I moved about one year ago. I blogged about the move quite a bit, especially how I saw my home as a community home—both in whom is welcome and in the neighbors I’m living among and getting to know.
It has been a good year—a tough year in some ways, but my home has been a warm place of peace and people. So many things I’d hoped for are happening. I’ve made fun memories with family. People have stopped by unexpectedly. I’ve chatted with neighbors across a fence or across a street. Friends stop by for various reasons even if I’m not home. Out-of-town friends spend the night.
That makes it sound as if my house is bustling. It actually isn’t. I like the quiet times, too. I enjoy the space. God welcomes me here. And he also challenges me.
The past couple months have looked a bit different. I don’t host people inside my house, but there has still been plenty of connections. The weeks I’ve been especially busy at work, a neighbor mows without being asked. Friends have dropped off snacks/food, notes, flowers, and a beautiful wreath. I’ve delivered cookies to neighbors and friends. I clipped most the tulips and shared them among many people. I’ve mailed many notes.
My home has still been a place of peace and people.
I often think of the homes around me and how different they might be because of living situations. Especially through this stay at home time, I’ve increasingly considered homes and how this affects people in them—people living alone, people in unhealthy relationships, people unable to provide for themselves, people facing so many pressures and changes. I reach out to many people as they come to mind, and for others, I pray.
Home can be a haven. It can also be a nightmare.
Notice your neighbors and others in your life. Do what you can to encourage them. Make creative connections. Take what makes your house a home and find ways to share the environment across the distance. We need each other.
Pure Purpose 