Patience with the Process...(AKA the secret to a happy marriage)

In December, Mark laid out this stack of wood. He was pretty excited about it. Me, not so much.

Then, he showed me what the wood was destined for. A beautiful piece, larger than others he has created, three dimensional, and - to me - it shared a story. The piece? The compass rose.

The compass rose is a circle that shows the principal directions printed on a chart or map. I've spent my whole life seeking direction - LOL. Often times, I am not patient enough to read the map. Luckily, Mark is. I was in love with this piece.

A little time passed, and that stack of wood began to take new form.

I can't even get my head around how it changed from rectangles to circles. I'd pop into the shop every once in awhile, first hearing the sound of the bass pulsing the beat from the tunes Mark was listening to on the radio (old school - radio). And, I'd hear the scroll saw. Mark would carefully be working that wood with the saw. I'd check in, smile, and my work was done. I had nothing else to offer to this project or his work. This is his jam.

And, then in mid-January, a major disruption (AKA Jeannie not being patient with process and convincing Mark that the perfect home awaited them back in DTW...that's downtown Willoughby). And, Mark, patient with Jeannie, agrees, packs up the shop, stops the project and sets into motion to move.

Less than 6 weeks later, the compass rose is nearing completion. The shop is back up and running and though - not perfect, a work in progress (much like me) - things are moving forward. I make the to-do list and yammer off ideas. Mark discerns them, we both prioritize them, and then we move forward, sometimes slower than I want, but with quality and purpose that I have learned from Mark.

Thank God Mark is patient with the process - and that process includes me being human.

Our marriage is better for it and the world is blessed to have another fantastic artist helping us find our way and inspiring us with beautiful creations.

The compass rose has found a buyer.

But...there just may be another compass project in the queue.

Stay tuned.