After a long work week, the last thing on your mind is hosting a gathering in your home.

At least it is for me.

For many of us downtime is a delicacy much like fine wine or chocolate. Just recently I’ve become accustomed to my children’s independence which gives me time to take a nap in the middle of the afternoon or catch up on a new TV series.

However, it wasn’t until the redesign of our client’s basement that I began to explore the idea of opening my own home more often to family and friends. Just this past weekend, our client sent me candid photos of a book club meeting held in the rooms we recently completed. I didn’t know the people in the photographs, but instead my mind wandered off to people in my own social circles.

• Many of us live in the the same city, but don’t make time to see each other due to busy schedules, etc.
• We aren’t as connected as we used to be. How much of an emotional connection do we truly receive from sporadic text messages?
• We don’t have to be single to be alone. Some of our closest friends and family could be struggling with depression or loneliness and we not know it.

By not staying connected, we miss out on opportunities for personal, spiritual, and emotional growth. Things that tend to happen organically when we get together with people we care about.

Though our client’s intent in sending the photos was to give us kudos for a job well done. However, it left me with something much more meaningful—a challenge to love and gather more in my own home.

opening photo credit: Bellamy Blue Photography