I’m inspired today by another 30DoT blogger, Merri Taylor to give thanks for my house. In her blog Merri writes that she 
complains too much about her home, and I have to admit that I’m guilty of the same. My main problem with my house is that it’s little. I mean 1200 sq feet little, but with a mortgage and property taxes that would pay for a mini-mansion in another state.
But in all actuality, it’s a lovely house in a great family-friendly neighborhood that we’ve put a lot of money and elbow grease into in the thirteen years that we’ve lived here. It’s small, but cute. We just put on new dark green, board and batten shutters last weekend, and they’re darling; the perfect final touch to all of the sweat equity me, my husband and two sons put into landscaping in the front yard the last two summers.
But of course, as Merri points out in her blog, the real blessing is that we have a place to call home. God has blessed us with a roof over our heads, warm beds, a functional kitchen, running water, clean bathrooms (and E would be upset if I didn’t mention video games!) There are plenty of people who don’t have these things. And plenty more who aren’t homeless, but nevertheless would love to own my house, regardless of how tiny it is.
I’m reminded of an incident a few years ago that made me stop and appreciate my house: About once a year, I hire a housekeeper to come in and help me get my house “visit-from-my-out-of-state-mom” clean. I don’t have anyone in particular that I hire; I just Google House Cleaning and start dialing. On this particular year the company I hired sent a lovely young Mexican woman. She was pleasant to talk to while we cleaned together, and I learned that she and her husband had two very young children and worked opposite hours so they could care for them. I don’t know where she lived, but I do know that they did not have their own home; they lived with relatives.
More than once while she was here she said “your house is so pretty” with a longing that made me feel guilty for complaining so much about it, and grateful that I had it. She was young, and my hope for her is that she and her husband are now, or soon will be, settled in a lovely home of their own that she has made pretty for them. But if she hasn’t, and if I’m ever financially independent and don’t need this house anymore (hey, it could happen!) I will hire a PI to track her down so I can give it to her.
In the meantime, I’m grateful to have a pretty little house to call home.
