The Silver Lining

The dresser was part of a bedroom set. Made of mahogany, it had brass drawer pulls and a larger mirror, and it matched a chest, nightstand, and pencil-post bed. I remember where it stood in my parents’ bedroom, when I was a little girl. Mama kept her things in the drawers on the right and Daddy’s things were on the left. In the 50’s and 60’s, my mama’s jewelry box sat on top of the dresser. It was made of white pearlized plastic, with dark red velvet heart insets. I used to love to peek inside, and look at my mom’s collection of bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. In her top drawer lay her secret stash of makeup. When I got a bit older, I’d sneak in her room and try out eye shadows, or mascara, or lipstick. Once I spilled some of her pink nail polish inside the drawer – the spot still remains as evidence of my furtive explorations! Time passed. My sister and I both got married and moved to other homes. My folks remodeled their home and purchased a new be...

Our lives are personal journeys; we don't start out with a roadmap or even a particular destination in mind, but we make it step-by-step and day-by-day. Sometimes we stand at a crossroads, puzzling over what choice to make or what direction to follow. At times, the choices are easy; some decisions are made for us by parents when we are young or by circumstances when we get older. Other decisions require a lot of thought and prayer. More often than we realize, we're given signs along the way. God uses subtle, everyday objects to help guide us along life's paths. And He uses Big Bang, Knock-You-Over-The-Head tactics as well. We arent often tuned in to His signs. I wonder, sometimes, if He watches us stumbling around here, waltzing all around what He desires for us to do, ignoring the hints He's strewn in our paths. He probably rolls His eyes at us sometimes, as we miss even the most obvious signposts every now and then. I remember wrestling with a life-changing s...