Revkjarla from RevGals offers this week’s Friday Five:

I don’t know about you, but I am a notoriously messy creative worker. My workspace at home, and at my office is always littered with books and papers and mail and pens and keys and mugs….and tschotske (momentos, weird things, etc.) I am looking right now at a pair of dice that someone gave me that have “God” on each side, so that anyway you roll ’em, you end up with God. Different, right?

So, this Friday Five is all about YOUR tschotske in your workplace. Describe five things in/on your workspace that are special to you! Bonus points for pictures!

I seriously resisted the impulse to CLEAN my office/work areas before I took these pictures. 🙂

1. The kitchen desk area:

What, you’re surprised to see Ohio State coasters?

2. The kitchen:

These are collected over a series of vacations and trips to the beach.  I love their fragility, colors and textures. They elicit memories of quiet breezes and the sound of waves, memories I find refreshing. I have them in a bowl that was my great-grandmother’s. It sits on the counter behind my kitchen sink. Since I am the main cook/kitchen staff for the household, I am including this as a “work” area. 🙂

3. In my study:

In the little glass dish are a collection of things that are fiddly bits I play with when I’m thinking or reading. Yes. That’s an OH-IO dice in there. 🙂 Next to the dish is a short  devotional time rubric I follow in my Scripture readings:

• Silence: Begin with quiet, focused prayer and a receptive heart.
• Read: Read the Scriptures for the day. This year I am following the “One Year Bible” schedule. I’ve missed days/weeks here and there, so I probably will use the same Bible reading plan for 2012 too.
• Meditate: Reflect on a verse or a thought from the readings that seems to bubble to the surface in my awareness.
• Wait: Stop long enough to discern and hear what God’s message is for me today
• Act: Intentionally choose an action based on the readings for the day. If I can, I try to journal what I am pondering or trying to do.

4. Also in my study:

Photos of family and friends decorate this large bookshelf. I have them in front of the books (mostly reference books) and will frequently turn in my chair and look at these dear faces as I’m cogitating.

5. A metaphorical tschotske:

I love this little kaleidoscope.  It reminds me that even in my brokenness, when I reflect the Light of Christ within me, I am transformed into a continually changing, evolving picture of God. Without the light and the reflections, I’m just broken. How like God to use my imperfections and to put me out in the world, in spite of them.

BONUS: I was going to include the cats since they are frequent “contributors” to my desk. However, they informed me that are NOT “tschotskes.” Since I already did pictures, here’s a song. 🙂 Because we’ve had just “a bit” of rain this last week… 😉