Neglected Dwelling

Each May long weekend, our family packs up to go to the cabin.  It is a much-anticipated weekend as our cabin is not winterized and is uninhabited for 6 months. When we pull onto the road leading to the cabin, there is a collective cheer from the children. My husband and I feel differently…we walk up the steps and turn the key with trepidation, murmuring “no whammies, no whammies”. We are hoping for no rodents, no burst water pipes and no water damage from a leaky roof. We aren’t characteristically such Debbie Downers but since these things have actually happened in previous years, you come to expect the worst! These things tend to ensue when your cabin is neglected over a long, cold Manitoba winter.

The good news is that this year none of the previously mentioned annoyances occurred! What we opened the door to find was a dark, dusty, cold, cobweb-filled cabin. I immediately drew the blinds and opened the windows to let fresh air and sunshine in. We turned on the heat to cut the chill. I got to work dusting and sweeping and making beds. I (very hesitantly!) got rid of the cobwebs. The cabin was transformed back into a place of life and warmth. A place where joy and relaxation set in…friends and family gather…meals are shared and games are played…s’mores and bonfires are enjoyed.

It made me think about a quote I recently read from St. Augustine that says:

O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart.  Enlighten the corners

of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams.

If I think about my heart/soul like the cabin left neglected over the winter then I realize that it needs to be cared for. If ignored, the icy chill of hurt and bitterness settles in and the blinds are closed to shut out people who might potentially hurt me. When the cutting wind of wintery circumstances is constantly battering my heart, it is left grey…dark…bleak. In those moments, I need the warmth and light of God’s mercy and grace to fill up the cold, dark places so there is no room for selfishness or anger or hopelessness. To be left only with a heart made available to God that is filled with a surplus of love, joy and peace that spills out to those around me is my desire. 

Make St. Augustine’s prayer your own.

Brenda E.