Dear Reader:

Two God Winks appeared yesterday.

First…In one of my “Kindness” sites (that pop up weekly with stories of random acts of kindness)…the message, this week, talked about how important it is for humans to take time to be with each other and help each other through all the obstacles of life on earth… since we are all on the same time-line…alive on this planet during our one and only visit to it.

In other words…” We are all just walking each other home.” 

I love that phrase and immediately my thoughts wandered back to Erskine College. Upon reflection…the most romantic dates I think I had  never consisted of gallivanting around in cars to travel off campus…like to  Starnes to dance the night away (though it was fun!)…or trips anywhere else for entertainment…My most romantic memories were being with a date walking around campus…maybe to the drug store for ice cream or even a study session in the library and then having the date ask if he could walk me back to my dorm.

It was (and still is) just something so sweet about holding hands and walking together, talking together…really getting to know another person on a beautiful campus, especially in the spring or fall.

Today, however, as life pushes us forward along our personal time lines…I really connected to the “Editor’s Thoughts” on this theme today. (Spotlight on Kindness)

“The very nature of life is riddled with ups and downs. Sometimes we lose our way or our sense of self. Sometimes our circumstances or the world around us devours us like a tidal wave. With the ground beneath our feet no longer supporting us, the path forward feels uncertain. It is in those moments that someone shows up and points us in the right direction. It rarely matters if its’ a friend, loved one, or complete stranger. Those moments when the haziness clears…when we no longer feel lost…is a sacred time. We find ourselves again. We are home.”

…And my second God Wink?

The sun was out yesterday…you have no idea how happy that statement makes me. It was the first day in quite awhile we actually had a sunny day. It is amazing how the sun and light affects our happiness levels.

I left to get some gas in my car and upon re-entering the porch there was an Amazon package…it felt like there was a book inside…but I was puzzled…I hadn’t ordered any books since before Christmas.

I should have known…Jo Dufford! Jo…you have “walked me home so many times” with your thoughtfulness, kindness, and generosity…  this was just another example.

The name of the book inside was “Daily Splashes of Joy”…one happy message for each day of the new year! Perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I immediately turned in the book to today’s date…January 15…and I began to suspect that the book had already read yesterday’s post on the Ya’s and friendship… because this was the first line in today’s thoughts.

“Friends help us by their willingness to laugh at the goofiness that unexpectedly pops into our lives to bright the dark places.”

Libby and Jackson….do you happen to see an unique connection in this  anecdote that follows?

One woman was being taken back to the her room from surgery where her friend waited for her. The patient was now wearing a wig from chemotherapy but it had been removed during the surgery and placed on her lap.

Her friend in the room ran up to help her get it placed back on her head. The patient was aware enough  to understand what her friend was trying to do.

“She put my wig on me and when I reached up to see if it was okay…I said, “Marge, you’ve got it on backwards.”

“She replied, “Are you sure?”

I said,  “Yes…my bangs don’t curl upward?'”

“Well thirty years ago they did…and you were so proud of your “wings!”

So until tomorrow….As my new book says…

“Ulcers can’t grow while you’re laughing.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

The garden never lets me down…winter resting time or not…some plants just need to show off….especially “red” colored plants…they aren’t a primary color for no reason. They love the attention!