Edisto…the Ya’s Treasure Chest of Old Friendships

Dear Reader:

For a decade and a half the Ya’s have been gathering at Edisto…first it was at the beginning of the summer and that was it. But now… these days… we realize we need two “shots of friendship” annually at Edisto to make it through the year….an early summer and fall retreat. So that is what we did this past week. (And we have also added a winter retreat at Pawleys!)

We have talked numerous times …questioning why we didn’t stay more in touch earlier…through the really hard times…marriages, divorces, crazy life as single parents…We finally concluded we were all in “survival” mode…just trying to make it through the day…too tired to even reach out for help!

It wasn’t until our children were out of the home….(approximately 15 years ago) in college or working…that we found each other again…and our lives haven’t been the same since. We all need each other’s strengths while accepting our weaknesses…we can finish each other’s sentences and do. We know each other well.

This retreat has been special from the start…we each have reached a bench mark birthday….the kind that makes us pause and think…”Wow we really are getting old…how did that happen?”

(Yes I know Jackson…your birthday is next month…this is preparation time for you! 🙂

So this has been a celebration retreat for all of us from all of us…a retreat to make memories from the past decades and for the ones to come. (very optimistic! )

This weekend I will be returning…and will share the celebration with you…a milestone of friendship… our greatest treasure !

Fortunately, our emotions that define our memories together (as 18 year old freshmen) are easily re-awakened and enjoyed with every opportunity we have of contact.

So until tomorrow…Communicating with “old friends” can enrich our lives by bringing our pasts into the present, reminding us of who we were and how we became what we are.

A taste of the pictures I will have returning…perfect weather!

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

And look at the other treasures in my yard just waiting for me to come home. One moon flower is braving the early morning light to see me and the glass bottle tree is reflecting and sparkling brightly off the morning sun…all waiting on my return.

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.”

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