One Day We'll All Be Rich

This afternoon, after church, I attended an open house with my parents.  Mom was very excited, because this was what her "dream house" was like.  The house we visited was Tudor style and looked similar to this:

It was delightful to wander from room to room, taking in the furnishing and imagining what function was served by each nook and cranny.  We pointed things out to one another as we walked along:

"Look at the sitting room, with upholstered furniture and a fireplace."

"Ah, this must be the servant's room, right next to the kitchen!"

"Look, they have a bathroom attached to the study, and when the door is shut, it looks like part of the dark wood paneling!"

"Wow, they have a ballroom?!  It's almost the size of a tennis court!"

"The master bedroom has 2 side rooms attached to it.  Perhaps this was the nursery for the babies.  Or it could be used as a sewing room for the lady of the house."

"Cool, look at the steps leading down to the wine cellar.  The wallpaper down there is of grapes."

"This is a grand fireplace, made of stone.  It reaches all the way to the second floor!"

As my mom put it:

"This is as close to Downton Abbey as we get".

Downton Abbey has been "big" for a while, but it is only recently that my parents and I have gotten hooked.  We love the dramatic elements of the show, but the period set itself is enough to capture our attention.  There is something splendid about being transported to another era and culture, and this afternoon's walk through the Tudor mansion allowed us to imagine ourselves in another world.  It reminded me of my time in London last spring, when I toured grand places rich people once inhabited.

I asked my parents: "Would we ever be able to afford a place like this?"

Mom said: "Only if you marry someone very rich".

"I know how to navigate my course, then," was my rejoinder.  I'll be on the lookout =)

This all points me to consider the words of Jesus:

In My Father's House there are many mansions.  I go and prepare a place for you…

One day, we'll each be rich enough to have a mansion.

One day, perhaps Mom will have a Tudor-style mansion of her own, and it will be better than anything she could possibly have here.  She won't need servants, and nothing will ever get soiled or broken.

Until then, it is always fun to visit open houses on Sunday afternoons and to imagine, just for a while, that we are rich, and that we have a mansion of our own to enjoy.