Well-That-Didn’t-Go-Exactly-As-Planned: My Bible Stand Adventure
So, picture this: It’s a rainy Saturday in our little town, you know, the kind where you can smell the damp earth and hear the patter of rain on the roof—kinda cozy. I’m sitting at my kitchen table with a cup of coffee that’s starting to go cold, looking over at my pile of wood and the tools scattered around in the garage. I’ve got this idea in my head for a Bible stand. Not just any stand, mind you. Something special, and honestly, a bit more ambitious than I should’ve tackled.
The idea came from seeing the way my mother always had her Bible laid open on the kitchen counter like a piece of art. I thought, surely I could make a stand that would not only hold the book but also look really nice in the living room. You know, something to display her loved scriptures while also giving everyone a practical way to read together on Sunday mornings.
Deciding on Materials
Now, my first mistake was thinking I could use just any old wood. I ended up going with pine because it was cheap and available, but boy, was that a rookie move. Pine looks great when you first work with it, but then it tends to warp and get knotted. By the time I finished the cuts and had everything laid out, I was getting a little worried. I could almost feel the wood laughing at me—a warped laugh, if you can imagine that.
And don’t get me started on the smell. Pine has this light, sweet aroma that fills the garage, but when you’re drilling into it, it turns into this pungent mix of sawdust and regret. I remember the moment I flipped that first piece over and found a big knot right in the middle—like a big old “Oops!” staring right back at me. But hey, I pushed on.
A Fumbling Start
I had all my tools out: my trusty old miter saw, a jigsaw I bought at a yard sale, and my dad’s ancient drill that I sometimes wonder if it might just start talking back to me. I’m trying to be all organized and methodical, but I’m working on this stand in a cramped space between old lawnmowers and bags of concrete. Every time I leaned over to grab a tool, I’d bang my hip against something. It definitely wasn’t my finest hour in woodworking.
When it came time to assemble the pieces, I felt confident I had it all figured out. Boy, was I wrong. I might as well have been assembling a rocket ship with how I struggled to get the joints to fit right. I could look up every woodworking tip in the book, but nothing prepared me for actually trying to hold a warped piece while glueing it all up. I almost gave up when I realized one of the legs looked more like a wonky giraffe than a sturdy stand. But then I thought about my mama and how that Bible meant to her.
The Gluing and Screwing Saga
Ah, and the glue. I used wood glue—you know the kind that boasts holding power of a thousand suns or whatever? I believed it wholeheartedly until I realized I had glued two pieces together… the wrong way. So, I’m sitting there with a bottle of glue in one hand, scratching my head, thinking, “Alright, how am I supposed to fix this?”
After a few frustrated attempts with a chisel that only seemed to exacerbate the problem, I figured my only option was to accept it, pray it would hold up, and move on. Yep, it was terrifying!
Then came the screws. Sure, I had some trusty deck screws that I thought would do the trick. Well, they did—up until the moment I realized I was trying to screw into a piece of wood that had already split. The wood didn’t just crack—it screamed. I mean, I wouldn’t have blamed it if it gave up on me too.
The A-Ha Moment
But eventually, after a significant amount of curses and coffee breaks (seriously, I lost count of how many cups I had), something magical happened! I finally got it all together—not without a few dings here and there, mind you. And I stepped back, looking at my creation with a mix of disbelief and pride.
Then came the moment of truth: putting the Bible on the stand. I could almost hear the angels singing. It sat upright! I could picture my mother’s face lighting up, and you know what? I couldn’t help but laugh at how well it turned out, considering all the tumultuous ups and downs.
A Little Laugh and a Big Smile
There’s something incredibly rewarding about creating something with your own hands, even when it feels like the universe is laughing at you. You can put a pin in all the struggles and mistakes, but when it’s done, it’s a piece of you there. I’m proud to say that Bible stand not only holds my mom’s Bible now—it holds our memories, our faith, and the little laughs we’ve had over the years.
If you’re thinking about trying a project—maybe a Bible stand or something entirely different—my advice is simple: just go for it. Embrace the messiness, the mistakes, and those moments that make you want to throw in the towel. Because if nothing else, you’ll have a story to tell, and who knows? You might just end up with something beautiful that brings you closer to those you love.
