Dear Reader:

Sometimes our greatest adventures start in the most ordinary ways. Last week on Lowcountry Live (a local television show) a special segment was being shown about the most haunted places in the lowcountry. I was half-listening to the stories but suddenly one caught my attention…the African-American cemetery at Mepkin Abbey.

Mepkin Abbey is one of my favorite places to go…it is one of those sacred locations where we can actually feel the spirituality all around us and of course, as a retired social studies school teacher, manna from heaven in the form of rich, cultural history for the eyes and ears.

I mentioned the idea of a mini-adventure to Mepkin Abbey to see the African-American cemetery to Anne and she said it would be perfect timing since her sister, Sue, was coming for a visit and could join us. And to seal the deal…we would engage in the adventure on All Saints Day…November 1. Perfect timing.

To get ready for our trip…I did some research about the cemetery and other culturally hidden treasures… just lying in wait for interested visitors to discover.

My first interest dealt with the idea of sacred shell beads and their significance in African-American culture.

The roots behind decorating family tombstones with shell beads goes far back in ancient cultures and civilizations.

One article included this piece of history in it:

People used to believe that shells were a gift from God due to the intrasacies He used in creating them. The spiral shapes of many shells became a symbol for taking steps closer to God and eventually eternal life. And let’s not forget the pearly gates of heaven that, according to Revelations, are made from a single pearl which of course comes from inside the shells of oysters and scallops. From the mythical, sea shells have become religious symbols.

The first instances that shells were used to adorn graves was in the Bakongo region in Africa. Anthropologists in the 1800s described graveyards where nearly every grave was surrounded by shells of all different types. The Bakongo belief is that the shell encloses the soul and they have a prayer that says, “As strong as your house you shall keep my life for me. When you leave for the sea, take me along, that I may live forever with you.” The shell became the vessel that carried the soul across the big water (or the River Styx) to eternal life. Even today shells are still used by their descendants and their belief is that the sea brought us and the sea shall take us away.

Source: “Why We Place Shells on Tombstones” Eman

In the midst of this research I came across a fascinating project (Seeking) that the noted Gullah artist, Robert Greene, participated in at Mepkin Abbey, along with Father Kline. A “seeking” is a personal quest to find one’s place in this world…for Jonathan Green this translates into art….both visual and poetically written.

“The writings in Seeking celebrate the visionary art of Jonathan Green, a member of the Gullah culture whose body of work affirms the sacred and the spiritual as spaces that are alive. In the Gullah culture, a pilgrimage into the world of nature evokes God’s presence in the dreams of the seeker, and the poems and prose works in this collection celebrate that journey, that faith, and that hope.”

So on this All Saints Day…our adventure will encompass embracing those who came before us and from whom we listen to their spirit…their voices from the past. A special day.

So until tomorrow:

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Pictures of the caped crusader against breast cancer….taking off for another hard-fought day against this formidable enemy!

And of course, we can’t forget that it is the first day of the new month and saying “Rabbit” does bring us good fortune throughout the month and many many blessings. “Rabbit”!

*I can’t believe this…but as I was in the back bedroom getting all my stuff together to go to Mt. P yesterday afternoon I thought I heard something upfront and I did…I caught my lovely friend, Candy, our church’s most amazingly talented artisan in many crafts, sneaking in some bottles I had asked about earlier. One thing that did get destroyed were a lot of my Clemson bottle tree bottles…since I had purchased the Clemson tree at an earlier Colonial Bazaar I thought there might be some bottles left I could buy.

Instead Candy…painted some new ones for me….a donation is coming your way Candy for all the wonderful projects you talented women undertake. Thank you….the best Halloween Treat!

***Hot off the Press at 8:20. Just got in from Mt. Pleasant this morning and here are some highlights of the Dingle/Turner Family Halloween Trick or Trickers….we had a mermaid, a sea horse, a dragon and Captain America…along with two very cute “Boo” dogs…Atticus and Pip!

Eva Cate, the mermaid, and her friend Lilly…with their look-alike little brothers!

And here is Brookie’s little “Boogie Boy”- his first participatory Halloween!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween….all treats and no tricks!