Cultivating Home As Sanctuary

There is something about the words… coming home… that create the loveliest of images in my mind… a place of Sanctuary from the storms which batter from the outside world.

I truly believe our homes are a blank canvas in which each homemaker creates Art for those she loves.A home whose meals, and bookshelves, and colors, and garden, and art, and music, and traditions… all tell the story of the family that lives within.

If there is one feature I’ve noticed over the years that I have found in every home I consider warm and cozy… it is not a big house, or expensive furniture, or even peace and quiet.

What I have found in every such home is a woman who loves her family and puts thought into making her home a cozy, comfortable place… a Sanctuary.

My daughter and I both love decorating our own canvases… finding lovely vintage items in flea markets, thrift stores, and garage sales within our budget. We enjoy the hunt itself and the fun of finding hidden treasure. However, our homes look quite different as one walks through the front door. I prefer darker colors and English Country while her home is a light and airy Cottage Style.

Is one right and the other wrong? Oh, my no! I actually find it interesting that her home looks like her and reminds me of her outgoing sanguine personality while mine hints at the introvert I tend to be most of the time. Home should most reflect who we are… our Sanctuary.

For home is where you feel safe and loved. It is the place our children find their favorite pillows, and books, and pictures, and music, and the shampoo that does not sting their eyes. Home is where favorite meals are served and the table set with familiar dishes. The same table where prayers are said, school lessons learned, and values absorbed.

Isn’t there something wonderful that happens to our senses as we walk through the front door and the aromas of cooking are making their way from the kitchen? So many of my own memories of Mother took place in the kitchen… although my father was also an excellent cook.

Our homes are Sanctuary where a small child knows there will be hugs and Goodnight Moon as they are tucked in each night and the older children wait their turn for the next chapter of Anne of Green Gables or Robinson Crusoe.

Is home always a place of perfection? Not in this world! I have learned through the years that home does not have to be perfect to be good. In many lovely homes we know the food is simple, the furniture unmatched, the carpet shows the stains of spilled juice, a toddler is having a meltdown at nap time, and a mother needs forgiveness because she is cranky when life overwhelms her.

I often think of a home I visited as a newlywed which belonged to my husband’s friends and their parents. I remember walking into the home and meeting the mother as she worked alongside her children at a large old table, stitching the designs for which she was known.

For the mother was also a fiber artist whose beautiful liturgical wall hangings took one’s breath away. She shared her love for Christ and His Gospel through the works of her hands. Her home was inviting but if one looked around, far from magazine perfect.

There was the organized clutter in rooms which come with creativity, the background noise of a busy house, and well worn furniture to sit upon as we shared conversation. But all these years later it continues to be one of my favorite homes I have ever had the pleasure to enter because of the atmosphere within.

We cannot guarantee our children a life with no heartaches, bruises, or trouble.

However, as we live day to day and year to year, we can create a home which to them is a Sanctuary from the world. 

A place they know they will always be welcome, a place they will always find love, a place filled with mercy and grace, a place that is never perfect… but good.

Originally posted on Mom Heart.