Friday, July 12, 2024
Dear God:
Thank You for the day of yesterday. Thank You too for the day of today, for this new day that You present me with today. Please keep walking alongside me as I tackle this new day and please be my counsel and my support as I do the things I need to do to achieve my short, my medium, and my long term goals. And please allow me to enjoy this new day. Last night, as You know, after José’s call confirming the dinner here tomorrow night with his student, Martita and I were reminiscing about the days when we finally decided to move forward, to go ahead and build this house. I told her, I said, “Martita, honey, I cannot believe how fast five whole years of our lives have gone by.” If You take that time span and You look at that time span as days instead of years, God, it calcs out at 1,825 days. 1,825! That seems like so little! What’s 1,825 people? What’s 1,825 heartbeats? What’s 1,825 feet? The commercial airliner now flying overhead (can’t hear it thanks to the total acoustic insulation on each of the Pavilions, thank You once again for this) does 30,000 of those. You know? Only 16.438 times that much. To think such few days represent over 6.667% of Your life – if You get to be 75 of course (though with Your help Martita and I will do a century. Remember that, God.) – is just mind-blowing. It is to me at least. That’s a huge chunk.
Anyway, thank You for helping me do all the things I need to do on this new day You’ve allowed me, as I’m on a race against time. Who knows what can happen tomorrow. God – er… You I should say… forbid… anything were to happen to Martita or me. Kendall and De’Mario are no longer my priorities. She on her own now, he on his own with his own beautiful family - off on their own path each one of them... thank You also for blessing them so. As You well know, I’m so glad they’re no longer around. There comes a time when a man and his wife must be one for each other, exclusively. Thank You for allowing us to make this project happen. This, the place we call home. To be able to call home the place where You want to spend the rest of Your life and Freedom in. Thanks for allowing us as a marriage to negotiate a dwelling we’re both happy with. As You well know, too, a Home Theater with supporting areas – You know, a kitchenette, a bathroom and a couch somewhere – would have been more than enough for me. As long as it’s more than a several stone throws away from the neighboring streets and houses in every direction, that is. You made me an introvert. But Martita, well, as You well know. That’s another story. She also deserves her ample social areas and galleries, though. Kitchen and walk-in-closet, guest rooms. I think it worked out well enough in the end. What can You do when You’re married to an extrovert. Right? God? You and I both agree, I’m sure, that this Freedom I talk about can only exist if Peace exists at its side. If it walks side by side with it. Other than keeping Your spouse happy, I can think of very few things making for a more peaceful time than living in a house where all views from it are neutral, due to their sameness. All rooms the same, except for their interior finishes, furnishings, and decoration. But same shape and size, like we wanted. I don’t know about You, but me at least, I can think up of very few things more soothing than the sheer ORDER this house… embodies. He taught me that word. Embodies.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
I once read that I.M. Pei once said, “Life is kaleidoscopic and heterogeneous, and I tend to seek order in life.” Or something along those lines. Well, me too, as You well know. Now, to me this is one of the best gifts a man can provide… an architect can provide. Through You, of course. Only through You. I only told him, I want sameness and order everywhere. He accommodated Martita with all the spaces she wanted – plus my Den and Home Theater of course – thanks for that. He presented us with this scheme. I kind of like how it looks. Ah, who am I kidding, right? You’re all-knowing. Looks cool as hell! Oops. Excuse me for that. But yes. It’s most of all, the Peace. God. The Peace. Thank You for protecting that Peace, God. We did make it clear to José that we did not allow pictures or videos of any kind in here. I guess in a similar fashion, maybe, to how some primitive cultures – You know? - believe that whole thing about a picture stealing the soul of the person the camera captured? Both Martita and I feel that the Uniqueness and Presentness of this place is somehow protected by limiting, as much as possible, the amount of media – photographic, video footage, printed, streamed, whichever kind - it appears on.
Hope this kid coming tomorrow night’s a good sport about it. It’s hard with these kids today with those so-called smartphones fused to their hands as if they were not kids at all, but androids. Kind of looking forward to receiving her, though. As I gaze into Your 6am Arizona desert that You’ve allowed us to call private property, God, from the comfort of my desk. Thank You again. Amen.
Sincerely,
-Karl L. Sepulveda