Chapel of Hope Stories

Jake: One month, eight months

Dear Reader:

Shakespeare once wrote in a line from his play Hamlet: (Conversation between Hamlet and Horatio)

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” 

– Hamlet (1.5.167-8), Hamlet to Horatio

Basically Hamlet was expressing his belief to Horatio… that the universe is so much more than we mere mortals, with our limited understanding and learning, can possible absorb.

The older I get the less I know…because I grasp now just how infinite the world and heavens around us really are… simply put: mind-boggling!

It is strange how we, and believe me I am including myself in “we,” turn an almost blind eye to daily subtle changes…like the grand-babies turning over for the first time or sitting up or walking…or the older grandchildren getting taller each visit and expressing opinions. These changes we handle quite easily.

All it takes is a sudden change… like a neighbor or friend telling us he/she is moving and we are completely thrown off-kilter…we can’t imagine the neighborhood without them and we grow uncomfortable with the thought that others might move.

Change is going on constantly…but it just takes our “constant security blanket” to change (perhaps a job closing down, a well-loved pastor leaving or retiring, a child going off to college….and our stress level hits maximum capacity in a matter of seconds.)

The “sage of science,” Carl Sagan, expressed it more universally….the ever-changing metamorphosis of daily life.

“We go about our daily lives understanding almost nothing of the world. We give little thought to the machinery that generates the sunlight that makes life possible, to the gravity that glues us to an Earth that would otherwise send us spinning off into space, or to the atoms of which we are made and on whose stability we fundamentally depend.

Few of us spend much time wondering why nature is the way it is; where the cosmos came from, or whether it was always here; if time will one day flow backward and effects precede causes; or whether there are ultimate limits to what humans can know. What is the smallest piece of matter. Why do we remember the past and not the future. And why there is a universe.” (Carl Sagan…quotes)

Besides the grandchildren…it is my garden which teaches me about the things in my life that are changing each day when I return each morning. Besides the obvious….new plants and buds blooming…old plants dying….more subtle changes are taking place with color and texture….besides just growth.

Remember the three red Japanese maples named for each of the three grandsons….all looking pretty similar…especially in comparison with Eva Cate’s delicate looking green leaf maple?

Well…a few days ago…I looked at each tree and saw the most beautiful color changes taking place inside each tree….let me show you. (All I can figure out is it must have something to do with the amount of sun and shade each tree is getting…because everything else is similar in the amount of water…pruning…etc. )

1) First… let’s look at Rutledge’s tree: The red is dazzling when the sun’s rays hit it just so….almost sparkles in its intensity of color.

2) Just a few feet away… around a slight bend…is Jake’s tree….now turning beautiful speckled colors of green and red…soft and luscious….and big…like Jake.

3) And finally Lachlan’s tree…still small but growing fast…speckled like Jakes’s but a much deeper red/green…it stays in the shade longer than the others.

Just a few weeks ago…all three trees were exactly the same color and now each one is changing according to its soil and sun and shade.

Doesn’t God just blow you away? He is definitely a “Detail God.” He must laugh at us for all the time we take (from our short lifespan) trying desperately to ‘bar the doors’ to our home and family against the monster “Change.” Of course…it always turns out to be a lesson in futility and change…of perspective.

In hindsight…don’t we usually look back and see that this or that change (that we so desperately fought)…turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to us…a new path with new opportunities?

So until tomorrow…Thank you Father for guiding us through the maze of changes in our lives that lead us back home to You… having lead a purposeful life.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* It will be interesting to see when I return home Thursday….how the lantana will have grown and spread (it had just popped up earlier in the week) * This photo was taken last Sunday.

Dear Reader:

The last morning at home before leaving for Edisto…I walked out to the garden and there stood (quite proudly) the most beautiful lily which looked like a combination of sunrise and sunset….it took my breath away.

It also reminded me that each day new surprises and possibilities await us…isn’t life exciting that way?

I have taken on the task on trying to clean out my “Documents” folder which is worse than organizing old family photos. The majority of the documents are educational activities I saved for workshops….but now going back through them again…I find myself reminiscing over the fun I had with students and teachers, alike, singing, rapping, and dancing to history.

I, also, realized, that I had saved some stories, poems, and anecdotes from early blogs dating back to even 2010…and found myself stopping to re-read them again…that is how I discovered this poem. It seemed to “fit” with my sunrise lily discovery. I hope you enjoy the poem as much as I do.

“Each new day is a blank page in the diary of your life. The secret of success is in turning that diary into the best story you possibly can.”
― Douglas Pagels

Beginning Today
By: Author Unknown

Beginning today I will no longer worry about yesterday.
It is in the past and the past will never change.
Only I can change by choosing to do so.

Beginning today I will no longer worry about tomorrow.
Tomorrow will always be there, waiting for me to make the most of it.
But I cannot make the most of tomorrow without first
making the most of today.

Beginning today I will look in the mirror and I will see a person worthy
of my respect and admiration.
This capable person looking back at me is someone I enjoy spending time
with and someone I would like to get to know better.

Beginning today I will cherish each moment of my life.
I value this gift bestowed upon me in this world and I will unselfishly
share this gift with others.
I will use this gift to enhance the lives of others.

Beginning today I will take a moment to step off the beaten path and to
revel in the mysteries I encounter.
I will face challenges with courage and determination.
I will overcome what barriers there may be which hinder my quest for
growth and self-improvement.

Beginning today I will take life one day at a time, one step at a time.
Discouragement will not be allowed to taint my positive self-image,
my desire to succeed or my capacity to love.

Beginning today I walk with renewed faith in human kindness.
Regardless of what has gone before, I believe there is hope
for a brighter and better future.

Beginning today I will open my mind and my heart.
I will welcome new experiences. I will meet new people.
I will not expect perfection from myself nor anyone else: perfection does not exist in an imperfect world.
But I will applaud the attempt to overcome human foibles.

Beginning today I am responsible for my own happiness and I will do
things that make me happy . . .
admire the beautiful wonders of nature, listen to my favorite music,
pet a kitten or a puppy, soak in a bubble bath . . .
pleasure can be found in the most simple of gestures.

Beginning today I will learn something new; I will try something
different; I will savor all the various flavors life has to offer.
I will change what I can and the rest I will let go.
I will strive to become the best me I can possibly be.

Beginning today. And every day.

……………………………

So until tomorrow…Let’s start writing the best chapter in our life story…a real cliff hanger filled with hope and the happiest of all endings.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Johnny Johnson commented on  the blog post “Love the Little Things in Life”….I think we all share in these true thoughts….

“It is part of my morning ritual to sit on my deck and see the little things like the small flowers in the flower pots, listening to the birds singing their good morning songs, even watching my resident lizard that I talk to.The lizard drops and listens as if it understands what I am saying, looking at me turning its head constantly.

I love the little hints God gives us to see and hear each day and the peacefulness it brings me. Oh and of course reading your blog after I come in each morning. Though I was interrupted yesterday and I am a day behind on the blog. It’s these little things that make my day get started out right. The peace that comes over you when you are alone and its quiet is priceless and maybe a Godswink that says today will be a great day! ”

Dear Reader:

You may have heard talk of some women’s organizations initiating a political fight now (for the year 2020 ) to remove Andrew Jackson from the twenty-dollar bill (like he, unceremoniously, removed the Five major Eastern Indian tribes to Oklahoma along the Trail of Tears) and replace his image with that of a famous American woman.

And why 2020….because that year marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote. So in keeping with the “twenties” theme…the twenty-dollar bill seems only appropriate. (The first time Eva Cate got a twenty-dollar bill…she asked me who the scary looking man on the front was…perhaps this is the real reason behind the change…Jackson doesn’t hold up well to PR scrutiny.)

To give everyone a chance to decide which historical woman should be the first on a paper bill…a contest is underway….with Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, and Harriett Tubman leading the race to date.

We will have to see how this all plays out…whatever the outcome…the twenty-dollar bill will probably be worth less ( in spending power) by 2020.

Yet the real value in the twenty-dollar or any dollar bill… might take on a different perspective after you read this interesting anecdote.

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked: “Who would like this $20 bill?”

Hands shot up across the large assembly room.

He then said, “I am going to give this $20 bill to one of you but first, let me do this.”

He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.

He then asked, “Who still wants it?”

Still the hands were all up in the air.

“Well, he replied, “What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. “Now who still wants it?” All the hands remained in the air.

“My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

“Many times in our lives, we, too are dropped, crumpled, and ground in to the dirt by decisions we make or circumstances beyond our control.”

“We feel as though we are now worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose YOUR value. You are special-DON’T EVER FORGET IT!

……………………………..

So until tomorrow…Father, remind us daily, that no matter the dire circumstances that might befall us…we are children of God and as such loved and valued beyond human comprehension…God-fold!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* I can’t leave today without sharing another anecdote Jo Dufford sent me in reference to the blog post on the ‘little things in life being the most important.’

This blog really hit home with me because it is the little things (like a real hug) that count, especially as I get older.

I read a devotion the other day on this subject. It seems this lady and her husband had some big trip planned to see a portion of the world far away, and then for health reasons needed to stay close to home.

So they packed a basket, took a blanket and began driving on back roads and seeing places they didn’t even know existed. They picnicked on river banks and enjoyed God’s world around them. They watched an old man whittle and listened to the laughter of children playing in the park. They ate in little diners with the best home-cooking and met the most interesting people.

It IS all about “taking time to smell the roses,”right? Speaking of flowers, yours are so beautiful.

(Thanks Jo for the nice compliment and the anecdote…I loved it!)

Dear Reader:

Finally…the Ya Summer Retreat is here and all of us are beyond happy…we have so much to catch up on, with some birthdays also thrown into the mix….more fun awaits than you can “shake a stick at.”

(Quite honestly…just the idea of hanging with the girls…eating great food, watching old movies, walking on the beach, and sleeping to whenever…always does a body good…I return healthier-in the important ways- than upon arrival.)

I, even, have my first summer read to take with me. I pre-ordered it on amazon.com and it came just a couple of days ago…perfect timing! It is packed and ready to go!

It is Karen White’s latest novel: The Sound of Glass.

I’ve just read a few chapters but I can already tell that the story plot is tied, subtly, to the sea glass chimes that adorn an old southern home (bequeathed, unexpectedly to the main character) in Beaufort, SC.

Early into the story the legend of all the sea glass chimes found throughout the house, porches, and gardens, is told. Especially the one called “Mermaid Tears.”

“The story goes way, way, back, and is about a beautiful mermaid who fell in love with a sailor. To save his life, she calmed a storm, which was forbidden. As her punishment, she was banned to the bottom of the ocean, where she is to this day, crying her heart out for her lost love, and we’re reminded of her every time we find a bit of sea glass on the shore.”

Of course, you know me…I can’t stop with just that…so I started researching sea glass and “mermaid tears.” There are varying versions of the origin of the name… similar in the concept but different in the plot….such as:

Source: Mermaids Purse: “A Little Lesson in Sea Glass” Deborah Leon

A Little Lesson in Sea Glass

Sea glass has been with us since ancient times although we are hard pressed to determine exactly since when.  Glass beads have been discovered in Egypt dating back to 2500 B.C.  Cleopatra favored glass in her jewelry.  Sea glass wasn’t always sea glass as we know it.

Mythology and the folklore of fishermen and sailors say they are “Mermaid’s Tears”.

Neptune jealous for the affection of his mermaids was known to banish a mermaid to the depths of the sea.  Mermaids are known to swim beside sea vessels for guidance and protection and oft the mermaid would fall in love with the ship’s captain, thus banishment, causing the mermaid to weep and her tears would make their way to shore. 

Another tale is of sailors and fishermen drowning at sea causing mermaids to mourn and the evidence would be their tears found on sandy and rocky coasts world wide. 

………………………..

I didn’t realize that different shades of color among sea glass adds or detracts from its monetary value….collectors of sea glass know a “find” when they see it and call it by gem names…like “sapphire” and “ruby”.. to serious sea glass collectors…these are gems in their eyes. Jewelry, decorative bottles, planter sea glass containers, etc. are truly beautiful to look at…

The character in the story who collected sea glass and made them into chimes for her home and garden had this to say about their worth:

“Sea glass looks like stones because they’ve been tumbled about the ocean for many years, which gives them that cloudy look. That’s what I like about them. Any glass that can withstand such a beating without crumbling is something to be celebrated…only a fool thinks all glass is fragile.”

Therein comes the message for the story plot (I suspect)….sometimes people who look fragile are anything but…like sea glass…they can take a beating from life and not succumb or crumble into pieces…but instead pick up the pieces and turn them into something permanently beautiful and melodious.

So until tomorrow…instead of making lemonade out of lemons…go take a walk on the beach and look for sea glass to create something of beauty…a little thing for the memory books…that is what I plan to do these next few days.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Some of the family ended up in John and Mandy’s pool yesterday-an impromptu gathering… we had lots of big and little mermaids and handsome captains around…

Mandy and Carrie left to go to a friend’s house for a donation party (last evening) for a good cause…they cleaned up well, didn’t they? After a day of sun and fun and kids in the pool.

Dear Reader:

When Anne and I took a two-week international creativity workshop almost a decade ago in France (Can it really be that long ago?) one of the activities we discussed and practiced doing was learning how to take something big/ broad and bring it down to something miniscule…while living in the  moment.

The name of the lesson was “Miniature Worlds” or something similar.

Some examples we were given were things like: Study a  famous tapestry in an art museum by purposefully looking for a miniscule tear or place where one thread has come untangled and then follow it. You will leave the “masterpiece” seeing something more special than just one overall image/impression.

Questions will always remain: Who lost the thread momentarily and never caught the mistake until the tapestry was done….was the seamtress day-dreaming about something or someone else while working for hours, days, or even years on this piece?

Perhaps…did the artist purposefully drop a stitch or even a tiny splotch of a different color (from the paint brush) just to see if some observer in the future would see the tiny “flaw” and become immersed in it over the overall finish?

Instead of just taking a tourist photo shot of a famous edifice in France like the Eiffel Tower…step back…perhaps lie down in the grass beside a park bench near the historical site and look at the famous building from the viewpoint of a field of clover…what does the Eiffel Tower look like from a bee’s perspective or a colony of ants?

I could go on and on…but you get the idea.

It is too easy to overlook the “little things in life” if we are always looking up and not down. If we are clamoring so hard for that next rung on the corporate ladder that we overlook the tiny wildflowers living under the bottom rung.

In a psychology article on this subject the author discusses our theme today with a few new perspectives.

Source: World of Psychology: “Enjoying the little things in Life” Linda Sapadin, Ph.D

We’re often bombarded with messages that admonish us: “think big,” “go for the gold,” “climb the ladder of success.” And do all this NOW! Yet when we follow this advice, we’re more apt to feel exhausted, inadequate or both.

Why should this be so? What’s wrong with “thinking big?”

Nothing is inherently wrong with it. But when you believe that “big” is better than “small,” that “stretching to the limit” is better than “taking it easy,” that “be the best you can be” trumps “appreciating who you are,” you’re simply not being fair to yourself.

Not everybody wants to spend their life climbing the corporate ladder while stepping on the footsteps of others behind them, in order to achieve their goals in life. (Actually that is a good thing because there isn’t enough room for everyone at the tip-top of the ladder.)

For at the top, it’s lonely; the air is thin. And there’s no place else to go but down.

Some of us would rather…study all the colors of the rainbow…take a front row seat twice a day in front of the sun going down or the moon coming up.

The “little things in life” are what we will remember and appreciate when we reflect on days gone by. A little thing may be a fun evening with friends. It may be the joy of learning something new. It may be listening to the giggles of your kids. It may be the warm feeling you get when you’ve done a simple kindness for a friend or a stranger. It may be noticing nature bloom and blossom.

If you neglect to enjoy these little things, what are you left with? It’s the daily struggles, the disappointments and the disasters that plop on our doorsteps when we least expect it.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to see life anew watching Rutledge participate in his end of the year field day events and later keep Lachlan while big brother and cousin Madeleine went to the Children’s Museum with their mothers.

It is the “little things” that produce the permanent memories…not the big things in life. So yesterday I had the opportunity to stop and savor the moments with the “little ones” who surround me.

We all arrived at  Rutledge’s pre-school on Whipple road in Mt. Pleasant with cool breezes, blue skies, and just gorgeous overall weather…the perfect “field day.”

Rutledge was a little timid at first and didn’t want to participate in anything…we later reasoned he was afraid we were going to leave him at school so he just wanted me to hold him.

But as time went by….he loosened up…and the slide was definitely his choice of entertainment.

We all had a picnic on the grass…the school was grilling out hamburgers and I was ready to chomp down!

Monday….Rutledge will be ‘moving on up’ to the toddler 1 class with new teachers…and that’s the problem about loving “little things” …they grow up and become “big things.” That is why my iphone camera is attached to my hand…I am trying to capture memories…the kind that no one can ever take away.

We parted ways after the field day….Lachlan and I went back to Walsh and Mollie’s while the rest of the crew went to the Children’s Museum.

Walsh is working nights…and he had just gotten up when we arrived bringing him a shake and nuggets from Chick Filet. Then  he headed back to get a few more “zzzz’s” and Lachlan and I hung out in Rutledge’s room.

Lachlan is a snuggler…he likes to burrow right beside you….he doesn’t like sleeping alone…or on his back…but loves sleeping against your chest….so that is what we did. (In the first photo I ended up taking a little cat nap with him….so peaceful-in the second picture I thought a “mini-me” doll would help him sleep in the crib…not happening…Walsh said it was a little freaky)

In the end…the two top choices for sleeping positions for Master Lachlan are me and tummy…we watch him carefully but he is tummy man.

Walsh and Mollie have been trying to teach Rutledge his last name….at first he parroted it back right on cue….”Rut Rut Dingle!” Then he decided he liked “Rut Rut Ding-truck” better…so (for the better or worse) that is his name right now. I’ve heard worse.

So until tomorrow….thank you God for days where memories are born and stored forever…the “little things” days that bring the big rewards…the best rewards.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Here are some new “little things” planted alongside the house (daylilies) and new “little things” blooming in the garden..

Remember…we saw a tiny piece of this hydrangea (first bush to bud) bloom a couple of weeks ago…and now  look at its beauty.

(Aren’t those gerber daisies amazing and the cone blooms on the oakleaf hydrangea look like fairy blooms -you’re right Anne!)

Dear Reader:

I remember my junior year in high school taking geometry…or to be more truthful…it taking me!

Mrs. Ellis was my teacher’s name and I think she figured out quite quickly that I had absolutely no aptitude for advanced math….especially geometry!

I barely passed by the ‘hair on my chinny chin chin’  and a wink from God because I was completely lost all year. A wonderful/caring neighbor and fellow student, who was extremely smart, by the name of Bill Trakas, was my only link for survival.

Even Bill finally told me just to memorize the theorems so I could re-write them word by word…and then hope the 50% credit for knowing the theorem would count towards the 50% applied knowledge of which I had NONE. (Kinda balance it out and then pray hard for a “D.” It worked!)

It was only recently that I, sadly, learned Bill died from  cancer…Some Laurens friends sent me his wife’s address…I wrote his widow and told her that if it had not been for her husband…I would still be sitting in that geometry class, my eyes glazed over, praying for the bell to ring… fifty minutes each day…the worst kind of purgatory I can imagine!

Apparently I am not the first social studies teacher to struggle in math. When I started teaching and later going for my master’s…you had to take a verbal and math test for entrance into many graduate programs.

Literally…the year I applied…these entrance exams were dropped and other criteria adopted for admission….God is so.o.o. good!

Our social studies department always kept a sign up in each classroom that contained this “mantra.”

“WE DON’T DO WINDOWS OR MATH!”

All the department’s teachers would sign this ‘tongue-in-cheek’ mantra…but the reality was we didn’t want students coming up to ask if we could help them with their math homework…they already knew the answer… “NO!”

But now…at the age I am…(after reading this next fascinating tidbit) I just might take a better interest in the subject!

Source: “God, the Geometry Genius” Guideposts-Diana Aydin

I don’t know about you, but I dread eating salad for lunch. I know, I know. It’s super healthy. I’m just not crazy about vegetables.

Strawberries, pineapples, watermelon? Yes, please! Cauliflower? Makes me want to run and hide under my desk.

But maybe I’ve been misjudging those leafy greens in the vegetable aisle. The other day, I came across this fascinating article in “Amusing Planet” about the geometry of plants.

According to the article, “the points at which every branch, leaf, stem, bud or petal emerge, have all been set out according to fixed laws and miraculously precise measures.”

That means that your favorite veggies actually reflect geometric principles. Like the Fibonacci sequence, where numbers are generated by adding the two numbers that came before: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144…

“The Fibonacci sequence is so persistent in nature that it’s a challenge to find a plant or fruit structure that does not conform to it,” “Amusing Planet” says. “For instance, the placement of leaves along a stem is governed by the Fibonacci sequence, ensuring that each leaf has maximum access to sunlight and rain.”

That’s good math and good sense. And completely genius. So not only are vegetables nourishing and visually appealing, they’re also geometrically complex.

I never cease to be amazed by God’s wondrous ways. The fact that you can look at a seemingly simple plant and find His handiwork in every leaf just blows me away. I mean, really, who else would design a cabbage–a cabbage!–in such a brilliant way?

If He put that much thought into our groceries, I can’t even fathom how much thought he’s put into our destinies.

I’ll never look at a salad the same way again.

…………………………

* True confession time….the title photo is real…I took this picture of the salad sitting on the table in front of me at the Barony House yesterday… where I went to eat lunch with friends.

However, it was a “prop” in the sense that I asked the waiter if the cooks had any kind of finished salad that I could take a photo of and send right back…he disappeared and returned with that dinner salad. As soon as the photo (for the blog) was taken…I immediately began chowing down on my country steak, rice/speckled butter beans with mac and cheese…delicious!

I want to take a little time today and share some reader’s comments about some recent posts…

1) “I am the One Jesus Loves” – Ambika

Hi Becky! Wishing you a very happy Mother’s Day! I have begun to feel very special now because for the first time in my life, I and my mother both wished each other happy Mother’s Day … And as per the blog title, We ‘Mothers’ are the ones Jesus loves, coz He Himself is a Mother like God… Type Yes if you agree with me…. Lol… Enjoy your day!

( Ambika’s due date is coming up in about a month…soon now!)

2) “I am the One Jesus Loves” – Jo Dufford

“I am the one Jesus loves!” I have read John’s words about this so many times, but I love the feeling it gives me to say them over and over. Mrs. Dufford, Joe’s mom, was an outstanding Mother to her four boys, and when asked, “Which one do you love best?”

Her reply was, ” The one who is away, the one who is sick or the one who needs me now.” I would wish every child could say, “I am the one my Mother loves.” Hope your Mother’s Day was great as I surely was blessed to be with my girls, my son-in-law and most of their children. God is good, and I feel blessed to say, “I am the one Jesus loves.”

3) “Keep it Clean and Pure” – Fran Townsend

As I read about your cleaning frenzy I knew I had to write to invite you over here to continue your good work, as I have avoided doing those evil chores. Then I read the last part about the lantern, which put a big smile on this mother’s face!! Thanks for making my day, and come over to visit, not to clean!!

(Carol Buddin commented that my story about cleaning was a typical day for her…so I told Fran to call Carol about the cleaning job!)

4) “Keep it Clean and Pure” – Gin-g Edwards

 A lady who helped my Mother used to tell her that if her yard was not clean people would think her house looked the same way. Mother loved “Let” and always told us her stories.

5) “Keep it Clean and Pure” – Johnny Johnson

I had to laugh out loud when I read the name of the large hosta. (I think because I don’t expect that in your blog). But I had to burst out laughing. My wife thought I must be losing it! That definitely made my morning!

( It is what it is and figured a little irony works well with this blog on purity and cleanliness)

6) “Keep it Clean and Pure” – Kaitlyn Swicegood

I loooooove a clean house. Tommy says I’m OCD and I go on cleaning frenzies or missions. Get out of my way. The dogs particularly hate when I whip out the vacuum. But I feel so much better. I am so glad my flowers inspired a clean home 

*** Did anyone catch my nephew Lee (Barbour) and Elise Testone on Lowcountry Live yesterday morning?  They performed to show some of the music that will be going on with the kick-off for the new radio station-OHm.

This non-profit leadership group is trying to bring in a Charleston based station that can recognize the many talented artists in our lowcountry area.

Tuning In: Local nonprofit to launch Charleston-oriented …

My gerber daisies are just loving this weather…thriving in it!

Dear Reader:

A little book titled: Stella, Star of the Sea arrived a couple of days ago. I had forgotten I ordered it. This is one of those “penny” books you can order on amazon.com and just pay the two or three bucks to have it shipped to you.

This particular book was an used library book from Buck Library in Doyletown, PA. It was a little battered…but, to me, that is a sign it has been loved and read several times.

The reason I liked it was because the story was about a big sister showing her little brother the beach and ocean for the first time. (Perfect timing in real life)

The little brother is going through the “But Why?” stage (which I still remember from Eva Cate) and the big sister is ready and confident to supply any answer (right or wrong…mostly wrong) to every question asked.

The big sister, Stella, in the story, definitely reminds me of Eva Cate….If she doesn’t know an answer you would never know it…she just makes it up along the way.

The first time the family noticed this “talent” in Eva Cate was at one of the bridal showers for Aunt Mollie. She was just a little over two years old and wanted to help bring the gifts to Mollie and then “help” her open them in front of everyone.

Eva Cate, also, opened the cards and would pretend to read each one making up the most lovely imaginary messages like: “This present is for you and Uncle Woo Woo because we love you and want you to be happy.”  Or “Here are some plates for you and Uncle Woo Woo to put your pizza on because everyone loves pizza.”

Everyone was dying laughing at her imaginary messages…and reluctantly admitted her “interpretative readings” sounded much better than what they had actually written.

Here are examples of how Stella explains names of sea creatures and how they came about….

“Where do starfish come from?” asks the little brother Sam. “From the sky,” answered Stella.

“Starfish are shootings stars that fell in love with the sea.”

“Weren’t the stars afraid of drowning?” asked Sam. “No,” said Stella. “They all learned how to swim.”

These responses from the ‘know-it-all’ big sister touched my heart. Stella would continue telling her brother, Sam, how moon shells came from the moon and angel wings came from sand angels. She never hesitates in her confident responses.

Stella and Eva Cate are ‘two peas in a pod’ in how their little minds work. When I told Eva Cate a couple of weeks ago that the following Sunday would be “Happy Mother’s Day” ….she paused for only a fraction of a second before responding…. “When is Happy Child’s Day?” (My response: “Christmas“)

Stella tells Sam about sea horses…and in the story he looks pretty perplexed asking “Do they neigh or buck you off?”

Stella shakes her head “no” as she floats by on her pink sea horse float.

Eva Cate doesn’t have a sea horse but a dolphin that I gave her for the pool…it is already a big hit with her. John said he remembers his beloved childhood float was a whale.

Throughout the book Sam asks more questions to postpone the moment of stepping into the ocean…he is afraid. He continues> “Does the sea touch the sky?” “Do boats sail off the edge? Where do waves come from? Why….?”

Stella’s patience is gone and asks loudly, ” Sam, are you ever coming in?”

With a smile and loud “YES” Sam becomes one with the ocean…one with the origin of life.

.

* Rutledge will be the next “But why?” big brother and Lachlan, this summer, will just be going along for the ride…or swim.

I got one of the biggest surprise “splashes” of my life a couple of days ago. It was from one of my former eighth grade students, Dana Hall Krause… sent on Teacher Appreciation Day.

(The “splashes” that were left after reading it were smudged eye and make-up splashes. I decided to share it on-line because this “gift” has so much meaning to me on many different levels.)

A scholarship in memory of six teachers who made a difference in her life…I bet I can guess who some of those teachers were/are…if you are reading this and you are one of them…please let us know.

I will add this card to my special treasure trove…. (I call it my “rainy day” cedar box)…If I am down…all I have to do is pick up any of the cards in the box and the sun immediately returns to my soul.

*Thank you Dana so much for this recognition and honor….teaching would have been so easy if I could have multiplied you a thousand times…but then teaching should be a challenge…to reach each child’s needs where they are at the time you have them.

I didn’t need , in particular, any student to remember the history being taught…my goal was simply to open the eyes of the students to new ways of looking at the past,  and create a love and interest in the subject, letting curiosity take each one as far as they were willing to go.

“Anything not understood in more than one way is not understood at all.”

So until tomorrow…Thank you Father for imagination, curiosity, learning… and receiving a card like Dana’s on a rainy afternoon. A card that validates one’s existence in this world.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Walsh, Mollie, Rutledge, Lachlan, and Poogan went to Bryson City to stay at Steve and Lassie’s beautiful mountain cabin over Mother’s Day weekend….It was gorgeous… and getting to see Bill and family was fabulous…But then a tooth that had been causing some problems for Walsh flared up…and the weekend was cut short.

Walsh had emergency oral surgery Monday morning and has been drinking out of a straw ever since…

A few pictures from the trip:

*Yesterday was a big day! Good news for Kaitlyn! She has started working at Breathe Pilates: Studio & Spa every other Saturday…(Babysitting provided at the studio-$5.)

 ***Yesterday, May 13, was also Walsh and Mollie’s wedding anniversary…Congrats! “Productive few years I’d say!

* Mollie’s sister Chelsey and Madeleine flew in to visit with cousins Rutledge and Lachlan…the girls and boys will have fun!

Rutledge and Madeleine are definitely hitting it off…the ultimate sacrifice…Rutledge, willingly, shared some of his trucks/tractors with his cousin!

Dear Reader:

“All is well” with my fountain finally ..after many trials and tribulations.

The problem with the fountain was that it kept letting too much water splash out of the basin … if I forgot to turn off the electric switch to the motor for a long period of time… the water would be dangerously low…not covering the motor…I could possibly burn it up.

So every morning… when I woke up and I could hear the fountain running ( meaning I had forgotten to turn off the switch again) my mouth went dry.

Too many of these early morning (potential) disasters awaited me so I stopped turning it on. But I missed it so….I loved going out in the evenings and sitting on the bench listening to the gurgling waters.

About a week ago…I decided to try to give it a good spring cleaning and noticed something as I worked. The water wasn’t level…it was deeper in the front (without it even being on) than the sides and the back…so when the fountain water flowed down off the umbrella it slowly fell over the top of the basin until almost all the water was gone.

When Tim stopped by I explained my observation and with one piece of plywood hidden under the base to level it better… the problem is gone and “all is well again.”.

This makes me so happy because you remember I specifically wanted to create a garden that encompassed all five senses: sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch.

Now I have it all…even a magical sound emitted from the fountain.

If one walks the garden path towards the fountain…halfway there on the other side of the yard near… the fence with the painted windows…you can hear the fountain gurgling louder than if you stood right in front of the fountain.

I should have paid more attention in my science classes…but obviously there is some kind of vacuum or something that is carrying the sound waves across the garden and yard. It is so cool!!!!

I wanted a magical moon gate garden and it is the fountain that has brought the magic to it!

…”All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

This quote I fondly remember Grandmother Wilson repeating and it  has a most interesting story behind it.

ALL SHALL BE WELL

Julian of Norwich was an anchoress—a woman who set herself apart for God and lived isolated in a cell in the 1300’s. She felt like the only way to get answers, that had troubled her all her life, was to almost die and get a peek into the other world…the world of spiritual answers…what we would call a ‘near-death’ experience.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) Julian became seriously ill when she was only thirty…physicians believed her illness incurable and, even Julian herself, thought herself on the brink of death.

While in this near-death state. (between 9 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon)…she saw and heard fifteen visions of truth about questions she had pondered most of her life…while seeing Jesus, Mary, and glimpses of heaven.

The 13th (vision or showing) produced the most famous answer … the quote Grandmother Wilson used.

In her thirteenth showing, Julian receives a comforting answer to a question that has long troubled her:

“In my folly, before this time I often wondered why, by the great foreseeing wisdom of God, the onset of sin was not prevented: for then, I thought, all should have been well. This impulse [of thought] was much to be avoided, but nevertheless I mourned and sorrowed because of it, without reason and discretion.

“But Jesus, who in this vision informed me of all that is needed by me, answered with these words and said: ‘It was necessary that there should be sin; but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.’

Source: “All Shall Be Well” Dan Graves- In Context

* If you would like to see a statue of Julian of Norwich and read more about her fascinating life….this is a good one:

Julian of Norwich ~ Mystic, Theologian and Anchoress ..

In other words…when things go bad….”All is good.” Right Betsy?

*Update on Betsy’s health…her heart problems have minimalized….and she continues to be carefully monitored for any potential reoccurrence. She has a new job and life is good…”All is good.”

So until tomorrow…Remind us Father to place our faith and trust in you…You have assured us that ‘All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.’ 

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* The garden fairies are up to their tricks again. Yesterday the doorbell rang and when I got there the postal truck was turning the corner. A box was sitting on the porch…I opened it up and look what was in it…

I shook my head in disbelief…now what? A typed message was on the receipt for the original fairy door ordered but since it was out of stock this newer (most expensive) door was replacing the other… the company hoped that was okay and have a good day.

So for the least expensive fairy door…I ended up with two doors for the price of one….a “fairy” good deal!

It used to be if a plant didn’t bloom I wasn’t interested in it…but all that is changing now…I am starting to appreciate the ground covering plants with their different shades of green and/or speckled colors with diverse textures

For example: This beautiful (yellow green) coleus is named “Electric Lime” and it takes my breath away. Its texture is so fun to touch.

Hostas are another plant that I have come to appreciate…I keep one in a container on the deck and miraculously it is happy so far.

One of my neighbors has the biggest hosta plant I have ever seen…(the photo doesn’t do it justice)…it is at least three feet across (or more) and two feel tall vertically. When I asked him the name he said he didn’t know the technical name for this particular hosta…he just called it “Big-Ass” hosta. (Works for me!)

Kaitlyn sent this photo of her and Tommy taken a couple of years ago…and by the way…if worry is one of your worst enemies…you are not alone. Kaitlyn addresses this issue in her blog- swicegoodyoga

Dear  Reader:

I remember a childhood friend telling me one day that we couldn’t go to her house to play because her mom was on a “mission from God” (as she called it) spring cleaning…and she couldn’t be interrupted or the mission would all fall apart!

As a child I didn’t understand what my friend was telling me about her mother…but now as an adult, mother, and grandmother…I do. Once I get in the cleaning mode…I, too, go into my “zone” and become almost fanatic in my cleaning zeal!

I don’t answer the phone, doorbell, or even stop to eat….I just clean! If I ever plop down, out of sheer exhaustion…the “zone” and “moment” is gone….no more heavy cleaning until the next calling….the next “mission from God.”

It is, also, strange what “catalysts” can initiate this cleaning tornado. Yesterday…it was the pretty mason jar of flowers that Kaitlyn decorated and made for me. I had put the jar of sunflowers on the little table coming into the “Happy Room” and as soon as I walked into the room yesterday morning….a ray of sunlight was shooting through the slats in the shutters.

It was so pretty that I immediately started picking up clothes, paper cups/plates, books, etc. on the furniture surrounding it. As I dropped a spoon cleaning up…I noticed that the floor needed sweeping. As I dropped the spoon into the kitchen sink…I realized the dirty dishes needed to be put in the dishwasher and the cabinets scrubbed down.

I, then, thought how nice it would smell if the kitchen floor were washed…and I had one load of clothes waiting to be washed also. I started picking up dirty towels and washcloths and observed that the bathroom sink and tub could use some scrubbing.

I then went out to feed Lucy and saw where the deck needed sweeping again. So I got the blower from the garage and went at it.

Then I started watering some plants and realized that I needed to plant the two new day lilies…only to discover that briars and other weeds were taking over that patch of ground on the side of the house…so I went and got my garden gloves and started pulling and hacking away.

As of yesterday afternoon (right before the thunderstorm) this is how the side looked (weed and briar-less) with the two new pale yellow lilies. I did get a “happy return” on my hard work.)

I came in to get some water, plopped down in the rocking chair…and the “mission” was done. No more…I was hot, tired, and hungry…but also happy, pleased, and proud of my accomplishments… all because one personally decorated mason jar of bright, yellow sunflowers, sitting on a little pretty table, inspired me to clean the rest of my house and yard. To keep it all “clean and pure.”

“Clean and pure“….where was that thought coming from…and then I remembered …it was an old Russian fable told around Easter time each year…but obviously, the message works year round.

Source: “The White Lily”- Jane Tyson Clement (Adapted from Frances Jenkins Olcott and illustrated by Hannah Marsden-magazine -Plough)

Once upon a time there was a Russian peasant named Ivan. Ivan lived in a little hut beside a little garden. He had a dog named Rubles and a six year old orphaned nephew named Peter.

Now Ivan wasn’t a bad man, in the sense that he stole or murdered or anything like that…but he wasn’t a good man either. He was always cross, dirty, seldom spoke, was not friendly to the neighbors and never invited anyone inside his hut. So soon the neighbors left him alone, like he wished.

His watch dog Rubles was terrified of him and was only given the barest of scraps because he kept watch over the house and the hens from the foxes..

Poor little six year old Peter was so lonely. He had no friends because everyone was scared of his uncle Ivan and didn’t dare get close to the house. Like Rubles…he, too, only got scraps to eat and was never praised for doing anything to help out.

The hut was filthy…dirty dishes and pots and pans smelled up the house. The debris from many meals stayed scattered on the table until it became absolutely necessary to wash a pot or pan in order to cook.

Poor Peter’s hair was a tangled mess…he never took a bath because his uncle wouldn’t allow him that much water…his clothes were dirty, smelly, and tattered…just like his uncle’s…and he learned how to become invisible to this uncle who terrified him.

Peter’s hope never died, however, that one day something would happen to turn this nightmare around…perhaps with spring on the horizon something good would happen.

It was in early March that Ivan left the hut, one day, to get some beans for them to eat in town. As usual, he kept his head down and looked at no one passing by…(probably best…since everyone edged over, on the road, as far as possible, when they spotted him and held their noises until he passed.) 

But on this day he spotted a stranger coming towards him…out of curiosity he saw that the young man, tall and lean wearing clean peasant clothes, held a staff in one hand and a sheaf of white lilies in the other. Even from a distance…the lilies were dazzling to the eye. 

Ivan wanted to look down but the stranger held his eyes in contact with his…the following conversation ensued. 

“Good day, friend.”

When there was only silence, with Ivan staring, the stranger spoke again, “What is it you see?”

Ivan lifted his eyes then to the man’s face. The light there was like the lilies, and he looked at them again.

“Those flowers…I never saw any so fair.”

“One of them is yours,” said the stranger. 

“Mine?” said Ivan. 

The stranger took one of them and offered it to Ivan, who with astonishment and unbelief exclaimed, “What do you want for it? I am just a poor man.”

” I want nothing in return, only that you should keep the flower clean and pure.”

Ivan wiped his dirty hands on his coat and reached for the lily. It was so beautiful it seemed to bring light to everything around it. When he looked up…the stranger was gone. 

Once inside his house…he realized that the lily was too beautiful for the dingy hut. Peter, stunned by its beauty, got up the courage to speak to his uncle and ask “Where did you find it?”

Ivan told Peter what the stranger had told him and then directed him to do…”Keep the flower clean and pure.”

Ivan realized that both their hands were too dirty to touch it and one old wine bottle too filthy to put it in…so quickly he ordered both of them baths and pulled out some old but clean clothes he found in a closet. 

They then cleaned all the dirty dishes, pots and pans and especially the wine bottle which would hold the lily. Then they washed the window and window sill where the shining flower would sit. 

When Rubles walked in…Ivan grabbed the dog and washed him too and while placing him back outside realized that the garden needed much weeding and repair…so he and Peter worked together to clean it out. 

Ivan was so proud of his lily and house now he invited the neighbors to come see it and re-tell the story of the stranger over and over. On the seventh day it vanished. 

There was never a trace of it to be found…yet everyone’s lives had been transformed. When Ivan looked at Peter’s face, he thought:

“The lily glows there still.” When he saw the clean pure house and how he and Peter now spoke with love and praise to each other, how they now greeted their neighbors, and tended to the growing things in the new garden, both Peter and Ivan thought to themselves, “The lily still lives, though we see it no longer.”

……………………………..

So until tomorrow…Whether we own a large or meager amount of “stuff”…we must take pride in our homes, yards, or gardens…because our homes reflect the way we see ourselves and our relationship with God…to keep the “flower clean and pure.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* I was working on the blog when the thunderstorm came out of nowhere early yesterday afternoon…the lights flickered just enough to shut down everything…the television and computer.

Apparently the bulbs in the overhead light where I work went out permanently and I had no replacements but I looked on my desk in the “Happy Room” and there was Evans Townsend’s train lantern…ready for just such an emergency!

I like it so much…it will stay and I will just let the overhead light fixture stay “frozen.”

Dear Reader:

I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day….Mother Nature sure came through for us yesterday, didn’t she? Mandy and John were glad the pool could be “christened” for the first time with the family members who were gathered.

Here are a few quick photos from my Mother’s Day….we had a brunch (delicious) and just a fun day  hanging by the pool and resting after eating!

Mandy showed me the cards she got from the children’s schools…too cute! First Jakie’s…

Then Eva Cate gave Mandy a little booklet she had made…here are two entries:

Eva Cate finishes strong, however, with this last response: “she was born for the family and me.” (And she was!)

Tommy brought Pip.

It was Eva Cate who fell in love with this little dog and carried Pip around everywhere.

…And it was Jakie who was completely enamored with Tommy…he turned himself completely around hunting for him all day! “Good Tom Hunting.”

* But I got to get a little sugah!

Kaitlyn braved the chilly pool with grace.

 The “kids” got me a Belks gift card…I will put it to good use! Love it!

Kaitlyn decorated some mason jars and made me this happy flower arrangement. I love sunflowers….thank you Kaitlyn and Tommy!

We discovered Walsh, Mollie, Rutledge, and Lachlan had all gone to Lassie and Steve’s mountain home for the weekend…so they weren’t here. I came across these two pictures to show Mollie…the circle of life. ( Walsh and me and Mollie and Lachlan)

Saturday when Anne and I went to Hollow Tree Nursery I decided to buy two beautiful yellow day lilies. (Title Photo)  The name of the lilies are “Happy Returns.”

* Of course Saturday the blooms on the lilies were wide open…and Sunday afternoon, while I was typing away, the lilies had all closed and the earlier ones fallen off…After all…they  just get one day to shine. * But by the time you read this blog I feel sure the buds on the day lilies will be back in full bloom.

I came across a touching, true story about a young man and some lilies… and a gift of a different type of “Happy Returns.”

Source: Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul: ” The Day the Lilies Bloomed” – Jane Eppinga

His name was Frank Luke, Jr. and today his statue stands tall in front of the old capitol building in Phoenix, Arizona. Luke was a fighter pilot during World War I  and in less than a month he downed eighteen enemy aircraft…becoming one of only four fighter pilots awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in WWI.

In the old family Bible an unusual event has been recorded for posterity…far away from the skies above France.

At age 20, Frank enlisted in the army…fascinated by the new flying machines just invented. He was accepted into flight training and commissioned a second lieutenant…Before departing for France he was given a 14 day leave to be with his family… one last time before heading off to war.

One day, Tilly, his mother, asked Frank if he would mind “terribly” planting some lily bulbs for her…the weather was perfect for the job. Frank adored his mother and gladly consented. 

Frank’s tour of duty was fairly uneventful until September of 1918…when he became known as the “Balloon Buster” shooting down three planes and two balloons in less than ten minutes. The press dubbed him America’s “ace of aces.”

Back home his mother carefully cut out every article about her son that was written in the newspapers. Then, one day, on September 29, Tilly walked outside and discovered that all the bulbs Frank had planted were blooming away….but it was not the right season. Even stranger…the lilies formed the cross-like shape of a World War I airplane.

She called all the family together and everyone commented that the lilies should have bloomed in June, not the end of September. Word spread and photographers swarmed the yard taking pictures for the Sunday edition of the paper.

Amid the wonder, Tilly’s heart was heavy…she felt that something was wrong with Frank…but she kept brushing her tears away so no one else suspected.

On November 25, two weeks after the Armistice ended WWI… Tillie’s fears were realized. The Red Cross informed them that Frank was missing in action.

They learned later that Frank was wounded, after shooting down three German observation balloons on his last mission. He managed to land without crashing but his wounds were so severe he died later that day.

Frank Luke, Jr. had made his final heroic flight on September 29…the day the lilies bloomed.

………………………….

So until tomorrow…Thank you Father for special signs assuring us that You hold our dearly beloved right next to you. After all…aren’t we told:

“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh