On Mended Knee He Stood

                                                    On Mended Knee He Stood

Theology in the Trenches

by Kathleen Kjolhaug

 

Laundry beckoned this early morn as the sun began to reflect upon the farmhouse floor. Funny how the basket fills up so readily even with an empty nest had been my thought as of late. It wasn’t a stray thought but rather a repetitive strand winding its way down the ladder rung like DNA. Apparently, it was something embedded deep within.

I pulled the dirty clothes out of the hamper, tossed them into the washing machine and placed them in the dryer. The final stop was the laundry basket where the clean clothes sat limp like before being folded and put away.

It was somewhere between the dryer and the folding table that gave me pause. While staring at the pair of jeans before me, I noticed the ripped holes in the knees. It was apparent they had graduated from use in the public sector, to chore status upon the farm. As nothing goes to waste around here, up-cycling is actually quite an honor for any pair of pants in this house. Why? Because they still have value and are worthy of use no matter where the holes and no matter how many.

The sanctification of “holy” took on a whole new form as I observed what, exactly, was holding the jeans together. Darned if you do and darned if you don’t. I don’t—darn that is. I do not mend jeans and never have. Puzzled by the wad of riffraff holding them together, I looked more closely. It appeared to be quite an achievement by the master craftsman as from the knee on down, the jeans were inside out. And from the outside, I could see the twist of sticky trying to replace the missing fabric.

I knew duct tape had many a use, but never had I seen the likes of this. Our door on the second floor needed securing many years back—so—as not to shed slivers, that stuff had been strategically placed around the bottom planks. And, I might add, it has been in the family now for well over a decade. Ice cream pails holding nails can be seen roundabout, not to mention holes in doors covered with it. Did you know that painted-over duct tape looks exactly like painted-over duct tape? Take my word for it, it does.

I suppose you are no stranger to inviting this helpful tool into your home so all can be on the mend. However, if you don’t’ have a clue what I’m talking about, well then—I suppose I really don’t want to hear about it. Lucky duct!

So where was I? Oh yes, the laundry and the bended knees all bent out of shape fresh out of the dryer. It wasn’t so much finding this treasure that conjured up many a thought, but rather the picture of the only other person in this household that could have crafted the likes of it.

When did he do it? Was he in a hurry and there were no other holey pants around to use? Was it too cold and he wanted to keep warm? Was the hole too raggedy and he needed to reign it in for safety? Was it genetics? What makes one so frugal as to go without even a nickel’s worth of vanity? Why would one duct em up once, toss em into the washer, and then on into the dryer forming deformity out of mended jeans?

It was approximately twelve hours later I heard him fumbling around in the back room.“Tell me about this knee thing going on,” I casually mentioned as if he didn’t know what I would do with the information.

Without hesitation, he simply stated, “I needed a pair of work jeans and there were no others in the house. It took me only a minute to do it, but when I put it through the dryer, it sort of all stuck together.” (It was at that moment he began pressing out the crumples in the duct tape so he could do what had to be done upon the farm.)

With farmers, it’s always about the other. Has anyone else ever noticed that? The markets go down, and the farmer goes out to take care of what must be done upon the farm. The prices stagnate, and the farmer continues doing what they must do for those in this world who are depending upon them. Not only on mended knee are they—but upon bended knee. They know well to Whom they give their thanks no matter the ups and downs.

…as it was in beginning, now and ever shall be, world without end while it’s yet on the mend.  Amen.