Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

As I was coming back into town the other day… I idly looked around while waiting for the light to change downtown. Suddenly… I sat up a little taller… a new business had gone in this old historically beautiful home that had once been turned into an antiques store.

It was the entrance that drew my fascination to it… especially the door… I love old doors. It had changed hands, apparently, and this new plaque showed what it was now…

Apparently I am not alone in my fascination with doors … I remember one of the first coffee table books I got after moving to the Charleston area was a photo book titled Doors of Charleston-it had the most unique, quaint and glamorous doors I had ever seen… pretty doors are like a magnet to me!!

A door is also the most popular everyday object in our lives because it hides a lot of meanings… symbolically and spiritually. It is a paradox in that it can convey two opposite meanings simultaneously… depending on the perspective of the door opener or closer . A door can be an entrance or exit, way in or way out, … metaphorically linking us to another world, a new beginning, challenge or opportunity… while also closing an episode or stage in life that has run its course and needs to be closed so as to open another door.

Every time we pass through a door… we need to concentrate on the present moment… whether it is leaving your home, getting in and out of your car, going into a meeting or out for lunch, visiting a friend or returning home. Doors are daily reminders we have to pay attention to our world and stay connected to our lives.

The symbol of doors as portals to all opposites exists between earth and the sky -night and day, light and darkness, warm and cold, our earthly world and heaven. Doors as dividing lines are found symbolically in almost all religions.

Matthew 7: 7-8. ” Ask and it shall be given to you, seek, and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you. For everyone that asketh receiveth and he that seekest findest and to him that knocked… it shall be open”

So until tomorrow… ” When God closes a door, He always opens a window.” ( Woodrow Kroll)

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

… And the missing grandchild? Rutledge! Mollie had taken him to Charlotte for the Lacrosse Lake Norman Classics

And guess what ? The Loggerheads were the tournament champions! Way to go Rutledge!!!

Dear Reader:

I remember the first time someone advised me to stop “ruminating”…I looked at the person like they were crazy… I didn’t get the connection… instead I was shown a diagram similar to the title picture today and given an explanation about how “ruminate ” stomaches ( like cows) have four compartments… so after grazing… their digestion goes on and on … repeating each digestive procedure four times.

Obviously the light still hadn’t come on when I inquired if I was being called a cow! ” No,” came the weary response but your obsession with this old problem has gotten to the point of ridiculousness! This IS the fourth time you have brought it up and it took place weeks ago! For goodness sakes, you are ” ruminating over a problem that no longer exists in your present moment… you are just wasting time ” chewing the cud” over and over repeatedly to no avail and making yourself miserable for no reason… and I might add …your friends miserable too… listening to it repeatedly!”

( I think I would rather have been called a cow!)

But my friend was right… though today the expression ” beating a dead horse” might be more understood. Wasting time on an issue that is simply over and should have been put to rest.

The worst thing about over-thinking every problem or challenging situation that comes our way is that it spoils happy moments and steals our joy… and the thief doing it is ourself. Sounds crazy doesn’t it but yet the vast majority of us humans spend far too much of our precious time on earth doing just that… overthinking everything!

As I age I get better at letting past problems go but I, admittedly, overthink possible future problems…I let those 2am ” But What If” monsters slither into bed with me… and imagine worst case scenario’s .. leaving me wide awake and frustrated. I just wasted a night of blissful sleep to worry about something that has a better chance of never happening than not… and even if it does my sacrifice of sleep and worry did nothing but add pre-meditated anguish without knowledge.

Last Wednesday as I took Jackson to the airport she was telling me her son, Matthew, was always telling her to slow down , stop and just breathe.” She found it extremely irritating… and always responded…” I am breathing!”…just about that time Jackson’s mobile phone rang and it was Matthew letting her know he would be there to pick her up in Philly… asking how she was feeling about the trip and reminding her to ” Just Breathe!” I had to laugh when I heard Jackson respond ” I AM breathing!”

So until tomorrow… When it comes to overthinking… we should simplify our situations and just take a deep breath, let it go, and breathe!” Right Matthew? 😉

My Easter lilies are doing that… four blooms from one! They concentrate all their energies into blooming! And don’t ” ruminate” over the fallen blooms to come.

Deer love hostas, hibiscus, and lilies so I am glad my latest deer didn’t see my Easter lilies out front but instead came to visit me early Sunday morning as I was watering! I should be mad… but I fall under the spell of their beautiful expressions and demeanor. Very friendly!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Popular songwriter, Kenny Loggins, was interviewed on CBS Sunday 🌞 News and before the interview was over… both celebrity and interviewer were wiping tears away. Why? They had returned to a moment in childhood that they both could relate to.. those rare but nostalgic moments when we wish to return to the wonder and magic of childhood… just one more time.

The story begins in the mid-60’s when musician/ songwriter and performer, Kenny Loggins, was a senior in high school and weeks away from graduation. ( He is 75 now) ” The House at Pooh’s Corner” by AA Milne ( first book Loggins ever read) contained a collection of short stories about Winnie the Pooh’s friends at Hundred Acre Woods.

In the last chapter when Christopher Robin is leaving and tearfully telling everyone good-bye… Loggins says he identified with that emotional moment … similar to what he was experiencing… some part of him knew he was not just leaving home but childhood behind.

So at 17 this amazingly talented songwriter…wrote ” House at Pooh Corner!” Only a few years later the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band heard of it and wanted to record the song. Loggins was over the moon. But then came legal entanglements… Pooh had become a Disney character and their lawyers were saying ” No!” To the release.

Fate stepped in… Loggins had a girl friend who listened to his disappointment and confided that her father was the CIO of Disney Corporation… Loggins said he about drove the car in a ditch in disbelief… the rights were released to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band… and the rest is history.

Twenty-something years later … while expecting his fourth child… Loggins had a thought… ” Why doesn’t somebody make an album for kids that parents could love as much as a kid?” Immediately his first thought was to return to Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh

Upon starting the project he decided to write a new verse ( third stanza) from a different perspective… from a kid to a dad. It was his oldest son who named this song ” Return to Pooh Corner.” ( Today this son is also a songwriter! )

It’s hard to explain how a few precious things seem to follow throughout all our lives. After all said and done… I was watching my son sleeping there with my bear by his side…

So I tucked him-I kissed him and as I was going I swear that old bear whispered ” Boy… Welcome Home!”

( This is when the CBS Reporter and Loggins both had to stop and collect themselves.)

Haven’t we all experienced these moments… perhaps sleeping in your old childhood bed again years after leaving, listening to children playing and laughing in the park, children singing or reading bedtime stories to children , grandchildren, nephews and nieces? We are taken back into the magical world of imagination… kings, queens, princes and princesses , superheroes, unicorns Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and tooth fairies…,

So until tomorrow… I don’t ever want to lose the child in me either…that is why I ” always have a favorite day” and always have a Pooh Bear in close proximity at home… much cheaper than a therapist-the only payment… a hug!!

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

PS Finally… It’s Raining!!! Hugs and kisses God!

Dear Reader:

Look at this beauty… she only lasted two days in the extreme heat in my garden … despite careful watering but oh what a light she shone during her brief stay. I agree with Doodle… one would be hard-pressed to categorize or label her because she looks like what would happen if a Lily and an orchard got together.

At the same time this beautiful flower reminded me of our church’s Easter cross adorned with a purple shawl and gorgeous flowers placed on it …brought by adults and children in reverence to its sacredness and inner meaning.

Friday, on Faith Friday, David Docusen , author of Neighborliness … provided listeners to a different perspective on building relationships within all humanity-in spite of race, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, or culture.

There is one central idea that mankind must recognize as truth to achieve our biggest challenge here on earth… We ( every human being) must recognize that as children of God ( no matter one’s religion or spiritual belief, ) we are more alike than different.

When we converse in love over hate… we are all artists painting a picture of a United World. Despite religious differences … there are three important similarities that connect us all in our global family…

WE ARE…

-Made in the image of God ( Gen. 1:27)

-Worthy of love and belonging ( 1 John 3:1)

-Made for a purpose and plan established by God ( Jeremiah 29: 11)

Two commandments ( the most important two) Jesus left us explains quite simply the secret to peace and acceptance of all God’s children.

” Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, and mind”

” Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Based on these two commandments alone… Dave Docusen in ” Neighborliness” reminds us that we cannot separate these two commandments… ( John 4:20-21) We can’t love God and not our neighbor… ” He who loveth God loveth his brother also.”

As Docusen lived with others in lower socieo-economic tenements he realized the only way to achieve equality among all races and cultures was taking time to build relationships . Today Outreach programs are very popular in addressing needs of the poor…but systemic change can’t occur until changes in relationships develop and in these fast-paced times… more people can find time to write a check or drop off food bags but a lack of patience prevents sitting down face to face and ” walking a mile” in another’s shoes.

So until tomorrow… ” As image-bearers of the same Father, each one of us reflects a different aspect of the beauty of God. When we separate from us, we cannot see the fullness of the beauty of God.”

If anyone of any belief (or not) simply reads the life of Jesus… He sees that Jesus lived the life he preached… even in its darkest, most challenging times… his messages and his deeds matched… an accomplishment not seen since …at that level of spiritual understanding. In other words ” Jesus walked the talk.”

Today is my favorite day… Winnie the Pooh

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the beauty of all humans coming together in love and brotherhood brought the same beauty these flowers do-no flower ever compares itself to another and that is the secret of beauty and harmony in our world. God made sure each of us is unique in His eyes with a special mission to shine in our own right!

Dear Reader:

Aren’t we women laughable when it comes to weighing in at a doctor’s visit? I went with a friend to take her new granddaughter to her pediatrician and saw this adorable set of scales… maybe if we adults could stand on cute scales that visibly block our weight but pop up messages like” Wow… What a Gal!” or ” Girl… Get Ready to Take on the World!” Wouldn’t we enjoy that experience more?

Every few days I get some kind of tech news on new medicines or speakers at Breast Cancer Centers around the country and the one yesterday had the ” title” post words today… ” Forget Perfection … Redefine Wholeness.” ( So when it comes to weighing in… admittedly by many women the worst part of the doctor visit…the medical staff needs to recognize that ” wholeness” includes physical , mental and emotional wellness so keep the numbers visible only on the personal patient record… thank you)!

These days… When weighing in at an oncologist office… many patients’ concern is losing too much weight… a possible red flag if it continues spiraling. In other words… when it comes to weight… everything is relative. So high or low… we just need to be SO …grateful to be alive!

We can’t all be well all the time but if we stop focusing on our personal impediments in regard to physical wellness… we realize we should be striving for well-being… to be happy for simply being…

According to 2020 stats… over 170,000 Americans were living with metastatic breast cancer ( men and women) and each year new medicines are hitting the market for all forms of cancer to increase longevity ! Hope is always alive and well!!!

Update on Harriett Edwards… my friend and ” pink” sister with whom we would annually meet and participate in the Daniel Island Race for the Cure for a decade… until the event changed.

While my breast cancer liked me so much it decided to stick around and not leave… Harriett had a few years reprieve but since then hers has returned twice in different forms and locations-Harriett successfully fought it back again but a few weeks ago it returned in the form of six spots on the brain -she is having six radiation treatments-has completed two to date and celebrated yesterday stopping at Sonic with a cherry limeade! That’s my girl!

Please keep my friend in your prayers … we all hope this third time at bat… she knocks a home run!!!!

So until tomorrow…

Stopped by to visit my ” big bro” Ben yesterday-he is a Pepsi and cheese crackers lover… we stock his fridge and cabinet!!!

Another record breaking 96 degrees but hope for cooler and possible rain showers this weekend!!!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Please continue keeping Libby in your prayers… it appears that there is hope on the horizon that she can start getting some respites from her full neck and back brace-just waiting on clearer clarification… with these heat waves you can only imagine how badly she wants that brace off!!!

Dear Reader:

My daughter-in-law, Kaitlyn, gave me this journal that has a quote for every day of the year and then room to write one’s own personal thoughts on the page below ( quote by Albert Einstein)

Einstein is right on target with that quote… I know because I have lived it… honestly writing the post each day was easier in many ways writing it at Edisto…than writing it at home. The best posts contain adventures and new discoveries that readers can accompany the writer on.

Whereas if I am at home for too long… say… during bad weather or feeling under the weather… the posts can easily start turning into readable but certainly not memorable or moving thought change-agents.

I explored more this year than ever before… I would wake up excited about checking out beautiful dirt roads that lead to long-lost beaches… swept away into history like the beach that shared the same name as our restaurant Friday night… state parks, plantations, memorable family wedding sites, mysteries , folklore… and always time to ponder the ocean and one special set of jetties.

A sedentary life plays havoc on new thoughts, ideas… but most importantly wonder and curiosity! Writers have to do ” something ” worth writing about.

We could learn from nature… nothing stayed still in my gardens while I was gone… every plant, flower, tree was changing daily and new life emerging…Welcome the new ” family ” members!”

So until tomorrow… Yesterday I had to go for my six months check-up and Prolia shot at my primary doctor’s office. Dr Sara Montoya. The one thing I can always count on from her… is a hug and bright smile that I have returned again.

For the first time I noticed a popular sign ( seen around town in various residents’ yards) was now in front of the office… the perfect place for it… the medical staff letting us know who they all thought was in charge of healing there!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

I took lunch and a garden chime across the street for Vickie yesterday for checking my mail and watering my plants

while at Edisto…and the perfect card for the perfect person!

Spread hope… not germs-medical office motto😊💗👍

Dear Reader:

Yesterday we scurried around packing the cars…so we would have time for one last gathering on the front porch … A Diet Coke and water toast to enduring time spent together!

We have decided that we have become ” Edisto” down to the marrow of our bones… We have grown into this nostalgic island of magical beauty and serenity over the years… and now ” Ed-i-SLO” is just our speed!

We have accumulated small rituals… deciding on our night-out restaurant, smiling over the annual whimsical and mysterious creations of fun-living inhabitants, the ocean view, Botany Bay, King’s Market… but most of all our porch talks!

How we love the quiches and casseroles at the King’s Market! In fact as I type… I have one of my favorite casseroles ( Artichoke Chicken and Rice) thawing out … for supper!

Our new favorite dinner-out spot… what fun we had while dining there!!! Five star fun!

Of course last night I had to let my gardens know ” Mom” was home and thanks to my amazing neighbor, Vickie, they looked terrific… in spite of the hot nineties forecast.

So until tomorrow…the bridge that connects our college girls’ past and hopeful future is not only not in need of repair it is ” cemented” forever in gratitude!

Today is my favorite day… Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

A question on Jeopardy one night this past week brought back a funny memory for Brooke and me! The Jeopardy question asked what Victorville, California was once known for…. ( correct response… the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans museum… in the form of a question please!)

Brooke and I immediately started singing Happy Trails to You… before we meet again…It all started in the spring of our freshman year… Jackson was dating someone steady…as she and her date would start walking to his car… from the second story windows of the dorm… we would start singing Happy Trails to You as loudly as possible … much to the chagrin of Jackson and her date… who, embarrassed, would take off running to the car. Now we ask… what else are good friends for?

We were determined to stay upbeat for our last day together…I got up early and began exploring more dirt roads and old homes.

At one point I had gone searching for a series of bushes beside the highway that were covered in lovely orange trumpet vine. I finally found them -pulled off a side road and took the picture (trying to enlarge it) but all my editing didn’t do the scene justice… disappointed I turned to walk back to my car and there, all alone, the most beautiful gladiolus was ” standing ” right beside me adorned in my two favorite colors -orange and yellow!

I started thinking… isn’t that the way it is in life… if we try to live life in ” tunnel vision ” don’t we often miss the most important moments and scenes by concentrating too hard on just one objective? Whereas if we stop, pause, and look around… there is a whole new world waiting for us to discover?

So until tomorrow… we Ya’s have departed to go our separate ways … knowing that we are never far from each other as long as our hearts continue beating and safeguarding the memories of love and friendship that first drew us together!!

Today is my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh

For our ” Last Supper” we turned to Jimmy Buffet for help!

Dear Reader:

Another beautiful full moon prior to the solar eclipse… I took two photos around 10 PM Sunday evening… beachcombers told me the beach strand looked like there was flood lights reflecting off the ocean until the eclipse began and then flashlights and lanterns dotted the beach.

From the beginning of creation… man has been fascinated with myths and stories about the moon’s existence and particularly an eclipse. The earliest story on record comes from China dating back to 2134 B.C.

The Chinese believed a solar eclipse was caused by an invisible dragon eating the sun. So the emperor thought if the drummers beat drums and the archers shot arrows… the frightened dragon would leave the sun alone and daylight would return.

Unfortunately two royal astronomers, Hsi and Ho, mis – estimated the correct time of the eclipse, thus no drums or arrows… even the return of daylight later didn’t spare the emperor’s wrath and the two astronomers’ heads!

Christopher Columbus used a solar eclipse ( while stranded in Jamaica) as a way to keep the natives feeding the explorers when he announced that God would send darkness into the midday if they didn’t keep feeding his men… so when the darkness descended and later lifted ( by the boastful Columbus) the once reluctant and now scared natives quickly scurried around collecting more food.

These days, even with all the scientific knowledge we have about a solar or lunar eclipse … it still feels magical as we watch in awe! Yesterday I went searching for more awe inspiring natural beauty sites and more fun unexplained Edisto whimsy!

So until tomorrow… As awe-inspiring as the lunar eclipse was Sunday night… don’t we get the feeling that it pales behind the Creator Who started it all… life and all its mysteries.

Today is my favorite day… Winnie the Pooh

It was another fun, favorite day… Jackson’s sister, Em, and her brother-in-law Jack came to Edisto to see Jackson! We had such fun!!

Safe travels home yesterday Jack and Em… what fun we all had catching up! 💗

Dear Reader:

Rest In Peace certainly lived up to its name on a slow, serene (summery-feeling) Sunday . I awoke yesterday filled with such a sense of relief and contentment …( Tommy and Kaitlyn) were home safe and sound, our missing Ya Libby was improving with amazing leaps and bounds, and the smells of bacon frying, the stirring sounds of grits thickening, and fresh eggs being scrambled reminded me of Brooke’s famous annual breakfast extraordinaire she surprises us with on each retreat!!! ( I practically fell out of bed scrambling around to get out!)

Breakfast brunch… my favorite meal!

After breakfast we leisurely began assessing where we are today and how we feel about it! The main conclusion we all mutually agreed upon (after sharing past and present reflections) was that we would not be who we are now… if we had not gone through all the life challenges we did…when we were who we were then.

And then if you are lucky enough to still have friends and loved ones who knew you when… and still love you now… then you are richer than any amount of gold and treasures! None of us can get away with any different memory about a shared situation… because we were all there and lived it together! 😉

So until tomorrow…

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Another Erskine friend joined us yesterday which only added more memories and fun-Ka Stevenson !! Another Delightful Due West gal!!

The Beauty of Edisto….

Good news from Regina… she did not have to have surgery and is back home in her own bed and beyond grateful for your prayers!