Dear Reader:

A wonderful ” God Wink” appeared in the final few minutes of our last Ya Ya Edisto Reunion Day… ( yesterday) in the form of a comment from a reader- Helen Willis. She ” just happened” upon one of my blogs dating back to August 11, 2017-titled ” A Thank You Note to God.” ( remembering Beverly Barutio)

Paraphrased… Helen explained how she spent her summers in Luck, NC with her dad and stepmom- who was a best friend with Beverly Barutio-creator of St Jude’s Chapel of Hope!

Helen’s fond memories include sitting in a hot tub by the creek drinking wine and sharing stories, laughter… walking around Beverly’s beautiful koi ponds, antiquing, and sweating while canning to replace empty shelves at the ” Putting Up” House!

Every time she visited Bill and Beverly Barutio’s historical stone home… Beverly’s presence… simply her essence .. drew one in… feeling well or not… she had a smile on her face… like shining sunbeams!

I wrote Helen back and said I had no idea there were any houses in Luck… all I ever remember seeing was a long ago closed gas station.

Beverly was that ” strong person ” whose personal story held faith and fight together resulting in the creation of St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope … a story that was so powerful it changed my direction in life and inspired my decision to share my story.

We Ya’s have all experienced our own trials and tribulations … resulting in a sense of renewed gratitude to God for life… for the chance to be together… something no longer taken for granted… ( resulting in more teary/eyed good-byes! )

You can always identify people who have faced the prospect of their own ” ending.” The stronger the person … the stronger the story. Beverly Barutio left others to tell the story… instead she decided to leave her mark in the form of a little chapel in the woods that fills visitors’ souls with hope… her ” thank you” to God and St. Jude for her life extension to be with those she loved !

Today hand painted barn quilts of Madison County are popping up regularly from county art councils. The quilt symbolizes comfort, family, heritage, and community.

So until tomorrow…

Today is my favorite day! Winnie the Pooh

I returned home from Edisto Island to my lantana popping like popcorn where nothing was seen before I left Monday!

The mums didn’t want to be left out either…

Right now I am going through my transition period… feels like the driftwood at Botany Bay… isolated and a little adrift…

Official Happy Birthday to the ” High Ya Priestess ” – she fearlessly leads the rest of us into the next future year… yelling back ” Come on in… the water’s fine!”