Repairing and restoring old clocks was Dad’s hobby.  His home was overflowing with the fruits of his labors.  And he was willing to repair and restore a family clock for anyone who asked; never did he charge a penny.  When his clocks struck the hours together, it was a chorus of many timbers: some more mellow, some higher, some lower.  Once a week he devoted a sizeable period of time to winding each and every one.  

I respected his talent.  Old, worn mechanisms needed painstaking repair.  Wooden cases needed restoration with the skills of a master woodworker.  I took for granted that if a clock came through our door, whatever its condition, it would leave like the beautiful timepiece it once was.   

Now some of these clocks have taken up residence in my home.  I treasure them.  Oh, how I miss Dad when one of them stops ticking.  The repair may be simple or complex, in either case I am totally at a loss.  Recently my hubby has begun using his skills as a craftsman to look carefully at some of these tired old mechanisms for signs of trouble. The wooden cases he takes apart for a thorough cleaning, restoration, and refinishing on his workbench.  Once again, these heirlooms are coming back to life for us to enjoy.

It makes me wish that I could be repaired, refinished and restored too.  What would I choose – the youthful glow of a young woman or the wisdom of a more “heirloom” appearance?  (If only spare parts were available for the internal mechanism!)

There is someone who can restore us.  There is someone who will restore us.  He has promised, and his promises are true.  However broken we may be, we can come to him.  He created us and he can restore us.  We can be his beautiful people.  Now that’s the Master Craftsman of all!

Judy