The Restorer

He stepped back from his work, pleased. He took a breath. It was good. He considered his work. It had taken some time. Oh, it wasn’t perfect. He knew when he started it wouldn’t be. But it was good. It was good because he’d given his attention to it, set his focus upon it. He’d worked tirelessly until it was enough. He wasn’t tired. He wasn’t worn out. But he wasn’t done. He just knew is was the moment to call it. It was good and it was His.

Restoration does not take a thing backwards. The experience remains. The history is not changed. The journey is not erased. Yet restoration is a returning. It returns something to a former owner, place or condition. It may be renovated, reconstructed or reproduced; but it is unimpaired. We restore a thing because we find value in it. We see the beauty while others may see only ugliness, disrepair, a hopeless case, or a lost cause. The restorer sees beyond the brokenness and the damage.

So, he lovingly begins to remove and tear down. He removes and replaces the rotten pieces, tightens loose screws, replaces lost nails, sands, dusts, sands again-a little softer this time, dusts, polishes, stains, paints, provides protective cover and seals.

Then he steps back, satisfied with his work. It is good. He sits for a bit and just stares at his treasure, understanding what others would not. He saw as treasure long before the process began. He saw it in his mind’s eye and so he set himself into it. And for that cause alone-it is good.