I just read a nice blog from someone who found a home. (Darnit, I can't remember whice blog it was.) Anyway, she talked about how it was a home versus a house, and how the people who lived in it, filled it with love. She could tell through the many little personal touches that makes up a home.
I began to look at our home and thought to myself, “if someone were to visit, would they see our house as a house, or a home?”
I believe that our interior is definitely a home. We play music often, the walls are full of family pictures, a wall is devoted to the boy's homeschool activities, and I work hard to keep the house tidy and organized. It is comfortable, and (I hope), welcoming to others.
The exterior, however, is another story. I view our yard as the enemy (well, more specifically, I view the pine trees (with their needle bullets and pinecone bombs), moles, weeds, and our cats (who like to sit in our windowboxes, thus destroying the planted flowers), as the enemy. I take no joy in tending to the yard and only do as much as needed to make sure that we don't look like we are neglecting our home, yet there is no “love” being shown to the general public driving or walking by.
I want the love I feel for our God and my family and friends to spill from the interior to the exterior. So, I am challenging myself to do one thing a day to show love to this wonderful home that God has given us.
With that being said, I am headed to Waterville for the Lincoln Brewster/Mark Schultz concert! My challenge will begin tomorrow! 🙂
The inside of our home is nice and cozy, but the outside is just a house and doesn’t get the attention it deserves. We’ve worked a bit more in the backyard because we use it – we have a playground and a sandbox and a grill and a couple of swings. With a little more work, it will be a pleasent place to eat al fresco the days that aren’t too hot, too cold or too windy. We have a lot of beautiful days here in Oklahoma, and we want to take full advantage of them, CM style.
But the front yard is just a yard – a tree, weeded but uncreative flower beds, house needs a bit of paint, hedges need trimming. We just don’t get to it.
So, be assured that you aren’t the only one!