God and my air vent have a lot in common.

This small picture has a frame about two and a half inches deep with a set of real roots attached horizontally to the foreground and a painting as a back wall,. The painting shows brown trees flying through the sky in a circle. The sky is too big to be framed in. So it shows itself on the outer edge of the frame and on the surrounding cubes.

Many of my friends have a constant faith, like a root grown down deep into our Father’s ground. Mine flits around and can’t always be found. At those times I CHOOSE faith rather lean on it.

A small black cat, named Tesla. lives at my house. He sits, neck stretched out as far as possible, head cocked to one side then the other, and he contemplates an air vent for five to ten minutes at a time. Now let me string all these thoughts together.

I worry about my after life. I know the Bible’s theory, I choose to believe but I haven’t seen it done nor have I died, yet, and been resurrected. I’m nervous about it, like I was about college before my first class. I want to see John after this earth life. I don’t want the “I” part of me to disappear into dust. If death was an air vent I’d sit beside Tesla and stare.

I have a different kind of brain than a cat so I understand furnaces and Tesla trusts me when I say, “It’s OK Tess, It won’t hurt you”. I’m good to my cat, he trusts me he doesn’t run when air rushes through but still he contemplates. God has a different kind of brain than me so, with this kind of logic, I choose to trust God when doubt bangs, back and forth, against the walls inside me and I panic. I choose to sink a root into God’s goodness, His plan and care, and I have seen evidence of these in my life. I trust Father as Tesla trusts me.

My faith is my root to God, after all God isn’t located only above me. My root just looks a little different than my friends’ roots and my lack of understanding does not evaporate reality.

    Root – Framed

nancymauerman.com

The title of the picture below is CalapanderJohn is not at all the kind of man who would be interested in a room full of antimacassars, those dainty dollie things covering the arms of couches and chairs. What he would love to be surrounded with are calipers; a word I modified for this picture, a measuring device that opens and closes like flattened adjustable wrench.

Are you ever stuck with the TV program your husband picked and it’s TOO LOUD? I often am and I love it. Let me tell you why. As soon as the heater pounds through the air or I crunch a chip I’ve lost some of the dialogue to UFO, AIiens Should Land in Washington DC.

I say, “John, would you turn it up a tiny bit? Just a tiny bit.” and by that I have in mind one hatch mark’s worth of sound on the TV screen’s volume indicator. I see the indicator run up the scale 1,2, 3, a hesitation, then 4 hatch marks! I’m surprised every time because my mind says one thing and I get yelling people instead but I smile. What I hear may be uncomfortable but what I’ve seen is, “Nancy wants volume.”= one click. “I love Nancy.” = the second click. “I really love Nancy, I want to give her extra love.” = too loud.

Calapander’s Antimacassar, a small painting, hangs behind the chair John directs TV from so when he stands up the most of the painting disappears. Only a blue and yellow halo shows around his head. So fitting.  nancymauerman.com

Calapander’s Antimacassar – Framed

This eagle painting was commissioned by Talon Gray’s grandfather. It’s called Brother Stanley’s Eagles. Black buttons extend the frame and repeat the rows of roundish topiary trees, brown mountains and blue clouds. The eagle is back lit so most of his form is in shadow. The shape of his out stretched wings is repeated below as a topiary shadow. I’ve never had a painting created in my honor have you?  nancymauerman.com

Brother Stanley’s Eagles – Framed