Studio Tours, Closets, and Weather

It's funny how just a little something can bring back memories from long ago, thoughts of a time when clearly I was treading water figuratively, just keeping my head above the emotional fray and trying to find some direction for my life. The thing that jogged my thoughts this morning were a few pictures on FB of the renovation and remodeling of South Main Baptist Church in Houston. The pictures showed the new details around the columns and decorative aspects of the sanctuary. I never attended South Main but they were on the cutting edge for the times of doing ministry for teenagers and several times my friends and I would go there on Friday nights to hear music groups or hear someone speak. The Baptist Book Store, that is what Lifeway was called back in the day, was right next door to the church. I spent many a Saturday afternoon perusing the store. My most poignant memory is Christmas 1972. With money I had saved and with Christmas money from my grandparents, I went to the Baptist Book Store to buy an Amplified Bible, a genuine real leather one. My preference was burgundy but I would take any other color if that wasn't available. My heart sank because the price of the Bible had gone up and I had the exact amount of cash for the Bible I had priced at Thanksgiving. The lady helping me knew my disappointment and offered an Amplified Bible that had a defect of light printing on two pages...in Jeremiah. She offered me that one at the old price and I gladly paid for it and took that Bible home. That particular Bible got me through a world of challenges, joys, and disappointments. This morning I am remembering a church who cared about teenagers and a lady who was used by God to once again show me, He is in the details of our lives. Oh the Bible with two pages of light printing, it was burgundy.

Since we did a brief look at Ecclesiastes in Sunday School, I am again reading through the chapters. Some find Ecclesiastes depressing, I don't. Guess you could say I'm a realist with playful tendencies. The book really tells it like it is, chasing the wind and vanity and the like, but there is a great amount of hope involved too.

Ecclesiastes 5:16-20New Living Translation (NLT)

16 And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind. 17 Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry.

19 And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. 20 God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.

 Verse 17 reminds me of my father..worked hard, chased the wind and thinks he can take what he gathered with him yet the truth is he has lived his life under a cloud, frustrated, discouraged and angry. Never enough, not good enough when it came to just about everything and thus he spent many a day, week and month sabotaging things worth celebrating or living for. As a saboteur circumstances turned out the way he planned that way, he was never disappointed yet he threw everyone else into chaos and upheaval. But I love verse 20, God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past. My past is just that the past and there was a brooding day but verse 19 plays in so well, enjoy your work, your lot in life because this is a gift from God. I am certainly enjoying life and brooding rarely happens.
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It is now Saturday afternoon. It has been a full and fun day. Yesterday, I began cleaning out one closet which led to two closets and eventually the pantry. Funny how that works. The original closet, well, it still needs some work and most probably I will get to that a little later. Since I am still staying away from the trash can excursion down the driveway with the bin and would rather just carry a big bag, a trip to the landfill was in order. $3.00 well spent. I also went to the Post Office, then picked up meds from the pharmacy and got an ice cream cone from the DQ as my reward.

This morning I got up to be ready early to get out to Addison Vineyards to see the blacksmith whose work I love. This is the weekend of the Leicester Studio Tour. It was a good thing I arrived early because he only had one door knocker and I claimed it. Last year on this same studio tour thing I bought a couple of pieces of his work and regretted not getting the door knocker...saw him at a Christmas show and he didn't have any. His work has become very popular in these parts and beyond. There were other artists in the winery tasting room, very talented. Then out to see the Appalachian broom maker at his studio. Bought one from him last year but didn't really see anything that caught my eye this time. Lunched at Turkey Creek and hit a few other stops and made it home just as the heavens opened with a nice rainfall. Rain cooled air and it is 79 outside. That rain made perfect short napping weather. Now the sun is out and the hummingbirds are defending their territory from one another. There are more now, guess word is out there is some good eats to be had.

And just like weather in Texas the sun is covered by clouds and we might get more rain. It never rains here...well, it does but not like everywhere else.