Here’s yesterday’s project, but first, the backstory:
A friend of mine/co-worker learned of my woodworking hobbie a few years ago and so gave me a 3”x6”x6” block of wood. I can’t remember what kind of wood he said it was, but he had found it in a wood shop and really liked the grain in it, so bought it. When he gave it to me, he asked me “do something with it”. No direction other than to put my creativity to work and then to be returned to him once done.
Well, what do you do with a simple 3x6x6 block of wood? I was stumped. Then life happened. We adopted our children, things pulled my attention elsewhere. But I never forgot about the block of wood. Just didn’t know what to do with it. Well, while my life was happening, Nick’s life was happening also and his wife Kristeen was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. Her prognosis at the time was only a few months and she has survived 27 months thus far. Then last week happened. Nick and Kristeen were told by their doctors that she could no longer continue chemo treatment, because her body had become so weak that the chemo would kill her faster than the cancer would. They are meeting with hospice this week.
Nick told me this news on Friday, then Saturday the brain-block was finally cleared - I knew what to do with the block of wood, and got to work yesterday. Finished in one afternoon and evening and cleared coated it today.
I knew I wanted it to be special to Nick and Kristeen, that it needed to commemorate their marriage, and also wanted the final product to be a combination of my would-be woodworking and still-wet-behind-the-ears metal-working skills. The final result is shown in the photos below.
Their last name is Gonzalez, and 2-1-14 is their wedding date. I emphasized the “1” to reference Genesis 2:24, Mark 10:8, and other scripture passages that discuss marriage as “two” individuals becoming “one flesh” (I suspect that’s why they chose that date for their wedding). They are devout followers of Christ so I know this will hold an extra level of meaningfulness for them.
I’ll deliver sometime this week once I’ve confirmed with their schedule. This first photo shows the block before reconstruction with just the design drawn out:
I had hoped that the end product would have looked more professional and less handmade, but now that it’s done, what I see when I look at it is the age-old lovebird-carved-initials-in-a-tree kind of shape, which I think presents even more meaningfulness.
Please keep them in your prayers over these coming weeks and months.
Andy
