Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

I have decided that my top three sources of happy contentment come from Mountain Views, Beach Walks, and Cozy Fireplaces! My top three favorite things in life.

Add three amazing friends who dropped off lemon chicken soup, ( Susan) carrot raisin cupcake( Vickie) and bran breakfast muffins ( Anne) how could one not be happily content?

Like many areas in our country parts of South Carolina was expecting wintry weather last night. The Lowcountry was not included but we were expecting cold rain and escalated winds-perfect for a cozy fire!

In previous posts we have talked about the difference between happiness and contentment but I believe you can have both simultaneously if you find happiness in contentment… like I do these days.

Maybe the inclusion of these two positive attributes come with age… when you have nothing left to prove or obtain… you can just simply be yourself.

In this short story bite ( A Parable of Contentment and Happiness) King Pyrrhus’ wise adviser, Cineas, listens to the king’s dreams and schemes of conquering all of Greece and Italy and then tries to get the king to see the futility of this path to future happiness and contentment. …………………………………………

Cineas: Sir, before attacking Rome you must be aware of the Romans’ reputation as great warriors and conquerors of many warlike nations… but even if you are successful-how should we use our victory?

Pyrrhus: It is self-evident! After conquering Rome, we shall be masters of Italy with all its economic and military strength under our control!

Cineas; And having subdued Italy, what shall we do next?

Pyrrhus: Sicily with all her charms will now come under our domain!

Cineas: Then will the possession of Sicily put an end to the war?

Pyrrhus: Certainly not! We will simply use these victories as stepping stones to greater things! Libya and Carthage will fall easily.

Cineas: So you will continue to seize Macedon and make an absolute conquest of Greece? And then what sir?

Pyrrhus: ( Smiling) Then we will live at ease my dear friend and drink all day and divert ourselves with pleasant conversation.

Cineas: Then Sir… Why go to all the trouble of trying to own the world when you can be happy and content right now?

*** Unfortunately, Pyrrhus fails to heed the advice of his wise adviser and pays a high price for it.

Honey called yesterday and said they were predicting a heavy snowfall ( 18 inches) last evening -later she called and said the snow had already started.

Look what Mike and Honey saw on the way home earlier from getting supplies in preparation.

So until tomorrow…” Who is rich? He who is satisfied with his lot.” Ben Zoma

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Isn’t hindsight so much easier and clarifying than future dreams?

Looking back on my life now… I see how the ” wait time” on my dreams was never really deferred-it simply wasn’t time for it to reveal itself … I needed to prepare for my dreams before their manifestation.

When sometimes, overwhelmed with single-parent child-raising, teaching, studying for my Masters, and just daily problems of household survival… I would have a pity-party and think that my dream of writing and creating stories was over… my window of opportunity had opened and closed on this life.

But then yesterday… on Faith Friday ( GMA3) Reverend Green reminded us that even Jesus had to defer his dream of immediate active ministry …to instead be tested in the Wilderness by his greatest nemesis-Satan -who tested His Faith day after day.

Now with a fresh perspective… I see how … throughout my teaching career ( to both students and teachers) … I was learning how to write creative lesson plans, skits, dialogue and then role modeling for my students the art of turning dry historical facts into enticing stories. In other words I was getting time and opportunity to perfect my upcoming dream.

Today writing this blog post for over a decade … has kept me anchored and always searching for the next idea. My joy and excitement never decreases, instead it escalates year after year. In fact , as a reader I know that all writers are just readers…one step to the side.

So until tomorrow… Thank you readers for dancing the ” side step” with me each day, You are all excellent dancers!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

In this John Lennon’s 60’s album he took a popular expression for his title and suggested that ” Whatever gets you through the night… It’s all right… it’s all right.”

When I looked up the meaning behind the expression …one definition used a foreign phrase to explain it: ” Raison de vivre” -a reason for living-a purpose in life.

I have been reading a book from one of my fun authors, Jenny Colgan, who uses Scottish settings in many of her plots. (I am drawn to Scottish, Irish, Welsh, and English settings-maybe too much ancestry.com family research.)

In the middle of the story last evening Colgan inserted a personal comment how her main character in the story ” self-medicated” as a child through books because she did, herself, as a child. I wanted to stop and wave my hand ( as if I were still in elementary school) ” Me too, Me too!”

Depending on how my school day had gone-I would grab a snack and race to either my room or my tree seat ( nestled in among branches in the crabapple tree.) My book selection, tried and true, came from my bookshelf of much beloved dog-eared tattered covered books of every genre-happy, sad, calming, exciting, etc-self-medicating.

The author went on to say that she ” could not” rightfully attest or deny whether reading books, as a self-medicating procedure, was a better way of dealing with ‘ real life’ but then she wasn’t sure she believed in this ‘ real life.’ Aren’t books -whisper it-quite a lot better than real life? ”

” In books baddies get their just deserts-blown up, chopped up, or thrown in prison. In real life they are your boss or partner. In books… you get to know what happened and you get an ending. In real life, most times you never get to know what happened… ever? So books get you through the night-the best kind of friend, constantly present and ready to take your troubled thoughts away without asking anything in return.”

So until tomorrow… God be present for us on those long nights when we need a little help from our best friend… YOU!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Of all the Ya’s Libby wins, hands down, with the funniest expressions. I am used to hearing her response to ” How are you doing Libby?” ( if I call too early in the morning) … her standard reply…” I’m still coming to myself .” ( meaning she’s still in bed or hasn’t had her first cup of coffee yet.)

But these days Libby apparently has extended her ” coming to myself” to include her personal ” molting” season. Like the Hermit crab she is burying herself into a state of inertia with her shell intact.

So now if I call and ask about her… Libby responds ” I am in my molting season.” (Most of us connect this term to animals who shed feathers, hair, skin, or shells to make way for new growth. ) After much consideration …Libby is right on point.

Don’t most of us perceive the post-Christmas holiday period as a let-down, blah, cold,dreary wintry season… a low-key period to hunker down and bury ourselves in sedentary activities where less of everything is best.

(Of course Libby is the first to admit that only retirees and select other groups can partake time-wise in this self-awareness endeavor-it really is a gift of time of which we retirees are eternally grateful!)

A few years back Libby ended up caring for some hermit crabs in a ten gallon glass container ( what grandmothers won’t do for their grandchildren) and discovering a new perspective on life in her generous undertaking.

One day the crabs just disappeared… she was in a panic thinking they had somehow gotten out and were hiding throughout the house. She quickly researched and realized it was their molting time-they had buried themselves near the bottom of the sand and were shedding their first skeletal ” armor ” to be replaced by a larger one requiring a larger shell to inhabit upon their return to the surface. It was a time of new growth and new perspective.

Now Libby has realized that subconsciously this is what she is doing-taking time to slow down after the somewhat turbulent Christmas holiday activities/ Rude Covid interruptions , etc. ) to spend time alone to allow for new meditation and growth to take place. Of course, as she laughingly noted… she just crawls down deeper into bed covers!

So until tomorrow… Let us all take a lesson from the Hermit crabs and Libby-Let us learn to take time for ourselves to slow down, pull back, shed the past, welcome new growth and perspectives on life. Don’t hesitate to answer the daily habitual question by friends and strangers alike… ” How are you?” with the response ” Good thank you… I am in my molting season.”

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Looking at the world through new eyes allows us to see light -even prisms of light -where once none existed.

Dear Reader:

I was thinking the other day that I haven’t talked about how God Winks got started for me and my inner awareness of them in my daily life today -in a long time. . They are such an accepted and expected part of my being now that I honestly can’t remember life before God’s introduction of them for me after receiving my incurable breast cancer diagnosis in 2008.

My favorite author on the subject , Squire Rushnell, was responsible for opening up this special communication passage that I had previously been completely unaware of … but once opened… an integral part of my relationship with God.

I remember Tommy and Kaitlyn giving me one of Rushnell ‘s books at a birthday party for Lachlan when he was little. Suddenly a whole new dimension of divine awareness and contact blossomed.

For many of you readers… who weren’t here for the original explanation… let me fill you in now with what a ” God Wink” is… as explained by Rushnell himself.

Paraphrasing… Rushnell asks us to go back in time and think about sitting around a family dinner table, either with just our parents , siblings or even extended family…aunts, uncles, grandparents,etc. Suddenly you feel someone staring at you and when you look up there is your grandfather nodding and giving you a quick wink. Nothing more… just a smile, nod, and quick wink.

But suddenly everything feels different… someone across the table is letting us know that we are special in their eyes, that they are watching us, and everything is going to be okay. That incident is a metaphor for a God Wink.

This is similar of receiving a ” God Wink” from God Himself that translates ” Hey kid! I’m thinking of you… right now!” It is a clear message of reassurance-that no matter how uncertain our life seems to be at the moment, He will help move us towards certainty.

So until tomorrow…On God’s GPS we are never alone-God’s Positioning System.

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Winter has arrived in all its frigid chill-sending ” Big Red” indoors for a rare extended January hiatus

Dear Reader:

As you know I love words and I love Madeleine L’ Engle’s writings for her shared love of God and words. Some of her passages in her 40 Day Journal are so closely tied into my thoughts and beliefs that their intensity is felt and touched deeply by me… what I call ” palpable passages.”

For example: …” ” The job of the Teacher ( Jesus) is to help us remember all that we have forgotten…One of the great sorrows which came to human beings when Adam and Eve left the Garden was the loss of memory, memory of all that God’s children are meant to be.”

Madeleine gives a wonderful example of this memory loss as she re- tells the story of Peter walking across the water to meet Jesus’ out-stretched hands. ” As long as he didn’t remember that we human beings have forgotten how to walk on water, he was able to do it.”

At this point I took a break yesterday and walked around my own garden of grace. Gardens are the perfect place to see up close how much better plants’ memories are than our own. They remember who they are and the life that awaits below, as well as, above the ground during the sabbatical that winter affords them.

So until tomorrow… ” A self is always becoming. ” Madeleine Engle

Now look at these plants that intuitively understand what they must do to maintain life… use coverage of other plants for protection, go underground as bulbs or bravely face each freeze in bloom and hope.

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

*** Actually I accidentally pulled a blogpost that took me back to January of 2015- when Jake was turning four months. A very favorite day(s)! John was at a four day conference and I went over to help out. Mollie also joined in the fun bringing Rutledge and spending the night! Can’t believe it happened 7 years ago. These photos brought back so many lost memories!

Dear Reader:

I have mentioned in earlier posts that there is one thing that I will take to my grave as the ” absolute truth ” and that is … we are all connected… every living creature, every living being is an unique ( one and only) part of Creation.

Scottish theologian and philosopher John Duns SCOTUS called each soul an ” unique” ” thisness ” ( haecceity) and it was placed singularly in each human soul-never duplicated! Our essence, our exact ” thisness” will never appear in any other creation.

Modern-day Fr. Richard Rohr stands by his solid belief… ” Nothing Stands Alone.” We all begin with a divine DNA, a blue print tucked away in the hidden recesses of our heart and soul. ( Romans 5:5: It is the Holy Spirit poured into your heart, and it has been given to you.”)

Our sense of disconnection is only an illusion. Nothing human can stop the flow of divine love; we cannot undo the eternal pattern … even by our worst sin.

As I envisioned the Holy Spirit pouring love into my heart continuously the lyrics to Dianne Ross and the Supremes ( Stop! In the Name of Love) flicked through my mind.

Stop! In the name of love Before you break my heart… Think it over, think it over.”

Isn’t it so liberating to know, unlike fickle human love among ourselves, God’s love steadfastly endures forever? God will never break our hearts… but can the same be said about our reciprocal love!

So until tomorrow…” God, Lord of all creation, lover of life and of everything, Please help us to love in our very small way… What You love infinitely and everywhere.

We thank You that we can offer just this one prayer… And that will be more than enough, Because in reality every thing and everyone is connected, And nothing stands alone.” Rohr

Today is my favorite day! Winnie the Pooh

Yesterday Eloise had her princess party and she decided to be a ” shy” princess. Too funny-a Frozen theme-so maybe she was just cold. 🤣😘

Eva Cate and Winnie coordinated with their black and white theme!

Dear Reader:

We are in the ” dead” of winter and particularly this year, with half of our country covered in deep snow, sadly more winter-related deaths have been reported than ever. .

So I know how lucky the Lowcountry is to just have had intervals of frozen weather and one stormy night with tree branches dropping like fallen leaves on the ground.

Have you ever thought about the difference between talking and conversing? Talking can be done by just one person, whereas, converse means two or more people talking to each other. The night of the wind storm I was talking to God… not really waiting on a response-just making sure my concerns over a potentially damaged house would not come to fruition.

I think I am not alone in this type of petition-it is pretty much centered on ourselves. Yet, as I have grown older… along with my Ya Ya buddies … conversing with God on a daily basis has replaced a set prayer time for me … and them. Just being open to God’s advice and thinking through His guidance to show us the way … has become a main stay in life.

Since Western culture still likes to define a successful life based on the ladder climbing concept … using this metaphor , also, for spiritual advancement, we need to re-think whether God is more concerned with ladder climbing or watching to see who is pulling the next person below them up.

And the next time we complain about ” all the troubles we’ve seen” stop and consider this. We come to God much more by doing things wrong than by doing things right. When ” the living is easy” we tend to think we can handle this thing called life on our own two feet.

Of course all it takes is one large bump in the road and we are back on our knees.

So until tomorrow… Rohr observes … ” It is sins and failures that bring us to divine union.! ( I think that’s why God especially appreciate a human ” thank you” and a grateful heart.)

Today is my favorite day- Winnie the Pooh

And I am grateful when I see flowers still blooming in my winter garden! Thank you God! ( Taken yesterday in garden)

Dear Reader:

It is always so comforting to me to read the incidences throughout Jesus’ life that made Him doubt too and how He always used prayer to His Father to reassure Him, and restore His faith … to show Him He was still on the right path… over and over… even while on the cross.

From the temptations in the Wilderness Jesus found the faith to rebuke the devil three times over the core question ” Is God to be trusted?” Today isn’t that the same question we humans continuously ask … at the most basic level?

I love imagining different physical paths I am following ( as a life path) from all kinds of photos, sketches, and drawings that pop up on line. ( like the title picture) Everyday as I walk farther down my path… different situations materialize.

If I have had a trying or ” bad” day I see myself stumble. Doubt stares at me but offers no assistance. Faith reaches down each time and offers me a hand and to date I grab it and then try to learn from it -to look for obstacles before they can cause problems.

There is always a light in front of Doubt, Faith, and me guiding us all along the path. Every time I stumble and get back up the light brightens and from way off I can hear applause and my name being called!

Why? Because God is our greatest cheerleader! Jesus reassures us daily, ever more resoundingly, ” Yes, God is on your side. Yes, God is more FOR YOU than you are for yourself.”

So until tomorrow…” Jesus Loves Me, This I Know for the Bible Tells Me So!”

Today is my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh

I tell you what I was loving yesterday-Vickie’s famous potato soup-best I ever put in my mouth ! You perhaps have noticed that I had just about cleaned the bowl before I remembered to click a photo! Perfect lunch for a chilly day!

Stopped by Walsh and Mollie’s yesterday to drop off Eloise’s birthday present and I got a copy of Rutledge’s football picture from this memorable season!

Dear Reader:

For Christmas Anne gave me a book of daily meditations called ” Yes, And…” and I was already hooked by the title-I had found a kindred soul author who loved … ( 3 dots ) as much as I do when writing!

Today’s thought was a short meditation but one specific observation sent me spiraling in different directions! Rohr wrote: ” History tells of too many people who have tried to be spiritual before they have learned how to be human! It is a major problem.

Within a fraction of a second… I thought the parables! Or as Rohr observed: ” Maybe this is why Jesus came to model humanity for us -much more than divinity. ”

Think about it… Jesus kept story style teaching ( parables) as simple and ” earthy ” as they come… situations listeners could relate to in their daily lives. Take a moment and make a list of the ordinary, mundane objects -Jesus’ parables (life lessons) included. He wanted to teach the crowds how to be human first and still make the right choices through a growing relationship with their Creator.

(Cloth/ Coat, Wine, Lamp, Barns, Figs, Dirt ( Soils) Weeds, Plants, Mustard Seeds, Yeast, Fishing Nets, Sheep, Goats, Coins, and Gates… just to mention a few.)

Rohr: ” When you cannot enjoy the lilies of the field or the sparrows in the sky, don’t waste time thinking you can enjoy God or respect people at any depth. So start at the bottom and try to love a rock. If you can do that, it only gets bigger, wider, higher,, deeper, and better.

Once you get the simplest human parts down ( loving rocks) God will most assuredly take it all from there. Get the ordinary being thing down and you will have all the spirituality you can handle!

So until tomorrow… ( I don’t know about you but I am ready to break into…a little Marvin Gaye)

Ain’t no mountain high enough

Ain’t no valley low enough

Ain’t no river wide enough

To keep me from getting to you… GOD!

Today was s my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh