A cup of kindness.

Today the Carpenter and I had a joint meeting with customers, whose project will be starting later this month. The Carpenter needed to "nail down" some last minute details and I was along for a design consult– cabinet and trim colors, backsplash and flooring. They wanted advice on what direction to go and how to tie it all cohesively within their existing color theme which they wanted to keep. (We offer my design assistance for signed jobs.) …


The Carpenter had just come from a job site and was very stressed. He wasn't in the best frame of mind for this meeting. And he's had some unexpected situations come his way in the last month making managing the business more stressful then normal for him.

We ended up having a really productive meeting. I was able to give some color (suggested the base cabinets be a darker color and the upper cabinets and trim be a softer white) and backsplash suggestions (the Carpenter suggested tongue and groove to match their country kitchen) that helped the homeowners visualize and feel good about their soon to be updated kitchen.

Most of the time, I can come up with solutions very quickly. But this time I had to stand there quietly looking around waiting for my design problem solving brain to kick in! I did say that I might need some time to process and come back to them with some ideas. But thankfully the Carpenter kept the conversation going along with some great ideas of his own, that gave me time to really start "feeling" the space. 

And now the reason for this post. We were about to leave, everyone satisfied with the decisions and the homeowners asked if we had time to stay for a treat. The Carpenter had a ton to do before the end of his day but he said yes. So we sat down at the kitchen table and shared apple crisp (very appropriate :), and coffee. And before we picked up our forks the homeowner asked her husband to give a blessing for the food. He prayed the sweetest prayer for us and the upcoming project. Safety for our crew, a speedy completion. It just blew me away. I've never had a homeowner pray for us before we started a job.

Just sitting there in the late afternoon in that cozy home with those dear people calmed our spirits. It put our hectic work life in perspective. Their kindness and care was like being covered in a warm blanket. We both stopped and took a deep breath. As I sat there listening to the conversation I started to tear up just thinking about their kindness. It was all I could do to not start bawling right on the spot.  

The Carpenter has had a difficult last few months with the business for multiple reasons. But you know… God knows and sees. And just when we need it, he brings mercy and kindness our way. 

I won't soon forget.
~the Artist