Oh, friends. Did it snow where you are? Are you seeing tangible, obvious, beautiful, natural signs of life slowing down? I love that when it snows we have to drive slower. We can’t be in a rush. And, honestly, just the idea of a snow day where we have to stay inside and do nothing but light a fire and read a book excites me.

I love approaching the holiday season oblivious to the crazy around me. I think I have 2 non negotiable things on my calendar for December. Everything else so far can be discussed. I’ll end up doing more, for sure, but I’m stubborn and no one can make me do anything. Especially if it’s not good for my family.

We’ve been talking about slowing down and making our home a refuge for 17 days now! We’ve looked at ways to slow down and appreciate things more. Ways to meditate, to notice our surroundings, to BE PRESENT. To be still. To be. We also dabbled in making our home a refuge. A haven. A place where we want to be. A shelter from this hard world. A refuge for ourselves, our families, and others. Let’s keep digging into this.

This week we’ve been working on our mornings. Acknowledging that our mornings set the tone for the entire day. This is where we decide when to be still and have some quiet time (because it doesn’t have to be in the morning) and how to encourage peace in our homes. We might use our mornings to plan the rest of the day or to have sweet conversations with those closest to us. (Or to plan those conversations, cause in my house they ain’t happening in the morning!)

Yesterday, I asked you to think about the things that you love and why you love them. Then, flip the coin and think about how you can share that love with others. Maybe your mug collection makes you think of sharing a hot chocolate with your neighbors. Maybe the crayon marks on the wall remind you of how hard it is to be a mom and you realize that you should invite over that stressed looking mama from church. Maybe you love your crazy vintage oven and want to invite friends over for a homemade pizza party. Whatever it is, whatever list you made yesterday, let’s slide into that.

Today’s Challenge is to think of 3 people who do not live in your home that you can invite into your life in the coming weeks. I don’t want to stress you out. You don’t need to host a luncheon tomorrow. Be calm. It’s ok. Think about the coming weeks. Who needs you? Who is alone? Who do you want to share your refuge with? Do you know someone whose home is not a refuge? How can you do this? Just think. Don’t stress. Don’t try to be perfect. Don’t think about entertaining. Think about hospitality. Openness. Why do you want a refuge anyway if you can’t share it with others?

So. Write it down, if you want. Pray about it. If you find yourself resisting, ask yourself why. Spend little moments here and there today noticing your surroundings. Your people. Your friends. Your kids friends. People on Facebook who seem lonely. Colleagues. Who needs to be a part of your life? Who needs you to reach out to them? You’ve learned a lot in 17 days. How are you going to use it?