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On Building Cathedrals

This was sent to me by my sister Deb, and I think it's fabulous. After almost two weeks of having the kids home from school, and feeling invisible for most of that time, this really helps me put things into perspective. I don't know who wrote it, because she is invisible, but I know she's a genius.

Long Live Cathedral Building!

Kimmy

***********************************************

 Invisible Mother...... 

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask me a question. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously, not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.
 
I'm invisible.  The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this?  Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well.   It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe.  I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book.  And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
 No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.  
 These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof?   No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.
 
It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life.   It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness.   It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished , to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.'  That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home.  And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add , 'you're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Comments

• 6. Beth in AZ (26 August 2009 at 1:29 p.m.)

  Kim, I know this was posted over 6 months ago, but I just saw it...and I needed a kleenex before I was finished!

• 5. Kathy (13 April 2009 at 3:47 p.m.)

  Dear Kim, Thank you for putting this on your site-it is beautiful. It was the first time I read this. I think I have located the author...her name is Nicole Johnson--here is a link to her excerpt: http://www.freshbrewedlife.com/cd_69.aspx Kathy in NY

• 4. Kathleen (21 February 2009 at 5:26 p.m.)

  I was so blessed by reading this! Thanks for putting it on your blog.

• 3. Another Kim (16 January 2009 at 9:52 a.m.)

  With all the t-shirts with "Princess" emblazoned in glitter written across the chests of women from 2 to 82 I'm driven a little crazy. "It's not about you!" should be our new motto. Service to others is not about being a slave, it's about making the world a better place every way you can, every day you can. *getting off soapbox* Thanks, Kim, for the lovely story!

• 2. Shana in AK (03 January 2009 at 9:26 p.m.)

  Dear Kimmy, without trying to sound gushy and mushy I want to say not only are your children future cathedrals, so are your quilting students and all of us who are inspired by what you give in your teaching. For me especially. Your legacy will live on for generations in all that you do in this world.

• 1. Cathy (03 January 2009 at 9:01 p.m.)

  Thank you for sharing this. I just happened on your site and found this, but I think it was no accident. I needed to read this. God bless you.

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