Hands build a house, but hearts build a home.
At the Door
Welcome! So glad you stopped by. This site is devoted to sharing my passion for all things home and family. I know. I know. You’re probably thinking that covers a lot of territory. You’re absolutely right. It covers just about everything plus the kitchen sink. And that’s exactly what you’ll find here…anything related to home and family examined from my personal perspective as to how it impacts our efforts to create A HeARTful Home.
The inspiration for my image of home came from my paternal grandparents. The moment you crossed their threshold, what you noticed was not that all the furnishings matched, because they didn’t…not that all the appliances were modern, because they weren’t…not that everything was immaculate, because it wasn’t. You noticed the delicious aroma coming from the kitchen, the colorful array of projects scattered about, and the palpable sense of welcome. Grammy and Grampa suffused every room of that house with their love and artistry, transforming it into A HeARTful Home.
They set the standard against which every place I’ve ever lived has been measured. Whether dorm room, apartment, or house…rented or owned, the desire was always to create a cozy, welcoming space. A place where as soon as you opened the door bid, “Do come in. There’s love in this home…love to spare.”
Knowing home was where my children wanted to be, where they were proud to bring friends, and where they are still happy to return fills my heart. Having a home where family and friends are eager to gather is deeply gratifying. Hearing, “I just love being here,” is music to my heart…a fitting tribute to my grandparents.
A HeARTful Home entails an array of elements. Although these essential elements may be the same across the board, how they are manifest is unique to each one. There is no single blueprint for creating A HeARTful Home. No two are exactly alike. This lifelong endeavor requires keeping our eyes on the details while keeping our minds on the big picture. By sharing my knowledge and experience as well as what I continue to learn, I hope to inspire and encourage your efforts to create A HeARTful Home.
Across the Threshold
More About Carolyn
As a young child, observing human interactions and their corollaries, especially within my own family, ignited my curiosity, eventually inspiring me to pursue degrees in Child Development (Berea College), Family Studies (University of Kentucky), and Marriage and Family Therapy (The University of Georgia). Although I am not currently practicing, as a therapist I conducted sessions with clients, taught parenting classes, guided book club discussions, delivered presentations, and wrote about virtually every subject relevant to families.
Using various metaphors, I have written about the family system, with emphasis on the parent-child relationship, for publication in magazines, church bulletins, and school newsletters. The Parent’s Tool Box (Lexington Family Magazine) inspected parenting as a process of acquiring the necessary skills for building a healthy family. Pastoral Parenting (Episcopal Church of the Resurrection Newsletter) addressed the role of parenting in guiding spiritual development. As arts facilitator for a creative and performing arts school, my passion for the arts and their role in enriching and enhancing life inspired The Art of Parenting (School for the Creative and Performing Arts Newsletter). Most recently, New York Parenting Magazine published a monthly column exploring the implications of current attitudes, issues, and events for parenting practices. These collections are stored Down in the Basement for perusal at your convenience.
Studying families has been a persistent passion of mine. If there is anything I have learned, it is that there is always more to know when it comes to making the most of the best of ourselves and our families. Family, whatever form it takes, is the system in which we all begin. Home, wherever and in whatever condition it exists, is the place from which we all start. The extent to which we are defined by the forces of family and home is significantly determined by our awareness of the role they play in influencing who we become. When we acknowledge the existence of a force and strive to understand its properties, we gain control over the power it exerts upon us. The more we know about these forces in our lives, the more we can do to enhance the desirable qualities while modifying the undesirable ones when creating our HeARTful Home.
