I love making my home a heaven on earth.
And I love everything Sarah says today about the Victorian era.
She has a lot of experience with Victorian women,
she wrote a book on them before she wrote this.
Start Quote
During the nineteenth century
the home was viewed as 'heaven on earth,'
a hallowed haven in an uncertain world.
When man, woman, or child crossed the threshold
they were safe,
'not only from injury', wrote John Ruskin,
'but from all terror, doubt and division.'
...
Victorian women may not have had the vote
or the trappings of power
(including personal disposable income and independence)
but they were the moral, spiritual, and physical center of the home,
responsible for creating a welcome retreat of
beauty, comfort, and contentment
that would protect, nurture, and sustain those they loved.
To achieve this,
ordinary middle-class women
elevated the pursuit of domestic bliss
to an extraordinary art form...
Women approached the domestic arts
-cooking, decorating, gardening, handicrafts, and entertaining-
not as burdens
but as a form of personal expression
and as a means of persuasion.
Traditions that celebrated the joys of home and family life
acted as the mystical mortar
that held bodies and souls together in a tumultuous society
that was changing at the speed of light.
...
Begin believing
that the time, energy, and emotion
you invest daily in the soul craft of home caring
-carving out a haven
for yourself and those dear to you-
is a sacred endeavor.
Life holds no more guarantees for us
than it did for our Victorian foremothers.
Yet they faced the future with full hearts,
determined to create a lasting work of art:
a happy, secure, and beautiful retreat of love and laughter.
We can, too.
End Quote
Now there is a lot about the nineteenth century
that I would not want to go through...
But of all the things I want my kids to know and remember,
one of them is that they have a heaven on earth to come home to.
I couldn't really find a lot,
but here are some great reads I found on lds.org.
Anyone got anything about making your home a heaven on earth?
***
Gratitude Journal
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1) Friends that are within walking distance.
2) The kids were excited for swim lessons.
3) Water on warm days to cool off.
4) Watching my piano students progress. It's so cool to watch the progression from sight-reading a piece to really playing it.
5) Tired babies who are pooped from a long and fun day, ready for bed at 7.
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