The Meeting Place

Every home has a spot where the family congregates, and this time of year, the center of our home seems to be around our woodstove.  Every day, my beloved gets up early to start a fire, and then he enjoys a steaming hot cup of coffee in the stillness of the early morning before the rest of the house is awake. 

Listening to the soothing sounds of the fire crackle and pop while the flames reflect off of the walls of the dark living room beckons me out of my cozy flannel sheets and down comforter to warm myself in front of the stove.  When I'm good and toasty, I take a seat in the rocking chair next to the fire and read my Bible in the early mornings.

Not long after, I hear the pitter patter of bare feet come down the hallway as my three children take their turn huddled up next to the stove in their pajamas, wiping sleep from their eyes and stretching as they sit side by side on the hearth.

After breakfast, the kids and I sit near-by as we start our school morning off with devotions and a time of prayer.  I place a pan of bread dough next to the stove to rise and  we continue to feed the fire throughout the day.

After dinner, we find ourselves congregating once again around the woodstove to enjoy the relaxing fire and read a good book with a cup of Chai tea or a mug of hot cocoa.  It's such a central meeting spot for us.

I'm telling you this because when we bought our house, it came with this incredibly ugly stove that was straight from the seventies.

Yeah, totally gross, isn't it?

I called it the "I dream of Jeannie" stove because it belongs in her bottle next to her circular couch.  The stove repair man called it the "spaceship stove."

There was a pair of vice grips for a handle, and although the stove served it's purpose, warming our home for 7 years, I've ALWAYS wanted to get rid of it.

A few weeks ago, my in-laws gave us the gift of a brand new stove, and it's so beautiful!  It heats the house up quickly and matches our rustic home so much better than the old stove.

This is the favorite reading spot of my kids!  At least one of them is laying around the stove  at any given point in the winter.

I feel so blessed to have such a gorgeous new woodstove.  It truly is the centerpiece of the living room, and we'll enjoy it for many years to come.

Thanks so much!