Last December we made some changes to the Gathering Room which included knocking out two spaces in an exterior wall and putting in a double door and a big picture window. Dubs and Beaner did the work and with amazing efficiency they took out the wall, removed the rubble, and framed in the door and window and replaced the door. Drywall, concrete block covered by stucco. That is what stands between us and the storms, hurricanes and flooding rains that sometimes come to central Florida. It does not seem like enough.
A few years ago a hurricane named Frances came through central Florida and it did enough damage to the roof that we had to have it replaced. After the work was completed I had occasion to climb up to the attic and get down some storage boxes. The roof was made of beams, a layer of plywood covered with shingles. That's all. No great layers of material to keep out the wind and storms, just plywood and shingles. It does not seem to be enough. Has it always been so? Woven straw that tops houses in England comes to mind--those roofs that make the house look like it sits under a haystack. Palm leaves supported by a bamboo frame might be used where palm trees are abundant. How thin are these houses!
Perhaps people sense their vulnerability so they erect seven foot tall, white PVC fences around their houses. The children hide in the houses, staring at screens so they won't have to think about how little protection from danger they possess in their thin houses. Do they find comfort in the games they play? They might if they play well and win. The screens broadcast into the house ideas and forces that may cause cracks in those thin walls. Discontent. Avarice. Seven deadly sins. Watch. Take them all in. No time to talk and build relationships, just face to face with screens.
I want to spread a blanket of protection over my house. I want to protect my family. I want to keep my books and photos safe from damage. We need thicker walls and roofs. I know the construction company to build it for me: no less than the builder of the universe, God. Let me pray to God for shelter from danger, physical or spiritual. Let my walls be thick as castle walls, my roof able to withstand any attack from forces that would crack and divide my house. Make my house impervious to danger.
