Dear Reader:

Since the beginning of roads…man has found a way to clutter them with road signs. Today one can have a wreck just trying to take them all in before making the decision to go straight or turn.

But…if you get off the interstate and travel the back country roads again…you will find less signs and more humor. Here are just a few examples…

Obviously I could go on and on…I looked up from reading road signs and half an hour had just disappeared.

Chris Frazier sent me a list of observations that a chaplain shared on-line to help guide us through life…just like a road sign. As I read each one…the wisdom exponentiated.

I began to picture road signs along a heavenly road…directing us how to get through life intact and better for the experience. Don’t we all want to leave a legacy behind worth remembering?

A wonderful Sunday lesson.

DID YOU KNOW?

*The most destructive habit is WORRY.

*The greatest joy is GIVING.

*The greatest loss is SELF-RESPECT.

*The most satisfying work is HELPING OTHERS.

*The ugliest personality trait is SELFISHNESS.

*The greatest natural resource is OUR YOUTH.

* Our greatest shot in the arm is ENCOURAGEMENT.

*The greatest problem to overcome is FEAR.

*The most effective sleeping pill is PEACE OF MIND.

*The most crippling failure disease is EXCUSES.

*The most powerful force in life is LOVE.

*The worst thing to be without is HOPE.

*The deadliest weapon is THE TONGUE.

*The most powerful filled words are I CAN.

*The greatest asset is FAITH.

*The most worthless emotion is SELF-PITY.

*The most beautiful attire is a SMILE.

*The most contagious spirit is ENTHUSIASM.

*THE MOST POWERFUL CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION IS….PRAYER!

Have a blessed day. Chaplain John Phelps

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So until tomorrow…I need to make a “cheat sheet” laminated pocket card on these “Did You Know?” observations so I can access it easily whenever I need to remember one…powerful thoughts. *Thanks Chris for sharing these with me.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Thursday, after I returned from Walsh and Mollie’s house…I noticed that the red bud (almost touching the porch ceiling) off the geranium of “Big Red’s” had finally opened! (Been waiting for weeks)

I stared teary-eyed at it…a God Wink I felt… reassuring me that our beloved Poogie was in God’s care now…safe and sound….then today…it fully opened and I know Poogie is happy and blooming in her new life.

Mollie said they had an exciting morning yesterday…a friend of theirs stopped by with a special delivery containing three little “poogies” …from Poogie who wanted to make sure the children still have something furry to sleep with and on at night since she can no longer be there.

Ann Graves asked me how Poogan (Poogie) got her name. Those of you who live in the Charleston area probably might have a good guess..at least for part of the answer. She was named Poogan after Poogan’s Porch...the famous downtown (Queen Street) restaurant.

…But I would be remiss if I just stopped there. The restaurant was named after a dog named Poogan and today the ghost of that dog supposedly returns.

*(It is a local ghost story told on downtown ghost tours still today!)

How Poogan’s Porch Came to Be

When 72 Queen was purchased, the previous owners left in such a haste, that they didn’t even bother to bring their dog with them. This little wiry haired white dog named Poogan, was left behind without cause, left behind on the porch of the house to wonder why? Why he had been abandoned?

The new owners, baffled as to why anyone would leave such a sweet dog behind themselves, decided to keep Poogan. Taken with the dog immediately, it was decided that the restaurant would be named after the pup.

Another variation of this story is that Poogan was a neighborhood stray who would wander from porch to porch, always looking for his next meal. As the house at 72 Queen was be converted, Poogan began showing up on the porch to the house everyday, looking for some workman lunch. The Owners began to joke that the porch did not belong to them, but to Poogan instead.

Regardless of the account you choose to believe, Poogan was a real dog and not just some restaurant story. Poogan for years served in the capacity of official greeter at the restaurant. A position he held until his passing in the year of 1979.

Poogan, is still greatly missed by the owners and the people of Charleston as a whole, but the restaurant continues on, ensuring Poogan’s lasting legacy. It’s even been said, if you visit Poogan’s Porch today, you just may catch a glimpse of a ghostly dog, a dog rumored to be the one and only Poogan.

Source: The Ghosts of Poogan’s Porch (Ghost City Tours)

*I have to laugh…believe me…if our Poogan (Poogie) ever returns to Poogan’s Porch…everyone will know which “Poogan” ghost this is…since she will stand up by the table, clean the plate…(probably taking the tablecloth, plate and other utensils with her when she finishes.) However…her constantly wagging,  big powerful tail makes a great broom…so she might, inadvertently, clean up after herself. 🙂

* As Walsh so wittingly noted…“Poogan might not have been the perfect dog (she definitely had her  quirks) but she was the “perfect” dog for us.” (I think the same can be said of humans too, don’t you?) 🙂