by Sunny Daydreame on February 29, 2008
in Reviews
Yesterday, I read one of the most pleasant books that I have read in a long time. The Spirit of Loveliness: Bringing Beauty, Creativity, and Order to Your Life
by Emilie Barnes is inspiring and calming at the same time. The author encourages readers to create beauty without being condemning or judgemental.
Right now, our 3 room apartment (kitchen/livingroom, bedroom, and bathroom) is barely functional. When we moved in here, I had to give up beautiful for “just getting by.” Life here is no tea party, but it can be beautiful.
Even better, there are no “set rules” for beauty in Emilie Barnes book. Home is about sharing your life with others and creating a safe refuge from the world. For Emilie Barnes, that means tea cups and lace; for you it may mean pottery and mosaics. For me, its warm blankets, sunshine, my favorite book, and a pottery mug of something hot to drink.
For the most part, I get hung up on not living in my dream house with my dream life. The goal is to take bits and pieces of that dream and turn it into a reality, in my (your) own home. Today.
I have a notebook of ideas that I gleaned from reading this book. Check back next week to read about my inspiration from The Spirit of Loveliness.
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photos (in order of appearance) windy angels CC-BY-SA
This is what I’m dreaming of.
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
In this simple story of two sisters opening their home to Jesus, you can see 3 steps to being a great host or hostess:
1. Keep your house “company ready.”
Martha readily opened her home to Jesus and his disciples. While there may have been signs that the house was lived in, I bet that busy Martha was a good homemaker. My biggest barrier to opening my home to hospitality is “the house is dirty.” It’s not necessary to have a perfect home, but if you feel embarrassed by the mess, chances are you won’t invite anybody in.
2. Spend time with your company.
Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to the things he had to say. Have you ever been invited over for supper only to find that once you arrived, you are seated and the hostess rushes off to the kitchen to finish cooking her “perfect” seven course meal? It’s awkward to be in someone’s house without a host or hostess. If you can’t entertain in the kitchen, plan your meal so that it is all prepared before the guests arrive leaving you free to enjoy your friends.
3. Don’t let perfectionism be a source of tension.
Don’t strive for the perfect company meal–we’re not perfect, and we never will be this side of heaven. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s stop trying to present ourselves as perfect. Just open your heart and open your home. Invite someone into your life–as it really is, not as you would like for it to be. By accepting imperfection, the process of hosting will be much less stressful. If having company always leads to tension you will be much less likely to open your doors to friends and family.
All that hospitality really requires is making room in your life for another person. Listen. Welcome. Invite. Don’t try to make things more complicated than they need to be.
