A close friend of mine sent me an email this morning that I can't seem to get off of my mind. It's got me thinking. A lot. Just when I thought I was getting things together and I started getting comfortable in our routine and checking items off of my list daily...He shows me that there is always more to learn and more that can be done. He knows how to get to us at just the right time, doesn't He?
This email was about loving your family. Now, obviously...I love my husband and I love my kids. At least most of the time. wink! This email really got me thinking though. Am I just going through the motions? Does my husband realize how much I love him? Do my kids ever question my love for them? This is what our typical day looks like. Wake up, dress kids, feed kids, pack lunches for kids, send the kids off to school, Daddy goes to work, I do the "homemaker" stuff, kids come home, Daddy comes home, dinner, baths, prayers, put kids to bed, clean up the crazy amount of mess that the kids made in less than 3 hours, EXHAUSTED, bed! Am I putting to much importance on the "material" things that need to be done and not the things that really matter?
The email began "Love Makes A House A Home" - in capital letters across the top. At first, I thought - well, yea. Doesn't everyone know that already? Or do they (I)? It is two totally different things to know something and to actually put that something into practice. You know the saying "actions speak louder than words"? How true is that? I mean someone can tell me they love me all day long, but, if they don't act like they do then it is hard for me to believe it. This email had 11 "ideas" of ways to show your family that you love them - some of them I've thought of and just haven't actually done, some I have done, but didn't follow through or haven't done enough of and some of them have never even crossed my mind. I'm not going to share all 11 at one time....instead, I'm going to make my way through them slowly. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day. I plan to go through them one at a time...and I also plan to live them out as slowly as I am going through them here on my blog. I want to make sure that I am doing each "act" out of pure love and to the best of my ability. I want to give it my all. Isn't that the least I could do for 5 people that I love more than life itself? I am commanded by my Creator to love like He loves me - and I think the best way for me to "start" is to show my family, the one's I cherish most, how much I love them with my actions and not my words.
Act #1: I plan to show my family I love them by....Not raising my voice or having a sharp tongue. When I let those loud ugly words fly out of my mouth, I can't bring them back and stuff them down my throat again. So, I am going to make sure to choose my tone and words carefully. In the email it said, "You will find as the clutter leaves your home, the stressed out attitudes will be gone, too. Practice talking in a quiet voice, it is so hard to yell or say nasty things, when we are whispering." Hmmmm....good one, huh? I've never thought about it - we are a loud family...but, why can't we change that?
So, today I leave you with this question. Is your house a home? I'm going to be working diligently to make sure that my family knows that this house on Rice Drive is more than just a house...it's our home! <3
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