Leftovers for breakfast today—whole wheat biscuits, with a peach-banana smoothie to compliment.    It felt good not to cook, and I’m really trying to save all my energy to pull the weeds that summer and several weeks of rain have wrought.    Perhaps towards the month’s end, we’ll put down winter mulch and get the trees fertilized, but today it will be enough of a task to just get overgrown bushes back in shape.   I’m dreading the mosquitoes even more than the heat after amount of rain we’ve had.   The superhero’s flying off to get the oil changed in the car before our mini-vacation, and the kids will begin chores soon—assuming they wake up before the crack of noon (smile).

Is there an article in your home that says everything that needs to be said about your family?   For us, it’s our paper towel holder.   I thought about this the other day as I reattached the holder to the base with the single screw that keeps it functional.  

The holder is a green marble, bought to blend in with our faux granite countertops, but yet it’s still decorative to stand out on its own.   The solid marble base gives it a sturdy foundation.    With the Lord as our family’s foundation, we, too, have a strong base.   And like the holder, we, too, tend to stand out whether we want to or not.   A complete family amongst many broken homes, a loving family amongst much dysfunction, others stare at us for being what some consider unconventional, although we think of ourselves in very simple, practical terms, serving a very simple, practical purpose.

We bought this particular style because neither of us is handy enough with a drill to feel comfortable purchasing one of those under-the-kitchen cabinet varieties.    In life, we have shied away from riskier opportunities that might have better served God and ourselves, but we’re still effective and fruitful at what we do.

The holder, on its best days, looks just like it looks in this picture.   But because of the sheer volume of paper towels that go through these five hands, it often leans like that tower in Pisa rather than standing up straight.  This is, too often, where we are, moving through life and feeling as if we are barely functioning, tired and overwhelmed with responsibilities.   We get the job done, but we could definitely be more effective with a little more rest, a little more money, a little more time, a little more…

Sometimes the holder falls completely apart and has to be reassembled by the one nail that holds everything together.    Six nails hold this family together…two at His sides, two at His hands, and two at His feet…

Whatever is your own family’s uniqueness, may you always cherish the nails that hold you together.