What Makes a Place Unforgettable
why craft matters
As I mentioned last week, I visited NYC. It was an experience!
A highlight of the trip was seeing The Met. Being in the presence of so much beauty—so many intricate details and magnificent compositions—was awe-inspiring. I spent three deeply engrossing hours there, and by the end, my brain hurt and I felt dizzy. Five thousand years of some of the world’s finest craftsmanship and artistry, all in one place. Wow.
I know I sound like a broken record about craftsmanship as of late, but I can't help it. It feels more and more like a piece of my own heart, a reason why I’m on this earth. And I can’t take credit for it. My parents and grandparents instilled this in me.
Growing up homeschooled in a traditional faith community, my siblings and I were always making things with our hands: woodworking, drawing, blacksmithing, carpentry, gardening, land improvement, learning instruments—you name it.
But it wasn’t just our hands. Over time, our hearts followed, too. My parents never forced these things; they simply nurtured a deep curiosity and a responsibility to care about what we did and to see it through with character.
Summer evenings in the garden with family & neighbors
We were raised to glorify God—the giver of all good gifts—in everything. Seen and the unseen, big and small. Helen was raised much the same way, and together we aim to pass these values to our children.
everyone is an artist?
Jim Simmons, the legendary investor and mathematician, once said:
"Be guided by beauty. I really mean that. I think pretty much everything I've done has had an aesthetic component — at least to me. Now, you might think, "Building a company that's trading bonds? What's so aesthetic about that?" What's aesthetic about it is doing it right. Getting the right kind of people, and approaching the problem, and doing it right. And if you feel that you're the first one to do it right, that's a terrific feeling. It's a beautiful thing to do something right."
This captures my belief that artistry transcends traditional “creative” work, personality types, and gifting. Some of us may feel more naturally inclined toward artistry, but I believe all of us can choose to approach our work as art. How? By caring. By investing ourselves wholeheartedly into whatever is in front of us.
As Elbert Hubbard put it: “Art is not a thing—it is a way.”
My time at The Met left me a with a quiet sadness. So much meaning, care, and craftsmanship have been sacrificed by our modern world in the name of efficiency and progress.
But we can change that, and the remedy starts small: each of us committing to care more about the little details in our daily lives.
To make the world better, start with one small thing. Plant a tree, build a window box, sweep the street, clean the closet, have a real conversation with your neighbor. These small acts compound, and momentum builds.
paying off credit cards (and other small victories)
Just yesterday I sat down to help a friend buried in credit card debt. In researching different options (consolidation loans, settlements, etc), I came across Dave Ramsay’s counterintuitive but firm advice—the “snowball method”: start with your smallest debt first, regardless of interest rates.
Then with that win, attack the next smallest, and so on.
Seemed illogical to me. Why not target the highest interest rate first? But there’s science behind this. Studies and real life examples alike show resoundingly higher success rates with the snowball method because of the psychological momentum. Small, early wins fuel motivation for bigger battles. Momentum matters.
"If you want to change the world, go home and love your family." —Mother Theresa
brick by brick
I’m no perfect example, but I do try. I try to do less, and do it better.
Live Oak Lake, The Nook, our orchard, our family garden—none are perfect, but I’ve poured my heart into each. And if you visit them, I believe you’ll feel it (you are invited, you know:)!
Spring has come to The Nook
Every small decision matters—from the hardware on a door to the view out a window. These details shape the experience of place and, ultimately, the beauty of our world.
Beautiful communities begin with beautiful homes. Before we build great towns, we build warm kitchens. Before great destinations come good places for our children to play and neighbors to gather.
Keep building, brick by brick. One intentional choice at a time.
Small things are never small. Each action adds up. Work becomes art, the world becomes beautiful.
And in the process, we bless others—while finding fulfillment ourselves.
Have a wonderful week!