Refuge

Saturday in the Third Week of Lent

Lord, you have been our refuge

from one generation to another.

Psalm 90:1

The somewhat neglected rocking chair from my grandmother’s house becomes our topic of conversation. Should we put it back into circulation? It has been sitting in an out-of-the-way corner of a basement room for the past several years. I admire this piece of furniture, with its walnut finish and caned back and bottom. But it has never had a proper home with us.

Also, its sagging bottom would need to be repaired. My mom would have done this herself, sitting on the back patio in the summer sun with strips of caning soaking in water, lifting them one by one to weave them together. However, this craft is beyond my skill or desire.

Yet, I feel the pull of heritage, of connection, of relationships spanning generations.

As I follow this thread of remembering, I become aware that I have been woven into the faith lives of these women as well. Their care of furnishings extended to the care of holy things, sacred vessels, altar linens. Their attention and craft given to preserving the refuge of liminal space. Their reverence is also part of my inheritance. A reflection of and tribute to our true refuge in God.