The in-between. The story behind Esther' s Tea Room
By Shelly Thompson, Publisher The Notebook Cafe
I love 'Before' and 'After' photos. Sometimes they give me ideas of things I would like to try and incorporate in my designs. What the 'Before' and 'After' photos don't tell is...the in-between. The work. The trial and error. The sweat. The motivation to press on when exhausted. The ability to finish the job...so you have the 'After' picture. It's not like you can snap your fingers and all of the sudden you are surrounded by the 'After' picture. There's a process 'in-between' that gets you to that point.
I've found myself so many times deep in the 'in-between'...often times wondering, what have I gotten myself into and can this be done? Deep down, I know in that moment...when it's done...it will be better than I could have imagined. That's true of life too...we find ourselves in the 'in-between'...where the hard part occurs. The places that require us to work hard, even when we don't see how things will possibly work out the way we planned. The areas in life that scare us because we are not sure exactly what we're doing...so we keep doing the next thing. The difficult season's where we have to place our life 'in-between' God's designer Hands and let Him take over the 'in-between', fully trusting that He will work it out.
My most recent 'in-between', but there have been many both design wise and personally, was in our 1875 bank vault in our historic bank building in Walnut, Iowa. The old original bank vault needed some serious care. The walls were cracking and beginning to crumble and the floor was in bad shape too. As I snapped the above 'Before' photo, I knew...it was time to boldly go to that place...the 'in-between'.
I've found myself so many times deep in the 'in-between'...often times wondering, what have I gotten myself into and can this be done? Deep down, I know in that moment...when it's done...it will be better than I could have imagined. That's true of life too...we find ourselves in the 'in-between'...where the hard part occurs. The places that require us to work hard, even when we don't see how things will possibly work out the way we planned. The areas in life that scare us because we are not sure exactly what we're doing...so we keep doing the next thing. The difficult season's where we have to place our life 'in-between' God's designer Hands and let Him take over the 'in-between', fully trusting that He will work it out.
My most recent 'in-between', but there have been many both design wise and personally, was in our 1875 bank vault in our historic bank building in Walnut, Iowa. The old original bank vault needed some serious care. The walls were cracking and beginning to crumble and the floor was in bad shape too. As I snapped the above 'Before' photo, I knew...it was time to boldly go to that place...the 'in-between'.
I rallied my husband and enlisted his help. I knew the tall cathedral style ceiling and some of the wall repairs would require his skill. Soon, we had the necessary items ready to do the repairs, along with creamy white paint selected, and an idea of how to do a faux concrete over the existing floor. The repair and painting part is a little boring for me...my mind is already thinking lighting, rugs, texture, mirrors, reflections, what type of florals, focal point...all the while I am painting. I am in the 'in-between' and I just want to do the 'After' photo.
My arms get tired of painting...especially when I discover sometimes everything needs a second coat! My hair has paint splatters in it. I am on my knees working on a cold concrete floor...and it's 1:00 a.m. I am underneath a table painting it...and the piece that holds it up decides to come lose. I am in the same paint clothes for THREE DAYS!!!!! Progress is going slower than I anticipated. Sometimes paint hates old walls and they have to be completely free of anything to have paint adhere correctly. Dangling from a ladder 12 feet in the air, makes me realize, one...I am afraid of heights, and two...I never would have been successful as a circus act. The 'in-between'...
One of my favorite things though about the 'in-between'...is the time that my hands are busy, my mind often wanders. I find it is a time to not only think of the present, but a PERFECT time to have conversations with God. I mean really, when your in three day old paint clothes, with a messy bun full of paint, and you don't look your best dangling from a ladder...God's there. He doesn't care...He often meets you at the 'in-between' in both design work and real life. He knows that's the tough part. He remembers the 'in-between' His son walked before being able to show us the 'After' picture.
Christ on the cross, making atonement for our sin...with nothing required from us. We don't even have to do any 'in-between'...Jesus did it all. We just get to step into the 'After' We can approach that cross in messy paint clothes, or a business suit. We can approach angry and confused. We can kneel sad and broken. We can take our 'in-between' lives, between birth and death...and know that our 'After' picture in heaven will be amazing. Our earthly journey may take us on many 'in-between' seasons, but we know the 'After' picture...will be God's perfect design. Unique. Individual. Just for us.
As we were finishing working on the vault...grateful to see a possible completion of this 'in-between' project, I remembered when we first opened our shop in Walnut in 2004. My parents were phenomenal in helping us for over two years restoring the building. They fell in love with the sweet town of Walnut during those few years. When we opened our shop, we gave the vault space to my mom to use. She loved staging it and selling her antiques out of that space. That had been so long ago, I had actually forgot...until as were were finishing the space...and it looked fresh and new, I remembered her sitting on those steps and marking her items. The last thing l left in the vault (also in the 'Before' picture) was her small crystal lamp. It touched my heart to think this was the same lamp that had provided light for us to work on the vault. There were a few tears...but, I knew instantly this 'in-between' moment had brought me to the place where I knew the perfect plan for this unique space...Esther's Tea Room, named after my mom. Oh my gosh...more tears...how wonderful God would allow me to use this sweet little space to honor my mom...even using her lamp to light the process it had taken.
My arms get tired of painting...especially when I discover sometimes everything needs a second coat! My hair has paint splatters in it. I am on my knees working on a cold concrete floor...and it's 1:00 a.m. I am underneath a table painting it...and the piece that holds it up decides to come lose. I am in the same paint clothes for THREE DAYS!!!!! Progress is going slower than I anticipated. Sometimes paint hates old walls and they have to be completely free of anything to have paint adhere correctly. Dangling from a ladder 12 feet in the air, makes me realize, one...I am afraid of heights, and two...I never would have been successful as a circus act. The 'in-between'...
One of my favorite things though about the 'in-between'...is the time that my hands are busy, my mind often wanders. I find it is a time to not only think of the present, but a PERFECT time to have conversations with God. I mean really, when your in three day old paint clothes, with a messy bun full of paint, and you don't look your best dangling from a ladder...God's there. He doesn't care...He often meets you at the 'in-between' in both design work and real life. He knows that's the tough part. He remembers the 'in-between' His son walked before being able to show us the 'After' picture.
Christ on the cross, making atonement for our sin...with nothing required from us. We don't even have to do any 'in-between'...Jesus did it all. We just get to step into the 'After' We can approach that cross in messy paint clothes, or a business suit. We can approach angry and confused. We can kneel sad and broken. We can take our 'in-between' lives, between birth and death...and know that our 'After' picture in heaven will be amazing. Our earthly journey may take us on many 'in-between' seasons, but we know the 'After' picture...will be God's perfect design. Unique. Individual. Just for us.
As we were finishing working on the vault...grateful to see a possible completion of this 'in-between' project, I remembered when we first opened our shop in Walnut in 2004. My parents were phenomenal in helping us for over two years restoring the building. They fell in love with the sweet town of Walnut during those few years. When we opened our shop, we gave the vault space to my mom to use. She loved staging it and selling her antiques out of that space. That had been so long ago, I had actually forgot...until as were were finishing the space...and it looked fresh and new, I remembered her sitting on those steps and marking her items. The last thing l left in the vault (also in the 'Before' picture) was her small crystal lamp. It touched my heart to think this was the same lamp that had provided light for us to work on the vault. There were a few tears...but, I knew instantly this 'in-between' moment had brought me to the place where I knew the perfect plan for this unique space...Esther's Tea Room, named after my mom. Oh my gosh...more tears...how wonderful God would allow me to use this sweet little space to honor my mom...even using her lamp to light the process it had taken.
You see, if we don't do the work and step into the in-between...we never get to see the amazing picture of the 'After' God has planned. Some give up too quickly and don't get to see that photo...so, don't stop...whether it's a design idea your working through, a plan God has called you to, or a situation that seems like it will never get out of the 'in-between'...keep praying...keep working...keep sweating...keep the paint clothes on...sweet friend, the 'After' will come in God's perfect timing.
Guests have loved the 'After'...Esther's Tea Room. It makes my heart happy sharing the story of how my mom used this space and how it now honors her.
Make sure and stop by for a peek, or reserve the space for you and a friend to enjoy a delicious coffee, tea, or gourmet hot cocoa from 201 Coffee located in our historic bank lobby. (Click here to contact us via email, or click here to call us 515-745-0476 for more information on Esther's Tea Room, or The Gathering Room).
Blessings, Shelly
Guests have loved the 'After'...Esther's Tea Room. It makes my heart happy sharing the story of how my mom used this space and how it now honors her.
Make sure and stop by for a peek, or reserve the space for you and a friend to enjoy a delicious coffee, tea, or gourmet hot cocoa from 201 Coffee located in our historic bank lobby. (Click here to contact us via email, or click here to call us 515-745-0476 for more information on Esther's Tea Room, or The Gathering Room).
Blessings, Shelly
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