Supporting a husband's dream

"In serving as her husband's helper, a wife performs many valuable
roles...In all her tasks, she seeks to further him as a man. His work of
dominion is her work; she embraces his vision as her own as she promotes and
enhances his life pursuits." Stacey McDonald.. Passionate Housewives Desperate for God

I can't quite remember when my husband first began to love collecting antiques and restoring them. It was in the early days of our marriage, that I do know. And I do remember the friendship he had with Ted. He was an elderly man, in his eighties, who taught my husband the age-old craft of French Polishing. He patiently showed him how to mix powdered colours and apply beeswax and rub the timbers, to bring a glorious sheen and patina back into old tired furniture. My husband was enthralled and became Ted's willing student and the receiver of an old man's legacy of love and labour.
While my husband spent his days learning from Ted, I worked at a charity donation centre to help suppliment the income that was slowing growing, as they repaired sideboards and tables and pianos. I didn't mind at all..in fact I enjoyed it very much. I was blessed to work for a godly older couple who held prayer meetings every morning with their staff and were more like beloved parents rather than employers. There was a real family atmosphere at Lifeline and it was enhanced by the fact that both my sisters and two nieces were also on staff. So I was content to be there for a time.


Besides..I knew it wasn't to be permanent. I stopped working outside our home when I became pregnant with our first child, and have been strictly a homemaking wife and mother since then. It was always my dream to be a stay-at-home-mother and in time, the Lord made a way for that blessing to become a reality for me.


Until then, I waited as my husband grew wiser and more experienced under Ted's mentoring and started to gain a good name as a restorer. During this time we had accumulated various pieces of large victorian furniture which were threatening to overtake the house and so, we decided to try our hand at selling some. We advertised in the local paper and put the word around, and were full of expectation and hope that this "home-business" adventure might be a success.
One day, while I was at work, a customer appeared at last, and my husband made the first antique furniture sale of his long career. I came home to find him grinning triumphantly and pointing to four $2 notes he had framed and hung on the wall. He was so proud and pleased and excited and just couldn't wait to tell me that he'd sold something! I was happy too..until I discovered what he had sold. My grandmother's Singer treadle sewing machine!


Oh dear..I had a dilema on my hands.


I was both excited and devastated at the same time! In his exhuberance he'd been talked into selling the only piece of 'furniture' I had inherited from my family. Needless to say, he was very sorry and embarassed when he realised how disappointed and shocked I was to find it gone. These days we joke about what happened- it will be a fun family story to pass on down to our descendants. But you know, I learned something important out of that experience. Never hold on to a possession so tightly that it stops you from moving into your future. My grandmother's treadle sewing machine which had provided the family clothes for two generations, stitched up my husband's working-life that day. He had found what fitted him..the thing he was good at and the means of him providing for our family for many years to come.
I could have chosen to thwart his plans by being unsupportive, unforgiving, by holding a grudge or constantly reminding him of his mistake. But instead, I've had the joy of watching him grow into a fine craftsman who is highly sought after and who has a very good reputation for the quality of his work. A godly caring man who in turn has passed on his woodworking wisdom, by mentoring other men who are disabled or recently released from prison. Giving them hope for their future. My son recently met someone who told him "Your father changed my life." He was very moved to see the gratitude and respect this man held for my husband. Both our sons are proud of their wonderful father, and the way he has taken good care of us by working hard to make life beautiful for his family.
I am very thankful for that early lesson about sacrificing to support my husband's dream - thankful for the graces it has brought to us as a family and it's effects on the lives of others. I plan to continue to hold possessions lightly; and to enjoy the ongoing amazing adventure of being a helpmeet to my beloved man! I never was much good at sewing anyway..
blessings...Trish
linked to http://raisinghomemakers.com/
photo: the Irish rocking chair made by my husband and used as my prayer place