An Atmosphere Of Love

A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate.

Knocking on the screen door, I open it. One dog noses at me while the other lies quiescent in the corner. From the round table in the kitchen, faces turn my way.

“Hi, Krissi!” my aunt calls out, warmth in her tone. Though I’ve been “Kristin” to everyone else since college, my family gets a free pass, and I smile in response.

Shooing my kids inside, I take off my shoes and head to the kitchen to pour myself a cup of coffee. I lean over to hug my aunt, scooting a chair closer to the table to settle in for a visit.

For as long as I can remember, my aunt’s home has been a place of comfort. The first ten years of my life were spent in this part of the state, and I have a long-standing love for the woods and pine trees that line the road.

I can’t visit without recalling my uncle Jimmy’s storytelling or how he’d command his enormous Belgian horses as we careened down backcountry roads on sleigh rides. Being there reminds me of horseback riding alongside gravel roads, fireworks on the Fourth of July, and the unmistakable smell of a stall that needs mucking out. It reminds me of hopping from one hay bale to the next, watching my mom and aunt quilt, or chatting with cousins and friends who visited.

I’ve lived in many places, but this home is among my favorites. It’s not because of the setting or the memories; it’s because the atmosphere is one of love. I’ve never worried if I fit in or wondered if my family was tired of me. I’ve never felt less than accepted. Love blankets my aunt’s home, and it enfolds all who enter.

The Bible has a funny verse about how eating vegetables with a loved one is better than eating steak with someone you don’t like. Other translations have words like “herbs” rather than vegetables and “fattened ox” rather than steak. The idea remains: even the humblest of foods taste amazing when shared with people we care about. It’s not because of what’s on the menu but how we make others feel. Like my aunt’s family, we, too, can cultivate an atmosphere of love. When we actively choose to demonstrate love to those around us, they’ll notice.

Kristin

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Think of a place you’ve visited that radiated an atmosphere of love. Thank God for it.