Our Den and It's Many Faces...and All of Our Boys. (Dec 4, 2011)

            Well, most of my blog writings have been pretty serious up to this point, so I thought I’d try something a little lighter today. It has been a pretty busy week this week with church musical rehearsals, event planning and daily life. So, today after a very moving and meaningful church service, and lunch with friends, we headed home for a little “r and r”. As soon as we walked into the house I was reminded of just how busy this week has been. Our den showed many signs that I had not been here to keep up with it all!

            There was much evidence that our house had once again been filled with several house guests over these last few days. When I say house guests, I mean the ever-changing group of twenty-something guys that hang out at our house several days a week. There was also much evidence that I am not only the mother of two sons, but of many sons, and oh how we love each and every one of them. I call myself “a mother of many sons”.

            Our lives have been filled with so many wonderful moments because of all of these young men. Some have lived with us, some have slept many nights on our couch and some we only get to see every now and then. We’ve spent enough money on groceries to have taken many very nice vacations, but I wouldn’t trade any of those wonderful moments and memories with them for anything. When they start their own lives, and get their own places, we are really going to miss these sounds of life.

            Back to our den, it often doubles as a hotel, a bedroom, a gaming room, a counseling center, a restaurant, a movie theater, and just a welcoming kind of place to hang out. If we added up the number of guys (and gals at times), I’m sure it would be way in the hundreds. We’ve had friends of friends here that we’ve never even met before! There are a couple of these guys that we could probably claim on our taxes, and two that we even affectionately call “Number 3A and 3B”. They know who they are. Some of our boys have gone into the military, some are married and have their own kids and some have moved across the country. We have beautiful memories of sleepovers, game nights, group dinners, great conversation, slurpee runs and our annual Christmas Eve stocking stuffer tradition. (That’s another story for another day!)

            I don’t think they know how much they have blessed our lives by spending so many hours in our den. If you ask them, they’ll tell you that I’m one tough momma! I get on them if they leave behind messes for me to pick up, or if they take their eyes off of the important things, like their relationship with the Lord. We pretty much have two basic rules, one is that after one visit, you basically become family and you are on your own in the kitchen, and secondly, don’t keep momma Terry up once she goes to bed! It makes me smile that they just keep coming back for more! They just want love, food and a place to be part of a family. We REALLY do love each and every one of them as family. When our front door opens, we are always waiting and surprised to see who will come around the corner into our den. Will it be one of our two boys or one of our many “adopted” sons?

            So, today when I walked into the den and saw a several TV’s, empty soda cans, pillows, blankets, a game table and pizza boxes scattered just about everywhere, my first thought was, “Oh boy, what a mess.” But then, I was reminded again of all of the fond memories and the wonderful sounds of life that they bring to our house and I just cannot get frustrated. After all, God has blessed us richly through our simple and comfortable den. It’s not that special, it’s just available.  

            We are so grateful for every moment that we have with our boys and anyone else who comes by for a visit, whether it’s a visit to Hotel Roberts, Terry’s Diner or the Pink Room. So, come on by for a cup of tea, a cookie bar, or even a slice of pizza. We’d love to have you anytime. Our home is always open and the lights are always on. Time passes so quickly and we want to spend every moment we can with our precious family and friends. What blessings you all are to us! J