If you read this blog, you know that I have kind of an obsession about books regarding the home. The obsession, I'm sure can be traced back to a few different places but probably the biggest is that I am constantly trying to define what home is to me. I do not wish to replicate the "home" experience I had as a child (not that it was bad, I just don't want to raise nine children in a small farm town...) and so I am in search of new parameters.
I first saw home is where the heart is? here. I quickly placed it on hold at the library, thinking it would be a great visual reference. Once received, I realized that while the photos were okay, the text of the book was quite striking. To be honest, most books I "read" about the home contain less than stellar tips and are purely visual delight.
As I read on, Ilse Crawford's words really stuck with me. Consider this passage:
"We are the only constant in our lives, so it makes sense to look within, to our inner selves. Money, job, image are all just too volatile. But we can create a way of life that makes us feel complete. And we can begin to construct our own value system, one connected to our real and human needs, the needs of those around us, as well as those of the environment."
Bingo!
Yes, I just wrote bingo, that is how I felt when I read this passage. Here is another that to me, really defines what I love about this "blog land":
"In our deeds we can structure our life so that the simple things that we do every day, from bathing to cooking, have resonance and ritual."
Resonance and ritual...
I feel like since I "lost formal religion"I've been searching for a way to bring ritual and tradition into my life and this passage came and dropped in my lap.
One last passage-
"True kinship takes a warm heart. We talk about love so much, but we forget that it is something we give rather than get: a way of being."
Beautiful, no?
Here are some of my other home book faves:
-junk style
-pure style living
-how to decorate
-essential home
Be sure to check out the author's site.
Other beautiful book week participants (I'll be updating this list, so let me know to add you!)
-lori
-sara
-meg
