Dear Reader:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“WE DON’T DO WINDOWS OR MATH!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

…………………………

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tuning In: Local nonprofit to launch Charleston-oriented …

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