shelter

this one might get a little wordy

so~

congratulations Kristin from Twinkle Life

once you hand over your secret family recipe for lobster ravioli (oh my)

i'll gladly get you connected with the CSN rep for your Caphalon dish

& congratulations!

I've tried to spend the last several weeks,

while enjoying the comforts of my new comfy sofa & chairs

( i know, enough already with the new furniture)

mulling over my word for 2010

the theme, if you will of my focus

i've had several words keep surfacing

& this morning feel like it sorta came together for me

each of the words that my heart keeps going back to

are all related to my home

the shelter i provide for my family

Webster's defines shelter as

1. a refuge from the elements
2. the protection from a storm
3. a shield
4. a place under a covering
5. to take under one's protection

most of us in this niche of blogging all share a kindred spirit
when it comes to our homes

we love the inspiration of others as we decorate
to slip cover or reupholster?
chippy paint or a natural finish?
cottage or contemporary?
organized clutter or decided minimalism?
grey paint or a chalkboard wall?

we copy & paste each others scrumptious recipes
with the desire to cook a healthy wonderful meal for our loved ones
we each try to balance the demands of our schedule with the desires of hearts
we hug,wipe away tears, pick up dirty underwear, & send little ones off to conquer their world

all done from our shelters



i'll be the first to admit

its much easier for me to straighten the pillows on my sofa
than to straighten up my grumbly spirit
its easier to keep a sparkling clean kitchen than clean up a critical mouth

there are days when i pour more words of encouragement
into the comments i leave for a fellow blogger
than into the hearts of my own children
ouch....

having a house full of teenage girls has felt like a crash course in parenting
all over again
~ the players have changed their offense
~ i have much less time to figure out my own next move
~ the teens in our home outnumber the adults
~ & i've discovered, this teen"age" is maybe not their best age. they might just be a little harder to love than when they were at the proverbial cute age of 5

regardless~

within the shelter of my home, grace needs to be dished out on days when its a struggle for me and the last thing that comes naturally


the shelter of my home needs to be full of
mercy when they fail
& not acting surprised
because they will

encouragement to empower them to be the successful joyful children i have set out to raise & the empowerment to do just that

the shelter of my home needs to fall within the matrix of the intentional
i have a choice to react or better yet , to respond
i will be intentional with my words
& my time spent with them individually
& not just "quality" time, but truly in "quantity"

2010
will probably be the last full year that all 6 of us
live under the same roof

i want to live it right
i want to look back & be able to say i had a focus
i had a goal
my shelter might not be the 100 year old farmhouse that i'd love to own
but it darn well better be a place of refuge for the 5 people i love most in this world
looks like i best pull on my wellies & get some serious shelter cleaning done



He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways

from psalm 91