Home is...Pictures on Walls

Hope you are comfy and have a little time on your hands because this is going to be a bit longer than usual.

No matter what art or trinkets one may collect, I think it is the photos that hang on the walls in our homes that make any house a home.

With as many times as I have moved in my life, it never really feels quite like "HOME" until after the nails are hammered into the studs {or NOT!} and the pictures are hung.

Our homes are a very real place. It is the place where trust is learned and where we have our first glimpse of how life is. It is in our homes where our families are nurtured and grown.

I am pretty sure every new mom has been offered their share of advice. There are times you love advice and there are times you just want to go home, tuck the baby into bed, tip-toe to your bedroom, gently!!!!cloooose the door, gather all the bed pillows AND the rocking chair pad, stack 'em all on top of each other, bury your face and SCREAM!

Well, not in this case. This was advice that was soothing to my ears and most welcome. "PUT THINGS IN FRONT OF YOUR CHILDREN'S EYES TO REMIND THEIR HEARTS THE MEANING OF WHATEVER IT IS YOU WANT TO TEACH THEM." Isn't that great advice?

Back to pictures. I am not talking about a Pottery Barn Catalog Ad with shelves and shelves of B.U.TIFUL pictures...with perfectly groomed children who have supposedly been playing at the beach ALL day long, model parents who look like they have spent the day at the spa, pictures of afternoon walks where the wild hair has been cropped and where yellowing teeth have been whitened...I am talking about Real Pictures of Real Events and Real memories. Old pictures that link us to our past and pictures of our babies when they were still babies. Pictures of our grandparents with their children. Pictures of family friends. Framed pictures of fun family vacations etc.

One of my favorite pictures in our home is framed in a black frame {my only one from Pottery Barn!} Inside each of the beveled windows is a black and white wedding picture. My in-laws on one end, Scott and I in the center and my parent's wedding picture on the other end.

We pass by the picture every day. So do our children.

It is a great example of putting things in front of our children's eyes {and ours for that sake!} to remind their hearts {and ours} of what commitment means. Commitment in this day and age is rare. When things get tough, it is so easy and tempting at times to quit and walk away.

{I am NOT suggesting that we are perfect and have everything figured out-and for those of you who know us-you KNOW!}

As a result of our parents commitment to one another and to keep their vows, we have been challenged to love each other despite our differences, despite broken dreams, despite lost hope, and despite fear of the unknown.

The wedding vows we took on different years, in different churches and in different cities were not only a commitment to our spouses, but most importantly to God.

We have always had a wedding picture hung where our children could see it, because not only is it comforting, but it is also good for them to see how we have changed in many ways. Our hair is different {THANK GOODNESS!}, styles have changed, we now have lines on our faces, and with time there is no arguing that we have AGED...but our JOY has not withered away {Joel 1:12}

When our children look at our wedding pictures along with those of their grandparents when they have their own families, I want their hearts to be reminded of what commitment means and how with God's grace and mercy...their joy will also abound.

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