October 29, 2008

• Buildings and Legacies

  I have long been haunted by the concept that material things have more “substance” than our lives do — that the things we own or create, the places we build and live in –endure longer than our fragile human bodies.  As human beings, our lives on earth are so evanescent, vanishing in the blink of an eye.  And yet, I believe we are eternal beings of soul and energy, so that the things we do and the lives we live, in our fleeting existence here on earth, have eternal significance.  Some people create great works of art, some write epic stories, and some build great structures — landmarks, even.  Some architecture is more humble, built more for function than form, as depicted by my photos for today.  I wonder about the people who built these…who were they? For myself, I will not create any great masterpieces.  I hope my legacy lives on in the lives of my children and in the mercy, love, and grace I have shown towards others in my own brief journey through life.

  Now for the pictures.

  An old museum school not far from my house.  This one-room schoolhouse was still in use as recently as 1971.  Current 3rd graders in our school district still attend school here one week out of the year, to experience first-hand what “old-fashioned” school was like.

  

  A close-up of the bell tower.

  

  I love this gnarly old tree outside on the school grounds.

  

  Near the old schoolhouse is a “Pioneer” cabin, a reconstruction of the type of home early settler’s in this area may have lived in.

  

  Peeking into the cabin’s interior. 

  

  Highlighting a few details of the cabin –

  The rain barrel:

  

  The door handle:

  

  The peak of the roof against a brilliant October-blue sky:

  

  I’m not sure what this is, but it was outside a shed near the cabin…an old water heater, possibly?  Or an early attempt at robotics? 

  

  From old school to new — this is at the local college campus, one of the newer buildings in the area.

  

  Also on the college campus — these retaining walls are a perfect blend of form and function. 

  

  A nearby country church.  Something about these buildings stirs me as deeply as the great cathedrals.  Perhaps because I see in these humble but beautiful structures a reflection of the simple but solid faith I feel in the depths of my soul.

  

  

  

  I leave you with this song from Nicole Nordeman, which sums up my thoughts about the kind of legacy I hope to leave behind me.

   

  • 11:15 am
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