In British English, the word homely means “simple but cozy and comfortable, as in one’s own home”. This has always been my aim in the homes that I have cultivated and cared for. A place where you can relax, be yourself, find ease and rest. The homes that I have visited and loved best are the ones that feel like refuge.
In the Collins Dictionary it says, “if you describe a room or house as homely, you like it because you feel comfortable and relaxed there”. I hope this little newsletter will be one that feels homely…its words offering comfort, relaxation, and lightness. I hope to offer you homeliness, even if virtually; a small bit of internet hospitality to cheer you in these lingering pandemic days, the final push of winter, the quietness that comes with a Lenten season upon us.
The world has felt harsh and cold for many a months now. The more I feel the outside pain and worry and suffering, even the recent deluge of winter storms, the more I know I need to shore up the environment of my home to be life-giving, healing, and restorative. I have come to crave the concept of home now more than ever, and feel its grounding importance in a culture that feels fractured, unmoored, and upended. The rhythms of home life offer us some predictability, health, focus, and steadiness. Home is an anchor, a visual metaphor for who God is, and what we can receive in Him.
How am I bringing comfort into my home today? I tidied up some clutter on my dining room and sunroom surfaces; this offers visual rest. I am putting some fresh sheets on my bed which is a gift to my 10pm peri-menopausal self. I have experienced many unlovely night-sweats recently, and so I think I will be changing my sheets more often. I am refolding some of the cozy throws that are in my den, plumping some pillows. Re-fluffing is an invitation to my family to settle in again.
We will be having leftovers for dinner. Last week I made a Crockpot Indian Butter Chicken, and it’s a lovely meal for cold evenings. I will reheat that and use the last of the vegetables in the fridge bins, and a bagged salad that I hope is still good. Tomorrow morning I procure my Walmart pick-up order so I try to clean out the refrigerator the day before as much as I can.
Currently we use our evenings for some TV shows and I am reading the children the Narnia series. I read it to my four oldest children when they were younger, and now we are revisiting it with my youngest two. We are trying to keep it simple and read one book in the series per month. We read The Magician’s Nephew in January, and we are halfway through with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe now. We have all enjoyed watching WandaVision episodes every week (my boys are all Marvel fans), James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small (family favorite for all of us!), and some of us also watched Miss Scarlet and the Duke which is a PBS Masterpiece Mystery. I love cozy winter evenings spent with bowls of popcorn, enjoyable programming, and books that delight and inspire. This to me is the beauty of the darkness of January and February, all of us tucked in together, finding some rest, connection, and peace.
I look forward to sharing with you these rambly thoughts on life at home through this season of Lent, and see where it takes us. I wish you comfort + cheer, a deep sense of God’s care for you, friends to walk with, and a table filled with good things.
Much love,
Aimee