A well worn home

Tool chest coffee table © K. Hall

This morning my dear hubbie made an interesting observation. We had held our annual spring cleanup day at church, where we washed windows, scrubbed surfaces, took care of some maintenance issues, freshened some walls with paint, and did what we could to put the parking lot together after another winter’s worth of plowing. Keith noted how fortunate we are to belong to a church that needs this TLC, as that means the church is being used.

It made me think of all of us moms who worry so about our homes and how they look to our friends and family. Sometimes all we see are the little handprints on the walls, the lumpy cushions on the furniture and the bits of meals left under the table.

What if, instead, we viewed these through a fresh perspective, as I wrote about here, and thought about all of these things as visible signs of love?

Those handprints? They show a toddler learning to stand up and balance themselves.

The worn couch? It shows years of company and family getting together to enjoy some time together.

The crumbs on the floor? They show the family gathering for meals.

Perhaps when we view life through this lens, rather than feeling embarrassed because we aren’t more diligent about keeping our spaces pristine, we will remember what is really important. We can be more forgiving of ourselves and feel the gratitude of belonging to a family who lives and gathers together in joy, laughter and love.