Faith & Roses

My resentments are like the lingering smoke from old fires.

A woman toiled regularly and willingly to keep her house clean, unburdened of “things” that were no longer useful and sometimes things that others needed. It gave her joy to see the rooms of her home free of dust and clutter. She valued the order of her environment. It continually fed her Spirit.

Over some time she began to feel a bit unsettled, her emotions riding up and sliding down. The woman’s perspective and energy became affected by the waves of her feelings. She began to notice growing more tired more quickly with each passing day.

One quiet morning she thought that she hadn’t considered her basement in a very long time. It had been a good while ago that she had done a thorough cleaning out, enlisting the services of the best help available at the time. Their joint efforts left the floors swept and the basement free of moisture. The woman’s mind lit up and her Spirit lightened as she considered the possibilities of the basement becoming additional living space… and so she hired another good worker.

Within a few weeks, the worker arrived and they went down to the basement together. She was surprised to see a single cardboard box in the far back corner of the room. Unable to recall what was in the box or even bringing it down there, she looked closer saw that it was quite old having water stains and traces of mildew. The odor of mustiness was strong. The woman cautiously opened the box, glad that the worker was there with her. … Nothing. It was empty. The worker bent down to lift the box but it fell apart. Sides, bottom and top in pieces on the cellar floor. “Would you like me to take this with me when I leave and dispose of it for you? I don’t imagine you will have any use for this” he smiled. Taking a bag from his pocket, he placed the the broken pieces of the box inside of it. “There,” he said, “much better! Now we can discuss plans for this room. First, we will check the foundations and waterproofing. I’ll come back with some blueprints for you. Prints that will give you options.”

As the woman and the worker walked to her front door, she turned and asked him “When can I expect to hear back from you?” “Whenever you choose” was his reply. “I have blueprints at home that would work perfectly here. Just call me when you are ready to begin.”