"Is not house - is home." - Farouk, The Castle
Yesterday, our little bloke Elisha was baptised.
We did this in the house of some dear friends of ours. It's a big house, full of lots of interesting nooks and crannies. This is a place we often gather in as a church family.
I love this place. From the first time I walked in the door back in February, it felt right. It felt like a place where a lot of love and warm meals had been served out. It felt lived in, laughed in, and loved in.
As we celebrated together yesterday, the tables were covered in steaming soups and dhal, fresh bread rolls, coffee cake, wine, brie and crackers, plunger coffee and muffins. The fire crackled away happily in the loungeroom, while after lunch we retired to pockets of conversation, laughter and general silliness, toying with the piano and organ, and the contemplation of photographs and board games.
The kids, meantime, ranged all over the house, up and down the staircase, and all around the yard and giant verandah. I imagine they all slept well last night.
As I caught up with some friends through the afternoon, a few mentioned how comfortable they felt here, how much it felt 'like a home' (and I don't think they meant a nursing home!).
Was it the worn carpet? The country-style kitchen with its old Metters wood-fired stove? Was it the warmth of the smiles that greeted each guest? The eclectic loungeroom furniture? The lavish use of aged timbers? The ancient double brick? Was it the screen door that banged all day as kids ran in and out?
'Home' is definitely centred around the people we find in a house.
But there are some houses that have that extra bit of charm about them, that say to the sojourner, 'Come in, pull up a chair near the fire, and rest your weary heels.'
Do you live in a house like that? What is it about your house that makes it feel 'like home'?
Yesterday, our little bloke Elisha was baptised.
We did this in the house of some dear friends of ours. It's a big house, full of lots of interesting nooks and crannies. This is a place we often gather in as a church family.
I love this place. From the first time I walked in the door back in February, it felt right. It felt like a place where a lot of love and warm meals had been served out. It felt lived in, laughed in, and loved in.
As we celebrated together yesterday, the tables were covered in steaming soups and dhal, fresh bread rolls, coffee cake, wine, brie and crackers, plunger coffee and muffins. The fire crackled away happily in the loungeroom, while after lunch we retired to pockets of conversation, laughter and general silliness, toying with the piano and organ, and the contemplation of photographs and board games.
The kids, meantime, ranged all over the house, up and down the staircase, and all around the yard and giant verandah. I imagine they all slept well last night.
As I caught up with some friends through the afternoon, a few mentioned how comfortable they felt here, how much it felt 'like a home' (and I don't think they meant a nursing home!).
Was it the worn carpet? The country-style kitchen with its old Metters wood-fired stove? Was it the warmth of the smiles that greeted each guest? The eclectic loungeroom furniture? The lavish use of aged timbers? The ancient double brick? Was it the screen door that banged all day as kids ran in and out?
'Home' is definitely centred around the people we find in a house.
But there are some houses that have that extra bit of charm about them, that say to the sojourner, 'Come in, pull up a chair near the fire, and rest your weary heels.'
Do you live in a house like that? What is it about your house that makes it feel 'like home'?
2 comments:
Mate ...... It's my wife!
She's a keeper, Jim.
I must say, our young children seem to know how to 'age' a place quickly! They certainly know how to make it feel like home ...
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