Old is New Again at Cecil's General Store

Across the street from the old mill I wrote about yesterday was this wonderful general store. I could have spent a day wandering around looking at all the awesome things it housed! From Christmas villages and candles to artwork, jewelry and whimsy, the artist in me enjoyed the workmanship and beauty of many of the items for sale.

I was fascinated at the way the proprietors has kept the integrity of the store as it was in its original heyday. The former butcher’s and baker’s glass and open showcases became display areas for village houses of all themes and seasons. The tin ceiling and the wooden farm board flooring was still intact. Looking through a partially open door, I saw a small room stocked with goods that looked like it was still in the early 1900’s. A step back in time re-occurred only a few steps later as I came across this Post Office area replete with wicket. I suddenly started noticing all the other antiques and treasures "hidden in plain sight" throughout the store.

I am sure some of you will remember having or using a telephone like the one pictured below. That was in the days of party lines and telephone operators, which I remember well!

As I pondered the old days and the changes time has brought, I wondered what a generation or more in the future would be saying about all the ordinary things we use daily and take for granted. What state-of-the-art new-fangled items we love will be collected in the future as relics of the past? What new medical discoveries and technologies will totally change our way of life, even as they have in the past?

What if we thought more of the things we have now, looking at them as someone in the future might – as treasures out of common everyday items from a bygone era? Maybe we would appreciate what we have more, and not be so quick to throw it away or replace it with something prettier or newer.

If we thought further about it, perhaps our perspective on the material things of this world would be more in line with the reality of the temporary nature of the physical things of this world. Maybe we could use a little reminder of true values, especially in this upcoming holiday season that can get so commercial and material-minded.

This passage comes to mind:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19, NIV

What treasures can you lay hold of today that will be stored up in heaven for you?



For more pictures, history and info about Cecil's General Store and Old Mill, visit: http://www.stmarysart.com/