granddaughter.

So until tomorrow…May we accept the winds of change when they blow our way with the gift of anticipatory silence to help us prepare for the next “place” along our odyssey.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*I saw this u-tube video on the Kelly & Michael morning show and thought it was too cute…baby owl dancing to “Monster Mash”! Enjoy!

Adorable Baby Owl Dances And Sings Along … – YouTube

Dear Reader:

One knows when a story is supposed to be told by how the pieces of prose all come together at the right moment, the magical moment.

Saturday afternoon I heard two voices calling from the front door (while I was typing away in the computer room-working on yesterday’s blog.) It was Doodle and Lassie. They had just returned from eating lunch at Summerville’s favorite tea room- Time Well Spent.

They love talking to Eve (owner) about their mutual love of flowers and they try to have lunch there on Saturdays if their schedules coincide.

Lassie and Doodle explained to Eve (this past Saturday) why they had missed the Saturday before (The Race for the Cure) and suddenly Eve disappeared.

She returned holding two sheets of paper and she told them she had something she had written awhile back to share with them. Eve then explained that she loved moon flowers and had two friends fighting breast cancer who loved them also.

One day Eve felt inspired to bring the dual themes together under the central idea of “Strength”… in tribute to her friends’ on-going fight. It was a marvelous concept and a generous gift of time, talent, and love in honor of their friendship.

After finishing the prose…without hesitation, Eve handed the girls her copy of the story. Doodle and Lassie told her that I would love it and probably want to share the poem with all of you loyal readers. Eve graciously gave her permission. So without further adieu, here it is. (After all….Halloween is the time for myths and legends)

Legend of the Moon Flower

I will tell you a story from legends of old

These seeds were once more precious than gold

Passed from Goddess to Goddess

…Or so I’ve been told. 

Alas, as oft happens, after a time

Legends turn into fairy tale rhyme

And the beauty and magic it was once was about

Became secrets that were hidden within and without

And tragically…Goddesses were having self-doubts.

So as Goddesses, we answered the call

Sending invitations to one and all

No matter the color, the size, or belief

What we wanted were those who would fight to the teeth

To bring back the magic from days of old

And banish the apathy which now had a hold. 

So…if you a true Goddess be

Then you may have your choice of three

But if this is your very first time

Then you may only ask for one of mine

You can’t purchase or buy them, no matter the wealth

For the price of this magic is belief in yourself. 

So gather ye Goddesses far and near

And think of all that you hold dear

Then plant your seeds with this in mind

And behold the wonder you will find.

Your seed will grow and wrap around

Rising higher from the ground

Till on a star-filled summer night

The magic’s revealed….Oh what a sight!

Blossoms that open their face to the moon

Yet retire from the sun-their beauty gone too soon.

You may think that this is as far as the story may go

But the rest lies with you, now that you know.

I told you these seeds can’t be bought or sold

And how they come from ancient magic of old.

They are waiting for you to commit with your heart

They are waiting for you to embrace your shared part

In the belief that all who make up mankind

Have one purpose – to love- (It’s what He had in mind)

So lest you think you naught but woes

Go out each night to see how it grows

Then find your power deep inside

and let it spread both far and wide.

For you are a Goddess of STRENGTH and MIGHT

Portrayed each evening in blossoms of white.

……………………………….

What a creative story of prose to bring in the very best elements of October….Pink (breast cancer awareness month); Strength- the will to fight health obstacles along our path; Moon flowers (as told in a magical narrative legend.) *Thank you Eve for sharing your talent with all of us….especially to those warriors still fighting breast cancer each day!)

I got the “Wink” on how to pull all these elements together when I went to take a photo of my one and only moon flower blossom blooming Saturday night. It was a little after six and the sun broke through the scattered clouds turning my back yard into a sea of pink….including the back fence and moon flower bloom. A “Wink” of gratitude. I added an extra dash of pink tint and viola…our title photo!

So until tomorrow…Let us all remember that the most important things in life can’t be bought but must be discovered within us…sprinkled with just a little fairy dust! (Like pink trees of hope)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

I found a pretty pink frame to immortalize our 2015 Race for the Cure team! Another successful gathering and goal-making group!

The doorbell rang yesterday and it was Linda Carson, my favorite nurse and friend, with a “surcie” for me. I can hardly wait to find a fall flower worthy of this beautifully painted floral “home.” Thank you so much Linda!!!!!!!

This photo brings back memories…I found the radio flyer ‘first trike’ for Eva Cate at Vaughn Hardware in Ridgeville five years ago….no pedals…just sit and use your feet to manuveur….Jakie has backwards down…still working on the forward motion.

Rutledge looks like quite the man around town in his “pink cadillac”…just hope he doesn’t get stopped for texting while driving. Thanks Rutledge for choosing the pink breast cancer car for getting your hair cut in.

Dear Reader:

Anne and I planned to go to Hollow Tree Nursery yesterday morning and time it so we would arrive early at Duke’s for the best chicken/barbecue/veggies around.

What should have been a leisurely stroll around Lisa’s beautiful nursery turned into a frantic running competition against the most dreaded, lowcountry monster…the maleficent mosquito!

As you see the photos in today’s blog…remember this: For every time we stopped to take a picture…we came away with a minimum of two mosquito bites. So do appreciate the pictures.

The title photo is one of my four camellia bushes that I got yesterday…it is called the “Bonanza.” As I separated it from the other camellia plants in containers… a beautiful butterfly (perhaps a moth?) settled on it and I took the rather blurry photo…because a mosquito was chewing on my hand….down to the bone!

The mosquito was as big as the butterfly on my camellia bloom….Since “the flood” a new breed of swamp monster mosquitoes must have evolved! I feel like I could lasso one if I had a rope.

I ended up with two “Bonanza” camellias, one “Cinnamon Sensation” and one “Jury’s Yellow!”

When we got home…Anne and I plopped the camellias plants down adjacent to the back fence and then decided we liked them right where they were…along the perimeter, instead of in the garden.

(The mosquitoes must have followed us home…because we were getting eaten alive in my back yard too!)

My four camellias “paled” beside Anne’s twelve that she got. She was on a “camellia” mission for sure. By getting a dozen, however, she got about eight more mosquito bites than me….we were running around in circles trying to escape them. As usual we had to cram the camellias in…but we did it. (We also went to Duke’s and packed it in there too!)

Anne had killed so many mosquitoes on her that she had blood stains on her hands and even her vest….“Bloody hell” she cried out…“I think we are in a B-Rated movie called “Mosquito Massacre.” 

Excuse me, if I take a detour here, but Anne’s “bloody hell” expression reminded me of a funny anecdote that I have shared on and off for years, but figure it is time to bring it back again.

Two British golfers were playing together one day. One  golfer was a member of the other golfer’s congregation who was an Episcopal priest. The priest was getting extremely annoyed with his golf partner who screamed out (on every hole) “Bloody hell I missed again” every time he missed a putt.

This had gone on for 17 holes and the priest finally lost it. He admonished his congregational friend for his too earthy expression and asked him to please refrain from yelling it out again on the last hole.

Just as they were about to tee off on the 18th hole, a thunder storm appeared out of no where and a bolt of lightning hit and killed the priest. Before his friend could get over the shock of this event…the dark clouds parted and a booming voice, in a ray of light from heaven, called out “Bloody hell, I missed again.”

(Sorry for the little detour…but you gotta love British humor…I love every kind of humor…it makes the world go ’round. )

And now here are some of the ‘two-mosquito bite’ photos from Hollow Tree Nursery!

So until tomorrow…let’s remember the old African Proverb: “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

I was so proud of the Clemson tigers yesterday….I wasn’t expecting that type of game at all…but it sure was nice to be able to relax and enjoy a football game without having to get a new manicure afterwards!

Libby’s grandchildren are too precious…they sold snow cones yesterday for 50 cents apiece to raise money to help Jackson re-build her house….gotta love little children…their hearts are hearts of action.

Here is the link to Jackson’s  GoGundMe page if you would like to help out: https://www.gofundme.com/td67b58k

*Thank you goes out to several of you blog readers who have made a donation to this fund….Jackson is completely overwhelmed by the number of people helping her and feels beyond humbled by it all.

Dear Reader:

As children we only have a limited amount of control over the memories we take with us from this brief brevity (stage) of life.

Childhood is very short..retaining memories from it…made even more precious. My one and only memory of my father…involved bringing me home, one day,  a “double stick” lollipop on each end. (cherry and grape) My prize was the envy of the neighborhood children…I must have been around four or five when I received this memorable gift.

I, also, remember spending summers with my cousins and grandmother in Laurens…during this time my Uncle Herschel was farming and he, also, ran a little country store to bring in more revenue.

Grandmother would give me two dimes to walk down the dusty, red clay road from her farm house to the store so I could get a coke and a little bag of peanuts. I had to promise to hold David’s hand and “Old Blackie,” the farm dog, always, faithfully, followed behind…hoping for a few scraps from the store.

 I patiently pushed each individual peanut down into the icy cold glass bottle ….nothing ever tasted better than a coke with peanuts floating around. A salty fizz!!! (David always got a Nehi orange drink…even if he lost his dime along the way….which he did a lot)

When I look at my middle school and early high school photos I am never smiling or showing my teeth…they were buck (from sucking my thumb too long) and split -today Michael (Kelly & Michael Show) is famously popular for his split. I was all lips…no teeth.

I, finally got braces when I was thirteen, but I  didn’t get my braces off until my senior year in high school… perhaps that is why I have never stopped smiling since…It took me sixteen years to get my smile straight.

After our sophomore or junior year in college…a fellow friend got married and we (Brooke, Jackson, and myself) experienced being bridesmaids for the first time.

Mother assured me that everyone would wear their hair “UP” for the special occasion…”It is protocol,” I remember her repeating. (Perhaps in her day)

I had chin length hair but somehow I ended up with the “biggest” hair-do around….while everyone else, including the bride, wore their hair flowing down. (If Hurricane Hugo had blown through… my hair would not have budged…the hairdresser used a can of hair spray on the “do.” (along with Dippity-Do)

So humiliating….you knew it was bad when the little old “blue-haired” ladies, sitting on the front pews, start oohing and cooing as I walked past…my only saving grace…it was 1969…and my memory box has mercifully locked the incident away.

I remember we left the wedding on a Sunday and went to Jackson’s parents’ lake home on Lake Murray. Brooke and I loved Jackson’s daddy and decided to adopt “him” as our daddy too.

When we walked in…he said something to me like “My my what big hair you have Becky…very pretty…very tall!” I told him I could hardly wait to go swimming and lose my “big” hair…..

I will never forget coming back about an hour later…my limp hair was hanging flat on my head with green wads of “dippity do” clinging to the ends. Mr. Jackson fell out of his chair laughing. I was “Little Bit” again. (with just a little bit of hair left!)

Even though I, sometimes, felt invisible in middle school…I began blossoming in high school and by college a stronger, more confident seed inside me began growing..I could actually feel the change occurring.

For this…I have to thank countless people in my life who went out of their way to let me know that I was loved and valued….grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and especially, mother. Without feeling love, it is so hard to achieve the inner strength we need to get through life successfully.

As difficult as it was to lose my father so young, my brother too young, and then watch my mother struggle….raising three children with one hand….I know now, without a doubt, that each of these very painful episodes taught me a strength I would not have today if my life (and those lives around me) had come easier.

At a young age I saw miracles transpire before my very eyes….mother cooking a Thanksgiving dinner by herself, dressing me to the hilt, taking us to church each Sunday, and never losing faith in God.

The shock of being diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer (2008) was a challenge but I had seen what my own mother did with her cancer challenge and she became my spiritual and “mental” mentor.

My personal story, my personal schema,  prepared me for this type of challenge…It was strangely  “normal” for me…almost deja vu.

When I found this scripture for breast cancer month I thought it to be most fitting for everyone meeting and addressing this health challenge.

To me this quote can be “he” or “she” who laughs without fear at every health and other kind of personal obstacle that falls in our path. We only have to believe and hold on tight to God’s Hand.

So until tomorrow….Father, let us only give YOU our pen to co-author our story… never turning over our permission to another human being to re-script the life we are destined to live.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Look at this beautiful bloom…it is called a “rose camellia” and you can immediately see why…isn’t it gorgeous? (the best of both worlds!) And no thorns to contend with!

Dear Reader:

Wednesday when I stopped by Mandy’s house (before we all went to the fund-raiser) Mandy and I took a moment to take Jakie outside to see the herons. He loves watching the birds…especially when they are eating and tossing fish high in the air before gulping them down. He laughs and laughs!

As we grow older…we complain that time is moving faster…There are actually three ‘scientific’ reasons for this feeling…but before we look at these…a quick hint: Stop and watch the herons!

Life does move fast…more the reason to slow it down with magical moments of observations captured in pictures.

Yesterday I spent the morning dropping off team photos for the Summerville Race for the Cure participants…(to have  as a keepsake)…

Lassie’s across the street neighbor has her house decorated so creatively…you can tell she has small children. Adorable! They are in the “spirit.”

Want to slow down life…slow down your to-do list by taking time to take photos of decorative holiday homes.

When you pass something (while driving) that makes you slam on brakes…don’t second guess yourself…pull in!

Bombadil’s Garden & Gifts is one of my favorite places because I always love talking to Peggy…her faith shines through in every aspect of her nursery….On her Facebook page she says:

FROM THE TEACHER DESK: Business person! Don’t use your faith in GOD to promote your business, rather use your business to promote your faith in GOD. 

(And Peggy does just this! We took pictures of each other beside one of the gargantuan mums at the nursery yesterday…. several of her 8 ” mums are reduced to $2. 50 each.. and even the gigantic 3 quart mums run from $12.99 to 14.99 depending on the mixture of colors within each container!)

Always stop to admire the beauty around you…because for that very moment the world stops spinning while peace and quietude fills your exhausted soul.

From HuffPost Healthy Living (Oct 22, 2015) the following article provides some recent scientific research why the older we get the faster it seems that time flies.

Why Life Goes Faster As You Grow Older: Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D. (President and Medical Director, Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation)

Do you have the sense that life is speeding up the older you get? If so, you’re not alone.
Can there be a reason for this perception? I’ve discovered three scientific theories that shine a little light on this mysterious experience.

1. The first is a phenomenon called “telescopy.”Telescopy is simply the underestimation of time. It’s as though you’re looking through a telescope where the details of what you see give you the impression that an object in the distance is much closer than it actually is. Because of telescopy, our brains recall distant events as if they occurred only yesterday.

For example, at 67, I can’t believe that 43 years have passed since The Beatles broke up. Indeed, every time I see Sir Paul McCartney on TV performing old Beatles tunes like “Hey Jude,” I’m amazed. Why? To me it seems as if 1970 was not that long ago.

2. The second reason that time seems to be going faster as you get older is called the reminiscence effect. You can think of it as a series of memory bumps in your life. Emotionally-charged events — your first kiss, going to college, getting married, having your children, having a grandchild or losing someone dear — are recorded in more vivid detail than what we might call “regular events,” which just pass by in a blur.

The problem is that, as time marches on, life may become more routine, more mundane. Hence, you create fewer memory bumps, which give you the feeling that time is moving very quickly.

3. The third theory is the aging of your brain’s biological clock. Named the SCN (for suprachiasmatic nucleus), it’s found in a very special gland called the hypothalamus located behind the middle of your forehead. The hypothalamus is also known as your brain’s brain and controls the release of a number of important, youth-maintaining hormones.

Moreover, this little spot (about the size of a pencil point) sends signals  to each and every one of your 30 trillion cells, telling them that either all is well or, conversely, that you’re stressed. The latter has an aging effect throughout your body, including your genes.

These signals influence the length of your telomeres at the end of your chromosomes. Telomeres are the caps of your DNA and are exquisitely sensitive to stress. Think of them as like the tips of a shoelace.

As the lace ages, it becomes frayed, damaged, and shortened. For you, stress equals shorter telomeres and accelerated aging. Conversely, less stress equals increased telomere size and a longer life.

But there’s HELP!

• Slow Down -In our over-caffeinated, hyper-connected and intense world, I believe we can use some time to simply relax. Stop and breathe deeply a few times throughout the busy hours of your day.
• Meditate-Our studies at the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation reveal that you can impact positively your telomeres, as well as claim many other health benefits, in only 12 minutes a day.
• Experience life with all your five senses-Go for a nice nature walk and take a look at what is all around you. Notice the sky, the trees, and the clouds.
• Really taste your food and be wholly alive. Be grateful. This will help you enjoy a more meaningful life, complete with the creation of new and exciting memory bumps. You will gain peace of mind, a rare and beautiful commodity in today’s hectic world.

So until tomorrow….Slow down and smell whatever you want to smell… roses, gardenias, tea olive bushes, spaghetti, pot roast, a precious little baby….the key two words here is simply “SLOW DOWN” and feel life.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Here are the three mums that I got from Peggy at Bombadils yesterday….one hanging basket ( To put by the bottle tree to add some more color- 9.99) and two $2.50 (8 ” mums) for the garden. Great deal!

Happy Birthday to Joan Turner, my friend-in-law(love)! John’s mom is having a birthday today….Happy Birthday my talented, artistic friend…I hope it turns out to be a day filled with wonder and joy!

Aren’t we some lucky grandmothers?

Dear Reader:

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since I was making the daily trek (for three months) to St. Francis/Roper hospital in West Ashley and my physical therapy treatments for lymphedema.

As time-consuming as these treatments were…traveling back and forth each day from October to Christmas…I did get to meet Chrissy, my physical therapist, and we became good friends. She was a sweetheart.

The daily drive also provided time for me to reflect on the seasonal changes as seen through my windshield. (Going up the “Scenic Highway” provided some beautiful moments and musings.)

You might remember the falling leaves’ “storm” I ran into one morning. The beautiful colored fall leaves were falling faster than my windshield wipers could dispatch them off the windows and hood. I finally pulled off the highway onto a neighborhood road and took a moment to just enjoy and play in the leaves.

Joan emailed me this original (title) painting (last year) that she drew and she thought captured the incident… it did/does perfectly. I was surrounded by a cascade of swirling, falling leaves of every color.

I had fallen into the proverbial “rabbit hole” and it was magnificent. Joan captured the “magic ” of the moment in the beauty of the leaves!

The other week, when I was strolling with Jakie on our tree safari, I noticed when the breeze picked up and leaves would flutter to the ground…Jakie always looked up into the skies to see where they were coming from.

You could almost see the moment when he made the connection between trees and falling leaves. The beginning of many every day epiphanies that will come his way through life.

All little children, not only make and appreciate that connection…they revere the beauty within each leaf.

When Eva Cate was visiting Joan last Thanksgiving they were walking through downtown Huntsville when Eva Cate spotted this leaf and thought it was the most beautiful leaf in the world. She had to bring it home. Joan sent me the photo. It was the most beautiful leaf in the world, Eva Cate!

Last November Rutledge came to visit and he had a ball playing in the leaves falling off the Bradford Pear tree….he, too, kept looking up to see when the next cascade of leaves would fall.

Go back to your childhood, now, and re-think how magical it must be to know that the sky opens up (when the wind blows) and beautiful items called leaves fall down on your head and all around…just for you to play in. God’s toys for little boys…and girls! * Rutledge, of course, put the leaves in his dump truck.

Several months ago…Honey sent me this quote from an article by Kim Ode called “Giving Thanks.” (I love this comment)

“Being on the receiving end of someone’s thanks has us walking on those special puffy clouds that only autumn skies can make and fill.”

Don’t we know that God smiles when little children reach up in the air to catch the next “toy”…the next leaf falling from heaven? The smiles on their little faces are all the thanks He needs.

So until tomorrow….Let us continue as children of God to look up and count our blessings…they are as abundant as falling leaves in autumn and then let us smile our appreciation for the beauty of the earth falling down around us.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Mollie hosted another fund-raiser to give money for breast cancer last evening at Momma Goldberg’s Deli.

Megan McComas was the Stella & Dot representative at the fundraiser with a portion of the sales going for breast cancer research.

I know Megan through my niece Carrie so it was great to see her again.

Mandy and I took Eva Cate and she thoroughly enjoyed being included as one of the girls  picking out Stella/Dot jewelry from the sample pamphlets. Eight more “girls” came after Mandy, Eva Cate, and I had to leave (after the group picture)….Mollie said it was a great success. That was very sweet Mollie and thank you for hosting this event in my honor.

Dear Reader:

The shadows are the number one indicator, to me, that the seasons have changed. My garden stays bathed in shadows longer and longer each day. The little bright yellow and white mums look forward to the waning sun’s rays falling on their little faces for as long as they can capture the warmth.

(And if you have a jack o’ lantern right in front of you….then the little mums are happier still!)

The trade-off for autumn and our gardens is the lessening of flower blooms…but also…the lessening of weeds growing in our gardens.

And that is a good thing…like my day yesterday…a deserved R&R period when both the garden and gardener can settle back into a different routine that doesn’t require daily watering and weeding that the hot summer season required.

……………………………..

Words and expressions are like weeds….they all have their “season” of popularity and growth… and then slowly, but surely, fade away.

I even discovered an electronic word game involving word mazes called

Get rid of the weeds

Honey sent me a fun email titled: “Lost Words.”  It is really cute and all of us (of a certain age) can fondly remember many of these words and expressions from our own grandparents and parents… (including ourselves growing up.)

The author made one comment that really struck home with me…he said: For a child each new word is like a shiny toy, a toy that has no age.

Don’t you love that statement? I must still be a child because I love learning new words. I also love banishing “used up” words from my audio-surroundings that irritate rather than describe. My personal offender is “awesome.”

I suppose it comes from teaching eighth graders for almost three decades but I will never have an “awesome” home or garden…I will however, use this list of ‘anti-awesome’ replacements.

1.Amazing

2. Astonishing

3. Awe-inspiring

4. Awe-struck

5. Beautiful

6. Beyond the call

7. Breathtaking

8. Brilliant

9. Clever

10.extraordinary

11. Dazzling

12. Exciting

13. Excellent

14. Exceptional

15. Fabulous

16. Fantastic

17. Great

18. Groovy

19. Heart-stopping

20. Humbling

21. Impressive

22. Incredible

23. Ingenious

24. Magnificent

25. Majestic

26. Marvelous

27. Mind-blowing

28. Momentous

29. Moving

30. Out of this world

31. Outstanding

32. Overwhelming

33. Remarkable

34. Righteous

35. Shazam

36. Simply divine

37. Spectacular

38. Staggering

39. Striking

40. Stunning

41. Stupendous

42. Un-believable

43. Wonderful

44. Wondrous

45. You rock

*Feel free to add on to the ‘anti-awesome” list or “whatever“….my second most irritating word which I wish to banish from my life forever…(Again stemming from too much time spent with thirteen-year-olds!)

Now take a few moments and read this adorable (down memory lane) email originally titled: *WORDS AND PHRASES REMIND US OF THE WAY WE WORD*    by Richard Lederer

Click on the link here and remember with a smile:

OLD WORDS AND PHRASES REMIND US OF THE WAY …

So until tomorrow….Let us strive to keep expanding our vocabulary and letting over-used words in our daily life just “fade away.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*I spent yesterday catching up on emails, belated birthdays, and thank-you’s… then I cozy-ed up in the Happy Room …the warm sun’s rays streaming across the sofa sent me to dream land in less than five minutes. It was a very good day!

Dear Reader:

Yesterday I told you I was off again to Mt. Pleasant to spend the night with Miss Eva Cate and take her to the Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch. We had so much fun! It was exactly the memories I wanted to create and share with my one granddaughter.

It got off a little shaky….Eva Cate was running a low-grade fever and had a little health issue pending beneath the surface…but she rallied Monday morning and decided that no matter what… she wanted to go and play with her classmates.

The problem was ….that after we got there and headed to the hay  ride…she didn’t recognize but a couple of younger students who went to her school… no one around was in her class. Two boys were pushing each other and knocked her over before the truck (pulling the hayride) even pulled up for us to get on…things didn’t look like they were going to “abode well”…but after a quirky start…it all turned out wonderful.

…Because Eva Cate found a friend…not a just a friend from her class but one of her best friends-after riding the hay ride the first time around. She was Isabelle! I love watching little girls this age meet with kisses and holding hands…precious!

Oh what a difference a friend makes in life’s greatest enjoyments! (And having Carmen, Isabelle’s mother, to share the day with had the same effect on me…watching our children and grandchildren enjoy Halloween at a pumpkin patch is marvelous…and snacks taste better when shared together.)

The first hay ride was fun…the second was squealingly better with two voices screaming in excitement. . They both sang the “Ghost of John” (they had learned at school)  and it was only then that the wind picked up and sent the ghosts flying through the trees….”John” followed them thereafter…oh…it made for a spooky encounter.

Sliding by yourself is okay…but together with a friend…no comparison!

Posing for your grandmother “Boo” is okay…but jumping with a best friend is deliriously more fantastic! (What is it about watching children jumping that reminds the child in us of by-gone, carefree days of pure joy!)

Watching Eva Cate and Isabelle today reminded me of how important friendship is…we all need to remember to hold hands, jump with happiness, scream together through life, and slide through the “down” periods together. (Always keeping an eye open for ghosts of the past who want to bring back unpleasant memories…instead we must continue forging ahead with smiles on our faces.)

We let the girls pick out one treat to leave with…and we all departed with a bag of cotton candy and a bag of priceless memories.

The title photo comes from Mandy’s front porch….while we were out lighting the pumpkin….Jakie crawled over to the storm door with Tigger and peeked through the glass to see what we were doing. Boo Jakie!!!!!

Jakie loves story time before bed….especially when it is about a little ghost named “Boo”!

So until tomorrow….”Make new friends but keep the old…one is silver and the other’s gold.” (The best treasure in the world!)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Today is going to be my “R&R day…. a little overdue….I have thank you’s to say and write, many more catch-up correspondence notes to attend to….so it will be a “PJ” day to sit in the sun on the back deck and soak up the sun and think about the friends in my life who make me and my life better for their existence.

Dear Reader:

As I have mentioned several years now…(thank you God!) fall, autumn, and halloween are my favorite times and events of the year….give me a pumpkin patch and a hayride…and I am a happy camper.

Today while you are reading this blog…that is exactly where I will be …with Eva Cate. Her school is closed Monday and Tuesday for C of C fall break… since ECDC is associated with the college…they are closed too.

Mandy got an email Friday from the school stating that several parents would like to meet (with their children) at the Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch Monday morning. They were counting numbers to see if everyone would fit on one hayride together.

Since I am keeping Eva Cate…we will be heading over there….all bundled up (who would have thought it…the first chilly pumpkin patch expedition in as long as I can remember.) We usually return with a sunburn. The only “burn” I will get this year is probably a windburn. Will have lots of fun to share.

Several surveys have been taken about children’s favorite quotes from  popular children’s books…concentrating especially on the messages that stuck with these children throughout life….I love them all.

These are the top 20….I will give you the link so you can pull it and several other similar surveys . (Anne…thank you for the “find” and idea.)

20 Quotes From Children’s Books Every Adult Should Know

1. A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

2. Dr Seuss, Horton Hears a Who

3. Aesop, The Lion and the Mouse

4. A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

5. Roald Dahl, The Twits

6. Dr. Seuss, Oh the Places You’ll Go

7. Shel Silverstein, A Light in the Attic

8. Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

9. L. Frank Braum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

10. A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

11. E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web

12. J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

13. J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

14. Shel Silverstein

15. Roald Dahl, The Minpins

16. Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

17. P.L. Travers, Mary Poppins

18. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

19. Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

20. A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

Aren’t they all wonderful…. one sticks out for me personally at this stage in my life.

“It’s no use to go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.”

(This quote completely describes the transformation I have undergone since my initial diagnosis of breast cancer in May of 2008.) And, as I have said many times before…I don’t want to return to that Pre-“little c” Becky…she was nice enough but she didn’t really “get it”…she didn’t understand life and seeing (through new lenses every day miracles unveiling. Now she does.

So think of me shivering a little but happy to be in a place where I can share a special memory with one grandchild and her friends.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

• Harriett Edwards sent me a picture of her pink rose she had placed in her vase (as a memento of her 10th anniversary since her diagnosis …my rose went into Eva Cate’s hand for our fifth anniversary walking the race together. For both of us…“Lo, how a rose er’ blooming….” (and she is!)
• 

Dear Reader:

Yesterday was one of those spectacularly beautiful days that you remember years after the day is over. The whole family was able to attend this year ….which made me so happy…with grandchildren in tow…which makes me even happier! (*We missed you Carrie this year…but hope you had a wonderful time at PC!)

Rutledge and Lachlan were “rolling 4 Boo” in their wagon…they rolled in after the team picture was made…so the Dingle Family is a special addendum to the team photo.

As you saw from the earlier blog…we were all up by 5:00 a.m. yesterday morning with toothpicks keeping our eyes open….coffee perked up Brookie and Anne and my cold caffeine did the same for me….along with Anne’s wonderful muffins….and then we were off. *Brookie really liked her coffee!

Lassie looked so cute in her “Lassie Longstocking” attire….it stayed pretty chilly for most of the race and the longstockings came in good. We checked out all the entertainment and vendors while waiting on the Survivor’s Ceremony.

The “Dingle” girls (Lassie and Doodle showed off their hoolahoop skills)

Then we were off to the Survivor’s Ceremony…it was in a different location this year and we agreed that we like the stadium better because family and friends couldn’t see any of us down on the grass standing in front of a platform…but it was still fun with good dance music and beautiful pink roses! *I was there to see Harriett Edwards celebrate her 10th anniversary…free from cancer….a wonderful celebration!

Tommy and Kaitlyn arrived during the ceremony and then we all headed back to our team meeting place to wait for the others. We didn’t have long to wait for John, Mandy, Eva Cate and Jakie to arrive…Eva Cate felt compelled to explain the race to her little brother.

Walsh, Mollie and the boys arrived next….As soon as Rutledge saw the pink and red firetrucks….he and Eva Cate took off running. He even got to ring the bell….a small slice of heaven for a little boy.

And then the race was on…we saw beautiful homes and creative decorations for fall and Halloween…everyone cheered us on…Brooke and I found a bench which was quite welcoming and then we “staged” a quite dramatic finish to our “race.”

Anne was the only one of us who truly walked the whole 5 K race. The rest of us, unknowingly to the others, were taking “small” detours to get back to the finish line. (John’s breakfast casserole was on our mind)

Anne, not only, walked it all she bumped into Mary Lee’s grandson (from the Citadel) and observed heart-warming stories of true courage (which I will share with you in a later blog)

Of all the funny and cute outfits walking and running the race…Anne discovered one that sent a powerful message. The hidden, anonymous face of cancer….lurking inside people of all races, ages, and professions. Cancer doesn’t discriminate but attacks anyone at anytime….the faceless mask of fallen dreams. (And Anne’s spectacular finish to the race)!

And then we were off to John and Mandy’s for a brunch celebrating “Legally Pink”s successful 2015 Race for the Cure. (Thanks to all of you we, not only, met our goal but went over it….Susan Johnson…you took us over the top Friday night….thank you!)

It was also Mollie’s birthday weekend….we had a lot to celebrate and be thankful for….all these family celebrations remind me what a blessed woman I am.

I think this birthday picture is a perfect ending to a perfect day. Celebrating birthdays is always a victory over cancer…it makes me smile. Today, we also, walked for the future, as seen in the faces of Eva Cate and Rutledge. Health and happiness!

So until tomorrow….Let us remember to count our blessings for the friends and family God has given us…to travel along our same journey through life. *Brooke and Anne….I am afraid you are stuck now going every year…you added too much  fun to the day…we celebrate both of you.

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

• Go Clemson….You kept the day my favorite day in sports too. Yesterday both teams could be happy…nice weekend!