Where your heart is, home will follow
What homemaking means to me (II.)
If you're in your early parenthood era, with one or more kids attached to you—maybe literally clinging to your leg while you're standing with your pants pulled down, or crying at your feet while you're just trying to pee in peace—you might be holding onto the dream that you'll finally rest when you retire. Well... I hate to break it to you, but I’ve got some bad news.
Story time…
One recent Saturday, my Mom and Dad came over to visit our little treasure, our daughter—who is now speaking in full sentences and lighting up the room with her ever-expanding world. After a joyful Saturday, my mom spent her Sunday morning doing chores, then visited her aging mother. She helped clean up, kept her company, and soothed her loneliness with conversation.
She left there thinking she’d soon be hugging her grandson, who would excitedly tell her all about his busy week. But instead, she walked into a different scene: her other precious child (me!) was bedridden with a nasty virus, barely able to move. My husband stood guard at the bedroom door, trying to protect me—and our two-year-old—from each other in the name of public health.
His “shift,” however, was about to start upstairs at the laptop, so we needed a new guard. And a nurse. And a chef. And a playmate. And basically an entire support team rolled into one.
And my mom showed up. Completely. As she always does.
It wasn’t the first time she jumped from watching one grandchild straight into emergency mode with another. All while looking after her own elderly mother and checking in on her self-sufficient-but-not-exactly-a-chef husband (who, even after 30+ years of marriage, still deserves sunggles and conversation).
The Soul of a Home
I once wrote about how making a home isn’t just about laundry and dishes, or Pinterest-perfect throw pillows. It happens on a deeper, emotional level too. And what my mom did that weekend proves it perfectly. She stepped into a space that’s not exactly hers—but not totally foreign either—and gave my daughter the love, safety, and care she needed to feel at home.
Sure, my little girl missed her mama (I think? I hope? Let’s assume yes). But her world didn’t fall apart. Why? Because her grandmother provided the emotional foundation. The physical space stayed the same—but the soul of the home stayed intact too, thanks to her.
The Hidden Power of Women
As women, we carry this incredible ability to make any place feel like home—no matter the physical surroundings. When our children are small, we are home to them. As they grow—or even if we don’t have children—we build home from who we are. From our calm, our joy, our balance, and our presence.
And let me be honest: that’s no small feat. In fact, it’s often harder than keeping the floors clean or the laundry folded. Life throws stress, disappointment, and negativity our way daily. It takes serious resilience to keep a positive, peaceful atmosphere alive within us—and around us.
Which is why self-care is not a luxury. It’s not selfish. It’s essential.
It matters more than the dirty dishes or the dusty bookshelf.
No one will remember a slightly messy living room.
But a tense, heavy, can-cut-the-air-with-a-knife kind of vibe?
Everyone feels that—even the nosy neighbor just stopping by to borrow salt.
Especially the little ones.
They feel it the fastest, with their invisible, highly sensitive radars.
So let’s take care of ourselves.
Let’s protect our peace, our joy, our balance.
Because mental health isn’t just a part of being healthy—it’s the foundation of it.
And it’s the most important building block if we want to create a home that truly nurtures the people living in it.
Sending love.