Seven Days of Thanks: Day 5 - Our Home

As I write this, the one-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy has come and gone. As I watched the special news coverage, I was shocked to see that there are still people who are not yet back into their homes. Our home escaped major damage, and the homes in our neighborhood that sustained tree damage were quickly fixed. Life has returned to normal for us, and it was saddening to realize that this isn't the case everywhere...

Over this past year, the gratitude that I feel for our home has increased. Of course, we still have a home improvement wish list - things we'd like to upgrade/update when time and money permit. But I have come to appreciate our home as it is, warts and all, because it is ours. Do I want to replace the white tiles of our kitchen floor? Absolutely. But right now, those white tiles make it very easy to find and clean up the assorted messes made by the kiddos. Do I want to replace the pink toilet and the pink and peach bathtub in our upstairs bathroom? Of course. But right now, I can close our beautiful shower curtain to mask my not-so-favorite bathtub and, well, the pink toilet is Abby's favorite color. Do I want to do some major landscaping work on our front and back lawns? Sure. But right now, "that darn chipmunk," as we call him, is teaching me which plants he likes to eat and which plants he doesn't, and pushing me to be creative with the flowers that we have that are thriving.

I could sit around and bemoan all the things that are wrong with my house, or all the aspects of it that I don't like. Or, I can strive to make my home a welcoming, peaceful refuge for my family and our visitors. I can make my home as clean as possible (which, with two small kids and a seven-months pregnant belly, isn't always as clean as I'd like...). I can organize it to make it "user-friendly" and a little less stressful. I can create a pleasant atmosphere by lighting candles and decorating for the holidays and hanging up photos of and artwork by those messy, wonderful kiddos. But most importantly, I can make my house a pleasant place to be simply by my attitude. And over the past year, I've done my best to adopt an "attitude of gratitude." My house may not be perfect, but it is mine. It has seen our family grow over the past 5+ years. It has been there as we experienced joy-filled moments and heartbreaking moments. It has hosted visits from family and friends, near and far. It has been the backdrop for some of the greatest memories I hold with my husband and my children. And that is far more important than the color of the floor tiles or some dug-up flower bulbs.

He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.  -Johann von Goethe

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.  -Jane Austen