After several years of exiling myself to my upstairs office to use my computer, I bought a laptop & wireless to put on a small desk in the family room. Now I can work downstairs while my wife is nearby - as she is right now, ironing.
On the wall above my desk are two framed calligraphies that give me some peace when I look at them.
The first is a beautiful oriental picture of a low mountain peak, surrounded by forest, with a small man standing near the top, facing out. The calligraphy reads, "Heaven is my father and earth is my mother and even such a small creature as I find a place in their midst. Therefore that which fills the universe I regard as my body and that which directs the universe I consider as my nature." Chang Tsai, 1020-1077.
The second has a vague blue-tinged background, somewhat like the thin clouds that sometimes obscure the view from a plane window. Hidden in the clouds and barely readable are 11 last names of families that had my wife as their faithful deacon for three years. The calligraphy overwriting the cloud background reads "It is a good thing to give THANKS unto the Lord and to sing praises unto your name, O Most High: To show your lovingkindness in the morning and your faithfulness every night." Psalm 92, 1-2.
God is a mystery, for sure. But for me, a comforting mystery that I have faith will someday be revealed, to my great amazement. To me, death is a doorway, not a black hole, and I will step through it with courage.
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