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Building Hope through a Storm

 

While we have been planted in Santa Barbara there's been a storm raging throughout our nation. People have been anxious, tempers have flared and hopelessness has set in for some. During this tumult Bing has been building a house with our friend Noah, a first born son of 7 who wanted to set up his own dwelling within the community he lives in. Yes there are parallels to the well known story of Noah in the Bible. Times were crazy in his day and he set out to build the structure that would take him into his promise. The definition of the word "ark" is of course a boat, but also a "sacred chest".

In this case this "sacred chest" is like that which contains all that we value, love, connection, shared history and yes, hope for the future. In building this "ark" Noah and Bing are saying, something better is coming and I'm going to be a part of it.

As this dwelling has gone up, a lot of the people in the community come and see the progress, they ooh and ahh about the design and make suggestions regarding decor and placement of this or that. These suggestions are taken in and largely ignored. In the evening a lot of family members come out to see what has been accomplished in the day and linger to watch the beautiful sunset, they breathe it all in and return home, filled with something more than food.


As you can see by this picture building is messy and it stays that way for awhile. It's hard to see what will be in the chaos of what is. But if you train your eye to look beyond the clutter and bring into focus the possibilities you can actually see the hope of the future. Here we are, looking ahead into the unknown future with a sacred ark of treasure to hold on to, let's remember that we love each other, that we've already been through some things together and gotten through. You are treasure, those who are reading this, never forget that. We'll get through this storm and we will be stronger for it, keep the faith and hang on to hope.


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