Castles in the Sky

I am building a castle.

Before spring break I had never heard of Whimzy Pets. Now I have ten of the 3-inch high colorful, cuddly stuffed animals. They are tagging along with me as I imagine their blossoming personalities and listen to their secrets while building their home. I left behind spring painting projects and garden preparation to create a cardboard Wonderland.

The little women in my life are about to discover something new to do, something new to think about, and hopefully, something new to love. I can hardly wait to hear the stories that await me once we're together!

My large desk, heaped with old calendars, brightly colored paper, scraps of stickers and vintage valentines filled me with eagerness and creative thought. Blankets have been made from lace handkerchiefs. Rugs have been formed from old countercross stitchings and a boat has been formed from an egg carton. It's quite a lovely and charming place to my way of thinking!

Building a castle from scraps has reminded me of the value of a home. A home takes a lifetime to build from a little bit of this and a little bit of that, precious scraps of our lives. Those crayon drawings, the encouraging quotes, that silly squirrel you watch every morning, lullabies sung slightly off key are the scraps that make up the castle of your life.

I live in a modest dwelling by some standards, a castle by others. It's quite a lovely and charming place to my way of thinking. It's my home and it's filled with memories that comfort and cheer me. Oh, others may not see the beauty in the fingerprints on my stairway or the torn quilt on the sofa, my worn out Bible or the Raggedy Ann doll atop the shelf, but they are precious to me beyond words because they tell the story of my life.

Heaven is a real place, a land with golden streets and grand jewels, mansions of glory. There is a castle prepared for me by God's own hands, the one made just for me from the bits and pieces of my lifesong. The closer I get to the end of my journey, the more precious my heavenly home becomes to me. Oh, the people I shall meet and the stories we shall share!

"In My Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you and, if I go, I will come back again." ~Jesus