Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

Isn’t one of the hardest things in life … returning home after the loss of a family member, parent, sibling, aunt, uncle, cousin, friend… and looking around the table at the empty chair that once held our loved one at the kitchen table for daily meals and gatherings?

Even though today when we hear the word ” empty” at Easter we assume the next word will be tomb. Ironically the ” empty tomb” will become the cornerstone for our belief in ever lasting life… a term reborn by the appearance of Jesus Christ to his disciples.

But like us today… there is no doubt that the disciples’ early gatherings to break bread together after Jesus’s ascension felt strange without the physical visual presence of Christ at the head of the table. It is the time when someone recently departed is missed the most.

Tom Barker certainly understood this as he stared at his three young daughters’ faces soon after his wife was killed in a car accident. It was the girls first day back at school and he had made their favorite breakfast-to no avail… the food was just being shuffled from one side of the plate to another. All they did was stare at their mother’s empty chair.

After dropping the children off at school Tom had an idea… he called and canceled his meetings with the insurance company and lawyer’s office. He went home and stared at his wife’s empty chair… tears poured down his face but then he smiled and gave an upward nod-he knew what he should do,

He bought several different bright happy colors of paint and got to work on the wooden kitchen chair… the rest of the day he wrote down ideas on how to turn the empty sad chair into a gift of joy.

That night as the little girls sat down to eat… one chair was missing… their mother’s! Visibly upset they started crying and wanted to know where it was. Their father calmly got up and returned with the brightly colored chair and set it back in their mother’s place at the table.

The girls’ eyes were as big as saucers and soon they were giggling when he told them their mother wanted them to have her new chair and it was now ” The Happy Chair!” Anyone who had a funny story or a special reward day or just wanted to show mommy a piece of art work could sit in it .

The chair was still there twenty-five years later when their father died from cancer… memories came flooding back how that gift from their dad turned their lives around… they would sit there to talk to their mom about their day at school, on birthdays, graduations, engagement announcements and even the announcement of the first grandchild!

One of the girls and her husband decided they wanted to live there now… so the chair, freshly repainted would be open to new conversations and happy proclamations …shared with their mom AND dad!

So until tomorrow… ” As long as we remember a person …they’re not really gone. Their thoughts, their feelings, their memories… they become a part of us.” Cronin

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

The Springbreakers are slowly returning… Walsh, Mollie and family from Florida last evening and the Turners today!

Dear Reader:

Didn’t most of us, as children, wonder why in the world a terrible Friday (that symbolizes betrayal, lies, pain, anguish, sorrow and death to Jesus Christ) was known as ” Good” Friday?

Over the years… I have heard many beautiful sermons about ” Good” Friday and its importance in the story segments leading us to Easter and the Resurrection-the beginning of new life and a different view of death. ( When the Good News actually became ” gooder.” )

Every Easter Sunday as I listened to the myriad of emotions the ” Mary’s” encounter on their way to Jesus’ tomb I find myself imagining all their initial fears and doubts… replaced by a new inner strength and knowledge they didn’t have before.

A few weeks ago… I watched the latest version of the true classic story-Cheaper by the Dozen-a new Disney Movie. It was certainly entertaining to my grandchildren who had never heard or seen the real story or even the earlier Steve Martin version. But it actually had no resemblance to the original .

One of the reasons I still enjoy the book and original movie-( Cheaper by the Dozen) is that the author, Frank Gilbreth, Jr. was somewhat of a local celebrity in Charleston since he lived here post WWII. He wrote for the Charleston Post & Courier for many decades until his death… he used the pen name Ashley Cooper ( famous founder in the area) -his highly popular columns were sharp, witty and entertained Lowcountry readers for decades.

He also wrote the original book Cheaper by the Dozen and told the story of growing up ( as the oldest son) in a family of twelve children. When I taught the twenties to my eighth graders I always ended the unit with that showing on an old 16 mm projector movie… and the students loved it! It was uproariously fun and sad… and every year they clapped at the end. ( many students admitted they wished they could grow up in a family that closely connected. )

But it was the sequel to Cheaper by the Dizen ( Belles on their Toes) that connects me to Easter Sunday and the empty tomb.

At the end of Cheaper by the Dozen the father dies from a sudden heart attack… the heart and soul of the family. The sequel (Belles on their Toes) tells how their mother now took up the cross to raise the whole dozen single-handedly.

In one poignant observation Frank Jr said he and all his siblings watched their mother undergo an amazing metamorphosis! Before his father died their mother would often hide in the closet ( terrified) by thunderstorms! If a meal went awry she would leave the table and they could hear her crying in the bedroom. Any children’s accidents had her visibly shaken. Now that woman was gone… and one day Frank Jr asked her about this ” new mother ” who stood boldly before them.

She told him that one day he would understand-her greatest fear in life was losing the person she adored and admired the most-their father. And then it happened… exactly as she feared. There was nothing left in the universe that could ever scare her again- because those fears… thunderstorms, spilt milk, accidents, etc. would never come close to this one loss.

By 1948 Lillian Gilbreth had taken up her husband’s’s company in time management-she was running the company-traveled the world , taught collegiate classes in time management and raised her family.. never looking behind. She was named Woman of the Year in 1948.

I can’t help but think that the same metamorphosis-over time-changed all those who loved and adored Jesus. Fear was replaced with courage, determination and a new way of appreciating the here and now with an added bonus of the promise of an everlasting. The catalyst-Good Friday… love and forgiveness.

So until tomorrow …when your worst fear is realized… dig deep… you will find another layer of yourself you never knew existed. Fear is gone … hope is alive and waiting on you… with a bright light!!! Good Friday.

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

When I went to check the mail late yesterday afternoon… I had already had a “full” day myself. Lunch and fun with Gin-g -then I went to Home Depot and bumped into Beth Brewer, who had already let me know ( in a blog comment) that she collected rocks too whenever she left the Lowcountry… when her grandchildren were younger all her little rocks were ” novelty” toys for them… children who rarely see a rock outside a museum! ( Sounds like a line from The Flintstones… ” Go play with your rocks!”

So by the time I checked the mail I was ” plumb plopped out” in my recliner… until I opened a large manila envelope and saw a magazine inside… it looked so interesting from the cover… and I idly wondered where it was published.

As I began leafing through it… suddenly I was staring at a full page with my awesome friend, Honey, on it! Immediately my mind gates opened up and I remembered Honey telling me about this magazine publisher who wanted to do an interview with her on her unique pottery-especially her face jugs-an old Appalachian art form of creating fun to eccentric faces on jugs … initially for a ” refreshment ” reason.

The history teacher in me loved the explanation that followed -These fun, whimsical face jugs, purposely, had startling faces because the jugs contained moonshine and hopefully curious children would be put off or scared off from the facial expressions!

I love learning interesting new tidbits about history from all kinds of sources. Since I have several diversified pieces of Honey’s ceramics… I have seen Honey evolve from structured everyday clay items to the imaginative and whimsical! In the article Honey says…” I stepped out of my comfort zone to create my face jugs… I have to just let go and let the clay itself guide my hands to form the face.”

EXCEPT… for one face. She wanted to do a clay bust of her deceased beloved father… it wasn’t easy… because it was her father, a brick maker who worked a huge kiln at his brickyard (and where she occasionally watched in fascination) that planted the pottery seed.

After several ” mis-trials” and heartbreaks Honey did it… I have no doubt her daddy knew she could all along. Splendid legacy!

Honey didn’t even pick up a piece of clay until …after 30 years as an award-winning special needs teacher. ( She was a leader in creating many innovative programs for her students) when she and husband, Mike headed to the mountains for a seemingly second retirement home retreat …only to discover they, both, had fallen in love with the community and the art culture in the North Carolina mountains. *** Mike is a master wood craftsman.

Honey slowly began to realize… Clay was in her DNA!)

Honey also has created fun-filled female face jugs that she calls ” Girls Just Want to Have Fun!” ( In fact when you take Vickie’s gorgeous camellia off -along with the decorated egg-look what is underneath?

So until tomorrow…

I picked up a trellis today at Home Depot for my trumpet lavender vines ( the wooden trellis kept falling over and crushing the plant)

Susan is with her family at the beach this spring break -she sent me this picture of the rising sun yesterday-made even more special by sharing it with her granddaughter Ady! A lasting memory…

Today is my favorite day… Winnie the Pooh

Honey’s contact information…

Dear Reader:

Yesterday there was a loud knock on the door and there stood Vickie ( lives across the street) -she had been visiting family over the weekend and I had checked her mail and porch for packages… while she was gone. She does the same for me when I am gone.

She told me she had a ” little something” outside in her wheelbarrow…a-thank you surcie. As I was in the midst of protesting that she didn’t need to do that… I stopped in mid-sentence with a squeal! She had three marvelous rocks she had picked up on a walk through the NC mountains and brought back to me! How she did it… I don’t know… they were heavy!!!

She followed me with the wheelbarrow and we chose 3 places -two rocks in the back garden and one in the side ( title photo).

I knew the rocks needed to symbolize the metaphors of strength, steadiness, and durability! They were ” guardians” to the entrance of my garden of happiness … and would keep me ” grounded.”

*** For those who live around rocks it might be hard for you to understand my happiness over being the proud owner of three solid rocks… but rocks aren’t indigenous to the Lowcountry-the only rocks we have from the past came in from England and other mercantile European countries who used rocks as ballast to steady the trading ships crossing the seas into Charleston Harbor-we still have to import them … or if one is lucky to have a neighbor who brings them to you! Vickie is my anchor neighbor…a rock for all the ages!

So until tomorrow…

Today is my favorite day… Winnie the Pooh

While admiring Vickie’s backyard… she picked the most beautiful camellia off one of her bushes-I put it in one of Honey’s exquisite vases!

Many of you have heard and seen the orange trumpet vine but Vickie gave me a rooting for a lavender trumpet vine-fingers crossed!

Dear Reader:

The spiritual meaning of water symbolizes emotions, new beginnings, and purification/ protection. Just as our emotions are ever changing… so is water.

Yesterday I knew Jeff was coming… and one garden improvement (on the top of my to-do list) was clean out all the debris from the fountain so that water cleanliness would give me new clarity… so as I cleaned and Jeff cut the grass… (he had gotten me a new hose to flush out the now clean fountain) … I saw the pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters left by the children as they each made a wish.

There is something magical about a wishing fountain and seeing remnants of your grandchildren’s dreams and wishes at the clear bottom now… brought back wonderful memories.

As I was taking one last glance in my mobile phone lens… the sun suddenly broke through the towering oak tree and the blues of the skies and new fresh green of the leaves blended together to make an abstract work of art in my magical fountain-it is spring and just as our emotions are ever changing , so is water…. and so is hope!

Mandy and family are sharing new beginnings with water too… the family’s first cruise and the children’s first new perspective on the vastness of the oceans and seas…

So until tomorrow… I was thinking the other day that one of my favorite things is being at the beach and watching a storm come in… you can even smell its salty presence and no matter how loud the thunder or sharp the lightning…the storm will eventually leave with the most wonderful sense of calmness and security left behind and within…blessings and protection.

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

It took me years ( after retiring) to follow my dream of gardening and creating a special place in my world… a sanctuary. I knew I wanted it but I was scared because I knew nothing about gardening. Yet I envisioned it constantly in my mind.

Because Tommy was still at Clemson when I retired… I traded my day job for teaching night classes at Charleston Southern and the College of Charleston to keep some income coming in. And then Carol Poole and I continued to work for the state department offering social studies workshops -around the state-you get the picture… I was busier after ” retirement” than before.

Yet… that vision of creating a beautiful place to stop and interact with the universe and my place in it wouldn’t stay buried.

At the urging and encouragement of family and friends… the dream slowly began to evolve and today has continued to expand.

The other day I read an interesting commentary on the forced downsizing of Odysseus after all his years of war and wandering. After returning home Odysseus was anxious to return to his glory days at sea. Then one night in a dream a voice told him…

” Take your favorite oar and go inland until no one has heard of you, and go further until no one has heard of an oar or sea. Plant your oar there and start a garden.”

So until tomorrow …

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

***When I think back over the past years… it is hard for me to even imagine my life now without my gardens, my sanctuaries and my stories to share . But mostly I can’t imagine my life without you… the blog post ” family of readers” … my new family! In order to do this… I had to start over to release and lift my spirit. It has seen me through tough times. It was meant to be… the place to lay my ” oar.”

Walsh and Mollie and the children will be in Florida this week of spring break and John and Mandy and children in the Bahamas-their first family cruise! Every one will return in time for Easter Sunday! Have fun and be safe!!!

Dear Reader:

Some days you have to struggle to seemingly find a story and other days stories just keep reappearing in different forms… to the point you can just sit and let them come to you.

In sports yesterday there was Tiger at the Masters and the televised Clemson Tigers playing their Orange vs White teams …all at the same time. What I loved about the football spring practice game was that it didn’t matter which side won since they were virtually all on the same team. It was one of those rare sports occasions when everyone is a winner-a mistake on offense produced a positive on defense-a win-win!

And to make it even better … Coach Dabo makes sure that every single player gets in the spring game-no exceptions! This decision is based on a personal experience …when in 1990 Swinney was a redshirt sophomore-a walk-on receiver at Alabama.

He knew his mother and grandmother were watching in the stands and when he never got in… he was hurt and humiliated-he thought about transferring to a Division Two School… but eventually calmed down and realized he was letting short-term goals take precedence over the more important goals of obtaining a degree that would open up more opportunities for him later in life-he stayed with the team and eventually made the line-up because his coach was watching and appreciated his extra effort. Still Dabo never forgot that disappointment and he makes sure all his players healthy enough to play get a chance to be recognized for all their hard work.

As I was bringing out my Easter garden decor… this flag appeared.

Spring of 2020-start of the Coronavirus… memories came flooding back… I didn’t realize I have purposely hidden those memories tucked far away in the recesses of my memory. Then suddenly it dawned on me that most Americans can still feel safe at home …but not the Ukrainians whose homes are being destroyed daily.

Here I am …caught up in making Easter bags for my grandchildren and the Ukrainians are just praying to find shelter for their families. What makes it even sadder is the rich cultural heritage around Ukrainians and Easter… especially the awe-inspiring exquisite Ukrainian Easter Eggs.

Anne told me a wonderful ” God Wink” story Friday when she dropped over with lunch. One of her jobs at the Summerville Public Works Art Center is looking for new artists with diversified talents to display in the Center. Last weekend… during the Flowertown Festival she met an artist who makes Ukrainian Easter Eggs.

The artist was open to the idea of displaying these eggs but she had to have duck eggs to work with and didn’t know of any place in the area to get them. As if on cue… another passer-by overheard the conversation and said she sold duck eggs! A God Wink!

So until tomorrow… We are surrounded daily with more stories than breaths… because everyone has a story to tell and everything is a story in itself!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

On GMA 3…Faith Friday… the guest deliverer was Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich … a Polish rabbi who is helping with the enormous task of finding shelter and safety for the over two million displaced Ukrainian families poring in…mainly women and children refugees.

At the initial on set… Rabbi Michael said he was completely overwhelmed at the sheer numbers and multi-faceted problems arriving daily. He prayed hard to God to help him get a grasp on the situation and keep reminding himself that he must concentrate on each individual coming through the borders after surviving life-threatening attacks and bombings. Most had shell-shocked expressions mingled with sheer relief and gratitude.

He decided to plant a memory in each family’s later recollections of their arrival…a treat for each child… a 🍭 lollipop!

God sent him a message one day from an incident that happened at the border… an exhausted mother with three small frightened children clinging to her… was welcomed and then Rabbi Michael bent down and gave each child a lollipop. Lovingly the mother spoke softly to each child and then in unison they sang out ” Thank you.”

After all they had been through …this mother was reminding her children …( a lesson in God’s gratitude) that ” Thank you” was not an empty expression to be parroted but a recognition of God’s love.

From lollipops now to toys from countries and states around the world …are pouring into border countries to deliver to children arriving daily.

Spiritual gratitude isn’t just for God’s gifts but His Love!

So until tomorrow… the more we simplify our lives the greater our awareness of God’s love and presence accelerates. Live each day in gratitude!

Today is my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh

Yesterday Anne brought lunch instead of meeting at Oscars -we simplified lunch with Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches and time to walk the gardens -been months since Anne ate lunch here… left time to talk plants and flowers … a favorite conversation.

Dear Reader:

No matter how many times we look up at the moon… it’s special ” magic” always draws us into our imagination… even knowing man, starting with Neil Armstrong, has walked on it …doesn’t deter it’s magical appeal.

Today we have dozens of expressions stemming from the word “moon” … moonstruck, moonshine, ” over the moon” and still one of the most popular ( thanks to Michael Jackson) dance steps… ” moonwalking.”

In a series of Christian childrens’ books combining scripture and science… this connection of moonwalking to following in Jesus’ steps are made. ( Excerpt)

Have you ever seen anyone moonwalk? It’s a dance step that makes him look as if he is walking forward when he’s actually moving backwards. As cool as it is… it doesn’t come close to watching Neil Armstrong take that first step on the moon on July 30, 1969.

Even though that was over 50 years ago his footprints are still there-and they will be there next year, the year after that and the year after that… and so on and so on! That’s because there is no rain or wind on the Moon to wash them away. So literally… the next person on the moon could walk in Armstrong ‘s footsteps!

But even better than following the footsteps of an astronaut is following in the steps of Jesus. You might ask how you can see them…actually they are right there… all throughout the Bible. They aren’t shaped like a foot but Jesus’s stories can be seen as well as felt.

When we love and help others like Jesus did… we ARE following in His footsteps. And that’s greater than any moonwalk.

So until tomorrow ” I am the light of the world, Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Eva Cate’s last musical performance with the fifth grade chorus-: Disney: The Movies, the Music! Cheers to a great music teacher Miss Newton!

Dear Reader:

A most wonderful surprise yesterday-I was out in the yard checking on broken branches and other debris from yet another stormy front with high winds … when I saw a car pull in the driveway … it was Jo Dufford.. my first teaching mentor who changed my teaching style from historical facts to storytelling… a ” gift” that has remained with me to this day!

She came loaded down with all kinds of whimsical and fun “surcies” -Jo is amazing in and of herself-she is and will always be my most whimsical gift,

*** Only Jo could find a Winnie the Pooh ” Happy Easter” sign! Jo loves Winnie the Pooh!!! Another connection we share! What a way to brighten a gray day… Jo is like sunshine bursting through the clouds. After she left …a story came to mind that I knew I must share with Jo… in fact… with everyone! A ” thank you” for simply being who she is!!!

” Adam Learns Time… and Timelessness” ( excerpt and adaptation from “Does God Have a Big Toe?”)

Can we even begin to understand the magnificence of being in the Garden of Eden, like Adam, with all his new animal friends? He walked around in total amazement… the scent of the flowers, the songs of the birds, and most amazing of all… the sun! So far away ( too far to be touched) but yet it warmed his face as if it were close. Sunrise was his favorite time!

But imagine his dismay and fear that first sunset when suddenly the sun sank right down behind the edge of the garden and disappeared! Everything turned dark and cold! Both Adam and his animal friends were afraid… would the sun and light ever return?

Adam finally fell asleep but later was awakened by a warm feeling on his neck… Adam shot upright…. wondering how the sun was able to sneak around and come up on the other side of the garden?

He and the animals laughed and danced in celebration… still a whisper of a worry remained with them … would the sun desert them again? Sure enough at sunset they watched the sun begin to sink. They decided to build a barricade of all kinds of stuff-monkeys brought bananas, elephants tree trunks, squirrels nuts… it was so high it rose high over the wall surrounding the garden.

But still the sun sank, disappeared and the cold and darkness settled in…Adam called out to God in despair to help. God patiently explained that there was nothing to worry about-the sun would sink each evening but He promised it would always return each morning! In between sunrises and sunsets was something called ” Time.”

God went on to explain that seven sun sinkings was a week, and the time of four weeks was one month and finally the time of twelve months was a year. Adam really didn’t understand time but it sounded like a year was eternal and the sun would keep rising… so greatly relieved Adam didn’t pay much attention to time at first… until he realized the ” year” had flown by and was almost over? Now what?

On the last day of the year Adam sadly told the animals good-bye and tearfully they all hugged one last time… or so they thought.

Then Adam heard God counting…” Ten tears makes a decade… ten decades is one century…ten centuries is one millennium… ten millennia is…”- by this time Adam had fallen asleep.

When Adam woke up, he smelled the flowers, heard the birds singing and thanked God for making time ” way big enough!”

So until tomorrow… isn’t time still as much of an enigma now as it was to Adam …and do we ever get enough time in our lives… no matter how long they last…Is there ever “way big enough” time?

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh