The Old Hutch

May 26th 2023, It didn’t look like much sitting underneath a bunch of other items at a local estate auction Dudley’s Auction was hosting in downtown Floral City. But something spoke to me and told me to buy it. It sure wasn’t Matt, he thought I was crazy. It also wasn’t our bank account sitting way below the comfort level. It was something deeper. A hormonal impulse purchase, maybe. Whatever it was, I listened. I placed an absentee bid for way more than what was needed and said if God wants me to have it, they will call. By the end of the day my impulse was over; I was actually hoping they did not call. But then the phone rang! I was the proud owner of a new hutch that needed a new chance in life.

Once I got home with my new hutch, I was able to see the full condition of it. It looked as if it was an unfinished project someone else had given up on or just didn’t have any more time to invest in. With all the obvious work that had already been done stripping the layers and layers of paint and wallpaper there was still much work to do. The years of life this old hutch had experienced were still very visible. It had obvious termite damage from years past, where nagging little pests had eaten away at its foundation. You could see proof of the time the old hutch had experienced some high waters that had warped some of the boards and made the backing unstable and unusable. There were rusty nails in places that no longer made sense, and the ones that did make sense were barely hanging on. After seeing the true condition of it, buyers regret started to set in. I agreed with Matt, I must be crazy!

We wheeled that well over 100-pound hutch onto the lanai and placed it right by the back door. It sat there and became a catch-all for not weeks, but months. I looked at this old beat-up hutch with dismay and regret. The longer it sat there, the more I just didn’t want to deal with it. There were even times I asked Matt if we could just wheel it to the burn pile and set it ablaze, admitting I made a mistake in buying it. He always countered with something to the effect of, “No you have made me look at it that junk for too long and paid way too much money for it. You are going to make something out of it.”

When I purchased the old hutch, life was really challenging for me. I was still getting used to running the paper, and getting used to not having my kids in the house. Life had stirred up some deep emotional and spiritual wounds from my childhood that I just couldn’t ignore and facing them head on was really taking a toll on me, and my health seemed to be at a steady decline.

By the beginning of 2025 I was deep in depression, I could barely make it down the stairs in the morning due to the muscle and joint pain I was experiencing. I was faking it on camera for the paper, and I wasn’t sure how long I could keep up the guise before it would be evident I was breaking down. The wounds of life’s failures and poor decisions were like termites eating me alive and weakening my foundation. The waves of life were slowly making me unstable, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could tread the waters before going under.

Funny thing is I started seeing this old hutch in a new light. I started to have empathy for the wounds it carried. Truth is, I started looking at it as if it were a mirror to my own life’s travels. The more I studied it, the more I knew this old hutch still had so much more to offer.

By March I mustered up enough courage to have Matt wheel it over to the carport to get started on the transformation. I started pulling out all the old rusty nails, took off the warped backing, and got rid of the warped shelves that were just not salvageable. Then I got busy with the sandpaper I had purchased months prior. I spent time each weekend cleaning up the old hutch getting her ready for her new role, the center piece of my dining room.

In May I cried out to God, and he blessed me with a breakthrough in my health, a miracle if you will. I immediately started feeling better, which gave more time and inspiration to work on the old hutch. By the end of June, the old hutch started to get a new lease on life with a bright yellow interior coat of protecting paint.

Next, my daughter and I highlighted all the visible injuries on the exterior of the hutch with bright red, blue, and yellow paint. We painted the in-between spots with a light coat of white. The wounds the old hutch carried that originally discouraged me; were now where I drew my inspiration. Once the old hutch had a new coat of paint, we added some new cedar shelves. Matt had milled them from wood that had been dropped off at the dump we got from a friend. Then we purchased some wainscoting for her new backing.

While she did come with her original doors, we decided that she would be better suited with an open concept. After all she looked glorious, sitting in my dining room with all her wounds on display. It made her original; she looked strong and became much more than a center piece for my dining room. As a matter of fact, she carried her wounds so well she has inspired an entire recycled and reclaimed dining room set which is still in the works.

That old hutch that had lived through the storms of life and almost met the fiery fate of damnation is now my favorite piece of furniture. Every time I look at her, I remember the journey. After all, that is what this life is all about.

Since my miracle in May Christ has been reclaiming me as I learn to walk closer to him. Today I know it was the Holy Spirit that moved me to purchase that old hutch back in May of 2023. I needed the inspiration it was going to bring into my life. Just like I took that old hutch and made her brand-new Christ is transforming me into someone brand new. I know through faith as I fulfill my calling to share my life journey with the world, he will guide me to highlight all the wounds of my life to make them the inspiration for someone new, just like I was able to do to that old hutch.

About the Author-Amy Amdahl