Dear Reader:

What a fun day yesterday was….filled with friends, conversation, and laughter…just what the doctor ordered!

Susan Cadwell stopped by first to tell me that her house in Conway sold the day after she put up her For Sale sign. All it took was a one hour tour to sell the house. She had been nervous about the effects of the flooding and Hurricane Florence’s influence on the sale; instead the storm turned out to be the pivotal selling point for someone who needed another house following its destruction. “God works in mysterious ways”…always a good sign that the path you are following is the the true “north” for you.

Susan left some soup and salad….thank you so much…brought in this cute Halloween bag.

While Susan was leaving Anne arrived, fresh off the plane from Italy, bearing Greek potatoes and a gyro…a winning combination! She had also done a watercolor of the pewter breast cancer angel with the scripture: Psalm 91:11

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”  A beautiful pink camellia accompanied the watercolor.

While reading the line of scripture again I found it so sustaining to my vulnerable state. I was in need of reassurance that I was still being looked down upon and protected and this verse gave it to me with the memory of my sun visor angel. Anne did laugh and tell me that she stopped with line 11 in this Psalm since the 12th line continues with….”So that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” 

She wasn’t sure I wanted to be reminded of my on-going foot problem but I thought line 12 was pretty helpful too reminding me not to hop along  alone outside where I could slip and twist the foot…another good one God! 🙂

It is easy when so many things hit us at one time to fall into a vulnerable state…it is just important that we realize that a period of vulnerability that we are going through is a good thing…a reminder that we can’t do it alone. We need other people and we need God.

When we let down our barriers and let people into our lives, sometimes during the most vulnerable times of our lives, closer connections are made during this period than any other. When we are able to tell our true stories with our whole heart-when we embrace the risk of being hurt or disappointed- we practice courage.

So until tomorrow…Vulnerability is the ultimate lesson in learning how to be who we really are and letting go of who we think we ought to be.

Before Anne left Donna Clark arrived with a Clemson All-In Flag to wave during this Saturday’s game which seems destined to be another nail-biter against NC State…the result which will most likely affect the ACC Championship.

She also had some Tiger Celebrate Pasta mix for the game….we are both crazy about our Tigers.

Donna also made me feel better when she said her daughter, Dana, once had her car stolen twice in the same week. She broke my 10 day interval. We must talk Dana…misery loves company! 🙂

We even added Anne’s beautiful pink camellia to the Clemson tray in readiness for the game.

So we all ended up laughing and having such a spontaneous afternoon of fun! I didn’t realize how much I had missed having lots of friends around.

But the best thing of all that happened was when Anne was leaving and yelled back in… “Little Red” has a bud!” 

“Oh Happy Day”….when the first red bud blooms from the “cloned” Big Red…and life continues again…always…like a rolling river through time. Life continues, no matter what, now that is a comforting thought!

And what a birthday for Mollie this year. She and Walsh are going with friends to California Wine Country for a long weekend. Enjoy it all and savor the memories!