Learning to Walk by Faith, not Feeling

Dear Reader:

It is really happening…”Big Red”s clone (“Little Red”) has a bud that is oh, so close to opening…a hint of red is peeking out. When Luke saw it he ran back inside to bring the whole pot to show me. Today should be the day when the first bud completely opens. It is a special day on so many different levels!

“Big Red” my magical healing geranium who lived an entire decade on the white bench on my front porch has been missed, not only by me, but neighbors and friends driving by the house. Cars have stopped to ask me where “Big Red” was….but now he isn’t dead any more…he has returned as “Little Red” cloned from one successful root transplant. It just takes one! Thanks Chelsey for your diligence is saving the last root system…in order for “Big Red” to live on.

This picture was taken last November….it is hard to believe “Big Red” looked so healthy then…

So the little red geranium (soon to be “Big Red”) is already teaching me about life and perseverance. My feelings lately have been like an elevator…up and down…but it is during these transitional, uncertain times that faith must take precedence over feelings….especially when our feelings are complex, torn, and ambiguous.

Faith will see you through”….Grandmother Wilson always taught me and she was right…when everything else fails and we go through dark days it is faith that will send the light of healing, comfort, and compassion to us in our wearied state.

Yesterday was definitely not a wearied state. 🙂 It was just the opposite…a day filled with smiles, plants, flowers, food, and happy, joyful people…the most potent medicine of all.

Doodle came over to change the bandages (I plan on nominating her for sainthood)…then Michael Salvo, my wonderful friend, brave firefighter and lawn maintenance expert came in…and before he started on the yard he gave me this beautiful indoor plant. So kind! Thank you Michael! Great conversations!

While Doodle, Michael, and I were still chatting….Brooke, my “soul” sister by friendship and love, arrived bringing a whole bouquet of fall flowers. The Happy Room just kept getting happier.

We had this wonderful chicken/vegetable chowder for lunch…just perfect for the day. Brooke, also, brought along  the best chocolate dessert I have ever tasted! Manna from heaven! Thank you sister of mine!

Later in the day Gin-g stopped by after school where she is helping out this week .. bringing me two kinds of soup, bread, and cookies. I mean really…how spoiled I am? Who needs a car with friends like these?

(Actually me…am getting very restless…a little stir-crazy! 🙂

My neighbor Vickie stopped by to bring me my mail, which she has done every day since I have been pinned down to the recliner and we had such fun talking and oohing over “Little Red.” My other neighbor , Luke, put in new light bulbs for me (What is it… Murphy’s Law that if one light bulb goes out it takes three with it?)….symbolic of  all the light that my friends brought with them, yesterday, inside to make my Happy Room beam with joy!

Doodle and I are heading out this morning to the Comprehensive Wound Center again…with the wound vac machine….to see what is the next step in the procedure. Please say a prayer that whatever it is with this “instrument”…it’s not complicated or more isolating for me to get around.

So until tomorrow…We humans have fickle feelings but God’s faith never wavers…always steady faith over mixed feelings.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Lynn Gamache sent these beautiful pictures from Canada…British Columbia where she resides….and I have come to the conclusion that if we really want to see fall in all its beauty…we need to plan a trip to Canada in the fall! Thanks so much Lynn for sharing your beautiful British Columbia….your fall is what we all dream about but seldom see here.

Lynn said that the adorable young woman in the photo is Hungarian 16 year old Lilla from Tapolca.

Happy Birthday to my amazing friend, Anne Peterson, who took retirement as her second lease on life and has never looked back (Life Pt II) paint, wonderful artist, and how to fiddle ….even joining a band….all these hidden talents revealed with her second chance doing life her way under God’s Guidance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to Learning to Walk by Faith, not Feeling

  1. bcparkison says:

    I can’t wait to see little red in full bloom.

  2. Jo Dufford says:

    It is so wonderful to see Little Red beginning to shine. I am among those who have really missed that beautiful Big Red. So glad you have had so many wonderful people helping in so many ways. May God continue to bless you with all that you need each day. Hope the visit today is a very positive one.

  3. Gin-g Edwards says:

    So glad that I finally got to see you ….even though it had only been a little over a week I needed my Becky fix…prayers for a speedy recovery for your foot. Love seeing the 1st bud on big red…

Leave a Reply