Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

For years now I have shared historical stories with you that I once shared with my eighth grade students in American History.

My first and favorite unit was the Presidential unit. I told human interest stories that thirteen-year-olds could relate to… or as Paul Harvey would have said … ” the story behind the story.”

One of the sweetest love stories that ever occurred in the White House … happened during the Ulysses S Grant administrations -the relationship between Grant and his wife Julia. And it all revolved around Julia’s natal eye condition-” strabismus” – commonly referred to as ” cross-eyed.”

Julia Dent was born with this condition ( 1826) long before medical advancements provided a relatively simple and widely successful procedure …which today is pretty commonplace in children born with this disorder. But this wasn’t the case in the early 1820’s…

Even as a little child, Julia considered herself as plain -and having a wandering right eye only confirmed this reflective self-image. Though conscious of this fact, it never deterred her natural warm, outgoing personality. She was popular and attracted lots of friends. She, however, was not much of a student academically at a St Louis finishing school.

She first met Ulysses through her older brother, Fred, who was Ulysses’ West Point roommate. He had just graduated but suffered from extreme shyness and was socially awkward . ( What was that new word from Webster dictionary this year/oh yeah… Grant was ” adorkable” -awkward in an endearing way.)

In Julia he had found his one and only… her warm, engaging personality put him at ease-something he had never felt in other social situations. He was soon to be reassigned and wanted to marry her before leaving but she was only eighteen and he had little financial security so they kept a secret engagement for roughly four years… until he returned from the Mexican War. Then they married.

Soon however, with one toddler and Julia “in the family way” again he was forced to leave his family …with Julia and children in tow moving back in with her parents in St. Louis. He was always miserable without her and finally returned home two years later.

Unbeknownst to Julia… photography and medical discoveries expanded rapidly during the Civil War… so much so that by the time her husband entered the White House as the 18th President photographers flooded the White House wanting promotional photos of the couple as well as photos for ” calling cards” that were very popular back then …as an etiquette courtesy.

During their tenure in the White House the Grants had the opportunity to meet talented and prominent professionals in many diverse areas-one being medical. One surgeon told Julia he could fix her right eye permanently now-thanks to the latest technology.

Julia was very excited about the prospect and was packing her bags to travel to Philadelphia for the procedure when shortly before her departure she got a handwritten note from Ulysses saying:

Dear Julia

I don’t want to have your eyes fooled with. They are all right as they are. They look just as they did when the very first time I ever saw them – the same eyes I looked into when I fell in love with you-the same eyes that looked up in mine and told me that my love was returned.

It is said that Julia smiled … thought for a moment and then quietly unpacked her bags and canceled her appointment. Ulysses’ ” Eye” love you …sealed the deal!

So until tomorrow… What a beautiful love story and lesson on acceptance of what life hands you. My ” connector ” to this remembrance of this particular story originated Friday with the arrival of my ” cross-eyed” rooster! One never knows where a story idea might begin…

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

When I read these words of a simple but profound way to commemorate September 11… I loved it… not lost in sorrow but passing on lessons learned and kindness shared in the “now.”

Dear Reader:

Yesterday when I saw a Fed Ex package on my porch… upon my return from the dreaded grocery store weekly run… I couldn’t remember what I ordered-wasn’t expecting anything???

When I first opened it… I simply stared back at this cross-eyed rooster and the first thought that ran through my mind was 1) Why? ( Why in the world did I order this?) and 2) I am in love with this crazy rooster and literally burst out laughing. More than a conversation piece… my little rooster just plain brought me instant joy!!!

And I immediately thought of one line from poet Mary Oliver-

…” If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy… don’t hesitate! Joy is not made to be a crumb! ” I didn’t hesitate… I had tears running down my face I was laughing so hard at this crazy little rooster of mine!

Mary Oliver-simply WOW! What a poet… she intuitively knew how to describe life on so many levels-yet in just plain simple words! My favorite quote ( I imagine is every other fans’ same quote)

” Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” ( A question we should ask ourselves each morning)

The quote ( above) could serve as an introduction for this next quote… ” Listen, are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?”

Mary ( who passed away in 2019) I think would have this comment to make about my little rooster-” Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.”

So many times I have people ( friends and readers) ask how I can write a post every day… isn’t it a lot of work? Mary Oliver answers this question for me with ” I simply do not distinguish between work and play.” Exactly… writing IS my playtime!

So until tomorrow… my last Mary Oliver quote: ” Love yourself. Then forget it. Then love the world! ”

Today is my favorite day/Winnie the Pooh

… and my Clemson Tigers keep moving forward (filling in holes as they go) …steadfastly still learning while able to pull out another win! It’s a new day and a new breeze ‘a -blowing!’

Dear Reader:

Like so many others… memories growing up in the ” Elizabethan II” years have come pouring back these past couple of days since Queen Elizabeth’s passing Thursday.

My earliest memory is a story mother told me about a neighborhood ” celebration coronation” the mothers put together in June of 1953…. the royal coronation day for Queen Elizabeth II.

Apparently one mother had discovered some food product at the grocery store ( thinks it might have been a bread loaf name) would give each customer a plastic coronation tiara for each loaf bought. All the mothers of little girls scrambled to purchase the bread and get the tiara in exchange.

Since I was only three… mother had to pin mine to make it smaller to fit my head. The mothers put up cardboard tables all along the sidewalks on our street with a mixture of folding tables and assortments of chairs and benches.

Mother said each table had a colorful plastic tablecloth covering it…with bouquets of fresh flowers from different yard gardens on the street.

Pink lemonade was served, along with a wide variety of homemade cookies-all the little girls had on frilly ” Sunday-Go-To-Church dresses while the older girls wore different gowns and fancy dresses their mothers handed down or made-there was a lot of swapping going on!

No doubt, surely, someone got a picture of our neighborhood ” coronation” but mother never produced one to show me each time she shared that story. ( What a picture for the memories it would have been!)

Obviously it made an impression on mother’s memory-since every time Queen Elizabeth II appeared on the news or in a documentary… mother would start… ” Did I ever tell you? …” ( I let her tell it over and over since I loved hearing it again too- mother adored Queen Elizabeth-they were only about six years apart in age.)

Looking back now on last Tuesday… I wonder why I was hesitant to replace the current mantle wreath with my pretty white pumpkin one -what lead me to seek out the ” Gather” wall frame instead? Then when I received this comment from my Canadian friend and post reader ( Lynn Gamache) …it made me wonder if that decision had more far-reaching implications.

Powerful comment and right on target… thank you Lynn for ” gathering” your thoughts and sharing them with us!!

I just finished listening to King Charles III’s first speech -a moving tribute to his mother. Once much much earlier … a very young Queen paid tribute to her parents saying” Although my experience is so short and my task so new… I have in my parents and grandparents an example which I can follow with certainty and confidence… I thank you all from a full heart.”

King Charles III immediately spoke of his mother’s ” Heartfelt promise to her sense of duty which never wavered… a destiny kept.”

So until tomorrow… ” A life well-lived” King Charles III began his first thoughts of his mother with…isn’t that a line we all hope one day can apply to our own lives?

Still the best line was saved for the last line from the new king to his MaMa joining his PaPa with …” May flights of angels sing thee to Thou rest.” Amen

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh ( Disney immediately paid tribute to the Queen upon hearing of her passing and look who they turned to as their ambassador!!!)

Dear Reader:

I didn’t make a grammatical error in the title-leaving out the ” l” in “world”- instead I was surprised by a magical ” word.”

It all started while I was “babysitting” my fifth moonflower bud. As I walked past the side garden mid-afternoon Wednesday, there was the bud primed and ready to unfurl. Like most aspects in life… timing ⏱ is everything.

A thunderstorm was possible that afternoon and I had already lost one moonflower to ” death by turbulent torrential rains” – was hoping that wouldn’t happen again. I kept running to the office window encouraging the bud to unfurl faster.

Soon darkness slowly began descending a little before 8… I grabbed my phone and hurried out the front porch. The sky was beautiful as the last rays put on a show.

But to my surprise… it had been raining …so lightly and softly that the rain was invisible except as a light pattering on my face… so bizarre!

And then it happened… the moonflower quivered and began unfurling -right in front of me… as if the invisible moisture was pulling it into the last light. ( see title picture)

As intoxicating as that moment was… the universe still had another surprise. I was skimming through my emails when an advertisement for Webster dictionary caught my attention-Pinterest had selected certain words they described as ‘ the most beautiful words’ in the dictionary based on thought and enunciation. The following word was chosen to top the list. Take a moment and read the definition.

I couldn’t believe it… I had a name for the magical episode I had just experienced and it had ended with ” evening serenity”)

So until tomorrow… A God Wink! An unexpected gift to end the day! There is nothing more magical than experiencing pure delight in loving life’s surprise connections.

Today is my favorite day. Winnie the Pooh

Around 350 new words were added to the dictionary this year-most of them dealing with technology but really liked these two

Adorkable-socially awkward or quirky in a way that is endearing

Side Hustle -A second job to supplement income and primary job

Fun Fact-If you want to travel the world but struggle learning new languages -this fact might help -The most widely recognized word in the world is ” 0K!” ( So just nod, smile and say ” OK!”)

Our extended family has been experiencing ” health hiccups” lately… it happens like that doesn’t it… where unrelated health problems end up in people related to each other-thank goodness it looks like most of these problems can get solved-some taking more time than others but all do-able.

In times like this we have to keep a sense of humor and I think what our family has been feeling is that we all thought we were safely tucked away from the flood- only to discover we had a woodpecker on the ark taking all of us down at the same time. 😳😂

Dear Reader:

When I started getting ” Fall Ready” visually Tuesday afternoon ( upon my return from Tommy’s and Kaitlyn’s) -decorating my Happy Room was my first ” to do” item.

Normally I exchange wreaths for the mantle but something made me pause and reconsider what would be the central decor on the mantle backdrop. I went in my bedroom and ” gathered” up the large sign that spelled out GATHER.

I felt inclined this year to decorate a little differently… still lots of pumpkins and fall wreaths but with more emphasis on gratitude and thanksgiving-I put most of the ” Boo’s” and Halloween on the other side for the grandchildren to play with…

Maybe it was because I had just come from a family gathering … but being around family makes me happy-lifts my spirits-the best medicine in the world. But if we stop making the effort to gather with family-this time-honored ritual could fall prey to technology-zooming instead of actually being there.

I think the coronavirus definitely contributed to the slow-down of all kinds of gatherings-certainly understandable but when we don’t physically gather-we miss those so important tactile hugs, the art of reading physical expressions, interpreting verbal conversations, compassion and encouragement through another art-listening! All vital skills needed in human communication.

The definition of gathering is simplistic on the surface but with a deeper meaning underneath. It means “To come together.”

Don’t we hear more and more people respond to questions on the closeness of their family …say something along the lines of ” Oh yes… my family is close… I text home once a week.” It used to be ” call home once a week” … but more people now prefer texting because it is faster and they can control the conversation and not have to interpret voice tones and inflections.

And we wonder why communication is so confusing these days… when we take the ” human” factor out… it just leaves alphabet letters in its place…. suddenly all open to interpretation or misinterpretation. Laughter, giggles, sighs, exhilaration, even stress, crying, sadness or prolonged quietness can’t be replaced by written words –voice tones are such an important part of human communication.

So until tomorrow… Each Autumn, now, when I get ready to start my trip around the sun… it becomes more and more important to arrange additional ” spacecraft ” family gathering landings to renew and uplift my spirits …surrounded by loved ones. Building and maintaining close relationships with family and friends is the secret of gravity’s hold on us… pulling us home.

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Yesterday morning I woke up on the adorable B&B side of Tommy and Kaitlyn’s duplex…. the sun was shining through the trees-the skies were a brilliant blue with white puffy clouds floating happily in the breezes-I felt, for a moment, like I had landed in a Disney animated movie.

I went outside in their private, newly landscaped back patio area for guests and stared at the sun peeking through the tall tree branches. My eyes kept fluttering … but then something caught my attention.

One lone bamboo shoot, against all odds, had popped up, in spite of the gravel and underlying rocks. Immediately one thought took center stage in my mind ” Life finds a way.” When I looked the phrase up… to my surprise… Jurassic Park … emerged and then Jeff Goldblum ‘s movie quote:

We certainly see this line of thought played out every day in others, as well as, our own lives. Aren’t we all,as members of the human race, drawn to real-life stories of people who, against all odds, survive a situation so incredible, that the odds against them surviving would be nil to none? Overnight they become heroes and are in the news, or a book is written or movie produced to tell their story to a larger viewing audience. Humans love human ” gladiators” who emerge from life-defying everyday struggles gone awry.

Still… there is also the private small personal moments in all our lives when we mentally challenge ourselves to do something that terrifies us. But in spite of our misgivings we rise up and do it anyway because we know it will change our lives by doing so-perhaps even saving our lives.

Take a moment and think back to the last time you found yourself at one of these potential life-crossings. It might have been an interview for a new job completely unlike anything you had done before, but something your inner passion was screaming at you to be freed?

Perhaps it was a change in a relationship that would also be life-changing? A physical move that would lead you far from home and everything familiar to risk an adventure in a new culture?

So until tomorrow… like the one lone bamboo shoot risking life, itself, to take a different ” rocky ” underground path… and be rewarded by the feel of the sun’s rays, once again, shining down on it after dark days of the unknown… God calls us to become risk-takers in our own lives… life is to be lived fully!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Watching the Clemson game Monday night outside under the stars with family was so much fun-some of the grandchildren came over for the first part of the game -we had good food and a good time! And even though the Tigers seemed to purr a little longer than we would have wished… once they found their ROAR…. it was a mighty one!!!!!

Dear Reader:

Yesterday was the day I dragged bags of pumpkins out to start decorating for my favorite season . Since I am leaving shortly to spend the night with Tommy and Kaitlyn-watching the first Clemson game of the season… I am just sticking wreaths up ( in temporary spots to get them out of the bags) – most of the ” hardcore” decorating will have to wait for my return and a stepladder!

I do believe I could start my own decorative ” pumpkin patch” with the number of artificial pumpkins I have acquired over the years…

I remembered to stop by Doodles’ late Sunday afternoon to get the funny ” Pinky” ghost story I mentioned earlier! Then after I got home… and started flipping through the Charleston Ghosts book…. ( ” Pinky” was the last story) memories of growing up listening to the familiar stories came flooding back.

Soon I began to see a pattern developing with the stories… perhaps there are ” cardinal” rules for ghost story telling! 😂

Here are some examples…

Leaning Tombstones-If you go in an old creepy cemetery -for goodness sakes-don’t get close to a leaning to tombstone-there’s a reason you don’t want to know why it is leaning.

” 13″ –Take my word for it… nothing good is going to happen in a ghost story on the 13th … and not just calendar days or nights but also steps-don’t ever linger on the 13th step!

” 3″ or Third- We should all know this by now-nothing is going to happen until the third night-after the ghost has warned you two nights previously-the third anything is when ” Scary Goes Down”!!!

The Bewitching Hour-midnight-And speaking of numbers and time… all of us know that whatever is going to happen to have us screaming will happen right on the dot of midnight ( not 11:59 or 12:01) *** Grandfather clocks are a ” must have” in ghost tales!

The White Wedding or Ball Gown- Every young girl should know by now if you want to survive the ending of a ghost story… wear any other colored gown ( green, purple, even black) but for goodness sake avoid white at all costs-bloody handprints, arrows or bullets show up too well on white! Makes for a dramatic ending at the heroine’s expense!

Environmental Ghosts –If a storm is coming-especially around the Lowcountry areas of the Carolinas -gray is the color you are looking for-because as legend decrees-see the Gray Man and your home survives intact from tropical storms and hurricanes! Happy searching!

And finally Pinky …the determined poltergeist suitor! The last story is about a little girl growing up in her two spinster aunts’ home after her parents are tragically killed in a carriage accident. Lavinia loves her aunts and her room tucked away on the third floor where she plays dolls, imaginary games and reads to her hearts’ content.

But one night as she climbs the steps… she hears steps behind her-though no one is on the steps-they follow her to her room and soon tapping noises are all over the room walls and ceilings-curious Lavinia begins tapping and dancing too! A friendship begins with Lavinia calling her new friend -Pinky.

Joyful years follow until Lavinia becomes interested in a young man and Pinky finally gets so upset one evening he leaves. Soon a wedding follows in the parlor below… all goes well until Lavinia and her husband start their first honeymoon night together!

A comical scene follows as Pinky pulls the husbands shirt off and unties his shoes causing him to trip… he thinks Pinky is Lavinia’s dog and keeps crawling under the bed to get him out -Lavinia is laughing so hard it takes her awhile to explain Pinky is a ghost. Finally resigned to the fact the three live happily ever after!

So until tomorrow… life is full of surprises and most of us like good surprises too and even scary surprises if they are found in fiction. Being ” fun” scared is a memorable part of our camping experiences and group gatherings as a child!

I am sure I was and am now heading to Tommy and Kaitlyn’s for a fun night! Go Tigers!

Today is my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

What if… we all could ( invisibly ) attend our own funeral and watch the count of hands from every single person we met in life vote on if we 1) exhaled warmth, selfless giving, and generosity or 2) simply took up oxygen from earth with no return in exchange for our life… or more importantly, others! How do you think you would fare?

We would see the ” invisible ” people, gathered, the ones we encountered daily in our lives -perhaps the crossing guard at our children’s schools or the teachers who helped the children in and out of the car line-perhaps it was the quiet secretary at the back of the office we never got to know, the nurse who held our hand and squeezed it before our surgery, the child hunting for their lost dog or the plumber who ran late that you were waiting on to get to work. Every living person that you encountered during your tenure on earth. Based on your experience and time shared… even if only moments… what kind of impressions did you leave?

Pretty sobering thought… isn’t it? What category would we fall in… Did we simply use up precious air without giving back much in return for our trips around the sun or did we, truly, understand Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote: ” The purpose of life is not to be happy – it is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make a difference that you have lived and lived well. ”

Long ago Cicero wrote” Not for ourselves are we born?”

Charles Dickens also understood life’s purpose when he wrote: ” No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”

” Fourteen year old Anne Frank understood the purpose of life when she wrote: ” No one has ever become poor by giving.”

Her thought lead me to this story….

Don’t we all seek that hidden place within us… that enables us to give without a moment’s hesitation on how the giving might affect us… that sacred place that is so all encompassing that we finally rid ourselves of man’s most destructive weapon -greed?

So until tomorrow… Aren’t we all guilty of telling our children or other family members, close friends -that all we want for them is to be happy? Happiness-at the expense of others is not true happiness-like Dickens observed- real happiness comes from giving to others of the talents God bestowed on us.

Today is my favorite days -Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

When I got back from the Turners – yesterday afternoon-celebrating Mandy’s birthday …I checked the mail and there was a copy of the history behind the creation of the Old Farmers Almanac and fun facts about folklore and traditions we all recognize!!! ( Honey had sent it and knew I would enjoy the folktales inside… and I do!!!) Thank you Honey!!!

As I read how one Robert Thomas ( bookseller, schoolteacher, and amateur astronomer) published his first Farmers Almanac in 1792… it brought back memories of Granddaddy Wilson -he was always checking the Old Farmers Almanac – calendar – hanging on the kitchen wall -before planting day… he swore by it as a cotton farmer and read me fun weather facts and animal behavior when predicting the weather.

Out of curiosity-I turned to 2022 September predictions and had to laugh when I read:” If St Michael’s brings many acorns, Christmas will cover the fields with snow.” ( Most Southerners secretly hope each year for a white Christmas!)

But I was slightly confused… where I live St Michael’s is a famous, historical church located in the center of downtown Charleston… what does acorns have to do with a church?

So I googled it and discovered the author was referring to St Michael’s Day ( September 29) or more popularly called Michaelmas for Michael the archangel and Saint.

Since Michaelmas arrives a week after the Fall Equinox the days are getting shorter and the nights longer and darker. This used to be the deadline for completing the Harvest -ending one season of farming and starting another cycle of renewing the fields for future farming crops!!!

It also was the time to hire new laborers and servants, exchange plots of land and repay debts. Communities also elected their leaders or magistrates and September 29 became the start for the beginning of university terms in Europe and later in our early colleges and universities.

So until tomorrow…Hmmmmm… maybe I can persuade the congregation at St Michael’s church to organize wheelbarrows of acorns to be scattered around the premises ( on St Michael’s Day) in hopes of a white Christmas???? Time will tell!

Today is my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh

After John took Mandy out for dinnerFriday evening- Eva Cate ( definitely an acorn fallen from her talented artistic mother) started decorating!!!

Saturday Mandy opened her presents after a gourmet breakfast-we went for a wonderful golf cart ride around the neighborhood-so fun. I also took pictures of Mandy’s flowers…

When I got home… my tulips welcomed me with open smiles!

Dear Reader:

When I added this tin sign to my window sill overlooking my side garden recently ( with one of my favorite quotes about gardens on it) ” And into the garden I go… to LOSE MY MIND and find my soul ” … I had, inadvertently, set the stage to lose my mind Inside My Home!

Or we can blame it on the mischievous ” Pinky” ghost. You might remember I mentioned this ghost story yesterday but couldn’t find it… well Doodle did! The story is in an old published Charleston Ghost Stories book … popular when I was growing up.

*** I am borrowing the book from Doodle later in the weekend when I return from Mt P and will share the story with you then.

But in the meantime… strange bizarre events began happening Thursday evening and Friday morning . It started with a call from our wonderful Jo Dufford ( that I didn’t see had called until later) and then an email from her saying that mysteriously all the Chapel of Hope Stories had ” vanished” from her email and she couldn’t figure out how to get them back-it appeared she had been “unsubscribed?”

Jo was telling me that she hoped Colby, her granddaughter, could fix the situation when she came home from Clemson for the holiday weekend. But then she texted me back and said after hitting every button and key in the computer… mysteriously the blog posts suddenly all re-appeared! She certainly wasn’t looking ‘ a gift horse in the mouth ” but it was so bizarre!

I shook my head too… occasionally I hear from other readers that for some reason one morning they wake up and no blog … most of the time it returns but sometimes it takes awhile… I chalk these incidents up to the mysteries of cyberspace since I am clueless too! ( Or gremlin/ author error!)

But yesterday morning it was Anne who got to experience this weird phenomenon. We had texted Thursday talking about the dark thunderstorm weather-Anne said it made a great day for reading murder mysteries and I told her I was writing Friday’s post and it was on ghosts!

I slept late Friday morning ( rainy weather does that sometimes) rising around 8:30. I had a strange text from Anne that read… ” Waiting for the ghost story… isn’t it just like a ghost to disappear with your blog? 👻Boo!

It took me a second to realize she was telling me ” No blog ” … in a panic I pulled my site and there it was -letting me know it had published three hours prior-at 6 as usual. I texted Doodle and she reaffirmed she had gotten hers and found the story ” Pinky” for me! Like Jo… Anne said her ChapelofHope stories were gone from her email … climate change… she half -kiddingly proposed???

So until tomorrow the mystery continues… perhaps instead of ” Who let the dogs out” my post should read ” Who let the ghosts out?” Since so far the ghost appears to be more playful in nature (poltergeist) we will just name it Casper and hope it soon disappears -along with its jokes and tricks!

Today is my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh

A BIG shout-out to my eldest child -Mandy-Happy Happy Birthday! September 3!!!!!

So many memories! Some days it still seems like yesterday when ” Miss Amanda Dean Dingle ” arrived and what a blessing she has been… in so many ways!!! I love you Mandy!