“I would define ‘hidden art’ as the art found in the ordinary areas of everyday life. Each person has, I believe, some talent which is unfulfilled in some hidden area of his being – a talent which could be expressed and developed.”
By Edith Schaeffer
“The Hidden Art of Homemaking
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wo of my daughters are quite artistic, drawing beautiful pictures. It’s certainly nothing they picked up from me . . . it came from my husband’s side of the family. His mom is quite artistic as well. One of my daughters will draw small little pictures, to give away to a friend, just to encourage. She does not sign her name, or use it to bring glory to herself. It’s her imprint of encouraging . . . something her friend can stick away, possibly in her Bible and open up and remember her friend is praying for her. This certainly does not have to be done with paper and pencil. I remember so clearly, the day after our son died, and we had to go and make the funeral arrangements. We did not know what to do with our children. We did not want to leave them alone, even though the older ones were more than capable of caring for them. We wanted someone there for them emotionally. We did not know who to call on, as it was a Sunday, and our friends would be in church. But suddenly there appeared at our door our friends. They had just heard at church, and left the service to see what they could do for us. They spent a lot of time in our home and at the funeral home, in the following days, helping with our children, sitting on the floor listening to them, crying with them and filling the gap for us. This same friend has helped me often behind the scenes with graduation parties or just being a listening, caring friend. She has a hidden art of a tender, caring heart which she expresses and has developed, though she would humbly say, it was nothing.
What are our ordinary hidden arts that we don’t express or work on developing? Could it be helping an elderly person weed her garden or picking her up on the way to the grocery store so she does not spend the whole day alone. I think of those that have blessed us ~ such as when we moved into our house, one of the neighbors welcomed us with a freshly baked pie, to cards for no reason coming in the mailbox. Maybe it’s taking a crying baby from a mom’s arms at church to give her time to talk to other moms or encouraging our older daughters to help a mom, not expecting pay, so she can get some girl-time out, alone, with no baby-talk for a few hours. Is it teaching our own children things we know how to do, but it takes too much time to teach them – such as baking, gardening or making a bed?
It’s something I know I have to work on . . . . how about you?
Join in on the discussion of the above quote with others with our hostess, Nina on her blog, Mama’s Little Treasures.
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Writing Canvas 