Call & Response

The Response: Time at the Lake — Cheryl

In Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art, Madeleine L’Engle tells the story of a village with clocks that got all messed up, time-wise, after the village clockmaker/repairer passed away. When — years later — a renowned clockmaker/repairer came to the village, the citizens crowded round and begged him to fix their clocks and watches, but many were disappointed. The clockmaker declared that he would repair only the timepieces kept wound by their owners, “because they were the only ones that would remember how to keep time.” L’Engle continues, “So we must daily keep things wound: that is, we must pray when prayer seems dry as dust; we must write when we are physically tired, when our hearts are heavy, when our bodies are in pain.” I would add that we must keep pushing that shutter button, even when we feel like it’s all been done before.