Normally, I think of housework as thankless work. Necessary, and appreciated, on some level, I'm sure. But thanks aren't always expressed. Until today. I was cleaning a pot of burned on chili - the kind where it's been simmering for a long time, and is now one with the pot. It was a charred mess requiring hours of soaking. After rinsing the pot, and brushing out most of the mess, I was greeted with the biggest smile I've ever seen on a pot.
I homeschooled my two youngest boys. Some people think I'm a saint for doing so, which I certainly am not. Some people think I'm the spawn of satan, which most of the time I'm not. Actually, it was a lot like any other educational environment, but without the politics. Anyway, one thing that I stressed was the proper use of spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Since I got to pick out the curriculum, I chose the classic method, which included diagramming sentences. Okay, call me a nerd, but I always enjoyed diagramming sentences. It was like a puzzle and art class all in one. And you got credit for it! Not as much fun as Sudoku or Cross Sums, but close. The boys were not as enamoured of this process, but they did it. And they learned. They know their grammar. They don't always use it, as evidenced by their MySpace pages, but they do know it.
Well, now I have my vindication. Grammar can save the world. Or at least help clean up some of the nasties. Granted, it's a different kind of grammar, one on the molecular level. But scientists are learning that sticking to the rules of genetic grammar could enable them to fight some of the more difficult bacteria, including drug-resistant microbes and anthrax.
See, guys. I was right.Got into a discussion this evening on SABLE. For those not craft oriented, that means Stash Acquisition/Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy. That would be all the yarn, craft and needlework kits, patterns, etc., and all the tools/resources to go along with them, far more than one could finish in two lifetimes, let alone one. This could also apply to those of us who have enough books to stock a medium sized municipal library - all of which are calling to be read.
I used to think that was part of what Heaven was... an eternity to work on all the needlework kits I've accumulated and don't have time for. Not to mention all the books I bought to sell on eBay, but haven't yet. I chose them because they looked interesting... so interesting I wanted to read them before listing. We've done a lot of moving these past few years, and have had to lug those boxes and boxes and boxes from place to place, endearing me to my children forever.
This idea was reinforced in a book I just read titled Heaven by Randy Alcorn. It was recommended after the death of my father, and it really did help. There are a few theological issues not compatible with Catholic teaching, but those are few and minor. Overall, it is an excellent discourse on what we can expect in the "new heaven" and the "new earth." Most everything Dr. Alcorn talks about is solidly scriptural, directly or by reasonable deduction. It's information I already knew, for the most part; verses I'd heard countless times. Yet he explains it in a way that makes what God has in store for us alive and exciting. Not holy-roller stuff, where we float around on clouds all day, being ever so pious, but a real life, with real activities, real relationships, real communities - what God had in store for us from the beginning - before man threw a monkeywrench in the works. I highly recommend this book to anyone dealing with the death of a loved one, or who just wonders what Heaven is all about.
From this book, we can reasonably deduce there will be knitting, needlework, and other crafts in Heaven. (I'm firmly convinced if Jesus were walking the earth today, he'd be shopping at A.C. Moore. But that's another story.) This is great news. Brown just brought another package from Herrschners, and the cross-stitch Nativity Set (with beading and silk tassels) should be finished about the time I finish the Japanese Garden Scene (complete with bridge and Pagoda), all made from thousands of tiny matchsticks, and certainly long before I finish the realistic Apples in a Tin Pail. (I love that one. Haven't gotten it yet, but it's on my list.) Anyway, the point is, I have so much to keep me busy, there's no way I can finish it all in this life, I'll have to figure out a way to continue them "later."
That's when it hit me. I won't be finishing those kits in Heaven. I'll be stitching my little heart out in purgatory. There are consequences to our actions, both good and bad. God is a forgiving God, but amassing so much beyond what I can reasonably use must have its consequences. What if the consequences are that I have to finish each and every one of them, and not slop it together, before I can enter Heaven?
There is absolutely no theological or scriptural basis for this. Still, just in case, I think from now on, I'll stick to kits I won't mind stitching for a very long time.
