Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

Every day brings us an opportunity to make new friends and reunite with old ones…and best of all… laugh our heads off in the process!

That is what happened to me yesterday. I arrived at 9:00 at the Healing Boutique (Roper/St. Francis in the Cancer Center) to let Karen measure my hand and arm for my new glove and sleeve (which I will wear following completion of my physical therapy.)

My appointment with sweet Chrissie, my physical therapist, wasn’t until 10:00 and Karen had said that the measuring wouldn’t take over half an hour…tops! Love it when a plan comes together!

As soon as I saw Karen I realized I already knew her from my last ‘post-surgery days’… a couple of years ago. She is very sweet and funny! She, in turn, remembered me and we quickly got caught up on our lives. (Since she still had all my insurance information and nothing had changed… we got right to work…measuring.)

As we were chatting I told her that Chrissie had measured my arm and hand Tuesday and the “puffiness” (as I call it instead of lymphpeda…sounds nicer) had shrunk some more…though not as much as the last measurement…still… a little centimeter here and there. (And really, to me, it all looks pretty normal again…which makes me happy.)

I told her that I was sure that the area that had stayed the same was my “bat wings“…the skin flapping under the top of my upper arm. (One day -many years from now-young Chrissie will understand that these “wings” stick around for the long haul…therapy or not.)

Karen (about my age) started laughing and told me that she had something better to call this condition than “bat wings.” A friend had told her and she had never forgotten it. It was time to pass it on.

Before she started her story, however, she asked me if I wore short sleeves and I replied “NO…Never!” I always wore, at least, three quarter sleeves…even in the summer…because of the “bat wings” problem.

Karen smiled and replied “I thought so…just like me…so you are definitely in the “club.” 

“Club…what club?” I replied.

“The Angel Club” she quickly responded… with a grin.

She told me to never fret about flapping arms again…just to always remember and SHHHH! Keep it a secret!

“Angels on Earth don’t want their wings to show.”

Isn’t that too cute? I loved it and we laughed our heads off…what a wonderful way to start the day!

……………………………………………………..

Since we had finished the measuring in about ten minutes I had a lot of time on my hands (a wonderful dilemma) so I browsed around the boutique gift shop… so many wonderful sayings to inspire and motivate people living with (or without) cancer…but most importantly to make everyone remember to laugh and reflect.

Here is one of my favorites that I wrote down…

“Life is all about how you handle Plan B”

(Isn’t that the truth…none of us are going to get through life with all our dreams and expectations intact. Life just doesn’t work that way…because it works better … than what we thought we  originally wanted.)

We soon learn that “Plan B” is “Plan A”…just with a few curve balls thrown in the mix…so hint: Practice hitting home runs with strikes from curve balls!)

Now keep that thought in mind while you ponder this question concerning “Plan B” at Christmas…

Ann G is curious about a situation that arose (for the first time for her) just recently….In the past couple of months she has successfully overcome an unexpected diagnosis of skin cancer….( the rather grueling process involved several surgeries/skin grafts and other ‘trying’ obstacles).

While going through the process of healing… she discovered that her thoughts about Christmas, traditions, decorating, etc. had changed. Bewildered…she spoke to some neighbors who had also gone through major obstacles in their lives…to see if she was alone in her unresolved feelings concerning the holidays/decorating. Ann generously has shared these reflections :

As usual you blog was timely. I made the observation this weekend that when we have a big change or trauma in our lives it effects our Christmas decorating.

I was talking to my neighbor about the year her husband died and how she changed her decorations that year. And one of my friends said the year she had chemo she didn’t put up her tree at all.

 I had been thinking about not even putting up my tree this year and it came to me that I could put less on it! Travis and Whitney graciously helped assemble it and put the lights on it so putting the ornaments on it was a breeze. So perhaps less is more in this case.

 I’m still trying to work through how trauma is related to Christmas decorating. Between surgeries I thought I’m not going to be able to deal with the tree. And now that it is here, doing less seems to be the answer. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on this.

 Peace & Love,

Ann

…………………………..

I personally replied that I went the other way the first Christmas after the initial diagnosis.

I kept thinking it might be my last Christmas so I wanted it to be the best. I had just finished chemo and was not feeling the greatest…but I had so much help from family and friends…bringing new ornaments and decorations… that I got excited seeing Christmas anew.

Of course once Eva Cate, my first grandchild, came along…Christmas was never the same again….happily…and with two more “precious passengers” on board now…I  feel so happy and thankful at Christmas for just “being.“

Like Ann, I too, find myself taking down less and less decorations from the closets every year…including this year.

I just don’t feel the need for them any more. I would rather save room instead (from all decorative knick-knacks) to fill the house with screams, chaos, and laughter of children. The best decorations of all.

Ann…I think “Less really is best” in most of life… period!

*** I would love (and I know Ann would) to hear back from anyone willing to share a first Christmas after a loss…whether it be a health issue, or loss of spouse through death or divorce, a sudden move from a home you had lived in for a long time…any obstacle that made you re-think Christmas. It is an important discussion…because we will all go through it at some point in our lives.

So until tomorrow…Let us keep seeking the Hand that guides us through all of life’s obstacles.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Happy Birthday Poppy! We love you so much! I hope the angels (who can show their wings) throw you a fantastic party!

*** Oops…I almost forgot to tell you about my title “angel” picture for the blog. Ernest Lee, a.k.a. “Chicken Man,” had it on display when Brooke, Libby, and I secretly sneaked up to Columbia to get him to paint a mural for Jackson…since her birthday was coming soon…(November)

We had the best time with “Chicken Man” ….buying all kinds of paintings while waiting for him to finish Jackson’s picture of symbolic events in her life and her son Matthew.

When the “Ya’s” came for the James Taylor concert (part of the birthday package) we gave Jackson her “Chicken Man” birthday painting.

I love my angel (without wings) because Ernest added the pink ribbon just for me. It was the only angel he had done…since his trademark centers around chicken people and palmetto trees. Very special angel! We love you “Chicken Man”!!!!

Dear Reader:

I have just begun to start decorating my magic moon gate garden for Christmas…starting with the magic moon gate, itself.

If you wanted a full moon for Christmas this year, like in all the paintings of Santa Claus and his sleigh flying past the big white orb…you need to run outside right now and catch the last of it…since the 5/6th was actually the full moon for this month.

When I looked at a calendar showing the moon phases this month…I was delighted. It is a South Carolina moon this year which must mean something special for the children living in our Palmetto state.

On Christmas Eve…the new moon will be just a sliver…but on Christmas Day…in the evening…a full South Carolina crescent shaped moon will appear.

Here is a link showing the outlines of the moon around Christmas this year.

Moon Phases Calendar / Moon Schedule

As I was researching the moon phases from NASA…someone from there/couldn’t find a name…(quite creative!)…wrote a poem about how the moon saved Santa one Christmas Eve in 2004…because that was the last time Earth experienced a full moon on Christmas….the smallest full moon in a long time.

Apparently Rudolph, with his bright shiny nose….caught a cold and wouldn’t be there to help guide Santa…so that smart old elf realized he could use the light from the full moon to guide his sleigh as he circled the world. The poem ends with:

So… to those of you who don’t believe

in Santa, here’s the proof:

Look out the window Christmas Eve

at the moonlight on your roof.

…………………………….

 There is something so magical about a full moon…the last few nights I have gone out on the deck and the solar lights in the garden seem to twinkle more merrily with the full moon’s rays falling down upon them. It appears to me that stars have fallen from heaven ….right in my own back yard garden!

You might remember from some of the earlier tales about Archibald Rutledge and Hampton Plantation ( I wrote about) that he witnessed every month (when the “new moon” appeared)… his workers  falling down on their knees in reverence for a new phase of life…blessing the “new moon” and their presence to see it.

They didn’t take life for granted and knew how fortunate they were to be seeing another new moon appear…life is fragile but oh so beautiful!

And that is how I feel about Christmases now…I pinch myself that I am still here and able to watch the next generation grow like my garden…there will never be a gift to equal life…the joy I am experiencing right now…this very moment!

So until tomorrow…Let us, too, fall down on our knees this Christmas Eve when the “new moon” appears because we are alive and loved by God, family, and friends. The sickle moon ….the magic moon of time from God. The Christmas present of all Christmas presents.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Photographs of family, especially grandchildren, are the best gifts to  a grandmother any time…but especially at Christmas…. I got plenty of those yesterday when Mandy, Jake, and I got to hang out after physical therapy.

First Mandy gave me Eva Cate’s school photo for this year and her Christmas ornament…a “self-portrait” drawing.

Later Mandy and John met Eva Cate at her school to help her finish decorating the Turner Gingerbread House. You did good Turners…great teamwork! (Now ‘fess up…how much did you eat?)

Dear Reader:

Losing things is one of my pet peeves because I am so “good” at it… At Christmas time my “art” of losing scissors, glue, scotch tape, wrapping paper…and finally the gift itself… grows in magnitude.

Christmas wrapping day usually ends up being one of frustration searching for the scissors (hiding under the wrapping paper) or bows and ribbons (left them in a bag still out in the car) Wrapping, like surgery, requires knowing where all the necessary utensils are at the same time…plus another pair of hands with the scotch tape dispenser since all my personal bandage wrappings on my left hand stick to the scotch tape and I can’t get it off!

So that is why you will find me in any department store, these days, happily waiting in the line for gift wrapping….it is one time in my life where waiting is a pleasure!

As I grow older…losing things become worse….so that is why I am so happy to know that I can never lose God. He is everywhere all the time. The only thing I need do to get in touch with him is stop, pause, and be quiet.

Yesterday, with the rain and cold, was the perfect time to stop and do just that….I built a fire, grabbed a blanket and pillow and reflected on the blessings God continues bestowing on me.

Mother Teresa always knew the secret to finding God…the following in one of my favorite quotes:

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.

Last week, while waiting on my physical therapy, I copied this true story from an old Guidepost magazine into my keepsake loyal notebook I carry everywhere. A wonderful example, like Mother Teresa said… of when “we need silence to be able to touch souls.”

Seventeen-year-old Christhian Reyes (from Miami) shared a powerful message he found inside his lost wallet which was returned by an anonymous stranger.

“I added $20 to it so you know the world is a great place. When you get the chance do something nice for someone else.”

……………………………

Doesn’t that act of kindness pretty much define the spirit of Christmas?

I heard back yesterday from Gloria Houston…my favorite Christmas story author. 2014 has been a benchmark year for change. Gloria’s mother, Miss Ruthie, died January 15…just short of her 100th birthday. Then Gloria was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma….a form of cancer that matches its long difficult name. It’s a tough one.

Gloria is now living with her younger daughter in Tampa where there is a specialized clinic to help patients with this disease. Gloria knows it is an uphill battle but she is ready to fight. Let me just share one email (out of several) that went back and forth between us yesterday…to show the determination in this wonderful woman who is so full of life.

(I had told her about “little c” and how I came to embrace that name for this insidious disease…. and she replied)

Gloria

……………………….

I replied that she came from good “genes” ….like her mother, Ruthie, and if Ruthie could climb to the “tip tip top” of the Grandfather Mountain and return home with the Christmas Tree of Hope….then so can she!

And speaking of Christmas trees of hope…Harriett Edwards sent me a picture of her Christmas Tree of Hope….saying “Come see and have tea.” Too cute…hope to do just that Harriett!

Friday and Saturday I will be busy telling Christmas stories….Friday will find me at the MS Christmas luncheon which I will attend with Mike and Honey….and Saturday I will be at Baker’s Pond Nursery on Central Avenue… at 10:30 a.m. to tell a story.

I want to invite everyone to come if you can Saturday morning …the storytelling will take place in Kay’s new enclosed building with tables for their wonderful barbecue, a beautiful Christmas tree, and glowing fire place. We will be cozy and warm…no matter the weather.

Other vendors, like the seagrass basket ladies, jewelry makers, woodcutters…all kinds of vendors will bring their own creative wares with them if you would like to stay afterwards and browse around…but don’t forget to pick up a barbecue sandwich…out of this world!

Please take a minute to read some of the wonderful comments from our blog readers…a really sweet one concerns little Rebecca Crick’s solo…Happy Birthday Jesus.

There are two people who could use our prayers right now…and I would personally appreciate you helping out in this regard. There is no doubt that I am still here because of all of you and your continued prayers for good health.

1) Gloria Houston….a tough cancer but a tougher fighter.

2) Tammy….Brooke’s friend’s daughter who continues to fight brain cancer…she is a single mother with three children and faces additional surgery next Monday.

So until tomorrow…God please be with all of your “children” who are facing all kinds of obstacles this Christmas, including health ones. Let us be reminders to those less fortunate that the world is still a great place in which to live!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Great news! Christmas came early for Mike Burrell. (Ever since his little dog, Beanie, passed away… he has missed her terribly.) So guess what Mike got today?…(after a trip to Bamberg from a sneaky elf named Honey)

* Tarshie announced that Mike now has two daughters and four granddaughters (two are Tarshie’s dogs)

* I rode over to Baker’s Pond Nursery to drop off some things for Saturday…and saw this angel stand for sale and on sale (try twelve dollars)…Kay found a container of ivy and began wrapping it around my angel…and I found an old white candle. Viola…Christmas is magical! Kay has so many items like this on sale for practically nothing…do come see Saturday!

Dear Reader:

The Christmas Tree is trimmed for another year. And even though…it may not look it in this picture…I really did “trim”  down the amount of ornaments hung on it.

I immediately emailed Gloria Houston…. author of The Perfect Christmas Tree (my family’s favorite Christmas story) because it is Ruthie, the main character/angel, who sits atop my tree each year.

In 2008 I told this story at the annual District Office Christmas luncheon. Soon after I got a call from the beloved receptionist there (at the time) telling me about Gloria Houston’s home (near Spruce Pine, NC) and the project to keep her Christmas story alive in her hometown.

Honey and I immediately packed up, even with a snow storm that went through the day before and headed on a great adventure…to follow the steps of Ruthie and her mother to find the ‘Perfect Christmas Tree.’

It is still one of my fondest memories…thank you Honey for completing my Lewis and Clark expedition. I left a letter to Gloria at the inn where we stayed since the receptionist told me she stopped by there when she was in town.

About a month later I got a letter from her inviting me to come to her mother Ruthie’s 95th birthday party in Waynesville, NC. Honey couldn’t go…but Brooke jumped on board…and another memorable adventure was created. It was at the party that I got my book signed by both Gloria and the main character…her mother…Ruthie.

When I emailed Gloria last year…Ruthie was very frail…but the whole town was hoping and praying she would make it to her 100th birthday in March. A hugh town celebration was planned.

Gloria let me know later that Ruthie didn’t make it ’til her birthday but the angels celebrated with her, instead. So having Ruthie, the angel, on top of my tree each year is very special.

Over the years I have told many Christmas tree stories…the perfect ones and the imperfect ones…and I have loved them all. Then yesterday I came across a true story of a lone Christmas tree….told by Charles Kuralt through his popular television series (and later book)…“On the Road.”

While traveling America’ back roads one year he discovered the story behind a tree adopted (by motorists driving by and local townspeople) as their beloved annual Christmas tree.

The strange thing about this tree, that caught one’s attention immediately, was that it grew on the high plateau of the Rockies where neither weather conditions nor soil were conducive to sustainability of life.

Yet it lived….and was considered something of a miracle to the people who took the time to stop and pull over to marvel at this miracle of nature in their midst.

The tree was a juniper and grew beside U.S. 50 all by itself…there was not another tree for miles. Nobody remembers, today, who put the first Christmas tree ornament on it, perhaps a motorist just passing by on a whimsy.

But soon after…others stopped to do the same thing and now by Christmas Day…the tree has transformed into a Christmas Tree…beloved by all who see it and understand its miracle existence.

One year it was almost bulldozed down by road workers, widening that stretch of highway…but Kuralt said something stopped them and they decided to start the widening…a few feet away…past the tree. So close to the highway now…that the trucks rattle its branches…but still it survives.

The tree’s closest town neighbors live in Grand Junction on one side and in Delta, Colorado on the other. Both towns love their tree. Each family in these towns have their own Christmas trees, of course, but it is something about this tree, who continues to live, in spite of the odds that makes it “belong to no one and yet everyone.”

Charles Kuralt finishes his Christmas tale by declaring:

” Just looking at it makes you think about how unexpected life on Earth can be. The tree is so lonely and so brave that it seems to offer courage to those who pass it-and a message. It is the Christmas message: that there is life and hope…even in a rough world.”

……………………………..

So until tomorrow…let us remember that God is found among the ordinary in extraordinary conditions…performing His miracles as we drive by.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* I asked my Sunday class, several of whom who read the blog, to participate in the “Holiday Monster” project for Christmas Eve. The idea is to draw, make, or take a picture of something that is an obstacle between ourselves and the true meaning of Christmas.

Let me share a few photos that have already come in to help anyone who might still be unsure what this is all about….

1) Linda Carson, my friend and oncology nurse, told us about this one bulb that refused to cooperate while putting up their Christmas tree…she pulled it out…something broke…and now there are no lights on the tree. She was asking for advice on how to fix it without having to re-trim it.

So the light bulb became her “Holiday Monster” this year and she sent these pictures yesterday…one darn strand…so close…so close and then the “faulty lightbulb” monster creeps into the tree! (Nothing makes us lose the “spirit” more than a bum bulb!) Too funny!

2) Brooke decided that this photo sums up her “Holiday Monster” in a nutshell…..TOO MUCH STUFF!

  Brooke has a great idea how to turn this monster into joy…..

Too much Stuff. As I pull out decorations, boxes, etc. I realize that I don’t use half of it any more. This is my holiday monster but it will soon be gone!! This is the year, yes I am sure of it.
Then I will feel great JOY because I will give most of it to a friend who can use what she can and sell the rest for much needed money.

These are two wonderful examples of Holiday Monsters….come on now…grab that camera, or paper and crayons/paints or cut out a picture from a magazine….whatever and let us know your “Holiday Monster”….All of them will be displayed and introduced in the Christmas Eve blog!

Thanks Linda and Brooke so MUCH for your “early bird” special monsters. ( But no more examples…come on everyone….we all have them hiding around us somewhere. ‘Tis the year to get rid of the “Holiday Monster”!)

* Please take a minute to get in the Christmas spirit with Libby’s little five year old granddaughter, Rebecca, who got the solo part in the children’s Christmas program…singing Happy Birthday Jesus! Too sweet! From the voice of a child…Christmas comes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJq_uvfLAEI&feature=youtu.be

Dear Reader:

I subscribe to Dancing with Monsters and monthly receive new thoughts, ideas, and suggestions from Kate Wolfe-Jenson, one of my favorite bloggers…on all kinds of topics…but particularly the sick “monsters” who appear regularly whenever one is fighting a chronic disease. They show up in the forms of depression, hopelessness, and denial.

Combating Multiple Sclerosis (herself)… she fights back these monsters of self-doubt for herself and her readers continuously… using humor, kindness, and compassion. She is adorable…a fellow blogger who lifts me up through her strength.

I happened to come across a blog she wrote around Thanksgiving…in preparation for all the craziness of Christmas (that we vow every year we won’t fall into that rabbit hole again.)

It involves three symbols: A Holiday Monster, Comfort, and Joy. She had drawn (she’s an artist) a cute Holiday Monster (which I will not copy for this blog.) But I am going to make my own personal Holiday Monster to share with you on the blog (sometime before Christmas.)

And now here’s my challenge to all of you…think of the “monsters” that come between you and the true meaning of Christmas… Then create or make it in any form to share with us…(Can actually just be a photo of something..an item… you already have around the house, or you could make a paper doll or collage, a clay sculpture (hint, hint)…the sky’s the limit.)

Then take a picture and send me….would love to have one whole blog dedicated to eradicating our personal Holiday Monsters. Come on  and join the fun! Let’s try Christmas Eve’s blog for the “revealing” of the Christmas monsters. *Make sure you add a short comment behind your selection.

Making time for fun…real fun…brings us to the next two symbols Kate mentions a lot in her blogs…not just at Christmas. Comfort and Joy. 

What do you think about this idea? Get out a sheet of paper…and make two columns….COMFORT and JOY. Then reflect and list under each title…the things at Christmas that bring you COMFORT. Then do it again for the things that bring you JOY.

By the time you finish your two lists…I hope you will be smiling at these stress-buster memories of past Christmases. Sherlock Holmes would now say…(using your deductive reasoning abilities)… you know (from elimination) who your Holiday Monsters are…anything you feel compelled to do that didn’t make your Comfort and Joy list.

  I decided to find two items that symbolize comfort and joy to me at Christmas. (Comfort…the rocking chair) Honey had this made for me at a baby shower she gave for Mandy… when she was expecting Eva Cate.

It has rocked my grandchildren (to date)… providing the most wonderful memories of comfort…and it is still warmed up to continue with the new and upcoming editions.

  Joy! I bought this whimsical piece of iron-wrought artwork from an old antique store in Summerville that was going out of business about ten years ago. She continues to bring me joy as more items are added to her.

There is a green planter in front… Doodle gave me the red bird of good luck to place on it. Just a few weeks ago…Honey gave me the hand-made clay plaque (she had read this statement/quote from a magazine article on Joan Lunden and her fight with breast cancer) which found its home around the neck of Faith (the name I gave the art piece when I bought her a decade ago.)

Yesterday I was able to find comfort and joy with grandchild #2 (Mr. Rutledge.) Mollie had her company Christmas party Friday night…and a special day out with some of her friends Saturday…a Christmas present shared together. So I received the best present of all…. Mr. Comfort and Joy. 

Rutledge is almost 18 months now….so follow me through this night and day to see what life is like at this remarkable age.

Friday night…lots of hugs and kisses….always a comfort and joy from our little elf! He kept pointing to my hand and shaking his head.

Rutledge woke up about 10:30 Friday night and we were still going at 12:30 ….but did that mean we had any less energy Saturday?…Everyone knows the answer to that….Here goes:

 One round of golf….

 Rutledge must have some “Boo” genes…we read books from the time I got there until I left…he still wanted to “read” his ‘Five Little Monkeys‘ book while swinging…

Rutledge took on Poogan with a ‘tug of “stick” war’….Poogan came, he saw…he conquered. 

  “Tuck…No!” Obviously Rutledge has witnessed the panic look when one or more parents get “stuck” in traffic or elsewhere. He kept trying his “key” and shaking his head in total disgust.

He was just finishing  cutting the grass when Daddy arrived to bring his son and “daughter” back inside for a little snack…and…

…‘dozens of tiger paws danced on his head.”

So until tomorrow…Please put the “Holiday Monster” idea under comfort or joy….it sure would be a joy for  me to have several  ideas on the Christmas Eve blog! Pretty Please….this is about sharing ideas…not artistic ability. (as you will see from mine)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Libby Clarkson’s daughter, Betsy and her husband Collin, surprised their two daughters, Haily and Rebecca, to a trip on the Polar Express. Betsy worked on the fancy attire for the pj’s for the train ride. For those two girls…a memory has been planted that will last a lifetime….(sometimes at the sacrifice of parental comfort in exchange for children’s joy!)

Dear Reader:

I came across another story by author, Sue Kidd Monk, who was remembering her relationship with nativity mangers, at Christmas, as a child and then later…. from a different perspective as an adult. (www.sermons.com)

Sue Monk Kidd, in one of her books, recalls her youth and how she would prepare for Christmas. In early December, she would sit by the wooden nativity set clustered under their Christmas tree and think over the last year of her life. She would think deeply about Christmas and the coming of Jesus.

She remembers, one time, visiting a monastery. It was a couple of weeks before Christmas. As she passed a monk walking outside, she greeted him with, “Merry Christmas.” The monk’s response caught her off guard a bit. “May Christ be born in you,” he replied.

His words seemed strange and peculiar at the time. What did he mean, “May Christ be born in you?” At the time she was unsure of what he meant, but now all these years later, sitting beside the Christmas tree, she felt the impact of his words. She discovered that Advent is a time of spiritual preparation. It is also a time of transformation. It is “discovering our soul and letting Christ be born from the waiting heart.”

………………………….

I love the idea of the “waiting” part of Advent being located in our hearts and souls. Fertile ground for the birth of Christ in us.

Chrissie, my wonderful young friend and physical therapist, was telling me yesterday about all the nativity scenes she has at her home. She has one  six year old son, Noah, who adores playing with all of them…the older ones that have been passed down in the family, then the newer ones like the “Lego” manger…the “Charlie Brown” nativity scene…(Chrissie thinks Woodstock portrays the Baby Jesus in that one).No matter the look or time period…Noah becomes the guardian for the mangers each Christmas.

 He checks each one to make sure all the figurines, including the animals, are all tucked in each evening and accounted for…before going to bed. The other night he was having a hard time getting to sleep and called down to Chrissie that he forgot to tuck Baby Jesus in with the soft white blanket….it did buy him about two or three more minutes of freedom.

I remember too…loving to look at the mangers in my aunts and uncles’ homes every Christmas….every relative had a different nativity scene…I could have played with them all day and been perfectly content. Like Noah…I loved playing with Baby Jesus and was very protective of Him when my brothers drew near. (I was afraid he might get recruited to play “army men.”…out in the back yard )

I don’t know what eventually happened to mother’s nativity scene.. it simply faded away I reckon over time. Every year I think I will start collecting figurines for a keepsake nativity scene to pass down…but I never seem to do it.

So last year when I mentioned that to Doodle and Lassie, while touring the creches at Mepkin Abby…friends and family dropped off the most unique creches….just perfect for me in my Happy Room.

 I actually bought this little compact manger scene at the gift shop at Mepkin Abby last year. Here are some more given to me as gifts by family and friends.

 Another unique Madonna and Child  (from Honey) and the next manger scene spells HOPE…which pretty well sums it up…don’t you think?

So until tomorrow…When I look at these three reasons for the season…I love the thought  that Christ is born in each of them…in their hearts and souls!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

When I woke up yesterday I was so happy….it was the only day this whole week that I didn’t have a medical appointment to have to get dressed for.. and out the door. Alleluia Alleluia…. Alleluia…A l l e l u i a!

And besides…it was going to be a wonderful, fun day! First…Anne and I meet at Oscars once a month for an “Eat badly and Enjoy Every Bite” lunch…and yesterday was our appointed time.  Anne got a cheeseburger and fries…while I got a bowl of clam chowder, and a pulled pork sandwich with fries….life is so good!

This new “How you gonna keep’em down on the farm after they’ve seen Paree” friend of mine is leaving me speechless each time we meet these days. Anne informed me that she is now taking “fiddle” lessons every Wednesday so she can return to one of the Irish pubs we frequented (last summer) and play for the crowd. She even imitated her moment of future glory for me while dining!

Play that invisible fiddle my friend!

Then Tommy called and said that (Thursday) afternoon would suit him to go get the Christmas tree at Lowe’s. I was too excited….I was ‘loving on this day!’

While waiting on him to come I realized I had time to run over to Honey’s to buy some pottery since I am keeping Rutledge this weekend and can’t make the actual Christmas Pottery Extravaganza Saturday.

…And this is what led me to our title blog caption. I needed some more “Mountain Mangers” to give as presents this Christmas. For you long time readers…you may remember the story behind this beautiful piece of pottery design Honey created a few years ago.

I keep forgetting that our new readers (thank you for joining us so much) don’t have a way to look at the history of how or why this blog got started, or the contest with Scheherazade, or even mountain mangers. Four years of stories are no longer available for public viewing.  All the stories are stored in a private folder somewhere in cyber space I think.

So it is time to stop and step back in time to help our new readers catch up with some of the “benchmark” stories that have taken us to where we are today.

 I decided to start with the Christmas seasonal “Mountain Mangers” story. Honey attends workshops on pottery constantly to learn new ways to sculpt and mold. From out of one of these workshops she learned how to take some clay and mold Joseph, Mary, and Jesus… all from one piece.

She began practicing and practicing…but for some inexplicable reason…after she  molded Joseph, then Mary( leaving enough clay to complete the baby Jesus) and left them by the kiln to dry…she recognized a strange pattern developing.

As she formed the clay figurines…Joseph and Mary were ramrod straight…gazing off into the distance. But every time she went to check on the mountain mangers… (before putting them in the kiln)…Joseph and Mary were bent over…staring down at the Christ Child. It continued to happen over and over.

 At first Honey was simply puzzled…looking at it as a sculptural design mistake. Finally, however, it dawned on her what was really happening…she now saw the “problem” through different eyes…not a mistake…but a blessing.  (Joseph and Mary would not have been looking outward…but downward at the Son of God…the Savior of mankind.)

I had chills when she first told me the story behind the artistic creation of the “mountain mangers.” In fact I was so moved…I sat down and wrote a poem about the incident…in five minutes. I later told Honey I have never written a poem that quickly…without having to revise it again and again.

The strange incident with the clay combined with the strange incident with writing the poem…makes the story even more powerful. Here is the poem I wrote three years ago.

“Mountain Manger”

Once atop a mountain

A lone potter sat

Molding clay beneath her hands

From colors…of this and that.

First she made a tall figure

Joseph was his name

Then slowly Mary was molded

Smaller…but just the same.

The potter then stopped and paused

And took a deep, deep breath

As a small shape began to form

From the clay that was left.

The clay made a little mound

Formed in a tiny stall

Baby Jesus was created

The most loved sculpture of all.

And as the potter watched

In amazement and silent awe

Joseph and Mary began to bow

Towards the baby bright and small

Again and again it happened

The parents would always bend

In reverence to the Christ-Child

The Beginning and the End.

……………………………………………………………….

Honey has made several “mountain mangers” for this year’s Christmas Pottery Sale…  My poem is available (for free) in hard copy when you purchase this treasure of a “sculpted story.” What a great Christmas gift it is! (So don’t forget to come… Saturday morning, Dec 6, from 9-4…111 Ayers Circle…Salisbury Acres, Summerville, SC/ (Tel: 843-870-9698)

I had been home only a few minutes from Honey’s… when Tommy called…he had borrowed his dad’s truck and would meet me at Lowe’s. I arrived first and started looking at trees…by the time Tommy got there…we had picked the same tree instantaneously.

We were the only tree customers…what are the odds of that at this time of year? The tree was shaken and the limbs at  the bottom of the tree removed so we could get it in the tree holder…with no sawing.

Everything was going like clock-work. Tommy and I were speculating that this was the best tree experience yet. The tree stood straight…hardly shed at all…and Tommy got the lights on in record time. We kept congratulating ourselves on this “Martha Stewart” moment of perfection.

“Pride goeth before the fall”…or in our case…”lights shineth everywhere… but in the middle.” It was the strangest thing I had ever seen.

“So close…but yet so far.”  I had to ‘step back’… by driving back… to Rite-Aid and pick up another strand of lights.

Kaitlyn spent last night with me to be closer to an early morning meeting today…and bless her heart…she helped me decorate the tree. We really had fun…and it looks so good!

So until tomorrow…Slowly but surely Christmas is arriving at Boo’s house…but regardless of holidays or ordinary days…we all must be willing to step backward sometimes ….in order to move forward with our lives. To keep the lights (top/middle/bottom) burning inside of us each day that we are blessed to be alive.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Anne…look what I found! You gave me this copy of your Christmas painting last year…it is up near the mantle and looking good!

Dear Reader:

Yesterday heading up Highway 61 towards St. Francis/Roper hospital (for my physical therapy)…the fog was dense… yet eerily beautiful.

I found myself turning off the road to take some pictures of the allure of the woods in the early morning mist. But strangely…as intense as it was in front of me and around me…no photo showed that degree of density of fog.

In the picture above…you only get a slight hint of the haze behind the old house. Without looking through the Iphone camera…I could barely see the house. It was almost invisible from my side of the road.

And then I remembered the “leaf storm” from a few weeks earlier…(on the same road…on the same mission) when once again I pulled over to capture the wonder and excitement of hundreds of leaves falling on my windshield. I must have taken ten or more photos…and I was lucky to have three leaves together when I checked the pictures.

I have thought about it a lot and have decided that certain incidences in our lives can only be lived and felt in that moment. These “snapshots” of the wondrous world we live in are an indivualized gift from God. He loves seeing His children (even the adult ones) squeal in unexpected anticipation and excitement.

There are certain gifts that are timely for certain people and God knows when each of us needs a heavenly surprise. God knows how much I would rather be home than traveling to St. Francis three times a week for therapy… so He has shown me the power of His handiwork.

If He can surprise me with storms of colored leaves and a special quietude of early morning mist in the woods…then surely He is going to stay with me through all the treatments needed to restore my hand and arm.

This past Monday….another magical act appeared….a Christmas Magical Act!

 Every time I walk past this tree (in a bricked-in planter) outside Dr. Silgals’ (my oncologist) office….I stop to admire it. I wish I knew what kind of tree it was…all the leaves are gone now…but the whitish branches (beech? cypress?) always give me a feeling of peace as I enter the glass door.

As I crossed the waiting room to sign in I caught sight of the beautiful Christmas tree standing against the wall. It really is a pretty tree…decorated elegantly…with an adoring-looking angel on top. (which I managed to cut off her head in my photo)

The waiting room was crowded so I settled back in my chair to catch up on some reading. And then my favorite Christmas Grinch burst through the door. Gabriel!

He ran in front of his grandmother to see the tree…he kept holding his arms out wide… like he wanted to embrace the whole tree at one time and announced to all of us in the waiting room…that this is what he wanted for Christmas…this Christmas tree!

Gabriel is an engaging three-year old who is kept by his grandmother… who is a patient. She is also very patient with Gabriel. His hair is always braided perfectly all around his head and his gorgeous dark brown eyes can light up the whole waiting room in seconds.

After talking to him for awhile about different ornaments he liked on the tree…I told him that I saw something magical. His brown eyes got bigger and he asked “What?”… as he kept swirling around looking for the magic.

I had noticed that the reflection of white lights on the Christmas tree was hitting the glass panels…making it appear that the bare tree outside in the planter was covered in white lights. Beautiful!!!

I grabbed my Iphone and took Gabriel by the hand asking him… if he saw the white lights on the tree outside. He looked through the glass panels and nodded vigorously “Yes!”

As I went to see if the reflective lights on the outside tree would appear through the camera…once again…I realized that the camera had picked up the illusion faster than we had. The camera showed no white lights on the tree outside… from inside the waiting room.

So I slowly opened the door and said….“Gabriel… where are the white lights on the tree now?” Gabriel stood in the open doorway staring as hard as he could…and started yelling loudly to his grandmother…”They’re gone…it’s magic!”

And it was. All it took to turn an ordinary day in a waiting room into wonder and surprise was disappearing Christmas lights.

( It was too funny to see strangers putting down their iphones and other gadgets to get up, look out the windows, and shake their heads in amazement too. ) God’s Wink for all of us last Monday!

So until tomorrow…May we all remain child-like each day of the year…open to wonder and surprise from our Creator.

“Today is my favorite day”   Winnie the Pooh

* I have just started decorating for Christmas…Tim came over and added more lights to my porch. I found a most unique wreath at Tractors and Supply…that I love.. (no more sticking more magnolias on a dead wreath Anne…you are off the hook)…this wreath is filled with burlap bows and greenery and red berries. * Big Red is so tall… the top bloom looks like an added bow to the wreath…if angled by the camera correctly.

Lucy has decided she likes the porch lit up so much now…she climbs up on the bench and snuggles in by “Big Red” for all her naps.

Speaking of disappearing….Jake’s hair disappeared at one month and now is slowly returning…. Boo Boo wants him to stay a little tiny baby longer…but none of my grandchildren have listened to me…they just grow and grow…like my garden.

I jotted this little ditty down from a magazine I was reading in the waiting room Monday…so true!

“My want-to’s haven’t been much

My get-it-dones have been small

But my been-givens…Oh My…

they outweigh them all!”      

(Geneva Nelson)

*** THREE, TWO….ONE…COUNT DOWN TO SATURDAY AND HONEY’S CHRISTMAS POTTERY EXTRAVANGA!!! 

Great assortment of handmade gift ideas that stand alone in individualized taste…and the prices can’t be beat!!!!

Where: Mike and Honey Burrell’s home: 111 Ayers Circle-Salisbury Acres

When: This Saturday, December 6  (9-4 PM)

  Dear Reader:

Every year when John and Mandy take the family back to Huntsville, Alabama (John’s home) the last night (before their return) they head out to Santa’s Village.

  It was really cold this year and Joan quickly volunteered to stay home and keep little Jake. (Smart move Joan!)

The rest of the family put on big (weary) smiles and headed to Santa’s place. It really is impressive…lots of Christmas characters walking around (like Christmas Penguins) to get one’s picture taken with….

But every kid knows the real purpose of this trip is to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what you want for Christmas. I had asked Eva Cate what she was going to ask for (before she left for Huntsville) and she had rattled off three or four items to me… without blinking.

Now it was time to get in line to wait her turn to go into Santa’s house,  get her candy cane, and leave with a solid verbal contract that she would receive what she asked for…such a relief to a four-year old!

 At first Eva Cate was all smiles…full of excitement!

However, as time passed…Mandy said she could see her grow more anxious. Mandy kept reminding her to use this waiting time to practice asking Santa what she wanted for Christmas.

Look at this “luxury” waiting line….benches, outside televisions…Really? Where are the endless lines of screaming children in department stores…. with everyone standing in line…not seating.

  Still…it looks like the pout was forming…or perhaps it was just the worried look of  childish concentration …before the most important moment of Christmas for a child waiting in line to give Santa his/her wish list.

  It looks like all went well…Eva Cate faked it pretty good.

In reality…Mandy said she “choked”…she “clutched”…she forgot what she wanted for Christmas. She went completely blank! (Looked like a scene right out of the Christmas Story)

In desperation, suffering from Christmas Wish amnesia…she pointed to a Christmas present around the tree for what she wanted for Christmas…Since neither Santa nor Eva Cate knew what was in the (empty fake decorated box) Santa just nodded, patted her on the head and told her to be a good little girl…Ho! Ho! Ho!…while handing her a candy cane from his big bag. It was over for another year. She had blown it!

The family reassured her that Santa can read minds and already knew what she really wanted. (Good save… family!)

With Advent upon us…and the first Advent candle of “hope” being lit (last Sunday) I thought about Eva Cate’s Santa visit and how (when I was little) I got God and Santa confused. Apparently I saw too many pictures of God with a long white beard at Sunday School…And after all… God was supposed to be kind, love and protect little children, wasn’t He? If God put on a long red robe…they could be twins.

A few months ago, author Donald Miller ( A Million Miles in A Thousand Years) shared his image of heaven. He pictured himself and God sitting in rocking chairs swapping stories about his life and choices. God would say something like “That really was a bad decision…but so funny” and slap his knee with tears of amusement rolling down His face.

Donald’s greatest fear was that (like Eva Cate) when his time to sit on God’s lap finally arrived…and he had His un-devoted attention…he would go blank. He wouldn’t be able to think of one single story or question to ask God.

He wondered if he made some “cheat sheets” and put in his pocket if they would make it to heaven too. Worries worries, worries.

I think God must love Santa dearly and have a close relationship with him.  After all they share a lot in common. They both love to make children happy and love them unconditionally….even with the naughty and nice list. They both have big bags to carry….God’s bag consists of His Creation and all the problems within while Santa’s bag consists of toys for good little girls and boys. And both seem to know everything about each and every child…without even asking.

I hope I will use my “waiting” time here on earth to think about my first meeting (face to face) with God….and be prepared with my questions and stories. And if I walk away from this magnificent spiritual rendezvous with a candy cane and a “Ho Ho Ho”…then I will know!

……………………..

So until tomorrow…let us use our “waiting” time on earth preparing for the greatest surprise of our lives…seeing God face to face.

“Today is my favorite day.”  Winnie the Pooh

* Speaking of waiting…if you have never been to Honey’s annual Christmas Pottery Sale…then you won’t be able to understand how people wait a whole year to return to the next one! Fabulous prices for completely unique gifts that will delight one and all!

This Saturday, December 6… From 9-4pm- Honey and Mike’s home:  111 Ayers Circle…Salisbury Acres. If you have trouble finding it…call 870-9698….for directions!

* Walsh went fishing with a friend yesterday…a sport which is a life lesson in waiting…normally…but this time the fish acted like they would rather be in the boat than swimming around outside…they were literally jumping anywhere and everywhere.

Look at this “biggie” fish Walsh pulled in. (Also look at my clean shaven son (mostly clean shaven)…His Mr. Movember Moustache is gone…Mollie and Rutledge are very happy. But it was for a good cause…thanks Walsh!)

Dear Reader:

A few days back…Susan put this gorgeous picture of her Christmas Cactus on her Facebook site. I saw it and oohed and aahed over it. She replied back: “Don’t you recognize it…you gave it to me several years ago for Christmas?”

I know for sure whatever (Thanksgiving/Christmas) cactus I gave Susan sure didn’t look that good when I gave it…Wow! What a green (and pink) thumb! I am thrilled…the gift that keeps on growing and blooming…if given to the right recipient!  (At Doodle’s and Anne’s…their cactus looked equally beautiful…. I just loved them all)

I thought it would be interesting to find the legend behind the Christmas Cactus... it turned out to be more difficult than first expected. It took several “dead ends” before finally finding one story with an actual legend attached.

Santa’s North Pole – Legend Of The Christmas Cactus

* Just in case, for whatever reason, you can’t get into this link…here is a quick synopsis.

A Jesuit missionary went to Bolivia a long time ago to try to convert the natives. His name was Father Jose. He was the perfect role model for them to follow… he demonstrated his care and kindness through preaching, teaching, building, healing, helping, giving, and praying. But no matter how hard he tried ….he just didn’t seem to be reaching them.

Christmas Eve found him on his knees in sadness and discouragement in front of a crudely built altar. What was he doing wrong….he had even taught the children Christmas hymns…but on this holiest of nights…he was all alone in an empty chapel.

Suddenly he heard voices…then singing…it was children’s voices singing a familiar carol. He ran to the door and looked out…all the children of the village were carrying candles in one hand and blooming green branches in the other…cacti they had cut from the jungle as a present to the Christ Child on his birthday.

They quickly decorated the altar, the windows, doors, and pews…the pink blooms reflecting off the flicker of hundreds of candles. Faith and hope returned to Father Jose that special Christmas Eve.

Today the Christmas cactus still symbolizes faith and hope to all believers who follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

A couple of weeks ago I was leaving Doodle’s…and this beautiful bloom captured my attention…I grabbed my Iphone out of the car and took the picture:

When I asked Doodle the name she said that Lisa Hadstate (Hollow Tree Nursery)  told her it was called Christmas Sasanqua. It is so beautiful! Doodle even tried to help me find a legend but the sites kept confusing camelias and sasanquas… making it hard to decipher the right story or legend.

That is one problem with the internet (among others)… much of the information out there is second and third hand information….leaving an abundance of stories about Christmas roses, for example, that aren’t even roses. (It appears that if a plant or flower blooms during the Christmas season someone, somewhere, starts to call it a Christmas Something…)

But then sometimes…the most beautiful, accurate stories are the personal true ones, told in first person …during a family’s most poignant moments.

  That brings us to my adorable niece, Carrie Simpson…Harvey and Doodle’s daughter…and her story.

This “green” story deals with peace lilies…and sadly… where do we find most indoor peace lilies in clusters? …funeral homes and church sanctuaries and cemeteries. It is only after a funeral that the family begins to divide up the lilies for interested family members.

And this is where Carrie’s story begins. Dee Dee, our children’s beloved grandmother died in 2005. There were many peace lilies sent to the house and funeral home. After things had settled down, following the funeral, the peace lilies were divided among the “girls” and grand daughters…including Carrie.

For the first few years following Dee Dee’s death Carrie’s peace lily just seemed to struggle… it didn’t die… but it didn’t bloom either. It just seemed to exist…as if waiting on something or someone to change its journey.

When Poppy, Dee Dee’s husband and beloved father/ grandfather, died in 2013…Carrie found herself staring at the peace lily… hoping to see some life in it…especially now with Poppy’s death still so sad. (Both Dee Dee and Poppy died in the spring of the year…the season of rebirth).

And then it happened…One day a bloom appeared…and Carrie intuitively knew what it meant…(she remembered sending this email message to her mom…letting her know about the bloom that finally arrived and her interpretation of it)….she wrote:

Time passed and Carrie thought no more about it… except for a smile whenever she passed it. A few weeks went by and suddenly she realized there were two blooms on the peace lily…she had never had two blooms before.

She started laughing because she knew exactly what the message was this time too….and sent this email to her Aunt Julie.

Dee Dee says Poppy has arrived and all is well!

Today the peace lily sits quietly in Carrie’s home…keeping its secret messages to itself…waiting for the right moment to share again.

* Last night my computer was “frozen” and I was tired. I couldn’t take a chance on pulling a peace lily photo off the internet…so I called Carrie to go over the sweet family story of this incident again and asked her if she still had that peace lily. She did and said she would send a photo of it and some emails that came from that God’s Wink time …back  in the spring of 2013.

We both got so interested in looking at dates and emails and laughing about Dee Dee being so happy to have Poppy with her again…that the ‘story behind this story’ was a fun night with my amazing niece Carrie. Thank you Carrie for perking me up and providing a time for us to remember and share together.

……………………

My gift for my grandchildren this Christmas is a tree for each of them. You might remember I planted my first Japanese maple last December, almost a year to the day. Since it is the oldest…it is named for Eva Cate!

I returned this year and had Lisa help me pick out three more to form the perimeter around the garden…the second one she said would probably be the tallest…so Rutledge it is…

The third tree is for our two months old Jake…still kinda green but plumping up fast!

And the last tree is for our little angel in waiting…small but ready to take on the world…and the cousins! Will the baby be a “Dolly Dingle or a Billy Bump”? Only time will tell…

So until tomorrow…the best stories begin at home.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh