Dear Reader:

As you well suspect-I am addicted to morning glories! I have always known this fact -but until yesterday ( going through old journals and albums…) I had forgotten the reason!

The year I turned fourteen we had just recently moved to Laurens and I was starting high school. Mother knew I was sad and homesick for Fayetteville so she decided to go all out for my birthday.

All my cousins, aunts, uncles and grandmother were invited-everyone bringing a special dish! The crowd was so large we had set up tables and chairs on the back deck.

As the sun was going down Aunt Eva noticed a cluster of beautiful morning glories raising their heads to the setting sun one last time.

Suddenly she looked at me and said ” I have a special birthday story for you and it has to do with morning glories.” Immediately my curiosity was captured-and as I glanced at mother she was smiling but her eyes were moist with memory. Aunt Eva began:

She had gotten the call that I had arrived that late September day fourteen years earlier-already packed… Aunt Eva immediately headed to North Carolina to be with mom those first couple of weeks after my birth.

When Aunt Eva arrived at the hospital she noticed that lots of flowers had already arrived from family and friend well-wishers.

However, upon second glance, there were also several straggly vines of wilted flowers dropping off the hospital office desk.

Daddy had picked and brought them! The nurses and mother had kept straight faces as he asked for a vase to put those beautiful purple flowers in. Eva immediately went into action to remedy the situation!

One nurse told Eva there was a field of morning glories in a nearby park. Aunt Eva dashed out and brought back handfuls of morning glories.

She and the nurses found a wooden bucket on the ground floor-took all the flower arrangements that had already arrived…and added Eva’s morning glories soaked and intertwined in this huge floral arrangement!

By the time daddy returned with Ben …he gasped in delight at the morning glory extravaganza! His chest puffed out as Aunt Eva and the nurses all complimented him on the idea of using morning glories.

Later when mother heard the whole story from Eva… they made a ” pinkie promise” to never tell daddy the story behind the arrangement.

Daddy told the nurses that when he saw the pink and purple flowers he knew they would be the perfect gift for his little girl!

Sadly morning glories and daddy both have and had short life spans, five years for daddy… one day for a morning glory …

but both bloomed in delight and joy to everyone they encountered for as long as they circled the sun!

So until tomorrow… Let us never forget the power of a birthday story with a child. The antics, funny happenings, sweet memories but most importantly the reassurance of treasured love!

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Sadly our family had a mishap today! On the first play of the youth football game in Holly Hill, Rutledge was knocked down and fell backwards on his throwing arm-he is the quarterback for the Iron Horses at Phillip Simmons Elementary!

His wrist is broken but he showed a lot of character still leading his team on. A lesson in disappointment but also in how to handle the ” valleys” that come one’s way.

Bekah and Ady had lunch with Ben yesterday! BLT’s-yummy! I know Ben loved it! ❤️💕