Houses have memories. The sounds of babies crying and children laughing are imprinted in the wallpaper. The kitchen sounds of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner preparations accompanied by the sounds of football games and commercials in the background permanently give a home the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. Before this week’s snow I drove past an old doghouse sitting by the side of the road with a big “Free” sign attached. I wondered about its memories. Was its owner long gone or was its passing recent? Did the house have the sounds of puppies imprinted on the insides of its walls? Some of the shingles were missing. Was that from old age or did its owner imitate Snoopy and wear them off by sitting on the roof? Whatever the answers to all these questions I hope it has good memories. I hope its owner’s owner did not make him or her stay in that house in Massachusetts’s Decembers and Januarys. I hope it was a summerhouse. But now the house is “Free.” Surely the new owner will not use it for firewood but will give it to a nice dog.
Houses are special. Every house takes on the uniqueness of its owners. I had a new house once. I never want one again. I like moving into a pre-owned house with pencil marks already on the door frames of the bedrooms. I like the scratch marks of a dog on the back door. In John 14 Jesus tells us He has gone to prepare homes for us. I want mine to come already personalized with wear marks on the stairs. He could really personalize it by putting marks on the bathroom door frame indicating the heights of my sons at ages 3, 4, 5, etc. That would be super special.
Spring Of Life