Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

It doesn’t happen very often … an observation in our natural world that leaves us puzzled and excited at the same time. After guessing and surmising about the possibilities of certain phenomena… we realize some mysteries are meant to be just that… mysteries- and should be appreciated simply as a gift from the universe.

The Ya’s ” sighting” was experienced on the night of the ” Toogoodoo” evening meal out at the Yachtsmen Club. While we were eating a soft rain filtered down… the first all week… we had been very lucky throughout our stay…experiencing a mixture of clouds and sunshine… cool breezy temperatures that made porch gatherings perfect and no air conditioning required!

Libby and Brooke had gone out on the porch after we arrived back home… Jackson and I were inside watching television and I was finishing up the blog post with our annual group picture.

Libby came in… excitedly telling us that the strangest, most beautiful sights were taking place right in front of them. I hurried out to see.

Even now… it is hard to explain exactly what we were seeing… like the wise words in the title picture … it is not meant to be explained… simply experienced. For me… it will be the ” night the stars fell.”

Twinkling white lights ( like Christmad tree lights) were blinking up and down the trees surrounding ” our” yard, across and up and down the yards of neighbors. The lights were glistening and feverishly twinkling.

The longer we watched… the more the ” phenomenon ” seemed to travel and spread… it was as if millions of fireflies were weaving in and out of the palm trees… along with other tree species.

I grabbed my mobile phone camera and just aimed it in the direction of the flickering lights amid the darkness ( no light exposure added) and just clicked.

I wish you could see more clearly what we saw… hundreds of twinkling lights changing formation and direction while streaks of lights appeared in intervals in the dark skies! The most beautiful gift on a special night. ( Look closely… enlarge… and act like you are ” looking for Waldo”) …then you will begin to see the hidden clusters of twinkling lights! )

So until tomorrow…

Celebrate! Celebrate! Laugh at the Party!

Now don’t forget!!!

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!”

Dear Reader:

There is no doubt that the Ya’s complete each other… and as we grow older together (and hopefully wiser) in our understanding of the important things in life… we know how fortunate we were that God gave us each other… puzzle pieces to complete this ” game” of life.

This morning Jackson and I will have risen early to get Jackson to the airport to fly home. But no doubt the drive from Edisto to the airport will be filled already with memories from the retreat… especially from the afternoon before when more Erskine friends joined us for our finale gathering.

Let me share other pieces of the sights and sounds experienced over the past week. Memories in the making from the 2023 reunion…

So until tomorrow…

Today is my favorite day… Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

You might remember a couple of years ago I began researching names unique to the Edisto Island and it’s surrounding areas. This research has unveiled interesting unknown facts buried in the past…

The first name was Dawhoo -the name of Brooke’s street, a bridge , river, landing… I could go on and on. One sees a lot of Dawhoo name-plate signs. I “assumed” it must have been a subsidiary tribe of the Edisto Indians. Wrong!

Dawhoo is a type of stilt and porous sand composition found in the creation of this indigenous island land formation. Historically ” dawhoo” was created as a secret code word for ” a mile” when residents were warned how close Sherman’s invading army was to the sea island during the Civil War.

Toogoodoo is another unfamiliar name that pops up on back roads, communities, civic centers, etc. For me… it makes me smile as I think of all the possibilities behind the origin of the name.

Last night was our ” big” Ya’s night out-” Break Bread Together” meal! We returned to the Yachtsman Club where we went last fall. Delicious food and most importantly drop-dead gorgeous water-front views!

There is something special about coming together for a special meal with beautiful scenery reminding us how lucky we are to be together… to be alive.

From now on… this traditional meal will be named: Toogoodoo Night! It is a name given to the creek and surrounding area by the Bantu ( African slaves who worked the plantation sea houses.

Loosely translated it means: ” I have plenty- Life is bountiful!

So until tomorrow… As we looked across the table last night at each other…after that delicious seafood dinner… we all let out a sigh of contentment – not just for the food but in gratitude for the opportunity to reunite our lives once again… it was definitely ” too good” … so we must ” do” it again! Our annual ” Toogoodoo”” Night!”

Today IS my favorite day- Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

One of the delights of convening bi-annually with friends who “knew us when” is that we can help each other fill in the missing pieces of each of our life puzzles.

We met as eighteen-year-olds … just starting out in life… with our whole lives ahead of us… were in each others’ weddings, attended family funerals of parents and spouses… encouraged each other through some of the most difficult times of our lives… witnessed each other grow stronger throughout the many trials of life and held each others hands physically and figuratively.

There have always been times when talking to each other has been the essential lifeline in repairing broken links in our lives … since we all share such an unique perspective in our memory boxes… opened only by our shared memories.

Yesterday morning it was time to explore the back side of Edisto…the marshes and state parks. Just as beautiful and fascinating as the front side!

One wonderful tradition Brooke started years ago … she gets up early one morning and surprises us with slow cooked grits, the crisp aroma of bacon , fresh tomatoes, the best scrambled eggs… need I say more? Boy do we love that tradition!

So until tomorrow… We are already wanting to slow down time… a lesson in futility… but can’t help but want a l-o-n-g pause! Don’t we all need to break out of our routine now and then so we can see our lives from a different view!

Today is my favorite day. -Winnie the Pooh

…and EVA CATE’s birthday!!!! My oldest grandchild is turning 13!!!

Dear Reader:

There is a reason why ” our” beach house is named” Rest in Peace” … it is the most needed retreat escape … a place where we can push the ” pause” button on life, on the news, on the world, on our personal concerns back home in our daily lives, and immerse ourselves in the moment… live in the glorious moment!

Yesterday morning… I woke up and realized I was at Edisto with the Ya’s and jumped up ready to take on the day! I scrambled into some warm clothes … ( little chilly) hurried out to the beach to see the sun breaking over the ocean-it was about 7:00.

As I walked the dunes yellow turned to blue…

I gazed at the jetties where my life story took a miraculous intervention so many years ago with a prophetic dolphin. ” All is right with the world and all is right with you… go live your life! ” ( That was fifteen years ago!)

I had to have a picture … but the beach was pretty empty until one lone stroller came slowly walking down the path… I waved her over… and asked if she minded taking a quick snapshot of me on the jetties. Her name turned out to be Ann from Greenville -she was on a church retreat with 14 other women and was in charge of the daily devotion later that day.

She had decided to take a stroll to think about what she would say… and after hearing my ” dolphin” story… she now had it!

My new friend Ann from Greenville… had recently lost her husband … but shared with me her gratitude to God for forty years with the love of her life. Now we each had a story to tell… he lived long enough to see his first grandchild born.

So until tomorrow…

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

All the world’s problems are discussed and assimilated here at our bi-annual gatherings. We ” Ya” diplomatic representatives have decided that if we could get the world’s major players to ” Rest in Peace” on beautiful Edisto Island for just a few days … consensus on major confrontations could become a reality. This porch is the balm for any storm.

… And it looks like we might see a high percentage of clouds and rain storms this week but no matter… we are together and protected from the elements on the ” Big White Porch” … weather has never dampened a Ya retreat.

And if the old adage that weather forecasting is the only job you have to be correct only 50% of the time, we should see peeps of sun throughout the week!

This week is also supposed to be cooler than ” normal” lately so we packed lots of sweatshirts but don’t think we will need to pull out our mid-winter retreat famous blue jackets!

The warmth and sun this week will come from within… laughing over funny incidents and memories from the past, and most discussions will come straight from ” the bones.”

And who knows… hopefully witness a little sun surprising us…

So until tomorrow… Let us remember… ” There are two ways to be rich… earn more … or want less.” ( We have all we need… rich in friendship!!!)

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

It is the first day of our Ya 2023 Spring Reunion at ( none-other) than our favorite haunt at Edisto… Rest in Peace.

As I have gazed through old reunion snapshots …this year’s date appears to be our earliest spring reunion since we first gathered-normally in mid or late May or June. (I think we realize that as we grow older together it is best to “side” on early over late. Time waits for no man and certainly not Ya Ya’s!!!)

The title picture gave me the idea for calling this year’s gathering ” Magnolia Moments” because like the photo reveals… we can still bloom with the best of ’em but every year more spots appear on our ” leaves.” 😂

After snapping this picture from my neighbor’s front yard… I researched the history of magnolias and started laughing… they are quite symbolic of our ” place in the sun right now.”

FOSSIL discoveries reveal that the magnolia has been around for hundreds of millions of years. It existed before 🐝 BEES! ( See that Brooke… our own Miss Bee?) *Since there were no bees , magnolias depended on ” Beetles” for pollination. Sounds good to me… I take Paul.. )

Perhaps the best metaphor for our “Awesome Four” is that magnolias symbolize endurance and perseverance.

These days… every year, every anniversary, once everyone has made their appearance… we look around and breathe an audible sigh of relief while whispering a silent prayer of gratitude! We did it… life is good!

In 2016… we shared this poem together ( first stanzas) appropriately called Beginning Today! Our words of wisdom for the week!

So until tomorrow the ” Magnolias ” are blooming with happiness and ” spotlessly joyful!

Dear Reader:

I can think of no better way to end Earth Day Week and it’s invaluable lessons, than with Carl Sagan and a discovery made by Voyager 1 on Valentine’s Day 1990.

” Everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you have ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives, on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam. ”

After Carl Sagan first witnessed the famous picture…he said he was never the same again in his new revelation of its and our existence and was more deeply aware and insightful of man’s place in the universe.

He wanted humanity to see Earth’s vulnerability and how our ” home ” is just a tiny fragile speck in the cosmic world. As stewards we must respect all the life-giving gifts given us. We are special because Earth is alive with humanity and we must all work daily to keep this unique gift of life.

So on Oct 13 1994… Carl Sagan gave his most memorial speech ( titled ” The Pale Blue Dot”) at Cornell University. Here are some excerpts…

… “Our posturings , our imagined importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe are challenged by this point of pale light.

…To me it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another, to preserve and cherish our pale blue dot… the only home we’ve ever known.”

So until tomorrow… Wow! Mind boggling! Can’t help but think that Carl Sagan is now witness to his greatest adventure into the unknown with all his earthly questions answered. ( Or as Betty White learned from her mother while attending funerals of loved ones… her mother always commented ” Well now he/ she knows the secret.” Betty White always referred to death and dying as the ” Great Secret ” revealed! She didn’t fear death… because the answers to life were waiting on her.)

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

It wasn’t until Anne and I attended the International Creativity Workshop in Provence ( almost two decades ago-yikes!) that I understood the quote ” To see the world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wildflower-William Blake

Most of the exercises in creativity focused on changing our perspectives on how we see the world.

One photography trick is to lower yourself to the level of the subject (of your shot) and then play around with colors or form… since I love wildflowers-these are shots taken from my front yard.

Another trick is to include flowers and other natural beauties in two subject photos.

When I think wildflowers I immediately think of one particular person-Lady Bird Johnson!!!

Today we remember her in connection for the Highway Beautification Act ( or the Lady Bird Bill) She spearheaded her mantra ” masses of flowers where the masses pass.” She rewarded highway department engineers for integrating sustainable landscaping on their road designs. Winning designers were invited to the Lady Bird Johnson LBJ ranch for a barbecue.

On her 70th birthday she and actress Helen Hayes created the National Wildflower Center. ( today part of the University of Texas at Austin) After her death a state paper took up her cause and raised $150,OOO to buy seed packets for school children to plant along roads in communities.

So until tomorrow… ” Where flowers bloom… so does Hope.” Lady Bird Johnson