Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

As I started thinking about the blog today…I wondered how I could possibly “top” Thursday, July 16…a day filled with wonderful news for Betsy from her surgeon that all the cancer had been removed from the thyroid and the parathyroids and lymph nodes had come back “clean.” We have all just witnessed a true miracle with our beloved Betsy and it couldn’t have happened to more deserving young daughter, mother and wife…whose philosophy through this whole ordeal has remained “All is good.” And so it is!

Then Brookie heard the wonderful news she had been waiting to hear for a long time…that, not only, is she a grandmother…but a grandmother who will have a grandson to love.

Of course, I, also, experienced blessings from God through a guardian angel, to me by the “transmission medium” of a “whisper” and an amazing woman named Janet Bender.

Eva Cate finished strong at her princess camp and came home with a special award for artistic creativity…glowing with the special recognition.

Finally…right before I headed to bed Thursday night…I skimmed down Facebook and lo and behold Mev Shieder was sharing some encouraging news about (James)/ her husband’s latest  report from his surgeon showing his  lung x-rays looking good and his medication/treatment kicking in..the oncologist is quite pleased, also, with the turn of events.

I was so “high” from all this good news that it took me a long time to settle down long enough to fall asleep.

I am planning on writing the organizers of  this year’s Relay for Life and suggest the following “mantra” (found in the title message today) be included in the Cancer Survivor’s annual celebration.

“Always believe something wonderful is going to happen”…because it does! Now we just need to add the song “Happy” to the program and I think all of us “survivors” will be dancing off the stage….totally caught up in the “moment”…that special “moment” where a lifetime of happiness can be lived.

Through these past roller coaster days of waiting, worrying, wondering, praying, and counting blessings… something special has  been secretly growing in my garden…waiting for just the right moment to emerge…a garden “miracle” to bring July 16th (with all its waves of joy) to a “crowning” finish.

Do you see all the buds on my Passion Flower vine…especially the one on top? For days I have run out (each morning) to see if any buds have popped out in full bloom. Don’t you find this rather “miraculous” for a plant that normally blooms around Easter (thus the name) to choose the hottest part of July to bloom again?

Then yesterday morning…I ran over to the fence and the top bud had bloomed overnight….I told Brooke and Libby that this “crowning glory” arrived at the perfect time to announce a new child’s future entrance into the world (Brooke’s grandson) and Betsy’s report from her surgeon…cancer -free!

So until tomorrow…Always remember that God can “top” anything (no matter how daunting) at anytime to show us how much He loves us so!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* I had just finished typing this post…getting ready to “close shop ” for  the day when I thought I heard something….it was rain…beautiful rain. I have been praying for it all week (for the garden) and Summerville finally got our turn on the last day of the work week.

I did have to snicker when I saw the rain coming down…another “topper“…I told God that He was just showing off now…I thought I heard another chuckle back… amidst the rumbling thunder.

* Mandy brought Jakie and Eva Cate over yesterday so I could see them before they leave on vacation and (more importantly) get a big hug from each grandchild to last through the week…they fly out Monday afternoon. Have fun Turner family!

* More good news just coming in! Rut Rut Ding-Truck got the cast off his leg yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Way to go Rutledge…he got a “standing” ovation from the waiting room crowd that fell in love with him and his Hess truck while waiting to see the doctor! He was very brave. Rutledge sure knows how to “work” a crowd!!! I reckon it’s true what they say about a man and his truck! Our little “macho” man!

Dear Reader:

Sometimes we just need to sit back and let life surprise us…because it always does! For me…the most recent example appeared Wednesday afternoon on the white bench on my front porch.

This card was actually in a white envelope sitting beside my reading angel…but I took some artistic license to make it “pop”…so to speak.

I knew who it was from…I had talked to this person shortly before leaving for a medical appointment and she had said she had something to drop off and asked where the best place to do that would be and I told her…beside the angel….on the bench.

What I didn’t realize was… it would be the “deliverer” who was the angel in the unveiling story.

Before I reveal the surprise in the message inside this card…let me share with you an analogy that began to take shape (in my mind) between the sunflower on the card and the surprise waiting inside.

We have talked several times now about the amazing sunflower’s path…how it  follows the rays of the sun each day. The Greeks, upon observing ancient sunflowers performing this act of wonder….used their imagination to write a story explaining this strange phenomenon.

“Greek mythology celebrates a sunflower’s apparent dedication to the sun in the tale of a water nymph (named Clytie) who fell in love with the Sun god-Apollo.

In her adoration and infatuation of this god she would sit on the earth (a large rock in her garden by a pond) and gaze at the Sun god (Apollo) day after day. But Apollo (too self-infatuated with himself and supposedly in love with Daphne) took no notice of the love-struck water nymph.

The other gods began to feel pity and compassion for the lonely water nymph and decided to turn her into a sunflower. This myth explain why sunflower buds always follow the sun.”

……………………………

Today the sunflower symbolizes healing, constancy, and loyalty. Spiritually it represents the quest we should follow each day in our devotion to seek the light of truth…the one true Light.

Now let me reveal my secret, surprise, special guardian angel…Janet Bender!

Many of you (locally) probably know Janet through teaching, educational organizations ( She was a counselor in Dorchester District Two School District) or church -and since her retirement- as a representative for Juice Plus…an all-natural health supplement.

I have known of Janet for many years but didn’t really get to “know” her until my retirement. She appeared in my life in so many different phases…first as a mentor (successful author, herself) to my fledgling attempts to start writing children’s stories during my early retirement years.)

Then, after my initial cancer diagnosis…she was right there helping me fight  “little c” with Juice Plus (vegetable supplements/dark fruit antioxidants) as she explained to me how these all natural juice powders could boost my immune system while I was under-going chemo, radiation, and surgical procedures.

Reflecting back on those critical days…I know, without a fact, that these supplements pulled me through by providing my body with the right kinds of foods when many times I was just existing on crackers and “junk foods.” Just trying to get something in my stomach that would help me tolerate all the different medications I was on.

So, as you see, Janet has been my guardian angel for a long time…but yesterday…well…yesterday was special.

The message, inside the beautiful sunflower card, will be one that will remain in my heart forever… long after the  beautiful card, itself, has faded from memory.

It is very personal… so I am only sharing a few excerpts with you from it-enough for you to understand how special it was, is, and will always be.

As you know we talk a lot about God Winks in this blog…well Janet heard a “God’s Whisper.”

From the book she authored over 16 years ago…she still receives intermittent royalty checks …. As with all published writings…over the years the check have declined in frequency and amount.

But last week…to her surprise and delight…when she received her “little check” it turned out to be really BIG! As she was deciding on how to prioritize the money for bills and other needs while retaining some to build up savings…out of nowhere a thought came to mind. And now here’s the “rest of the story.”

Dear Becky

Surprise! You are the recipient of a God whisper!

…Reading your recent blog entries, I know that you’ve had some unexpected, “Oh my” moments with cars and appliances. I thought, “What if I got a small gift card and anonymously mailed it to Becky?”

Then later, as I was reading my morning devotion about answering our own prayers from Proverbs 31 Ministries, God whispered, “Write Becky a letter.”

So here I am, trying to compose something for a story-teller that conveys the purpose of this gift. The check will only be a “drop in the bucket” when it comes to helping with any car repair expenses you may have…but for me, it is an act of loving obedience to God’s Whisper…

...So for today, let this “thank you” gift from one writer to another, help make your day better in some small way. My prayer is that your wonderful writings and story telling will continue to bless us readers for many years to come. 

Much love and high regard,

Janet Bender

………………………

It took me almost half an hour to compose myself enough to call Janet and even then it was hard to talk…because (for once) I was speechless. How do you thank someone for a God’s Whisper? How do you thank someone who purposely adds your name to her priorities and needs categories?

 Last night I lay in bed and talked to God for a long time…thanking him for sending a guardian angel into my life to show me, once again, that He is in charge and always provides for His children.

I have made one promise to God and that is to pay this “whisper” forward when my moment arrives to be a guardian angel for someone else. I already know where it will go and will share the recipients’ names as the time approaches closer.

So until tomorrow…as the sunflower card quotes from Psalm 28:7 – “If God be for us, who can be against us?”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* The other day…when Mollie brought the boys to Boo Boo’s to visit…Rutledge and I pulled several old Hess trucks of Uncle Tommy’s out of the “magic closet” ….Rutledge’s favorite was a Hess truck that carried a racing car inside of it.

Rutledge didn’t spot the racing car until he was walking outside to play in the garden and then the look of delight and surprise spread across his face… I was lucky enough to capture that special moment.

Janet…put that expression on my face…and that is what I looked like upon reading your heartfelt message…except for the tears streaming down my face!

* Eva Cate has been at Princess Camp this week and yesterday was “CORONATION DAY!” She has had a ball…every little girl should feel like a princess every single day. *( And Janet…that is what you made me feel like… a princess!)

Mandy made a collage of her primping around before leaving for “coronation”….Work it girl!

* Hot off the Press: Eva Cate won the “coveted” Most Artistic Camper Award…a chip off the old block with mom as an art teacher!

* More good news!!! Betsy had her best night/day combo yesterday and is starting to feel “human” again…she even “washed all the bad mojo right out of her hair”…great news from the surgeon yesterday that all the reports coming back are “clean”…just like her hair!!!

*… And Brookie’s son (Riley and daughter-in-law Veronica) are having a little….a little…BOY! Let the fun begin! All the Ya aunties are ready and willing to jump right in as needed….too much excitement! So happy for you Brookie…the Ya’s love you!

* I don’t have sunflowers ( per se) in my garden but something that kind of looks like a wild sunflower….this is an old-fashioned plant  you can still see on back country roads today… Doodle said one name for it is the narrow leaf sunflower.

* Happy Four Months Birthday Lachlan…Love the pictures Mollie…you and Lachlan make a good-looking couple!

Dear Reader:

Don’t we all wish  ‘ that the peace that passes all understanding‘ would automatically pop up when we are worried about a particular problem?

Actually sometimes it does just that!

Let me share Libby’s story with you…something rather extraordinary that happened last week. But first let me explain the events that set the stage for this miraculous occurrence.

Betsy Clarkson Crick, Libby’s daughter, who we (blog readers) have kept in our prayers since last December when she first began to experience heart problems… just recently was diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer…an extremely rare form of cancer…seen in only 3 % of thyroid cancers.

It is a particularly nasty little cancer monster… so that is why the past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. There is only one surgeon in the state (MUSC) qualified to operate on this rare cancer with all its complex side effects… Betsy found herself  a diamond in the sky with this particular surgeon.

Betsy has, also, had to overcome several medical hurdles/blood tests to even be eligible for the surgery and then was told that it still could be aborted if things didn’t look good when the surgeons went in. *To date Betsy has flown over each hurdle looming on the track ahead with inches to spare.

Not only was her thyroid removed, but also three of her four parathyroids (4th one was diseased/removed) were transplanted into her arm…because, with this particular type of cancer, the goal is to remove anything in close proximity to where the cancer once “lived”…including all her lymph nodes and parathyroids..this cancer is quite a bully and doesn’t like to share or play fair with anything close to it.

Fortunately….all the biopsies on the lymph nodes have come back negative (Hallelujah!) and the malignant thyroid is now gone. (Hallelujah!) Unfortunately it takes a couple of  weeks for the transplanted parathyroids to start working and this absence is causing Betsy to suffer through a temporary condition called “hungry bone” syndrome. (Sounds like something you might  find on the menu at a T-Bonz steak house, doesn’t it?)

Quite simply… she is experiencing very low levels of calcium in the blood which causes numbness in her extremities and facial/head area…it is extremely disconcerting and uncomfortable….she has calcium tablets to take but has also had to get calcium IV’s put into her at the local ER (in the wee hours of the night/morning) to try to balance out the calcium equilibrium.

I have told you all of this… because this situation has created a quite challenging healing process. It  has, also, put Yen and Yang (mother-daughter) into the closest relationship imaginable and “Mother Strong”  (Libby) has risen to the occasion like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Collin (Betsy’s husband) and Libby talked about the best place for Betsy to convalesce (following the surgery) and it was decided (their houses are in the same neighborhood close together) that Collin would take care of their two little daughters if Libby could help out by providing Betsy a quiet place to recuperate at her home.

The family comes over a couple of times each day/evening for Hailey and Rebecca to talk and hug up on their mama.

No one is getting much sleep but they are making it work…pulling together as a family. When I asked Libby how in the world she was holding up…she said “By God’s Grace and the five P’s.”

It was then she told me about a book she had read several years ago… that came into play with this rather daunting situation. Trading Your Worry for Wonder. She remembered something in one chapter about the ‘Power of the P’s.’ 

It came flooding back to her while she and Collin sat in the waiting room during Betsy’s surgery…nervous that the surgeon would come out too soon saying she saw something she didn’t like and she had decided to abort the surgery.

Libby said it went something like this:

1) Start communing with God by Praising Him for His blessings

2) Do this through Prayer and Petition

3) It is then that the Peace of God (which passes all understanding) will be granted unto you.

4) Practice communing with God until your attitude about facing anxiety eases….because you have turned it over to Someone who can take care of the situation. It is out of your control to do so.

Libby said she kept practicing this train of thought through prayer and petition that morning at MUSC and then it came…arriving in the form of an intense feeling of warmth and comfort…as if she had been placed in a cocoon…

She felt like she was being gently caressed by God and that the “peace” she so longed for had completely enveloped every pore in her body. For the first time she felt that she could take a deep breath and let go of all the pent up anxiety…turning it over to God.

Libby said she finally understood the author’s suggestion on how to petition God: “God, I wonder what You will do with this situation?”  rather than continuing to make herself emotionally and physically ill worrying about things that she, alone, could not control.

To date Betsy’s convalescence is a roller coaster ride of ups and downs…but she and Libby know that they are not alone…Betsy is blessed to be part of a most amazing tight-knit family who adore each other and God hasn’t left her side for a second.

So until tomorrow…Betsy… remember this scripture:

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord… plans to give you hope and a future. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11- 13

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Actually yesterday was one of my all-time favorite days…made so by a most wonderful incident that occurred…but that story will have to wait until tomorrow….

* Amidst our worry and concern for Betsy….God continues to bring wonder into our lives and I have no doubt that Betsy’s story is going to changes lives for others, particularly people facing rare diagnoses….I feel it in my bones!

* And look at this wonder: The blog reached 25,000  views today… since starting over last November…Inch by inch and day by day the little blog that can ….does…Thanks to all of you!

Dear Reader:

Eva Cate is a putterer….a tinkerer… whose favorite thing to do (in the whole wide world) is taking small objects and moving them from point A to Point “ I don’t know because you can’t find them again.”

I must admit the acorn doesn’t fall far from the grandmother oak….me. I love to putter around too…randomly picking up something, like the remote, and unconsciously carrying it into all the rooms where I am “cleaning up” without ever returning it to the den….where I need it to turn the television on or off or simply change channels.

I never cease to be completely befuddled over the mystery of the disappearing remote. When one lives alone…deductive reasoning points to you and that is the case unless grandchildren are around.

It takes several weeks after Eva Cate has been to see Boo Boo to discover everything and place it back where it belongs. *You might remember Anne was drinking her wine when she discovered Eva Cate’s penny (that she placed in a wine glass during one of her visits) stuck in the bottom of the glass.

While I was getting ready to do storytelling for some campers this week at Trident Tech for Sandy Fraser (yesterday) I kept looking for my favorite pair of earrings….clip-on’s that don’t pinch. I tore through every jewelry box, eyeglass case, pocketbook and purse I could find. No luck!

I, then went to get a book off the shelf to take to the storytelling session and I saw my puppet doll, Thomas Jefferson, holding his feathered pen, and Declaration of Independence scroll under his arm…..wearing clip-on earrings. Mystery solved! Eva Cate had struck again.

Sometimes I think the world is divided into two groups: The organizers who know where something…anything…is at any given moment and then the rest of us…the tinkerers, the putterers…the spirits who are destined to randomly wander through life looking for car keys, pocketbooks, iPhones, and one missing shoe to match the other. Ah…such is life!

But for those of us in the second category (in our scatterbrained defense)…our “condition” does bring us closer to God…since we are always praying: “Oh God please help me find my car keys so I won’t be late for this or that… “Oh God…please tell me that I didn’t leave the car windows rolled down halfway this afternoon now that it is midnight with torrential rains and gusty winds blowing. “Oh God…I know I am a lamebrain…but You do know that I love you, don’t You?…and this child scatterbrain of Yours appreciates everything You do for me every single day…I couldn’t get through a day without You.” 

Yep, we putterers and tinkerers are lost little lambs when it comes to remembering where things are…but we never forget Who keeps bringing us back in the fold.

This is the beginning of a new day.

I have been given this day to use as I will.

I can waste it or use it for good.

What I do today is important.

Because I’m exchanging a 

day of my life for it.

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone

forever leaving in its place whatever I have traded

for it. 

I pledge to myself that it shall be;

Gain not loss; Good not evil;

Success, not failure; Love not fear

in order that I shall not regret the price I paid for this day.

………………………….

Yesterday was on of those days that I will never regret the price I paid for it….sharing my love of storytelling with fifteen children, their wonderful teacher, Danielle, and their director-Sandy Fraser at Trident Tech.

Sandy and I did the “No News” skit together and had a ball…then the story of “Fortunately and Unfortunately” and how it applies to our lives…ending with “The Boo Hag of Beidler Swamp”….an amazing day with some future storytellers and artists! Thanks Sandy for the invitation to join all of you!

The children were all into the stories asking lots of questions…one future artist drew her imaginative interpretation of a Boo Hag…Thanks McKenzie for your illustration…if I ever publish the story…your drawings will be in it.

Sandy and I exchanged some surcies…I gave her some Boo’s Garden flowers and I received some homemade banana bread and nuts….yummy! So looking forward to breakfast this morning! Love ya Sandy….Have fun with those adorable campers the rest of the week!

So until tomorrow…Let us never forget the price we pay for each day and make it the best one ever.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

You are looking at a mother-daughter team whose courage and tenacity is something beyond belief…the power of love can’t be beat! Go get’em  you Wild Women Warriors! Little “c” doesn’t stand a chance against you two….it might as well just slink away like the coward it is!!!

* To  my Ya friends & families… who are going through all kinds of difficult challenges, but also dreams of a new future….remember:

God understands

He is your provider

today, tomorrow, and always

And He loves you

Cast all your cares on Him

and Believe!

– Linda Knight

Prayers are bouncing off everyone like atoms in the universe…Do you feel them…do you feel the hug, the  soft caress…God is in your presence. And He’s not letting go!

Dear Reader:

Yesterday I ate lunch at Eva’s Restaurant…if you have stopped in there this past week you have seen the black draped table (with flowers) where our former Mayor Berlin Myers ate breakfast about every single day of his life…in his later years. “His” chair leans against the table in tribute to him and remains in that position until after the funeral.

An emotional lump started growing in my throat when I realized that Berlin Myers assumed the office-Mayor of Summerville – the same year I moved to Summerville (after graduating from Erskine College-1971-1972 school year) to begin my teaching career at Alston Junior High (at that time)…now Alston Middle School.

I taught almost three decades before leaving to become the Social Studies Specialist at the school district… (once standards came into play)…and I stayed in that position for four more years…before “retiring” and then working for the State Department doing workshops on storytelling and Social Studies (around the state) for about three more years. Through it all…Berlin Myers remained our Mayor of Summerville.

Even after I was diagnosed with breast cancer (little “c”) and temporarily stopped doing workshops….Berlin Myers was still going strong as our mayor. It wasn’t until 2011 that he decided to lay down the gavel once and for all. What an amazing leader!

We, Summervillians, have been doubly blessed, in the lowcountry, to have Mayor Myers for our long-standing leader locally and Mayor Joe Riley for Charleston…two amazing trailblazers who have been at the helm to see the changes and progress made in both locales.

Summerville only had a population of 3000 when Mayor Myers presided over Summerville that first year…1972. I remember as a fresh, young teacher (right out of college) falling in love with the little town and getting treated to hot dogs by the school coaches from the Pool Hall near Eva’s where they would take turns running each day to pick up lunch . The best hot dogs in the world!

In 1996 Sherri Houston and I became involved in a state project titled: Downtown as a Classroom. We put our heads together and came up with the idea of honoring seventeen local “legends” including (Mayor Berlin Myers, Coach John McKissick….famous authors (like Fern Michaels and our beloved Effie Wilder)  doctors, pharmacists, photographers, quilters, etc.)

“My” Tommy was in the seventh grade that year and he portrayed Mayor Myers…with a stuffed pillow to puff out his wiry stature.

We had the students interview each “legend” and then create a fairy tale about them to present at an afternoon tea in April of 1996.

I remember helping Tommy with his fairy tale (with some help from Betsy Myers on his accomplishments people didn’t know about…like serving in WWII and being there on D-Day to storm the beaches of Normandy.)

Since Mayor Myers has always been known for his lumber company (so clean that you can eat off the floor) we kept sneaking in the word “wood”  into the fairy tale…as much as we could.

For example….the fairy tale read that Myers was a kind king who ruled longer than any other in a beautiful village by the sea….known for its wonderful aroma of pine trees and azaleas. When he fell in love and asked the beautiful princess- Miss Janie of “Farmer-town” to marry him he held his breath until she answered she  “wood.”

And now at 98 our wonderful mayor has left us for new adventures and exciting new worlds…I think God needed him to manage another town in another place far away…

 I think this ancient saying from India pretty much sums it all up….

When you were born

you cried and the world rejoiced.

Live your life in such a manner

that when you die

the world cries

and

you rejoice!

…………………………..

So until tomorrow…Let us be thankful for all the blessings bestowed on our beloved Summerville under the guidance of a proven leader for all its citizens…through all its seasons…Mayor Berlin Myers!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

This story started quite inconspicuously when Tommy saw an article about a little stuffed tiger (looks like he was quite loved) discovered in the Clemson stands and after unsuccessful efforts to find its owner… the university decided to adopt it and let the student body vote on a name….almost unanimously the little tiger was named “Lachlan.”

Tommy…after reading the blurb on this stuffed animal….and thinking what a coincidence it was to choose the same name as our little “Lachlan’s name” (over so many other more familiar names)… he sent Walsh and Mollie the picture and story… being big Clemson fans…he knew they would be delighted with the choice.

The votes are in and the response was overwhelming. Meet Lachlan the Tiger! Well over 1,000 of you picked “Lachlan” as the name for this little stuffed tiger we found in the uppermost level of Memorial Stadium.

He will be prowling Clemson all summer so be ready for more of his adventures. Thanks to all who voted!

Apparently the student body has been having lots of fun this summer finding Lachlan in expected and unexpected locations around the campus.

It wasn’t until I did some research on the Lachlan selection that I discovered why the name was so popular and picked as the number one favorite by the Clemson voters.

Meet Lachlan Tannery:

This brave little boy fought a childhood form of leukemia ….making  trips with his siblings and parents (he is a twin) back and forth to MUSC for blood treatments. Sadly,  he passed away (a couple of months ago) this past May.

…But not before leaving behind a legacy of love and hope. Clemson fell in love with him as sororities, fraternities, school organizations, local businesses and the student body- at- large began organizing fund-raisers to help others in similar situations find bone-marrow donors.

If you pull the website ..you can find ways to help keep Lachlan’s short life meaningful and inspiring for everyone. Like the site says: One tiny life can change countless lives…

Mollie came over yesterday with the boys and we were all so inspired by the turn of events from Tommy’s email to discovering the real story behind the name chosen for the little tiger left behind…that the boys brought all their Clemson paraphernalia with them to honor Lachlan Tannery…a little boy who loved his Clemson Tigers.

Our little Lachlan:

We kept everything orange yesterday ….even down to dream- sicles…and orange leg casts!

Rutledge made a wish for Lachlan the Tiger...and threw a penny in the wishing well…a donation will be made to the Lachlan McIntosh Tannery Foundation from our family.

We felt like a dream-sicle was the appropriate choice of dessert….because we were all so moved by the courageous story of little Lachlan Tannery…that, we too, want to make sure that all little children get to grow up and dream dreams of the future while eating ice cream…it is the way life should be.

So until tomorrow…Life is complicated and sad sometimes and some answers will have to wait until the next world…but we can keep one child’s (at a time) life remembered forever…. hopefully through donations to  save others in that precious child’s honor.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Marcia…thank you for my surcie…a cup with the spiral on it…infinity…I know it will bring me good luck…and a “little” longevity would be great too!

Rutledge had a big surprise when he arrived at Boo Boo’s house yesterday….Honey and Mike had sent him a package….two wooden trucks….he was thrilled…even playing the piano with them! Y’all’s kindness exceeds anything I have ever seen!

* Thank you Roz for letting me know about the videos for little boys called “Twenty Trucks”….Rutledge is clued to them.

* Do check out Kaitlyn’s most recent blog post…I was quite impressed. Quite a gifted writer- “But Why?”

Google: swicegood yoga

Dear Reader:

When I bought this sign from Marigolds several years back I took a long time deciding on the perfect place where it should be placed…it had to be some where I could see it daily… in all my comings and goings. It was too important a message to forget.

And then I found that perfect spot…. It sits on the window ledge at the end of the hallway that leads back to four rooms…the computer room (my office) the bathroom, the guest bedroom and my bedroom. So every day I have four chances to read the message for every trip down the hallway.

Believe me when I say I know how blessed I am…how very blessed! When I take time to reflect back on all the blessings that have come my way during my life’s journey…I realize how many blessings have arrived in unexpected ways….even hiding under masks in disguise. In fact…the blessings in disguise have turned out to be some of the very best ones!

One example: I was serving on the SC Teachers Council back in the early 1990’s and had applied to represent SC in a national conference in Snowbird, Utah…I had been awarded several IMPACT II grants which led to my eligibility for application.

But I didn’t get selected and I was, sadly, disappointed…At that time…the kids were older and money was extremely tight with one in college and two more to go….we couldn’t afford family vacations and the thought of getting to travel somewhere really cool, like out west (all expenses paid) had been so exhilarating before hope died on the vine…or so I thought.

I got a telephone call from Jeanne Sink, the SC Teacher of the Year in 1991, and she said that she was supposed to represent the state at this same conference but it coincided with her family’s annual vacation and her first priority was her family….would I please go in her place?

I almost dropped the phone….before I stuttered and said “I would be honored to take your place at the conference.” Jeanne went on to say that, coincidentally, the other representative from the state was from Summerville too….her name was Rene Harris.

I had heard of Rene but never “officially” met her….and it was no “coincidence” that when our paths collided…it was definitely a “God’s Wink.”

When we got together at my house to plan our project/presentation (A BIG BOOK) to take with us it was like Yin meeting Yang in creativity….we finished each others’ sentences.

( First two photos are from Miami where we did another presentation -watching television between workshops- second photo…the view seen from glass window conference center in Snowbird, Utah.)

By the time we left Snowbird we were best friends and continue to be today… even with long absences ….between sightings. We went on to travel and present together for several more workshops around the country, my youngest son, Tommy, was blessed to have Rene as his teacher for two years in the fourth and fifth grades at Newington, and we both continued promoting the power of storytelling in the curriculum through graduate courses we taught together.

So why was I surprised when I got a free McDonalds breakfast through the generosity of Rene Harris in a big, tall gray truck in front of me in line the other morning? We were meant to meet (all those years ago) as our paths coincided along our life’s journey. And we were meant to meet again last week.

In the follow excerpts from a powerful little story found in the book (God’s Little Acre) the blessing in disguise,  in this family situation, arrived in the form of a very special brother.

“God is Hiding Under My Bed”

My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed.  At least that’s what I heard him say one night.  He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped outside his closed door to listen.  “Are you there, God?” he said.  “Where are you?  Oh, I see.  Under the bed.”  I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room.

Kevin’s unique perspectives are often a source of amusement.  But that night something else lingered long after the humor.  I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.  He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. 

Apart from his size (he’s 6’2″), there are few ways in which he is an adult.  He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7 year old, and he always will.  He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas, and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them. 

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different.  Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?  Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, returning to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.  The only variation in the entire scheme are laundry days, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. 

… I  don’t think Kevin knows anything exists outside his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips.  He doesn’t know what it means to be discontent.  His life is simple.  He will never know the entanglements of wealth or power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats.  He recognizes no differences in people, treating each person as an equal and a friend.  His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.

... His heart is pure.  He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.  Free from pride and  unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry.  He is always transparent, always sincere. 

And he trusts God.  Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child.  Kevin seems to know God — to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an “educated” person to grasp.  God seems like his closest companion.

In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith.  It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.  It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap — I am.  My obligations, my fears, my pride, my circumstances — they all become disabilities when I do not submit them to Christ.

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn?  After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of the Lord.  And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I’ll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed. 

Kevin won’t be surprised at all.

………………………………………………………………………… 

So until tomorrow…the next time a blessing (in disguise) comes along…remember to give it a chance to reveal itself …in God’s good time.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Look at the buds on my passion plant….who would imagine buds in the hottest part of July…the vine is just covered.

*Update on Betsy….she is home and recovering quite nicely overall…she overcame many obstacles just to be eligible for the surgery…God has definitely been by her side and her loved ones’ too…Please continue to keep her in your prayers this week and especially Friday when she returns to MUSC for all the biopsy results taken during the operation.

What troopers she and mom have been through all of this…with the love and support of her husband and little girls…they have all made a formidable team to be reckoned with…with God as their leader. Warriors for wellness, hope, and love.

Dear Reader:

Do you see what I see?  Miniature peaches are growing on my patio! After saying that I just didn’t have time to grow vegetables, fruits or edibles… (since my flower garden consumed so much of my time to maintain)… God thought differently.

When I first saw the plant container (back in early spring) and glanced at the silver tag…all I read was patio peach….and “assumed” it meant some kind of peach blossom. I was thinking how pretty the blossom would be and I bet it had a great fragrance!

I needed something big for the patio so I got it and now I realize what I got- miniature/dwarf peaches…(after taking the time to read the label again.)

Actually I have three peaches growing on the plant! I am a peach grower…who would have ‘thunk it’? The whole thing just makes me so happy!

I honestly have no direction for this blog post today other than to say “I’m happy.” And it is not the kind of happiness that depends on circumstance. (since my car is still in an ambiguous state of health, my hot water heater just died and I pray every day that my two old heating/air conditioning units make it through another day.)

But today….right now…I am a peach grower and I am just plain “peachy”  about it!

I was reading a short interview recently on Pharrell Williams, who sang the mega-hit “Happy” (originally for the Disney movie Despicable II -2014) and the effect this song has had on his life.

He said, in the interview, that in hindsight every thing in his life had been leading up to this song. He owed all his happiness to the people in his life who helped guide him to this happy place….his grandmother, who, while dying of cancer, begged him to go to music camp one summer, his music teachers in middle and high school who encouraged him to pursue music and friends and family who never gave up on him.

When his first big single came out…it flopped. Williams said he did go into a temporary depression…asking himself “What went wrong”….only to realize later that the lyrics were all about him…excluding his audience and others in his life.

He said it was the best mistake he ever made…true happiness isn’t self-centered…it is far-reaching….far-sharing…a feeling that encompasses young and old, from everywhere around the earth… in every culture.

He found what he was looking for….In “Happy.” Williams says that it doesn’t matter where he is traveling in the world today….young and old recognize him (by his hat) and begin singing and dancing to “Happy.” It is such a catchy tune you just have to start moving when you hear it.

Williams says that he has learned that happiness is at the core of humanity…we all want to be happy…silly, deliriously happy. We want to just feel happy for the moments in life that make us feel carefree and joyful again…no prerequisites (money, possessions, home location, education, job security)  needed. Happiness is free.

So until tomorrow…A thought came to me (while  I allowed a few ‘pity party’ moments to hover around me concerning broken appliances and vehicles)…. that there is a way to make a  free payment each and every day!

Pay someone else a compliment! And guess what? You will feel HAPPY!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Anne shot me an email to say she arrived safe and sound in Oregon and is now enjoying the Pacific ocean on a cool, windy afternoon….life is good….Anne says she is “happy!”

Now get ready to sing along and dance with sheer happiness! Like blowing bubbles…you can’t be sad while listening to this video….great way to start the day!

Pharrell Williams – Happy (Official Music Video) – YouTube

* Sometimes we need an official “face lifter” to make us smile and be happy…especially when we are very tired….Tommy is very fortunate to have Kaitlyn!

Kaitlyn made a music video for Rutledge’s first birthday last year (2014) using the back ground music from “Happy.”

Happy Birthday Rutledge! – YouTube

* I remember last year when this song (“Happy”) was all the rage Eva Cate would bounce up and down in her car seat if we were in the car together every time it came on.

John videoed her dancing to “Happy” last night…she still loves that song…like her Boo. Thank you John!

Now let’s all be happy today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Reader:

Upon reflection, the past few days have made my heart skip a beat… in more ways than one.

You might remember that I started having car trouble while keeping Eva Cate for VBS last week. Unfortunately the hopping and skipping continues at intervals…badly timed intervals. It really is like the car’s heart starts missing a beat.

For example….on my way home Wednesday afternoon from Mt. Pleasant, in bumper to bumper 526 traffic, my transmission light came back on and my car started skipping and jumping. I turned off the air conditioner to lessen any strain on the car and then started praying that somehow I would make it home.

Every time the traffic stopped on 526 my heart sank and my mouth went dry while my body got wetter and wetter from the heat and humidity. Even though it felt like the car was going to stall or cut off all the way home…with God’s help I pulled into my driveway safe and sound.

At 8:00 a.m. yesterday morning I took the car back to be re-checked and explained what happened. To make a long story short it could be  several things…some more serious than others…but I am hoping it is debris or water in the gas tank and dry gas and the new fuel pump filter will take care of it. (I am certainly praying for that…)

When I remember that nightmare drive home Wednesday afternoon from Mt. Pleasant….(which was anything but “pleasant”…)  my heart seemed to skip every time the car did…it was as if we were one and the same…the car and I both praying we made it.

When it started acting up once again on the way to take Anne to the airport yesterday morning…we both said a prayer as we chugged along. Once again…the ‘little car that thinks it can’ did!

Anne had picked some of her beautiful daisies for me and put back in my “Boo’s Garden” mason jar as a thank you token for taking her to the airport….(just glad neither one of us lost a filling to the skipping,  jumping car.)

As I was thanking Anne for the happy daisies that made my heart skip a beat in their beauty and joy…I told her that this was the second happy “surcie” of the day.

After checking on my car yesterday morning…I stopped by McDonalds to pick up a breakfast biscuit to eat before picking up Anne at her home. Suddenly I noticed this “cadillac” of all trucks… a beautiful shade of gray in a tall truck of much elegance…with hands  waving out the window at me.

It was none other than one of my all-time favorite people in the world …

Rene Harris-Principal at Beech Hill Elementary. 

I started frantically waving back too and ended up behind her in the drive-by window pick-up line. When I went to pay for my breakfast the young girl at the window told me that the nice lady is the pretty gray truck had already paid for it!

I started beeping and waving my hands again…as Rene beeped back and was gone in a flash. She had just turned my morning around with a token of kindness, a smile, a wave, and a beep!

She, too, had my made my heart skip a beat…to have friends such as these.

Later, when I got home, I looked up Beech Hill to find a photo of my friend and instead…also found her school’s mantra for the upcoming year. So very Rene!…She practices what she preaches… if what she did for me is any indication and it is!!!! I know!!!

2015 Beech Hill’s Theme

“Leading by example…Full STEAM Ahead.”

Consider this: “At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam. And with steam, you can power a train. Just one extra degree makes all the difference.”  Sam Parker

So until tomorrow Let’s all do things that make our fellowman skip along life more happily… while our hearts skip a beat in sync with the joys of life… through giving.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Mandy’s hairdresser took a photo of her as publicity for her salon yesterday….Jennifer Funderburk, the stylist, is good!

Charleston is more than blondes;) how natural????? Gorgeous!!!!

— with Mandy Turner at Salon Vantaggio.

*I would be remiss, as a South Carolina history teacher for three decades, not to recognize what an historical and momentous day this is in our state history!

What a day to remember when the Confederate flag finally comes down! I never thought I would see it in my lifetime…but I am so glad God permitted me to live long enough to see this happen….way way overdue!

I could give you a history lesson on why this flag (that never even flew in SC during the Civil War) was never an appropriate state symbol to begin with… however.. I will spare you the lesson today. Just let this old history teacher say loudly...this is my favorite day!

I decided to paraphrase Woody Guthrie’s song “This Land is My Land” for this unbelievable but miraculous turn of events in SC history! ( I personally can’t tolerate any symbol directed at anyone that is hurtful and demeaning to our fellow man.)

” This state is your state, this state is my state

  From Campobello to Sullivan’s Island

From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean

This state was made for you and me. “

” The Flag is gone now…that hurt so many

A sign of hatred, a sign of slavery

We can rejoice now…with one voice singing

This state was made for you and me.”

* A special thank you to all our representatives from the governor down who  laid politics aside to do the right thing…to vote from the heart.

Dorchester can be especially proud of Jenny Horne for her impassioned speech asking for a hurtful symbol to be removed for the sake of all South Carolina’s people! It made my “heart skip a beat.”

Tommy sent me this link….very powerful. Jenny said what so many of us wanted to say….and that is what a representative of the people should do!

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/09/us/south-carolina-jenny-horne-speech/index.html

My hibiscus plant is blooming all over itself…the giant red blooms on the green chair look so pretty and “Happy Returns”…my yellow lily finally did return after several weeks. Welcome back!

Dear Reader:

Don’t we spend a lot of time in our lives making lists…lots and lots of lists?  I read somewhere that books with lists sell faster than any other genre. Apparently many Americans just want to get information on a subject fast without having to really read a book.

The older I get the more I find myself making lists to remind myself to do something…which I then promptly misplace and I have to remind myself to put my reminders some where else so I can remember the location. Pitiful, isn’t it?

It must be wonderful to be God Who doesn’t ever need a reminder to remember all the special occasions in each and everyone of our lives…He never forgets birthdays, anniversaries, and especially sad days when we need a Friend.

When I came across this “reminder poem” I thought to myself that this is really the only list…the only daily reminder that we need concern ourselves with…the reminder to keep working towards the goal of being a child of God that our Father is and will always be proud to call His child.

Lord, just for today, help me:

Give more and take less,

and always give something back;

Take responsibility for myself

and don’t place blame on

or wait for others;

Live with integrity and courage,

with an eye to the future of us all;

Look at the world and think

“This is ours,”

not “This is mine”;

Ask how I can help and what I can contribute,

instead of how much more I can have;

Look out of windows

instead of staring into mirrors,

and see past the narrow confines of myself.

Act with compassion and tolerance

in all things and to everyone;

Know that sometimes mine isn’t the only way,

but only one more way to try;

Live in harmony with this earth

and treasure all its gifts;

Try to understand more

and therefore fear less,

accept more and judge less,

love more and hate less;

To know that it’s up to me

to start today to give back

more than I take !

To pass on the magnificent wonders

of this earth to my children

and to their children.

– Vickie M. Worsham

So until tomorrow…May we always remind ourselves to follow God’s lead and leave ourselves open to His reminders of the life He wants us to live.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Well I don’t know if I passed any “magnificent wonders of the earth” on to Eva Cate and Jakie yesterday ( I kept them while Mandy got her hair cut before their vacation) but they, themselves, are always “magnificent wonders” to me.

* Honey told me that Cocoa (their newest dog) just got bitten by a snake….it was touch and go for awhile…she is home on lots of meds but slowly improving…everyone with pets be extra careful this summer…seems to be a lot of snakes out there.

* Sis and Harriett both offered bulbs and seedlings to plant for next summer’s crop of lilies…because they both have beautiful lilies with exotic and/or Persian names too….Oh how my garden grows…with such giving friends. Thank you both!