A Beautiful God Wink

Dear Reader:

My blog actually started with a God Wink in July of 2010 when Honey took me to St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope in Trust , NC.

It was this chapel that “spoke” to me about a new direction I was to follow in my life… my blog… Chapel of Hope Stories. My life has never been the same since…that first official God Wink!

The two painting ” clips” ( above) came from a painting the Ya’s gave me for my birthday in 2017. They commissioned the famous ” Chicken Man” aka. Ernest Lee to do the painting for me -they included in their list of ‘must-have’s’ in the scenes a God Wink and a chapel depicting my very first God Wink for my new life.

And what a journey it has been! My eyes have been opened to so many hundreds of God Winks in my daily life since the blog began but yesterday was one of the sweetest… especially since I had just read a similar example from Dr. Robert Lesslie’s amazing book-Angels in the ER.

*( Sadly you might remember Dr. Lesslie, his wife Barbara and grandchild were shot and killed senselessly in their home several months back ) They both attended Erskine College while I was there and Barbara was from Laurens like me. A terrible tragedy. They were beloved pillars of their community.

In 2018 Robert authored a book titled Angels in the ER. Libby left me a copy to read when she was here last week. The last story sets the stage for my own God Wink yesterday.

He describes a cardiac patient being brought in by his two distraught daughters. The patient is finally stabilized so he calls the patient’s personal doctor to update him about his patient-they were admitting him to the hospital.

The ” personal doctor” was in his 70’s and still actively practicing medicine. He was amazing-a memory that knows each address and phone number of his patients.

Within fifteen minutes the ER doors open and the elderly doctor shuffles in with an overcoat thrown over his striped pj’s. He is wearing bedroom slippers-he studies the chart and heads to the hospital room.

Dr. Lesslie says he finishes his shift as the sun is coming up. Suddenly he is aware of movement to the left of him. It was Dr. Gaines with his pj’s, overcoat and derby hat. He had spent the whole night with his old patient Willie… not leaving his side until he was satisfied that he was stable.

As Robert Lesslie stared after him … a sudden beam of early morning light made its way through the trees and shone directly on this remarkable man …bathing him in a diffusion of light. An angel on earth.

Monday Anne returned mother’s framed picture from the Mother’s Day Exhibit. I started thinking where I could hang it at home.

When Mandy came Wednesday I sought her ideas and she agreed ” Me-Mommy” to her …should be hung in what had been her bedroom at the time and is now one of the guest bedrooms.

So yesterday I took down the earlier pictures and hung mother’s large portrait on the wall by the bed in her bedroom.

I then went outside and hung the tin bottle plant decor behind Big Red after giving it a much needed cut-back.

I went back inside to give mother’s portrait one more glance and that is when I saw it… my God Wink.

A sheath of light had come in the room and like an arrow was pointing to mother’s picture!

Mandy, who roomed with ” Me-mommy” (on the now B&B side) in the second bedroom said it simply ” Me-Mommy is glad to be back home!”

* To add just a little more mystery-since Libby slept there last week -the blinds were still closed and yet the light found its way in!

So until tomorrow… May our eyes always be open so we can be reassured by God and loved ones (who have gone before us) we’re going in the right direction!

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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5 Responses to A Beautiful God Wink

  1. Your photos are awesome 👌🌷specially painting photos
    Your happiness is more important to you 👍🏻🌹God Bless 🙏

  2. Rachel Edwards says:

    Amen…love your pictures that the Chicken Man did…and the one Anne did too…

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