We Each Have a Story

Some years back we were taking the linings off the bedroom walls in preparation to insulate and reline them. Inside one of the walls was, in effect, a time capsule. Items had been placed in the wall just before it was lined. 

Included was a handwritten note on a piece of cardboard from the owner, sharing the cost of the total build, the land size and that he built the property with his own hands. There was part of a Bell Tea packet, a wooden tiki, a small square of paper with a list of names which we assume were the tradesmen, considering one of those names is well-known for being local electricians. 

There was also a metal stencil: JKA, Turners and Growers. Our home was originally a 10 acre berry farm, the stencil being their mark for what they produced. A wonderful collection of items that gave us a glimpse of the story that was this house. 

We have also gathered snippets about the family and the environment from others who knew them, or even members of the family themselves. 

When we had the house on the market in winter, one of the groups that came through was one of the original owner’s sons and his wife. He was so delighted to have the opportunity to go through the house again and relive memories from his childhood. He was thrilled to see that, while the house has been modernised for comfort, the floor plan was still the same. 

If our homes could talk, they would each have a story to tell. Of the owners with the vision to build, the architect, the families that dwell there, making memories. 

We all have a story, don’t we? 

Each one of us has been shaped and moulded by the passing of time, by relationships, both good and bad. We each have had balls bounced against our walls, dents and bumps, renovations and updates, while retaining the essence of who we are. 

Just like the owner and architect of each one of us, who began with a vision of what would be uniquely this house, we too, have been formed in such a unique way. Just like our fingerprints, there is no one else like us. We are a blueprint designed as a one off. Our stunning plans preciously filed, are not to be copied. 

Just as the psalmist wrote in the 139th Psalm.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. I know that full well. 

Did you know just how uniquely special you are? There is none like you. Not one. 

How precious is that? The Architect saw the vision of you, and it was good. 

No need for comparison or trying to measure up against someone else’s blueprint. For you were designed to be you, and you are wonderful.