Author Archives: Becky Dingle

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”

The Author of Life

Dear Reader: For the past two days I have been attending a women’s conference in Mt. Pleasant… called Chosen/Twenty16. Mollie attended it last year and felt so uplifted that she wanted to share it with me this year….a loving gesture … Continue reading

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The Garden is Running Out of Snooze Buttons…

Dear Reader: The signs of early spring are already starting to reveal themselves in my garden and yard in mid-winter. The short nap, for several flowering plants and vines, is coming to an abrupt end….Soon there will be no more … Continue reading

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“Dare to be Happy…”

Dear Reader: For too much of my life I thought happiness must always be traded or exchanged for sadness or sorrow. Then when the sadness and sorrow had passed I felt I had earned the right to be happy again. Many … Continue reading

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Looking in the Mirror at a Different Angle

Dear Reader: Isn’t it strange how the angle of a view in a mirror changes everything? Normally I sit in the dining chair, closest to the kitchen… which means my back is to this mirror while eating. But yesterday I … Continue reading

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“Every Nook and Cranny”

Dear Reader: Haven’t we all heard the expression “every nook and cranny?”  It is certainly an expression I use a lot since I lose things a lot…like car keys. I used to leave sunglasses at everyone’s house but then I … Continue reading

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A Powerful Meaning Emerging from “Touchstone”

Dear Reader: Yesterday in our Sunday School class, Linda Carson, announced that an epiphany had come to her concerning the search for a new name for our particular class. Much discussion had preceded the term “touchstone” offered up by a … Continue reading

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A Dusting of Snow in Summerville

Dear Reader: Any time we have snow in Summerville, it is news! True, it was just a ‘dusting’ (as they say) but what a beautiful one. Anne called me a little after seven to tell me it had just started … Continue reading

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When Conversations turn to Charades

  Dear Reader: You know you’re getting old(er) when your conversations with friends sound more like a charades game than a normal conversation. The problem is those darn names of people who just won’t pop up when you need them. Brooke … Continue reading

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An “Extra” Scoop Day

Dear Reader: Yesterday morning…around 7:00 a strange pink light filled my bedroom and for a moment, in my groggy state of mind, I thought there was a fire somewhere close by. I tumbled out of bed, found “Pinkie”- my beloved … Continue reading

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Tell Me a Story

Dear Reader: Monday night I had one of those (interrupted) sleeping episodes that made me wake up (for whatever reason) and then struggle to return to Nod-land. And so what did I think about? …Eva Cate and her buildings made … Continue reading

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