Lamps

 January 12, 2023

“People don’t use lamps anymore.” So said Cheryl as we were pitching stuff into the dumpster. We were cleaning out Samaritan House, our local thrift ministry that operated out of the old Methodist church in Sinclairville. Samaritan House has always been a shoestring operation, a ministry to those in the community who struggle most to keep life and limb together. Clothes, appliances, walkers, crutches, and canes, along with kitchenware, tools, and toys; if you need it and don’t have the money for it, Samaritan House was the place to go.

Covid hit the ministry hard; none of the volunteers were able to work at the site for two years. And now everyone is that much older, and the building is in serious need of repair. The roof leaks like a sieve (literally), the basement is damp, windows need replacing, and of course, everything costs more these days. The Samaritan House board is at least temporarily suspending operations while we figure out how to save the building. Without the building, there is no place for all the stuff, and therefore, no ministry. So a bunch of us were there today, sorting and cleaning out, getting the place ready for repairs.

In one room, there were probably two dozen lamps; table lamps, floor lamps, desk lamps. They were outdated, sixties and seventies’ style, but the electrical fixtures, the sockets and switches, were good. Since most of them had good hardware, I hated to toss them in the dumpster, but even at a dollar apiece, no one was taking them home. That’s when Cheryl spoke up. I have never thought about it before. We have both floor and table models scattered throughout the house; I didn’t realize no one uses lamps anymore. 

I’m sitting beneath an antique floor lamp, chrome base topped with a depression glass piece , and an arm that swings out so the light can shine directly on the pages of my book. Next to that is a 1930’s era smoking stand with a glass bass that lights up. It makes a great pedestal for my coffee cup. They remind me of a time when elegance was in style, and though no one could with a straight face call me elegant, I do like these old things in my home. Antiques just seem to belong here. Maybe it’s because I’m one myself.

Ceiling lights, recessed or otherwise are OK, but I like my lamps. And I must add, I like the 1930’s era sconce lighting I managed to find for the master bedroom we added on a few years ago. I guess you could say my preferences are living evidence of Jesus’ saying in Luke 5:39. “No one, having drunk old wine immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’” Sometimes, you just can’t improve on old.