Gratitude - Day 12

This mornings guest post is by Scott Shannon.  He and his wife Jessica are part of the prayer support of Common Table and live in West Seattle.

 

 

They say the strongest sense that is tied to memory is smell. We all have some smell that reminds us of some great memory and even of some not so great memories.  All it takes is a small waft of that scent and we can recall sharp details of that experience.  I can’t honestly remember what the smells of my childhood Thanksgivings were but the image of the space is well captured in my brain.  I can still draw for you, with decent accuracy, the layout of the house I lived in till I was three.  This is probably part of why I ended up as an architect.  I’m telling you this because what I’m grateful for are spaces and items that inspire us and bring us together.

As a child, I don’t remember sitting around the table at Thanksgiving and taking turns expressing what we were all thankful for.  I remember being with family.  I remember we ate in the basement of my Aunt’s house and the room was long with a white vinyl floor with wood paneled walls.   To the left was a sliding glass door to the back yard and to the right was a wet bar with some kind of Japanese pinball /slot machine that we’d spend hours playing.  At the end of the room there was a fire place, a sofa, some chairs, and a TV that always had the game playing.  There was one larger table and several smaller card tables all with folding chairs and nice, but paper, table cloths. 

Now I understand that by my chosen profession I’m predisposed to the appreciation for such things.  I’m certain though that it goes beyond that.  I was fortunate enough recently to take a trip to Ireland and there’s this strange little phenomenon there.  All throughout the country there are great churches and cathedrals.  No matter how small the village is they have these impressive houses of worship.  I learned that for many years Catholicism was banned in Ireland and as soon as that decree was lifted, the ‘Church’ began a massive building program.  The result was beautiful churches everywhere you go.  As an architect I know that the spaces are designed in such a way to draw your eyes up towards the ceiling and therefore heaven.  I know that while the stained-glass windows tell stories from the bible that they also create a filtered light that helps set a mood.  Even knowing all of these ‘tricks’, there is an overwhelming feeling of respect, peacefulness and humbleness that I just can’t explain.  It’s easy to feel His presence there.