Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

I love this design by Native-Americans for Veterans Day. The symbolism is so moving! Native-Americans regarded dream-catchers as protective amulets. Different tribes based their unique designs on their legends created for their specific dream-catcher symbolism. But all had one common theme-catching bad dreams so sleep was peaceful and serene.

***I remember one incident that Ben experienced a couple of nights after he returned home from active duty in the marine corps in Vietnam. The family was awakened by a large bump. Ben had fallen off the top bunk and was burying himself under the lower bunk where David was ( had been) sleeping.

We discovered he had had a nightmare that incoming -shells -were hitting him and he was digging in under a bunker for protection. I think the family realized then that a lot of healing would need to take place to help Ben with the transition of returning back to ” normalcy” – he certainly needed a dream-catcher that night!

I also love the patriotic leaves for Veterans Day ( in the title picture) that falls in autumn. For many veterans returning from the stress of battle… they feel as hollow and ” dead” themselves as many of their comrades they lost. But fallen leaves have Hope still embedded in them… with much help… they can once again rise to the land of the living.

” Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead… has never watched them dancing on a windy day” ( Shira Tamir)

” Mysteries, Yes” was printed yesterday on FB and like all of Oliver’s poems… it magnetically drew me to it.

Especially the last two stanzas speak to me daily and also help me remember the touching memories Ben brought back from Vietnam.

Let me keep my distance, always, from those who think they have the answers.

Let me keep company always with those who say… ” Look!” and laugh in astonishment and bow their heads.

On July 26, 1968… a chocolate cake mother had made arrived in the thickest of jungle patrol camps on Ben’s actual birthday ! Talk about a God Wink… and it tasted like it had just come out of the oven. Later Ben recalled it was his happiest memory from Vietnam as Ben shared it with his best friend. They laughed and swapped stories from home. The next day Ben’s friend was killed in an ambush..but for that one happy moment in time Ben screamed out in excitement and joy of a homemade birthday cake …arriving in the middle of nowhere!

So until tomorrow… ” Let me keep company always with those who say ” LOOK!” and laugh in astonishment, and bow their heads!

Dear Reader:

I have listened to many teachers tell the ” Thanksgiving Story” with the Native-American leader, Samoset, (who befriended the Puritans) greeting and welcoming the pilgrims but never heard his first few and true words…which were:

One of the young men who stepped off the Mayflower was there strictly for the beer-in a manner of speaking. John Alden was hired for the journey as a cooper, primarily to make beer barrels. British law required that any ship leaving England had to have a professional cooper to make replacement barrels, since barrels in England were always in short supply.

In fact … a storm threw the Mayflower off course so rather than heading south ( Virginia) the Pilgrims put ashore at Plymouth Rock. In one journal was written: ” We could not take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being most spent, especially our beere.”

Yep… the Pilgrims made port because they ran out of beer. In those days beer was considered an essential and healthy part of everyone’s daily diet ( whereas water was considered suspect… easily became contaminated. ) In fact one of the earliest buildings in Plymouth was John Alden’s brew house.

” And the rest of the story ” … as Paul Harvey would say.., continues with Priscilla, her father, stepmother, and brother coming over on the Mayflower. Because she was only seventeen at the time of departure her name was not listed on the manifest with the other 18 women’s names.

During that first difficult winter Priscilla lost her entire family … leaving her orphaned. At eighteen she caught the eye of Miles Standish, military officer and advisor to the struggling settlement. . Fearless in battle… but shy in love… he asked the cooper, John Alden, to intercede and speak of his fondness for her in his behalf.

The more John Alden spoke to Priscilla … the more he personally was smitten. It was the pilgrims’ first love triangle. One day as Alden pleaded Standish’s case… Priscilla spoke those memorable words: ” Why don’t YOU speak for yourself, John?”

Later this famous phrase was immortalized in 1858 in Longfellow’s best-selling poem – The Courtship of Miles Standish. It was so popular it sold over 10,000 copies in one day in London. Longfellow, himself was a direct descendant of John and Priscilla Alden.

It wasn’t until they later heard that Miles Standish had been killed in battle… that they agreed to marry. They never wanted to hurt his feelings. As fate would have it… the rumor was untrue and Miles Standish returned on their wedding day …only to give them his blessings!

They had a long happy marriage that produced ten children. Many people claiming to have a descendant on the Mayflower are descendants of this original union.

John Alden outlived his beloved Priscilla and at 89 was one of the last surviving descendants of the Mayflower crossing.

So until tomorrow… Longfellow ends his poem describing John and Priscilla’s wedding procession through the forest…

Today is my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh

As I looked for my morning glories last evening… they were all on the ground looking up… letting me know the weather is changing-rain and later wind from the tropical system skirting the coasts the next couple of days. A pretty wave goodnight and maybe good-bye for awhile.

Dear Reader:

What a wonderful way to spend Election Day! I voted early so I could just enjoy playing with the grandchildren-Mollie was gone about an hour and half… encouraging voter turnout today without being overwhelming … due to record-breaking early voting opportunities.

We gathered the children and went to the East Bay Deli at the Market at Oakland-delicious lunch… and across the street was the Artisan Dulce Churres, Ice Cream. Mexican ice cream. Best ice cream I ever tasted and the most creative combinations!

The flavor I chose was banana caramel.

As we sat in front of the wall sign saying ” Ice Cream Solves Everything ” a thought came to me. Wouldn’t it be wonderful …if on Election Day… everyone could come together and share ice cream in a Mexican ice cream parlor with diversified tastes from many regions and countries. We could laugh and swap stories and concentrate on the things that we all share in common… providing a bright future for our children, our personal freedoms guaranteed us in the Bill of Rights, equality of opportunities. and acceptance and kindness towards every American regardless of race, culture, or religion.

Mollie said that inside the restrooms were mantras like ” Looking Good” ” Beauty Lies Throughout You” and … other positive uplifting things that had Eloise and other little girls grinning back at themselves in the mirrors.

Earlier in the day I gave out red noses… and yes I know red noses come under Comic Relief … that shows up in late May… a fundraiser for impoverished children. But Monday I was texted by the organization … telling me that because I had participated every year… in the month of November-this Thanksgiving they were saying ” thank you” for annual donations. On Election Day … couldn’t we all use some ” comic relief ” and remember the children ( who need us) when we vote.

But Walsh was our family hero last evening … after working 12 hours he went to vote and got in the line shortly before seven… over a hundred people in front of him-tired, hungry but around 8 he finally got to vote!!!

So until tomorrow… God Bless Our Country and instill integrity, honesty, respect for others and compassion in future leaders.

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Have you noticed how popular Ben Franklin’s quote about our republic has become …pre-election? The story, behind it, goes that Old Ben was leaving the Constitutional Convention after the final vote had been taken. A woman came scurrying up to him to ask ” Well, doctor, what have we got? A republic or a monarchy?”

Franklin’s response was both witty and ominous… ” A republic, if you can keep it.” ( And Paws!)

John Adams was pretty ” ominous” also… when he alluded to the fact that democracy depended on ” decency and respect” above everything else. He feared that some members might ” try to obtain influence by noise, not sense, by meanest, not greatness, by ignorance, not learning, and by contracted hearts, not large souls… there must be ” decency and respect.”

My personal affinity to John Adams was one quote that spoke to me… As President he had the opportunity to meet the wisest ” sages” and ” celebrities ” of his time but he discovered that none of them held his “love or admiration”… he concluded ” I should prefer the delights of a garden to the dominion of a world.” (Me too!)

Election Day! Finally! Since I voted early I am spending today baby sitting grandchildren so mom can vote. My happy contribution to democracy and the preserved freedoms for my future genealogy … my grandchildren and their children…and so on…

Together … together… all Americans… let us believe in the ” force of love moving through the universe that holds us fast and will never us go.”

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Let’s vote to ensure our freedoms remain with the people and for the people… and that our Bill of Rights stands strong for the future Americans to come. Have a wonderful Election Day! Aren’t we lucky to live in America?

Dear Reader:

It was a sweltering summer afternoon in 1842 in Indiana. Henry Shoemaker was laboring as a hired hand on a family farm. Suddenly he remembered it was Election Day and he had personally promised his vote to one of the candidates running for state representative… Madison Marsh.

Nobody probably would have pointed fingers at him if he had ducked his civic duty. After all he worked hard from sunrise to sunset. But instead, he saddled his horse, rode to the polling place, and cast his ballot.

But it just wasn’t any ballot…. in fact it would be contested by the polling place inspector. The problem started because Shoemaker just barely made the cut-off time to vote. There wasn’t a ticket available listing all the candidates Shoemaker wanted to vote for, so he took out his knife and cut out names from four different tickets in order to cast his ballot.

Because Shoemaker’s improvised ticket was thrown out… the state representative contest ended in a tie. After numerous hearings and lengthy testimony, the vote ( by Shoemaker) was allowed and the tie was broken-Madison Marsh became Indiana’s state representative… by just one vote.

At that time… state legislators elected U.S. senators. In January of 1843, newly elected Marsh, along with fellow Indiana lawmakers, convened for just such an election. After much maneuvering, Marsh changed his vote on the sixth ballot, electing Edward Hannegan to the United States Senate…by just one vote.

Fast-forward to 1846. A sharply divided U. S. Senate ( sound familiar?) was debating whether or not to declare war with Mexico. A caucus vote was deadlocked until the absent Senator Hannegan from Indiana, was called. He cast his ballot in favor of war. One of the results of the Mexican War was that California ” changed hands from Mexico to the United States. “

So until tomorrow… a viable democracy must have citizens who stay informed and exercise their right to vote to protect Everyone’s individual liberties. Who knows how far your vote can go to affect the liberties of those we love…who follow us-entrusting us to keep freedom and integrity alive.

Today is my favorite day/Winnie the Pooh

As you can imagine Saturday night was a tough one for devoted Clemson fans… a hard game to watch… ” Stop the bleeding!” but it also gave all of us ( once again) the opportunity to see integrity and character played out in real life following the disappointing game.

It is so easy to be gracious while winning but when you see Coach Dabo sincerely congratulating the opposing coach-who he admires tremendously.. you see why we love him so… what an example he sets for all those young eyes looking to him for direction-yesterday during Inside Clemson… he was certainly sad but accepting full responsibility for the loss and then reminding the players how many more opportunities they had to show the world just the ” right kind of stuff” they were made of! I have never been so proud of a football program as I am of Clemson!

Dear Reader:

A couple of weeks ago… I came across an article that I found, initially, rather unsettling. The article was on how hope, can not only stagnate our life journey … but prevent us from taking the necessary detours to our personal fulfillment. It happens when we stubbornly refuse to give up hope towards one goal and one goal only.

I had decided to drop this idea for a post when a God Wink, in the form of an article, Anne emailed me yesterday… made me pause and re-consider an important lesson hidden within the narrow perspectives of most of us .. .confining hope for personal gain instead of ” feathers.” ( Emily Dickinson wrote ” Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in my soul.”)

In the title picture …the eggs in a basket… think of all the ” tools” God gave us to use along our individual paths… no two eggs are the same. Labeled on each egg would be His gifts to us to use as needed along our sojourn- in fact twelve fruits and gifts… one dozen …like eggs. Love, Grace, Faith, Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Piety, Charity, Joy, Kindness, and Goodness.

In other words… we all know good from evil and the tools given us to be successful… and hope… is the 13th egg. Our problem with it… we try to manually plan” it!

In Daily Devotion … Rachel Hackenberg ( ” Called to Hope”) quotes this scripture passage. ” I pray that the God of glory may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which GOD has called you.” ( Ephesians 1: 17-18.)

Similar to Emily Dickinson’s mental image of Hope… Hackenberg writes: ” HOPE is a wild creature… untamable. Wholly within the mysteries of God! “

So until tomorrow…“Hope, with a plan, isn’t Hope. A plan is self-made… the hope to which God calls us comes from an alien space, a wild place, a holy place. And from that space, hope offers possibilities we can not devise ourselves. Only God can.

Today is my favorite day. Winnie the Pooh

Everyone enjoy the weekend! ” Hoping” it brings you joy and beauty! 💗

Dear Reader:

There are some stories that are so memorable that even two decades after first hearing it… it is as fresh in our memories as the day we first heard it.

It was fall of 2005. I was working at the district office as the social studies specialist the year the district was trying to align all the subject areas with the ” new” state standards entering the curriculum.

The most favorite part of my job was walking through the schools and listening to social studies lessons being taught at all levels. It was September and I was in an elementary school walking down the second grade hall when I heard clapping and excited children talking about drawing and then making their ” Abigail” leaves.

Curious I slowed down and stood outside the door…apparently the teacher had just finished a lesson about fall leaves and now the children were going to make their own ” Abigail” leaf while the teacher was explaining about seasons and historical celebrations that took place in the fall.

I tapped on the door, I introduced myself, and asked the teacher if I could watch the children make their ” Abigail ” leaves and by the way … what was an ” Abigail ” leaf?

The teacher called on a little girl to explain to me what an ” Abigail ” leaf was. ” It’s a leaf that doesn’t want to let go”… the child excitedly shouted.

The teacher asked the class if it would be okay if she re-told the story so I could hear it while they worked on making their ” Abigail ” leaves. Everyone started nodding and clapping again! The teacher began…

… Once upon a time a little leaf named Abigail was heard to sigh and cry, as leaves often do when a gentle wind blows. And the twig asked, ” What’s the matter Abigail?” Abigail replied,” The wind just told me that one day it will pull me right off this tree and throw me down on the ground where I will be left all alone… tattered and torn ”

The twig told the branch on which it grew and then the branch told the tree. And when the tree heard it, it rustled all over, and sent back word to the little leaf ” Do not be afraid. Hold on tightly, and you shall not go until you are ready… and then you will willingly let go.”

Abigail was still a little ” anxious ” so she held on tightly whenever the wind blew and she grew stronger with time… to the point that she thought nothing could ever pull her off. And so it went until October arrived. And when the bright days of autumn came Abigail saw that all the leaves around her were becoming quite beautiful! Some were yellow, some scarlet, and some mixed with many colors!

She then sent word through her friend, Twig, to his friend Branch, to the Tree that she wondered what was happening to the leaves with all the bright colors. Tree sent her a message:

” All these leaves are getting ready to fly away, and they have put on these beautiful colors because of the joy they feel about their upcoming new adventure.”

Slowly Abigail began to realize that she didn’t want to be the only lack-luster leaf left all by herself in the barren tree… she wanted to be pretty and joyful too… so she began to grow more beautiful each day because of the way she now thought about things… about letting go. There was a special aura around her and she shone first like gold and then a brilliant scarlet!

One morning as she looked down , the fallen leaves looked so beautiful around the tree that she leaned farther out as a strong wind suddenly blew. Without even realizing what she was doing she freely let go of the branch.

Suddenly she began whirling and twirling like a spark of fire in the air… until she was gently placed among her friends in a pile of leaves at the edge of the fence. Everyone was so happy to be back together at last. Abigail tingled with joy and the warmth of a love that totally enveloped her.

Sometimes letting go, she realized, is the best thing that can happen to an anxious leaf… a whole new world of possibilities awaited her and she happily began to play with her new friends.

***At the end of the story the teacher asked if anyone knew what the lesson in the story was? A little girl, with long pigtails, replied ” Sometimes letting go of only what you know …is the way to make new friends and see new places.” AMEN!

So until tomorrow… What a wonderful story, what a wonderful lesson for all of us… seven or seventies! New possibilities await us… no matter the age!

Today is my favorite day… Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

I don’t think I am alone in a certain feeling I have felt in intervals throughout my life. Have you ever wished you could duplicate yourself so you could be at more than one place at the same time?

Sometimes it is just a wistful dilemma between two great invitations for an event on the same date and time… but my serious pleas for duplication happened more frequently as a single parent trying to get three children to three different places around town each afternoon after school .

Once the children started playing sports … the dilemma grew larger… whose turn was it for me to watch their game or after school club activity? Those were not the days of ” wine and roses” but frustration and tears. How many times I wished I could duplicate myself over and over again. ( Special thanks remembered for Poppy and Dee Dee for filling in many times for one of the grandchildren’s events. Love y’all forever💗)

Occasionally I run into a similar problem with the grandchildren’s activities but definitely not as frequently. Getting Ben to medical appointments is what keeps me hopping today… the population around Charleston has outgrown its interstates snd back roads. Too frequently I end up calling and canceling appointments from my car stuck in a parking lot on the Don Holt Bridge.

On days like this I picture myself being able to snap my fingers and just be sitting with Ben in whatever doctor’s office-with five specialists ( not counting dentists or eye doctors) they are spread out all over the Lowcountry area.

So in these present times…my most favorite days are being here at home all day … doing whatever I want or… simply don’t… doing! Nada! Literally my heart sings with joy if there is no cumbersome ” appointment ” anywhere in the day ! The taste of freedom is personal and different for everyone… but as for me… ” Give me liberty… or ” Give me MORE Liberty.” 🤗

And nothing makes me happier than strolling and seeing beauty through new perspectives… come walk with me and I will show you!

Remember my newly acquired ” Burgundy Necklace” fern I got at Flowertown Nursery? As I walked over to water it… the first early morning rays hit it… and it came alive with the sights of lime-colored streaks flowing through it coupled with varying shades of pink… breathtaking!

I decided to keep the ” hope alive” even though Breast Cancer Month ( October) has passed… because, unfortunately, breast cancer, itself has not disappeared.

Nothing makes me happier inside than fresh Boo Garden flowers on the kitchen table… my dreams manifested.

My new autumn succulent ( Swicegood) pumpkin is acclimating quite well on the other front window table! *And my year old ” Ghost ( succulent) pumpkin is still proudly proclaiming his ownership status.

The Confederate Rose is also called ” The Cotton” Rose… when you see this huge gorgeous bloom you immediately know why!

…And I love my Amber Coral Bells!

… And being greeted each morning with a brilliantly beautiful morning glory never ceases to make me smile.

So now do you see why a day at home doing ” nothing” makes me so terribly happy?

So until tomorrow…

Today is my favorite day/Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Only root tendrils anchor this Sitka Spruce ( largest spruce)… an historical treasure to ground. The majority of the root is exposed and sprawling over the existing void.

Still it manages to not only live but thrive …though it’s life supply ( soil) has been removed by, ironically, life itself… in the form of storms and erosion.

The sheer existence of this tree goes against the rules of science and biology… making it hard …not to believe in magic.

Visitors return annually to check on it and many break out in squeals of joy and happy tears when they see it again… still alive and persevering against all odds- one couple has returned seventeen times… the tree has become their emotional anchor of hope for the upcoming year because it appears that HOPE is the only ANCHOR preventing the ” magical tree” from falling!

Over the years I have watched so many botanical ” resurrections” take place and learned that “dead” looking plants can return miraculously the next spring… just wait… time and life are partners in renewal.

Take my Confederate Rose… when it was at the ” height” of its life… ( 20 feet and still growing) beautiful blooms of white, pink, and burgundy formed a backdrop and framework for the side of my garage.

Strollers would stop and comment on its beauty as spotted at the end of the street… and I was so proud. Then suddenly one day- it was over!!! Apparently it got too top heavy and fell completely over… pulling up the roots with it. We tried re-rooting and replanting but it was gone…

Or was it? The next year one teeny tiny stem that resembled the Confederate Rose… peeked through the pine straw. I cleaned out the area and put a buffer around it so it would not get accidentally mowed down.

Three years passed and the stem grew taller but still miniature in comparison to its once stature of grandeur. And yesterday I saw two buds slowly opening… one white and one pink.

The legend came flashing back… the Confederate soldier who fell on a white bloom mortally wounded-over a two day period the white turned pink with blood and finally a dark burgundy… the soldier had died. By early last evening all three blooms were visible… and hope was alive again.

So until tomorrow… Give life a chance … never give up… and look for the beauty waiting just around the next bloom!

Today is my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

I suppose , in the hierarchy of global decision-making skills, one small decision I made this autumn, falls short of being earth-shattering to the world… but, in my world, it was a decision that made me pause yesterday and then give myself a self-congratulatory pat on the back for making it. Let’s just say I am grateful, in many ways, for the change. .. every little thing.

What was it? The day I shared with you that this year, for the first time, Halloween decor was restricted to two or three pieces on the B&B side and one Jack o’ lantern on the porch. Halloween decor out… pumpkins ( lots and lots of pumpkins) in… most importantly I was going to start being thankful earlier and my largest wall decor said GATHER!

For the first time in decades I didn’t have to completely take down Halloween decorations yesterday to prepare for Thanksgiving. What a precious gift of time… everything can just stay the same… through Thanksgiving holidays! O Happy me! ( the only item that went back in the closet was the mailbox witch… she WAS cute!)

I had to smile contentedly as I passed homes where owners were on stepladders pulling down lights, ghosts, bats, vampires, monsters, spiders, and witches who had ” supposedly” run into the sides of trees!

But the best decision I made yesterday belongs to my last group of trick or treaters… It was 8:00 and I was trying to talk myself into turning off the porch and yard lights since mine were the only ones still left on in a street of darkness… in hindsight… thank goodness I was slow in doing so…

I had just gotten to the storm door when I felt movement on the porch. There were two girls on the porch… the older one had walked over to the other door which was locked and the lights out. As she turned at my voice I could see tears in her eyes… her little sister though was still grinning and jumping up and down with a little pink tu tu around her pants…

Suddenly a car door slammed and and this woman started up the sidewalk… she was the mother and apologizing … she had to work late and the girls were upset because they had no costumes and now all the lights had been turned off… mine was the only one so far they had found still on…

” Well you picked the right house ” I exclaimed ” I just found another bag of candy a little while ago and was wondering how I was going to get rid of it… ( I had gotten ” boo’ed” by three neighbors and had a pretty hefty selection of goodies.” )

They held up two paper bags and thankfully I was able to fill them up pretty good! So when I read this message that CB Guess had found and put on FB …it struck home with me.

So until tomorrow…

Halloween: a day when we get it right. Strangers come to us, beautiful, ugly, odd, or scary, and we accept them all without question, compliment them, treat them kindly, and give them good things. Why don’t we live like that? ( Steve G. Holmes) AMEN!

Today is my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh

I sent this cartoon to Tommy and Kaitlyn… a lot of truth in it…” If the world is going to the dogs… that is probably a very good thing! 😂