The Magic Bowl
Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 10:12 am
As many of you know I have a cherished hobby of making pottery. I'm blessed to have my own studio on our property and its my hangout when the weather is poor or I have a sale to produce for. Yes, this little hobby has grown into a source of income although if you tally up the expenses versus income, I doubt that it is a credible source. Like all hobbies, I do it for pleasure and it is a creative outlet which I have mastered to some degree.
My most productive times are before Christmas as I sign up for a few Christmas craft sales .My hobby then becomes a somewhat serious affair counting up product as a busily produce bowls, plates, mugs and casseroles on my wheel. Glazing these beauties is always the challenge and I have as many disappointments as I have triumphs. In one recent firing I pulled out a real looker of a bowl. It was various shades of blue with red flecks and a gold rim. This is a new combination for me and one that my wife Jeanne encouraged. This attempt was stunning and I brought it to her to show it off. She heartily approved and I was surprised that she didn't want it for herself. So I got to put it out for sale at a recent crafts fair, front and center thinking it would be one of the first items to be sold. Things were selling as I anticipated but the beautiful bowl was admired but not bought. Several hours had passed and I was having a good sale so was busy taking money, wrapping and encouraging those browsing to buy. I'm a pretty good salesman when I want to be and over the years have honed various techniques to push the undecided into buying. Things were going well but no sale for my beautiful bowl. Others less beautiful were flying off the table but the belle of the ball had no dance partners.
There was a bit of a lull at my table until a lovely dark haired lady came by and went right for the magic bowl. She embraced it like it was a baby and gazed into its complex center which was like its own little world. She looked at the price which was not onerous but not fire sale either and her face dropped. It was clear that to buy such a luxury was beyond her normal behavior or maybe pocket book so she put it down and told me how much she loved that bowl.We both agreed and I said that it was my favorite piece of the sale . She also muttered something about getting some money but I didn't see her come back until almost the end of the day. She came with a friend whom I believe she wanted to see if she would buy the bowl for herself as kind of a act of sublimation. Her friend was an older lady whom I assumed was her mother but when I asked she said that she was a dear friend. The friend picked up the bowl and asked if this was the one that she admired. Upon confirming that it was, she immediately said that she was going to buy it for her. Now her friend didn't seem to be all that rich either. An obvious senior citizen and probably living on a pension but was hell bent on buying that bowl for her friend. It was not a power struggle but the dear lady was so overcome and shocked that her friend would do this that she started to exclaim " no, no , no I only wanted to show it to you" I'll pay for it but you could see by the look on her face that she didn't have the money. She was embarrassed but also something else was going on. Her friend made an exceptionally lovely gesture of generosity and acknowledgement about the love bond that they shared. She was making a statement of love, a tribute of sorts. The dear lady got all teary eyed and after her intial resistance accepted the gift. The older lady forthrightly thrust a hundred dollar bill into my hand and at the same time asked her friend if she wanted a mug too. Of course she protested but the lady insisted and put a mug in my hand to wrap up with the bowl. They eventually went happily on their way and we exchanged our sentiments of joy about the outcome.
This event stuck with me afterwards because of the bit of drama but mostly because I felt a part of something beautiful that happened between the three of us. Although I was a minor actor in this play, I also played my part in facilitating the event. I believe that God did something there which will last in all our memories for some time. The friend gave willingly, excitedly and insistently a gift of love. I believe that the friend had a very good soul, one which acted in love and I bet was Divinely prompted. I think that the bowl facilitated some sort of healing for the dear lady who received it. Of course I could not know the circumstances but intuitively I felt that it was an important event for both of them.
What did I get out of this exchange? I learned, or rather relearned a valuable lesson about love. Love can manifest in all kinds of ways. I made the bowl in love, I put my love into it in the form of admiration and I think that that dedication made a difference to that object. It transformed it to some degree and it had a purpose to it which was fulfilled. Some of you may think that I'm making a bit much of this nice but not profound event and you may be right. When I later related the story to Jeanne and Hal ( who is staying with us for a short while), I began to tear up and something came up from deep down. A sure indication to me that something important happened . I realized that it is in this form of unrestricted and no strings attached giving that harmony is created and sustained. Love bonds come with generosity of spirit and sometimes materially too.
Mother Theresa used to say " give until it hurts". I was faced with such a prospect not a day later as we were out to dinner with friends. I believe many of you are familiar with Terry Coyote and his beautiful wife Christine. They facilitated a drumming circle and pipe ceremony on our front lawn at the August retreat. As I was selling my pottery, Jeanne, Hal, Judy and others were having a drumming session in a nearby church . Jeanne and Judy invited them to dinner at a restaurant and I was able to attend that. Now Jeanne did the inviting which became a crowd of about 10 people. Now I wanted to pay for four of us but Jeanne said that we invited all to attend. Soooo, as I battled in my mind about paying this substantial bill, I thought of the bowl story. Its not as if I didn't have the cash as I had just finished my sale. I just didn't want to spend so much of it. But the example of the bowl urged me to get over my reluctance and be generous. I paid and now do not regret it. It was an act of love. Now I can't afford to be so generous all the time but when the occasion demands it, I will feel less reluctant to follow through. The bowl incident healed me a little too.
You never know How God is going to help you grow and heal . It surprises me how creative God is in His efforts to help us along. The key is to allow the transformation of our thinking to happen. Be alert to these sorts of opportunities. Don't push them aside because there is some element of discomfort. If you pass a test or gain some new insights, try not to forget them and incorporate them into your consciousness. In the end, whatever it is that is a form of payment for the lesson is well worth the expenditure. God always gives back much more than it costs you. Joy within is priceless and God always looks after our well being. May you all be as generous and creative as your life allows. I see how important that is for me. With much love and appreciation for all the richness of life.......Al
My most productive times are before Christmas as I sign up for a few Christmas craft sales .My hobby then becomes a somewhat serious affair counting up product as a busily produce bowls, plates, mugs and casseroles on my wheel. Glazing these beauties is always the challenge and I have as many disappointments as I have triumphs. In one recent firing I pulled out a real looker of a bowl. It was various shades of blue with red flecks and a gold rim. This is a new combination for me and one that my wife Jeanne encouraged. This attempt was stunning and I brought it to her to show it off. She heartily approved and I was surprised that she didn't want it for herself. So I got to put it out for sale at a recent crafts fair, front and center thinking it would be one of the first items to be sold. Things were selling as I anticipated but the beautiful bowl was admired but not bought. Several hours had passed and I was having a good sale so was busy taking money, wrapping and encouraging those browsing to buy. I'm a pretty good salesman when I want to be and over the years have honed various techniques to push the undecided into buying. Things were going well but no sale for my beautiful bowl. Others less beautiful were flying off the table but the belle of the ball had no dance partners.
There was a bit of a lull at my table until a lovely dark haired lady came by and went right for the magic bowl. She embraced it like it was a baby and gazed into its complex center which was like its own little world. She looked at the price which was not onerous but not fire sale either and her face dropped. It was clear that to buy such a luxury was beyond her normal behavior or maybe pocket book so she put it down and told me how much she loved that bowl.We both agreed and I said that it was my favorite piece of the sale . She also muttered something about getting some money but I didn't see her come back until almost the end of the day. She came with a friend whom I believe she wanted to see if she would buy the bowl for herself as kind of a act of sublimation. Her friend was an older lady whom I assumed was her mother but when I asked she said that she was a dear friend. The friend picked up the bowl and asked if this was the one that she admired. Upon confirming that it was, she immediately said that she was going to buy it for her. Now her friend didn't seem to be all that rich either. An obvious senior citizen and probably living on a pension but was hell bent on buying that bowl for her friend. It was not a power struggle but the dear lady was so overcome and shocked that her friend would do this that she started to exclaim " no, no , no I only wanted to show it to you" I'll pay for it but you could see by the look on her face that she didn't have the money. She was embarrassed but also something else was going on. Her friend made an exceptionally lovely gesture of generosity and acknowledgement about the love bond that they shared. She was making a statement of love, a tribute of sorts. The dear lady got all teary eyed and after her intial resistance accepted the gift. The older lady forthrightly thrust a hundred dollar bill into my hand and at the same time asked her friend if she wanted a mug too. Of course she protested but the lady insisted and put a mug in my hand to wrap up with the bowl. They eventually went happily on their way and we exchanged our sentiments of joy about the outcome.
This event stuck with me afterwards because of the bit of drama but mostly because I felt a part of something beautiful that happened between the three of us. Although I was a minor actor in this play, I also played my part in facilitating the event. I believe that God did something there which will last in all our memories for some time. The friend gave willingly, excitedly and insistently a gift of love. I believe that the friend had a very good soul, one which acted in love and I bet was Divinely prompted. I think that the bowl facilitated some sort of healing for the dear lady who received it. Of course I could not know the circumstances but intuitively I felt that it was an important event for both of them.
What did I get out of this exchange? I learned, or rather relearned a valuable lesson about love. Love can manifest in all kinds of ways. I made the bowl in love, I put my love into it in the form of admiration and I think that that dedication made a difference to that object. It transformed it to some degree and it had a purpose to it which was fulfilled. Some of you may think that I'm making a bit much of this nice but not profound event and you may be right. When I later related the story to Jeanne and Hal ( who is staying with us for a short while), I began to tear up and something came up from deep down. A sure indication to me that something important happened . I realized that it is in this form of unrestricted and no strings attached giving that harmony is created and sustained. Love bonds come with generosity of spirit and sometimes materially too.
Mother Theresa used to say " give until it hurts". I was faced with such a prospect not a day later as we were out to dinner with friends. I believe many of you are familiar with Terry Coyote and his beautiful wife Christine. They facilitated a drumming circle and pipe ceremony on our front lawn at the August retreat. As I was selling my pottery, Jeanne, Hal, Judy and others were having a drumming session in a nearby church . Jeanne and Judy invited them to dinner at a restaurant and I was able to attend that. Now Jeanne did the inviting which became a crowd of about 10 people. Now I wanted to pay for four of us but Jeanne said that we invited all to attend. Soooo, as I battled in my mind about paying this substantial bill, I thought of the bowl story. Its not as if I didn't have the cash as I had just finished my sale. I just didn't want to spend so much of it. But the example of the bowl urged me to get over my reluctance and be generous. I paid and now do not regret it. It was an act of love. Now I can't afford to be so generous all the time but when the occasion demands it, I will feel less reluctant to follow through. The bowl incident healed me a little too.
You never know How God is going to help you grow and heal . It surprises me how creative God is in His efforts to help us along. The key is to allow the transformation of our thinking to happen. Be alert to these sorts of opportunities. Don't push them aside because there is some element of discomfort. If you pass a test or gain some new insights, try not to forget them and incorporate them into your consciousness. In the end, whatever it is that is a form of payment for the lesson is well worth the expenditure. God always gives back much more than it costs you. Joy within is priceless and God always looks after our well being. May you all be as generous and creative as your life allows. I see how important that is for me. With much love and appreciation for all the richness of life.......Al