Resurrections

It’s such a gift to be able to see the potential for new life in old things. I haven’t always had this gift, but I’ve gotten better at it. Instead of only seeing the value in new things, I have a much greater appreciation for the beauty that comes from restoring or resurrecting something. Furniture, houses, people, relationships. A resurrection means new life. (Restoring something brings it back to its original state… and that’s not necessarily what is always best.)

Two things took up my time and attention last spring: working with some friends on renovating an old house to sell, and prom dress shopping. 🙂

First, the dress. Annie wanted something special – maybe vintage? – and a pretty color. We spent a few weekends in shops – new dresses, old dresses. And all of them very expensive dresses. She liked a couple of them, but wasn’t in love, and on the Sunday night two weeks before prom she was a little anxious. We were getting down to the wire. “What about that green dress you’ve talked about? The one your grandmother wore? Should I try that one on?”

Hmm. That dress was beautiful… in my memory at least. It was pretty back in the 1950s, when my grandmother had her photo taken in it. But it had been in a closet for more than 40 years, and I was afraid it might only be gorgeous in my mind, frozen in that 1957 picture. What if it was too shabby and couldn’t be worn?

We pulled it out, removed it from the bag, and Annie tried it on. It fit her perfectly, and she loved it. Vintage, a great color, and no one else would have the same dress. She decided to wear it. We fluffed it out, fixed a few rips, and she added some flair of her own. It was ready, she looked beautiful, and that old dress that had hung in a closet for decades was recycled for a new generation. I was super excited. It made her prom extra special.

Next, the house. After a winter of work, family commitments, sports driving, sports watching and a million extracurriculars during gray depressing days, I needed something completely different and a little creative to hold my attention for awhile. Enter the sweetest house on Massachusetts Avenue. The owner had passed away, and her children were selling the home. My friends and I had been considering a “fixer upper” for awhile, but knew the market was slim. When we saw this house, we knew it was the one. Tons of potential, but it needed new life. A resurrection. What better time than spring?

We bought it the week after Easter and got to work. (I did the least amount of actual physical work, so I’m taking very little credit for how the project went.) But, with occasional pop-ins from the former owner’s family, and with their blessing, we began tearing out the old and installing the new. Flooring, lights, the original wood floors refinished and stained, countertops and paint.

When we finished up 8 weeks later, it was adorable. It was always a jewel, but the character and beauty had faded with time and age, and it needed newer and more modern touches to appeal to younger families. It just took an eye for what could be – preserving the charm but adding things that a younger buyer would like. We sold it in a week, to an engaged couple who was looking for their first house.

There is healing and growth and energy in daily resurrections — waking up and committing to a new day. Resurrections are all around us. Finding new life in something you thought was beyond hope…and most importantly, doing the hard work to make it better. It’s fresh perspective. It’s forgiveness. It’s hours of painting old brown paneling white, making it fresh and new for the next family to enjoy. It’s raising a family. It’s healing a relationship. It’s dusting off a 1950s emerald green dress for a great-granddaughter. It’s a dusty red brick house painted navy blue – with new life breathed into it, resurrecting its bright future and its beauty with new finishes and paint.

Thank goodness for hope and resurrections – in homes, in relationships, in life.