CRACKS

Lately I have been looking at my house and noticed a number of cracks appearing in our walls and ceilings. We live on a particularly unstable piece of limestone in Texas and that limestone is covered with a thick layer of black gumbo clay. When we have wet years, our cracks close up and are less noticeable. In dry years the crack open up. This past year was an exceptionally dry year and our cracks are more evident than usual. It has been several years since we last repainted the inside of our house, so I guess it is time to repair the cracks and repaint the walls in an effort to cover up our cracks.

As I was looking at an annoying crack in my bathroom the other day, I happened to glance in the mirror and notice that my face had lots of "cracks" (wrinkles) that I also attempt to cover with "paint" (makeup) in an effort to hide the shifts in my skin due to gravity. Looking at my wrinkles caused me to do some musing about aging and how I hide the effects of aging with paint and cosmetic fixes. My mind then moved to the need to celebrate my own "cracks" the way that I often celebrate the wisdom that has come with earning of the "cracks" in my face. However, I would like to look 35 again--and keep my wisdom.

Perhaps I will give my wall and ceiling cracks a cosmetic touch-up and then celebrate the age and wisdom of my house. I will sit down with a glass of wine and offer a toast to honor all the life that has happened within these cracked walls during the 35+ years that we have lived here.

CHANGE

Recently I was on a committee planning a reception and the time of the reception kept changing, depending on the person or persons we were talking to at the time. Some of the committee members were becoming a bit testy with the changes. However, one member sent out an e-mail that said:

Change is the only thing constant in our lives.

I really liked that saying and decided that I needed to be more flexible to accommodate the constant changes in my life. Every day brings a new set of changes that I have to deal with and sometimes I resist those changes. It also brings to mind the Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.

Today, I pray for Wisdom!