home improvement

 

 

 

Well my dear ones,

 

 

You may think this is the dumbest thing

you’ve ever heard – and I’m OK with that.

 

Whenever I walk into one of those stores

that deals in home improvement,

I get a great sense of peace.

 

Even if I just came in for one or two

specific things, I will gravitate toward

the lumber area, and I will look at the wood

and contemplate the things I might build.

 

On one particularly stressful day,

I went to the local Home Depot to chill.

While looking at cedar roofing shingles

(which are 12 feet long by 7-1/4 inches high),

I realized I could make a kayak

out of a couple of them,

along with some 1/8” plywood for the bottom

and some pine strips for a deck

...everything I needed was right there

in the local home improvement store;

all I needed to do was to think of how

materials meant for one use,

could be used for something else.

 

In the end, it worked out,

and I got a pretty credible boat.

 

http://theeverencouragingword.blogspot.com/2016/05/ready-to-launch.html

 

 

It’s not my best design,

but it works pretty well,

and I’m still using it years later.

 

My best design was likely

“the 24-pound-boat”

 

http://theeverencouragingword.blogspot.com/2016/05/dave-holding-24-pound-boat.html

 

That was made back in the day

when I sold boat plans;

and I recall a blurb I had

in the introduction to those plans:

 

“In this age of space age materials,

many people think wooden boats are outdated,

but in my opinion, these people are

missing out on a great opportunity. 

For all our advances in technology,

still, only God can make a tree. 

So, when you build this boat,

you will effectively be

collaborating with God

to create a work of art,

and that is pretty cool.”

 

For me, wood is my thing,

my most-used medium;

I’ve built decks, porches,

and all kind of things

out of it, including boats.

That’s why, every time

I walk through the lumber section

of any home improvement store,

I feel a great sense of peace

and connectedness,

as I think about the things

that I could create.

 

For my wife, its plants;

while I’m in the lumber section,

she will be in the gardening section,

piecing together just the right

selection of plants she needs

to create one of her many cool gardens.

(And since all of life started in a Garden,

that’s a way cool thing, too. =>)

 

Perhaps, like my friend, Paul,

metal is your thing;

he’s an awesome welder,

who likes to create with steel.

 

Maybe canvas is your thing,

and you’re meant to paint.

 

It might be that words are your thing,

and you’re meant to be a story teller.

 

There are many ways and many mediums

that we can use,

but I think the Creator

has endowed us with a desire to create.

Even as toddlers,

we enjoyed finger painting. =)

 

Perhaps you’ve been out of it for a bit,

or maybe you’ve yet to find your muse.

It might be time

to go the home improvement story,

to go to the art supply store,

to go to the craft store,

to go to the gardening store,

and find what calls out to you,

and create something.

 

Even if no one else

knows about it or sees it,

even if it’s between you and God alone,

I think you’ll find a sense of peace.

 

Creating things is just plain cool. =D

 

 

grace, peace, and love to you,

dave

 

P.S. I’m still pretty poor at social media,

but I’m trying to post a quick encouragement,

pretty much every day, on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/thedavemyster