Dear Reader:

Rutledge has had to ‘cut his loss” too….or in this case his ‘locks.’ As you can tell it was just as stressful for him as it was for John and me with the blog this past week. (First haircut….18 months)

But I digress…let me start at the very beginning…a very good place to start.

Last Wednesday, November 19, started out as any other day…among other things… it was the 151st anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address …a model speech for brevity…so let me see if I can explain what happened to the blog in the same fashion. (Or as FDR always said, “Be sincere, be brief, be seated.”

Since I am already ‘seated‘ at my computer…I will explain sincerely what happened (minus an editorial comment…as tempting as it is) as briefly as possible.

Last Wednesday I  checked on the blog post to make sure it was up and going (like I do every day)…and then started reading some comments on it that had trickled in…they were all quite nice…a great day was unfolding.

And then…I saw an email from a company representative that I didn’t recognize. The more I read….the tighter the knot in my stomach became. I was being accused of infringing on a copyrighted photo I had obtained off the internet concerning an historical ‘marker’ known to all of us. I was directed to remove it immediately from my blog and pay a substantial fine…at least substantial to a retired teacher right before the holidays living on social security and retirement…or there would be a lawsuit.

The worst part of the situation was that my beloved son-in-law, John, who helped me start up Chapelofhopestories (almost five years ago) was considered legally responsible…even though it was my photo faux pas.

Tommy and Kaitlyn were immediately summoned and after lots of research…it was deemed best to follow the instructions and chalk it up to a lesson learned (expensive lesson learned)… even though I was totally unaware this picture was copyrighted.

( One of my old Erskine rules from our freshman handbook came back to mind …”Ignorance is no excuse.”)

The entire blog was closed down …(John is in the process of saving it for me in a private archival ‘folder’ -which, as you can imagine, will take days or weeks.) So basically…think of Chapel of Hope Stories now as Part II…a brand new day. We just couldn’t take a chance on something like this inadvertently happening again….our nerves couldn’t take it.

I have been left with a ‘healthy’ amount of paranoia (except it doesn’t feel healthy…just stressful)  and stories of hope that will never be read or available from past months and years dating back to 2010 . That hurt more than the fine…red puffy eyes moments.

It will take awhile to regain a sense of carefree abandonment in my creative blog writings without the feeling that someone out there… some where… is looking over my shoulder. But I am also determined that I will not let one email change me from the person I am.

When I talked with Honey last night…she agreed with my decision to keep moving ahead and sent me this beautiful token of friendship contained in this touching message.

Dear Boo,
My heart has ached all night . I just am so sad that someone has tried to steal your joy and the joy you give away each day. I don’t understand but there must be a reason. Keep your spirit!

We all have pictures we can share and I know they add to your creative flair. But Becky, it is really all about the message you give us of hope and love. The wonderful pictures of you and your garden and wonderful family are what I always look forward to and enjoy.
I love you so much,
Honey 

So here we are…on November 25, 2014…starting out with a clean slate with all new stories to tell. (With God by my side assuring me that ‘It will be all right’… and encouraging me to move forward and leave the past in the past for now)

Like Rutledge’s first hair “cut” experience…(he went from tears of sorrow to smiles of sheer joy… -later the same day…-when he met Santa Claus… symbolizing happiness, generosity and surprises)… I know that there are smiles, peals of laughter, happiness, surprises and a circle of giving and receiving still out there for all of us to share in the stories ahead.

And my new motto now is: (As Honey so eloquently hinted)

“Ain’t Nobody Gonna Steal My Joy!”

It is time to ‘walk the talk’ about letting go...I am letting go of the past and forging ahead with hope for the future…My hope is that all of you will continue to join me on my journey.

I want to stop and thank all the angels God sent me to get through this unexpected bump in the road  1) John...what would I do without you?) 2) Tommy and Kaitlyn rushing to my rescue with legal advice 3) The Ya’s showing up just at the right moment to comfort me and make me laugh again 4) All  you faithful readers who emailed me and asked (just not about the status of the blog)…but about my well-being… concerned an on-going health issue might have emerged once again.)

My family and friends...and God’s Hand has gotten me through this…I am the most blessed of women. (And even James Taylor assured me last Friday night…”You’ve got a friend.”)

Tomorrow’s story has to do with a special number that happened to coincide with the “incident” last week..a wonderful God’s Wink. The Ya’s were here to experience it with me. A poignant story and lesson in God’s mysteries.

So until tomorrow…I love you.

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

* Speaking of James Taylor-I owe him one. I danced through the entire concert Friday night waving my bandaged hand to the music. When I got to physical therapy yesterday my therapist asked what I did with my hand and arm over the long weekend… it had shrunk remarkably smaller…she thought we had an official “break-through” in the treatments…and might get fitted for the glove much sooner than originally thought…the miracle of James!