What a lovely service, Soul Sanctuary building, spacious and warm at the same time. The singing, comforting and moving at the same time. The pastor, forceful and gentle at the same time. The grandchildren, childlike and mature at the same time. Brother, soft and steady at the same time. Daughter, funny and crying at the same time. Son, strong and vulnerable at the same time. Volunteers, working and socializing at the same time. Guests, teary eyes and joking at the same time. Cliff, was there and yet he wasn't. Me, celebrating and grieving at the same time. It was memorable. Thank you to everyone who made it beautiful.
Smiley….
Last week, I visited a shop of antiques and saw an ancient metal sword. It was really very cheap, so I bought it. I think it was a good steel!
The story continues…..
*************
As a kid, I was fascinated with swords. My siblings and I would spend a lot of time finding ways to make imaginary swords from sticks and branches. Then one day we hit the motherload - metal rods from an old metal headboard! We removed them, put on work gloves and spent hours playing sword fighting out behind the barn!
One evening after the trial was over, I was channel surfing and came upon a scene depicting a king sitting on a throne of swords! It aroused my love of swords but also reminded me of the courtroom and its symbolic throne like chairs.
Evil was another fascination of mine during this time. I was driven to answer the mysterious question of why, and what kind of people do evil to the extreme!
At the book stores and libraries, I gravitated to the shelves about murder and mayhem! During this time, I watched a few episodes of Game of Thrones, a medieval fantasy epic which depicts two powerful families, playing a deadly game for control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and to sit atop the Iron Throne.
I was intrigued and repulsed by it. “Evil” of all kinds seemed rampant in the show. In fact I got the feeling the more evil they could represent the better. I just could not watch a show with evil as its goal and reason for its existence as the substance of its storyline. Too much evil is upsetting and boring.
But the throne of swords fascinated me. Apparently the swords were gathered from victorious battles. Swords from fallen soldiers on the many battlefields this king and his nation had been a part of. It was all about making a monument out of the implements of death. A monument to the exercise of personal power and success through violence and death. The very centre and seat of a nation's purpose was a monument of intimidation.
Finally, I had found a real symbol of evil. I was inspired to replicate it in clay. It would be a challenge. I have to admit, I felt compelled to make it! It was like an answer to a question I wasn’t even aware of!
My first thought was that it would be a fun challenge to make such a thing out of clay!
So I started.
I made it in two pieces: the seat section with armrests and then separately the back-rest Because this piece took over a year to make, I had to use paper toweling and a very heavy grade of garbage bag to keep the whole piece from drying out on me.
When leather hard, I attached the seat and armrest elements together. I had to brace up the back-rest with a full five-gallon pail pushed up against the back of the chair so it would remain in place while the two elements fused together.
Then I noticed a crack developing at the top centre of the backrest, splitting it open from the top down. Thinking fast I quickly put a string around the back-rest and began tightening it by twisting it with a pencil. Before it got too tight, I put angled braces on each side of the back rest so the string would not cut into the clay as I tightened the string. I applied slip and brought the two halves back together! Worked like a charm!
Then I began the long tedious process of making the swords. I really got bored and tired of making so many swords. One day I’ll have to count the number of swords I had to make!
My greatest “fear” was creating air pockets under the swords as many were overlaying one on top of another! I did two things to minimize air pockets, first I would bend the blades down into the gaps beneath and secondly, I used slip liberally to try to fill any and all potential air pockets.
I had measured the piece so it would fit into the kiln but getting in was another challenge.
Through this process I learning new things, like the sections of the electric kiln can be lifted off one another, so I could put the throne on the base easily, and re-assemble the kiln around it!
I fired it very slowly, taking two days time in rising the temperature, hoping any trapped air could make its way out avoiding an explosive disaster.
When it came to coloring, I realized there was no way I was going to fire it again to do a glaze firing! I painted it metallic with acrylic paint.
What was to sit on the throne is another story…..
Smiley….
Last week, I visited a shop of antiques and saw an ancient metal sword. It was really very cheap, so I bought it. I think it was a good steel!
The story continues…..
*************
As a kid, I was fascinated with swords. My siblings and I would spend a lot of time finding ways to make imaginary swords from sticks and branches. Then one day we hit the motherload - metal rods from an old metal headboard! We removed them, put on work gloves and spent hours playing sword fighting out behind the barn!
One evening after the trial was over, I was channel surfing and came upon a scene depicting a king sitting on a throne of swords! It aroused my love of swords but also reminded me of the courtroom and its symbolic throne like chairs.
Evil was another fascination of mine during this time. I was driven to answer the mysterious question of why, and what kind of people do evil to the extreme!
At the book stores and libraries, I gravitated to the shelves about murder and mayhem! During this time, I watched a few episodes of Game of Thrones, a medieval fantasy epic which depicts two powerful families, playing a deadly game for control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and to sit atop the Iron Throne.
I was intrigued and repulsed by it. “Evil” of all kinds seemed rampant in the show. In fact I got the feeling the more evil they could represent the better. I just could not watch a show with evil as its goal and reason for its existence as the substance of its storyline. Too much evil is upsetting and boring.
But the throne of swords fascinated me. Apparently the swords were gathered from victorious battles. Swords from fallen soldiers on the many battlefields this king and his nation had been a part of. It was all about making a monument out of the implements of death. A monument to the exercise of personal power and success through violence and death. The very centre and seat of a nation's purpose was a monument of intimidation.
Finally, I had found a real symbol of evil. I was inspired to replicate it in clay. It would be a challenge. I have to admit, I felt compelled to make it! It was like an answer to a question I wasn’t even aware of!
My first thought was that it would be a fun challenge to make such a thing out of clay!
So I started.
I made it in two pieces: the seat section with armrests and then separately the back-rest Because this piece took over a year to make, I had to use paper toweling and a very heavy grade of garbage bag to keep the whole piece from drying out on me.
When leather hard, I attached the seat and armrest elements together. I had to brace up the back-rest with a full five-gallon pail pushed up against the back of the chair so it would remain in place while the two elements fused together.
Then I noticed a crack developing at the top centre of the backrest, splitting it open from the top down. Thinking fast I quickly put a string around the back-rest and began tightening it by twisting it with a pencil. Before it got too tight, I put angled braces on each side of the back rest so the string would not cut into the clay as I tightened the string. I applied slip and brought the two halves back together! Worked like a charm!
Then I began the long tedious process of making the swords. I really got bored and tired of making so many swords. One day I’ll have to count the number of swords I had to make!
My greatest “fear” was creating air pockets under the swords as many were overlaying one on top of another! I did two things to minimize air pockets, first I would bend the blades down into the gaps beneath and secondly, I used slip liberally to try to fill any and all potential air pockets.
I had measured the piece so it would fit into the kiln but getting in was another challenge.
Through this process I learning new things, like the sections of the electric kiln can be lifted off one another, so I could put the throne on the base easily, and re-assemble the kiln around it!
I fired it very slowly, taking two days time in rising the temperature, hoping any trapped air could make its way out avoiding an explosive disaster.
When it came to coloring, I realized there was no way I was going to fire it again to do a glaze firing! I painted it metallic with acrylic paint.
What was to sit on the throne is another story…..
It might sound strange, but God wants to find me as much as, if not more than, I want to find God.
Yes, God needs me as much as I need God.
God is not the patriarch who stays home, doesn’t move,
and expects his children to come to him,
apologize for their aberrant behavior, beg for forgiveness,
and promise to do better.
To the contrary, he leaves the house, ignoring his dignity by running toward them, pays no heed to apologies and promises of change, and brings them to the table richly prepared for them.
I am beginning to now see how radically the character of my spiritual journey will change when I no longer think of God as hiding out and making it difficult as possible for me to find him,
but, instead, as the One who is looking for me
while I am doing the hiding.
– Henri Nouwen
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