As the name of my blog indicates, I spend a lot of time thinking about home. Of course, my Heavenly Home is the one that is eternal, so that’s where I need to lay up my treasures, and that’s the one I’m striving for. But in the meantime, I have been given this tiny piece of the here-and-now—this home on the edge of town, this family, this neighborhood—in which to serve Him. And, though this is in the earthly realm, I want the things that happen here to be investments in the Heavenly realm.




Friday, April 22, 2016

A Spot of Beauty


We have learned that moving is not for the faint of heart. 

It is work. And thinking. And more work. And more thinking. And when you think you are nearing the end and you've packed up or given away or donated or tossed thirty-five years' worth of worldly goods, then you find another place that isn't packed or another paper you have to sign and it just seems to keep on going. Probably because we are novices at this, and probably because we have too much stuff. But the end is in sight...

I have also learned how important beauty and order are to me. Over the past seven weeks, my pretty things have disappeared one by one, replaced by cleaning products and piles of boxes and starkness and chaos. I confess to feeling discombobulated, longing to put things together rather than take things apart. 

When my daughter-in-law came one night this week, she handed me a cluster of azalea blooms. I scrambled for a vessel and filled it with water, and now the azalea graces my very messy table in my "warehouse" of a kitchen. It is a spot of beauty that makes me smile. 



What if I am that spot of beauty in a lost world? Not because I am beautiful or good or have anything of my own to offer, but because I am reflecting His beauty in the midst of a world of chaos and disorder. 




21 comments:

  1. What a lovely thought...one little perfect thing in the midst of chaos can be so very important.

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  2. Oh what a beautiful thought to begin my day! Been thinking about you..hang in there..
    this too shall pass!

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  3. Good morning! What a wonderful thought! And yep, moving is A LOT of work...seemingly unending and definitely discombobulating, but like Lucy said, this too shall pass and soon you will be all settled in with a place for everything and everything in it's place! Have a good week-end!

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  4. I haven't moved in a long time but before this house I moved many times, and always important to me was a small space free of clutter and filled with simple beauty where I could focus while chaos was around us! I am such a visual person it helped a lot. You are so good at putting small lessons to your thinking and observations. You really should write a devotional book. Once you're settled. :-)

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  5. We've only moved 3 times in our 40 plus years of marriage, but I remember what a job it was. Glad you are able to find moments of peace and beauty during this busy time. Take care and don't work too hard!

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  6. I have been in my home for 36 years and so can empathize with you. It would be difficult for me to move. Even straightening up the house and trying to get things out of here is hard. I also need that little spot of beauty and order. How lovely the flowers are. And I agree completely that we need to be that little spot of order in our world of chaos.

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  7. You do reflect His goodness and light and beauty! This is a great lesson for us all to think about. You have the finish line in sight, sweet friend! Then the fun of making a home in a new home!

    Love you lots!

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  8. It will be so worth it when you are settled in. Can't wait to see the new place!

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  9. Just right; just enough. You, too, just as you are.

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  10. Oh Cheryl, I needed to hear your wise words today. Thank you! What a sweet gesture from your daughter-in-law. I hope you are finding breaks throughout your process of moving. ♥

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  11. I'm thinking you are reflecting his beauty wherever you are. Hoping you settle in and that you find joy in unpacking in your new place. Moving is right up there in the hard and stressful experiences in your life. Blessings on you all as you settle in...

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  12. YOU are a gift! A wonder and a blessing!

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  13. A wonderful thought to start this weekend. With it you have blessed many already.

    Love your bright spot of azalea blooms. Pretty soon you'll be unpacking all of your pretties in your new home and it will be like Christmas.

    Have a nice weekend ~ FlowerLady

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  14. I feel the love and wonder of that single blossom of azalea in your dismantled home. An anchor for the soul in the midst of abnormal and disarray.

    Wishing you grace ... strength upon strength ... for you and your family through this time of transition.

    Brenda
    xox

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  15. We have moved many times and it is so hard. When we moved to this house, I told my husband I'm moving only at the Lord's return! No packing then.

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  16. Beautiful post, Cheryl. I've been paying for you during this huge project. May God give you strength to get through it. As I look around me, I know we need to downsize and start making plans for an eventual move. Just the thought of it is exhausting. Yikes.

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  17. Awww Cheryl - praying that you won't be too traumatized by this huge feat! Love that you have a spot of beauty on your kitchen table to keep you grounded. My mother always said that you should have a bouquet of fresh flowers on the table - then no one will ever notice the messy room! Wishing you all the best in the days to come!

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  18. hmmm... seeing the beauty midst the rubble. :) so you.

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