Dear Reader:

One of the nicest thing that happened when I finally took on the “Goliath” task of cleaning out and giving away so many of my books that have accumulated over years…decades…was re-discovering the special stories/books I had long forgotten.

It has been a reunion of great pleasure to re-read some of the books (and stories within) I distantly remembered.  One such book was titled: Guideposts for the Spirit: Stories of Changed Lives.

One of the stories dealt with actor Beau Bridges, the oldest son of Lloyd Bridges, who many of us grew up with on the highly popular weekly series Sea Hunt.

Both Beau and his younger brother, Jeff, had roles in the weekly series. Lloyd Bridges played the role of “Mike Nelson”  a former U.S. Navy Frogman. After spectacular rescues and rounding up the “bad” guys trying to destroy the environment, “Mike Nelson” ended his episode with a lesson on protecting our seas and oceans. (I think we could use him again now, don’t you?)

However, the story in Guideposts for the Spirit centered on Lloyd Bridges’ oldest son and actor, Beau Bridges. (*You might remember that yesterday Madeleine L’Engle  reminded us:… And to be able to be childlike involves memory; we must never forget any part of ourselves… at any chronological age…)

In this story Beau remembers the day he understood what faith was all about…It had to do with shooting arrows. Beau remembers when shooting arrows was the favorite past time in his childhood growing up years…it was also the most dangerous.

He and his young friends all made their own arrows, gluing colored feathers to the ends and painting the shafts special colors so everyone could identify his own arrows. The boys would stand in a tightly knit group in the middle of a field, put an arrow on his bowstring, aim the arrow straight up in the sky and let it go. Someone would yell “Let’em fly!”

The object was to see which arrow landed the closest to them (without hitting them.) One day, after shooting the arrows in the air…the familiar zump, zump, zump was heard as they began returning to earth. One boy was yelling he won…his arrow came the closest to them. Everyone found his arrow, except Beau. He looked and looked but never could find it.

It was his favorite arrow and he was very upset but he had promised to help a friend cut a neighbor’s yard that day so he had no choice but to leave empty-handed. While he was cutting…he daydreamed about finding his favorite arrow.

On the way home he suddenly felt this sense of elation and started running as fast as he could for no apparent reason…he just felt energized. It was hot that day and a large oak tree was just ahead that could provide some shade when Beau sat down to rest…grateful for the coolness.

A breeze swept through the tree fluttering the leaves and Beau noticed that something black and white was fluttering too. There it was. The arrow! Two miles from where he had shot it.

He felt happy and bewildered at the same time. There was no way for him to shoot an arrow that far…did it get caught up in some wind currents? And why this tree…he rarely walked this way home…why did he choose it over other paths that were somewhat shorter. How did he happen to look up just at the right time to spot it?

As he pulled the arrow towards him a shiver ran down his spine. That was the moment Beau experienced his first intimation with God. For the first time in his young life…he had to accept something he couldn’t understand with sheer logic. He was in awe of it.

He started attending Sunday School and church more regularly and realized that his “arrow experience” was a tiny sample of what religion is all about.

“Faith in God is a mixture of mystery and awe; you cannot see or touch it; it requires only that we accept and believe.” 

So until tomorrow…Faith is taking the first step even when you don‘t see the whole staircase. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*It was a busy day for the Dingle families and their siblings…Mollie’s sister, Chelsey, gave birth to a beautiful daughter, Margot Elizabeth. I know she and little “Eloise” (to arrive shortly) will have wonderful times playing together…cousins rule!

Tommy and Kaitlyn few to Miami Thursday evening for a friend’s wedding and they are having a fabulous time…great hotel, warm sunny temps, chance to get on the water and of course the wedding!

*What a delightful surprise…I got three different colors of mums for the price of one! All the buds were closed when I bought this large basket of mums so I thought they were all yellow until just recently when the golden mums appeared and finally the cranberry mums….Thanksgiving is coming! Gobble! Gobble!