That Closed-in Feeling
Growing up in the Hotel Mary-Etta produced one unexpected side effect for me: I feel a bit claustrophobic in small spaces, especially those with low ceilings and small windows, or no windows at all.. Our apartment at the Mary-Etta was quite large, with a big living room and several tall windows. My furniture-filled bedroom was not especially spacious, since I shared it with Laura; however, it had a large window that expanded the space, almost inviting the great outdoors into the room.
The common areas of the hotel were all huge, with windows that stretched from just a couple of feet off the floor clear to the lofty ceiling, high above. When I think of the hotel, I can still see the morning summer sun streaming into the east windows of the Gold Room. I think of the second floor laundry room, which was also a rather large, sun-lit room, cluttered with toys so my brother and sister and I had something to do while Mom was ironing sheets on the mangle. I remember the huge kitchen at the back of the hotel, with its wooden walk-in cooler and miles of counters, where Millie and Ann prepared countless meals for hundreds of people every month.
Living in the hotel spoiled me, it's true. I am still most comfortable in large, sunny rooms.
In the nearly thirty-eight years that Bill and I have been married, we've been fortunate to live in apartments and houses that were just a little bigger or sunnier than average. The first home we bought, near Traverse City, Michigan, was an old farm house with lots of space and plenty of windows. Our first home here in Gering was small, but the living room was big and sunny, making the house more bearable as our growing family outgrew the space. It seems like we looked at dozens of homes before we finally bought our current home, which is bigger than most in our neighborhood; we treasure our comfortable living room and family room, and our newly-remodeled kitchen; the tree-filled yard is an added blessing.
I appreciate being able to attend a Sunday morning Life Group at church, but I don't really like the room where we meet, because it has no windows. I guess that's what led to this particular blog topic; I feel somewhat claustrophobic at Bible Study! Instead of paying close attention to the day's topic, I catch myself staring at the low ceiling and freshly painted cement block walls, wishing for just one window. And then, I remind myself that the lack of windows really shouldn't matter when God is there. After all, his presence supercedes all man-made space.
I can hardly wait to see those Son-lit mansions in heaven, where space will no longer be an issue, and where windows will not be needed to let the light in. "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp." Revelation 21:23
The common areas of the hotel were all huge, with windows that stretched from just a couple of feet off the floor clear to the lofty ceiling, high above. When I think of the hotel, I can still see the morning summer sun streaming into the east windows of the Gold Room. I think of the second floor laundry room, which was also a rather large, sun-lit room, cluttered with toys so my brother and sister and I had something to do while Mom was ironing sheets on the mangle. I remember the huge kitchen at the back of the hotel, with its wooden walk-in cooler and miles of counters, where Millie and Ann prepared countless meals for hundreds of people every month.
Living in the hotel spoiled me, it's true. I am still most comfortable in large, sunny rooms.
In the nearly thirty-eight years that Bill and I have been married, we've been fortunate to live in apartments and houses that were just a little bigger or sunnier than average. The first home we bought, near Traverse City, Michigan, was an old farm house with lots of space and plenty of windows. Our first home here in Gering was small, but the living room was big and sunny, making the house more bearable as our growing family outgrew the space. It seems like we looked at dozens of homes before we finally bought our current home, which is bigger than most in our neighborhood; we treasure our comfortable living room and family room, and our newly-remodeled kitchen; the tree-filled yard is an added blessing.
I appreciate being able to attend a Sunday morning Life Group at church, but I don't really like the room where we meet, because it has no windows. I guess that's what led to this particular blog topic; I feel somewhat claustrophobic at Bible Study! Instead of paying close attention to the day's topic, I catch myself staring at the low ceiling and freshly painted cement block walls, wishing for just one window. And then, I remind myself that the lack of windows really shouldn't matter when God is there. After all, his presence supercedes all man-made space.
I can hardly wait to see those Son-lit mansions in heaven, where space will no longer be an issue, and where windows will not be needed to let the light in. "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp." Revelation 21:23
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