Dear Friend

Dear Friend,
Please come over to my house. There are chips crunched into the carpet and cardboard pieces hot-glued to our tile from the day’s earlier kid project, but this floor of mine wants to hear the footfalls of your children and wants to know the dust upon your shoes. I want to know where you’ve come from and where you want to go. I want to hear the things that are on your heart and what fears you’ve been trying to push away.

Dear Friend,
Please sit down on my couch. There are stains from yesterday’s chocolate milk and half-eaten pretzels shoved down into the cracks, but my home desperately craves your presence. My walls need to ring with the sound of your laughter and my soul is ready to join with yours in sorrow. The mundane annoyances of daily life fade into the background when they are shared together, and your life brings greater life to my own.

Dear Friend,
Please stay here for a while. There is laundry to fold and dishes piled in the sink and dinner simmering on the stove, but not one of these things compares to how thankful I am that you showed up at my front door. In the whirlwind of these busy days, life can feel so lonely. But, then, in an instant, your friendly voice sparks a light inside and I am reminded of the joy in these simple moments of conversation.

Dear Friend,
I am so glad that you came. In the midst of the sticky counters and the cluttered tabletops and the noisy zoo that’s my home, your arrival brought a peace and sense of grounding that settled me into myself again. You graciously drew me into your life and, thus, into community, and out of the single-minded focus that can threaten to consume me. Your courage to cross my threshold gave me the gift of acceptance and I pray my welcome granted you the same.

Dear Friend,
Please come back again. My house will never be clean. My kitchen will always be a mess. I will probably be distracted and anxious and trying {and failing} to ignore all the ways my home displays my lack of housekeeping skills, but… my heart! My heart is always open to you and always eager for those soul-searing discussions that bring us back to the basics in all the best ways. Leave your shoes on, or take them off, wear your pajamas or your prettiest dress. Let’s drink some wine or share some Ben and Jerry’s or order a pizza and call it good. Tell me you’re coming or just drop by, I will always be glad to see you.