Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

Some times it takes seeing someone else’s thoughts in written form to realize we are not alone in our own feelings-something akin to a broken heart-but not necessarily over a particular person … but a situation.

( Source: ” What Breaks Your Heart? Maria Shriver)

… What really breaks my heart right now is how divided we are. How mean we are to one another. How critical we are of one another. How judgmental we are of each other and how angry we are at each other. Also, how lonely we all seem to be.

Yet underneath it all we are all longing for the same things! We are all longing to be accepted, to be seen and understood and to be invited into the space that unites us.

This space is filled with dreamers, explorers, teachers, doctors, mothers, fathers, the young and old.

The best way to bond is to understand that down deep we are more alike than different. We are more United than separate. Everyone wants to mend a broken heart.

This is not diminishing the idea that our anger is not justified, but putting anger into action for all ” we the people ” can allow our broken hearts coming together to heal and get back

to work… mending the crack in our divide.

So until tomorrow… “I do not need some tremendous miracle to give me faith in God, a Violet would do, or a spire of goldenrod, or a Daisy or two. But if I had to have magic and wonder, to render any doubts asunder, to prove God true… it would be you.”

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

This blog post started eleven years ago with a God Wink and it has never stopped winking since!

It was my deja vu moment when I realized that if God is pulling off amazing feats for us … then shouldn’t we at least acknowledge the fact that we recognize them as coming from a higher power rather than just random ” dumb luck?”

When Mandy and I took the kids to Bee City a few weeks back… I ran into another visitor who had on a t-shirt that said, in big bold letters, GOD DON’T DO RANDOM!

I smiled and commented on his shirt. He said it was his pastor’s favorite saying so one year for his birthday everyone in the congregation got a t-shirt with the saying and showed up one Sunday morning for church wearing theirs. Then the pastor was given his…he happily discarded his robe and replaced it with his birthday gift. Even the letters on the church’s billboard had the same quote. The pastor continues to repeat that idea was the best birthday gift ever!

How many times are our prayers answered in some of the strangest ways-some serious-some comical but always recognizable as a small act-a wink from God letting us know He is walking right beside us?

The other day I found the following birthday card in a box in a drawer I had not opened in years. At first I just laughed thinking how timely the card was here in hot July when my mind does turn to ice cream.

A little later a God Wink idea came to me! I started remembering all the people in my life who have guided and steered me in the right direction when I took a wrong detour or simply walked beside me to keep me company. I felt so re-energized and thankful when I finished the list-so many special memories!

So until tomorrow… the completed card linked me to the ice cream section at the store. I could say I got the ice cream for the grandchildren when they come to visit… but I have to ” fudge a little ” on the truth. There are supposed to be 10 ice cream bars but somehow there are only 9 ” Mickey’s” now? God Winks are truly mysterious!

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Thursday morning I checked all my flowers and plants to make sure everything had survived Elsa! I will have to say that Elsa was the loudest storm we have had in quite awhile and it wasn’t just the thunder or wind producing it! It was simply the amount of rain coming down-all at one time! It was like the universe was emptying a giant bucket of water right over the top of us! I was afraid I was going to be missing some shingles off my roof! The ” pounding” rain was incredibly loud! Still the garden had held up remarkably well!

I had just gone in my doors off the patio and stopped to open the blinds from the inside when the sun’s rays caught a little hummingbird busily darting in and out of every bloom on the deck red Mande villa! Beautiful!

There was no way to get a picture taken without scaring the hummingbird off but the sighting completely made my day!

It was then that I remembered Mandy’s painted window sill she created for grandmother Dee Dee soon after college-it stayed on her front porch for years! After her death it was returned and hangs in the B&B guest bedroom on the other side. It has always been my favorite! ( title picture)

When I looked up symbolisms and legends about the hummingbird most stories originated from Central and South America-especially from Mexico.

Then suddenly the notecard company Papyrus popped up because they use the hummingbird as their seal on their envelopes-and they created their own story.

Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy, and celebration. The hummingbird’s delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning, and that laughter is life’s sweetest creation.

In almost all Mayan legends hummingbirds are divine messengers-so if you experience a hummingbird sighting folklore says it is a loved one ( gone ahead) assuring you that you are loved!

So now we have a bedroom honoring two beloved grandmothers who still watch over us and like Me-Mommy’s recent God Wink-assure us we are loved!

So until tomorrow…Hummingbirds represent the small things in life and their meanings. We are reminded to enjoy life and it’s simple pleasures!

” Today is my favorite day.” Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

What a day and night we had Wednesday with Tropical Storm Elsa …slowly heading towards the Carolinas-the anxiety I felt had little to do with the storm itself but the domino effect on two of our families.

Mollie and the children were leaving to come home, as luck would have it, arriving at 9 Wednesday evening. She and the kids had gotten as far as Philly and were waiting to see if the green light was still on GO for the last air link to Charleston.

John and Mandy were driving back from Orlando/ Disney World Wednesday trying to stay ahead of the storm-so needless to say the rest of the family here were worried about both of them.

In fact a prayer brigade was established praying for both groups… John and Mandy got home first in the late afternoon. They had a few white knuckle moments but overall got in safely!

So now our attention turned to prayers for Mollie and the kids getting back in to Charleston! Thank goodness our prayers were answered again as Elsa began slowing down once she hit land and the storm that hit us during the late night/ early morning hours consisted of very heavy downpours and thunder/ lightning but remarkably not damaging winds -just four inches of much needed rain! The garden was smiling yesterday!

It does seem as if the Disney characters are taking the world by storm… or rather by Hurricane. Elsa, the first named Atlantic Hurricane in 2021, weakened to a tropical storm when it hit the mainland. ( I always knew there was a warm heart in Elsa under that cold exterior. In fact Olaf is on the list for any second storm)

Surprisingly John and Mandy said they pretty much did everything they wanted. By staying at the Floridian-they could see the fireworks from their balcony and had a back path to the park. The kids just loved playing in the huge pool there so it was a very relaxing Disney vacation!

When Walsh called , from the airport, to say Mollie and the children had landed-there was a collective sigh of relief. Mollie had not seen her family in over a year, due to Covid, … so happy days were here again for the Temples! * Walsh has the cutest video he shot of the kids running towards him after they landed. So happy to be back home.

So until tomorrow… By the time the remnants of the storm hit, right before 2am, I was sound asleep… happy for all the family to be home-safe and sound-with much needed rain falling-all my prayers had been answered! I love you God!

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Out of storms… come the beauty of renewal – refreshed and happy for the rain!

Dear Reader:

One of the very first educational computer games was a social studies adventure called The Oregon Trail! So many students wanted to play it (and at the time the only computers were in the media center ) that the sign-up sheet/s were a mile long! I soon realized I could hold this over my students’ heads as a good behavior incentive.

Of course the Westward Expansion unit of study was always very popular but until last week I had never considered using this unit of study to parallel our own life paths. But author Barbara Johnson did and I felt great excitement…like a pioneer discovering a new path to the promised land.

Think about the initial path heading west. First there were only small foot trails through the forests. Eventually the trails widened to accommodate the pioneers’ Conestoga wagons hauling everything from pearls to pump organs-treasures they would need in their new homes.

But gradually -like the challenge on the computer game-The Oregon Trail-the pioneers’ priorities changed as the days passed and hardships set in. Besides a river swollen by flood waters, they discarded the piano that threatened to sink the wagon.

At the foot of the mountains, cherished furniture and chests were abandoned. In the middle of the desert, they sometimes left behind the wagon and all it contained. Then, once again, they needed only a narrow trail, one person wide.

Now think about our own life path. Isn’t that how we will approach our heavenly ” promised land”: empty handed, with all our ” important ” earthly priorities littering the roadway behind us as once again… it narrows down to a path just one person wide

So until tomorrow … keep life simple. When it comes to Heaven -we can just show up in our birthday suits-it really want matter-since we will be clothed in God’s radiant glory!

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Couldn’t resist this ” funny” – Lewis and Clark really weren’t supposed to be gone so long exploring the new westward lands for Jefferson… they simply did not want to admit in front of Sacajawea that they were lost.

Dear Reader:

For a long time I never really understood the adage ” Fullness is Emptiness.” I have only recently realized the important meaning hidden in these three words.

And sometimes it takes an old fairy tale to bring it to light. Einstein was right when he said….

I tried to connect as many fairy tales to historical events as possible…and even have my students search for the perfect fairy tale to match an historical event in American History. ( Sadly… so many eighth graders had never heard the basic fairy tales or been read to at night… even back in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and millennia. I remember being completely shocked!)

In a recently revised fairy tale a king had every treasure anyone could possibly want – but none of them made him happy. He kept waiting for that one magic treasure / that present that would fill him with happiness and joy!

Then one day he heard of a mysterious old woman who lived in the mountains and made the most beautiful quilts ever imagined-they brought immediate joy to each lucky recipient.

Immediately the king sent his soldiers to find her and bring her to the palace. But when she heard his request she turned him down -she only gave her quilts to the poor and homeless.

The king was furious but she stuck to her guns… even with her life in danger! She told him that the only way she would create a quilt for him would be if he gave away all his treasures to the poor.

Finally the king caved and slowly realized that the more he gave away to his poor subjects the lighter he felt… as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

By the time the magical old woman presented him his quilt he had no treasures but instead the love of all his villagers. … And that made him happy and filled with joy!

The older I get… the more I want to simplify my life by ridding the house of ” stuff” I don’t need-but someone else does.

So until tomorrow… ” When fullness is Emptiness… emptiness is HAPPINESS! “

” Today is my favorite day ” Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

A recent summer read I just finished had a verse of scripture and a God Wink idea in it that I wanted to share.

This particular verse comes from Romans 8:38-39. It reads: l am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor leaders, nor the present, nor the future , nor the heights or depths and no other creature can separate you from the love of God, from Jesus Christ our Lord.

In the novel a young girl is experiencing anxiety attacks after the lost of her grandfather coupled with a new move and job. Her Italian grandmother, very concerned about her, sends care packages to her granddaughter weekly. Besides ingredients needed for Italian dishes she also includes a favorite verse of scripture. Marissa, the granddaughter, now living on an island off England… painstakingly takes the Italian verse and translates it into English since she is recognized for her beautiful penmanship. A gift for her nonna….her grandmother.

These verses seem to wrap around Marissa like a loving blanket. Isn’t that one of the most comforting feelings in the world. And even though we can find a blanket or quilt to wrap around us if we get a chill… isn’t it a thousand times better if someone who cares about us wraps it around us?

Grandmother Wilson’s farmhouse was always cold with no central heat so even taking a bath in fall, winter, or early spring would set one’s teeth to chattering getting out!

But grandmother always had these huge towels-as big as blankets that she had warmed by the fire place so by the time we climbed out as children grandmother was there to wrap us individually in the toasty towels! One of my fondest memories from childhood.

After reading this verse of scripture I imagined what my first impression of heaven would be and it had to be God wrapping a warm quilt around me and holding me tightly! No conversation needed… I would be lost in the warm security of love…blanketed in the most overwhelming love that consumed every fiber of my being. Lost in love.

So until tomorrow… Take time to show others you care by wrapping your emotions in love and a warm hug.

* The title picture quilt is a vintage pattern called Grandmother’s Garden Quilt-a perfect Welcome Home gift!

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Lady Liberty has stood alone at the entrance of New York Harbor for 134 years since arriving from France as a gift of friendship between our two countries.

No doubt there have been some pretty lonely days for her, especially with COVID-in fact she is still closed to the public except from a distance on the circling ferries. But she is unshakable… holding the torch of Hope to immigrants seeking the American Dream …with confidence and majesty!

Only now… for a few days she’s got company! This past Wednesday a second smaller statue arrived on our shores… another gift from France. This gift symbolizes our enduring friendship between our countries.

French ambassador, Philippe Etienne, declared” It is more important than ever to underline how our democracies need to work together, with our common values, especially freedom, but also equal opportunities for all our citizens.”

The statue, re-created from the first one, was wrapped and boarded a freighter bound to America… retracing the original route followed in 1885

As the statue passed Liberty Island the NYC Fire Department greeted it with a water cannon salute!

The ” Little Sister” is only 9 feet tall- 1/16th the height of Lady Liberty- an exact replica of the original. Lady Liberty will have a little sister in close proximity for only the Fourth of July celebration

Then it leaves for Washington DC where the statue will be installed at the French Ambassador’s residence just in time for Bastille Day!

So until tomorrow let us never forget what Lady Liberty means to us and the world-Hope! May we never fail her by our own actions! Cheers to Lady Liberty-never tears!

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

I have never forgotten seeing the Statue of Liberty as a child and I am so happy Rutledge got to see her from the ferry Saturday-and even not being able to get closer-look how excited he is!

I hope everyone had a wonderful fourth-I had a quiet one but a day that afforded me time to make my gratitude list for having won the greatest lottery in the world-being born in the USA!!!!! Let Freedom Ring!

Dear Reader:

Don’t we all have a tendency to take July 4th and it’s symbolism for granted as the years pass? We immediately think of old classroom history lessons like … the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence… now pass the hot dogs please?

When we hear the word ” revolution” we think rebellion and fighting for our freedom. But the term also stands for circle -the time it takes a celestial body to make a complete round of its orbit.

The title picture comes from an old Time magazine that talked about how it’s always the Fourth of July in space… with beautiful cosmic fireworks that boggle the mind.

I like that idea better than a rebellion that causes much heartache and destruction in the process. Yet … by the complex world we live in struggle is inevitable. Just like in our own personal lives there comes a moment when we have to let go and put our faith in God to see us through difficult situations.

Kate Wolfe Jenson uses the metaphor of clouds to explain our need to stop trying to keep all the plates spinning all the time. At some point the spinning fails us.

When we watch the clouds from afar they appear frothy or frail-helplessly driven by the wind. Surprise! Cumulus clouds average over a million pounds-now who is calling who wispy. But the real strength of clouds is that they have the courage to turn over their strength and go where the winds take them … clouds know how to trust and let go!

Can you imagine how hard it was to make the decision to break from England and take on one of the greatest military powers with ragtag militia men. I doubt Washington got much sleep during this long struggle. He had to let go too and put the situation in God’s Hands. He knew he could not do it alone. God was the head commander.

So on this special day of gratitude for our country…save a special prayer for our leaders to know when to let go and let God in. It will be their greatest strength.

So until tomorrow … When we let go of our fears-only then does the present moment lift us up-we just have to breathe and know that which we seek to become… we already are!

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

I met Walsh for lunch on Daniel Island yesterday and it was so wonderful to just talk about and share our feelings and thoughts about life at each of our stages in it!

He handed me a video to watch while he finished getting ready when I first arrived. If grandmothers plump up with pride like peacocks… then Boo looked like a fat peacock!

While camping in Vermont with his dad, granddad, uncles and cousins Rutledge turned eight. On his actual birthday- June 18- Rutledge asked his dad if would tape him because he wanted to share 8 things he was grateful for !

So by the firelight Walsh taped Rutledge thanking God for family, food, sports, school and his teacher, vacations to be together , his home, and God.

We talk about moments that linger a lifetime-this will definitely be one. And what a great idea-for us to stop whatever we are doing to make a gratitude list for each year of life! ( I think I better start now listing all mine-glad we got a big family to help me

fill in. ) The photo was taken from the video so it is slightly shaky but you see how happy Rutledge was with his birthday idea.

Archibald Rutledge, from yesterday’s blog post, said he learned what true religion was from the sharecroppers who helped his daddy run Hampton Plantation and whose next generation returned to help Rutledge begin restoring it in 1937.

Depression was not a word you ever heard among the sharecroppers living there-instead when tragedy hit or hard times came people like Morris who was among the oldest tenants would say ” I got a glory!” Morris knew that to find a glory and give it the strength that might be spent in despair was the only way out of suffering.

Gabe taught Archie all the tricks in hunting. As a boy he revered Gabe for his calmness in any situation-nothing seemed to ” get to him.”

When Gabe lost his house to a fire, Archie ran down to see him. He and his family had moved into a temporary lean-to nearby. When Gabe saw young Archie he grinned and said ” I saved one shirt but that one is raggedy.”

” Well, said young Archie, that’s enough to make you sure enough depressed! ”

” Oh I ain’t depressed! I ain’t got the real depression ’cause I still got hope. ”

From Gabe Archibald Rutledge would learn one of his greatest lessons in life. The only real loss in life is spiritual loss.

So until tomorrow… Take a minute today and think about what you would put in your own personal life creed … your personalized doctrine.

While on Daniel Island there was a field filled with flags called the Field of Honor. I felt an overwhelming love for my country consume me…with all its struggles to remain free.. a democracy always worth our constant vigil and loving support!

” Today is my favorite day”