Monday, August 17, 2020

Dear God,

Today was a lovely day in your spirit!  I stepped inside the spiritual hermitage, a 200-square-foot spiritual house and I began scrubbing the 150-year-old summer cupboard that belonged to ancestors of my husband.  But before I began I paused to pray.  I ran my hands over the old, hand-built, chipped cupboard while I whispered a prayer.  I gave thanks for the builder who took piles of assorted mismatched pieces of wood and put them together.  I thought about the pious housewife who canned vegetables and fruits and placed them in the cupboard, perhaps even praying while she canned.  I expressed gratitude for the cupboard which will hold items to be used while individuals live here on retreat for a few days.  I gave thanks for the privilege of cleaning, scrubbing, sanding, washing and painting it.  

The process of working with this antique cupboard gave me opportunity to think about Harold's family, Christian believers whose lives of faith were evident in everything they did.  I wondered how many prayers were held in each jar of food lovingly prepared and canned by a devout, faith-filled woman, mother and grandmother.  Passed down to other generations, this old, neglected cupboard sat in an enclosed back room for 60 years and then in our garage for nearly 20 years before I heard the call to claim it for a spiritual home for pilgrims who will find there way here.

Blessed are you,

God Most High.

Thank you

for the

summer cupboard

and all

the hidden prayers

it holds.

Thank you

for the invitation

to tend

to it

as I

prepare it

for loving service

once again.

Love always, Andrea