Dear Reader:
Years ago I happened to be at Brittlebank Park, with friends, watching the sunset over the Ashley River when something caught our attention… ” dragon boats” were pulling on to shore amid happy calls and much paddle waving. A group of cancer survivors were practicing for the Dragon Boat Charleston upcoming competition.
One friend vaguely remembered the Chinese legend behind the event… it had to do with a famous statesman, advisor, and poet who was exiled by a jealous king.
Feeling dishonored the poor man threw himself in the torrents of a nearby river but local fishermen saved him by wildly beating their drums and splashing their paddles to keep the water dragons from killing the poor man.
The modern Dragon Boat race is a symbolic reenactment of the power of drums and paddlers working together to keep the dragons of disease and death at bay.
Friday when I went to my mailbox… a deja vu moment awaited me. I had just sent a friend a Thinking Of You card while simultaneously she had done the same thing for me-our notes had crossed in the mail! And hers had a sketch of the Dragon Boat Charleston Legend on it!
I started laughing out loud! Here I was thinking of Debbie Baker as she was recuperating from a recent health scare and she had read about my exhaustion and depletion with Ben’s health issues and had sent me a thinking of you note.
***I had not been that excited since Freddie Jones and I successfully threw paper airplanes across the classroom-one high and one low without getting caught by our ” dragon” fourth grade teacher… Mrs. Persons!
There was one written observation Debbie had found and enclosed in her card that just nailed the essence of my past few weeks… I will save it forever!
” If you are uncomfortable-in deep pain, angry, yearning, confused-you don’t have a problem, you have a life!
” Being human is not hard because you’re doing it wrong, it’s hard because you’re doing it right!”
Debbie added playfully…” Well, ain’t that the truth!”
So until tomorrow…
My one sprig of lantana makes me smile because this one lone bloom hasn’t spread to any great degree but it just keeps blooming!
ichaseferalcats
John Turner
Legally Ohm
Becky Dingle
That is so neat…and another God’s wink is that you were texting me about Debbie’s address and Deb and I were on the phone discussing Ben’s current situation…all in God’s timing…enjoyed our visit.. will be back after we get back from checking on family who are in frail health…love you.
God Wink, God Wink, God Wink!
LOVE IT ALL!!! Thanks for the quote below—I copied it to save it!
If you are uncomfortable-in deep pain, angry, yearning, confused-you don’t have a problem, you have a life!
” Being human is not hard because you’re doing it wrong, it’s hard because you’re doing it right!”
Lisa….I felt the same way. I needed that particular quote so badly. It is so powerful and so true. If we didn’t care enough about others or participate in the hard times…life would be easy and have absolutely no meaning…no reaching out to help when needed.