What Makes Our Home a Haven?

I love the Merriam-Webster definition of “haven”. For us, it means all these things and more:

Merriam-Webster Full Definition of haven

• 1
:  harbor, port
• 2
:  a place of safety :  refuge
• 3
:  a place offering favorable opportunities or conditions <a  haven for artists>

Michael Hyatt says, “People lose their way when they lose their ‘Why’”. This is one of my all-time favorite quotes. As I endeavor to launch into the hard work of making our house more of a haven, the place I need to start is defining my “why” for this project. The resident experts (literally) are me and my family members. So we had a family discussion around the questions: “What would make our home a nicer place to live in? What makes us look forward to coming home?”

We came up with the following:

Ellianna:

(The punctuation reflects the enthusiasm behind her statements):

• Play some games!
• Make a gingerbread house!
• Play soccer!
• Make art together!

Weston:

(We didn’t ask him, but pretty sure his answer would be):

A place where I have lots of places to crawl and interesting things to look at without getting any owies. Lots of access to the cat food bowl (:P )

Mine and Andy’s:

To have our house be:

• A place where we live well, laugh often and love much (like my sign from Hobby Lobby says!)
• A place of safety, peace, of patience and kindness, where our actions and relationships are honoring to each other and God.
• A space we can welcome others into, with or without notice. A place where we can entertain and practice hospitality.
• A launching pad where we can feel free to pursue hobbies, projects and day trips on weekends, with basic chores and clean-up complete and in control.
• A usable space with clear areas in which we can work and play (e.g., a designated play area for Weston to crawl in, an uncluttered kitchen to work in)
• A place where we can relax and interact with the kids without feeling like we’re sitting in the middle of a mess and have an overwhelming amount of tasks to be done.
• A place that feels and smells clean and fresh
• A place that is maintained using a system in which the whole family participates and helps.
• An organized space where items can be easily found.
• A place where we nourish ourselves with home cooked meals of whole foods.
• A place where there is beauty in our spaces.

These goals, and above all our family whom they will serve, is my “why.” It’s why I will work to create routines that keep our house tidy, why I will work to organize, declutter, be healthier, pray harder and more often, and grow in patience, and at the same time, take life a little less seriously and have more fun.

Have you ever thought about your goals for your home? This is the first time I’ve written it all out and found to be a challenging and fun exercise. Please let me know if you do the same – I’d love to hear your thoughts!