Dear Reader:

Some days you have to struggle to seemingly find a story and other days stories just keep reappearing in different forms… to the point you can just sit and let them come to you.

In sports yesterday there was Tiger at the Masters and the televised Clemson Tigers playing their Orange vs White teams …all at the same time. What I loved about the football spring practice game was that it didn’t matter which side won since they were virtually all on the same team. It was one of those rare sports occasions when everyone is a winner-a mistake on offense produced a positive on defense-a win-win!

And to make it even better … Coach Dabo makes sure that every single player gets in the spring game-no exceptions! This decision is based on a personal experience …when in 1990 Swinney was a redshirt sophomore-a walk-on receiver at Alabama.

He knew his mother and grandmother were watching in the stands and when he never got in… he was hurt and humiliated-he thought about transferring to a Division Two School… but eventually calmed down and realized he was letting short-term goals take precedence over the more important goals of obtaining a degree that would open up more opportunities for him later in life-he stayed with the team and eventually made the line-up because his coach was watching and appreciated his extra effort. Still Dabo never forgot that disappointment and he makes sure all his players healthy enough to play get a chance to be recognized for all their hard work.

As I was bringing out my Easter garden decor… this flag appeared.

Spring of 2020-start of the Coronavirus… memories came flooding back… I didn’t realize I have purposely hidden those memories tucked far away in the recesses of my memory. Then suddenly it dawned on me that most Americans can still feel safe at home …but not the Ukrainians whose homes are being destroyed daily.

Here I am …caught up in making Easter bags for my grandchildren and the Ukrainians are just praying to find shelter for their families. What makes it even sadder is the rich cultural heritage around Ukrainians and Easter… especially the awe-inspiring exquisite Ukrainian Easter Eggs.

Anne told me a wonderful ” God Wink” story Friday when she dropped over with lunch. One of her jobs at the Summerville Public Works Art Center is looking for new artists with diversified talents to display in the Center. Last weekend… during the Flowertown Festival she met an artist who makes Ukrainian Easter Eggs.

The artist was open to the idea of displaying these eggs but she had to have duck eggs to work with and didn’t know of any place in the area to get them. As if on cue… another passer-by overheard the conversation and said she sold duck eggs! A God Wink!

So until tomorrow… We are surrounded daily with more stories than breaths… because everyone has a story to tell and everything is a story in itself!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh