The Renovation Continues

 

There seems to be another wave of remodeling beginning in the neighborhood. I am seeing work trucks and dumpsters and piles of debris set out on the curb for removal. In the early months of the lockdown, it seemed every block had numerous houses under renovation. Then, just as quickly, the flurry of activity seemed to stop.

One of the interesting things in observing this work is recognizing the things set out for trash pickup. I like the challenge of guessing the year being upgraded. Sometimes it is easy. Carpet color is a big clue. Sometimes paint color can help one guess a date. Since all our houses were built in the 1950’s, I have a clear starting point in my guessing game.

When I was a boy, this piece of discarded woodwork was very prominent. I suppose many younger people cannot even imagine a day when you had a land line phone. Or that you had just one phone. Or that it was centrally located in the house to insure no one ever had any privacy. It is fun to remember how that one phone was so prominent that this little piece of cabinetry was actually built into houses to hold the phone - and the phone book. I can’t recall the last time I even saw a phone book. Our home did not have this feature. We had a wall mounted phone on the kitchen wall. When I left home to begin living on my own, I always hoped to find a rental with a phone shelf.

Change is constant. From one phone on a party line, to a private line, to extensions throughout the house, to cell phones, time moves ever forward. That seems to be the nature of creation. What God began continues ever forward into the future. This is true of creation on a grand scale and our lives on a personal level. The apostle writes, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” God is not through with any of us yet. The renovation continues.

Peace.