Delighting in the Home
In my recent article on practical advice for raising the next set of homemakers, I listed the first step as delight.
HearthKeepers, homemakers, tenders, do you ever just delight in your home? In your work in the home? Do you ever get bowled over by the pure sense of just how privileged you are to be a homemaker? Do you ever stop and just take a moment to be thankful you get to tend a home? Do you smile at the work before you because you are so blessed to get to do it?
I’m sure many of you feel this sense of “get to” with your children. You get to be their mother. You must be the luckiest woman on earth. I feel that way being an aunt. I can only imagine it’s a million times stronger as a parent. We feel this way as wives. I get to be his wife. This feeling is a bit harder to hold onto as sinners, but at one time you felt that privilege, and we should all be cultivating that sense of delight and comfy joy.
But, do you feel it as a homemaker? Do you ever get out of bed or maybe before you go to bed, and sigh happily because this is yours? Today, instead of clocking into a job I don’t like after fighting traffic, I get to do dishes and watch nature out my window. I get to water plants, wash favorite t-shirts, and craft delicious food. I get to, I get to, I get to.
Side Note: I’m not suggesting we slip into discontentment if we’re at a phase of life where we work outside the home, but this is a homemaker group/blog, so we’re going to delight in the home. ☺
I’ve spent many years quickly up, bye to home, off to work, and home to bed. I’m struck sometimes with sheer awe that God has put me in such a place as to not have to do that anymore. I get up and I stay home and I’m just so happy. Yes, I have a tremendous amount of stuff to do and there’s always more to do than I will ever get done, but I get to do it. I get to manage my home.
I get to be here for the long haul, not just the weekend. I get to pour myself out without frantic adrenaline, dog-eat-dog, stay relevant, exhausting passion. I get to pour slowly, learn, test, and take my time as an eternal being, not a one-shot life. (Theology is so important.)
I have flowers I get to look at!
Ladies, please, please, please retrain your hearts and minds to have this “get to” mentality. Try to find even 30 seconds to be thankful you get to be a homemaker. Look at YOUR home, YOUR work, YOUR life, and laugh for joy that it is yours.
If you are struggling, and who isn’t, with your work, you’re dim and going out, only complaints slip off your lips and laughter isn’t happening, may I make a suggestion?
Get Help!
Find a book, podcast, or blog about homemaking and make it a daily ritual to soak in inspiration. This may sound a bit weird, but I read one of my blog posts almost every day. I write them to inspire all of us, so I read them to inspire myself. I follow other homemakers on social media, look at pictures of pretty or funky kitchens, and read books about home. I fill my mind with delighting in the home. I actively avoid memes or such that complain about home. Guard and garden your heart. Listen to your internal dialog and your conversations.
Are you trying to do this work alone without a sisterhood? Stop! Read solid, cheering articles, listen to levelheaded podcasts, and read books that remind you of good things, not that encourage complaining.
We aren’t dour housewives. We’re not bored trophy wives. We’re the backbone of our families, sleeves rolled up, hair tied back, going to work with water, food, flowers, grit, and grace to make our homes.
Delight in your work!
Suggestions:
Obviously, in the Educational Section of the blog there are lots of book reviews and such. Many libraries have a section on homemaking. It may not be labeled that, but you can find it. [Dewey Decimals 640-649] Get some good books for both beauty and practical management help.
I’m still exploring YouTube for homemaking and haven’t found anything I love enough to watch regularly, but I know there are homemaking YouTubers out there. Shaye Elliot has a good reputation, and is also on Instagram.
Pinterest is a great place just to find inspiration. Create and curate some boards of things you’d like to do, things that catch your eye, and articles to read about the home. Take care because sometimes you can find yourself quickly in the world of complaining about our work. Try to avoid those corners of the internet.
Instagram has a pretty solid homemaking world. Just make sure you remember to guard against discontentment and unrealistic realities. The best starting place is We Are the Homemakers.
Two podcasts I enjoy are Simply Convivial and The Homemaker’s Club.
Go old school with magazines like Bella Grace and even Better Homes and Gardens.
Feed your mind. Use Discernment always.
