Welcome!  Come on in!  Of course, you’re no trouble. So glad you could come.  It’s been too long.  No, you don’t have to take off your shoes.  Come on in!  Please!

Our house loves drop-ins.  You are always welcome here.  The front door with its beveled glass window that lets all kinds of light through invites you in.  The entranceway always smells like cooking or candles.  Like we were just waiting for you to ring the doorbell.  Your coat fits easily on the hall-tree; a hook is ready to receive it.

You can sit wherever you please.  There are comfy armchairs with ottomans for tired feet, deep worn couches perfect for naps, and soft carpet in front of the fireplace with pillows for those who prefer the floor.  With a flip of a switch, the room glows with firelight.

The kitchen is just beyond the living room.  Big and spacious with room to feed a whole crew of farm workers, and yet cozy enough for just two for tea.  There’s a crystal bowl of apples in the center of the wide table.  The coffee is fresh and strong, or you can have a cup of tea, if you prefer.  Somewhere the scent of cinnamon and vanilla tells you that someone in this house baked just for you… Conversation flows easily at this table as we sip and savor what’s before us.

When we retire to the living room, the front door bursts open with more to love.  Coats & boots off, and little curly-haired lads and lassies enter the room with all sorts of stories of the day’s adventures.  They tumble all over each other, trying to finish one story after another, but details are lost, as they become aware of company.  Then they pull themselves up and march over to say hello and to inquire about your health.  Well-trained, yes, but lovely in their own right…so fresh from Heaven, these little surprising ones.

Should you stay the evening, we will set dinner.  Not wanting to miss a moment of your visit, the slow-cooker tended the meal.  We will eat in candlelight.  There will be music…and laughter.

Then, the little ones and their parent (or two, whomever was able to come) will roll out of the house as noisily as they came in. Generous kisses and hugs mixed with the protests that they’re not tired.  There’s comfort for all that they’ll be back soon.

Should you stay the night, we will offer you your pick of bedrooms off the main rooms of the house.  There are rooms for young couples with large generous beds.  Simple rooms fitting the tastes of those young adults who come home for the night sometimes, just for fun.  Then there are fantastical rooms for the grandchildren…full of costumes, dolls and cars, books, and animal figurines.  All ages have a place here.  The older ones become young again in these rooms.

If the weather allows, we may breakfast on the porch.  The birds will keep you company and whatever we have will seem a feast when we take it outside.  The world opens up to us, on that porch, as the tree branches move lazily in the breeze, and we rock in the swing.  Time seems to stop…or slow down, for sure.

It’s time to leave?  Oh, look at the time!  How did that happen?  Well, you know your way here, and you always have a home here with us. Come back soon.  Our house…is your house.

What’s your house like? Or as you dream it to be?