Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when I started examining the debris left behind by Hurricane Ian … and discovered that rain, torrential at times like it was… perked up many of my late summer flowers, like Black-eyed Susie’s. All the flowers appeared to be pretty much intact and enjoying the cooler weather along with long cool drinks!

The porch is back up with all the flower containers and the side garden survived admirably… the back yard got the brunt of flying branches and broken limbs … but just needs a few wheel barrow excursions. So lucky… and so grateful! Everyone in the family fared well overall.

This past year has certainly been a wake-up call that we, as stewards of God’s gift of our earthly home -planet Earth, have failed it! Our planet has finally had enough of man’s greed for more natural resources-polluting and destroying them in the bargain.

Italy complains it can’t send half as many cars out for export ( at one time) because the weight on the barges and freighters are too much for the canals, streams and rivers that have dried up so badly the cargo ships are getting stuck or even scrapping bottom.

We have all witnessed our own rivers and lakes in this country suffering the same fate from man-made induced climate change. ( Baby… it’s hot outside!”)

This is a serious problem that affects our economy, health, nutrition, and potential survival outcome for life …as we have come to know and expect it.

But… for historians, archaeologists, geologists, scientists, and curious retired history teachers… the dried up river ravines are bringing ancient artifacts back to us millions of years after they lived-fossilized!

This new era will probably be remembered as the New Age of Ancient History Revival! Here are some examples!

One of the saddest scenes from the wake of Hurricane Ian was seeing a big chunk of the historic Pawleys Island Pier break off from the rest of the pier and float out to sea.

This old pier, though private now, was always a mainstay and landmark for evening walks on Pawleys Island and still a great pier to canoe or kayak around. Hurricane Ian hit the Georgetown area-just south of Pawleys especially hard.

Ann Graves texted me and wondered if the famous Gray Man ghost had appeared to warn residents of Pawleys Island to leave. I replied I hoped he warned the residents and tourists not to go near the pier!

Actually when I googled more information on the latest Gray Man ghost sighting one source stated ” Last reported sighting was Hurricane Ian-this past Friday… just a few days after the 200th anniversary of the first sighting on September 27, 1822!! ( Pretty cool but no specific details)

So until tomorrow.. May we be filled with gratitude for loved ones who stayed safe and secure while extending helping, generous, open hands to those who were not so fortunate!

Today is my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh… because my hero, Sam Clark came over and put in a new smoke detector and left me with no more chirping sounds! Hallelujah! Love you Clark’s-best back door neighbors EVER!!! Continue healing Donna from your gall bladder surgery!!! 😍🥰😘

Look what Mike and Honey saw as Hurricane Ian left the NC mountains?

One hour until game time… it’s going to be a tough one-have on my new lucky Clemson birthday sweatshirt and Clemson pumpkin in place! My motto for the game tonight! ” Let the GROWL be stronger than the ” Howl!” 🥰😍

Dear Reader:

This will be a short post. It is just after 1:00 on Friday afternoon/and Hurricane 🌀 Ian is certainly letting himself be known. We are under emergency hurricane alert until 4:00 and Mother Nature is getting 🧐 serious with the amounts of wind and rain…

Lost power right after noon… but found a box of unused white battery tea candles/have put them all around the kitchen and den. It looks like I am in a chapel. Actually quite soothing inside now… but that was not the case early this morning.

I was awakened, not by the weather, but this strange beep sound. After rousing up enough to get my senses collected… I tracked the source of the noise and it was the smoke alarm in the hallway. The battery was dying.

I climbed on a stool and kept messing with it. About the same time/my back door neighbor/Donna Clark-texted me to let me know they were home if I needed anything-but after fiddling I got the lid off the battery and both fell on the floor. I sure didn’t want Sam or anyone getting out in the storm for a beeping noise!

For a few minutes I had a break from that dying canary ( irritating) beep sound… but it soon returned. Really! No battery and still chirping every minute! What would turn it off-I soon discovered what? ( Didn’t have another battery to replace it)

A couple of hours later… the lights flickered.. and ( this time) power never came back on. Guess what? The ” dying canary peep/ beep” died with the loss of electricity ! ( Be careful what you wish for… it might come true!) I traded sight and light for silence. Not sure about that trade as I am bundled in blankets inside-real fall weather here-quite bizarre weather for a Lowcountry storm this time of year.

My internet is off too… so if this post doesn’t arrive at 6:00 am Saturday morning you will now know why… but I am fine-will be happy to tell Ian good bye and am keeping the truly devastated parts of Florida in my prayers!

*** Anne texted and shared a quote and some books/ readings that had caught her interest recently -will close with it.

So … Until tomorrow…

” Of all the gifts that people can give to one another, the most meaningful and long lasting are strong but simple love and the gift of story.” -Clarissa Estes

” Today is my favorite day” – Winnie the Pooh-… ” to say goodbye to!” 🥰 Bye Bye Ian!

And don’t forget to say ” Rabbit! Rabbit! … on this October 1st-we certainly could all use some good luck this month!!! 🤗

Dear Reader:

It is Thursday, a little after three, and I am waiting on the storm to come. (And quite honestly… I don’t feel like dancing.) Thus far… the wind hasn’t been too bad and the rains haven’t arrived yet… but are predicted to start pretty soon and continue through Friday… the worst day of the storm.

Living in inland Summerville… I feel pretty secure-since this storm is basically affecting the coastal areas. It is my family living in the Mt Pleasant area that I am concerned most about-…

As I am typing… my son-in-law John is valiantly trying to get home to his family by nightfall… leaving a conference early in Florida. ..we are anxious and praying he makes it in before darkness – he has been fighting the elements all day trying to get home to Mandy and the children. John ‘s birthday is Friday and we are all just hoping he gets to celebrate it surrounded by his family.

Walsh and Mollie are still working on their patio-trying to secure and protect it and Walsh has been cleaning out all the ditches surrounding the house so it will drain and not flood … potentially destroying much of the work that has just been done.

Tommy and Kaitlyn got stuck waiting at work in N Charleston …apparently on some closings-wanting to leave and secure their home entrances with sandbags , etc since their lot is low and goodness they have been through so much on their house recently. Very frustrating situation!

Ya Jackson is supposed to fly into Columbia Sunday… to stay with Libby… and visit many of her teaching buddies before we all meet next Thursday at Edisto for our Ya week retreat! Praying for no cancellations and also that Edisto doesn’t get hit too hard either…. !!!!!)

So by now… you can see why, as the ocean is churning (as Ian draws closer)… I am too!!! For family and friends… I want everyone together and secure. Once a mother… always a mother! Once I know loved ones got through this storm… then I will dance!!! Yes… even in the rain!!!😂

*** Later update: Tommy and Kaitlyn got home and John got in about 7:30-so relieved and happy-let the celebrations begin!! ( And still no dancing in the rain because still no rain at 8:00 PM.

So until tomorrow…

Jo Dufford gave me these words of wisdom on this wooden plaque years ago after I underwent another surgery… and it still holds true today-especially today!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

*** ( Okay… maybe not my most favorite day… but now these days I don’t lecture myself any more- when I worry or am apprehensive about situations involving people I care about… thinking I am guilty of a lack of faith…deep down I still have a strong faith or I wouldn’t turn to prayer first… now would I? ) 😉😉😉💗

A Happy Birthday Shout-out to my favorite son-law! ( and only one! 😂)

Dear Reader:

If you visit the WWII Memorial in Washington DC … and take time to walk around and study it… you will find hidden within different portions of the monument display- the American morale booster that came to symbolize a show of pride for American GI’s. Kilroy was here!

When storming a beach, taking over an objective point, or liberating a town, seeing ” Kilroy was here” and its accompanying cartoon known as ” Mr.Chad” or ” Chad” for short, showed the Americans and their Allies they could win the war and conquer everything.

The origin of who ” Kilroy ” was remains clouded in hearsay mixed with urban legend. One thought is that it started with a James Kilroy who worked on the Liberty ships being sent out to war-he always found a hidden place to leave his mark upon completion … scrawling” Kilroy was here” in yellow crayon.

There was even a widely circulated rumor that in the closing months of the war Hitler, riddled with paranoia, was searching desperately for the ” Kilroy” soldier who appeared to be a one man army … and who kept popping up following one victory after another.

Famous author, William Faulkner, even commented on Kilroy when he wrote: ” What matters at the end of life, when you’re about to pass into oblivion, is that , at least, you scratched ” Kilroy was here” on the last wall of the universe.”

Today this expression transcends battlefields and is an encouraging sign of overcoming adversity while finding the lighter side of life… no matter how tough things get.

Deep down inside… don’t we all want to leave our mark behind to let future generations know we once lived… not just existed but gave back to our home planet Earth while we breathed and lived and loved?

Didn’t God give each of us our unique talents to share with others for that exact reason? We live through the people we touched while on Earth.

So until tomorrow… ” The great use of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it.” William James

For my birthday Tommy and Kaitlyn gave me this beautiful crystal pendant, hand crafted from clear quartz in Dingle, Ireland.

As you can read on the card… Tiam-means ” I am.” It is an affirmation of existence for the wearer. It is engraved on the chain.

The clear quartz is considered a ” master healer” It amplifies energy by absorbing it daily – it helps stimulate the immune system and balance out your entire body.

( As you can imagine I haven’t taken it off since last Friday evening upon receiving it👊😍)

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Tuesday evening I made a run to the post office and on the way home I practically ran off the road staring at the sheer beauty of the sunset-absolutely gorgeous.

Yet… in spite of our weather here-of course we can’t help but pray for the residents around Tampa as Ian blows in today. Anybody who has ever experienced a large hurricane never forgets it. Never! Our prayers are with you. 🙏🏻

Dear Reader:

Aren’t there some lines we read that make us pause and excitedly realize that someone else thinks along the same line as us in a particular outlook?

This happened to me yesterday while reading daily meditations by Richard Rhor. The topic dealt with perfection versus goodness and the statement went like this: ” We grow spiritually much more by doing it wrong than by doing it right.”

I immediately felt lighter… like all the air had gone out of a balloon and the pressure and stress of demanding perfection in our lives was actually a dead-end to our individual pursuits of happiness.

Rohr adds this strong addendum ( to the opening line) … ” That might just be the central message of how spiritual growth happens, yet nothing in us wants to believe it.”

Rohr explains that if there is such a thing as human perfection, it seems to emerge precisely from how we handle the imperfections we meet… ( that is everywhere) especially our own.

If we were playing hide and seek with God… we would have to look at all the imperfections to find holiness hidden there – because our clever God knows only the ” humble and earnest” will find it.

A so- called perfect person is one who can consciously forgive and include imperfection rather than the one who thinks he or she is totally above and beyond imperfections… the arrogant, haughty individual who never admits mistakes but instead blames everyone else for his or her failures.

Perfection is a divine concept: goodness is a beautiful human concept that includes us all! People whom we call ” good” are always people who have learned how to admit mistakes and then clarify the lesson learned for their own and others betterment… even at the risk of their own proper self-image or their social standing.

So until tomorrow…

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

When I returned home late Saturday afternoon… I checked on my gardens immediately. As I walked the alley between the side garden and the back garden a bit of red caught my peripheral vision-I looked across a large expanse of yard and there was a red cardinal ( Sammy) sitting perfectly still on a bamboo branch… staring straight at me … I quickly grabbed my phone and took a quick photo… but I was so far away I knew I had to risk slowly moving in closer!

I kept moving in as Sammy calmly watched me and when I got just a few feet away I took the title photo shot… so close! Sammy tiled one wing as if waving at me-a long lost friend and then flew a way. After over a year… Sammy came back to see me!

For many of you new readers… you don’t know the love-hate relationship Sammy and I experienced for about a two year period. It started with Sammy attacking both side door mirrors on the then ” Big Green” -my old Saturn Vue-that got stolen twice before being crashed by a young car thief.

Sammy had pecked the side mirrors unusable-probably what caused the final crash as police chased the young car kidnapper.

It was my fault, indirectly, that Sammy and his family disappeared about a year ago-I got so tired of banging and yelling at the squirrels for getting in the bird cages in the side garden and destroying the plants and flowers that I took the bird cages down.

But now Sammy had returned…another great gift on my birthday! We both had missed each other!

Artist Kelly Rae Roberts took a peek back in her art journal, recently , and saw the artwork ( above) that she had created a long time earlier. Suddenly she remembered the message behind the painting that she sent out… Her question was: How do you finish the prompt, “From this day forward…”?

We are creatures of habit and equate the term ” resolution ” with New Year’s Eve… but what if we all stopped scurrying around long to come up for air, look around and take time to re-assess a change we want to make in our lives right now? In other words ” From this day forward” what is a significant yet subtle change that would warrant ” more ” in our lives- more love, peace, or flowers please.

As much as I love flowers …right now I would choose love… letting my family know more often how much their love means to me and how appreciative and filled with gratitude their love lifts me.

The thought started when Tommy thanked everyone for their sincere, heartfelt sorrow and caring over the loss of their little Khaleesi. Suddenly everyone was expressing love and complimenting Tommy and Kaitlyn for their generosity of giving older dogs (who had been mistreated) a chance to have a forever home… the pets would not die without experiencing what real love is. What an amazing gift.

I realized we shouldn’t have to wait until a tragedy befalls one of us to let each other know how much we care for each other. A quick text or email that reads ” The sun is out today and I just thought of you… have a great day!” Love you!

So until tomorrow… if you have a response to ” From this day forward…”- please feel free to share your resolution with our readers.

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Yesterday really was a favorite day…. Gingi picked me up and we went to Middleton Plantation for long walks and scrumptious desserts. So beautiful! What an amazing birthday adventure! Thank you from the bottom of my heart Gin-g!

The camellia bushes were filled with buds … just about to burst open… but try as hard as we could-we couldn’t find one bloom.

Until… I got home and walked into my backyard….one gorgeous bloom had popped open while I was at Middleton- it would not be out-done by a formal garden camellia bloom! Way to go ” Cammy!”

Dear Reader:

Yesterday we lost Khaleesi-the call came at 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning that her oxygen levels were dropping -Tommy and Kaitlyn hurried over but she passed before they arrived.

When we hear phrases like ” Grief is the Price of Love” … from an emotional distance… it sounds sweet and endearing. If you are experiencing it first/hand with a family member, close friend or beloved family member in the form of a pet… the deep sense of loss feels all-consuming as memories pervade every waking moment.

You can’t decide if you want time to slow down or speed up… if time is supposed to be the great healer … then just heal now -this very moment and take the empty feeling away. But we all know deep healing does take time. You wait for that one day when you can share a happy memory again with a smile over tears.

The title picture is a candle lit for Khaleesi in Tommy and Kaitlyn’s home. Tommy asked me to come over and watch the second half of the Clemson game-didn’t get there until almost the end of the third quarter-plenty of nail-biting time left! I said a prayer at the candle before I left.

We were still pretty hopeful Khaleesi was going to make it…as the third day of post-surgery was nearing-which the surgeon had commented was the critical time period.

Khaleesi was the only little girl dog -along with her three brothers…. Kaitlyn was especially close to her!

As I went yesterday to Walgreens to get some hard copies of a recent photo of Khaleesi and photos of Jake’s party… I ended up taking her picture to add to Boo’s Prayer Tree… to place around Poogie and Tigger-already on the tree.

I never intended the prayer tree to turn into a pet memorial that Boo keeps in her backyard-but in retrospect-it is the perfect site for Boo’s grand dogs.

So until tomorrow… Poogie and Tigger – welcome your cousin into her new home now-be her best friends and enjoy your new lives together-far from the pain and suffering in this world. We Love you all!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

The past two days have been such a whirlwind… my head is still spending! Friday night out with my adult family just made me happy. It gets harder and harder it seems these days to gather and especially alone where we can all concentrate on what each other of us is saying! So many funny stories. Great meal, birthday dessert and a quick look at the hidden romantic life of downtown Charleston that Kaitlyn and I were taken to by Walsh.

As I think back on all my trips around the sun… no two have ever been the same. Good times or bad… life is constantly changing and surprising us… it never stays the same for long. This inherent truth many of us fight against to the end… but truth always wins in the end and accepting change for what it is ( as hard as that is) opens us up to opportunities and possibilities we would never have discovered left to our own wants.

After my birthday dinner came Jake’s party -Saturday morning…it was a bouncing success!

Jake turned eight this year and Boo didn’t… but I hopefully turned more life lessons lived and learned into becoming an improved version of the ‘ happy to be alive’ me!

And thank goodness for my new Clemson sweatshirt… I think the Tigers decided to give me a surprise birthday party present… and waited to the last ” second” to give it to me! ( In overtime) A Win! Great gift!!!!

So until tomorrow… I am completely overwhelmed by all the love I have felt on my birthday… cards, well wishes, gifts, calls, texts and flowers… I am the luckiest woman in the world to feel such love around me! Thank and Bless each of you!!!

Today is my FAVORITE Day!!! Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Mother Nature sent me the most marvelous gift for my birthday yesterday – Fall Weather! It is a rare gift… since in the Lowcountry we usually have to wait weeks after Fall officially falls… for summer to finally surrender.

This year, when I woke up to cool fresh breezes … it was truly exhilarating! I wanted to hug every plant and flower in the gardens! I had never felt so alive or so appreciative of life!

It takes a John O’Donahue poet to put my scrambled feelings into beautiful prose.

” For My Birthday” ( First Stanza)

” Blessed be the mind that dreams the day… the blueprint of your life… would begin to glow on earth. Illuminating all the faces and voices that would arrive to invite your soul to growth.”

I am so aware of all the other ” travelers” along my path whom I have encountered for long and short stays… everyone making an imprint on my life and leaving a footstep to help me find my own path. To all of you ” Thank you” from the bottom of my heart!!!

Anne sent me a memory picture from Maine that yesterday’s autumn artwork reminded her of from our Maine Adventure in 2019. Beautiful too… with ” pockets of gold.”

By the time you read this on Jake’s and my ” official” birthday ( Saturday/ 24) I will have been treated out to a steak dinner at the Oaks in downtown Charleston with my grown children! A rare family gathering that affords the adults in the family to really converse and catch up on the year’s news! I love it!!!

Today I will be accompanying Jake to his birthday party! A bouncing party for him and his friends! I will jump high with feelings-not feet!!!

Tommy and Kaitlyn have been going through an unexpected scary time with their only girl dog-Khaleesi. She had to undergo emergency surgery Thursday night for a serious gallbladder attack that had to be removed. These next three days are critical in her recovery -the family would appreciate prayers for this beloved family member’s struggles. Thank you!

Will catch ( pictures) all the fun up in Sunday’s post from Jake’s and my birthday weekend ! 🎈🎈🎈🥳🥳🥳

Dear Reader:

When I saw this artistic interpretation of autumn yesterday I was completely ” enthralled.” The message around it said something about autumn holding more gold in its pocket than any other season. A great metaphor …if you define riches in beauty!

Riches can also morph into life lessons more valuable than money. Such was the case yesterday as I went to pick up some new towels and wash cloths -old white towels were so dingy that there wasn’t enough Clorox in the world to get them bright white again .

As I was checking out …the friendly cashier looked at me and said ” One day white towels will return to my home but not now” and she sighed heavily.

” Okay… what’s the story?” I knew there was one lurking in the conversation. She responded…” I learned pretty quickly as a mother that little boys and girls who play sports and outdoor games more than inside games should never be given white towels… because the muddy towels that end up on the bathroom floor are so dirty any one would be have to be a psychic to figure out what the original color was… Nope… gray, navy blue and dark burgundy are the only towel colors allowed in my house.”

I laughed along with her and thought on the homespun wisdom coming from this mother trying to survive messy childhoods…but then I added one more comment.

I held up one of my white bright towels and said ” One day, sooner than you think, you will be purchasing a white towel again… I leaned in… ” and you will realize you would trade it …in a skinny minute to see and hear your young children’s ‘ voices again. ”

She stopped and slowly nodded.

We fellow path walkers-who are farther down life’s path than others, are responsible for sharing the lessons we have learned along the way…. with those who follow behind.

So until tomorrow…

A shout-out to Rhodes ( big brother to Rhea now) who is turning six and loving school this year! Rhodes… I hope your sixth year is the best ever!!!!! Happy Birthday!!!🎈🎁