Layers of paint.

Tonight I was putting a third coat of paint on my grandmother's cabinet, the one that in my memory was always full of her china, sitting in the living room, next to the piano that she always wanted someone to be playing and had purchased despite her inability to play. The cabinet was a pale yellow which always reminded me of faded sunshine...and was rescued last fall from my grandparents' house which was finally sold. I had requested taking it, because to me, it is a piece of my history, of my family. It is a visual reminder of my grandparents who have not been with us for many years now, and brings memories of them that I cherish.

I decided to re-paint the cabinet when I received it, for the faded yellow was not just faded, but now dirty and peeling. As I have carefully sanded and smoothed down the edges, I have found a mint green underneath; as I have rolled and dabbed on the new paint, I have realized how intricately detailed the craftsmanship of this piece is. I imagine my grandmother at age 16, receiving the cabinet from her father, excited at the mint-green colour, and appreciative of the detail he had put into it, the individual panes of glass that make up the door.

And then I fast forward to a later time in life, perhaps when my grandma was 30 or 40, and took a look at that green cabinet and thought it needed some freshening up. Perhaps she thought it needed some sunshine. I wonder, as she sanded and painted the piece, if she thought of her father and the work he had delicately put into it.

And now, here I am, some 4o, maybe even 50 years later, re-painting, restoring, and reliving something that has existed longer than I have.

I find it amazing that the layers of paint in our own lives tell our stories. Deep down we are the same person we have always been.

This last week I have spent time with some lovely young ladies who I know from spending time in Costa Rica together...sweating together...stressing together...loving together...and learning from each other. These are the friendships that help me put new layers on. They smooth my edges and provide new stories. Deep down, I am the same girl that was scared of earthquakes, played flute in the band, spent the summer at the river, and was never able to come up with that "5 year plan". The layers build on that...allow God to use me in different ways.

I am thankful for these girls, and for the relationships that I have with them. I pray that I may continue to build such relationships...those that smooth my peeling paint and splash on coats of new colours.

(Just to confirm, yes, the cabinet is currently pink, but be assured this is the tinted primer. Next step: RED!)