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Beautiful Cold Stones

Posted on March 27, 2023March 28, 2023 by Pam

The Musei Capitolini in Rome has four collections to enjoy; The Collections, History and Myth, Men and Gods, and Arms and Power. All are artworks on four levels in buildings partially designed by Michelangelo and date back to 1471. Of all the art, what grabbed my attention today was the milliard of granite choices. Italy is rich in the most beautiful stone. Every color is present and every piece of art may be carved from, pigmented with, and has always amazed me. I did not count the statues nor the Madonna’s compared to Christ’s. There were also many Popes and Bishops remembered in this Museo. Italy has similar tile art to Albania and Greece and I am certain the artists influenced each other. There are many ancient churches in Rome but there is also the most awful graffiti. It is not as refined as Florence but it is also huge. Both cities have a visitor-driven economy.

I have recommended other counter materials for kitchens to my clients over the years. Granite is natural and porous. That is why it makes amazing sculptures and a million steps all over Europe. The conglomerates like quartz is beautiful but man-made without the same level of “motion” (word used for the wildness of the stone). The other factor is my Dad was an artisan. He made all things beautiful with tile. Only once did I question his choice when he could not choose between some designs (kind of an epcot-era-pop-culture-60’s art with blue on white). He decided to mix them up with plain white tiles in a shower. I wonder if that tile is still there in Lawndale, California. His eye usually went to the natural most beautiful tiles and his clients appreciated his talent.

I appreciate that God designed beautiful stone for us to use and enjoy. The formation of granite occurs when magna crystallizes slowly below the earth’s surface. That granite countertop you have was originally just molten magma! It takes time. Marble is formed when a pre-existing limestone rock is heated to extreme temperatures causing the minerals to enlarge and fuse. The common action is it gets hot. The heat produces change. If there were no heat – there would be no change. That takes me back to how I got to Rome to enjoy the stones and art. I’ve retired. I knew God was expecting more from me than to sit down and sip coffee (however I still do that). Nothing changes if nothing changes and so I did a Discipleship Training Program. At times things heated up and I heated up and I hope I have adjusted things (changed) in some beautiful ways. Below I will try to attach a photo I took today to remind me that God takes minerals out of water and heats them up to make beautiful stone. He does not search the world for beautiful people but for those willing to be fired on.

"Thoughts from a genuinely evaluative mind."

Pam writes so that must make her a writer. Recently retired, she can now fill days with family, friends, missions, writing, creating, and showing up for whomever needs her. Pam loves the Lord and people. The Bible is God’s love letter to us (and who does not need more love) so she studies and writes some more.

Pam lives in the Pacific Northwest but was home-grown in Southern California. She attended San Jose Bible College and finished a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry at UCLA. She became a teacher, then a Research and Development Chemist, then she built two successful real estate businesses in two states. Pam also pursued study at Fuller Theological Seminary and just completed six months serving in missions abroad.

Pam has two amazing children, married to two precious in-laws, and five sweet grandchildren. Pam is a gifted connector and communicator and the Northwest has the perfect climate for staying inside and writing – or baking! She has been writing since a wee one and is currently converting many years of blogging, by topic, into ten books. The first is a collection from 2011 titled, Beautiful Enough. The second is a yearly day-timer titled, Weekly Planner - Lessons in Life, Glory, and Grace. Number three is in progress with the working title, Christmas Today.

Ten facts about Pam in no particular order:

  1. On the team that developed an insulation for the Alaskan oil pipeline.
  2. Loves looking at homes, decorating, and has flipped five homes.
  3. Likes being tall.
  4. Films have helped define her vocabulary.
  5. Comes from Colorado tenement farmers with history traced to Wales.
  6. Was lost but now is found.
  7. Baking makes her happy – as does eating sweets with coffee, of course.
  8. She thinks mission work is the most important work in the world.
  9. The church started in Rome so she is learning Italian.
  10. Pam is a work in progress!

“I will be your God throughout your lifetime - until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” Isaiah 46:4

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