Sometimes I get frustrated that I don't live in a magazine article. I'm no minimalist, but I also find it tricky to balance my desire to purge with my desire to honor other people's stuff & lifestyle. Sometimes I long to just come in the door, look at fresh flowers on a formal dining room table, and put my feet up without pushing over a few stuffed animals. Alas, that's not my home. What is my home, however, is so much more than a few pages in this month's feature spread. Perhaps you can relate.
My home is...
A restaurant.
A hotel.
An indoor sword-fighting arena.
A knitting group space.
A woodworking studio.
An indoor park.
A coffee shop.
A classroom.
A science lab.
An art studio.
A house church.
A quiet date spot.
A favorite reading corner.
A communal library.
A sewing shop.
A central command post.
A community center.
A meditation space.
A laundromat.
A lego land.
A photography studio
A computer lab.
An after-school care center.
A dance studio.
A theater.
A dormitory.
A concert hall.
A racetrack.
A movie theater.
A greenhouse.
A costume shop.
A drive-through diner.
An urgent-care center.
A bowling alley.
A teachers' lounge.
A packing and shipping post.
A bed-and-breakfast for friendly travelers.
A pirate ship.
An editor's desk.
A bike repair shop.
A storage facility.
An indoor soccer arena.
A jungle gym.
A mobile hotspot.
A deli.
An art gallery.
A hardware shop.
A counseling office.
A bar.
A craft store.
A refuge.
A community kitchen.
A ballroom.
A satellite engineering office.
An all-team headquarters.
A second-hand shop.
A campground.
A community bulletin board.
A marketing consulting firm.
A tea house.
A dietician's office.
A comedy club.
An ice-cream parlor.
A garden.
A clubhouse.
There are probably more, but this list reminds me there is both work and reward in the job of keeper-of-the-home. When I left the paid workforce, I was pretty sure I'd have all sorts of spare time. Now, there are days when I wonder where the hours went between breakfast and bedtime! Still, when it seems oh-so-not-glamorous, I can think about this list and remember why I'm staying at home in this season of life.
Home is where we...
update our status in person.
get rest.
laugh.
learn.
lose our shoes.
mend what's broken.
speak our mind.
get quiet.
track our progress.
get better.
contribute to the whole.
grow.
My home is...
A restaurant.
A hotel.
An indoor sword-fighting arena.
A knitting group space.
A woodworking studio.
An indoor park.
A coffee shop.
A classroom.
A science lab.
An art studio.
A house church.
A quiet date spot.
A favorite reading corner.
A communal library.
A sewing shop.
A central command post.
A community center.
A meditation space.
A laundromat.
A lego land.
A photography studio
A computer lab.
An after-school care center.
A dance studio.
A theater.
A dormitory.
A concert hall.
A racetrack.
A movie theater.
A greenhouse.
A costume shop.
A drive-through diner.
An urgent-care center.
A bowling alley.
A teachers' lounge.
A packing and shipping post.
A bed-and-breakfast for friendly travelers.
A pirate ship.
An editor's desk.
A bike repair shop.
A storage facility.
An indoor soccer arena.
A jungle gym.
A mobile hotspot.
A deli.
An art gallery.
A hardware shop.
A counseling office.
A bar.
A craft store.
A refuge.
A community kitchen.
A ballroom.
A satellite engineering office.
An all-team headquarters.
A second-hand shop.
A campground.
A community bulletin board.
A marketing consulting firm.
A tea house.
A dietician's office.
A comedy club.
An ice-cream parlor.
A garden.
A clubhouse.
There are probably more, but this list reminds me there is both work and reward in the job of keeper-of-the-home. When I left the paid workforce, I was pretty sure I'd have all sorts of spare time. Now, there are days when I wonder where the hours went between breakfast and bedtime! Still, when it seems oh-so-not-glamorous, I can think about this list and remember why I'm staying at home in this season of life.
Home is where we...
update our status in person.
get rest.
laugh.
learn.
lose our shoes.
mend what's broken.
speak our mind.
get quiet.
track our progress.
get better.
contribute to the whole.
grow.
4 comments:
You have expanded and enhanced a list that you inherited. Friends used to say they they stopped in for a visit at our - your - home sometimes just for the entertainment value! I know that many will relate to your thoughts and comments as "home" is defined through the personal reflections of who we are and have become. I enjoyed your list and your closing summary was very thoughtful. It made me smile.
Missing you even more from your first home,
Dad
Beautiful.
Beautiful, MamaToo.
Like you, sometimes I long for less "mess." And yet the mess, the interruptions, the inconveniences...this is my work in this season. May God find me faithful...under the pile of legos! :-)
Dad,
If I can provide half the home, and half the parenting, that I was blessed to receive in your house, my children's lives will be rich indeed. Miss you too.
love,
MamaToo
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