May
21
2021
The Little Corner
Posted in Family Life 6 Comments
We have a little corner in our kitchen.
It is really a place where two sides of the countertop meet.
I am grateful to have a large kitchen to accommodate our family.
This little corner is indeed little.
I have a large island, which is for sitting, and eating, and lingering in conversation.
I have countertops that hold my Kitchen Aid mixer, that I cannot do without.
Countertops on which I place my husband’s coffee maker.
I say my husband’s coffee maker, since I have never even tasted coffee.
I have an old tin in which I keep my Irish tea.
I have the sugar bowl and the table napkins.
One counter is where I always put whatever I baked when it comes out of the oven.
That is the counter that always attracts the attention of my granddaughters.
With all this space, I have no idea why I choose to stand in the little corner to prepare food.
Perhaps it is because it’s close to the stove.
Perhaps it is because it’s close to the sink and the window that faces the woods.
Perhaps it is because it’s near my spice cabinet, which I need when cooking or baking.
This little corner is where I put my mug as I wait for the tea kettle to whistle.
This little corner is where I stand when my husband comes in the kitchen to tell me something.
This little corner is the place where my younger son used to sit when he was in school.
He would hop up there and I always knew he wanted to talk.
It is holy ground, since there are so many memories in this little corner.
Food prepared, tea poured, coffee made, conversations shared, all took place in this very spot.
I look at it now and a flood of memories come pouring in.
Old memories cherished and new memories to be made.
However, I can get frustrated when I am in the little corner.
At that exact time, my husband comes in to get a snack.
The snack cabinet is in the little corner, too.
I step back when I see him come in and he just laughs.
I don’t plan this, you know, he will say.
It’s your kitchen, too, I answer, but you do have impeccable timing.
Usually, the mixer bowl is full of ingredients waiting to be mixed.
Usually, my tea is steeping and waiting for cream and sugar.
When my children were young, they were always nearby.
It wasn’t so much about being in the little corner, as much as it was being near Mommy.
I had morning sickness for three months with all five of my pregnancies.
I can remember little fingers waving under the bathroom door just to be near me.
Gratitude flooded my heart.
How grateful I am to have a kitchen and the ability to prepare food for those I love.
How blessed I am that a little corner holds so many precious memories.
How wonderful that my husband is home and can come in the kitchen to get a snack.
I am saying this on a day when my perspective is as it should be.
I don’t always feel that way in the moment.
That discrepancy is on me.
That discrepancy is something I need God’s help to overcome.
This is my Father’s world
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres
This is my Father’s world
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas
His hand the wonders wrought
This is my Father’s world
The birds their carols raise
The morning light, the lily white
Declare their Maker’s praise
This is my Father’s world
He shines in all that’s fair
In the rustling grass, I hear him pass
He speaks to me everywhere
This is my Father’s world
Oh, let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong
God is the ruler yet
This is my Father’s world
Why should my heart be sad?
He is just and kind, He is love defined
His grace all the hope that I have
This is my Father’s world
I walk the desert alone
In a bush ablaze to my wandering gaze
God makes His glory known
This is my Father’s world
A wanderer I may roam
Whate’er my lot, it matters not
My heart is still His home
His heart is still my home
(Maltbie Davenport Babcock…additional lyrics by Michael Card)
This is not my kitchen; it is God’s.
This is not my little corner, it is God’s to use as He sees fit.
These hands are His hands to prepare food to His Glory.
The little corner is where conversations happen that He hears as well.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man. (Colossians 3:23)
Whatever I do in the little corner in my kitchen, I do for Him.
When I serve, I hope to bless others for His Glory.
I don’t always remember that truth.
I am glad I have the little corner to remind me.
This IS my-our Father’s World! AMEN!
Amen, indeed, Janna!
Yes we do tend to claim “our “things for our use as we please. They are not, and I have to remind myself to use all God gives for His glory.
May He cause me do so more!
Paula,
I think we all need a reminder from time to time.
It all belongs to Him.
Blessings,
Gina
I am grateful to have enjoyed your little corner!
Oh, friend, yes!
Wonderful memories of sweet conversations.
Gina