Remembering Edith Schaeffer

So I learnt last night that its been more than a year since Edith Schaeffer died. What? Huge surprise to me because even though she was 98 years old, I thought she was immortal. She's like one of those things you take for granted like rain in March and April (if you live in Kenya) or former President Moi. It just never occurred to me that she would die and not be part of this world. That a time would come when we wouldn't be 'under the same sky...'
'Well, who is Edith Schaffer?' you might wonder. She is many things. But in my own words she is the mother of all things beautiful and creative. Reading her books 'Hidden Art' and later 'The Hidden Art Of Homemaking' changed my life in the most beautiful way. Being a student of Daystar University in Athi River, I saw a lot of dust and rocks and just a lot of rough terrain. I didn't see beauty. It wasn't until I read her books that I discovered a new way of looking at the world around us. I started collecting shells (which were surprisingly many in Athi River!), picking flowers and I even adopted a potted plant that had been thrown in the rubbish. I tried out little suggestions that she made about living creatively in my dorm room (which drove my roommates nuts sometimes!) and I still to this day, channel her when buying things for our home.
She introduced to me a new love and appreciation for music, beauty,art and good writing, which to her, was a key mandate of every Christian. She considered expression of creativity, an important aspect of reflecting our Creator, who Himself is a constantly creative force and in whose image we're made in.
Through her writing, her childlike wonder and amazement at the beauty in the world came through and was infectious. She lived and died in L'Abri, a home, community and refuge she founded with her Late husband, Francis Schaeffer, for people around the world who were seeking God's truth and answers about the questions they faced in today's world.
I can imagine surrounded by the serene Alpine mountains and flower filled meadows, it was not too hard for creativity and art to flow through her. She taught about bringing beauty in everything and adding flair to even mundane tasks.
Her death, like the passing of so many that I love, admire and look up to, makes me yearn for heaven. It can only be a home full love, music and every beautiful thing. Rest well Edith, thank you for the contribution you made to our world, you will never be forgotten.

“It is true that all men are created in the image of God, but Christians are supposed to be conscious of that fact, and being conscious of it should recognize the importance of living artistically, aesthetically, and creatively, as creative creatures of the Creator. If we have been created in the image of an Artist, then we should look for expressions of artistry, and be sensitive to beauty, responsive to what has been created for us” (p. 32).” 
― Edith Schaeffer, The Hidden Art of Homemaking