Days of flowers and friends

Sunday, September 4, 2022

After Eki and Lyong take the obligatory selfies, they're off - young life is full of movement!

All week, the anniversary bouquet from BIC opens. The house smells of lilies.

One suitcase is packed for our home assignment. Another lies open on the bedroom floor. Goodies stashed in nooks and crannies are pulled out and placed in the luggage.

Monday

The dogs need no persuading. They love walking first thing in the morning. We pause at the neighbor's fragrant vine beside the path.

The poinsettias are in full bloom.

The day zips by. There are the usual morning meetings. I doodle and paste some batik flowers in the homemade botanical journal. This is such a "nothing" book. I'm determined to fill the pages. It's an exercise in patience and I'm gong to learn something new in the process, I promise.

We have brunch when we remember to eat. We pause for a mid-afternoon break at #NaraPark. W's in the mood for pizza and it's a short walk from home.

"Where did the tomato sauce go?" W wonders, reviewing the menu. The pepperoni pizza comes with a side of tomato ketchup and spicy sambal. We put that on top to pep up the flavor, and hits the spot.

Tuesday

After the morning walk with the dogs and a few calls, I pop into the art studio. I return to a "What about Dreams" series. Anything goes, when it's about dreams. My dreams are colorful. The hardest parts are making them real.

The 3 canvases total 100X48 cm (approx 39"X 18"). At first, I intend to paint flowers on an abstract background. Won't this make a good base for a garden of tiger lilies? But the dull colors feel stagnant every time I go into the studio. It sits for 2 months, sucking the life out of me.

Today I go in another direction, layering color on top and pausing while the paint dries. It helps to take a photo and turn it every which way. As usual, I forget to put on gloves  so my hands are full of paint. I give them a good scrub.

Later in the day, I add another layer. I think it's a cheer-me-up triptych for the stairwell. We'll see.

At team meeting, we're partly online and partly in person. Some of us get cookies and tea; the others provide us with good company and updates. (But no cookies for them. hehe)

Afterward, Shibli and I walk through the house. My parents brought paintings from Tanzania in the 70s; a few hang upstairs. They are glimpses of another era.

We talk about how a house acquires comfort, hospitality, and warmth. Most of us can't afford high end things. So it's vital to become alert to beauty in small things and ordinary things. 

Bringing in what catches our eye and letting that find its place creates a peaceful atmosphere. Most space begin plain, with fixed walls, ceilings, and floors. This was our nook when we moved in. It was a sewing room before we got here.

There's no rush to fill a space; it will fill itself. We paint the walls white. On-sale bedsheets become a panel of curtains with the help of IKEA clips.

We start to think about all the ways the space can be used. It's little: 7' X 9' or 2.3 X 3 meters, just off the main entry. Once the imagination takes flight, things start to flow into the house. We acquire 2 skinny tables from a warehouse closeout.

Here comes an IKEA lamp on sale. We find a weaving at the airport. I paint a mural with watery acrylics and kitchen sponges. That's topped with shelves that friends are rehoming. The macrame hanging is a Christmas gift.

And so it goes. Soon it's a nook with personality where I can spread out a quilt for stitching.

Or seat 10-12 people for a study or meal.

Is there a neglected space in your house? If so, what do you already have - or what's flowing by - to give it life and usefulness?

Spaces often reflect the soul of the inhabitants. 

Is there something inside you that has lain fallow for a long time? Why not ask God to bring that part of you to life?

Read more:

*You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’ Lamentations 3:57

*Can a woman forget her nursing-child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Isaiah 49:15

*Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. John 16:24

*So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.” Hebrews 13:6

Moravian Prayer: O gentle Savior, the one who takes fear away, draw near to us. In your mercy, clear our hearts and minds of the stresses of today, and grant us a small portion of your abundant joy.

God, our help in ages past, we praise you because you are faithful to us. We pray for help to remember that we should never be afraid, because you are always with us, until the end of the age. Amen.