Some day when my kids are older, I pray that they look back at our family memories and remember a home that was warm, cozy and safe. While physical safety is an obvious priority, I want them to be in a home that is emotionally safe. My hope is they grow up feeling that “there’s no place like home”. I want my kids to see a healthy marriage modeled and integrity lived out.
As a wife and a mom, I recognize my influence over our home and family life. We have all heard the saying “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!” And while I believe we are personally responsible for our own happiness, you cannot deny the influence and power a mother has over the atmosphere of her home. In this Pinterest culture that we live in, it is easy to get caught up in the aesthetics of our homes, how we decorate, what we cook. I enjoy decorating my home and cooking healthy meals (when I feel like it!). And those things contribute to a cozy home. But as a Marriage and Family Therapist, I know it goes much deeper than that.
You don’t need a big house or a fancy house to have a healthy home life. In fact, some of the happiest families I know live in small houses that are older. You won’t find them on the cover of Southern Living or on the pages of Magnolia Magazine. But you also won’t find them in family counseling processing through a divorce.
So how do we create healthy hearts and healthy homes? How do we cut down on the world’s influence and maximize our influence on the precious lives within our very own walls? How do we quiet the messages of social media and cultivate conversation around our own dinner tables and kitchen islands? How do we find a tribe that will champion our marriages and families? And what does healthy encompass? How can we live abundantly in this culture that never seems to be satisfied?
Well, I’m glad you asked. Grab your favorite beverage and your coziest blanket and make yourself at home here. Let’s have a conversation and cheer each other on as we build healthy hearts and homes. Let’s make our home our favorite place!
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