Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

Yesterday I began wondering how many times I have shared a personal ” epiphany ” moment/ observation with you. A lot!

My epiphanies have centered around connections I never made previously in life. (The popular term today ” A-Ha” moments). My sudden and striking realizations have been pretty mundane but still exciting to me- many have dealt with learning experiences about life unfolding in my garden.

Even yesterday as I struggled to redecorate the iron stove under the mantle-I had a little epiphany… if I was keeping the mantle wintry green -I should continue along that line of thought by keeping different green shades symbolizing life in serenity and rest . To me epiphanies don’t have to be religiously or scientifically oriented-it can apply to any situation that allows us a moment of deeper perspective or enlightenment.

In Western Christianity… today commemorates the moment when the wise men first saw the Savior-the baby and future leader …recognizing God’s divinity within.

In an interesting way, Quinn Caldwell’a last entry from his book: All I Really Want ( published in 2014) for the January 6 reading …addresses 2021’s incredulous attack on the Capitol and democracy.

Quinn writes: ” We’re good at listing all the people we won’t kneel before. We don’t kneel for crowned heads. We don’t bend for terrorists. By and large, we are a straight-backed, lock-kneed people.”

” Here is the way the three wise men were like us: they refused to kneel to King Herod’s crowned head. Here is the way we ought to be like the three wise men: they knew which things were not worth their homage and what things should drive them straight to their knees. ”

So until tomorrow…”We the people” know right from wrong -this year let’s spend a moment on our knees paying homage to the ” In God We Trust” Who blessed us with the miracle of Democracy and then let’s treat it as the greatest gift bestowed upon us… because it is!!! Thank you God and let no man ” put it asunder.”

Today is my favorite day ” Winnie the Pooh

Ode to 2021’s Magnificent Christmas Tree

Dear Christmas Tree…Yesterday became your last

But thank you for your glorious past

You gave us beauty and joy galore

Happiness and laughter and so much more!

Love, Boo ” Dingle Jingle”

Dear Reader:

When you read how strangely my mind works making connections today …you might wonder what is scarier… me or the purple people eater!

It started out innocently enough as I was listening to Rachel Ray talk to humorous self-help author, Glennon Doyle, who was talking about the dangers of becoming a life- long people pleaser and losing oneself in the process. Letting fear of originality and free thinking in society stymie our imagination and God-given creativity in order to fit into society’s interpretation of a successful life.

I only heard ” Danger” ” People” ” Pleaser” ” imagination ” and bingo… I was a child laughing and dancing to the lyrics of a purple people eater who wants to join a rock and roll band! The image of a purple people eater instantly materialized! My crazy crazy connective neurons!

As I looked up quotes from the author’s latest book I got the distinct feeling I was suppose to go down this path -especially when I read ” Perhaps imagination is not where we go to escape reality, but where we go to remember it.”

I am a ” people pleaser” by either nature or early training but I have had to learn to avoid the now obvious pitfalls that go along with trading one’s uniqueness for acceptance. I tried to avoid conflict at all cost growing up mainly to make mother’s life easier.

I have to agree with the boy’s ” best discovery” when he tells the mole-it is realizing ” I am enough as I am.” ( The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse)

My favorite quote that brings me much comfort is ” When life gets hard it is because you’re doing it right.” ( not wrong) If we do nothing for ourselves or others life could be easier BUT for what? Just existing but never living? What a waste of oxygen!

So until tomorrow… one bit of advice from this ole’ retired teacher is ” You must keep learning to keep becoming.”

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Talking about never giving up… brutal winds, then a hard freeze and look what I saw yesterday afternoon! Miraculous! I burst out laughing! Those amazing morning glories!

Dear Reader:

Blessed longevity ( never thought I’d make it this long) does provide all of us with diversified, timely, life experiences and what I have learned from all of them ( the good, bad, and ugly) is that we need to accept each experience as it is instead of insisting it be as we want it to be. In hindsight there is always a reason that we land at a certain place at a certain time in our lives.

For instance… what I experienced in the early morning hours yesterday, January 3, was truly frightening but more in my imagination, thankfully, when the last wind blew by. We have had such crazy weather-frigid for Thanksgiving, 80’s for Christmas that we should have suspected when the two fronts finally met we were in for one crazy ride!

It is already 30 degrees cooler than it was the day before and this morning will start out below freezing! Sunday night/ early Monday morning we had gusts of wind exceeding 60 mph-It was pitch black which made the gusts and sounds of branches breaking scarier. I just knew one of the oak tree branches would fall on the roof and/ or my car! Needless to say I was wide awake from 4 am on.

Memories of Hugo didn’t help or my imagined scenario that the violent winds had destroyed Big Red or torn shingles off my roof or crushed my car! When it finally got light enough to see out the window none of my fictional plots had happened- just lots of branches, sticks, and leaves, Big Red’s stems a little askew but all the blooms intact!

What is it about January 3 and bizarre weather? Four years ago to the day… the largest snow storm hit the Lowcountry with Walsh and the boys sidetracked at John and Mandy’s for a couple of days before Walsh could safely get Mollie and Eloise home from the hospital! It was fun!

Today I remember this unique snow storm by calling it Eloise’s Snowstorm of 2018! And this fits since our adorable Eloise is still a force to be reckoned with-afraid of no challenge!

Once I knew everything inside and outside the house was not permanently ” injured” my soul got much happier. Think about it-we all understand that we are short term transient tourists on this Earth… so we should be doing things that make us happy by helping others reach their personal goals with satisfaction.

One small decision made me happy Sunday while packing away 2021’s Christmas paraphernalia-my mantle-minus the two large gold Christmas ornaments left only wintry greenery and pine cones-just a lovely wintry mantle for the rest of the season. My angels never come down -I need them looking down on me every day of each New Year!

So until tomorrow… Happy Soul… Grateful ❤️ Heart!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

P. S. The only way for our soul to be happy is first being useful to everyone around you-fulfillment makes the soul happy!

Sunday afternoon before the ferocious winds appeared… the sky was pouring rain while the sun shone-beautiful dazzling rain drops!

Dear Reader:

Yesterday was my usually ” dreaded” return to normalcy day …as all my decorations came down and were packed away for another year. But this year, instead of running a “maniacal” Post New Year’s Day clean-up marathon, I leisurely took my time and stopped to reminisce over gift ornaments, photos, cards, and other holiday paraphernalia that brought smiles to my face.

Take the Christmas tree for example. After I took off Ruthie the Angel and all the ornaments… I decided to leave the lights on ( title picture) for one more night to end the New Year’s weekend in peaceful serenity.

In fact I decided that as much as I loved my decorated Christmas tree-there is something about a tree with just white lights that sets a different ambience. ( title photo)

As I took one ornament off I remembered Shelly Baker gave it to me in the millennium Christmas -2000! I loved it-especially since I had lost my mother about a month before Christmas-an ” It’s a small small world” concept! I treasure it Shelly!

As I took the Christmas wreath off the porch and put my ” Boo’s Blessings” plaque back up-” Big Red” seemed relieved and showed me how busy it had been over the holidays producing more buds and blooms to start off 2022 on the right note.

And talking about secret surprises… Honey told me that Tarshie and Ashley might be all grown up now but they missed not having Santa surprise them Christmas Eve so Honey and Mike pulled out the old Santa outfit for a friend who dog-sat for them and he showed up! Tarshie’s, Honey, and Ashley’s dogs went crazy happy and made everyone’s Christmas special! A Paw Claus memory!

Ralph Waldo Emerson once observed: “Adopt the pace of nature: Her secret is PATIENCE.”

I was given three examples of this yesterday

Big Red surprised me with her secret buds turned blooms ( earlier photo)

My bougainvillea that didn’t bloom all summer now has a bloom in January??? Patience!

Vickie helped remove Rutledge’s dead Japanese Maple and plant the new one I got from Hollowtree Nursery recently-I pray it patiently but steadily adapts to its new home !

So until tomorrow …let’s all strive to be more patient in 2022 and let’s adopt the pace of nature-growing inwardly while reaching outwardly at the same time! Love, kindness, and understanding as the nutrients that keep us healthy!

Today is my favorite day! Winnie the Pooh

My beloved Lowcountry bids you a much blessed new year! Happy 2022 from ” Boo”!

Dear Reader:

As I was finishing some errands late New Year’s Eve afternoon I caught sight of the ” Snowflake” in the center of the trees all lit with white lights-it was so stunning I immediately pulled over and parked. Hutchinson Square looked like a wintry scene out of the movie Frozen.

The irony of this discovery is the fact that for the last few days we have broken December weather pattern records with 80 degree temperatures! By the time I pulled into my neighborhood the golden skies were transforming into a brilliant red behind the wooded area in my backyard!

I walked back in my house-literally stunned by the scenes I had witnessed on an ordinary drive home from town! This is what true happiness is-I thought to myself-I was now more determined than ever to get my acts of kindness started on the first day of the new year.

( I also heard back from Shelly Baker who sent me a photo of the outdoor plaque she and her husband Danny put up as their mantra for 2022. ) Danny is facing chemo infusions ( please keep the Bakers in your prayers) and typical Shelly is thinking of ways to spread kindness to the nurses and medical staff who will be attending to him.)

My first act of kindness went better than I could have hoped! I took the envelope with the ten dollar bill inside CVS on S Main Street… and as luck would have it-one of the managers saw me standing outside the checkout lane. She motioned me over to her checkout site. A little nervously at first I asked her if she could do me a favor by helping spread an act of random kindness-then I quickly explained the concept and she smiled broadly and excitedly exclaimed ” Of course! ”

She called the other cashier over and explained it again and then they started thinking , excitedly, of different customers who might come in who would be perfect recipients. I left them discussing the placement of the envelope-centered between them! I floated out of CVS!

***Since so many businesses were closed yesterday-will spread the other three drop- offs over the ensuing week ahead!

I went to Piggly Wiggly to get my annual good luck Hoppin’ John’s lunch and had just dug in when Tommy called and invited me to join him and Kaitlyn for the same lunch but look how much he cooked up-think Tommy and Kaitlyn are in for a good year!

Had a chance to talk to several friends yesterday… and Honey came up with the coolest ” Santa” idea! Will share on tomorrow’s blog post!

So until tomorrow-” The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. ” Eleanor Roosevelt

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

I told Jakie that the Bass shirt I got him for Christmas would turn out to be his lucky fishing shirt! Sixteen fish in his backyard and this giant bass! Super Wow!

Dear Reader:

The other day as I was scrolling through Facebook I saw a wooden plaque on a friend’s house that I loved… along with the owner…but then of course, a few hours later when I went to retrieve it and make a copy it had disappeared! Isn’t that a really frustrating aspect of Facebook-it’s just the luck of the draw.

It was Shelly and Danny Baker’s home ( I taught both of them in 8th grade– boyfriend and girlfriend even back then and today one of the most enduring sweetest couples you will ever meet.) As fate would have it-Shelly turned out to be my secretary when I went to the district office, as well as, close friend!

The wooden plaque they had put up was their mantra for 2022-they wanted a return to kindness above all else! It speaks volumes about both of them dealing with imminent health problems and unknowns-still focusing on a kinder world.

That same day a picture of this plaque outside the White House by one of the most respected First Ladies also spoke volumes-choosing love over all our fractured political system ugliness.

I am going to get a plaque made too for my front porch-Kindness in 2022-Let’s Create Ripples of Kindness that Turn Into Rivers of Love.”

I am starting the first ripples today. Yesterday I went to my ATM and withdrew two twenties which I promptly changed into four ten’s. I put one ten into each envelope-no message.

( I got this idea from a Kindness Website- today I will drop off the envelopes at four different stores or diners.) I will go to the cashier checking customers out and ask them if they would assist me with an act of random kindness by selecting one customer that day of their choice who looks like they could use a little ” pick me up” or God Wink.

By involving a third party to the traditional giver-receiver relationship-you are giving someone else an opportunity to feel good about themselves in the process. It’s not enough money for it to be an incentive to keep it themselves but just enough to make the receiver feel special-like the Universe stopped to wave and acknowledge them. A great way to start the New Year. Will let you know tomorrow the cashiers’ reaction to my kindness request of assistance.

So until tomorrow -let’s all stay open to new ways to make the world a little kinder and let’s not make the mistake of trading happy for happier. As children didn’t we think we would be happier when we grew up, then happier meeting our great love, happier having a family, happier getting a promotion or new career… only to discover that we weren’t content after getting all we thought would bring us happiness.

Happiness can only be found within us-nobody else should be accountable for our happiness-that is an unfair burden to put on anyone. Never under-rate contentment-the peaceful happiness that lasts a lifetime!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

And don’t forget kindness includes all living creatures !

Happy New Year Post Readers/ Friends!

Dear Reader:

Once you have a birth in the family on a New Year’s Eve, it is hard to remember anything else that preceded it. New life takes precedence over anything else. So December 31, 2018 will always be the afternoon of the wishing tree in Hutchinson Square where Mollie, Rutledge, and Lachlan ( along with me) wished that Eloise would come that night.

Mollie only had time to get home when her water broke and Eloise decided to see how fast she could enter the world. One quick call from Walsh saying they were at the hospital and viola-Eloise arrived!

Three days later Walsh went to pick up mother and child and got caught in a rare New Year’s snow-detouring him to John and Mandy’s and there we all camped out for the next several days! Me included!

It is hard to beat that New Year’s memory-it returns vividly each year.

Just like the birth and subsequent birthdays on New Year’s Eve will be remembered as Eloise’s birthday… so Christians will always remember Christmas Day as the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus’s birth changed the world forever… just like Eloise’s birth changed our family’s dynamics and inner circle also!

So until tomorrow… Happy Fourth Birthday Eloise!

Today is my favorite day! Winnie the Pooh

*** Eva Cate-reunited with mom and dad and Winnie! Homesickness gone-happiness on!

Dear Reader:

When I came across this interesting observation between man and God … and the protection man has needed when confronting God face to face… I couldn’t help but connect this dilemma with the topic of masks today. Let’s start first with Moses and the Ten Commandments-definitely a veil was needed after His famous encounter with God.

We all know the story of Moses returning with the Ten Commandments only to have his potential audience take flight in fear of Moses’ glowing face. So much so that he had to wear a veil in order to keep the tribes from freaking out!

Now think about this problem solver. Jesus. God loves us enough to want to be near us but not harm us. The solution? Become one of us! Remember these lyrics in ” Hark-the Herald Angels Sing?”

” Veiled in flesh the Godhead see… Hail th’ Incarnate Deity.”

Perhaps God needs to veil God’s holiness in order to get as close to us as God wants to. One of the veils God uses to do that is humanity itself, first Jesus , and now in the people who love and follow God.

Which means we should be asking ourselves this: in whom has God reached out to me recently? My own child? The sweet lady in line at the grocery store who insisted I go ahead of her because she had a cartload of groceries and I had a handful? My boss or colleague? My best friend? My spouse?

And most importantly… what was God trying to say… to tell me?

So until tomorrow… God-When you come close to me by veiling Yourself in the people around me, give me grace to see and hear you there.

Source: All I Want for Christmas-Caldwell

Today is my favorite day!

*** I think I just got an opportunity to use my ” veil.” As I mentioned earlier I kept Eva Cate and Jake for the first half of a two day get-away for John and Mandy. Eva Cate had a little homesickness spell but I told her about all my episodes struggling with homesickness as a child and soon had her laughing.

Late yesterday afternoon, at her other grandparents ‘ house-homesickness hit her again and I got a sad little text from her that she was”… so so sad Boo Boo. ” Once again I reassured her with my memories and anecdotes battling the same ” sickness ” and that all would be fine!

A few minutes later this appeared from her…

So what was God trying to say to me-use my own experiences to help a loved one in need of advice, guidance , and reassurance.

This cartoon popped up when I was looking at different pictures of veils artists imagined and I started chuckling out loud!

Dear Reader:

We are growing closer and closer to the New Year-2022. I am watching Eva Cate and Jake and Winnie… while John and Mandy take a well-deserved hiatus to Asheville-their Christmas gift to each other.

On top of this today, December 29 is Tommy’s birthday-If Walsh was ” Kringle Dingle” on the 23rd, then Tommy is “Deduction Dingle” on the 29th!

Then on top of that the Clemson Tigers have their bowl game against Iowa State this afternoon… so I will be busy dropping off birthday presents and lots of Clemson paraphernalia… also including Tommy’s annual birthday change jar-a birthday tradition! Lots of change and three one dollar bills for three wishes for the New Year.

Looking through a daily book\journal Kaitlyn gave me I love this thought for the New Year:” Ultimately we are all just walking each other home.

Monday was my cozy day… to rest and relax and enjoy just the quiet of the aftermath of the hustle and bustle of Christmas.

So until tomorrow… as much as I hate to admit it…this observation remains true. ” People wish to be settled; only as far as they are unsettled is there hope for them.” In other words we must never stop discovering new ideas and thoughts in hope of bringing about a better tomorrow.

Today is my favorite day! Winnie the Pooh

Go Tigers!

Dear Reader:

I have always loved the melody and lyrics to the hauntingly beautiful Christmas song- ” Mary Did You Know?” However… this time when I read each stanza-the one important question not asked was: ” Mary did you know your Son will die upon a cross for all our sins?”

Quinn Caldwell… ” All I Really Want” in his December 28 reading calls Mary-the Queen of Heaven-she certainly earned the title.

” In fact Mary is the only one. She’s the only one who was there at both the beginning and the end. Joseph wasn’t. Peter wasn’t. Judas wasn’t, The shepherds and the wise men and the animals weren’t.

Not Caesar, Pilate, Caisphas, , the Centurion, the thieves, or the crowds. She was the only one who was there for him at his first breath and his last. The only one who went the whole journey with him.

Do you think she knew? Do you think she knew when she cried out in labor what other cries she would cry? When she wrapped him in bands of cloth, do you think she knew she would tie his winding sheet as well? And if so… why did she do it? Why didn’t she say “No” to the angel? Hadn’t she seen enough mothers holding enough dead sons to know … especially through Roman atrocities ?

But then didn’t she understand that she was setting the example for all mothers to come across the globe losing sons to wars, gangs, drugs, terrorism, etc.?

Do you think she saw all those mothers and all those broken hearts and knew that they would need to be fed with the milk of Hope and Strength… and that’s why she did it? Of course it is.”

So until tomorrow …A Mother’s Love -the greatest love

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh