Dear Reader:

On July 26, 2010 I first laid eyes on St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope. By that time, unbeknownst to me, Beverly Barutio, had passed eight years earlier. But even death would not stop the connection that was soon to develop between us… uniting a creator/builder and a storyteller.

Here is an excerpt from the first blog post I nervously posted on August 7, 2010. My purpose in life was sealed…become part of my grandchildren’s lives and write a post a day to share stories of every genre imaginable in honor of Beverly Barutio and her life-altering chapel.

Title: Unraveling the Mystery of St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope

Do you like to solve mysteries? Are you intrigued by things that can’t be seen…only felt. Do you agree with the quotation: ” Faith is taking the first step…even when you don’t see the whole staircase?” If you have answered ” Yes” to these questions, then welcome to Becky’s Blog!

I went on to describe myself…”I am not as young as I used to be, but not as old as I hope to be.” ( And 11 years later… even miraculously I have grown older)

I ended with a Native-American proverb… ” It takes a thousand voices to tell a single story.” Then I added…“This is where you, dear reader, come in! I need you to share your story, if you have been to St Jude’s and left one of hundreds of trinkets on the altar…

What ” trinket” I left that first visit was the title picture you see today of Mandy, myself, and newborn Eva Cate. For years it sat on the altar waiting on me to return. Honey informed me from her last visit that the owner today had cleaned up the altar and put the trinkets in cases for safekeeping.

Even though I left a box filled with requests for visitors to share their stories on what pulled them to the chapel and perhaps the story behind their trinket left behind… it never happened. So I realized that I would have to forge my own path with all kinds of observations about life in all kinds of various formats.

Eleven years later, this month, I am still cranking out a new story a day and pray it continues to honor the woman and chapel behind this life changing gift I have been blessed to receive.

So until tomorrow… Never let an opportunity slip through your fingers… we never know if it is the chance to discover the purpose of our lives.

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Look at my early birthday present from Anne who will be in Alaska next month! She tie-dyed this apron for me! See the dolphins! Love it!