Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

How many times have we heard a celebrity-author, actor, doctor, athlete , coach, minister, ( name any profession) tell an interviewer how he or she knew from childhood, youth, or an unique experience… that his/her life was being drawn in a certain direction and they knew in their soul … it was their destiny?

I started remembering my first great love … stories. From the time I started school, my favorite part of the day was Story Time. I could hardly wait for our teacher to give us the signal to leave our desks to scramble onto the story rug that resembled ” A Small Small World.” I was determined to sit on every ” child” face around the world. ( I admit pushing another child off if the teacher wasn’t looking. )

As our teacher read the story or legend from a particular country… whoever was sitting on that ( ” child from that country”) got to go stand by the large room map, hold the ” Holy Grail” -the teacher’s beloved yard stick, and take all the oral clues from the story … given to locate the country. ( Integrated learning at its best before it even became a popular teaching concept.)

So today my three great soulful passions are stories, writing, and history… year after year I have been drawn to these three ” soulmates!”

The first thing I think about upon waking up each morning ( after thanking God for waking up) is ” I wonder what story will emerge today?” Sometimes an idea pops up early-other times… later in the evening… but after thirteen years… I know the story will come ( unless the computer gremlins intervene) !

I have probably learned more about faith from this daily post endeavor… than through any other avenue. So when somebody says something that ” lights a match” or a line from a story, movie, or program ignites an idea, these I just smile and whisper ” Thank You God… the Creator of all stories! ”

So until tomorrow… Take a moment each day to reflect on what brings you the most satisfaction and fulfillment… then fill it whole-heartedly and whole-soulfully!

Today is my favorite day… Winnie the Pooh

Mollie received an action photo of Lachlan finally getting his turn to go flying across the lake when a cabin mate jumps and lands on the huge ” blog” water float to send him spiraling upward … anticipation!

Dear Reader:

When I came across the title to a story recently, that I recognized as once having read… but couldn’t quite remember the ending… I decided to take time to re-read it .

One day a professor came into the classroom telling his students to clear everything off their desks-he was giving them a surprise pop-quiz.

Moaning audibly… the students did as instructed. They were each given a large piece of white paper with one lone black dot ⚫️ in the middle of the paper.

Each student was to write about what he saw and what he/ she then thought. Furiously the students began writing. A few minutes later the professor called ” Time!” and collected the sheets.

Out loud he read each student’s take on the sheet with the black dot ⚫️. Everyone centered their thoughts and writings around the significance of the dot and it’s importance as the center focus of the paper. Slowly the professor shook his head

The professor said everyone made the mistake of focusing on the tiny black dot -instead of everything else… the majority of space taken up by the white sheet.

” Human nature, the professor said, unfortunately, looks at life that way too and we must learn to re-prioritize our perceptions.”

” The black dot ⚫️ comes to symbolize health issues, financial hardships, disappointing relationships and broken dreams by lack of determination. ”

” Yet look how small the ⚫️ black dot is in comparison to the massive white sheet surrounding it? When we focus too much on the dark side, we lose focus on all the bright compelling opportunities awaiting us-a life filled with love. Instead we ” pollute our minds” by solely focusing on the small problems that come and go.

So until tomorrow… Turn your eyes away from the black dots in your life. Instead enjoy each of your blessings-each moment of life bestowed on you.

*** I needed to hear that story again and no doubt a God Wink was blinked. I needed to straighten my path and add more flowers to it!

Today is my favorite day- Winnie the Pooh

Yesterday was definitely a ” favorite” day because of all your fun comments on Carolina Day-the anniversary of the Battle of Sullivans Island.

Carol Poole reminded me of the drinking song sung that night in the pubs by the victorious Patriots… it went like this…***look below quote…

( SONG) ” Oh… Mr. Peter Parker got his pants shot off in the battle here today. He made such a rumpus that we shot him in his “Bumpus ” … and now he’s gone away… YEAH!” 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

My outdoor table cloth arrived yesterday… must have gotten lost in Amazon Cyberspace but was a better surprise for it and my two deck hibiscus must have heard the rumor because they were blooming away to take their turn on the beautiful tablecloth!!!

Dear Reader:

Being the old South Carolina history teacher… I can’t let June 28 pass without without paying tribute to the Battle of Sullivan’s Island which today is known as Carolina Day. ( Once known as Palmetto Day)

It has been 247 years since this amazing ” David vs Goliath” battle took place and changed American History… directly affecting the final outcome of the signing of the Declaration of Independence days later… after the Founding Fathers heard the news of the outcome of the first true battle between the Patriot forces and the Royal Navy.

Today , the official anniversary of the Battle of Sullivan’s Island will be celebrated at Fort Moultrie and at the Battery in downtown Charleston.

If anyone was a betting person… doubtful few would have sided with the Patriots pulling off this monumental task to stop the British Royal Navy -a combined sea and land invasion planned to take Charleston.

The Patriots were completely outmanned and outgunned. The British had 2000 soldiers under Clinton and the British Commodore Peter Parker whereas General Moultrie and William ” Danger” Thomson had 780 ” soldiers ” ( consisting of rangers, soldiers, Native-Americans and North Carolina troops.)

The Redcoats fired 7000 cannon balls into unfinished palmetto fort and 34,000 pounds of gunpowder. The Patriots had 31 cannons and 28 rounds of ammo.

So how in the world did the Patriots pull off this amazing victory? Nature and Geography! ( And good common sense!)

When British Commodore Peter Parker first laid eyes on the pitiful looking fort made from palmetto logs -stacked up like Lincoln logs -two layers deep and sand between each row. .. he burst out laughing… this should be the fastest victory in history.

But Geography was our friend, along with natural resources ( in the form of the Palmetto logs-) Fort Sullivan survived the cannon strikes because the balls bounced off the spongy palmetto logs… the Patriots were able to re-use them firing back at the British with their own cannon balls!

The British soldiers couldn’t wade across Breach Inlet because it was 8 feet deep and the average British soldier was only 5’4 to 5’6 in height. When the British tried to go around the island to attack from the backside … the tides were against them -the boats ran aground in shallow water.

So nine hours later a humiliated Commodore ( Peter Parker) obviously a poor loser… in frustration climbed to the bow of his ship … bent over and threw up his tailcoat wagging his hind quarters at the cheering Patriots.

One unknown Patriot aimed a British cannon ball at the Commodore for his rudeness and disrespect (and as the famous ” tale” goes… ) it went right between his legs ripping his pants and exposing his complete bare hind quarters since he obviously was not wearing underwear.

I remember the last time I took some students to the Charleston Pirates Tour… the tour guide told this ” tale” and reminded the students to learn a lesson from this episode…

1. Don’t be a poor loser

2. Don’t act out and show your ” butt” in public

3. And always be prepared…Put on your underwear everyday!

( Three Good Lessons!

So until tomorrow… Humor in History is the key to unlocking the past and learning from human nature … and all its crazy antics!

Today is my favorite day… Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

As a writer, like the main character in this unusual perception of life, love, and endings that don’t end ( On Fire Island) … Julia Morse is spending her last summer on her beloved island… there is only one catch… she has already passed.

Until Brooke and I moved to the Lowcountry ( Charleston) I had never felt that I was home…the geography of Eastern North Carolina and the Piedmont of South Carolina … had me living among immediate and extended family members whom I loved but there was never a deep loving attachment to the land itself. In fact… I felt detached… homesick for a place I had never seen.

My love affair with the Lowcountry actually started when I was in high school and visited USC for a high school weekend orientation… knew I wasn’t going there but a friend was driving and we had decided to visit her sister in Charleston and skip most of the orientation.

It was early March and still cold and blustery in Columbia but the sun started coming out around Orangeburg and suddenly the I -26 interstate was bleached in sun… and speaking of ” bleached” … the closer we got to Charleston the lighter the roads got-going from dark asphalt to ” white” highways that seemed to promise-sun, beaches, oceans… I was home… at last.

It took me a few years to turn that benchmark weekend into my beloved home but it happened… and my ( now adult) children have thanked me profusely over the years for making that choice… they too love the Lowcountry… heart and soul!

How many times have we described our beloved home as a piece of heaven or God ‘s home. So when thirty-seven year old Julia has a decision to make … follow the light and her grandmothers voice at the end of the proverbial tunnel or spend one last summer on Fire Island… her piece of heaven on earth with everyone she has loved totally and completely …she chooses one last summer.

You can only imagine how many diverse new forms of love, gentle humor, sweet sadness, new perceptions, deeper understandings develop this last summer for the people closest to Julia and the places that shaped her.

So until tomorrow…

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Rutledge wrote home to Mollie and Walsh saying …he had never felt closer to God than at Camp Ridgecrest! 💗

In the last few days I have heard from many of you readers with such positive and encouraging comments… it has turned my days upside down with happiness … and one reader and I discovered we are related briefly through marriage but more importantly through friendship! Thanks Angela for the connection discovery and all because you wanted to know the history behind the Pawleys Island Shell. God Wink!

Carol… thanks for the memories… brought a smile to my face!! And we have several new subscribers… that always makes me happy!

Yesterday Ben told me that he is now the new ” Pastor” at their little church group… by default …since the assigned minister has been in absentia… told Ben his new name was Pastor Barbour … telling his story!

Yesterday I also hugged Eva Cate and Jake since the family is leaving for their vacation Wednesday… Eva Cate will miss her Winnie…

Dear Reader:

When I read this observation by Rumi: ” Raise your words, not your voice, it is rain that grows flowers, not thunder”-I immediately understood the metaphor of his amazing thoughts.

Strolling through the garden yesterday morning… I had my Sunday meditation moment to pause and reflect on the week past and my hopes for the week to come. After a week of constant rain the plants were readapting to return facing the sun and higher temperatures.

But the rains had performed their miracles… everything looked so fresh and relaxed… the most beautiful shade of green had settled in the once dried brittle brown patched grass. And the buds were bursting to open displaying a kaleidoscope of bright colors.

I believe when we experience that magical moment in life when we finally recognize the personal gift ( God gave us) to give back to the world… we are never quite the same again. For me it was writing and I know many of you can relate to this… Anne with art, Honey with pottery and sculpting… we never see ourselves again as we once were.

And all of us found our ” calling” after we retired from successful teaching careers. It is never too late to discover the unique gift that has laid dormant inside us screaming to get out while we held down multiple jobs, raised families and prayed we made it financially and emotionally through the daily grind. We had to wait for our ” surcies” to be released in God’s time.

*** And for me… an added time/table called metastatic breast cancer… treatable but not curable. I am still in that ” danger zone” but to date God is allowing me time to write… to fulfill my passion… I am living in God’s time.

I can certainly relate to this message: “Always go with the choice that scares you the most… because that’s the one that will that is going to help you grow.”

And boy was I scared ( petrified actually) when I started Chapelofhopestories. My original idea was to communicate with visitors touring the chapel but that idea stopped after about three shares… heard nothing from anyone at the chapel. What now? With the help of my son-in-law, John, the blog post had launched … I was ” shaking in my boots.” I felt so foolish!

But God sent me hope in the form of an old friend from school in Walgreens-chance meeting -when I told her what I was doing she said ” Perfect! You always were the teacher with a 1000 stories.”

That night I came up with the idea of writing 1002 stories to beat the famed storyteller Scheherazade and 1001 Arabian Nights.” The blog took a different direction but I was determined that the stories would reflect the goodness and essence of fellow cancer patient and creator of St Jude’s Chapel in Trust, North Carolina-Beverly Barutio! I pray everyday she is enjoying the stories from Heaven.

I faced the reality I might lose the contest since my initial surgeon only gave me three years after the first surgery… but again I forgot about it-tuned into God’s time and I beat Scheherazade . And the beat goes on… Scary is the best growth choice .

So until tomorrow…

Today is my favorite day/Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

The other day… Michael Buble was on a talk show and was more animated talking about his family than any career topic. He admitted that he will catch a ” Red Eye” to get home …and have only a day and night to spend with his wife and four children before racing back to his latest singing gig.

If the children get wind that he has shown up during the night he awakens in bed with his wife and four kids… nothing makes him happier … nothing. He admitted that the family sleeping together some nights is probably frowned upon by some psychologist but instead he suggested that for his family … this closeness is making beautiful memories from their childhood into their later adulthood.

When you think about it… historically… separate sleeping quarters (that modern families take for granted) is a relatively new phenomenon… from caveman on …families slept together for protection, comfort – warmth throughout colonial periods – World War II. Frontier and immigrant children slept together … it was all they knew from their ” old” countries.

Maybe some of the modern day feelings of anxiety and isolation, too many Americans are feeling, come from the concept that more is better… more bedrooms, private space when smaller and togetherness should be the goal.

I think that is why parents send their children to camps today …where they get to live in small ” houses” cabins or tents… laugh together, sleep in secure close quarters and share a camaraderie unattainable in their everyday lives.

It is sure making the Dingle boys euphorically happy!

And sun and 90’s brought Eva Cate and her precious friend ( Emma) to their pool to enjoy the first sunny day in several days… it was a day of smiles for everyone!

My unexpected glimpse at the sheer beauty of the sun returning happened Friday evening… I got caught by the train going through town and gave out a big sigh… tired and ready to get home but then it happened …one beautiful ray lit up the train and the park grass turned to a golf course green… the clouds parted for the blue skies emerging… after a week of rain and cloudy skies summer was appearing again.

So until tomorrow… A beautiful God Wink and all is right with the world.

Today is my favorite day… Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

It is important to take a stand and work for things we want to see changed. But when we get overly caught up in our efforts to fix things, to intervene, to instantly make things better, we lose sight of life’s larger picture and process. ( especially when we enter into the realm of others’ lives to do so.)

Dr, Bernie Siegel advises us to let go when he says” If you could live your life with a “we’ll see ” attitude, it is amazing what begins to happen.” If we just wait a bit, not jump into an argument, not draw conclusions too soon, not act immediately- most times the problems solve themselves.”

One father used this technique to handle his children’s constant nagging and complaining. If it was not an emergency, he had them write all their ” annoyances” on a Saturday List. Then on Saturday morning… he would sit down with them and go over each of their grievances individually.

Nine times out of ten, the things they were so upset about earlier in the week had either been forgotten, cleared up, or of no importance. They were ready to go play.

” One of the great secrets known to internists, but still hidden from the general public ” says author/educator Lewis Thomas, ” is that most things get better by themselves. Most things in fact, are better by morning.”

So until tomorrow…

As a grandmother I needed to hear this train of thought today… because ” fixing ” everything is what we did as

a mother and if anything… the urge to jump into our grandchildren’s lives is just as strong a pull, forgetting Someone Who Can Handle it All By Himself in His time… not ours!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

The sun is trying to get out today… we just had to wait until God made sure we had a surplus for the hot dry days coming!

Dear Reader:

My lifetime love of words has definitely been a huge influence on my perception of the world and my place in it… and I know I am not alone in this endeavor.

Author Vernon Howard once spoke about a man who wrote down what he called ” beautiful words” in a small notebook. They included such words as joy, love, crystal, blossom, sparkle. Every morning this man would read about a dozen or so words from his list. When the opportunity arose throughout the day, he would use them in conversation. He told a friend, ” Because I looked at the world only through rose-colored words, I became rose-colored myself.”

Now try this lesson in cause and effect.

Unhappy, upset, tears, depressed, gloom, sullen, dark, morose, sad, dismal, hopeless, bleak, sorrow, misery, somber, despair

How do they make you feel? Now read the following:

Joyful, mirthful, joking, giggle, happy, laughter, glad, silly, cheerful, amusement, merriment, delightful, fun, jovial, jolly, hilarious

If we are what we think, then maybe we need to rethink the things that disturb us and relabel them. It changes how we view our ” upsets.” The shift is slight, but the impact is often major because it “reframes” the upset. ( just like the frame of a picture affects the final outcome. )

Humor helps tremendously… like when my old television takes a ” vacation” right in the middle of a movie… I just renamed it ” Old Fadeful” ( it leaves but always returns) or when I confessed my frustration last week when I accidentally deleted my just completed blog post. I remember thinking that perhaps instead of viewing myself as a writer I should be called ” The Eraser.”

I loved this anecdote about a nurse who came up with a great title for herself … in a potentially depressing atmosphere of nursing care.

” Joan said she began to see her work in a less burdensome way after she used some wordplay to describe her job of working with critically ill patients… in a geriatric ward. She started walking into the patients’ rooms with a big grin and announcing herself as ” Hi! My name is Joan and I’m going to be your body scratcher, patcher, wire attacher, and bedpan snatcher!”

So until tomorrow…

Today is my favorite day… Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

I don’t know about you but I am past ready for those ” Lazy Hazy Days of Summer.” To date this hasn’t happened… just the opposite… stressful last days of school with state testing, crazy weird virus, deer and squirrels annihilating my favorite plants… only to bring them back to get eaten again.

And monsoons… lots of rain, clouds, humidity, dampness inside and out… but hope is eternal and yesterday it returned with the sun for a short interval just in time to celebrate ” Solstice” officially at 10:58!!! For the Northern Hemisphere… the longest day of the year!!!

There is a lot of folklore, of course, associated with the Summer Solstice…

In ancient Egypt the solstice arrived and coincided each year with the rising of the Nile- this annual occurrence was particularly critical to predicting the annual flood and its arrival to make the fields fertile again.

In Egyptian mythology it was said the Goddess Isis was mourning her dead husband, Osiris…. her tears making the Nile overflow its banks and fertilize the fields for food for ancient Egyptians.

In Ireland … the Irish cut hazel branches on the Summer Solstice to be used to search for gold, water, and precious jewels.

Many European cultures hold Midsummer Celebrations-there are Solstice gatherings at the Stonehenge and the lighting of bonfires on hilltops.

Today( even in our country) bonfires are seen on beaches , mountains, back yard campfires. ( wondering if Rutledge and Lachlan will experience a big bonfire tonight to honor Summer Solstice at camp? ( In ancient times… the fires were to ward off evil spirits and let the light of truth and beauty in. ) Nice thought!

There are also fun facts associated with Summer Solstice… one true fact… one’s shadow ( if picture is taken at exactly the Summer Solstice moment (10:58) will reveal your shortest shadow of the year!

I welcomed summer by giving thanks and gratitude to my home, garden, friends, and family… I had my own private Summer Solstice ceremony in the garden… thanking each plant for their beauty and perseverance! What joy they bring me!

So until tomorrow…

Today is my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh !

Dear Reader:

Grandmother Wilson always reminded me ( when I was nervous about a speech or presentation at school) to ” keep my wits about me. “

This old expression means to be ready to think quickly in a situation and react to things you are not expecting… like a question or remark within a gathering.

Today we associate the term ” witty” with cleverness and quickness of mind… a ” smart cookie.”

Nothing makes an otherwise dry speech come alive more than a witty humorous remark or response! And to date Abraham Lincoln reigns ” Top Dog of Wit” among the long linage of American Presidents. Nothing made Lincoln happier than to have a crowd laughing uproariously at a quick-witted remark he made… and the less words to accomplish it… the better.

One noted historian found a personal comment Lincoln said about the ability to create laughter as ” the joyful beautiful universal evergreen of life.”

Lincoln’s ” biting ” wit was shared with everyone… including his own generals-here is a perfect example: Angered by General George B. McClellan’s refusal to attack General Lee in Richmond-he wrote the general a one sentence letter. ” If you don’t want to use the army, I should like to borrow it for awhile. Yours respectfully, A. Lincoln.

Once a temperance committee ( made up of several little old determined ladies) visited President Lincoln …asking him to fire General Ulysses Grant . Shocked Lincoln asked why? ” We heard he drinks too much” was the response.

” Well,” said Lincoln, ” I wish one of you of you would tell me what brand of whiskey Grant drinks. I would like to send a barrel of it to everyone of my other generals!” ( It was said that Lincoln’s laughter was heard long after the fussy little group was politely escorted out of the White House. )

A guest at another White House reception told Lincoln that in his home state people said the welfare of the nation depended on God and Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln slowly shook his head and knowingly smiled responding ” You are half-right.”

So until tomorrow… I laughed at this witty remark too by President Obama to Congress while still in office… wit can be appreciated wherever you sit…

It looks like Rutledge and Lachlan have settled in at Camp Ridgecrest…and trying new experiences!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh