Lest My Readers Think That I've Capsized and Drowned....

I'd better get something published on this blog (assuming that there are still one or two faithful that continue to peek at this view from inside my head.)

I have not, in fact, capsized rather am enjoying a new vantage point of life from outside of the ordinary. My family has been displaced from our house since mid-August when our defective clothes dryer blazed up, incinerating itself, the load of whites that it was supposed to be drying, and causing some nasty smoke damage to the top floor of our house. Thankfully, we were home, awake, and able to remove ourselves without incident. (I have to laugh thinking about how calm everyone in the household was. I suppose that living the last few years with high decibel drama has mellowed us all. My children's chief concern was which of their garments might have been sacrificed in the dryer. And, I was worried about the loud alarms waking our neighbors, as it was rather late in the evening. Apart from that, it was business as usual).

God in his faithfulness is using this situation to demonstrate how he always gives beauty for ashes. When this is all said and done, we will have fresh carpet, walls painted in the colors of our choosing, new appliances, and best of all new mattresses. Everything should be restored and refreshed just in time for the holidays. Once again, we win.

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Art

I am in love with good design. It makes me swoon a little to see beautiful objects or environments that have been thoughtfully planned for maximum function and sensual appeal. That is, for me, a breathtaking combination. But even though my eyes are drawn to beauty, my life is not about consumption and has made a most drastic shift in the other direction in recent years. Instead, I find myself delighting in the art of living. And, there is an art to daily existence.

Here are some of my favorite works:

bathing. Those who know me well realize that I have a passion for good soap. The warmth of the water coupled with the delicious fragrance and suds of the soap are a daily feast for the senses.

tea. I love wrapping my fingers around a warm mug of tea, inhaling the steam.

laundry. I find that there is beauty in a neatly folded stack of towels both in the uniformity and in the lingering aroma of the lavender soap in which they were washed.

vacuuming. In the same way that the Japanese sand gardens comfort and delight, for me there is something quite appealing about the tracks that my vacuum cleaner makes in the carpet.

Cooking. Chopping, stirring, and tasting the fruit of my labor

I am learning to fully appreciate the beauty of ordinary things and the intricate steps of this dance that we are all engaged in. It is the dance of creation.