Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

Don’t we love to hold on to sentimental things? In many cases for too long. For years I have begged my adult ” children” to come get anything they want to keep but basically they seem content for me to keep it.

Rutledge is the only one who helps me out because he wants all his dad’s football trophies, jerseys, equipment… and I am more than happy to send it home with him!!!

Mark Nepo uses a beautiful metaphor to compare our tendency to hang onto items from the past too long by comparing it to a river. A river doesn’t ” own” the water that rushes by…yet it still retains a close relationship to it, as the force of what moves through shapes it. It is the same with everything we love. In truth there is no point holding on to past mementos … for the loving moments have already shaped us into who we are.

How many times have we tried to clean out trunks and closets-only to get detoured looking at old report cards, letters from camp, awards, etc. and moving the sentimental items from one box to another? Mission Impossible!

Sentiment releases powerful feelings that hibernate in us. They take the forms of cards, dried flowers or books. We end up carrying the past too long and the past can weigh us down.

Memories of the love between my children and now grandchildren will always live within me-hanging on to too much ” sentimental stuff” just drags us down-because love is on-going and must be enjoyed in the moment. Do we really need to hang on to a memento to keep that on-going love afloat or free ourselves for the next expression of love!

So until tomorrow … we should realize that the ” most useful gift we can give ourselves is to lay our lives open like a river.”

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

We are a goal-driven society. By an early age we have been immersed in the societal programmed ideology that there are certain paths in life that we should follow.

It all begins with the word ” resume.” We should strive to achieve good grades, participate in diversified activities, get a college education, marry well, and become a master at multitasking.

Anything less… like detouring off the tried and true path, writing for one’s own enjoyment rather than acclaim and money, missing a step on the corporate ladder … resulting in a fall… are , well, just simply unacceptable!

Not only unacceptable… but the whispered ” Tsk-Tsk’s” ( shame on you) become louder with time. In society’s opinion our voluntary withdrawal from the ” Land of High Expectations” will result in landing in the dark, shadowy woods where we are sure to fall prey to “bears and tigers and lions… oh my! “

If our lives are grounded in the life of the spirit, and not materialism and fame… then the only success that matters (with any hope of a lasting legacy) is sharing life’s secrets ( the important ones we have learned through living life) with others.

*** ( That is not to say I wouldn’t be happy to win a literary prize but I think my best ” shot” at it would be in the category of longevity…

( My introduction sounding something like this…)

” Sometimes her writings weren’t that great but that ole’ gal just kept at it-sharing the mundane of life in her search for the heavenly while , surprisingly, discovering that within the mundane boundaries of the universe lies the true meaning of spiritual or heavenly one.”

So until tomorrow-my epitaph-“She Loved Her Life”

Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

I have come to recognize that my eating habits have a craving tendency to appear in intervals and then disappear quite suddenly. ( I simply then move on to another craving. )

In the past few weeks… my morning ritual has turned to consuming scrambled egg sandwiches. After going for months without any eggs in the fridge… it is now the first thing I check for each morning. So yesterday when I opened a new carton, to my delight, Eggland’s Best was paying tribute to Breast Cancer with an added pink ribbon 🎀 on each egg.

This weekend is proving to be a cold, rainy one -high’s in the mid-forties with a record broken Friday for the coldest day on record on this date. All the grandchildren’s activities were canceled for Saturday… maybe to be made up today Sunday but even that could end up being canceled.

In honor of the coldest November day in the Lowcountry-I built my first fire in the den and felt enveloped in comfort and joy!

While I was scrambling my egg , yesterday, and staring at the pink ribbon egg carton.. suddenly a legend resurfaced about a red egg. After breakfast I found it on-line and an interesting history of the egg pre-Christian times.

We must go to the Ukraine and it’s ancient culture to discover more egghistory pre-Christian days. Back then eggs were associated with different springtime rites. Being an agricultural society… a late or cold spring had an impact on crops, so people tried to harness the power of the sun to bring about the resurrection of spring.

And what reminds you of the sun? An egg with its bright yellow center and the life that springs from it. So they started writing on their eggs ( pysanky) and adorning them with symbols like the sun, a triangle, or a line that encircles the egg.)

.. And now the Legend of the Red Egg. One version of this tale maintains that after the risen Christ had ascended to Heaven, Mary Magdalene went to Rome and had an audience with the Roman Emperor, Tiberius Caesar. It was the custom for those visiting the Emperor to take him a gift so Mary took an egg. She rebuked Caesar for the crucifixion of Jesus and then handed him the egg-a symbol of new life-saying ” Christ is risen!”

Caesar replied, ” How could anyone rise from the dead? It is as impossible as it would be for that egg to change from white to red.” According to the story, as he was saying these words, the egg turned blood red.

So until tomorrow… white, pink or red the egg, at any season of the year, represents hope to me and though amazing life will soon hibernate … nothing will die… my garden will return again next spring-refreshed and ready to bloom again !

” Today is my favorite day. ” Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

When life goes askew and we feel like the world is turning upside down, we have a tendency to crawl back in our ” caves” and strive to return to a more predictable life.

We should know by now that words and phrases like normal, predictable, smooth sailing, etc. … are antonyms in defining life. Yet… we just can’t help ourselves. Maybe this time when everything goes wrong at the same we can find the magic medicine to cure the world’s ailments or at least ours.

If we ever stop and think about it… would we really like to live our one journey through life knowing everything before it happens? Good or bad?

As a child I was terrified of roller coasters and it finally took a dare in high school to get me on one. As the coaster slowly made the deliberate slow climb to the top of the first pinnacle… and made that dreadful pause… I simply closed my eyes and went into my imagination as far as I could go!

I imagined I was in the woods with Snow White with all the birds twittering… and loudly ( while everyone else was screaming) I began singing ” One day my prince will come” -I was shocked when the ride was over.

I had learned an important lesson-I had an escape-another world in which to dwell when the reality of this one became too much. I still, even as an adult, retreat to the secret world of imagination.

How many stories have we read of POW’s or Holocaust survivors or abused family members using the same secret passage when needed.

On the flip side I doubt any Amusement Park would stay in business long with rides named” Steady Eddy” or ” Deliberate Dan” or ” No Turns Ted”… No Thrill Rides-guaranteed to put you to sleep!

And yet many humans think this is what life should be… slow and steady, no changes or surprises-our whole life journey deliberately mapped out with every benchmark marked for us in advance. We need to remember to be careful what we wish for?

So until tomorrow… life will never become predictably smooth for any of us… and for that …in this month of gratitude-we should be thankful.

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

Cindy Ashley said it best when she observed that my three HVAC repairmen were actually my “Three Wise Men” …bringing the three gifts of Relief, Support, and the most precious- “myrrh-fully ” HEAT!

Let us never forget on the challenging days along our own journey… that Some day”…

Dear Reader:

In Karen White’s last novel in the Charleston ghost “Tradd Street” series-the author once again shares an historical tidbit that lured me right in. The history behind the ” charm strings.”

Before Tik-Tok and Instagram, Civil War period girls ( 1860’s) made ” charm strings.” They would sew or string buttons on a piece of fabric or a leather strap. When they added the 1000th button, that’s when they would supposedly meet the man they would marry.

All I can say about yesterday is that I must have hit the jackpot with HVAC installation repairmen and technicians…. perhaps I was the 1000th caller!

They arrived promptly on time, ( 3 repairmen) continued to go the extra mile by first having to take down the patio fence to even get to it and show me the holes on the old one that was letting in carbon monoxide!!! So scary-that unit was shot!

They explained every part of the procedure and for the next 4 to 5 hours they never stopped working-at noon I took out bottles of water and chicken sandwiches.

Everything was pieced back the way it was found-except cleaner and better. Not one piece of trash was left-Mickey is returning in a couple of days to double check everything.

These wonderful technicians collectively had more heart than any other repairmen I have used of late or in the past. First heart… and then heat, glorious heat on a very chilly night-they arrived just in time!

So until tomorrow…

” Today is my favorite day”

I am asking for prayers for my Ya sister of mine-Brooke! Her husband Ted has been in and out of the hospital practically weekly this past month-and exhaustion and sadness is settling in – let’s pray for strength from God to help her and their families through this extremely difficult time! The Power of Prayer!

Dear Reader:

We all know that life counterbalances between contentment, peace, serenity… and adversity …appearing, unexpectedly in a diversity of unsettling forms.

When I woke up Tuesday morning and walked out to my garden I was met with this scene!

My Confederate Rose had literally fallen during the night-perhaps a reenactment of the Legendary Confederate soldier being shot? I think not… all the other stems were dry and brittle-so I pulled them out and lugged them to the front for disposal.

Since the stem was still alive with the blooms on it, I added more potting soil/ water and placed it back in the hole …letting it prop against the garage wall temporarily. It was then I saw the title picture-new blossoms were forming on a separate small stem-Hope survived. The Confederate Rose had not given up.

In 2020 Brene Brown returned to her alma mater ( University of Texas) to share her thoughts on never giving up. Five Key Words comprised her advice to the Covid-19 class of 2020.

GET BACK UP. BEGIN AGAIN.

” To get back up from a fall, to get back up from a setback, to get back up from what we’re in right now, you have to acknowledge you’re down, that you’ve fallen, failed, made a mistake.

You have to be brave enough to acknowledge that you’re hurting, that you’re sad, disappointed, grieving, feeling shame; whatever feeling you’re in, you have to own it. We cannot begin again, when we’re dragging unspoken and unexplored emotions behind us. We have to be brave and curious and to dig into the feelings of a fall.”

After starting the day with this plant ” fall” … I was praying that things would improve when the heating/ air mechanic checked my unit-hoping he could just replace a part. Unfortunately the unit was so old there were no parts still in existence to replace the two needed- but still determined …my mechanic told me he was going to try the parts ” cemetery” and was gone for hours looking. All to no avail.

But then things began turning around-the unbelievable price he gave me for the installation and new unit was so much lower than I dared hoped for…I could cover it without a costly loan-it was almost exactly the amount I had saved for a ” rainy” day-instead it would be used for ” chilly” days followed seasonally by hot ones! Hope, once again, had come through and a guardian angel of a mechanic who went the extra mile for me.

So until tomorrow… falls teach us much more about ourselves than any achievements ever will. During trying times… dig down… you just might discover buds waiting to bloom again!

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

I have discovered something about myself since starting this blog post eleven years ago. When I let myself be vulnerable and open to surprises I am never disappointed.

Yesterday I sat down before the computer and just let myself be silent and observant. My eyes glanced at many of my favorite books over the past decade and one drew me to it.

It was one of Mark Nepo’s first books-titled Facing the Lion, Being the Lion. Wasn’t there a story in it that I really liked? What was it? I googled just the first part of the title, Facing the Lion, and to my surprise another book popped up.

As I began to read anecdotes from it… I forgot all about my first inclination and became completely absorbed in this true story… of a young boy growing up Maasai on the African Savanna.

( I have decided God likes us to get off the main road and take detours.)

This particular nomadic tribe still clings to their ancient ways and need only one breed of animal to maintain their livelihood -living off the land and their cattle.

Lekuton, the storyteller, regales one astonishing tale after the other… they give no thought to walking 20 to 30 miles a day. Holding nothing more than thin spears , they fearlessly face down lions that prey on their cattle . They live in straw huts, wear beads and necklaces and braids. They build their lives around the cattle’s needs and follow them to new homes every few months.

Lekuton was one of only a handful of children who attended school-being a good student he was taunted by the children who didn’t attend. Every time the cattle moved he would find his school remained behind-so for him… running up to 40 miles to get there happened on more than one occasion. He finally got a space in a dormitory-but this caused a problem-he didn’t know where ” home” was when he was released for holidays.

So until tomorrow… ( I love this observation from Lekuton)

” Some people might say our society is primitive, but I think it is the best, fairest system I know. Our system is based not only on the family, but also on the village itself. No one goes hungry. We take care of each other. Children respect their elders. If children do wrong, any adult can correct them. That means everyone in the village are equal.”

” Today is my favorite day.” Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

Archibald Rutledge, once owner of Hampton Plantation, admitted that sunsets along the marsh of his beloved home were most beautiful in October and November. Sunrises couldn’t compete during this season-Autumnal sunsets were breathtaking!

The beauty of these sunsets lead to misperceptions that plantation life was idyllic and carefree. Rutledge knew better-no matter the land or where one calls home… life is unpredictable. Yet Rutledge came to realize that ” life is enlivened by its uncertainty and made dearer by its insecurity and brevity. “

In other words… problems are here to stay and if one day you have none… you have ” crossed over.”

Rutledge shares this true anecdote that supports his theory that ” life everywhere is made up of roses and razorbacks, arsenic and azaleas. If it were otherwise it would not be so piquant.”

Before Archibald Rutledge left New England to permanently move back to Hampton Plantation to devote the rest of his life restoring it… he got a note from his foreman and caretaker that ” he was badly in need of a mule.” ( His former mule had died and he had found him a really good replacement!)

Rutledge purchased it for him but it soon appeared that he had only half supplied his foreman’s longing. He wanted a wagon to go with the mule. Then as he put it, he would have ” real transportation.”

After lengthy negotiations Rutledge purchased a wagon from a mail-order house. Rutledge sent specific directions since the trip would require rail and boat to get there-weeks later it arrived-at Rutledge’s home address in New England-not Hampton Plantation in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

Frustrated and after much loss of time… due to the low-gear speed on Southern freights of the time, the wagon was reported to Archibald as having arrived within ten miles of the plantation.

Rutledge let his foreman know the good news! He knew his foreman would ride the mule down to the place, proudly hitching him up, and then drive home in a ” lordly ” manner. Rutledge found himself smiling broadly at the image of his grand return!

A few days later, however, this devastating message arrived from his caretaker: ” Dear Cap’n, the day before the wagon came, the mule died.”

Haven’t we all gone though periods like this… the challenging intervals that perfectly fit the timely adage… If I didn’t have bad luck I wouldn’t have no luck at all.”

Yesterday I had to go to my bank and check on my Visa Bank card that has mysteriously disappeared… I know exactly the last time I used it over the weekend but when I called the restaurant nothing had shown up.

I tore the house apart and car looking but with no luck-then when I got home Saturday afternoon I was chilly so turned on my heat for the first time and nothing…thank goodness for heating pads and blankets ! Mickey is coming to check the unit today but it will be nothing short of a miracle if he can revive it-it has been on borrowed time now for quite awhile-add my property taxes check payment going out this past week and I feel a ” perfect storm” gathering. Still I believe in miracles!

In the big picture all these challenges are just annoyance and become misty memories in the past. All will be good! Poor but good!!

*** Only Libby, called me (also with similar heating problems ) to check on me to see if I could still count! October is the 10th month-not the eighth-no matter how many arms an octopus has!

I burst out laughing-Finally someone noticed my Halloween trick-I figured all the other readers were simply ignoring the glaring error or knew why October was once considered the eighth month. Before the Roman Senate voted to change the calendar… the first month of the year was March ( not January) thus October WAS originally The eighth month!

So until tomorrow I will remember November is our month for Thanksgiving, gratitude, and blessings.

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Flappers, old football players, rocker unicorn princesses and Lachlan and Jake are into Minecraft figures… Boo isn’t up with that trend yet???

The way the holidays are all running into each other this year… I think the Peanuts gang have it right!

Dear Reader:

The world loves the eighth month of October… with scenes and scents of Harvest moons, haystacks, pumpkins, cool weather, Halloween and a happy bid farewell to summer in the south.

Have you ever considered the connection, however, of October to an octopus? Both their root words come from ” octo”… Latin for eight. Eighth month and an octopus has eight arms.

In fact on the eighth of October … International Octopus Day is celebrated in many areas around the world. If October is the most beloved month of all… how about an octopus with three hearts, eight arms, and nine brains?

Yet as we bid October sadly farewell today, the first day of November, All Saints Day… most of us are snatching just one more piece of candy from the trick or treat bowl… and trying to think of a hiding place we can put it where hopefully …out of sight will lead to out of mind.

Yesterday I attended our early church service which is held out in the woods behind the sanctuary . It was really chilly and it appeared that some mischievous ” spirits” decided to play a part in the Halloween Day service.

Our pastor, Jeff, said it had already been a busy morning for him before arriving and everything just seemed to go slightly askew in a humorous way.

Occasionally it sounded like it was raining-it wasn’t but rain drops left on the leaves from the drizzle during the night before-dropped off the falling leaves -it sounded like rain-and one drop landed right on my nose!

The microphone had this strange static in it and a couple of times, if one was listening carefully…a female voice sounded ( for a few seconds) while Jeff was talking-very strange. We have all seen or heard in spooky movies disappearing stairs in haunted houses… while singing the last hymn .. words from the last stanzas disappeared in mid-paragraph and we all had to hum the remainder of the stanza. It was definitely a “Halloween Trick” service-but no matter-listening to Jeff is always a treat! * And besides today, November 1 is when ” All the Saints Come Marching In.”

I want to say goodbye to Pink October… Breast Cancer Month… was so proud of Lachlan and his team, The Iron Horses, for wearing pink socks in remembrance of this disease that sadly affects so many families!

Love you Rutledge! 💕

Friday was Storybook Character Day from a favorite children’s book. Eva Cate dressed up for her book SMILE and Jake was ” Jack” in the Magic Tree House series. I introduced these books from days ordering them for third / fourth grade SC and American history social studies classes! The boys LOVE them!

So until tomorrow… Sweet November is here with thanksgiving, praise, and gratitude!

Today is my favorite day! Winnie the Pooh

*** Don’t forget! Today is the first day of November! Say ” Rabbit, Rabbit” and have a marvelous month!

–

Dear Reader:

Let the fun begin! I love Halloween for all its creativity! And one family member really pulled off a great “act” Friday! But first… another look behind the history of this holiday.

The term ” Halloween ” combines two word origins -” Hallow’s Eve” and “Hallowed Evening.” In early Europe the word “hallows” was synonymous with ” saints.” Hundreds of years ago saints / hallows went door to door collecting money, clothing, and food for the poor.

The term “Hallowed” means greatly revered, honored, and/ or consecrated. We hear both terms together in one famous line from the Gettysburg Address!

” But in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate , we can not hallow this ground.” Lincoln concludes his thoughts with…only the brave men, living and dead who struggled here deserve that honor!

Yesterday I kept four of the five grandchildren with help from Katie-a babysitter and now student teacher. In our attempt to wear the kids down-we were the ones who wore down! A visual history of the day!

And now the most creative Halloween costume-Kaitlyn going into work ( law office) Friday dressed as Elle Woods from movie Legally Blond! See who’s in her pocketbook?

So until tomorrow… stay Hallowed and Happy

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh