It All Began With the TV...

The previous owner of our home used a piece of plywood to extend a wall niche for a TV mounting. His DIY project was not very esthetic, but my husband and I could not figure out how to improve it without spending a fortune. So, we decided to use our old console instead. 

Well, you know what happens when you move something be it furniture, an appliance, or a picture. It seems to cause an avalanche of other changes.

First came rearranging the kitchen cabinets to accommodate the china and glassware from the console I was using as a much-desired china hutch.

After moving it and some bookcases to balance it on the wall, we were happy with the results, which made moving all those books worth it (sort of).  

Then came the scramble to find a place for the displaced love seat and end tables. I argued to move them to the third bedroom, an office-guestroom which I never used. I prefer to sit in my recliner with my laptop to write.

Moving my small desk and chair out made plenty of room for the love seat and two tables. We thought we were done until we discovered the love seat wouldn’t fit through the door. We had to take the door off its hinges to get it into the room. Our little rearranging idea turned into an all-day monster, but I love the results.

A little later my husband blew away my sense of contentment and accomplishment when he announced he didn’t like the old console and wanted a new one. I wasn’t thrilled about the console he picked out, but we couldn’t agree on any of the others, so I compromised. The piece would grow on me, right?

When it arrived, we spent several hours putting it together and several more moving the old one back into the dining room. The new arrangement did look better, even with the new console.

The wall where the TV hung looked  much better too.

As I glanced around the house, I felt content. We finally had everything the way we wanted it, well almost. 

That reminded me of the rich man and his plans to build new storehouses. After they were built, he swore to relax and enjoy life, but that night was to be his last upon the earth. He wasted his entire life pursuing things he’d leave behind.

Then, I recalled a conversation I overheard not long after my second husband had passed away. The woman fretted and fumed because her new kitchen cabinets didn’t match her new counters. She acted as though it was the worst tragedy of her life. Maybe it was, but it seemed trivial to me after my loss.  

How many dreamed of a warm house and the many blessings I enjoyed and would consider my issue with a TV console just as trivial?

The next morning my listed devotions emphasized that thought. “Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world.” 1 St. John: 2:15.

The new console is now a reminder not to be too attached to the things of this world for they pass away whereas the things of God will last for eternity.