Twenty years from now
you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn’t do
than by the ones you did.
So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore.
Dream.
Discover.
Metaphor
Narrative Writing Excerpt #4: Designing Doors of Destiny
Excerpt: Materials, design and history give voice to a home’s front door
Full article by Jordon Shinn, published in “Central Oklahoma Homes,” July 2010, Oklahoma City, USA.
Our lives are guided by the opening and closing of doors — from opportunities to obstacles, success to failure; from entryways to backdoors, gateways to chamber doors. A door is a focal point. It makes a statement and gives a first impression. A door has psychological significance and sets the aesthetic tone for its surroundings. It must both blend in and stand out. A door is the first thing people see when they visit, and the last thing they see when they leave.
Knock on wood
From red oak to white oak, walnut to fir, old growth to new growth, pine to birch, door construction has as many options as there are materials. Doors can be paneled, barred, cleaved, carved, finished, scraped, square or arched, and are constructed from wood, plastic, metal, glass, rubber, paper and fiberglass. But Oklahoma doors makers agree: Nothing beats a solid wood door.
Pearly gates
An open door might be a lucky break or a risk to take. A closed door can be a barricade from thieves, or hide us from our enemies. Doors guard dark secrets, or simply cover the kitchen pantry. We remember the doors we have walked through and the ones we haven’t.
ESV-Luke-13:18-21-v2
What is the Kingdom of God like?
And to what shall I compare it?
It is like a grain of mustard seed
that a man took and sowed in his garden,
and it grew and became a tree,
and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.
To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?
It is like leaven that a woman took and hid
in three measures of flour,
until it was all leavened.
Panorama: Storm Over the Promised Land
This panorama depicts the grounds of a new coffee shop, Sunday Take Your Time, built by wealthy relatives on family property aka “The Promised Land.” Overhead, an evening storm blows in from the sea, just a few minutes’ drive away. Beautiful and foreboding, this picture feels like a metaphor for a storm brewing beneath what appears to be a perfect place. I’ve often wondered why God allowed the serpent into the Garden of Eden. Perhaps that’s why when looking on his Creation, God described it as “very good,” but not quite perfect. Photo taken at dusk with Note 10 Plus. Saturation increased 10 percent. August 4, 2020. Rayong, Thailand.
to be. 