December 22, 1969
Much to our delight, my friend Julie’s bedroom furniture arrived at our apartment a few days before Christmas. These 7 good-looking pieces transformed our bedroom from a hollow, echoing shell to a place of warmth and affection. The showy satinwood of which the furniture was made included delicate, inlaid pictures so intricate we wondered how any craftsman could have made them – back in the 1920’s!
Julie’s grandma had had the furniture custom-made out of wood from Australia, telling Julie the process had taken many months. The furniture had been her grandma’s pride and joy, but now grandma was gone, and Julie needed a place to store it until she could use it herself.
Since Julie (left) was about to depart the USA for a career with Campus Crusade for Christ in Germany, she had no use for furniture. Nevertheless, it was generous and gracious of her to let us “store” it, knowing it could be at risk for damage.
Each piece of furniture was topped with a quarter-inch sheet of glass that reflected light in surprising ways, sometimes decorating our plain walls with stunning rainbows.
As several moving men hoisted all of it to our 3rd floor apartment, Nate and I watched in amazement, complimenting them lavishly on bringing everything to its destination without damage. Transporting slabs of glass took more effort than just the usual. We didn’t realize until later that these guys were probably expecting a hefty tip. At least I gave them each a drink of water.
After they’d gone, I couldn’t wait to paw through our wedding gifts for a set of brand new bed sheets. Unlike with our Murphy bed, everything would match this time.
Pure white seemed appropriate in view of all the “pure” activities that would take place in the new/old bed. And once it was neatly made, the only fitting thing to do was for both of us to joyfully jump in and mess it all up.
“This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)