Windows of Latvia

Again, a post on windows.  There's something about windows in other nations that fascinates me. It isn't just the color or creativity, although that is a biggie with me.  But often as I walk down the streets of towns and villages, I wonder...

"Who is behind that window?"

"Is there a mother tending to her children?  Are they playing while she prepares their lunch of cabbage soup and black bread?"

"Perhaps there is a grandmother sitting at a worn old table, sipping her hot tea and reflecting on her years."

Often my heart wants to embrace the smells, the stories, the wonder behind the windows.  Windows that set right up against the sidewalk, seemingly inviting you to come in.  What lives are being lived out behind the framework and the pane?

And so...the windows of a town in the north of Latvia along the Baltic Sea.....

Perhaps a family awaiting a letter from a son or daughter in a faraway land...

I could just smell the "borscht" cooking for lunch...

I couldn't resist this guy....he was looking out his "window"...

A room with a view... in Riga...

Who wouldn't want to wake up to this ??

Anyone who has been in my home can attest to the fact that I don't like window coverings.  I like to see out.  I love light.  I want the outside in...

But it also allows others to see in (helps to live in the country where your neighbors aren't hugging the side of your house :)  Windows let us see out, but they also let others see in.  Hmmm...metaphorically speaking, do we allow others to see into our lives?  Are we vulnerable enough to want community and relationship with those around us to allow our windows to be open for them to see?  Or do we cover the windows of our life to keep people out?  I wonder if perhaps there isn't someone who wants to see beyond the window and sit down with you or me,  have a cup of tea and share our stories.  Lives are being lived out behind those windows.  Now that's a great line for a post....