friday favorites - home

I grew up in a valley, surrounded by thickly wooded forests and meandering streams. My parents built our house out of logs they cut down from our forest - kind of like modern-day pioneers. My daddy can build anything, fix anything. He is strong and smart and full of adventure – my hero. Because of him, I always knew what it felt like to be cherished.

We raised chickens, turkeys, ducks, pigs, goats, and cows. We spent hours petting, feeding, and playing with our livestock. And then we ate them. (This was before we became vegan.)

We had huge gardens full of vegetables and sprawling orchards of fruit. We planted fields of flowers in the springtime. We picked wild berries in the summertime and gathered nuts in the autumn. My mom cooked and baked and canned. She cuddled and loved and read us beautiful stories. She taught us to knit, quilt, make our own clothes, and to love the simple things in life. Gentle and sweet, unwavering and so, so good. Because of her, I learned what makes a woman truly beautiful, inside and out.

My two sisters and I grew up without television. Instead, we ruled the forests together as fairy princesses, with kittens and chicks as subjects, flowers in our hair, and eyes sparkling bright with imagination. We knew every tree, every flower. Hours were spent playing, (often completely naked), in the stream by our house. We tripped down hills, jumped off cliffs, raced through prickles, and climbed tall, tall trees. Because of my darling sisters, I have never known a moment without friends.

Daddy, Mom, and three little girlies made five.

And now, the three little girlies are all grown up. Two happily married with homes of their own, and one a globe-trotting missionary. (I'm the happiest of the happily married, btw.) But no matter where life takes us, I believe our hearts will always call our house in the valley home. No matter where we go, the love and character our parents patiently passed down to their three girlies remains.

And home is still one of my very favorite places to be. Only now, Daddy, Mom, three girlies, and two handsome husbands make seven.

And, with a house full of seven, all  my very favorites are in one happy place.