Renewed . . . Repurposed (Peter Black)

Were you raised in a home where resources were scarce and you were taught to not waste anything, but to recycle and reuse whenever possible and reasonable? I was, and today I could be rightly accused of going overboard (my Beloved hands down a firm “guilty” verdict!).

Here’s a recent example of my ingrained recycle and reuse mindset. I had several tangerine boxes gathering dust under my workshop bench. I’d reclaimed (or 'rescued') them from my wife’s “gotta get these out of the house” crosshairs.

I’d held on to them along with an assortment of other odds-an’-ends, in case they came in handy for mending or making something useful. After dismantling one I glued and clamped the sides together, to make thicker plywood.

That reclaimed and renovated boxwood, along with a piece of used pine board (left over from a dismantled pew) and a few inches of dowelling, was recreated. It became – with the aid of scroll- saw, buff-grinder and sandpaper among other things – a handsome model motorcycle. That new creation now sits on our sixth-grade grandson’s bedroom dresser.



This iStock pic is way fancier than our creation!

Another element in the process was his contribution to the project, as he practiced using the machines and developing his skills. A further benefit: the project kept him occupied for hours during snow days that brought him and his young sister to Grandma and Grandpa’s place.
 
And so, we reclaimed then recycled and reused, by using the wood to make stronger wood for the new creation. The same is basically true of the reclaimed pine wood. (It was only a small scrap piece. I’m sure some folk would have tossed it out or chopped it into smaller pieces for kindling.)

Now let’s introduce another aspect: we repurposed. Whereas the product we created was a small and modest representation of a motorcycle, the purpose in the process was to fill time and to engage and occupy an active schoolboy. Moreover, the exercise provided teachable moments and was an occasion for relationship-building. And, he also had something to play with or admire at the end of the day.

Quite often my post to this blog is a slightly modified edition of articles written for a weekly column called P-Pep! in a newspaper that serves several rural communities. This piece is based on one, although in this case there’s more modification than usual. Generally-speaking, minor reorientation and tweaking provide a different readership the opportunity to read the musings. I hope that the other reading audience will gain a helpful slant on life and faith.

Several weeks ago I sent off a manuscript to a writer colleague. It contains a collection of 52 P-Pep! articles, interspersed with brief statements that I call Words to Bless. He’ll review and critique them. While those reworked items clearly reflect the original, in some respects they’re quite different. Once the manuscript returns to me I’ll further modify them. I plan to include them in my current work in progress book project, to reach a wider audience than before. Reclaimed, recycled, reused and repurposed.

That is what God does with our lives when we come to with absolute sincerity. We may look fine on the outside, but may be wasted within. Some of us may appear obviously damaged and broken. Whatever our condition, when we abandon ourselves to the mercy and grace of God, He works the wonders of His grace from the inside out.

Reclaimed, recycled, reused and repurposed – new creations designed and destined to demonstrate God’s gracious handiwork through us:
“. . . if anyone is in Christ, he [or she] is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

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Peter A. Black is a freelance writer in Southwestern Ontario, and is author of “Parables from the Pond” – a children's / family book (mildly educational, inspirational in orientation, character reinforcing. 

Finalist – Word Alive Press. ISBN 1897373-21-X)

His inspirational column, P-Pep! appears weekly in The Guide-Advocate. His articles have appeared in 50 Plus Contact and testimony, and several newspapers in Ontario. Peter’s current book project comprises a collection of 52 column articles.

Raise Your Gaze

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Love this Earth: Five Actions for Any Time —Carolyn R. Wilker

Photo by James Woo, at Huron Natural Park

A recent Record article, Windblown recyclable litter aggravates Kitchener couple, shows garbage blown against a chain-link fence. The couple, frustrated over the garbage blown into their backyard, contacted the paper and suggested that the Blue Bin be redesigned so that it has a lid. They’re getting tired of cleaning up the mess from week to week.

I’ve seen strong gusts of wind dump a can set out for garbage day, sending its contents flying onto the street, and things blowing from the recycling box. Scavenging racoons might also dump garbage, looking for a  late-night snack.

But not everything is blown by the wind. There are also the pop cans and plastic food wrappers tossed aside as people walk. What’s more, some of that garbage floats into gutters and ends up in our streams. Not a pretty sight and ultimately hurtful to wildlife as well.

 When my parents took us on an outing, my mother always took along a bag for any garbage we might have. All refuse was disposed of once we got home. We learned quite young not to litter. My parents owned a farm, took pride in their land and taught us to honour it too. Maybe that’s why garbage tossed about bothers me so much. We are after all the stewards of the earth. If we do not take care of it, we destroy a priceless gift.

This past week, I noticed a sign about an annual Earth day event at our local natural reserve. My husband and I have been to the place. It’s a peaceful place to walk and a great place to learn more about our natural history.

Earth Day Network reminds us to pay attention to our earth and offers us ways to rethink actions that impact the environment. Climate change is a hotly contested topic too, and we don’t have to go far to recognize things that have gone wrong.

We need to work at undoing the damage and returning the earth to the beauty it comes by naturally. It means protection of natural resources, such as the work of Streamkeepers in British Columbia, Canada, to protect the salmon, or in your own area by planting new trees.

 Here are five things you can do where you are to keep our earth beautiful and clean:

·         Keep a bag in your car or backpack and put your garbage into it. Teach children in your care to put wrappers from their lunch back into the lunch bag and bring it home for disposal or use the recycle and garbage containers at their schools.

·         Take paints, toxic cleaners to depots where someone will dispose of them properly. Pharmacies will take old prescription medicines and syringes, including epipens.

·         Reuse where possible. Cloth bags or lunch boxes and reusable shopping bags are a good way to cut down on garbage.

·         Bundle newspapers and use cereal boxes to hold smaller pieces of cardboard that have been flattened. Place heavy items atop light ones in the recycle bin (where these services are offered).

·       Make sure your garbage bin closes tightly so you don’t have to clean up after raccoons.

We all have a stake in our planet. While it may take time to turn around larger issues such as converting buses to electric or solar power and restoring our natural canopy by planting trees, everyone can do something. Even a young child can learn to put garbage in the right bin.

 This Earth day, I will be enjoying the natural beauty at our church camp, where we celebrate creation and our part as stewards of the earth. Enjoy the day and honour what was created for us.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” 

-Psalm of David 24:1

Carolyn Wilker, editor, speaker and author of Once Upon a Sandbox

www.carolynwilker.ca

 Come and see me at Waterloo Chapters, King Street N, Waterloo, ON, on Saturday, May 4th,  for a book signing from 11 am–1 pm. Once Upon a Sandbox makes a great gift for a mother or grandmother.