Sanctuary…
The definition of sanctuary is threefold: a place of refuge, a nature reserve, and a holy place. That pretty much describes our master bedroom. I’ll explain….
Our bedroom became a place of refuge when both of our boys were home at the same time this summer. Over Easter we had vacated what is now Tyler’s room (when he’s home from school) and slept on a pull-out sofa. Not so comfortable but workable for a long weekend. This was not, of course, an ideal solution so we were grateful when the carpet went in our bedroom right before we were all going to be home at the same time.
The master bath was not at all complete at this time (actually, there weren’t any walls or floors) so to use the restroom required walking down a flight of stairs to the partially finished 1/2 bath on the main floor. Not so fun with an ankle still in recovery but doable. We also had to install a barrier to sequester off our bedroom from where most of the work was happening down the hall. The carpeting stopped at this barrier which was a curtain taken from the one spot Jeff missed during the great curtain removal. Upon this discovery, he said some words, which I will not repeat here...
At first, all we had was a bedframe and some make-shift nightstands to hold our phone chargers, but at least it was a place of our own to get some rest after a long day of whatever fire stomping needed doing.
It was our nightly refuge….
The windows in the bedroom are huge and provide what I believe is the best view in the house. There are birds, butterflies, and dragonflies that flit about all day, and racoons and fireflies that make their presence known at night. (We also have a lot of wasps, but I don’t want to think about them.) We’re high enough up in the overgrown trees to feel like we are living in a forest. (The forest needs trimming down, but that is a project for another day.) It really does feel like living in nature, which we love.
The holy place comes in as this is where we pray together every morning and where I pray when I’m alone. I can’t even describe how good it feels to have a quiet place to pray again. While living in the apartment or the various thin-walled hotels, there was next to no peace. Of course during most of the day while the house is still being remodeled, it’s very noisy. So, there is little peace here too at times. There always seems to be some hammering or sawing going on, but in the early morning and in the evening, it’s quiet, and I love that….
We don’t realize how important that peacefulness is until we no longer have it. I won’t be taking that for granted again!
The bedroom isn’t quite complete yet, but it’s close. We have a bit of touch-up painting, some plug covers to put on, and a door handle to install. Plus, the eyesore that is the intercom system needs replacing. All in good time, I’m told…
But for right now, I am enjoying my sanctuary just as it is….
