"When the Waves Subside" Inspires a New Creation: Part I

A couple months ago the Lord woke me up in the middle of the night with an idea. I waited, prayed on it, and then shared the thought with my Dad to surprise my Mom. Dad loved it and we sat in his shop making plans.

When our daughter was a toddler my mom always brought snacks on a small wooden tray she made in eighth grade shop class. It was this memory and tray that sparked an idea Dad and I quickly started planning and preparing to make a reality.

Originally I wanted it to be a surprise for my Mom but within the first moments of planning, Dad and I knew Mom would enjoy being a part of the process too.

We shared the idea with mom. She loved it too but thought we should only make one, not two. I wanted her to have her own but the more we planned, we realized it would be too heavy for her to lift, even when empty.

The first step was to sort our collection of glass rocks. The very same "sea glass" or "glass rocks" inspiring When the Waves Subside: There is Hope.

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Now that the glass rocks are sorted, it was time to start planning the design. I took pictures of the sorted colors so I could think on it for a few days. It was a discussion over dinner and after school too. Once they were designed and glued, there was no going back ~ so I prayed for a design that would reflect the array of colors and love contained in the sorted piles.

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I thought it would be fun to make this "with" my Dad. I never expected we would start with a raw cut piece of lumber and turn it into beautiful pieces of wood.

Dad chuckled a little as I nodded politely when he showed me this board and said, "We can use this." My response, "Okay, the rocks will cover it up." We both laughed. Dad assured me it wouldn't look like this when we finished using the planer.

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Dad's eye for seeing the inner beauty of a piece of lumber is amazing to me. He saw this finished board instantly but I only saw something worthy of igniting a bonfire. I was amazed and inspired each time we sent the board through the planer. With each time through, the wood became smoother and more beautiful. If the planer is life's stressors or tragedy and we are the board, think about how beautiful we are when we come through the other side. With God guiding us with loving and tender hands "through" the trial. More beautiful in the end...

Just like the stones and this wood - when we trust God to get us through the process...something more beautiful than we could even imagine is the result.

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Can you picture the tray we built?
To see the finished product, read tomorrow's blog!
What inspired a family project in your life?