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What's Going On In Your Home?

 
The "thankful journal' assignment for today was:
 
Take a thankful journey through the rooms in your house, giving thanks for all the wonderful memories, laughs and times together with loved ones. Give thanks for a roof over your head and for the places you have shared life with others.
 
We live in the same home we moved in as newlyweds. It is almost 25 years old and getting a bit worn around the edges.  When I look at my home, it is usually not with a spirit of thankfulness.  My eyes move seem to focus on the things that are wrong...like bathroom stains, torn furniture, holes in the walls, uneven doors. After three boys, this home has seen  a lot of 'activity'! 
 
Today's assignment challenged me to look beyond the blemishes and reflect on some special times that went on through the house.  Each room is a place where memories have been made, smiles come easily when thinking of  those rooms that have seen children grow up in them, friends and family come through and love grow and mature. 
 
Here are a few rooms and some things I am thankful for.
 
Boy's Bedrooms:  From baby cribs, toy boxes, posters all over the walls, storing sports trophies to remember rocking sweet babies, playing with toddlers, reading bedtime stories, singing songs before going to sleep, teaching little boys how to fold clothes, releasing older boys with freedom to be alone in 'their space' these bedrooms have seen a lot! 
 
Living Room:  Our couches have been through it during the years!  From my husband surprising me with our first furniture set (found used for $30) and absolutely hideous(!!), to our new couch that our friends baby christened by throwing up on it!  Furniture comes and goes, but I'll always treasure the memories of grandparents holding a new baby while sitting there, reading to little boys on it night after night,  friends chatting on it, pastors coming to offer comfort during difficult times, new girlfriends sitting on it meeting the family and teenage friends who slept on it. 
 
Kitchen:  Through the years, I've made friends with my kitchen! As a newlywed, I didn't know my way around a kitchen!  But through trial and error and many years later, the kitchen is the heart of this home.  Learning is something I am thankful for, learning to cook for a family of guys, learning to cook nutritious, learning to can and preserve food, learning to use food as a ministry to bring comfort, to bring friends and family together.
 
Even though our home is getting older, we've grown and matured and treasure the memories in it.  Whatever home you are in, times can be treasured and love can abound.  Along with thankfulness for our home, I am excited to seek opportunities to open and share our home.  Hospitality is as easy as sharing what you have and making others feel welcome.  When we focus on the blessings God so richly gives, it is easy to allow them to spill over into the lives of others.
 
 
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