Remains of the Day

Pinterest may have peaked in its popularity but it is still an awesome place to discover how to make a handcrafted travel mug warmer from the re-purposed sleeve of a worn out wool sweater. Or a trendy trivet made from reclaimed wine bottle corks.

•

Think about how many possessions actually go through our hands over the years of our existence. We possess so much stuff and go through so much stuff and throw out so much stuff that we’re numb to an extended purpose for many of these things. The sweater may have started with some humble yarn but going back to its origins it was once on the woolly back of a real live creature roaming and grazing somewhere on a hillside. The cork from the wine bottle was procured from a tree, living and growing out in the fresh air, sustained by sunshine and nature as God intended.

•

The roses were a gift from a kind soul who truly cannot afford such an extravagance. They were beautiful in their newly gifted state as tightly bound rose buds and have continued to expand over a week’s time, nearly doubling in size. Their fragrance just as incredible as the vivid colors of their petals, reminiscent of Joseph’s Amazing Technicolor Coat. Over the course of about seven days their velvety petals began to soften and droop. The color began to change. Their hearty stems hung in there while the stars they supported slipped into retirement. But they are not quite done just yet.

•

Though often hiding in plain sight there are new ways aplenty to enjoy what is meaningful, useful and colorful after the bloom is off that rose. The petals from the birthday bouquet have a new look on this Friday morning being parted from their stems and now lounging on the crystal cake stand. When they dry they’ll become part of a potpourri mix. If the colors fade to brown they’ll go into the garden as compost, lending their remaining nutrients to those in the earlier stages of growth and development. Oh, don’t you love the full cycle?

•

Lord, make me aware of the things (and the people) who aren’t done yet—who still have purpose and are not yet ready to be swept into the rubbish bin or cast away. Open my eyes.