Home Sweet Home

I love my home. Not everyone can say that I guess, but the longer I am here the more I do love it. We have been here in this house for just over a year. It now feels like home to me. It is warm and inviting and loving. It is a place that nurtures my soul. In a book called "A Home for the Soul-a guide for dwelling with spirit and imagination" Anthony Lawlor says, "The needs of the soul are satisfied through the archetypal actions of human dwelling--cooking, eating, gathering with others, sleeping, dreaming, lovemaking, bathing, managing finances, and solitude." He also says that

"Some may access soul through prayers, rituals and scriptures of their faith, but they can also encounter soul in a flavorful stew, the caress of a lover, or the textures of a pine floor."

"A home for the soul has character and personality. It contains rich textures and colors that invite the hand and delight the eye."

"An expensive house or apartment is not required to care for the soul. Simple objects and furnishings can become touchstones of inspiration and meaning. A plain bookshelf, holding photographs of family and friends or a collection of personal mementos, creates a haven that nurtures the soul."

" Cleaning is the act of discerning what will benefit our homes and removing what will not."

"Cleaning requires that we slow down and spend more time being attentive to our surroundings, which is another technique for opening to spiritual experience."

"Cleaning blesses our homes with care, and mending readies our dwelling places for the soul's return home"

This is a great book to help you realize just how special you can make your home. I also checked out the voluminous "Martha Stewart's Home keeping Handbook" from the library. This book is about 800 pages and is full of everything you could ever want or not want to know about caring for your house. I admit that I am a Martha fan. Not cool maybe, but she has great ideas and presents them well. Let me tell you that this book will motivate you to clean those corners that you have let go. I was inspired by this book, even though it is a little more reading than I would normally give to this kind of work. It is meant as a reference book to come back to when something needs doing. Its worth looking at. But the $45 price is a little steep for purchase for me. Maybe this post will inspire someone to take a little time and pay attention to whether their home is a home for the soul.