Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

When Mollie, Marcia, and I went into Marigold’s on Short Central yesterday…my eye caught this insightful message by C.S. Lewis… It was sitting on a chair and I immediately took a photo “shot.”

I re-read it several times and thought to myself….how perfectly true this thought is! We get so caught up in our day-to-day life, that we forget this seeming constant routine is a delusion…underneath all the repetitive activities of daily living…time is slyly and craftily changing us… physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

It takes unexpected “benchmarks” like…out-grown clothes, holidays approaching (again) photographs, and seasonal ending events…(like the end of school) to remind us that everything has changed and that it is the change itself…that is the only true compass…the only constant in our lives.

With family….time makes itself even more apparent through photographs.

Eva Cate (First Christmas) and (Fifth Birthday)

Rutledge  (a blink and a wink)- L-R (Rutledge now, his baby picture and his little brother Lachlan) *Strong gene pool!

Jakie…..Two Weeks and Now ( 7 months old)

Lachlan…March to April  (6 Weeks)

Another way I can tell time is the expansion of my garden from orange duct tape encircling an empty back yard of dreams… to the reality today….even in the past few days changes are apparent. (Lucy is now perching on the inside gate ledge…as if she has declared herself…the “Protector and Empress of the Moon Garden.”)

There are more blooms on the plants (the pretty blue iris has two more bulbs just about to bloom, the climbing vines are doing their thing-climbing higher, and a new butterfly bush has replaced the only hydrangea bush that didn’t make it. Just one bush out of the whole garden…not bad!

Even though we humans are forced to live in “chronos” (chronological) time on earth…don’t we all have moments when we get a glimpse of “kairos” time….eternal moments?

For example: How many times have we tried to gather up all the family photos to organize into a scrapbook ….only to never finish the project…because we get caught up in the memories of each photo?

Hours can pass as we stare at the past through pictures and it is only the descending darkness or a telephone call that awakens us from our reverie.

I like this quote but I feel sometimes that everything does happen at once….maybe there are some gaps in the time matrix…or once again the magician named “Time” has pulled out its delusional tricks.

So until tomorrow…Enjoy every single second of every single day for the rest of your life….let go of the “low’s” as quickly as possible and hold on to the “highs” for as long as you can!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* While pulling  C. S. Lewis’s quote I found a humorous one I like:

Isn’t it funny how red, white, and blue represent freedom until its in your rear view mirror?

* Marcia and I exchanged “surcies” Tuesday and look at this adorable angel she brought me….* I can’t afford to wait until Christmas to put it on a tree….Instead…I like the feeling of being surrounded by angels every day! Another addition to the “Happy Room”! Thank you Marcia!

 

*And speaking of angels….Happy “Official” Birthday to my friend Brooke….friend for a lifetime….and to Dr. Silgals who is helping me keep a lifetime going.

*And to Joan who was there for me the first week before and after my diagnosis/surgery….helping me get through all the paperwork and emotional ups and downs! Happy Birthday!!!

Dear Reader:

I bought this card several months ago…and when I heard Marcia, Mollie’s mom was coming…I put it aside to save for her. I told her in the card that we are two blessed grandmothers…and there has been so much “scattered joy” with the arrival of our shared grandsons…the message inside says:

Simply put….to receive blessings, happiness, and joy…we first must put it out there for others…and then, unexpectedly, one day, it comes back home to roost. We never know when…but the more kindness and caring that goes out..(like a bountiful boomerang)….the better chances of love returning God-fold.

Even though math was never my favorite subject in school…I understood the meaning  “two-fold” and “three-fold”…but I don’t think there is a mathematician alive that can place a precise number on God-fold. It is infinite.

I imagine that God’s blessings are like stars…too numerous to count….just floating out there in the universe…bouncing from star to star. Since we are made of stardust…my reasoning “deducts”  that we are made from blessings also. The goal in life is to keep bouncing those blessing from person to person…. (like the stars)…as soon as one goes out…another comes in.

Marcia, Mollie, Lachlan, and I had a wonderful girl’s day in Summerville yesterday. Marcia and I had time to “gush” over our families’ latest arrival….surely there could not be a more beautiful baby in the world? * We feel that way with everyone of our grandchildren!

Lachlan, was basically a “captive audience” but he hung in there quite admirably…only giving in to hunger pains and pretending to sleep when more hats and caps arrived to try on..

We went to eat at our favorite tea room…Time Well Spent…we were all hungry and did Eve ever weave her magic with our lunches and desserts yesterday….(I am getting hungry again thinking about it.) It was just as good as we all remembered.

Before arriving at my house around noon Mollie, Marcia, Lachlan, and Rutledge had gone to the Mt. Pleasant Strawberry Patch to pick strawberries…(bringing me some…I feel a shortcake coming on.)

Rutledge LOVES strawberries…so I am not sure that Rutledge was scattering joy…but he sure was scattering partially eaten strawberries wherever he went….his pattern fell into pick, eat, pick…eat! See for yourself.

So until tomorrow…Thank you Father for strawberries, grandchildren, family, friendships, good food, and beautiful spring days….blessings more numerous than the stars!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Brooke arrived home, safe and sound, with the eight ferns…she spent Tuesday washing down the porch and getting it ready for the “green” decorations….she sent this picture.

*The fairies are starting to arrive…I think this is going to be the summer of the fairy garden…right now they are landing in different spots around the garden.

*…Ever since the first orange mushroom appeared one can hear them whispering in the cool evening air…..I have spotted two so far…..then they disappear leaving only their outward “shell” for us to see! There are all kinds of fairies but I think the garden fairies are the prettiest and kindest of all!

Dear Reader:

I associate ferns with Brooke’s birthday because the Ya’s always give her Lowe’s or Home Depot gift cards to help her purchase them to decorate her long front porch from end to end.

I decided to decorate the back side of the B&B with two ferns I got from Bi-Lo over the weekend… so Brooke would see them when she pulled in. It definitely took some doing…the old rusty chains hanging down weren’t long enough to reach…so I had to climb on a ladder, haul the big, heavy ferns up to the top, and then try to hold onto the ladder, the chain, and the ferns at the same time…while trying to get the fern planter handles in the hooks.

It took some perseverance…but it got done in time… before Brooke’s arrival Sunday afternoon.

Yesterday we were both up bright and early because we wanted to make the most of our time together….first Short Central…Southern Belles Consignment Shop, Simple to Sublime, and Marigolds. Lots of fun, great conversations with the owners…and even some purchases!

Then onto Belks...but no luck there for either one of us…I just wanted a black cotton button up shirt with a collar…three quarter length sleeve…First of all..it is hard to find cotton ( I think thin jersey seems to be the material now) and secondly it is hard to find black shirts this time of year. Anyone know a place?

* For lunch we went to Oscars and both got that wonderful sirloin steak salad…then Brooke and I shared her birthday surprise dessert…so yummy. Now fortified with food…we were back on the trail….

…On to Home Depot where Brooke met with lots of success…so much so… that one fern was sitting on her lap as she started the car to return home…she finally managed to squeeze it in among the other 7 ferns!

By the time we got back from running errands..we were tired! We both flopped on the sofas with our eyes half-closed as we pretended to watch a little television but mostly talked.

Brooke asked me what the blog would be about tomorrow (today) and I told her I didn’t know but I was sure something would “pop” up…it always does. (Little did I know how true that statement would prove!)

Brooke had no sooner beeped and disappeared out of sight when I cut back around the house to check on a plant and stumbled over a bamboo stick shooting up out of the ground.

“Aarrgh”  I hate the bamboo that crosses my neighbor’s yard over to mine each summer…it is a tenuous battle trying to keep chopping away at it…since the neighbors’ back yard is filled with it. It will soon knock down the fence if it isn’t cut down…and the shoots are “popping” up everywhere in my yard now.

Still scowling over the job facing me …hacking away at the bamboo…I decided to wait and cut it tomorrow. I had a blog to write…and Dancing with the Stars is getting close to the end.

So I plopped down in front of the computer and glanced at the pictures I had taken yesterday for some ideas….photos of friends, ferns, and even unsightly bamboo….

I googled quotes on ferns and came up short…and then typed in stories on ferns…. the magic appeared…a story popped up.

“God Never Gives Up on Us” – The Story of the Fern and the Bamboo

I almost fell out of my chair….(See Brookie (to answer your question)…God does provide when we always can’t! )

It is why I have felt from the start that this blog is bigger than me…it is some kind of destiny…what I don’t know…but God does!

So here is God’s “Pick” for the story today!

“The Fern and the Bamboo”

Once upon a time a certain young man decided that he was completely fed up with everything in life. He announced: “I quit my job, my relationships, my spirituality…in fact I just want to quit my life.”

Then he went to the woods for one last talk with God. “God, can you give me just one good reason why I should not quit.”

Instead of answering his question God said: “Look around…do you see that fern and bamboo over there?” God pointed in the right direction.

The puzzled man simply nodded his head.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds …I did so at the same time. I took care of them equally. They both received the same amount of light and water. The fern immediately popped up and grew quickly….its brilliant green soon covered the forest’s floor.

But nothing came from the bamboo seed. Still I didn’t give up on the bamboo…by the second year the fern was more vibrant and plentiful than the first year. But still nothing…from the bamboo seed. 

…Still I didn’t give up hope on the bamboo….even when the third and fourth seasons came and went with no visible results.

Finally in the fifth year…a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was small and seemingly insignificant. But just six months later…the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. 

You see…it had spent five years growing roots to sustain its height when it shot to the sky. It was the roots growing underneath, invisible to the eye…that gave the bamboo the foundation it needed to not only survive…but be successful!

Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots. If I would not quit on that bamboo…I certainly would never quit on you. Stop comparing yourself to others…you are special in my eyes…the best is yet to be…it is time for you to soar. Give me glory by rising as high as you can.”

…………….

So until tomorrow…Let us open our eyes and ears to God’s voice…guiding and pacing us as individuals with unique destinies to fulfill.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Psst….I still don’t like bamboo growing in my back and side yard…but God I did like the story…and I needed to hear it…Thank you!

* Brooke took a picture of me kissing “Big Red”…my geranium…that now has clusters of blooms about to pop open all over it…I told her we weren’t tree huggers…just geranium kissers and fern embracers.

* Jakie’s official 7 months “tie of honor!”

Look at what happened to the beautiful light blue iris from the time I took a photo of it yesterday morning for the blog and when Brooke and I returned several hours later Monday.

 And even my deck got a new ornament from Brooke…a pretty big “D”….thank you Brooke…loving it…just my color!

Dear Reader:

A word I first came across my junior year in high school (preparing for the Verbal SAT) has crept back into my life recently.

Aesthetic: concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty.

Later…I remember going to Presbyterian College for some kind of pre-college counseling… recommended by some woman in our church from mother’s Sunday School class. It was free for Presbyterian teenagers in their senior year in high school. Mother insisted that I go.

Once again….there was a whole set of questions circling the meaning of aesthetic.…like:

1) If you buy a car…are you more concerned with mileage and performance…or how it looks.

2) If you buy a car…are you more concerned with the price or its shape?

3) If you buy a car…are you more concerned with its warranty or what color it is?

You get the idea….the questionnaire was obviously trying to find out if we leaned more towards the practical-minded business sense arena or the “But it’s so pretty” aesthetic (whimsy) decision-making arena.

You guessed it...aesthetic.…like Alice in Wonderland…I wanted to live in a world of imagination, bright colors, beautiful sounds, adventurous anticipation…where I could be assaulted by all the senses given to us by God on any typical day.

Poor mother….I think the vocational counseling session (results) basically declared me a dreamer…and that I would need more down-to-earth decision-making skills training.

As much as I wanted to live in that dream world…I was forced out & grew cynical of car salesmen, distrustful of insurance”pushers”, and cable companies. I started hanging up on phone solicitations, charity donations….“Our records show that you gave 25 dollars last year” (to which I am thinking…”Not!..I don’t even know what your organization is .”)

Yes…I am afraid little “Alice” had to grow up the hard way…by personal experience. The aesthetic side of my life was forced to lay dormant for a couple of decades while I raised children and tried to keep the ship afloat each month.

Then one day I woke up…the children were gone and retirement was beckoning. I had just gotten into my new routine in life when “little c” (breast cancer) came calling. Nightmares of losing my house and savings loomed in frightening reality….but once again God held my hand and got me through it… with some help from Uncle Sam.

I could now  just concentrate on the treatments…but, alas, time never waits on us to recover physically or financially before springing another problem.

The roof on my house is a post-Hugo roof…(which speaks well for the roofers)….but the shingles are now curling and the sideboards are all showing their age with mold and cracks…(soon I would be able to see the sun and moon through the cracks without ever leaving the house.)

Then a little over a year ago…a surprise came my way via my wonderful Poppy – following his death. An unexpected financial gift provided a solution to this home renovation problem…which  was not only probable…but possible now.

Yet…I found myself hesitating. Somewhere deep inside that wide-eyed girl of my past re-appeared- For weeks I heard the voice speaking softly…”You have wanted a deck added to your house for decades…this is it….it will completely change the aesthetic look of your back yard. Go for it…for once in your life!

I did. Reflecting upon this decision in hindsight…the deck was meant to be….everything fell so wonderfully into place. The other thing the deck did was provide the “loft” I needed to look down on my backyard and see the real possibility of a garden.

Without the deck…I don’t think I could have “seen” the future unfold…into my own small piece of paradise.

So I am back to saving again to get a new roof…it will happen…because God will put the right people at the right time in my path and I will know when it is time.

*In the meantime…the nice thing about a deck is that you don’t need a roof…God’s sky provides the roofing and it doesn’t enclose you…but frees you to be closer to Him.

Besides…no amount of money can buy the peace and contentment my deck and garden have brought me….along with my friends. Brooke spent last night (her birthday is this week) and we solved all the world’s problems in three hours sitting on the deck…hands down…with a couple of beers amidst solar lights twinkling from Chinese solar lanterns and solar mason jars.

It is all so beautiful to me that I pinch myself each day that I have this sanctuary of serenity. I bounce up every morning because I can hardly wait to get out there and eat my breakfast and then tell the deck and garden good night each evening.

I have always envied Mandy for her artistic talent and wished I had even an “iota” of this talent-the other day I saw this quote and thought…”Maybe I am an artist…just not in the conventional sense.”

“All gardening is landscape painting.”–  Alexander Pope

So until tomorrow….Thank you Father for opening our eyes to Your beautiful world and choosing its beauty over practicality occasionally…a life without aesthetic creations is a life dimmed from its potential.

* Breakfast on the deck this morning:

Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

April 27…Eva Cate’s real birth date. At her birthday party last Saturday…the camera caught a pensive moment of reflection  on her face before blowing out her candles.

I think even small children sense the passing of time and the realization that the personal past won’t return again. Four is gone…never to return…and five is the unknown.

* Look’s what blooming in my garden today…besides Brookie in her beautiful blue top?

This beautiful blue iris with three other bulbs on the stem about to burst open and join it. The light shade of blue is exquisite…so delicate! Welcome

The red petunias in the wheelbarrow are very happy….it looks like they are having a party and smiling in the sunlight!

Dear Reader:

I hope you have noticed that my front porch bench looks whiter…(since it has had a thick coating of  a mixture of pollen, dust, and dirt on it for months)…a little elbow grease and a very expensive bottle of Advanage (not sure why a “T” isn’t in the word spelling) lightened the color to a ‘wanna-be’ white shade…. dulled by age. Nothing that Mr. Clean couldn’t have handled equally well…I feel sure. But that was not to be…the “whitewash” story…

The doorbell rang Thursday afternoon when I was working on the blog post. I thought it was someone who had done some lawn work for me and I had his check right ready.

I grabbed it and went to the door…only to discover an excitable woman (who, I, at first, “mistakened”  for a young person) pushing away on the doorbell.

She talked so fast it took me a full five minutes to realize she was trying to sell a “miraculous” bottle of cleaning fluid (“guaranteed to take out any stain and clean every pane”) in your house.

The desperate seller grabbed a dirty rag she was holding and began cleaning my door knobs, then ran to my car and scrubbed the whitewalls on the tires, only to return to me and clean my skechers (white rubber part) while they were still on my feet!

She was an audacious little whirlwind of pent up nervous energy or something. Half of my brain was trying to figure out how to get rid of her and the other half was trying to figure out who she was. Still talking a ‘mile a minute’ she said she was a single mom with three children trying to make a living.

She showed me her sales license because she wanted me to know she was “legit.” Then suddenly…it was as if all the air in a balloon had gone out of her….she sat down on the top porch steps, taking that dirty demonstration rag and wiped her face. She asked if I could please get her a glass or bottle of water.

She looked utterly exhausted so I ran in the kitchen, and poured some water. By the time I got back out to the porch she was holding her head in fatigue and thanked me profusely for the drink. She handed me a brochure with all the information on it…but all I could “zero” in on was the price of one bottle of the “miracle” cleaning fluid….”39.95″!

My mouth fell open and I know I must have gasped out loud. I could see her eyes glaze over in disappointment. Weakly she said, “You know it just takes a few drops in a quart of water to get any cleaning job done…so it does last a long, long time.”

“Are you feeling all right?” I asked. She looked kind of rigid now, like she was trying to brace herself for another disappointing response from a potential buyer, but still she looked up and suddenly beamed at me….”Oh…I’m fine…I’m too blessed to be depressed.”

I didn’t say a word…I just went back in the house, grabbed my checkbook and shrugged my shoulders at my budget sheet for the month (that appeared to be glaring back at me)…So be it.

She had started to walk off when I called her back and handed her the check. The joy that spread over her face was unforgettable….it was definitely worth the “39.95 plus tax” check.

“I did it” she yelled jumping up and down in sheer happiness...for the first time I met my quota!”  She ran back up the steps, gave me a big hug, and literally skipped down the street.

So yesterday morning I put a few drops of Advanage in a quart bottle, grabbed some clean rags, put Mr. Clean back under the sink cabinet (I think his smile was a smirk…but I can’t be sure) and scrubbed the dirty bench until it shone….well…not exactly…but close enough.

“Big Red,” my geranium, certainly looked like it approved…with new red blooms popping every day…the clean bench just accented its brightness.

So until tomorrow…Let us all learn that that being a “sucker” for God sometimes means writing a check for “39.93 plus tax.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Will return and fill in some pictures here after I keep Rutledge and Lachlan for Walsh and Mollie to go to a wedding.

Brooke had a friend email her this set of anecdotes and I had to share them with you. Enjoy!

Six Little Stories

 ONCE,  All villagers decided to pray for rain,

on the day of prayer all the People gathered…

but only one boy came with an umbrella.

…

Dear Reader:

Meet “Maddy” –  my first morning glory of the season. Isn’t she pretty….and I have always loved the name “Maddy.”

I was so thrilled by her unexpected appearance yesterday morning that I took several photos of her… as if she were a newborn….and I reckon in a way she is!

Immediately I started researching ‘morning glories‘ and discovered that, in many ways, they are just like human beings….meaning there are two sides to them.

Dave’s Garden has become my “go-to” resource for problem-solving in my garden. He always has a lot of common sense and backs up his suggestions with real-life experiences.

He was first introduced to morning glories (as a little boy) growing up on his grandparents’ farm which grew corn…and morning glories alongside the crop.

…”I grew up watching for the blooms of the corn that was growing in the garden plot down by the creek. From my perch in the swing on the front porch of my home high on the hillside, I looked for the pink, purple and blue flowers in the garden below. It happened every year. I ran to the kitchen where Granny Ninna was rolling out dough for biscuits, “The corn is blooming! The corn is blooming!”

“It isn’t time for the corn to bloom, honey. We’ve got to wait a few more weeks yet,” she said.

Those were the blooms of the morning glories, she told me, and they grew on the corn to keep the good bugs around and the bad bugs away. I much preferred thinking it was the corn that was blooming, but I liked the sound of the words: Morning Glories. What a pretty name for such a lovely bloom, much prettier than calling them corn blossoms.

“It wasn’t until I was older and wanted every plant I had known from my childhood planted in my own yard, that I started collecting morning glory seeds. Mom had said: “Don’t plant them near your daylilies, they’ll choke the bud right off.” Ninna said, “Don’t plant them near the Rose of Sharon, they’ll grow up that bush and it won’t never bloom.” And Aunt Bett said, “You grow them morning glories, chile, they’re good plants, and right pretty, too.” So now I grow morning glories, and you know who I listened to.

Like everything in this world, since the Garden of Eden….there is always a flip side to the most beautiful items in creation. Morning glories are no exception.

You have to plant them away from other flowers so they won’t choke them….a Jekyll/Hyde personality…so that is why Maddy and her other (soon to arrive) morning glory “friends” will stick together on the front porch…(away from other flowers) so they can play “nice.”

(My lilies are too beautiful this spring to subject them to the misbehaving “choking” morning glories…as pretty as their two colors would be together.)

You know how much I love stories and legends….the author, Dave, provides one he heard long ago…..

“I was told a story long ago, about a lovely Princess who lived in a far away land. She loved to sit in her garden of flowers, but she could only enjoy them in the cool of the morning, because she was a frail Princess and could not survive the heat of the sun. She never saw the beauty of the flowers that bloomed in the hot afternoons.

The delicate Princess was very sad, and as she returned to the palace knowing she would never see the afternoon blossoms, she began to cry. Her tears fell at her feet, and as they touched the ground, they turned into small seeds all along her path.

Once again the next day, the lovely Princess visited her gardens in the early morning, but oh how different her gardens were. Before her, twining all around the trees and climbing over the garden wall were beautiful flowers the likes of which she had never seen.

They were in blues and pinks, purples and yellows, and they grew above her head and touched her hair as she walked below. Her heart was full of joy and ever since that day, the lovely flowers were called Morning Glories, because they sprang from the tears of the beautiful Princess.

………………………..

Resource: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2595/#b#ixzz3YFuliI8L

I believe we can all identify with the double-sided morning glories…because down deep…we have to fight the darker side of our personalities and character.

The most wonderful thing anyone can say about another person is that he/she is the same inside and out…both spiritually and physically…inside and outside the home.

So until tomorrow…Help us Father…become the same person you want us to be…whether anyone is watching or not…

 Character is like a tree and reputation its shadow. The shadow is what we think it is and the tree is the real thing.”
― Abraham Lincoln

“Today is my favorite day.”  Winnie the Pooh

* It is my favorite day because we are having Eva Cate’s fifth birthday party….her “real” birthday is the 27th but this is pretty close and John’s parents (“my friends-in love“) W.T. and Joan (“BeBe” to the grandchildren) are here. Can hardly wait to see them!

Rain or shine…the party goes on…and just being together is enough for all of us!

Happy Birthday my eldest grandchild, Eva Cate….where has the time gone? “Loved you yesterday, love you still…always have…always will!”

* Trivia Question: What is the connection between Alice in Wonderland and morning glories?

In one scene from the Disney animated movie (Alice in Wonderland-1951) she discovers a beautiful garden in Wonderland where flowers live and sing and dance. The morning glories are called “Get- up- in- the morning glories”

Golden afternoon
From “Alice in Wonderland”
Music and Lyrics by Sammy Fain and Bob Hilliard

Little bread-and-butterflies kiss the tulips

And the sun is like a toy balloon

There are get-up-in-the-morning glories
In the golden afternoon

Here is the happy song written for the movie…it is roughly based on lyrics from a poem called “All in the Golden Afternoon”  written by Lewis Carroll…a memory of a golden afternoon when he created “Alice” and her “Wonderland.“

*(“All in the golden afternoon” is Carroll’s poem in his book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in which he recalls the afternoon on which he improvised the Alice in Wonderland story on a boat-trip from Oxford to Godstow, for the benefit of the three Liddell sisters, Lorina (“Prima”), Alice (“Secunda”) and Edith (“Tertia”).

This is such a happy song…raises your spirits…take a minute and hum along!

2:33 The Garden & All In The Golden Afternoon ( The Alice …

***( Kaitlyn changed her Linkedin profile picture and I told her she looked like Alice in Wonderland…so pretty (and honestly I know she could have done a much better job on “Alice’s’ solo…but then I am just a little bias!)

* Fred and Gin-g’s twins have just turned 32….Happy Birthday boys! Where has the time gone?

 * Warning! You might want to consider shutting off the audio on this family clip.

While watching this 45 second video clip of Eva Cate’s first steps..close your ears when you hear  a “hyena laugh“- it’s (unfortunately) coming from me…plus (that is the key word) the Boo was having a particularly bad “hair” day and “plus” a puffy day. ( Feel free to laugh)

May, 2011

Eva Cate’s 1st Steps – YouTube

Have you ever noticed, as demonstrated by Eva Cate, that we, as babies, don’t take a first step…we take several “first” steps. It is the only way to keep our balance when learning to walk.

I think that is true throughout life. Once we plant our foot down…the other one is ready for its turn and so on and so on and so on…off we go into the world!

When we are down or in a scary situation….the hardest part is putting that first foot down…When starting chemo for the first time back in 2010…I remember waking up that morning and swinging my feet onto the floor…but when I went to stand up…one foot went under…just collapsed under me.

I flopped back down and prayer harder than I had ever prayed since the night before the first surgery….not only for the chemo session to be “tolerable” but for me to be able to walk into the room and then out of the room without falling. I was as close to God as I could be and knew He needed to help me walk the “walk” that day.

In fact….I felt like Moses. When he first came face to face with God…he said:

If thy presence go not with me, carry us up not hence” (Exodus 33:15). In other words he was saying, “Lord, if your presence is not with me, then I’m not going anywhere. I won’t take a single step unless I’m assured you’re with me!”

Moses…I know the feeling. God got me back up that morning and this time both feet held firm….I had already known  (since God’s visit that night before the surgery in 2008)….that God was holding my hand….and I would need that reassurance to face all the medical obstacles looming ahead.

Do you remember God’s response to Moses’ declaration ( the first sit-down strike) of not going anywhere without His presence? You are going to like it.

“…My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest” (verse 14). What an incredible promise! The Hebrew word for “rest” here is “a comfortable, quiet rest.” God was saying, “No matter what enemies or trials you face, you’ll always be able to find a quiet rest…a sense of peace… in me!”

(Resource: “The Power of the Lord’s Presence”-David Wilkerson)

Now that is a powerful and poignant response in one….from my experiences…also true! Every time the going has gotten tough….I have found the peace within to deal with it…because God placed it there. A calm comes over me and then a feeling… like a warm wave playing and pulling at me…diminishes my fear of the future…the unknown.

These days my greatest fear is losing sight of God, losing sight of His Presence….because, like Moses, I know I can’t take a single step without Him accompanying me along my journey.

How many times have we discovered with ourselves and also with loved ones (parents, peers, friends, children, grandchildren) that a walk can settle the “waters” better than any other kind of therapy?

Many times we return from a walk with that calming sense of peace (God promised) where once anger and frustration reigned.

So these days I try to listen extra hard….to God’s invitation to “Come take a walk with Me“….I love walking and holding hands..don’t you?

So until tomorrow…. Father…please let Your Presence be felt as we all walk the walk of the unknown. Guide us, lead us, and help us stay present to your Presence.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* A lot of “kudos” came in yesterday….a shout-out in the form of a Happy Birthday for Bill and Sis Kinney….they will celebrate a dual birthday this Saturday. (That is also when Miss Eva Cate will have her birthday party…hoping the rain holds off.)

Anne and I shared a “kudos” lunch ….Praise Oscars….we were wolfing the food down! And another special “Kudos” to Anne who figured out how to get this extremely annoying picture I accidentally hit …(that became my screen saver) off my desktop!

It was a picture of some old Christmas floral decoration and I couldn’t find the photos for the blog because they were lost in the flower arrangement sitting smack dab in the middle of the screen.

But Anne, a.k.a. Sherlock Holmes, was on it and Anne met with success….awful picture is now gone…replaced by a beautiful greenish teal background, with vivid photos for the blog popping out… making my old eyes very happy!

Anne got my first “Extra”  pack of chewing gum from the “Kudos Bowl” for being “extra” kind to a computer bimbo.

KUDOS MY FRIEND!!!!!

* Mollie just added this one month old adorable picture of Lachlan (though she said he is actually 5 weeks now) on Facebook….wanted to share it with you.

* Today, April 24, is also Jakie’s 7th month birthday. ( I know Mandy hasn’t had a minute to take a 7 months picture either with her art show she had Wednesday at school and Eva Cate’s birthday party tomorrow. But here is our sweetie pie Jakie!)

Dear Reader:

The word “Kudos” stems from Greek origin ( Kudos (IPA pronunciation: [‘kju:dɒs][‘ku:dɒs]), from the Greek κύδος kydos (literally “that which is heard of”) means fame and renown resulting from an act or achievement; by extension is often used as a praising remark. It entered English as British university slang in the early 1800s.

A kudo is glory or praise,  kudos is praises, so when someone says “kudos to you” that basically means “good for you” or “praise you.”

After reading several articles on the term “kudos”….I got an idea for a “Kudos Bowl.” It started with this creative idea of a little gift for someone for going the extra mile for you… on Pinterest.

I set out to the drug store to buy some gum and card stock to make my own signs…. loving the creative thought behind thanking someone for going the “extra mile” for you with “Extra” chewing gum.

Then at Tuesday Morning...at the check-out counter an assortment of  different packaged chocolates and cookies were marked down…so I picked up some of these treats too.

…And that is how my “Kudos Bowl” came about…(This would be a good time to drop by while the bowl is full…because I honestly can not think of anyone I know or even have met who hasn’t or wouldn’t go the extra mile for me…and the same back for you!)

Now let’s flashback to some excerpts from the original article that got me thinking about this project yesterday.

“What Goes Around Comes Around” – William B. Bradshaw (Huff post  Good News)

In a serendipitous discovery yesterday…I located the article cited above that started me on another creative project and path in thinking…

The author, William Bradshaw, was nostalgically remembering the days when people truly cared if you were having a good day or not…they just didn’t mumble it back…as if irritated that you forced them to say something they didn’t want to say.

His memories of a happier time of daily greetings stemmed from his acquaintance of a Yale Divinity School professor by the name of Dr. Robert Calhoun. If you passed him and casually mumbled “Good Day” or “How is your day?” he would let you know exactly how it was.

But he didn’t stop there…he took just as much time listening to you tell about your day….concerns, problems, or congratulatory events and remarked wisely on each moment you shared with him.

The author, having grown up in small towns in the Ozarks… was used to familiar faces greeting and smiling at him as a child and youth. So he decided to bring the “good old days” back.

” I decided that I would make it a habit to try to help people feel better about their day–people I am doing business with or people I meet on the sidewalk, the parking lot, or wherever. I smile and say “good morning” or “good afternoon.”

“It’s amazing how often they have a surprised look on their face and return my smile and cheerful words with a smile and some kind of a friendly greeting of their own.

When I stop at Starbucks or the hardware or grocery story, I ask the checkout clerk something like, “How are things going for you today?” or “You look happy today” or “It’s always refreshing to see your nice smile” or some such greeting.

Most of them seem to appreciate someone who cares and frequently respond with such things as “Thanks for asking” or “How nice of you to say that” or “You’ve just made my day.”

Bradshaw then shared his “kudos” story he witnessed from a friend of his….

A very good friend of mine works in a retail store where the employees are encouraged to access the company’s special computer program to send “kudos” to one another for something a fellow worker has done that is unusually outstanding, helpful, or kind. My friend takes the time to write detailed and thoughtful kudos rather than just a quick “well done,” “great job,” or “thanks for helping.”

She definitely gets those messages across, but in a detailed way that indicates  she really does appreciate what the other person has done and wants him or her to know it. Her fellow workers say they love reading her kudos. What she does reminds me of my professor in divinity school–going that extra mile in taking the time to talk about what’s going on in our lives.

Bradshaw concludes his thoughts on making the world a better place, through greetings and communication with others, by saying:

So here’s my suggestions for helping you feel better and more excited about your life: spend a few minutes each day helping others feel better about their day–a pleasant greeting and a smile; an uplifting e-mail or text message; a quick telephone call of a few caring, happy, or encouraging words; a simple wave or smile to a neighbor leaving or returning home; a short note or card in the mail expressing happiness and good cheer; kudos for fellow workers; and other things that you think of. Why not give it a try? And if this thing could catch on, just think what it could do for our families, neighborhoods, and entire communities! Hey, that sounds good to me!

…………………………

Before I conclude today let me take a moment and thank you, dear blog readers, with a “Kudos to You” from me. I wouldn’t be typing away without you…while sharing my small voice in a big universe. YOU make that universe smaller and warmer and supportive for me.

Yesterday I was updating my medicine and realized that I took about 12 pills/capsules/tablets a day. But it is you, the reader, the friend, who makes up that 13th pill. And that is the one that keeps my blood flowing, my heart beating, my creative juices stirring, and my mind counting my blessings each and every day.

So until tomorrow …Let’s pass it on, pay it forward.…send a “Kudos to You” today to someone who makes your life “extra” better…for simply being in it.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* I send “Kudos” to my recently discovered “green” life that has brought so much happiness with it.

A little state patriotism for the front yard with my favorite color (orange) flag….

And my lovely garden, my serene sanctuary which brings me closer to nature and God.

* And speaking of orange…I sent this picture of the first mushroom in the garden to Eva Cate today….to let her know the first fairy has returned home to the garden for the spring and summer months.

I let her know the orange mushroom quivered when I took the photo…the fairy must have been unpacking….Eva Cate must return to the garden soon to check it out.

Dear Reader:

Last year I received this beautiful “Tree of Life” bracelet from Brooke for my birthday and I haven’t taken it off since….it has become my lucky charm.

The tree does represent life to me and I feel that if it is on my wrist….life continues. I think I would find that I am not alone, with my good luck charm symbol dependence….I imagine many of you can tell me a certain piece of jewelry or picture or some form of ornament that comforts you.

When I did some research on the symbolism of the “Tree of Life” its diversity of meanings, especially in different religions, is far ranged.

Like me….you might interchange the words ‘Tree of Life’ and/or ‘Tree of Knowledge.’ As  teachers we heard the latter most often…but from the Garden of Eden…we know the apple taken from the tree gave Adam and Eve knowledge of good and evil…which has defined our existence ever since….the world we must live in during our stay here on earth.

In Catholic Christianity, the Tree of Life represents the immaculate state of humanity free from corruption and “Original Sin”  before the Fall.

Pope Benedict XVI has said that “the Cross is the true tree of life.”

Saint Bonaventure taught that the medicinal fruit of the Tree of Life is Christ himself.

Saint Albert the Great taught that the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, is the Fruit of the Tree of Life.

In Eastern Christianity the Tree of life is the love of God.

…………………………….

It is this last definition that I sense whenever I look down and see the “tree of life” dangling from my wrist….love. The love of friendship and the love of God….protecting me from all harm.

I, also, think of the tree as being one of “abundance” because my life is so full of the fruits of love, gratitude, and blessings.

In Sunday School we were discussing the idea of the “abundant life” and realize that it doesn’t infer material goods….as much as many Christians would like to believe (and have been lead to believe.)

I found this paragraph in my research on the abundant life that echoed my definition of it.

This word “abundant” in the Greek is perisson, meaning “exceedingly, very highly, beyond measure, more, superfluous, a quantity so abundant as to be considerably more than what one would expect or anticipate.” In short, Jesus promises us a life far better than we could ever imagine, a concept reminiscent of 1 Corinthians 2: 9: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”

The apostle Paul tells us something that is utterly profound: God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think and He does it by His power, a power that is at work within us if we belong to Him (Ephesians 3:20)

1 Corinthians 1: 26-29. In terms of economic, academic, and social status, most Christians do not come from the privileged classes. Clearly then, abundant life does not consist of an abundance of material things. If that were the case, Jesus would have been the wealthiest of men. 

…Just as we become new creations when we come to Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) so must our understanding of “abundance” be transformed.

True abundant life consists of an abundance of love, joy, peace, and the rest of the fruits of the Spirit Galatians 5:22-23, not an abundance of “stuff.” It consists of life that is eternal and, as such, our interest is in the eternal, not the temporal.

(Source: “What Does Abundant Life Really Mean?”)

Love, joy, peace, and the rest of the fruits of the Spirit….not “stuff”…like the kind I am continuously trying to get rid of in this stage of my life.

I love this little anecdote about the true meaning of “abundance.”

“True Abundant Life”

One day a man stopped in a convenience store to get a newspaper. He noticed that the owner of the store had tears in his eyes and kept looking out the window. He asked what was going on.

The store owner said, “Do you see that bus bench over there?

There’s a woman who comes there every day around this time. She sits there for about an hour, knitting and waiting. Buses come and go, but she never gets on one and no one ever gets off for her to meet. The other day, I carried her a cup of coffee and sat with her for a while.

“Her only son lives a long way away. She last saw him two years ago, when he boarded one of the buses right there. He is married now, and she has never met her daughter-in-law or seen their new child. She told me, ‘It helps to come here and wait. I pray for them as I knit little things for the baby, and I imagine them in their tiny apartment, saving money to come home. I can’t wait to see them.'”

The reason the owner was looking out the window at that particular moment was that the three of them — the son, his wife and their small child — were just getting off the bus. The look on the woman’s face when this small family fell into her arms was one of pure joy. And this joy only increased when she looked into the face of her grandchild for the first time. The store owner commented, “I’ll never forget that look as long as I live.”

The next day the same man returned to the convenience store. The owner was again behind the counter. Before the store owner could say or do anything, the customer said, “You sent her son the money for the bus tickets, didn’t you?”

The store owner looked back with eyes full of love and a smile and replied, “Yes, I sent the money.” Then he repeated his statement from the day before, “I’ll never forget that look as long as I live.” This man had discovered a measure of the abundant life.

Source: King Duncan ….Sermons. com

So until tomorrow….My wish for everyone is that we learn to live the “abundant” life God wants for us…which can only be achieved by reaching back and pulling the next fellow up.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* I heard this cute “mistake” in a Biblical book on funnies and religion…and thought how much wisdom comes from so many of our mistakes.

A little girl had learned the first two lines of the 23rd Psalm and wanted to say it for her parents…..

She began reciting the 23rd Psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd; that’s all I want.” 

(It’s the best definition of the “abundant life” I have heard.)

Dear Reader:

Dr. Wayne Dyer, popular author and presenter, has started his presentation, on occasion, with an orange. He asks the audience or (sometimes) a particular person in the audience to tell him what will happen if he squeezes the orange….what will he get?

The immediate response is: orange juice. He then asks if his mother, father, grandmother, friend, or stranger squeezes the orange what will they get?

Once again the response is: orange juice. Sometimes Dyer will keep this “game” going by asking if he will ever get tart or bitter lemonade or pineapple juice if he squeezes an orange…..Amid loud “No’s” the confident response continues: Orange Juice!

Dyer then asks his audience: Why?  How do you know that every single time you squeeze an orange ….its juice will pour out?

The most common reply is that one will get orange juice if he/she squeezes an orange because it is what is inside.

Exactly! responds Dyer. This is a constant in our knowledge and experience with oranges…when squeezed…no matter the situation….an orange will produce orange juice.

Now….how about you? If your mother, or teacher, or coach, or a friend squeezes you…what will pour out? Do you have a constant?

Suddenly a quiet comes over the crowd….no one is certain about one “correct” response. Cries of “It depends on who and why you are being squeezed….it might be anger or frustration pouring out.”

“That’s right….another voice might call out….What pours out of us can run the gamut, according to our feelings at the time squeezed. Curse words might emerge or laughter.”

Feeling squeezed or stressed…produces unsavory tastes on our tongues, our teeth and the words that emerge are unsavory too.

What would you like your “constant” to be when squeezed? asks Dyer.

“Sweetness” responds one in the audience….more softly “Love” responds a young woman in the back of the auditorium.

“So….we are realizing that we can always depend on an orange to produce the same “sweetness” over and over…no matter the situation when squeezed…but not ourselves. Is this a fair observation?” Dyer concludes.

…………………………….

Don’t we all wish we could have the constant of “Love” in us…no matter how stressed or squeezed we feel in our own personal and professional lives?

Educational Psychology magazine cited Dyer’s commentary on the orange as an example of self-efficacy.

Self–efficacy is the extent or strength of one’s belief in one’s own ability to complete tasks and reach goals…

Shouldn’t every human being on earth’s goal be to have “love” as a constant living within ourselves…the love that pours out every time we are squeezed…no matter the trying circumstances we might find ourselves in?

If we sit back and look for a model of constant love….we find the answer immediately ….God. God is Love. And no matter how many times we squeeze Him (when we feel squeezed into a corner and stressed beyond human limitations.)…His love pours out for us. We can depend on its “sweetness” every single time.

We are children of God. Don’t you think God loves us as we love all our children of the world? Wouldn’t we do anything for our children…even sacrificing ourselves for them?

We know that God’s Love resides in us…in all His children.

What if…we could form a circle of love in every country and then squeeze each other and find universal love “actually.” That elusive love we spend a lifetime searching, wishing, hoping, and praying for…

So until tomorrow….Father, let us be a “constant” ….a “beacon” of love for all who come into contact with us…Let Your love shine through us when we are squeezed every time.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Anne sent this follow-up picture and personal story on trees and their importance in our lives.

 Hi Becky,

Your Sunday (April 19^th) blog about living, loving, and connecting with trees caught my attention because my friend Millie had sent me the attached photo just the day before!  She’s visiting her grandson in Seattle and is passing on to him her love of trees. How precious is the gift she is giving him!

I then began to think about the gifts MY grandparents gave me – too numerous to count, but one from my dad’s dad popped to mind.  I remember being out in his garden as he was tending his roses one day.  He had remarried years after my grandmother had passed away.  He helped me read the sign he was placing next to the rosebush: Grow old along with me; the best is yet to be.  I thought it was so very sweet of him to think of his new wife in that way.  But all these years later, in rethinking the scene, and knowing he was a man of faith, he was also acknowledging and giving glory to God…another important gift from many years ago.

* We also heard from Ambika….things are getting very exciting in Dubai……

Hi dear Becky,

Family all doing well by God’s grace… I’m running 8th month now…. God willing the estimated date is June 14th 2015… Baby is busy kicking n boxing… Lol…. With the excitement and anticipation of the baby, I’m just having  bouts of anxiety about the delivery process… I’m sure you know this feeling… But thanks a lot for asking Becky… Please do pray for us and I will continue doing the same… Take care…

With loads of luv n prayers,

Best regards,