I have a new home. My children have a new home.
By the grace of God it is a beautiful home. In fact, the kids and I are going to get a rug made for the front door which says “Love Lives Here”….
It is a happy home….or, maybe it is just that we are happy in it….
Laughter lives in our new home…where it was absent at times from our old one.
Peace is in our new home….where at times it was missing from our old one.
Mutual love and respect for one another lives within the walls of our new home.
When you walk through the door, you can feel the authentic joy of happy souls.
When you walk through the door, you can sense the presence of fun.
Plotting and planning is already underway for pool parties, hide and seek expeditions and rooftop star gazing.
Dreams of teenage memory making can be heard through the hallways of our new home.
It makes me smile in joyful anticipation of sweet blessings yet to come.
It is, by any standard, a lovely dwelling…brick and mortar join together sweetly to frame a safe haven for happy activity. It has rooms for each family member to enjoy…bedroom sanctuaries for each family member, family room fully stocked with family entertainment accoutrements, office for homework and college planning. It has “hidey holes” for kid exploration, kitchen accents for fine dining of the beloved pizza and take out Chinese…and there is a game table for backgammon and chess tournaments. There is a lovely body of water in the form of a pool just ripe for teenage splashing and playing.
When I close my eyes, I can hear the laughter of my kids playing in this house….their feet running up and down the staircase as they explore all the hidden secrets of their “new” home.
It is a happy home. Joy already has taken up residence at “112” and is filling it up to the brim….
And, I thank God for every spark of joyful delight which is being ignited within its walls. That is something which has been absent for a long time for our family…but, it has found its way back and my family is blessed by its return.
But, as much as I am grateful for the physical dwelling of “112”….I am more grateful for the physical indwelling of love, respect, compassion and kindness which permeates our home via the people who live there.
My children have been through much these past nine years….maybe your family has had struggles as well. Things not spoken of, but “lived” through….things not shared with outsiders but rather, replaced with a façade of “having the time of your life”.
But, consciously, we have chosen to walk through the unimportant and walk back to the important…it is a journey we are on…and, it is proving to be a good one.
Brothers are taking time to sit and discuss things which matter….
Sister is taking time to share her life’s experiences with brothers who take time to heed her advice.
Mother takes time to sit at the top of the stairs overlooking the family room and listen to the important discussions of her children: how to succeed at school, which church activity to attend next, which of their friends needs a little encouragement, how to grow more defined abs, who gets to drive the car first when they get their permit….which girl to ask out next…
You know…those life and death things which make or break a teen’s life J
But, if I take the time, and sit quietly, I eventually hear their conversations head toward things like, “you need to be more confident in yourself brother…you are a great kid”, “can you show me how to do this Math problem, you are better at Math”, “Learn from my mistakes brothers so you keep yourself whole”, “yes, I like that girl, she’s a “hard core” Christian girl…I think you should ask her out”, “okay, maybe Mama’s right, this TV show isn’t the best thing to watch”,
You know….those little conversations which make you realize that it’s the heart of your child which you seek to mold….and, that they seek to mold in one another.
And, you do that molding, not in the structure of a building, but in the heart of your family.
You do it not by pretending that all is well all the time, but by acknowledging that all is not well and walking through the fires of life until you reach the other side.
You do that by giving over your family to the center of God’s heart and you keep yourself there…
We lost our way…my little family did…and, there are consequences because of that.
But, thankfully, gratefully, we have found the path back and healing comes with each morning…
Healing in our home where joy is taking up residence and where “love lives”…..
Blessings,
Lesa
