Perfect…

I’ve always dreamed of having a perfect home. A Better Homes and Gardens home. Perfectly decorated. Perfectly organized. Everything in its place. Ready to welcome guests at any moment. Perfect. A home just like… (fill in the blank). 

Well a dream it is. My home is as far from perfect as it could possibly be. I do have a few spots of decore that I like. My ‘plates’ are perfectly organized in my very full cupboards. I guess you could say that ‘everything is in its place’… the definition of ‘everything’ is the key here! And of course my home is ready to welcome guests… it’s just me that gets in the way. I’m not ready because of what people might think. 

I have family and friends with ‘beautiful’ homes. Homes like I have dreamed of… new, beautiful, neat, clean, tidy and everything in its place. When they speak of their homes being dirty or messy I’m always taken aback. Wow… if this is messy then you don’t ever want to set foot in my house. I’ve told many…  “if you ever came into my house you’d never look at me the same way again.” I worry about judgement. 

As I stood in the yard this morning watering the dying grass due to sprinkler issues, I was sweetly reminded that everything is perfect. Perfect in His eyes. I have a home… 102 years old to be exact. From the outside it is beautiful. Inside… well it’s out-dated, lived in, full, and very loved. I have a fabulously imperfect patio and yard that have logged so many hours of family fun. I have a small little garden surrounded by years of fallen tree limbs neatly stacked, that I love to spend time in. In fact I’m writing this in my garden. 

I have so much, yet my measure of what I have is often up against others and what they have. I grew up always wanting to be someone else… for my friends always seemed to have it better than I did. That has stayed with me as an adult. 

If only… 

If only my house were not full of “stuff” and more up-dated then I’d be…. 

What? 

Happier? More content? Calmer? 

I don’t know… maybe. 

What I do know is that in this moment I’m more blessed and lucky than I ever deserve to be! 

My very imperfect, full of stuff (not fancy stuff mind you~ just stuff!) house is full of love and acceptance. My children and their children come and hang out, both inside and out. I would welcome anyone through my door that needed a place to sit and be heard and loved… and feel safe. 

As my summer is about to officially begin in 4 days, I’m faced with a very long list of things that need to be done and should be done. My challenge now is to take each day as it unfolds and keep working to create a space that is comfortable for me and those in my life that need a place to land. 

There is much to be done but is certainly does not define me or my family. 

Will it be perfect? Probably not, bu I guess that depends on your definition of perfect.