Most of you have already said your good-byes to summer and moved on to fall foliage and pumpkin recipes. So I'm taking my cue, and saying farewell to the season. Although in Southern California you know we don't really have seasons - unless you count Fire, Flood, Fishing and Fashion.
My personal ritual that indicates Fall is upon us consists of closing the kitchen windows. During warm weather the window sill is cleared off, and the windows are propped open. Then everything's put back in place. My asparagus plant was so happy this year that it connected with the granite colander nearby. I sometimes change out the decor on the mantle in the living room. But that's not too important to me anymore. Last winter, during an especially rainy week, moisture got into the wall above the fireplace through the chimney. It weakened the plaster and the nail pulled loose that was holding a large picture. The picture fell, sweeping everything on the mantle onto the bricks below.
Passing by the room and glancing in I first noticed that the picture was down, and when I went to pick it up I found vintage Roseville and Weller pottery broken to pieces underneath it.So here's the good news. When I saw the broken Roseville, I thought to myself, "Well, if I'm going to do without the pottery, I would rather have sold it and given the money to the Homeless Project."
What?! Being a lifelong collector and sometimes hoarder, I was stunned by my own thoughts. It was then that I realized I had passed "the money test", my heart was right, and I was ready to be used.
I gathered up as many shards as I could find and Mr. D glued them back together. But somehow lots of pieces had gone missing.I spy the pottery on a shelf in the garage from time to time. And by golly, there's not even a teeny twinge of grief when I see them. For me, that's huge. These days I'm interested in helping put shattered lives back together - and that's a window I plan on keeping open.
He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25
