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Guest House on Lone Man Creek
It started out to be an overnight getaway and ended up as a serene stay at the Sanctuary on Lone Man Creek.
The setting is the Little Chapel guest house nestled along Lone Man Creek in the Texas Hill Country. The Little Chapel features three stained-glass gothic windows from an old church. The furnishings reflect an old European church style. A grand focal piece is an antique vestry cabinet of carved oak, with drawers that one held precisely folded purificators, stoles, and maniples. On one wall hangs a framed print of beautifully illustrated calligraphy--"Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God"--reminding us of who we are.
The tuned wind chimes outside, like a carillon, call a believer to worship. I answer. The prie dieu invites a pray-er to meditation. I accept. As I kneel for Matins, and facing east, I contemplate the creek water tumbling over the spillway and bubbling along the limestone rocks downstream. The powerful pouring sound washes my spirit clean.
I wonder. Who was the Lone Man who once lived along the creek? Is it me? Is it Everyman? As the poet Rumi wrote in The Guest House, "This human being is a guest house....Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond." As long as I enter the sanctuary of my soul, I welcome some momentary awareness that comes as an unexpected visitor.
It's not necessary to drive to the Hill Country to find a Little Chapel--only when I want to awaken to the morning sun streaming through a trinity of old stained-glass gothic windows.
--by Jan
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Mirrors --by Bill
A trio of stained-glass windows, taken from an old church, graces the front wall of the Little Chapel. It is not simply the presence of the windows, however, that make the Little Chapel special. The interior design repeatedly draws attention to that presence, especially through the use of mirrors. Directly beneath the windows sits the breakfast table, with a mirrored glass top. Your plate and cup are not only bathed in the colored light; they seem to float on the reflected image of stained glass. My morning coffee was served in God's holy light, the scone presented as an offering from the Creator. On the wall opposite the windows, a large mirror hangs above the fireplace, next to the wall-mounted television. Sit on the couch, facing that mirror, and the evening news or the latest reality show appears beside the reflected image of stained glass. It helps, one might say, to put things in perspective. Dancing flames in the fireplace draw the eye upward, to the mirror where the gothic shape of the windows draws the eye still upward, heavenward, to the source of all warmth and light. A small mirror over the kitchen counter (shown here), startled me to awareness. Walking from the bedroom door to the kitchen sink, I glanced up to see the glowing light of the stained glass reflected in the mirror. That mundane, everyday, journey was transformed. A careful designer placed mirrors in the Little Chapel to repeatedly draw the eye back to the stained-glass windows. Does your home have "mirrors" to draw your mind back to the presence of God? It might be an icon of a saint or an inspiring landscape painting. A small indoor fountain can remind you of living water. In our home, a small white stone, carved with a cross, brought back from Iona, reminds us of a pilgrimage to that holy place. Have you placed such mirrors in your home, or in your daily routine, to remind you of God's constant presence? |
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Copyright (c) 2010 Soul Windows Ministries
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