Looks Like A Restoration Situation To Me

Here are two more views of my front porch brick work project. Taking in a bigger overall picture it is clear that, with the tuck pointing, the concrete caps will have to be replaced. The caps are atop the whole porch wall and almost every brick under the caps needs attention. So now this simple tuck pointing project, still a simple project, is much larger than first thought. If $30 could have covered the original part, now just start adding zeros. This is what is known as "home ownership". You are going along doing just fine and you see a tiny defect in your house. You pick at it then suddenly the house caves in on you.
What we got here is a restoration situation. Panic is the usually the first emotional response to discovery of restoration situations. After all, like I said before, this discovery always comes when dark hopelessness has controlled the life of a house. The panic response thinks this situation is a conspiracy suddenly sprung like a trap. That's crazy talk. If we could watch a time lapse movie of the life of this house from it's construction up to the present we would see the workers buzzing around like ants and the house going up. We see this wall being completed and a grizzled mason squishes out a cigarette in the mud beneath his feet then collects his tools to go home. Years of living go by and gradually this area degrades. Work is done from time to time to try and hold off the restoration situation until the mind behind it gives up and the place falls into despair. The only thing going on for a long time is the rent and the crumbling and the rot.
Then in our movie the young ladies show up with their mother. They hold faith and a dream of restoration. They will labor in hopes of the reward they have bargained for. Now we see them buzzing around and the house gets a major face lift. However their budget holds them to putting minimal resources into the brick work. None of their friends were masons. Becky and I show up to give them their reward and here we are in the present.
Here's the way I see it; This isn't a situation suddenly sent to wreck us. We will carry on the restoration. Neglect has taken a terrible toll but we must believe we have the faith to set this right. Fulfilling this epic journey means receiving an epic reward for our faith. Aren't these the very elements of restoration? If we see ourselves through some kind of "eye of God" we would look down and see our thoughts becoming real. Why not think to restore in a fabulous way? Faith brings fabulous restoration which money alone cannot accomplish. We begin by directing strong, positive thinking to this restoration. We conceive the complete restoration of a sweet little Craftsman house in the middle of an historic district. We will put this house on par with the guidelines of the National Parks Service.
With the view of the ages we see that thought is the basis for achievement. Before minds and muscle show up in trucks with sand and lime and tools of the trade to make the materials conform to a new, restored property, minds, our minds must order restoration. Our reward is a more valuable and handsome property.