I've been at my family's cabin in NC this weekend doing some maintenance. My main job was to strip the deck for refinishing. In so doing we found layers of paint that brought out layers of life spent there. We decided not to sand all the paint away, but to leave a distressed look. The following will be posted in a frame on the porch. Incidentally, if anyone wants to rent the place you can find it here. It's a quaint, affordable getaway in Western NC with a creek in the back and Pisgah National Forrest land behind that. It's a little bit of heaven on earth. Anyway, here's the story...
Well, actually it’s my second life. In my first life I was flooring in a hundred year old pool cabana in Columbus, Georgia. After a time the pool was gone, and it seemed I was destined for dilapidation and disrepair. But a man named Bill changed all that. He tenderly dismantled me and brought me here, Stoney fork Cabin in North Carolina. During some recent maintenance my true colors were revealed, and they tell the story of my life. Some have found as many as nine layers of paint in various places. Some of those are from my last life (I haven’t been a blond in years). These are the ones that tell you about this life.
Bright Green is the color of grandchildren running past…
a grandfather making bows and arrows from sticks
and twine and teaching the art of building dams in the creek…
a grandmother making play dough from scratch,
and snacks with peanut butter and honey…
and older children coming in from camping in the woods.
Shades of Brown are the colors of beloved partners moving into their autumn years…
welcoming the day with devotion…
entertaining guests from Priests to missionaries, strangers, and friends…
and welcoming family in need off retreat from a world too busy for them.
Grey is the color of remembering loved ones whose lives have past.
The Wood Grain engraved with my history remains as an invitation to you. For your story is now part of mine…
Come and rest your weary bones (Matthew 11:28).
Come if you need a space to consider a new life (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).
Come if you want to play in the woods and the creek (Psalm 104:24).
Come and welcome others to join you (Hebrews 13:2).
Search to see how many colors you can see! You may just find your own…
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