Monday, February 15, 2016

My potty room...


I have a potty room in my master bath. This water closet is awkwardly, a bit too long, and the ceilings, a might too tall, making it feel a little like a tunnel.

When I moved, I downsized to a home almost half the size of my previous house. I have a penchant for buying unusual, quirky stuff, and am known to place or hang things in odd, unexpected places. Our old home enabled me lots of wall space, shelves, bedrooms and table tops to fill with photos, art and artifacts. I loved walking into rooms that held all my treasures. Moving into this home, I decorated the walls and shelves with my favorite items, but after all was said and done, I still had storage bins full of items to display, but there was no place for them.

One day, sitting in my dreary potty room, and staring at this unseemly long tunnel, a light went on, I suddenly knew what to do with those extra treasurers! I grabbed the storage bins, a box of nails, hammer, ladder, and back to the potty room I went.

I didn’t really think about placement, I just started hanging, one piece, after another, after another. Soon my tunnel-like potty room was filled ceiling-to-floor, wall-to-wall with treasures. I hung grandchildren’s framed art work. I put up little shelves that held the red rubber snow shoes that I had worn as a small child along with my first little white leather Bible. I hung photo after photo of my sweet family..old pictures of my parents, of Steve when he was small, a photo of me with Santa, beside a photo of Brent and Brooke with Santa, coupled with a photo of Harper and Harris with Santa. I hung needlework pieces friends had given me. I placed my grandmother’s tatted linen hanky on a small shelf. I hung the design Steve had sketched of our front door. I hammered and hung and hammered and hung and finally sat back and smiled. 



I sat on the floor of my too long potty room and I looked all around me, and it made me happy. Here hung memories of items Steve and I had collected on trips. Staring back at me were the sweet smiles and sparkling eyes of my children as youngsters, framed plaster molds of their tiny pre-school hands, photos of my precious six grandchildren surrounded me, Here was joy, and I was delighted with my new favorite room. I almost wish I had a big squishy chair instead of a potty in this little cozy tunnel of mine, for if I did, I imagine this is where I would spend most of my time.




God has walked with me through quite a few dark tunnels in my life. Even my darkest tunnels have been brightened by his gently hammering of his promises of hope, love and strength onto the walls of my heart. 

Looking back at those tunnels, those trials, those most difficult moments in my life, I am able to see there has been joy, comfort and peace, even in the most difficult times. I have felt God gently tacking his faithful promises on the walls of my heart, lighting my tunnels and enabling me to find my way back into the light.

I am thankful. I am blessed, to know a God that is able to decorate every aspect of my life with his love, so that all I need do is sit in my squishy chair and find joy in all that surrounds me.

For what its worth,
Janet 


2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”


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