The cloud of dust headed towards me as I finished taking the last chandelier crystal out of the bucket of water. Behind me the noise grew to include the crashing of broken glass and splintered wood. The delicate crystals shone in the sunshine as I quickly put them in a box. Having just washed off over 40 years of dust and grime from the crystals, I saw the large cloud of dust as the enemy and needed to hide the sparkling glass from the attack.
A few months ago I took a chandelier from a friend’s new condo and refurbished it. It had been very dated and I made it colorful and more contemporary by removing about half of the crystals and painting the whole thing several shades of blue and purple.
I have now been asked to clean up and reimagine another chandelier and I am thrilled to do so. I never knew that I had any interest in such a hobby, but suddenly I feel like the chandelier whisperer and I love it!
The dust was coming from the lot behind our house. Across the alley had been a large, yellow wood frame house. Not any more.
We had gotten wind a few weeks ago that the house had been sold and was slated to be torn down. It sat on two large lots so the new plan is to replace it with a pair of multi-story duplexes. I am not sure if that is true, but that is what a worker out measuring the space told my husband Tim.
The house beside us has been empty for almost 3 years, so we are used to projects like this taking a long time. We were told almost two years ago that they would start the work beside us in June. June came and went and now another June has come and gone. Nothing has happened. Evidently, the house behind us will not drag out so long.
When I was awakened by loud crashes this morning, I instantly knew that the house behind us was being eaten by a large track hoe and I ran outside in my pajamas to see.
For some reason I am fascinated by the destruction of structures. To see a house that has stood in that spot for many years get demolished in about an hour holds all kinds of feelings for me. I love change and new things. Most times you have to clear away the old to bring in the new.
On the other hand, I love the idea of taking something old and making it into something updated, but still reminiscent of the original. Having an updated chandelier in a new space that is important to me, knowing it came from an old space that is even more important to me, is special.
If this chandelier could talk it could tell you about the day I got married. I waited those last few minutes under the fixture as my bridesmaids strolled down the aisle before me. It saw my excitement and nerves as I stood alone behind the door, waiting to walk down the long aisle.
This chandelier stood watch over us as we brought our son Jon into the sanctuary to be baptized.
It was there but turned off when I ran into the narthex on another random afternoon. Tim tricked me into coming back to the sanctuary only to be greeted by a minister and musicians as we renewed our vows.
This chandelier has been a part of many of the stories of my life and the lives of my friends. Although I had never paid any attention to the light fixtures, they had hung there dutifully, lighting the way in and out since the sanctuary was built. Taking that bit of history and breathing fresh life into it is very rewarding.
At the same time, watching the old house behind us get pulverized is riveting entertainment to me. Watching as the excavator chomps away, making quick work of the structure is like watching a movie.
I can remember years ago when they tore down a house across the street from us. The 3 of us sat on the front porch eating our breakfast as we watched the destruction instead of the television like we did most mornings. I can remember Jon pleading to miss the start of school so he could see the job finished. I sent him off, got Tim gone and then returned to the porch to watch the rest of the work alone.
After the initial tear down this morning, the crew left for an early lunch. I went out to our carport and began my work on the chandelier, carefully removing the crystals one by one and putting them in a bucket of water to soak off the years of grime. I could see the potential that others might have overlooked as I saw the crystals start to shine and the brass finish peek out from the black grunge.
I am super sentimental right now- watching my kids pack up their first homes and plan to join their two spaces into one is emotional. Planning celebrations that include friends and family both here and no longer with us, bringing in the past and looking towards the future, has caused me to remember things and appreciate things I didn’t even realize I was so sentimental about.
Watching part of our neighborhood get torn down and wondering what the new homes will mean for us is exciting. We have no involvement, no input into what happens on those lots. It will just be a story unfolding day by day for us.
Life is like that for the most part. We really have little control, don’t know what the next day might hold or what is going to happen.
Then again, this chandelier will continue on if I can save it and make it look like something worth hanging in a new and exciting place. It will bring a little history to a space that is only now beginning its story.
That is what I have tried to do with the things I have brought to my son from the past. Shared a little history that might tie his future to his roots.
Life is a constant blend of what has been and what is to come. Of what we need to let go of and what we need to hold on to. What we need to throw out and what we need to refurbish.
I hope the houses behind us bring beauty and new neighbors to our lives. I hope the chandelier brings light and elegance to the new theatre and reminds those of us who see it of how we are all tied together, past and present as we entertain new audiences.
Once the dust settles I will know if the tearing down of the house has caused the crystals to need another cleaning. The grime of the past can sometimes slow down the push towards the future. I hope that the past and the present can make peace and move us forward to whatever lies ahead.
