A Welcoming Home

Last night as I was putting Vivian to bed, I heard the doorbell ring.  I did not think much about it because we typically have a constant flow of neighborhood kids in and out of our house.

When I went downstairs about 10 minutes later I found one of Davis's friends (we will call him C.), sitting on the couch with tears running down his face.  Davis was sitting nearby, and Keith had pulled up a chair and was talking to C.  It turns out that C's dog was put to sleep that afternoon and C was absolutely heartbroken.  Keith was asking C about his favorite memories of the dog and encouraging C to remember all those special times.  Davis did not say much, but it was evident that he cared for his friend as he sat and listened sympathetically.  After watching for a few moments, I couldn't help but to swoop in a hug that ten year old boy (and I realize that a lot of ten year old boys don't want to be hugged all the time).  We allowed the boys to spend some time playing Wii together and decided to ignore our usual strict 8:00 pm bedtime.

Although my heart ached for C, I was also pleased that he felt comfortable enough to come to our house when he was going through a hard time.  I want my home to be welcoming.  I realize that it is not the biggest home, or the neatest, or the best decorated, but one of goals is to make sure that anyone who comes to the door is always welcomed with open arms. 

I want to have a home filled with love.  Filled with laughter.  Filled with the love of God.  I want my children to feel happy, safe and content in our home.  I also want our friends, and our children's friends, to always feel that they can call or stop by no matter the time of day or the circumstances involved. 

Thank you God for our home.  Please help us to use it serve You and to serve others.