Measure twice, cut once, love always.

With Asherel's painting done and ready to be mailed, I had to fly into action. Matts, while not required for the art work, were allowed. What Bozo would send their kid's painting off to a contest dressed in smelly, ripped jeans when the rest of the prima donnas are all in sequined formals? Not me, not more than the one time I did it last year. This year, I was pulling out all the stops. I knew I needed the artwork in the mail by lunch time, so I raced to Michaels Art Supply for a pre-cut matt for the standard size paper Asherel had used.

"What do you mean 9 x12 is not a standard matt size? I have a standard pad of art paper 9x12," I said, sweat pouring off my time constrained brow.
The nice young man behind the custom frame counter told me, "It falls between the cracks. It is a standard size for paper, but standard matts are either 8x10, or 11x14. They skip 9x12."
(I saw a huge niche market for entrepreneurs here, but I didn't have time to find the venture capital right now.)
"How long to cut me a custom matt for a 9x12?" I asked.
"A week," he answered.
"A week!!!! God created the entire world in a week. All I am asking for are 4 quick razor swipes at a neat 45 degree angle!"
"And that's of course if all goes well. You could cut your own."

Yes, indeedy I could, if I had half an ounce of steady hands or history to back me up on this one. I of course knew how to cut matts and had cut many in my day. I had a professional matt cutter tool, and having gone in a flurry of cleaning when we returned from cleaning Grandma's house, even knew where it was and where a box of 50 shiny new matt knife blades were. But I remembered how the owner of the gallery where my work is displayed took one look at the matts I had cut, and told me unabashedly they were the worst matts she had ever seen.

I don't know what it is about matt cutting that seems to paralyze me, but I have never, not once, cut a perfect matt. I always rip edges instead of getting clean cuts, or my cut goes wobbly, or I overshoot corners so there are knife slices where they shouldn't be. Never have I cut a perfect matt.
"The matt boards are over there," said the young man, dismissing me.
With desperation, I bought a pre-cut matt that I knew was too small, hoping somehow Asherel's work had shrunk while I was gone, and then grabbed a matt board.  Why why why...... I muttered as I stumbled to the car.

I came in with the board, and gathered the matt cutting board and knife.
"What's that?" asked Asherel.
"I am going to cut you a matt," I said.
"You can do that?" she asked.
"No," I answered, "But unless God snaps His fingers and miraculously produces one, it is the only way we will have a matt in time to mail your art."

I carefully measured where my cuts were to go. I measured twice, remembering the maxim, "Measure twice, cut once." Normally I reverse that, but I was determined to approximate competency.

Then I adjusted the blade angle, and took a deep breath, and lined the cutter up carefully. For the next 10 minutes, I held my breath and took my time, and my spirit was praying frantically. Now came the moment of truth. I stepped back, and carefully lifted the matt from the rest of the board.

I could not believe it. It was exquisite. There was no shreds, or rips or crumples or tears. There were no splotches of blood or wet marks from sobbing. The corners were crisp and perfect right angles, with no overshot knife marks. I had for the first time in my life cut a perfect matt.

"If you don't win, it is not because the matt was cut by a troglodyte," I said smiling.

It doesn't happen often, this rising to the occasion and doing more than I am capable of. But when it does, it seems to be uniformly connected with the degree of love that motivates it. Funny how cutting a matt to showcase my own work for my own fame and glory always failed. But cutting a matt for the daughter that lights my life almost made me want to open a matt cutting seminar to the public.

1 Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.