in the beginning

whenever we create, a fingerprint of ourselves is stamped on the item we create. that moment, those thoughts, are captured forever.

behind every creation, there is a story about the creator that lies silent, waiting to be told.

looking around my house, i am amazed at how many items have been made by someone i know. some things i've made over the years. some things have been gifts from friends and family members. others are still only raw components waiting to be created into something useful, something beautiful.

i've said for years that i want the things on my walls to fall into one of three categories: to be made my me, someone i know, or from a gallery/marketplace where an artist, craftsman, or personal experience makes the item noteworthy.

in essence, for each item we put on our walls or around our home to hold meaning.

that i could pick up anything and there would be a story to tell.

it's my hope to capture the stories behind the ordinary and extraordinary things we hold dear so that the person, place, or time is never forgotten.

thinking through this hope to tell the stories behind treasured items, i wondered:

what is it about handmade items, hand-me-downs and family heirlooms; those pieces we absolutely adore and remember the moment we received?

is it intrinsically in that item's identity or is there more behind it?

i believe it comes from something very deep...

it speaks of the one who made it, of the place where it was made.

i found the following passage from psalms and felt it described best how i feel about treasured creations. God's creation (specifically the heavens and skies) does not 'speak' of him in words, and yet we can inspect the craftsmanship, beauty, and wonder that they hold. we can look at the skies and think they are amazing. yet when we hear the story of how they were made, when we know the Creator who made them, our wonder becomes sheer awe, and somehow, we are more part of the moment.

in the same, but much smaller way, we do the same thing with handcrafted pieces. they are functional and sometimes special, but knowing the story behind how they were made, and knowing the person who made them, they take on new, deeper meaning, and there is more joy in using them than before.

'the heavens declare the glory of God;

and the firmament shows His handiwork.

day to day utters speech,

and night unto night reveals knowledge.

there is no speech nor language

where their voice is not heard.

their line has gone out through all the earth,

and their words to the end of the world.'

psalm 19:1-4

and so this blog begins... a creation in itself. i have a lot of high hopes for this place personally, and can't wait to see what unfolds.