Housing Matters

Everyone needs a good, sturdy, lovely home.

Even dolls and fairies.

This week, we’ve had doll house lovers and fairy-house builders visiting. Doll houses have been decorated and re-decorated,  and the big back-yard trees have provided lovely building sites. There is plenty of building material: sycamore bark, leaves, acorns, tiny branches fallen in the last storm . . . fairy comfort was well considered in the furnishings and arrangement of rooms.

I think any house-hunting dolls or fairies will be pleased with our efforts.

It’s got me thinking, though, about what it takes to make a home.

A sturdy, comfortable building is important, of course, and I’m particularly partial to a space with big windows and lots of light. I like spacious rooms, high ceilings, and generous closets.

But it takes more than pretty, comfortable space to make a home. It takes laughter, music, good company, and enough of life’s necessities . . . and those things require a bit of purposeful thought. We need to be intentional about creating family, about making space for friends, for hospitality of the heart.

We learn that from experience, from seeing the people who care for us making room in their lives for us, and maybe we begin to learn to do it ourselves, when we make a home . . . for dolls and for fairies.

Rainy Days and Mondays . . .

One of the 5-year olds is staying with us this week-end while his parents are away. This morning we woke up to grey skies, and sure enough, by breakfast time it was raining.

What to do on a rainy Monday? Laundry awaited, but first we had to make provision for a very energetic boy; no outdoor romp for us – at least not for a few hours.

TinkerToys? Blocks? Or perhaps the barn and tractors? 

Why not all of them? And a bear or two to help out?

Don’t forget the cars and trucks, and maybe a few Legos. And trains – we need the trains.

It’s fun to see a child entertain himself, with a little help from some friends.