“There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.” (John 1.6-8)
I wish I could give you an experience in turning a wood bowl. It would need to start with the moment that you held the potential turning blank; sensing the wood, seeing if there is a calling between you and the wood, imaging what could be. From this point, right through the process of preparing the wood, selecting the right tools, shaping the bottom and then the top, and onto the applying the finish, you would experience unique.
The first time I was in the hands of my father. I remember it well, mostly because Dad struck the balance between doing everything for me wile protecting me from my self and allowing me to be intimately involved in the creative process. The outcome still sits in my office! To many it is a simple bowl made from an unusual wood. To me it is something that magically represents what happens when father and son work together, struggle through different challenges, strike a creative balance, and press to the finish.
As great as the experience was, it became even greater when I began to share it with others. I didn’t realize what was happening the first time I walk another through it, probably because if was Whitney and I naturally assumed that it was a father daughter experience. Part of it was but it was more than just that! Two friends came over this fall and we spent a day turning two bowls. If I close my eyes I am right there again! Focused, intense, and amazing just begin to describe my experience with the process. The day was far more than just what was physically left at the end of it – some things are truly priceless.
Today there are new opportunities to show the light. Take ‘em.
