No Little Plans

Happy Sunday!

Happy Mother's Day!  One of my desires for Mother's day was to go out on Lake Michigan.  My first preference was the Water Taxi, but the waves were too high and boisterous.  So instead we took the Chicago River Architectural Tour.  I'm always interested in learning new things, and nosy about the reasons why things are the way they are.  I'd like to share my observations.

The docent for our tour was Jim!  He was very personable and knowledgeable.  It was like a good sermon.  You know how much I love a good sermon!  He mentioned Daniel Burnham.  Burnham was an architect and urban designer. He was instrumental in planning the City of Chicago, and The World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.  Jim mentioned Daniel Burnham's quote, "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized".   Burnham died in 1912 but we are still talking about him and the impact he had on this city, and other's in the world.  It's Mother's Day.  Trace your family tree back and you will find mothers whose legacies live on.  They wanted better for their children and they worked, sacrificed, and prayed for big things.  They may not have planned the third largest city in the United States, but they planned meals, education, trips, and spiritual enlightenment that is still blessing our lives everyday.  The Apostle Paul recognized the impact of mothers when he wrote to his son in the ministry, Timothy.  He wrote, "I remember your true faith. That kind of faith first belonged to your grandmother Lois and to your mother Eunice. I know you now have that same faith."(2 Timothy 1:5, Easy-to-Read Version).

Jim mentioned Contextualism.  Contextual Architecture is defined as architecture that responds to its surroundings by respecting what is already there.   We saw newer buildings that complimented the buildings around them.  Some even included decorative embellishments that mirrored the style of the older buildings. Some had balconies and levels that matched the height of others nearby.  They were not carbon copies, but they acknowledged and honored the structures that pre-dated them.  Ephesians 6:2 says, "Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;"(KJV).   We love to recall that promise, don't we?  It promises that it will be well with us, and that we will live a long life on the earth.  But it's conditional.  We have to do our part.  Like the contextual buildings, we must respect what and who has gone before us.  Our lives and relationships may not have been perfect, but the foundation that was set has allowed us to get to where we are now.  

Love and prayers, Cynthia