June 22, 2022 None of it goes together. My husband, son and I live in a relatively small house. The original structure was built in the late 1800s, and a major addition was constructed in the 1940s. When I describe our house, I often note that “nothing is level, and nothing is square.” It’s a mix of old and new. We purchased it as a fixer-upper more than a decade ago, and we’ve continued to make improvements and changes. While those factors listed above contribute to its charm, they’re not the parts of our home that I love most and make it representative of our family. To see what makes it “our home,” to see its character, you’d have to walk inside and look around at the walls, shelves, furniture, textiles, décor… I don’t think there’s a word for our style other than maybe “eclectic.” In the kitchen, there’s a set of vintage chairs with lime green fabric, triangular backs and iron legs around a table with similar legs. That room has vintage trays in various colors on one wall and a (porcelain, ceramic or something breakable) crab and fish on another wall. Several areas of the house feature vintage light-up signs (different “EXIT” signs and an “X-ray in progress” sign). We have a tiki wall-hanging my husband carved to hold my ukulele; masks, art, statutes and other items from around; and a family photo wall backed with colorful fabric. Our downstairs bathroom – our only bathroom – is decorated in a Star Wars theme with a themed shower curtain, bathmat, and trashcan. There’s even an R2-D2 shower head. If we see things we love and can envision them in a spot, we bring them home! Various parts of our home reveal what we find interesting, beautiful or enjoyable. None of it goes together, but somehow it does. Together, the colors blend and the styles transition and merge. If you take the time to look for uniqueness and differences, you’ll see them, but it all somehow works together. I thought about that as I reflected upon my experience of Church over the last couple of weeks. Between my work, my parish and the organizations and groups God has put in my life to draw me closer to Him, God regularly brings people into my life with diverse ages, backgrounds, opinions and experiences. None of us “go together.” Yet we go together perfectly, and our differences complement each other and make us more complete. Like my family’s house reflects the things we love, the differences God has given His people represent things He loves. We all have gifts to contribute, and we’re better together. We belong together. |
|||||
|
|||||||||
