In the mix of the hustle and bustle of daily life, I’d be willing to bet that most of us take for granted that we have a home. Think about it. Most of the time I come home, set down my things, take off my shoes, check the mail, get something from the fridge…and never even think about how lucky I am to actually have a home. I wonder why? I mean…if you own a home it is probably the single largest purchase you’ve ever made. Seems like an odd thing to take for granted.
I spent this past weekend nesting in my house. I bought pumpkins for the front porch, rearranged furniture, cleaned from floor to ceiling, installed a couple of items, hung a few things, etc. It all looks great…if I do say so myself. But, after I finished and I sat down to write a blog entry recognizing “World Habitat Day” I got to thinking about how lucky I actually am to get to do laundry in my own home. To collect the items I collect for my home. Obviously, some of these things are frivolous…like pumpkins, but my home also provides me the most basic of necessities….a place to bathe and clean myself, to cook and nurture myself, to rest and rejuvenate myself. How is it that I can take cooking, cleaning, and sleeping for granted?!?!
My work as the Development Director for Mobile Loaves & Fishes has certainly opened my eyes to the issues of homelessness, poverty, and hungry. So it should be no surprise to me that a home is important…but somehow I fail to recognize this on a daily basis.
Today is World Habitat Day. A day to “reaffirm that adequate shelter is a basic human right, and we focus on the housing conditions of cities and towns around the world. We also use this day to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.”
So in honor of this day, I’ve set a small goal for myself…when I come home each evening and cross the threshold of my home that I remember how lucky I am to have a place to call my own. It’s a modest home, but it’s mine. I find solace and serenity there. Each day as I come home I’ll say a prayer for the thousands of those out there who don’t have what most of us call a luxury, but is in fact a necessity.
I won’t pretend that my meager goal will solve the issue of homelessness. I do think, however, that just recognizing our own blessings can change the way we view others as we pass them on the street corners or step over them in doorways. It’s a shift in the way we think of others. If we change the way we think, we change the way we act…and in doing so, hopefully we’ll treat every human being with the dignity and respect they deserve.
-Leigh
