state of heart & home

"...the head and the heart have been forced to live in separate houses for a while.  Why not bring them together under one roof?"

Ilse Crawford, author of home is where the heart is

I am always on the lookout for "kindred spirits" who guide me along my path...they are always there... these amazing friends who share a timely insight or who direct me to a book, an event or another person.  It is as if life bring us to one another in this beautiful web of friendships.

Last week, I met such a kindred soul, Carroll, for coffee...and she shared a most amazing book...one that captures so much of my own personal feelings about home & living that I could have written it.  Ilse Crawford's home is where the heart is is a combination of beautiful imagery, powerful philosophy, and provocative challenges for the way we live.  

Our yearning for security in a very insecure world has brought our focus back to the timeless safety of home...yet home is so much more than a collection of what we have purchased.  We need "homes that resonate with our inner selves."   Though time is moving more quickly, "we have become wealthier but not happier.  Having can never replace being."  And despite all the high tech advances that have allowed us to be within a moments reach of anything, it is important to understand how we can "integrate these ideas and the heart into the 21st century home."

She talks about leaving space in your home for strong-willed playfulness, gathering for meals, for being close...making time to nourish your soul and those around you.  Making bread, touching the earth by planting, keeping your home simple enough that it doesn't add to your work load, using materials that are naturally in line with us, and making time to rest.  In a world with so many options, we need home to be our private retreat so we can be with our inner selves, to develop our ideas, and a place to share love and celebration.

Ilse summons us to re-evaluate our approach to home in a way that is sustainable, authentic and deeply connected to the people who dwell there.  It is the richness of our experiences that give us a life of joy.  This book calls us back to our center, to reclaim our humanness, and shows us how to find our way back home.  Much love to my new friend, Carroll, for sharing such a treasure!