We are getting new flooring installed in the second floor of the rectory this week. (Photo is NOT the Rectory.) The existing floors were covered with the original carpeting, which was contractor grade when it was installed some dozen plus years ago. The Vestry was kind enough to approve a replacement floor, which will now be a durable hard surface floor, suitable for pets and kids; it’s a tossup which is harder on floors! I love home improvement projects because when I’m done, I can actually see the thing that I did. Ministry is not like that most days, so it’s very rewarding. And I get to play with tools. Consequently, I volunteered to remove the old carpeting, padding, tack strips, and base molding before the professional installation began today.
The process was not difficult. I’ve done floors before (although it was decided that I shouldn’t be the installer on this one), so the process was not new to me. In fact, demolition is one of my favorite parts of a project. It’s very cathartic to tear something up and whack away at things with a pry bar and a hammer, as I did when I removed a section of the tile floor upstairs where it didn’t belong. Long story short, one of the upstairs bathrooms was redesigned after the floors were installed, meaning there was an odd corner of tile in a bedroom where it didn’t belong. The tile is staying in the bathroom, but now the corner will match the rest of the room. I was kind of sad when I pried up the last section of cement board. Although my back didn’t enjoy the process, the rest of me did!
That little story about the corner in the one bedroom is indicative of the Rectory and some of its quirks. And please hear me say that I’m not complaining. We enjoy living in the rectory as and where it is. We’re grateful to have a home in a quiet neighborhood, which can be quite costly in this market. I mention the quirks only because they make good rambling fodder. For example, I was mildly amused to remove the carpeting in the two dormer nooks on the front of the house, only to discover that the built-in bench cabinets and bookcases in the dormer were built on top of the carpeting. There is no way to remove the carpet and padding from underneath the cabinets, so I simply had to cut it off at the edge. If the new flooring doesn’t cover the frayed edges peeking out from underneath I’ll add some shoe molding and all will be well.
The realization that things didn’t go according to plan, however, is unmistakable. I wasn’t here when this house was built, but I can imagine how the contractor had to use the subcontractors he had access to, when he had them, (I do know it was a male contractor!). The flooring crew was apparently ready and willing to install before the carpenter had done all the finish work, so that’s what happened. I can also imagine that both were being done late in the process with the homeowners eagerly waiting for their keys and so the decision was easy: build over the top instead of tearing out. (I do realize that installing over carpet is not done infrequently, but is, within the building trade, seen as a shortcut and not the ideal for the long term.) (Photo NOT of Rectory.)
Sometimes the best laid plans just don’t work out that way and we have to adjust. Some of us adjust better than others, which is what makes life with other humans fun! We don’t plan to get sick, lose jobs, have babies, inherit windfalls, get lost, deal with hurricanes, and all the rest of it. On occasion, we simply have to look at what’s available to us and make the best decision we can, and then live with that decision. Sometimes our short-term fixes turn into long term realities. Sometimes our quick thinking turns out better than we could have imagined.
The funny thing about life is that we can’t look back on it and see all that we’ve done until we’ve done it. We can’t always anticipate how the pieces will fit together, but can later make sense of it as we review what’s been created. The comforting aspect to this kind of realization is that we are never on this journey alone, but always guided by the Spirit. That doesn’t mean the journey is always easy or that the path is always clear, but it does mean we’ve got some resources at our disposal even if we can’t see them. So here’s to the quirkiness of homes and life! Here’s to looking back on where we’ve been and celebrating the things we can give thanks for! And here’s to a God who is always ready and willing to walk with us, wherever life takes us.
Tom+
Most gracious God, creator of the world and master of its quirks, we thank you for our uniqueness and all the things that add flavor and contours to our lives. Bless us as we go about our way, learning and growing, and taking life as it comes. Watch over and guide us as we walk our journey, and guide us always in the way that leads to eternal life, the way of your Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.