Dear Reader:

A few months ago when Rutledge and Eva Cate spent the night with me…I took them to our new Art Center in downtown Summerville…we were each given one of these pretty bookmarks.

The other day one fell out of a book I had stuck it in and then never resumed reading. This time when I pulled the book mark out I read the verse at the bottom of the book tag…and chuckled. It was from a folklore piece of literature called “Southern Album” and it made me smile.

The Angels Hum in the West and -in the East and -in the North. BUT in the SOUTH, why in the SOUTH the angels…they do sing!  AMEN

Don’t we all love local or regional tales about the area we live in? The more colorful and taller the tale…the better. After all…“Halloween is not only about putting on a costume, but it’s about finding the imagination and costume within ourselves.” –Elvis Duran

That’s why I love Halloween…it is a time when children can let their imaginations go and be something totally different for just one night. My fondest memories of childhood come from this fall celebration. I think too many people read more into Halloween than necessary or the historical origin…instead of just seeing it for what it is today…fun!

This time of the year I always bring back one of my favorite anecdotes to share annually…after all the readers each year have changed with new readers coming on board. I never tire of this wonderful  Fall metaphor and for those of you who have read it  before…like me…hopefully it still makes us pause and say “Amen.”

Several years ago I came across this little anecdote simply called “The Acorn and the Pumpkin.” It is very short…but sometimes the power of a story or a speech (take the Gettysburg Address for example) is enhanced through its brevity and remembered longer than a lengthy story. Case-in-point.

“The Acorn and the Pumpkin”

There is a little anecdote that tells the story of a woman
who was walking through a meadow.

As she strolled
along meditating on nature, she came upon a field
of golden pumpkins.

In the corner of the field stood
a majestic oak tree.

The woman, weary, sat down under the oak and began to
muse about the strange twists in nature.

Tiny acorns hung on huge branches and huge pumpkins sat on tiny
vines.

She thought, “God blundered with creation!
He should have put the small acorns on the tiny vines 
and the large pumpkins on the huge branches.”

Resting beneath the oak, she drifted off to sleep.
She was awakened by a tiny acorn bouncing off her
nose.

Chuckling to herself, she amended her previous
thought, “Just goes to show that God knew best all along!

……………………………………….

All this week haven’t we reiterated the same thought…we can’t outwit, out-think, out-power our Creator…God is the ANSWER for everything we see and feel around us.

So until tomorrow…The pumpkin falling from an oak tree, especially on one’s nose, probably would require plastic surgery….but an acorn? Don’t ever try to one-up God ….because you will lose. He knows exactly how Creation should work…after all He created it! 🙂

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Congratulations to King Jake…Mr. Responsible Kindergartner (Hard to believe it is the end of the first quarter…the kindergarten classes are being taught French in class….”ROI Jake”! Boo is proud of you!)

Yesterday I was a good gal and got my flu shot at Publix…I took the ten dollar shopping card the pharmacy gives everyone who gets their shot there and looked in the different lines to see who could probably use it the most…one tired-looking woman with two children clinging to her legs fit the bill.

I went around on the outside of the lines….motioned to the cashier and handed him the card…motioning to the lady who was trying to get her groceries out of the cart with two children hanging on her. He nodded and smiled…and I went on my merry way! What a wonderful opportunity to feel good.

This karma must have stuck around…because I received two wonderful gifts in the mail from Marcia Temple, Mollie’s mom from N.H. A face mask with the three words…FAITH  LOVE  HOPE repeatedly printed on it! I love it!!!!

There was also another gift in the mail bag.. I love the poem and stone token on scattering kindness like a dandelion does its seed!….just perfect for what we have talked about this past week with the word kindness and all its different layers.

Monday I didn’t get out in the back yard… so was I in for a surprise Tuesday…Mr. Lincoln has made his appearance….I felt like saluting and that unbelievable scent made me so happy.

There were so many pretty surprises to be seen….yesterday was another “perfect” day…have had a lot of them lately! I am so fortunate and thankful!