I put a wreath on the door today. It was just a simple thing. I didn’t even know if anyone would really notice. I loved the simplicity of the wreath with evergreens and pine cones and white lights. I added a shimmery purple ribbon and it reminded me of an advent wreath. All of my children would be coming home and under one roof for Thanksgiving, and from the time they walked through the door to the time they left, I wanted them to feel welcome.

I did the ‘mom’ things like baking and lighting candles and making sure we have enough clean towels. I made a few trips to the grocery store to check all the things off of the list. But more than anything…I rested. I prayed. I read my Bible. I sang. I even blogged! I cleaned but knew that if it didn’t all get done it wouldn’t be the end of the world. On this very busy day, I was even in my lavender robe until 11:15 in the morning! I think it’s been ten years since I’ve been in my robe that late in the day.

And now, at day’s end, I’m sitting here smiling. I’ve bear hugged my kids and welcomed them home. They’ve eaten and laughed and spent time hanging out with each other while I get some other things started in the kitchen. We’ve already burned a batch of cookies, and I’m working on the pumpkin pies. (Not burning them, baking them!) The turkey that has been “thawing” in the downstairs refrigerator for four days is still as frozen as all get out, so I’m guessing there will be a saga of the turkey this year. And almost all of the bacon that was cooked and ready for the breakfast casserole has already been eaten in B.L.T. sandwiches by some of my hungry sons. But all is well and I am thankful for this moment right here right now with the people who are with me in my home.

It’s one of those days that has been full of flaws, but I can look back on and just smile. Those ‘little things’ that I didn’t even know if they would be noticed? Three of my kids commented on the wreath. My daughter commented on the candles and my son said it felt like a breath of fresh air walking in to our home. Maybe the little things make a big difference. Sometimes making a little effort can make all the difference in the world. I’m learning to once again, make those efforts to really move toward my children who are really not children at all, but teens and twenties fast moving into their adult years.

Sometimes as a mom, I need to remember that they are here for a short time. My children are gifts and not a given. My relationship with them is a gift…not a given. It is something to be treasured, nurtured, and worked on. I’ll always be their mom, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will want to come home for the holidays or want to spend time seeking me out. I will never be on the pages of Better Homes and Gardens. I will never have my own recipes printed in a cook book. But as my children become adults, I want them to know that no matter where they go, or how old they are, there is always a place for them here in our home. And home is not the place, it’s the “who” loves them that is in the place. They belong. And if putting a wreath or lighting a candle or making BLTs with the bacon that’s meant for the breakfast casserole can help them to know that to their core, then so be it. Sometimes “what” has been done points to the “who” that loves them.

Oh, and here’s a side note. I’m a child too. We all are. The greatest gift in my life is knowing that “I belong”, and one day, I’ll be Home. I love that scripture says that God is preparing a place for those who love Him. I guess He’s the best Home-Maker of all. I can’t imagine the “Welcome Home” we as Believers will receive when we are finally Home. From what scripture says, no one can. But I have a feeling it will be more about the “Who” than the “What” that we’ll see. In fact, I know it will.

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—

1 Corinthians 2:9