The "Pitfalls" of the "Comfort Zone"

Why is it that we go to great lengths for friends, acquaintances and complete strangers....... while we tend to do the bare minimum for the ones that matter most to us: our family!?!

We have a foreign exchange student arriving tomorrow..... a boy from Paris, my oldest son's age. So, what have I been doing the past week or so? Hmmmm let me count the things: major decluttering, major deep cleaning, rearranging furniture, decorating to make things more cozy, some basic home repairs that have been put off, yard work, re-painting of rooms that have needed it for so long....... and the list goes on.

It occured to me, as I was making my home this newly decorated, cozy little haven - that it took a "complete stranger" (not really "complete", as we've been corresponding for months now), coming to our house to motivate me to attend to the little things that I kept putting off! Why don't I do this for my own family?

Yes, I keep a fairly well managed, tidy home - and yes, there is yummy-smelling homemade food routinely being prepared in my kitchen...... but I certainly don't go to the lengths I have gone to recently. I am really convicted! I want to put this much effort, love, and care into the home I make for the ones I love the most!

So - I'm off to finish up sewing those pretty new kitchen curtains, with a renewed zeal not to take for granted my dear family that lives here.

Shauna