Sunday Sentiments: A Warm Home

 

            The temperatures dipped throughout the week and then plummeted this weekend. My social media feeds filled with cancellations of all kinds of events, and as the result of some of those cancellations, we ended up with blissful extra free time on our hands.

            Ryan brought home a pizza after work Friday night, and we settled down in the warm living room to read, watch TV, scrapbook (just me), and play with Lexi. I cuddled under my throw blanket and Lexi stretched out next to Ryan to take a nap. As I sat, it wasn’t lost to me that we have a warm and cozy home to keep us safe from these bitterly cold temperatures outside. We have the luxury of hot coffee, running water, and soft lights shining into the night, and I don’t ever want to stop being grateful for those privileges.

            Ryan surprised me with a little Narnia-like lamp I’d found and loved – but walked away from as I was shopping. In the middle of a cozy Friday night, I stood up to warm up my coffee and found it standing on the Hoosier cabinet, shining in the dark corner. It was more than just a literal gift – it was love and warmth on a cold January weekend.

            We ended the night by setting up the air mattress to have a slumber party in the living room. It was such fun to camp in while the winds howled outside the house. Braeya joined us for most of the night. We slept in late, brewed a fresh pot of coffee, and enjoyed a beautiful, welcome day of rest. The last couple of weeks have been so, so busy, and we were not upset to have a day of zero obligations and all the rest we could stuff into a 24-hour period.

            I completed an entire scrapbook, caught up on some travel videos, studied my Bible, did a little writing, and made our dinner. Ryan caught up on his own things, and we enjoyed each other’s company from the same couch the entire day.

            We pulled open the doors to the bathroom vanity cabinets to make sure pipes had enough warm air. We kept Lexi inside and safe from the freezing temps. And throughout it all, I remained so grateful for the blessing of a warm home.

            Probably for most of us – maybe even all of us reading here – staying warm hasn’t been a big worry throughout our lives. We’ve probably lived in such a way that we always knew we had a warm place to go, and even if power went out, there were other ways to keep warm until it came back on. But there are many who don’t have that promise, and I don’t want to lose sight of that.

            Today is another cold day outside, but it will be warm in our home – and warm in our hearts. I hope it’s true for you too, friend.