Homekeeper's Journal ~ June 8, 2010

This is my definition of “Homekeeping” Managing effectively all the activities and necessities that make our home 'home'...meals, laundry, cleaning, organizing, fixing, finding, etc. are all an important part of keeping the home, but creating and maintaining a peaceful, loving, God-honoring atmosphere is just as important, if not most important. Now, if I could just manage to actually do that consistently...

My favorite place to practice the profession of homekeeping is...when I first read this one, I thought "Home, of course!" But my favorite place in our home to practice the profession of homekeeping is the kitchen, the heart of my home. I love to cook. I love to eat. I love the fragrances and textures of the meals I put together. I love a challenge, sometimes making dinner is on the order of Biblical Proportions - making something out of nothing. I love doing the best I can to feed my family healthy, nourishing foods. And I love spending time with my daughter, showing her how to bake, cook, and be a keeper at home.

I do/do not find joy in keeping my home and I think the reason is...I enjoy it because it is my calling, what I was created to do. It gives me deep satisfaction when my home is orderly, peaceful, and functioning smoothly. I don't enjoy it when there is chaos, disorder and disharmony...especially when I have to accept that it is my responsibility to establish peace, order and harmony in my home and I am not able to do it, either because I am slacking or procrastinating or being selfish about 'my' time and 'my' rights or because others in the home are less than cooperative.

At this point in my life, this is what I believe my children, husband and/or other family members think about our home….people tell me our home is cozy, homey, welcoming. Yet I tend to focus on the things that I didn't do and should have, the things I wish were different. I think my family recognizes that I do a better job of homekeeping than I ever have, although there is still lots of room for improvement.

The things I wish someone had told me about homekeeping when I was young...is that it takes a lot of planning and forethought to effectively manage a home. And when I'm the mom, it's my job...not my mother's. She is not going to come and clean my house for me!

The messages that I received about homemaking and being a wife/mother when growing up were...my mom worked all of my life. I didn't think much of it because that's just the way it was. But I suppose if I had consciously picked up on a message it would be that you do what you have to do. My parents divorced and my mom had to work, but even after my parents remarried each other, she still worked. God wasn't a big part of our lives, so I had no idea what God's ideal plan for wives and mothers was.

6 blessings that God has given me this week are...the book The Way Home, by Mary Pride, a change in my heart attitude toward my children and my role in the home, seeing my husband handle a difficult situation with one of his sons in a godly and effective manner, provision, precious time with my children, a repentant heart.

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