It has been almost two months since we moved into our house. That entire time has been spent trying to repair the damage the previous tenants did. We repainted every room in the house, ripped out carpet, repaired appliances, replaced light bulbs, removed 10 garbage cans full of leaves, dug out trees … phew, I’m tired.
We wanted to have a housewarming party so our friends and family could see our new home, and all the hard work we had done. I scheduled one, and then cancelled it. Our basement didn’t have flooring, we weren’t done with the upstairs bathroom, and I didn’t want people to see it until I felt like it was perfect.
I decided to have it anyway. Why? Because I have decided that I need to worry less about how nice my home is, and more about the people I choose to fill it with.[bctt tweet=”Because I have decided that I need to worry less about how nice my home is, and more about the people I choose to fill it with.”]
My family has faced a lot of adversity and hardship this year. Some of our best friends and family chose not to show up and support us. Some people, some of whom were virtual strangers, showed up in a big way.
Our house may not look like it was ripped from the pages of a magazine, but it has already been graced with the people who truly have our backs. That sounds like reason enough to celebrate to me.
I kept the menu simple – mini grilled cheese sandwiches, fruit salad, deep fried peanut butter and jelly wontons (that’s one of the recipes that happen when you are running on little sleep and adrenaline), fruit salad, bruschetta, brownies from the farmer’s market, and some chips.
We knew that having the party on Memorial Day weekend would eliminate some guests because they already had plans, which was fine with me because there isn’t a lot of parking in front of our house.
We had a great day. Our house is the perfect space for entertaining, and we plan to have people over more often. The invite list might look a little different next time. I won’t invite people that I feel obligated to, whether they invest in my life or not. Moving into this house, in many ways, represents a fresh start. A second chance. An opportunity to leave the negative behind and make intentional decisions about the future.
Instead of spending so much time choosing wallhangings and fixtures for my house, I am going to concentrate on the people and experiences that make it a home.
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