WELCOME Relationships!

Welcome Bloggy Friends!

Over the summer I visited homes in our neighborhood, updating information for our directory of neighbor info. I got up close and personal to a lot of front doors I'd never been to before. Sometimes I wanted to sit down on the porch and have a chat with the neighbor there, but other times I wanted to turn around and run away! A front door puts a "message" out there to those who arrive, telling a lot about how the people inside feel about visitors and neighbors.
 
You may not have a porch or steps, but there's an entrance to where you live! What do people "hear" when they come to your home? A front door can really be the "door" to encouraging new relationships around us.

Up the street from my house, a neighbor just put up blinking orange lights around her doorway, a great compliment to the scarecrows she planted in the middle of her geraniums. ;) This mom of young children is saying, "Come on over! We want to play with you." No surprise that the local tribe of little neighbors often hangs out in and around her yard. I'm no longer in "blinking lights" stage, but my door still needs to say, "Welcome."

What are you "saying" with your front door to the people around you? 

If we want to nurture relationships and not live life alone, we can begin by creating a life that says "WELCOME" on the outside. In other words, the exterior of our home (and our face!) needs to smile.  It doesn't have to be expensive, and you don't have to be Martha Stewart. This time of year, I pull out the same artificial leaves year after year, and I indulge in one fresh item ( a pumpkin ) to make it festive. Don't go out and buy expensive ribbon ( who has that extra cash right now? ) - Instead, tear strips of an old sheet, skirt, or tablecloth to make a ribbon to tie around a wreath or candle. I have an old chair next to my door that I re-decorate each season to fit the theme. It's not so important HOW it looks, but that it speaks to those who arrive at your day, saying, "Welcome." 



So ... if I came to your house, what would your front door say to me?  ;)

Linking this to Rachel's Friday Feedback over at Steady Rain!