A House Metaphor

I have discovered in the small amount of time I have been on this earth, that there are many different things you will have to experience. One of them would be the pain of loss. With that pain comes a feeling of such pain and insecurity that it feels as if the walls surrounding your world are going to come crashing down around you. You look at the remains of what is left of your home of security and decide where to pick up the pieces of rubble and build something for yourself.
As you start building the first thing you want to do is be picky about which board you are going to fix first. You decide the biggest board would be the best to work with. Why not? It’s big, solid, and was at one time the entire foundation of your existence. So, you gather your strength and walk over to pick it up. It’s a lot heavier than you expect it to be. You see a bystander that has been patiently watching this whole ordeal, and decide they just might be trust-worthy enough to help you with the load.
You slowly go up to them, and tell them your dilemma. You tell how your entire home was so secure and what happened to cause it to break to pieces. The images in your mind become distorted, and you get frustrated trying to explain. In your frustration you look, and he has already picked up the board for you. Confused, you mumble a thank you, and wonder how they were able to do that.
The next couple of years you are slowly picking up the remains, and realize that your house is back together. Searching around you examine all the cracks and crevices trying to find a mistake in the foundation. Your new home isn’t familiar, and you start to remember what your old home was like.
First you decide you hate the paint, and then you decide your friend didn’t help enough. Forgetting how much work he put into your home, you start to get upset. You block that person out for a while, and get consumed on the detail of the trim in your home.
One day, he calls you and informs you that his garage has fallen apart and he would love your help. Taking time out of your life, you are able to help him patch up some of his problems, without realizing your remodeled his entire upstairs, in the process.
Seasons pass, but your foundation has remained strong. Every now and then a huge tornado will have passed through your town, shaking your house a little. You may have to repaint the outside, but the inside is completely secure.
After years of using the home, you sit on the front porch, and examine all it has been though. You remember that one time when the paint was all wrong in the living room. A fond memory of when you first experienced the swing set comes into view. But the best memory of all, is the time when your home became such a haven, that you let many people live with you. You allowed them to see it when it wasn’t perfect. Maybe you would spill some Kool-Aid on the carpet, and you let them watch you clean up the mess. Regardless, you let them in your home, and looking back, it wasn’t so bad. They made it so much better! This is what I have discovered in the small amount of time I have been on this earth.