Tuesday, February 19, 2008

a little lime green goes a long way!

Do you like this picture? Does the pattern grab you? Does it say "take me home and make me your very own?" Do you like lime green and mustard yellow? I don't. This is a photo of the wallpaper that used to be on my kitchen walls. When we first bought our house, the kitchen was a 60s nightmare. I have blogged about this before. It was hideous. Oh my. I lose my appetite just thinking about it. So ugly. This paper covered the kitchen and breakfast nook walls. Well, where the walls weren't covered by brownish red fake wood paneling. You're laughing right now, aren't you? You can see it. You can imagine the barn red cabinets with this wallpaper, and the white stove with the brown oven, with the yellow dishwasher and our black refrigerator. You can almost touch the sticky cabinet handles and grimy linoleum. Groovy, baby.

Well, we only lived here 2 weeks before we tore it all out. And I mean OUT. Down to the studs. Gone. In a dumpster. Buh-bye. I sold my soul to HomeDepot and we have a new kitchen. It is shiny and clean (most of the time) and the walls are red and my cabinets are maple. What a lovely change. The construction guys saved me this (s)crap of wallpaper. Such a momento.

But as I think about it more, there must have been a time when that wallpaper was the thing. To the previous woman of the house, it must have been trendy, the must-have, the way to go. I am sure it was carefully and lovingly glued to the walls. The linoluem was picked out to match. The cabinets painted to contrast. A woman who might have sold her soul to the hardware store for the cool pantry shelves she had. A cook who enjoyed making meals for her family on that white stovetop.

Trends change. What's hot one day, will be a "not" the next day. That wallpaper was probably so cool in the 60s, but I tore it down and painted my walls. What seemed useful a year ago is at the Goodwill now (and Emily just might buy it). What I find tomorrow might be obselete next year. It all changes.

God doesn't.

He's here. He's always been here. He will always be trendy and fashionable and won't even need to be updated. He walks alongside me and I can always call on Him. Don't you think that is fabulous? Does He grab you? Does He say "take me home and make me your very own?" Yes. Hallelujah. He's always current. Amen.

5 comments:

Hunny Bee said...

I too have sold my soul to Home Depot. For us it was new appliances.
And I love how you say God grabs us and wants us to take Him home! The best way to make a home open and inviting?....the presence of the Holy Spirit. Then peace reigns!

amanda said...

Hi Sissy!

Thanks for stopping by! I love this post. God has really grabbed me this year... There have been so many hardships and "rainstorms" that my family has been introduced to... He has pursued me with a vengeance! There has been no other option BUT to bring Him home! And let me tell you - I praise Him every day for the rain that has made my family so much stronger, and the "sunshine" that has been born from it. I have this joke with Him - "God - if you knew I was going to be spending this much time on my knees, couldn't you have supplied me with some knee pads?"

So this post really "grabbed" me today. Thanks for being a vessel for reminders!

Amanda:)

emily freeman said...

I will only buy that wall paper if it's made into a purse :) Great post...I can smell that old kitchen right now. SO.....Post an after photo! Please! Redeem that lime and yellow!

I'll stop shouting now.

Heather said...

Oh, I dunno. It's super groovy. I agree with Emily though, we need after pictures.

Roger said...

Sissy,
Thanks for sharing your (s)crap of wallpaper and the great analogy to go with it.
I thought retro was in?
I'm sure your new kitchen is just lovely.
I'd love to see a picture too.