Dear Reader:

Jeff stopped by yesterday to complete the job of getting my “leaning” “Fence of Dingle... standing upright and straight… like it once was…a long, long, time ago. He wanted to permanently secure it before the tropical storm arrives today.

Any time I hear the word “leaning” I am always reminded of one of Archibald Rutledge’s (Hampton Plantation) stories from the days he lived and spent his time restoring Hampton.

A favorite prayer at Hampton Plantation uttered by the workers there (that Archibald Rutledge would recall with great pleasure) was: “O Lord, prop me up in all my leaning places!”

Yesterday I was re-reading chapters from Archibald Rutledge’s book: Home by the River. It is still my favorite of all his writings and it really was like going home again to a time that brought more honest, plain insights into life… in its beautiful simplicity.

The older I get…the more “leaning places” seem to pop up on me… which, then,  require some more propping up! Some days I can still jump out of bed…others…I cautiously check to make sure “nothing else fell asleep” during the night but my brain. (Isn’t it a terrible feeling to put one’s weight down and realize your foot is still asleep?)

One day Archibald was talking to one of his sharecroppers and the sharecropper interrupted him to tell him he needed to leave right then because it was time to go to church…only he didn’t say he was going to church…instead he  eloquently said: “Now I must go light my candle at His fire.” 

The beauty of words…

*That is what I do each Sunday morning now…literally “light a candle at His fire” and take a moment to thank God for the prior week and let Him know how thankful I am for each day I awake and rise. It is my special time to talk with God….my “service” until COVID19 says “Good-bye.”

So until tomorrow: Everyone take care if you live in the path of the tropical storm Isaias/Be safe….praying hard it will do minor damage or none at all ….just provide some much needed rain for drought areas…now that would be a type of “salvation” (living up to its name derivative)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Something New to Learn Today:

‘Dreamt‘ is the only English word that ends with ‘mt‘ according to Oxford Dictionaries- It is a variant spelling to the past tense of dream-dreamed. 🙂

Drink up my pretties!