Home Sweet Home ~~~ Sherry Camperson

Saturday morning of the ladies conference, I decided to go to Sherry Camperson's session on Home Sweet Home. Sherry is the first born daughter of Dr. Curtis and Geri Hutson. She's always a favorite of mine. Here are my notes from that session...

Home is the beginning and the end of the day. Home is where your story begins....

Women guide the atmosphere in the home. Every home has an atmosphere and "mom" is mainly responsible for that atmosphere. We have the ability to influence our family's attitude toward home. If we enjoy our home, our family will enjoy the home.

Biblically, we are to keep the home. If the home is in disarray, we blaspheme God.

Here are five senses to make your heart at home:

Sight ~ Look around your home. Notice your family. Take time to decorate pleasing to the eye, but take time for your children too. Be attentive to your husband.
Have inspirational things for them to read and look at.
Don't throw your keepsakes away. Use them around the house and display them attractively. For instance, she said she had a basket made of popsicle sticks she made when she was a child at VBS. She painted it black and now she serves bread in it at the dinner table.
Decorate for comfort. When someone enters your home they should feel comfortable and relaxed. Not like they've just entered a mansion and can't touch anything.
Decorate so that people will know that the Lord is there.
We miss opportunities to fellowship with others because we don't have things in order or because we don't have "wonderful" things. People could care less about what we don't have and just need our fellowship.

Hearing ~ The home should be a place where sweet words are heard. Proverbs 25:11 "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."
A~appropriate words
P~Pleasant words
P~Pure words
L~Lovely words
E~Encouraging words
S~Soft words
Sometimes people just need a listener. We don't always have to give advice or come up with an answer. Sometimes it's good just to listen. Our home should be a place of therapy for others.

Smell ~ Our home should have pleasant smells. Smells that make memories for our families. Maybe it's smells from the kitchen or familiar candles. The home should be filled with nice smells.

Taste ~ Men spell love F-O-O-D. A warm welcome for family and friends always includes food. Learn to cook! You don't have to become a chef, but learn to make familiar dishes your family will love and remember. Set a gracious table. Don't save the good china for company. Let your family know they're special too.

Touch ~ Touching announces to your family that you're there for them. It lets them know they're loved and makes them feel secure.