The Construction Chronicals, Part 5
This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for gypsum and mud.
I came home to find my attic mostly drywalled, my plumbing half done, and my east window installed. I didn't sit on the floor and cry big tears of joy, because the floor's a mess. But, I stayed a while.
It's so amazing to see the drywall over all the studs we placed, all the insulation we stapled, all the wiring we strung. It covers the work I'm proud of and the work that was, well, good enough. It's not essential for structure or warmth, even safety really. But it makes it pretty, and desirable to live in, to adorn.
There are a couple of areas where it is now obvious that the rafters were not completely straight. The casual observer would wonder why care wasn't taken to get it right before covering it with the drywall. But, I know that a lot of care was taken, and that after 100 years of stress, a house gets a little crooked. And, why not celebrate the hard work of 100 years with a little covering? Some creative painting will keep my house's imperfections unobvious to those who don't care about it like I do.
Sometimes we don't cover things to hide them. We cover them to make living among others possible, doing the best with what we have due to the work we've done to get there. To those who care, the craftsmanship is still appreciated beneath the veneer; the stories and the struggles are not lost. When it's time to remodel, the foundation is still there.
Thank you, Lord, for family.
I came home to find my attic mostly drywalled, my plumbing half done, and my east window installed. I didn't sit on the floor and cry big tears of joy, because the floor's a mess. But, I stayed a while.
It's so amazing to see the drywall over all the studs we placed, all the insulation we stapled, all the wiring we strung. It covers the work I'm proud of and the work that was, well, good enough. It's not essential for structure or warmth, even safety really. But it makes it pretty, and desirable to live in, to adorn.
There are a couple of areas where it is now obvious that the rafters were not completely straight. The casual observer would wonder why care wasn't taken to get it right before covering it with the drywall. But, I know that a lot of care was taken, and that after 100 years of stress, a house gets a little crooked. And, why not celebrate the hard work of 100 years with a little covering? Some creative painting will keep my house's imperfections unobvious to those who don't care about it like I do.
Sometimes we don't cover things to hide them. We cover them to make living among others possible, doing the best with what we have due to the work we've done to get there. To those who care, the craftsmanship is still appreciated beneath the veneer; the stories and the struggles are not lost. When it's time to remodel, the foundation is still there.
Thank you, Lord, for family.
3 Comments:
Until you mentioned the angle, I didn't notice...just lucky I guess!
As I sit here in the 'wee hours'...tears stream down my face.
As much as I am thrilled to see the white of your dry wall....I read your words, and the heart of your words:
"Sometimes we don't cover things to hide them. We cover them to make living among others possible, doing the best with what we have due to the work we've done to get there. To those who care, the craftsmanship is still appreciated beneath the veneer; the stories and the struggles are not lost. When it's time to remodel, the foundation is still there."
Praise God that your foundation is HIM. As I said in my privious post...I look to see all the changes in your life...not only the space you live in. The above speaks to me in a deep deep place...and although I don't know you were not only speaking of the rafters of a 100yr. old house...
I think there are some similarities in the inner strings of a gorgeous 40 woman who was crafted by an AMAZING GOD!
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine...." Eph. 3:20
You read my metaphor correctly, Femme. It's not just about me, but also about my family and friends, and the community of love I've known that has grace for the quirkiness of emotional scars and amputations.
Here's to ascribing more honor to the less glamorous members of His Body.
Thanks so much for your love and your affirmation, friend!
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