Lessons Learned

In my last post I told y'all that I had learned some very important lessons while serving jury duty and I thought I would share them with you. For a week and a half I was away from my home for an average of 13 hours a day. A lot of days I would leave before the sun was up and get home after it had set. Since I had a 50 mile drive round trip it gave me a lot of time to think about things ~ especially on my way home. As I would be driving home I cannot put into words how much I longed to be in my "home sweet home" and how the miles just couldn't seem to pass by fast enough. I realized that to me my home is my refuge, my nest, my safe haven. And, oh, how I missed being there! It has given me such an incredible awareness on just how important my job is as "keeper of my home." It has also greatly increased my respect, admiration, and appreciation for all that Mr. P does for his family. I only had to do it for seven days ~ he's been doing it for almost thirty years!

One of the most important things I came away from this was just how important family is. When you are "out in the world" and dealing with all of the daily struggles it is so nice to know that you have a loving family to come home to. What a pleasure and joy it is to see their smiling faces and get a great big hug and "welcome home" from them!

This has taught me the importance of always joyfully welcoming family home!

It is also so nice to come home to a house that has been cleaned and looks well cared for. When you enter it should have a neat appearance as well as feeling cozy and comfortable. In other words, it should feel like a well loved home!

This has taught me the importance of keeping a clean and tidy home!

As I would gaze around the room it was really the little things that caught my eye and brought a smile to my face. A candle here, an embroidered tablecloth there, some fresh fruit in the kitchen, a rose from the backyard garden in a pretty vase, a green plant on the window sill, some well loved and well read books in a pretty basket. These are all seemingly little things but when added all together make home such a happy and wonderful place to be.

This has taught me the importance of the "little touches" that I can add to my home!

As I was driving down the highway the closer I got to home the hungrier I seemed to get! How I longed for a delicious meal to be awaiting for me when I returned home. One that had been prepared with love and one that I could enjoy with my loved ones gathered around me.

This has taught me the importance of serving good and wholesome meals to my family. I was really convicted on this ~ so many times I would get lazy and just "throw" something together or not even want to cook at all. It's all too easy to heat up a frozen dinner but do I really want "easy" when it comes to my family? Ouch!

After being away all day I would come home exhausted. The thought of climbing into a clean and comfortable bed was certainly on my mind. Did I have fresh laundered sheets on the bed? Were there enough blankets for warmth? Has the mattress been turned lately? Does it not only feel comfy and cozy, but is it pleasing to the eye?

This has taught me the importance of paying close attention to my routine cleaning of sheets and other bedding. It has also taught me that I need to check items that might need replacing such as blankets, pillows, mattress pad, etc.. Scent is also so important~air drying bedding and also spritzing on lavender or some other delicate scent would make the bed even more inviting!

Each morning I had to decide what to wear for the day. How nice it is to be able to go to the closet and find something clean and freshly pressed. How nice it is to reach for pantyhose and find that they have no holes! How nice it is to go into my delicates drawer and find something pretty to wear (it's okay that we do this for ourselves, y'all) Finally, as I went to put on my shoes were they clean and polished?

This has taught me the importance of keeping up with the washing, drying and ironing. Also the importance of replacing items when they become too ratty to wear. I don't have to spend a ton of money on clothes, but I can always make sure that they are clean and pressed. Another thing I have learned is how wise it is to pick out your outfit the night before. It makes for a much less stressful morning!

As you can see, this jury experience has really been an "eye opener" for me. I truly believe that with each new experience you can always find something positive to take from it. That is why I wanted to share this with you. No matter what our age we can always learn and grow and I truly thank God that he provided this experience for me.

Much love,

Susan P.