Prayers While Restoring an Old Door

Lord, do you ever wonder when the fixing will ever end?

Do you ever pop yourself in the head and ask yourself, "What were they thinking?"

Do you ever think you're finished, then come back to realize there are 157 more holes to fill?

Do you remember the care in the original construction? The dreams? The gratitude? The distant gaze?

Do you see me taking care to fix it properly, to remember the hands that created it, to remember the tree that became it?

Do you see me now, and before, and then?

Lover of my soul, take the work of my hands and make it a witness of your patience through the ages, yesterday, today, and forever.

The Construction Chronicles, Part 18

Or, "Snip, Snip, Snip"

The latest and greatest at the JustPat zone has to do with the removal of excess. Like a mega hair cut. Don't worry friends - I wouldn't cut my hair without telling you first. That will be celebrated with bugles and confetti, I promise.

First, the bolts that hold the toilet in place received the hack saw treatment so the obscure egg-like-bolt-cover-uppers could hide what was left of the bolts. Question: have you ever had a toilet that didn't have those cover-uppers sitting crooked on the bolt and/or not adequately doing their cover-upper thingie? All my toilets have had that problem. Which begs the question - why are we cover-upping our bolts?

Second, the door of a thousand scars has been cut off at the toes. Headless was witness to the amputation (uh...hem...bad pun). When carpet is installed on floor #2, attic door must close properly. So, 3/4 inch of door went to be with Jesus.


Third, Randy's Tree Removal showed up today. Laurel and Cedar also went to meet their maker, to rest in peace with the tree of heaven.



Now, I have wide open spaces! I have room for gardens - well, someday, when I get the heck out of the house - and best of all, I can see my house. It doesn't look like much now, but in my imagination I see paradise down the road...



I'm undergoing a bit of internal trimming at the moment, too. When one takes on too much too soon, one spills over. I can't go into all the reasons for the pruning, because I don't understand them all myself, and - really - do we ever truly get all our reasons? I don't. But, I know that God has called me to quietness and rest, even in the midst of this project, my job, and my goals. I find that, by His grace, I have no choice but to be quiet and rest, and accept that goals will be realized in His time. The challenge for me is to rest in that zone of no choice.