What Are You Saving It For?

Today I'm going to get on my soapbox.

Ever go to somebody's house and think, "Wow, this house is beautiful...but it certainly isn't very welcoming!"?? They have beautiful furniture, but cover it up with a sheet or quilt so it won't get dirty. There's hardly any light in the room, but they won't turn on a lamp. The dinner table looks nice, but the candles sit there unused, and instead of using dishes for a dinner party, the paper plates come out. The house you are visiting is large enough for a separate guest room, but the hostess jokes that she can't remember the last time anyone actually used it.

Ever think some of those things?
Would anyone in your family say the same about your own home?

ouch.

When you really think about it, does the truth hurt just a little?

Now, I'm not saying that using paper plates sometimes is bad, we all do it! But does there come a time when we just need to use, I mean REALLY USE, what we have?

What are we saving it for?!!

Are we so afraid to use our good china "in case" something gets broken? Are the flowers in your garden for looking and not for picking? Are the couple of dollars (or less) you spent on that candle so precious that you feel you can't burn it? Are you saving that perfume for a "special day"? Are those coveted white slipcovers too precious for your family to feel comfortable sitting on without another cover on top of the already slipcovered furniture?

What are you waiting for?

YOU are WORTH IT!
Your FAMILY and FRIENDS are worth it!

Why?

Because people are more important than "things".

And a lot of the time, Friends, in our own homes...
...we act as though the opposite were true.

So what if expensive dishes break? A newly painted wall gets splattered with food? A candle burns down till it's gone? Or, (the horror!) a white slipcover gets lived on & it shows?

It's just stuff.

It can all be fixed or cleaned or replaced. Even if it can't, didn't we buy these things to USE them? Aren't the relationships with the person who broke the item more important than the item itself?

If we keep waiting & waiting for that "Special Day" to come, think of all of the lovely times and experiences we would have missed by not blessing our loved ones with the use of these things in the meantime.

Think of the money wasted by having those items sitting unused and not being enjoyed.

You can't take these things with you when you leave this earth, so Why Wait?

Make EVERYDAY a SPECIAL DAY!!!


What Are You Saving It For?

Enjoy some flowers in your home!
Pick them from your garden, or buy them at the store!
YOU are WORTH IT!!!
Put that pretty vase to use!

Have a little accent lamp?
Turn it on!
Create a warm, welcoming glow that will lift your spirits!!
You bought it with every good intention of creating a cozy atmosphere...What are you waiting for?

Have a guest room or spare room that you never use?
Invite family or friends you haven't seen in a while over & bless them with your gifts of hospitality!
Volunteer to host a missionary from church at your home for dinner and a night or two of rest and relaxation while they are visiting the area.

If you are blessed with a room to spare, then please bless others by having them there!
:)

Got candles?
Light them up! Enjoy the pretty glow of the candlelight, or the soft scent wafting by!
Burn them every day until they are gone, then get a new one!

Use your china & silver at least once a month!
How about every Sunday for dinner?
Create a special tradition in your family that they will remember and pass down with their own families one day!
If things get broken, so what? Mixing & matching at the table is "in" now anyway! :)
Table linens get dirty? It's inevitable. Just wash!!

And, Oh, the white slipcovers!
If you have them, then enjoy them!

I've had them for several years, and yes, they have had children with runny noses and dusty shoes crawling and lounging on them. And yes, I've got a pet with dirty paws too. Food eaten on them...Yup!

They can be washed, and no, I don't have to wash them all of the time....hardly ever, actually.
Because I just don't care if a little mark is on them here or there.

We have white slipcovers because I love the beautiful overall look.... but more important than keeping them pristine white is having my kids and my friends know that they are welcome to sit and relax there anytime!!

(This was my old sunroom....I've got the couch in our new living room, and the chair with an ottoman in my craft room/office now!)

I guess my encouragement to you today from my little soapbox would be:

If you have it, use it and enjoy it! Because everyday can (and SHOULD!) be a "Special" day!
And you ARE worth it!

:)

{If you still can't bring yourself to really use the items in your home often, then I'd encourage you to give them to a young couple who would truly love and use those things.}

That's all.
Stepping down now.

Love you guys!